REVIEW: Pants on Fire by Meg Cabot

Pants on Fire
Meg Cabot
eBook Edition

Goodreads synopsis: Katie Ellison is not a liar.  But she can’t exactly tell the truth, either–not when she’s juggling two boyfriends, secretly hating the high school football team everyone else worships, and trying to have the best summer ever. At least Katie has it all under control (sort of). Her biggest secret, what really happened the night Tommy Sullivan is a freak was spray-painted on the junior high gymnasium wall, is safe. That is, until Tommy comes back to town. Katie is sure he’s going to ruin all her plans, and she’ll do anything to hang on to her perfect existence. Even if it means telling more lies. Even if, now that Tommy’s around, she’s actually–truthfully–having the time of her life.

Honestly, I chose this book pretty much based on the title.  One of the categories for the What’s in a Name Challenge required a title to have “fire” or the equivalent (such as flames, smoke, etc.).   I scoured Goodreads searching these terms and this seemed to be an OK one (most of the books with those words in the title tended to have covers that looked like romance novels that I’m just not into).  I also recognized the author’s name, but couldn’t remember if I had read anything by her.

Anyway, this wasn’t very good.  The main character was annoying.  She’s supposed to be at the top of her class, yet the writing isn’t all that sophisticated (using “like” a lot, and saying stuff such as “so my mom was all like…” rather than “and my mom said”).

We don’t find out until way late in the book what was written about Tommy on the junior high gym, but the synopsis tells us right away.  The book had this build up to what it actually said and who wrote it, but when they synopsis gives away what it says, why is there such a build up?  I thought the whole situation was pretty extreme.  I didn’t care about any of the characters.   The only good part about the story was the speech Katie made at the end, which would be in line with the character Tommy knows and loves, but not with the one we read about throughout the book.

I just did a search on Goodreads for Meg Cabot and I know why her name is familiar: she wrote The Princess Diaries.  I thought the Disney move was cute, and marked the book to read a while back.  I’ll give that one a chance, but if it’s anything like this, I’ll probably give up early on.  And if this is an indication of how the rest of her work is, I’m all set.

You know, I hate giving bad reviews, especially if I see others have enjoyed the book.  If I happen to see a number of good reviews, I try to think back and see if there is anything I did enjoy about it and try to soften my review, but that usually doesn’t happen.

I’ve been reading some reviews on Goodreads and still feel the same way: nothing for me to soften my review (in fact, I’ve seen some pretty scathing stuff!) and I agree with the few 1 & 2 star reviews I’ve read, but I’m dumbfounded when I see that some people gave this 4 or 5 stars!  I just don’t see the quality in it to give more than 2 (and I think that’s being generous).  SEMI-SPOILER: There was one review that made a really good point: how is it that Tommy was run out of town for exposing a lie, yet the main character goes around with lie after lie and all her cheating?  No type of punishment for Katie at all.

REVIEW: The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein

The Art of Racing in the Rain
Garth Stein
Kindle edition (borrowed from library)

Goodreads Synopsis: Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through. In the end, despite what he sees as his own limitations, Enzo comes through heroically to preserve the Swift family, holding in his heart the dream that Denny will become a racing champion with Zoë at his side. Having learned what it takes to be a compassionate and successful person, the wise canine can barely wait until his next lifetime, when he is sure he will return as a man. A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life…as only a dog could tell it.

I cut down the Goodreads synopsis because it was really long, but you can click on the book image to be taken to the Goodreads page and read the whole synopsis.

First: I love the dog’s name! This was an enjoyable read.  My manager told me about it a while back and I added it to my to-read list, but never got around to it.  When I was visiting my cousin about a month ago, I saw she had a copy and she said it was really good, so I borrowed it.  I was not disappointed in it.  However, I was surprised at the subject matter the “tough stuff” that was at the center of the novel.  I was expecting a lighter read similar to A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron (which is one of my favorite books).

At times, I felt Enzo was too philosophical and not very dog-like, but some of his observations were pretty funny.  And some observations were funny because they were true (his description when owners have to pick up their dog’s poop, for example).

Admission time: After reading the first chapter and knowing Enzo was on his way out, I went to the end of the book to read the last chapter (before I was emotionally invested in the characters), thinking that one of two things would happen when I really got to the end: 1. I could skip it ’cause I already read it, or 2. I wouldn’t be emotional because I already read it.   Of course I did read it when I got to the end and of course I did tear up over it!  So that was a big fail for me. Ha!  (by the way, I’ve never done that before!)

It took me a little while to get into it, I must admit, but once I got settled with it, it was good.  I think I was comparing it to A Dog’s Purpose too much and once I let that go, I could enjoy it more.  There were lots of comparisons between life and racing (obviously!), which didn’t really mean anything for me since I’m not interested in racing but I understood the comparisons/parallels so it worked.

REVIEW: Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers

Mary Poppins
P. L. Travers
Kindle edition (borrowed from library)

Most people should know the story of Mary Poppins (whether from this book or the Disney movie version).  You know, the magical Nanny who takes care of some kids in England?  They have some silly adventures and have ridiculous parents?

Anyway, let me start by saying Disney’s Mary Poppins is my favorite non-animated Disney movie.  I love the music and Mary Poppins and the funny things she does.  Having said that, I was surprised that the book and movie were so very different.  Of course,  I expected differences (the movies are never the exact same!), but I was not prepared for the significant differences such as: Jane and Michael having twin siblings, the different adventures within the book and most importantly, Mary Poppins herself.

Quite frankly, I didn’t think she was a very likable character at all, and Julie Andrews’ Mary Poppins is so endearing and everyone loves her (“It’s a jolly holiday with Mary”… right?).  She was very vain and not very nice at all in the book.  I tried very hard to rid myself of the Disney version of the character and after a short time, it was easy enough to do considering the different personalities of these two women with the same name.  But I had a hard time trying not to compare certain scenes and wondering when a beloved scene from the movie would appear in the story only to never find it.

In the movie, the kids and parents (or at least the father), all learn a lesson and have a better relationship and Mary Poppins really does care for the children; in the book, I didn’t get that feeling at all on either of these points.

I’m glad I read this just to see the inspiration for the movie, but I’ll stick with Julie Andrews, thanks!  I don’t plan to read any of the other books in the series.

REVIEW: Downward Dog, Upward Fog by Meryl Davids Landau

Downward Dog, Upward Fog
Meryl Davids Landau
Kindle edition

Lorna Crawford is a 33-year-old event coordinator in the marketing department of an ice cream company.  She has her usual group of friends, a successful boyfriend, a caring sister and a belittling mother.  She’s been feeling “off” about her life: where she is and where she’s going.  She thinks meditating and yoga may be a way to help her out of her funk.  (Click the image to be taken to the Goodreads page).

All in all, I didn’t really care for this book.  This is disappointing because it’s been on my to read list for AGES, and I’ve enjoyed other books that had yoga as a theme, and because I actually bought the Kindle version since I couldn’t find it at the library.  Waste of $4. There may be some spoilers in my review.

Anyway, I felt Lorna was pretty whiny and didn’t act like a 33-year-old.  She constantly talked about how she would normally act or react in certain situations (negatively), so her transformation in a matter of months – when people who practice for years before they reach the point she does – is rather far-fetched and unrelatable. She is constantly filled with self-doubt, which is surprising considering the successful job and whatnot. I was just kind of annoyed by Lorna’s character.  She goes from commenting how she would think a snide remark to gushing to complete strangers.

I felt it was kind of like a research paper where there were lots of quotes and references to books and authors and yogis, etc.  I read a review on Goodreads that does a better job of explaining how I felt about it.

REVIEW: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent
Veronica Roth
Kindle edition (borrowed from library)

Goodreads Synopsis: Tris’s initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

This is the second installment of the Divergent trilogy. It’s been a while since I read the first one (in October), so I was a little rusty when I finally got this digital copy from the library.  (Sidenote: I actually got the digital copy from the library in December and then my Kindle keyboard froze on me, so I had to return the book without reading it.  When I got my new Kindle Paperwhite, I requested the book again and was on hold for a while).

Anyway, it’s a good story, picks up pretty much exactly where the first one ended (if memory serves me correctly).  It actually shows Tris suffering from something like PTSD, and it’s no wonder.  It’s pretty amazing what these young kids (teenagers!) can do, and how well they do it, when it’s the only thing they’re ever taught.

There is a lot of internal searching for Tris in this book,  I think.  I thought it was well done, though sometimes I forgot she was only, what, 16? It’s a pretty harsh world these people live in, so I guess they have to grow up faster than kids in our reality.

This ends on a huge revelation that throws everyone into an uproar.  In fact, the last line of the book is

Then the shouting begins. (page 525)

I look forward to the third book, currently unnamed, due out later this year.

I was surprised to learn how young Roth is (born in 1988), so perhaps this is one of the reasons why she chose a younger character age.  The books are extremely well written for someone so young.

 

REVIEW: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn
Kindle edition (borrowed from library)

Goodreads Synopsis (shortened): On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? 

Immediate reaction, you ask? Wait, what? Wow that’s f’d up.

There were twists and turns in this book, and it was so well done!

The chapters alternate between Nick’s narration and Amy’s diary entries.  And we get to see each character’s true colors, very interesting.

I’m afraid to go into too much detail because certain things are revealed at different points in the story that I want to comment on, but I don’t want to ruin it for any of you who want to read this.  But if you have read it, I encourage you to leave comments and we can discuss.  And I’ll warn anyone who hasn’t read the book yet: read the comments (if any) at your own risk!

Let’s try a different style of review: my reactions throughout the book (not in any particular order):

• Suspicion (of a character)
• Disgust
• Annoyed (with some of Amy’s diary entries in Part I)
• Suspicion (of the situation)
• Baffled
• Creeped out
• Shocked

What a great psychological thriller.  I definitely recommend this to everyone!

REVIEW: How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran

How to Be a Woman
Caitlin Moran
Kindle edition (borrowed from library)

Synopsis: Caitlin Moran interweaves provocative observations on women’s lives with laugh-out-loud funny scenes from her own, from the riot of adolescence to her development as a writer, wife, and mother.
(brief quote from Goodreads synopsis.  Click image to go to Goodreads page)

This could be a touchy subject for some people, so I invite calm, rational discussion in the comments.

I saw a review by Julie at julie’s chick lit (I mentioned this in my last WWW post) on this book and decided I wanted to check it out.  There were definitely moments when I did laugh out loud (but more toward the beginning of the book).

Anyway, I did read a couple of reviews for this on Goodreads (when I was a little more than halfway through the book), and some people really enjoyed it and others didn’t care for it at all.  Some seemed kind of harsh in their comments, but we’re all entitled to our own opinions!

To be quite honest, it seemed that the concept of feminism wasn’t necessarily the main point throughout the book, even if that might have been the intention.  So to me, I took this as a memoir, which happened to discuss feminism, and enjoyed it for what it was.  (I will agree with one negative reviewer that it seemed Moran only mentioned Germaine Greer as her go-to feminist and references to other feminists were lacking).

There are points I agree with, such as: the negative connotation we associate with the word “feminism”, that we don’t want to “take over”, just get our share of things, and the fact that Hollywood, the press, and the gossip rags really influence people to an extreme degree.  Take, for instance, the following quote:

My beautician told me she has had girls of 12 and 13 coming in for Brazilians. (page 76)

That is absolutely ridiculous!!

When talking about how negative the word feminist has become, Moran laments that there is no other word to use; we don’t have alternatives.  To that end, she stresses:

We need the only word we have ever had to describe “making the world equal for men and women.” (page 79)

I wholeheartedly agree.  So many people assume a feminist is a man-hater, angry with everyone and everything, dresses a certain way, acts a certain way, and most often people assume the woman (let’s face it, most people who call themselves feminists are women…so more power to the men who use this as an identifier!) is a lesbian.  None of these are necessarily true of a feminist.  I consider myself a feminist and don’t identify with any of the above.   We need to reclaim this word for exactly what it means.

Another quote I enjoyed was:

What is feminism? Simply the belief that women should be as free as men, however nuts, dim, deluded, badly dressed, fat, receding, lazy and smug they might be.

Moran definitely hit the nail on the head in some aspects about how crazy women can act, too, with a twist of humor.  (We probably find these things funny because we can either absolutely imagine it happening, have heard a friend react in a similar way, or maybe we are the ones who’ve acted this way).  She talks about how some women blow things out of proportion and assume there are hidden meanings behind everything a man does.  For example, she mentions a friend who went out on a couple dates with a guy and then the friend noticed the guy added a song to his “likes” on his Facebook page.  Moran’s friend automatically assumed it was significant because it was a private message to her since they had talked about that very song not that long before he updated his Facebook page. (page 238).

One thing I was getting a bit frustrated with, though, was that she seemed to generalize and lump women altogether.  I think it’s one thing to say “most women” or “some women” but to make it sound like she’s referring to “all women” got a little annoying.

Overall, it was enjoyable. Moran does raise some good points that I’m sure I will dwell on, or points that will sneak up on me at one time or another.  (But I definitely don’t look at this as a go-to for feminist discussion)

A random feminist moment of my own: I would always get frustrated in English class in high school when the (female) teacher would say she needed two of the boys to get the boxes of the next book we’d be reading in class.  I always wanted to ask why the teacher was asking for the boys when girls can carry boxes too!

One thing I think is really great is the rise of women in the workplace.  In my department, for example, of the 5 directors 3 are women.  That’s great!  One is the director of a group consisting entirely of women, a second has almost all women within her group, and the third female director’s direct reports below are split pretty evenly between men and women.  It’s really inspiring to see such strong women in the workplace and I look to them as role models.

So I guess that’s my bit on this.  I’ve been thinking about what to write for this review since I started reading the book.  I kind of wish I had written some things down, because I feel it’s not as polished as I wanted it to be.  But I also didn’t want it to sound like an essay! (I highlighted a few passages on the Kindle so I would remember to quote them here, but other than that I didn’t really utilize the “make a note” feature on the Kindle either).  So, sorry if this seems half-assed, not fully thought out, etc.  And I think this is long enough now…(Also, the Bruins are in overtime, so I’m kind of distracted…man listen to that crowd!…and now they’re going into overtime!!)

REVIEW: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson

The Pox Party (The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation #1)
M. T. Anderson
Kindle Edition (borrowed from library)

Goodreads synopsis: It sounds like a fairy tale. He is a boy dressed in silks and white wigs and given the finest of classical educations. Raised by a group of rational philosophers known only by numbers, the boy and his mother — a princess in exile from a faraway land — are the only persons in their household assigned names. As the boy’s regal mother, Cassiopeia, entertains the house scholars with her beauty and wit, young Octavian begins to question the purpose behind his guardians’ fanatical studies. Only after he dares to open a forbidden door does he learn the hideous nature of their experiments — and his own chilling role in them. Set against the disquiet of Revolutionary Boston, M. T. Anderson’s extraordinary novel takes place at a time when American Patriots rioted and battled to win liberty while African slaves were entreated to risk their lives for a freedom they would never claim. The first of two parts, this deeply provocative novel reimagines the past as an eerie place that has startling resonance for readers today.

I tried hard to get into this book.  In fact, I read over 40% of it.  But I just couldn’t do it.  I didn’t really connect with any of the characters. At first I thought it was weird that some people were called by numbers, but as their leader explained, they’re just the background, it doesn’t matter what their names are, and after that explanation, it actually made sense: they are conducting the experiment, their names do not matter, only the subjects matter.

In one part of the book they talk about weighing Octavian’s poop (they measure everything, the weight of what he ate and then the weight of his poop to see how much waste there was).  It reminded me of Augusten Burroughs’s Running With Scissors (a book I didn’t enjoy).

Octavian is a gifted violinist.  But they way he describes how he plays just didn’t make sense to me:

The second movement, a more lively one as written by Signor Tartini, somewhat a dance, I played like the kicking of a turtle-headed spawn in a woman’s womb.

What?

The language was kind of weird, as if the author was trying too hard to be the language of the time. “Spake” (spoke) and “sate” (sat) were used a lot.  There was a lot of description, some of it unnecessary (reminiscent of Moby Dick, though I don’t know how accurate my comparison can be since I’ve only read the first 100 pages of Moby Dick…)

So, all in all, this was a disappointment, but I have two other Kindle books that are available from the library that I’m very excited to read.

REVIEW: Sew Everything Workshop by Diana Rupp

Sew Everything Workshop
Diana Rupp
Hardcover spiral edition

This a great book for beginning sewers – of which I am one.  The book is broken down into sections:  the tools of the trade; fabrics and notions; what patterns are, how they’re written, how to follow them. The book also includes a number of projects to complete: clothes, accessories, and home decor. I’m very excited to get started on some of these projects.

I thought Rupp did a great job of explaining the process and it was very clear and concise, with a bit of humor.  The first project I plan to do from this book is the sewing machine cover.

One thing that stands out to me about Rupp: I emailed her (using an email address I found on her website) with a question about the material recommended to make the sewing machine cover and she responded within a short time.  I was so surprised and pleased!

I know I’ll definitely be referring back to this book for a long time.  In fact, I’ve already done so while I’ve been working on my Cambie dress.  Rupp’s explanations are so clear and easy for me to follow, and I really appreciate that she took out so much time to help new sewers like me!

Definitely recommend this to anyone who is new to sewing, or would like a refresher.

REVIEW: Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
Ben Fountain
Kindle edition (borrowed from library)

Click the image to go to the Goodreads page for the synopsis. It’s kind of hard for me to summarize this without being too trivial or too in-depth.

This is another book toward the Tournament of Books.

The entire book takes place during the Dallas Cowboys/Chicago Bears Thanksgiving day football game but Billy has flashbacks so the reader sees more than just the one day.

It was a good story but I’m not sure I feel about the writing and the book in general.  The style of it made me think of the “free writing” exercises I used to do in a creative writing class in high school, where we would just write the first things that came into our heads, no matter if they made sense or not.  Not that the book didn’t make sense, it made perfect sense, but I guess I mean more of the flow of the story. I’m still processing it.

There were some parts that I felt so bad for the Bravo Squad; like seriously? Do you not realize that a halftime show with fireworks and smoke and pyrotechnics and loud bangs might have a negative effect on these young guys fresh back from war who are on their way back??  Talk about early onset PTSD. As the Goodreads synopsis says, it is definitely a heartbreaking story.  I think this may be one of those stories that I’ll randomly find myself thinking of weeks or months from now.

The narrator’s voice is one I’ve never really read before; one that grew up quickly on the battlefield and is learning life’s hard truths; the voice of a young guy quite literally forced into the situation.

Sorry for the half-assed “review”; I definitely need more time to process.

REVIEW: Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert

Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage
Elizabeth Gilbert
Kindle edition (borrowed from library)

I was expecting this to be more like Eat, Pray, Love but right from the get-go Gilbert tells us it won’t be the same.  Where EPL was more about her inward journey (even though she was literally traveling), Committed was more focused on her research about marriage and her particular situation.

I first started reading this book in November 2012, and got 25% through it before my Kindle (keyboard edition) crapped out on me.  I borrowed this from the library, so I had to return it via Amazon and didn’t get a new Kindle until the Paperwhite as a Christmas gift (I love it!).  Fortunately, I was able to pick up around the 25% mark with a fairly decent memory of the beginning.

There were some interesting facts in there and you can tell that when she researches something she really goes all out.  She discusses the history of marriage, all of its incarnations, all of its ups and downs, the fights, the need for it, the reason for it, the social perceptions, and everything in between.  She does talk about her fear of marriage and perhaps she was either hoping to confirm her fears or expel them.

One thing I like about her is that she really wants and likes to learn.  She’ll seek out information anywhere and in any way she can; I admire that.

If you want a general history of marriage, go ahead and read it.  If you’re looking for something similar to EPL, you won’t find it here.

REVIEW: The Many Lives of Lilith Lane – Episode V

Related Posts
Episode I
Episode II
Episode III
Episode IV

This is a review of the fifth installment of E. V. Anderson’s The Many Lives of Lilith Lane.

A bit more than a month passed between my reading of the 4th and 5th installments and that was my fault.  I thought I let Jenny (from Plympton) know that I was ready for the last installment and discovered the other day that I never sent her an email!  So she was very quick to respond once I emailed her (thanks Jenny!). I had to re-read the last couple of pages of the 4th installment to re-orient myself (luckily, I remembered well enough afer that brief recap).

My questions noted in the other reviews were answered; whew!

However, I was left with a few questions at the end of the last installment; it ends on a cliffhanger-like ending!  Dun dun dun! This series could definitely continue and I wonder if there is any plan for more; I would be interested in reading more about Lilith and her adventures. I’ll have to ask Jenny.

I believe this was the shortest installment of the bunch (or else it just seemed that way), but it was action packed.  There were a few things that tied in together that I would not have guessed, and they worked; at least the story was neater and not as far-fetched as it could have been (that is, if you can call a book that talks about literally jumping into alternate realities not far-fetched).  It’s confusing for Lilith (and perhaps the reader) to keep track of how the people act and the different relationships in each reality, so I guess we’re lucky to have only seen 2 different realities (I’d like to say “for now” because I think if this series continued we should definitely see other realities!)

Would you be interested in reading a serialized novel?  What if that novel was “never-ending”? (By never-ending I mean, there is no set number of installments and they could continue for as long as the author(s) wanted to write.)

REVIEW: 11/22/63 by Stephen King

 11/22/63
Stephen King
Hardcover edition

Synopsis: Jake Epping is a Maine high school teacher in 2011.  A friend of his shows him a “rabbit hole” to 1958 and encourages him to jump into 1958 in order to prevent the assassination of JFK in 1963.  Jake would have to stay in the past (“The Land of Ago” as he calls it) as George Amberson for 5 years to complete that task, but when he returns to 2011, only 2 minutes will have passed but he will have aged 5 years (a quirk of the rabbit hole). Every time he comes back through the rabbit hole and goes through again, a “reset” happens and he goes back to the same day in 1958. 11/22/63 covers Jake’s 5 years in the past, with all the obstacles he needs to overcome in order to succeed in his mission.  But when that mission is over, what will the future look like?

This is a loong book, clocking in at 849 pages.  But of course, we all know King is extremely well-known for the length of his books and the attention to detail he includes in them.  There were a LOT of details in this book and so much happened over the course of the 5 years, that when Jake/George mentions/notices a similarity to an occurance much earlier in the book, I didn’t always remember it right away.  Or the names seemed vaguely familiar, but until Jake/George specifically mentioned it, I wouldn’t remember exactly what part of the story I had heard that name before.  Overall, this was a good story and I read the book in about a week. I thought the premise of the story was a good one, having been intrigued by time travel and how it would affect the traveler’s present day/future for a long time now.

During my reading, a number of questions were raised: If Jake decided to stay in the past, what would happen when it was time for him to be born?  Would he still be born and then there would be two Jake Eppings in the world?  Did everything Jake do have a direct effect on how the future changes?  Obviously, he meets a bunch of people, so does meeting those people change the course of history? (nevermind his objective, because clearly saving the president’s life is a huge game changer).  Can one person, making even a small change (like buying a car for example), have a significant effect on history and thus the future?

Some of these questions are answered by the end of the book.

I thought the ending was kind of disappointing, but it made sense. I thought it could have gotten a little too sci-fi towards the end with the explanation of the rabbit hole (I know, I know: how can I complain about “too sci-fi” when the book is about time travel?), but it made sense, too.

One thing I hope never to hear again though, is that “the past is obdurate” or that “the past harmonizes”.  I wish I had read this on my Kindle just so I could see how many times both of those sentences were said, it was seriously getting on my nerves.

I definitely liked this book more than Under the Dome, but not as much as IT or The Eyes of the Dragon (two of my favorite SK – and all-time – books).

REVIEW: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

 The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
Kindle edition (borrowed from library)

Brief synopsis: It’s 1946 and World War II has just ended.  Juliet Ashton wrote a column for a local newspaper to help people get through the War; making them chuckle (or even outright laugh) during a time that no one thought any happy emotions would survive. When Juliet is offered a 3-installment “article” for the paper about the effect reading has on people, she is stumped what to write about.  Then she receives a letter in the mail from Dawsey Adams, a man from Guernsey who reached out to her when he found her name and address in a book he bought.  From there they begin a correspondence and she learns much about him and his friends on the island.  Moreover, she learns about their “literary society” and  she discovers a strong and close-knit group of people who survived the Occupation.  She travels to Guernsey to meet these people, wanting to learn more about them, and along the way learns more about herself.

What a charming and delightful cast of characters!  All were so well written and full realized.  I didn’t think any of them were flat.  Witty and smart Juliet, shy and caring Dawsey, loopy and eccentric Isola, sweet and sincere little Kit, lovely Amelia and the rest of the cast were just terrific characters.

The book is written through letters, which can be difficult, but it works here. After reading this, I want a pen pal again! (I had one around the time I started high school.  She was from Zimbabwe and we wrote back and forth for almost 5 years, sending each other little trinkets: pictures, puzzles, etc. I bet I still have all of her letters somewhere…

These people are so sincere and care a great deal for each other.  The story can be quite humorous (I almost always had a little smile on my face when I read a letter from Isola, or a scene in which she appeared.  For example, she got a book on phrenology and started “reading” the lumps and bumps on people’s heads. After reading Juliet’s head, she wrote a letter to Juliet’s dear friend – and publisher - and told him: “I told her it was a wonder she wasn’t married, with such great mounds.” – I don’t think she even realized what she was saying..)  But there were also some very serious, and very sad parts (I won’t lie, I may have teared up in a few places), when talking about the Occupation and how it affected people: parents sending their children to England and being separated for 5 years, deaths, concentration camps, starving, being kicked out of their homes by the German soldiers.. the list could go on.  Despite all of that against them, the members of the Literary Society persevered, stayed together and helped each other through this tough time when they had absolutely no contact with the world beyond their island.

Their Society introduced reading to an audience who hadn’t read books beyond school, or rarely did so.  It brought them distraction in the best sense of the word. They learned to love certain stories, authors, genres and loved to talk and argue and discuss things with each other.  People who had been merely neighbors became good, lifelong friends.

I wholeheartedly enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it.  It’s a quick read (I think that’s due in part to the letter format but also because of the story).  The ending is a bit predictable (maybe not how it gets there, though), but that didn’t take away from the story for me.

 

REVIEW: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Song of Achilles
Madeline Miller
Kindle edition (borrowed from library)

Goodreads Synopsis: click the picture for the synopsis.  It’s really long and I didn’t want to take up a lot of space on here.

Having been a student of Latin for 5 years, I’ve heard, read, and/or translated a lot of the Greek/Roman myths and legends.  I learned about many of the gods and goddesses and the epic tales.  However, Achilles was never one that I learned a whole lot about.  I knew the gist of his story, and that he was one of the “bad guys” in the Trojan War (of course, it all depends on which side you were on!).  Maybe I would have learned more about him if I had taken Greek in my last year of high school (instead of not taking any language…but I digress.)

Miller says she was influenced by Homer’s Iliad rather than other versions of Achilles’ myth (for example, we are probably most familiar with the “Achilles heel” and that only his heels were vulnerable and thus his downfall; this was not how Homer wrote him, so this was not how he was portrayed in this novel).

Patroclus narrates the novel and it’s a very interesting voice.  I never really knew anything about this character, so I was glad this was from his point of view. In that time, he would have been considered a coward, and in some instances, perhaps he was.  Maybe having Achilles’ strength and lack of fear around him made him a stronger person in other aspects of his life.  But he was a good man, even if he wasn’t a fighter.  He was smart and caring. While Homer barely hints at the whisper of a romantic relationship between the Patroclus and Achilles, Miller leaves no room for doubt.  It was a touching relationship.  This story, their story, was one of love, strength, death and most importantly Fate.  Can Fate be thwarted? (or I guess in this case, can the Fates?)

I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it.  It was a quick read and there weren’t really any dull parts that I just wanted to get through. Many of the names were familiar (like Menelaus, Agamemnon, Hector, Paris, Helen, Priam, etc.) but it was interesting to see them from the Greek side instead of the Trojan side of things.  (However, in the Trojan war battle scenes, I kept picturing Brad Pitt from the terrible movie adaptation, Troy, as he was leaping through the air to attack his enemies…gosh that was an awful movie, I can’t believe I saw that in the movie theatre… nerd problems?).

I think it’s safe to say my reading of the finalists in the Tournament of Books is off to a good start!