FOUR ARCs: The Cottingley Secret; You'll Never Know, Dear; Hounds of the Underworld; These Vicious Masks

ALL FOUR of these reviews are based on ARCs (Advanced Reader's Copies received for free in exchange for an honest review).

The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor

This is one of those books that explores a historical event---in this case, one that happens to be true---from the perspective of a present day woman exploring her past and coming to terms with her life. The historical event is the photographing of fairies by Frances Griffiths and her cousin Elsie Wright in Cottingley. Starting in the early 1920s, Frances and Elsie sparked worldwide interest and debate regarding both whether fairies are real and, in any case, whether they'd in fact been photographed by the girls. This book considers the perspective of Frances in the form of a memoir read by someone (Olivia) in present time. (Exactly 100 years after Frances first saw the fairies in 1917.)

Olivia is a young woman who has just lost her grandfather and is attending his funeral in Ireland. He has left her the memoir in his passing, along with his house, his bookstore, the care of her grandmother with Alzheimer's, and some debt that he'd failed to mention. Olivia unfortunately has a bit of a jerk of a fiancé back in London and a life there that she's increasingly interested in abandoning.

As Olivia reads the memoirs to herself and her grandmother, she learns more about what matters and what is really important in life, not to mention the Cottingley secret and perhaps even a snippet of her own ancestry.

It was an interesting story, well told and pretty well paced. I often didn't love Gaynor's use of metaphor -- what others have found poetic, I have found clunky and oddly cliched (the metaphors seemed to highlight the cliched feelings/thoughts in their attempt to obfuscate them). I also found some of the contradictions annoying (the biggest one being that the memoir was left for Olivia in a package from her grandfather, as noted in the beginning, and discovered by Olivia in the store after is passing, as stated about halfway through). But overall, despite these hitches, I still found the book enjoyable and interesting. I also thought Gaynor did a great job with the family dynamics and reveals. I almost found Olivia's story more interesting than Frances... it was nice that the story (Olivia's) created for the purpose of exploring a different story (Frances) was independently interesting and engaging.

So all in all, some history, light romance, fairies, family and self discovery, and a quaint Irish seaside town made for an enjoyable read.

Rounded up to FOUR of five stars.

You'll Never Know, 

Dear by Hallie Ephron

I really enjoyed reading this book. It wasn't quite what I was expecting. I was expecting something extra creepy and maybe in the horror camp. This was more suspense, maybe a little lite-horror, some relationship building, and just good story-telling.

It's called "A Novel of Suspense," and I would agree with that. Even though you may (I did) "figure it out" really early in the novel, it still reads really well and still creates a tension and a suspenseful feeling as you quickly turn the pages to find out if you're right, *how* you're right (or wrong), *why* you're right (or wrong), and most of all, how it all resolves anyway.

I love the creepy doll backdrop and I enjoyed the different perspectives from which the book is told. Although I am not always a fan of the back and forth, and certainly not when such perspective is used for convenience, in this book, it really just worked. It was a quick and definitely enjoyable read for me, and I easily recommend to those who are looking for a quick, rainy-day read. A strong FOUR stars!

Hounds of the Underworld by Dan Rabarts

I received this book in e-book format. The only e-book specific complaint I had was the font kept on switching back and forth between font-sizes. It was distracting, but not so much that I couldn't enjoy the story.

First, I would not compare this book or its characters with Sherlock... the analysis and personality just do not match. This is a book set in the not-too-distant future (in New Zealand!) about a young (20s?) headstrong girl (Pandora (Penny)) who wants to be a scientist, darnit, even if her wealthy parents think it's a silly career for a girl to have, and her mess-up brother (Matiu) (30s?) who maybe interacts with people or things that aren't there. She is on an assignment from the police (to be a scientific consult) with her brother as her driver (literally... he's essentially her personal taxi, ordered by their parents who own the taxi company) when Matiu has a foreboding flash that causes him to scream and urge his sister to not get involved with the case. Of course she does. Did I mention she's headstrong? Headstrong never heed good advice in modern literature.

Anyway, because she insists on working the case, he insists on helping her. I believe he's supposed to be the "Sherlock" comparison -- grumpy, but notices things that other people miss? Though he's apparently very handsome and charming when he wants to be. He's described such that I sort of picture a slightly buffer, slightly rougher version of Joel McHale.

So there's danger and supernatural and science and police and detective elements. It was enjoyable and I definitely wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next and how it concluded. And I was not necessarily disappointed in the conclusion either. I just found it, overall, a bit unpolished. It reads a bit like a gritty sketch of something more than a novel. And while that sort of works with the type of story, I felt it could use a bit *more* polishing.. maybe not too much, but a little bit more. I do anticipate that this series will settle into itself, though. Since this is the first, there are generally a few kinks to work out. I'd be open to the next ...

THREE AND A HALF of five stars.

These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker

Review based on audio CD.

I've often said that a reader can make or break a book... sometimes, however, the reader isn't your favorite, but the story withstands it. This was one of those instances. The reader for this book stated essentially every non-dialog sentence archly (and a fair number of the dialog sentences too). It was irritating and distracting. Although I understand the main character, and maybe a couple others, were supposed to be, I don't know, sardonic or sarcastic or whatever would naturally result in their thought process coming across that way... it just just fell awkwardly when every single sentence was phrased that way. And I know the reader *could* read in other ways because dialog was read more naturally (except for the more "arch" characters), so I'm not sure why she made the decision. But it was weird.

Nonetheless, the story was interesting enough that I kept listening and eventually *largely* became accustomed to the reading style. I was so into the story, in fact, that I checked out the e-version from the library so I could get through it faster (flipping back and forth between the e-version and the audio version)! (That's one of the down-sides to listening to audio on CD -- you can't speed up the reading to 1.5x speed, which is how I listen to most books.)

It is about a young girl (I believe she is seventeen), Evelyn, whose sister Rose is taken by some unsavory characters and Evelyn's seeking her sister in order to rescue her -- aided in large part by two men who she may or may not have a romantic interest in... or vice versa. I know, teen love/teen triangles. Normally very eye-roll worthy. But it was actually okay for me in this one -- maybe because I liked the rest of the story. And sure, I thought the triangle-aspect was ... confusing and ... contrived. As I usually do. But it wasn't enough to put me off of the rest of the story. And I clearly thought there was one "worthy" contender here, but a triangle can't exist without a second, right?

Aaaaanyway. I don't want to spoil the story, so I won't say much. But there is fun in the discovery of things, in the interpersonal relationships other than the love-triangle, even in some of the relationship development within the triangle, and in the figuring it all out. I will add that there is a "supernatural" element to it all ... though it is "based" in science. I like that sort of thing. I enjoy new explanations for made-up things. :) Overall, FOUR of five stars. Definitely will read (or listen to!) the next in the series!

Welcome to the Club by Raquel D'Apice

Review based on ARC (Advanced Readers Copy received for free in exchange for an honest review)

This appears to be a blog-turned-into-a-book (and if that's not true, then it certainly reads like one!). I am currently pregnant and read the book as a sort of "welcome" that the title announced. In reality, I think the book would probably be a bit more preferred by people who are already parents, especially those in their first few years of parenting.

What D'Apice essentially does is lay out, in a humorous and often sarcastic way, many "firsts" that new parents experience, such as First Time Baby Accidentally Head-Butts You in the Lip or First Time Your Child Refuses to Eat Something or First Car Ride Alone with the Baby When He's Screaming His Head Off. D'Apice does not generally offer advice, so much as camaraderie. She lets new parents know that all the crazy new stuff they're experiencing is normal, not that crazy, and experienced by others. She thus addresses many new parents' fears and frustrations in a funny, light-hearted way.

I think, for me, although I found it generally humorous and fine, I wasn't really blown away. Although I am a soon-to-be parent, I don't think I'm typical in that I am not really concerned about all these things that could and likely will go wrong... this is likely due to the fact that I'm on the older end of "new parents" and the fact that most of my good friends have children, so I've already "seen it all" (not all, of course, but a lot :)). So, it was enjoyable, a quick read, fine. And I think that a lot of new parents will really appreciate it, but it wasn't my favorite, my most amusing, my most helpful book.

Overall, still, Three and a Half of five stars. Solid and certainly recommended for the new parents who feels overwhelmed and alone.

The Boy Genius Detective Agency by Robert Grey

I had a hard time really deciding what to rate this one... On the one had, it was a really quick read and it was really unique, interesting, silly, and kind of fun. On the other hand, there was such a lack of information presented, that I'm not sure is really necessary?

It's about a boy genius... whose age is never revealed, but based on context clues could be anywhere from .... 12 to 17? He's sort of girl-crazy, but doesn't care at all about his appearance; he's obviously super intelligent, but also kind of arrogant-a** about it; and he seems to be appealing to the opposite gender of various ages... ranging from, I don't know, 8 to 50? And his detective agency cohorts, Lollipop, who I think might be younger and less intelligent, and Bubble Gum, who is I think the same age as Boy Genius (aka Phidias) and perhaps just as smart. And they have started a "kid" detective agency and Boy Genius is concerned about not being taken seriously... when Wham! Boom! Bam! they're suddenly in the middle of some crazy sci-fi, super-villain, time-traveling, time-looping, telepathy whirlwind adventure. And the wham-boom-bam... it's a literal description. The book reads like a comic book, but without the actual pictures.

And it somehow works! Although there's virtually no set up of the overall book or each scene, somehow you have just enough information to mostly glean what is going on and keep turning the pages (quickly) to find out how it all resolves. And you mostly know at the end of it all. Or maybe not. Despite the plethora of unanswered questions (including, notably, how old Boy Genius and Bubble Gum are and... I don't believe we know when it takes place? (though it's definitely in the future)), it's a fun middle-grade book with bad guys, super-hero abilities, intrigue, hot women (perhaps a little too much focus on this?), and a clear ongoing plot-base (i.e., it's the beginning of a series). I think the younger generation will appreciate a book that seems much more catered to their way of thinking (maybe? at least insofar as the ADD plot & pace were concerned), though I am a little hesitant to suggest it to my friend's 12-year-old son because, really, Boy Genius has a serious wandering-eye, and it does not seem to matter how old the girl/woman is.

So. Enjoyable? yes. Quick fun read? yes. Amazing? well, no. But still recommended for something completely different.. and pretty well accomplished. So overall, THREE AND A HALF of five stars .

Two Years, Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie

I don't know why this one was so hard for me to review. Rushdie has written a lyrical and poetic tale that is supposed to be a spin on 1001 nights. It is about a storm in the approximate-now (a little in the future) that resulted in 1001 nights of "strangenesses," a near-millennium long debate between two philosophers that began in the far past and continued into the time of the strangenesses, and a historical account of the narrators' ancestors, who began with one of the philosophers and continued into the 1001 nights of strangenesses. So right, that doesn't clear it up.

It's about a jinni who falls in love with a philosopher in the past, who allows him to mistreat her and refuse to marry her and give all of her children (with him) his legitimate name, and who passes back into her own world for nearly a thousand years, while their children have children and so on until there are many descendants all over the world and we are in the approximate-now. It is then about a re-awakening of the philosopher and his philosophical nemesis and their continued intellectual debate which turns into a physical war, apparently between the jinn and the humans but, at its heart, between the two philosophies. It then becomes about the war and the strangenesses that are indicative of that time when the jinn sought to take control and the humans, many descendants of the jinni-who-fell-in-love and her philosopher, who fo
ught back. And it is all told as a history, from the perspective of the future (near-1000 years in the future) descendants of the descendants.

Maybe that's why it's been so hard to review... it's much to wrap your head around. It is interesting and it is pretty and it is thought-provoking. It is romantic and harsh and philosophical. It is historical and analytical and distant. It is so many things (in not that many pages!), and it is a dense, thoughtful read. And it is enjoyable, but not fun. It is fulfilling in many ways, but not complete. Its focus is broad - covering millennia - and yet it is almost only about 1 person (the jinni who fell in love with a human). And it is even funny. Rushdie throws in a lot of repetition about the obsession of the jinn (sex) that, in lesser hands would have been infuriating but was, instead, point-making and amusing. I really appreciated a lot about the book. I liked Rushdie's story and imagination and his take on the 1001 nights.

What weren't so great to me were the pace and the fact that it seemed a bit unfocused. I would have liked the book to be a little more intentional about being 1 thing or another. I would have loved Rushdie's take on the fantastical or Rushdie's romance and philosophy or Rushdie's political waxing as a historical tome... but attempting all 3 at once ended up feeling a bit slow and cumbersome. It also felt a bit unfocused... I'm not sure why - it's not simply the time-period or the variety of characters that are covered - I think it was the constant shift in perspective, perhaps without enough of a shift in perspective. Maybe there was too much sameness with all the differences. I'm not sure, but it felt, to me, a little unfocused and a little belabored.

Nevertheless, I am very glad to have read this. I am looking forward to more Rushdie. I would definitely recommend to Rushdie fans. I would also recommend to those interested in a philosophical evaluation of our time with some fantasy thrown in for good measure. But I'm not sure I would recommend to someone looking for a quick fun magic-realism tale - this one takes on a more serious tone and pace.
All in all, THREE AND A HALF of five stars 

A bunch of minis

Soul Tracker

Here's Amazon's synopsis (it's better than what I would write at this point :)):
What if you could visit heaven and hell, traveling when and wherever you wish . . . without ever dying? What if your teenage daughter, the joy of your life, had died a tragic death and you discovered a way to visit her? What if there were people and beings, on both sides of the grave, who want to stop your return? These are the questions facing novelist David Kauffman. As a single parent he is devastated when his young daughter meets an untimely death. Desperate to contact her, he meets Gita Patekar, a beautiful and committed Christian with a scarred and shame-ridden past. She works for “Life After Life”―an organization dedicated to tracking and recording the experiences of the soul once it leaves the body. Despite Gita’s warnings that God is opposed to contacting the dead, David uses the organization’s computer to try to find his daughter. In the process they discover Gita’s organization has some very deep and dark secrets. A suspense-filled game of cat and mouse begins―both on earth and beyond the grave―as the couple work together, fall in love, and struggle to expose the truth . . . until they come face to face with the ultimate Love and Truth.

my brief thoughts: I really enjoyed this! The writing is not spectacular (it's not bad, it's just a little simple), but the pacing is good, the plot is interesting, and the characters are relatable and engaging. I read this book quickly, and I am definitely looking forward to the 2nd and 3rd in the series!
FOUR out of five stars. 

Americanah



I thought the first half was very interesting, but the second half felt more like the author's blog/autobiography/expose on race. It had potential, certainly, but, IMHO, could have used a stronger editor.
THREE out of five stars.







The Island of Dr. Libris




I liked the end a lot, but the bulk of the book was unoriginal and lazy - relying on already written characters and literary tropes to move along a slow plot.
THREE out of five stars.






Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs



I was just altogether unimpressed with this. It felt like the author thought s/he was really clever, but s/he really was not. So, instead of 7 dwarves, there are 77, so her chores are neverending. So, after 1 day, she seeks out the evil queen for some sleep. ?! But the illustrations were nicely done! :)
TWO out of five stars.




Betsy's Story, 1934
It was cute and I thought it picked up the pace and ended well. I "saw it coming" pretty early, though I am definitely an adult reading a kid's book in this case ;) It's about a rich little girl in England and her cousin in America who's lost her fortune and is struggling. And the rich little girl in England (Betsy) knows that there are additional secrets, some good and some bad, that are being kept from her by her mother and, seemingly, her relatives and/or house-servants. So she sets out trying to discover the secrets before the adults deem it time for her to know them.

The little girl was headstrong (she is 11 going on 12) and entitled and unaware of real life, it seemed. But she was sincere in her desire to help those less fortunate than herself when presented with the opportunity. Her intentions were often misguided and, well, childish of course, but she seemed eager to do right and understand more so she could do more. I thought there were interesting morals at play here, but the overall story seemed to be ... I don't know, too black and white, too simple, too abrupt, even for the appropriate age.

But like I said, cute and sweet and an ok way to pass a little time. :)

THREE and a half of five stars. 

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

I read this in a day. It was easy to put down while other things were happening (conversations, driving, sleeping) and then pick it right back up again as if no time had been lost. It's a fast read, interesting, and definitely a page turner. It's a book I definitely thought about while I wasn't reading it.

It's about a girl (Jam, short for Jamaica) who loses the love of her life---although she only knew him for a mere 41 days, the feelings were so strong she is completely and utterly devastated by the loss. Like, well beyond normal processing. After so much time (nearly a year) has passed and her parents and teachers and friends simply do not know what to do with her, she is sent off to a school for special people (The Wooden Barn) --- for students who are intelligent but fragile.

Jam is placed into a class, Special Topics in English, which is apparently one of the most difficult classes to be placed in, and she has not even requested such placement. Jam's roommate is supremely jealous, having attempted to take the class herself, but Jam is, frankly, uninterested in all of it. She goes because she must. There are five students in the class. Their teacher, Mrs. Q, assigns one author for the semester and requires her class to write in journals that she provides. The author is Sylvia Plath.

As the class progresses, it becomes clear that the students in the class have emotions, responses, feelings, psychologies, or something else in common with Ms. Plath, and they slowly begin to open up with each other and Mrs. Q. Of course, other very strange things are happening to the students. I will quote the publisher blurb so as not to give anything away that has not already been given: Jam and her classmates are led "into a mysterious other world she and her classmates call Belzhar[. There], she discovers a realm where the untainted past is restored, and she can feel Reeve’s arms around her once again. But, as the pages of her journal begin to fill up, Jam must to confront hidden truths and ultimately decide what she’s willing to sacrifice to reclaim her loss."

It's a book that falls squarely into the magical realism category, which adds just the right amount of uncertainty, mystery, and mysticism to a story that is otherwise a teen drama about friendship, love, loss, and discovery. Although I do not typically love teen romance books, I really enjoyed Wolitzer's book that is more about the loss of love and recovery than anything else. It has its flaws .. some of the trauma that others have gone through seem much more severe than Jam's, yet she continues to mope in self-obsession and self-pity -- but I also felt that was actually pretty realistic for the teenage perspective. It is rather self-obsessed and has a hard time looking outside to gain perspective. And there are some "conveniences" that are a bit eye-roll'y, but overall, as I said, I just enjoyed it. It helps that I read it so quickly, I'm sure.

THREE AND A HALF of 5 stars.

Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz

Review based on ARC.

Moriarty is the new book by Anthony Horowitz, touted as the only author approved by the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle.  I understand [House of Silk] to be an excellent piece of "Holmes" literature, though I have not read it myself. Although I have not read Doyle myself, my husband is a big fan, I intend to read the books someday soon, and I am a huge fan of the BBC's newest Sherlock series and, in particular, think the actor cast as Moriarty therein has made him one of the more intriguing characters in literature. So I was rather excited to have won a copy of Moriarty.

I was disappointed. The plot is interesting enough.. New York Pinkerton detective Chase heads to England in pursuit of one of the worst criminal masterminds America has seen, Clarence Devereux, who himself has purportedly headed to London to hook up with Moriarty in an effort to expand his criminal enterprise. However, Chase discovers that Moriarty and Holmes (and/or their cohorts) have just committed double homicide on one another at Reichenbach Falls. Chase follows the body, hoping to be given an opportunity to find a letter from Devereux to Moriarty discussing their suggested partnership. Thus he meets Scotland Yard investigator Athelney Jones, who has previously appeared in Watson's own explanations of Holmes investigations as a somewhat bumbling idiot. Jones has devoted many efforts to discerning Holmes' own investigation methods, and Chase and Jones create a sort of Holmes-Watson duo... like, the kid version.

Together, they set forth to try to hunt down Devereux, bodies piling up left and right in the brutalist of manners as they go. All the while, Chase ponders the apparent ill-information Watson has provided regarding Reichenbach falls and contemplates what really happened, and how.

So all that sounds great! And the plot wasn't bad. But... it wasn't really good either. It was choppy and weirdly paced and felt like ... it felt a little like a novice author. Which I know is not the case! And the conversations were weird -- they didn't feel normal even for the timeframe in which they were occurring. And it almost felt like Horowitz was trying to fit a puzzle and "make it work," rather than simply telling a story.

However, as I say, it *was* interesting. And it had some compelling reveals and turns. And the ending certainly redeemed a lot of what happened in the rest of the book (though I won't even hint at what that means because it is worth discovering on your own). Also, there was some interesting foreshadowing.. Although the ultimate reveal was somewhat predictable and a little unbelievable, I enjoyed it all the same.

So, overall? I thought this hyped-up book was not particularly well done. The language was inorganic, the relationships were stilted, and I just never felt like I was really there in the story... On the plus side, as mentioned, it was interesting, had some good plot development, and the end added a bit of credit.

Recommended to .... well, I think this is best recommended to people who need more Holmes, however they can get it. And maybe recommended to other Holmes fans, just with the understanding that it's not amazing.

THREE AND A HALF of 5 stars.

Shark Skin Suite by Tom Dorsey

Review based on ARC.

This is my first Dorsey and, of course, my first Serge Storms. Serge Storms .... appears to be some kind of serial killer homicidal psychotic maniac ... but, ya know, over the course of 18 books, may have become "loveable" and "your favorite." While I don't adamantly disagree with that, I also don't agree. And I suspect that has something to do with the fact that I'm coming at this 18 books in. Although the actual plot in this book can stand alone, all the inside jokes and characteristics and personalities must have taken 17 books to develop, so I think I missed out there. SO my recommendation based on that is: Don't start this "series" with #18!

So, while my rating is based on my experience with this book (and *not* decreased because I felt like I was missing out), it is possible that it would have been *increased* if I happened to know more about the background of these characters and, e.g., what the point, exactly, was with some of them (Serge's best friend Coleman).

But the story. So Serge is this... vigilante, really. He's one of those bad guys w/ a heart of gold who seeks to "even the score." And in this book, he meets this young, bright-eyed, bushy-tailed girl and maybe that, combined with a late-night legal movie spree sets him on this mission to... well, become involved in the legal field. Not legally, of course. But aggressively. He insinuates himself in all manner of ways -- he becomes a "fixer" (as a lawyer, I must confess I've never heard of this...) -- someone who "fixes problems" behind-the-scenes (think Nancy Kerrigan and much much worse). In his true psychotic style. And working for the little good guys, he slowly works his way through each of the problems to the final climax of the book.

Think: if Grisham met Evanovich and they co-wrote a sort of Grisham parody really quickly. That's this book. It's fast, there are moments of humor, it doesn't take itself too seriously, it handles some legal issues not terribly accurately, it creates problems for its solutions, and it throws in some love and some scorn and vengeance in there.

If that sounds like your thing? This will not disappoint.
THREE AND A HALF of five stars

Midnight Riot (a/k/a Rivers of London) by Ben Aaronovitch

Not much to say beyond:
It's a good book, and I'm sure I'll read the others in the series (having started with #3, I may end up re-reading it when I get back to that point...).
It's magic and wizards meets crime fiction -- like Dresden Files but ... a little dryer and a little slower. It was definitely enjoyable and had a nice discussion on London :) I would recommend to people to whom the above brief description appeals.

THREE AND A HALF of five stars!

Also, I am happy to hear that they (London people) are planning on making a tv series from the books!

People I Want to Punch in the Throat by Jen Mann

Review based on ARC.

I really really enjoyed the first few chapters of Jen Mann's snarky take on the world of suburbia. And I should have read the subtitle more closely to really understand that the whole book was going to be about suburbia, but I didn't realize that. And why is that relevant? Well, after about half the book, it started to just feel like a singularly focused rant, with examples of how horrible her co-moms are. Which, yes, is definitely entertaining! But also gets to be a little draggy at times.

So yes, this is I think what people call humor essays. You know, sort of like what David Sedaris does. But focused on, as I said, suburbia and the horrible people who live there who are raising their horrible children. At least, to hear Mann talk of it. And not that I doubt her, but she seems almost to have a vendetta against these horribly misdirected moms.

But she's funny. Definitely witty and smart and funny... and biting and at times cruel. She's dealing with a segment of the population who seems to just not "get it" when it comes to well-roundedness or alternative approaches to child-rearing or... well, a lot of things.

And you can see by this review that I just sort of had a hard time figuring out how to review it because she's funny. But it gets tiring after a while. And as quickly as I read the first half, I slowed down and dragged a bit on the second half.

So my recommendation? Read the first half for sure. And if you're not tired at that point, keep reading. She'll make you laugh and probably make you question a few things about how you do things. And she may annoy you just a little (for me, her constant referral to "the Hubs" was distracting and kind of lame, but I accept that that's probably what she actually calls him in real life? er.....), but she'll entertain you while she's doing it.

So yeah, I recommend it. For sure. But know that you might not finish it. But it's okay because it's just essays and when you're done, you can be done. :)

It's a high three-and-a-half stars, so earning 4 on sites w/o halves.

The Quick by Lauren Owen

Review based on ARC.

This one was very hard to rate. I fell at 3 1/2 because it purports to be a big novel and in that, it falls flat. In comparison, I confess it is better than Asylum, which I read at the same time. But it receives a slightly lower review because Asylum is, frankly, a kid's book, whereas, as I say, this purports to be more.

This is also a hard book to review because it seems that there are many out there who think it would be a terrible thing to SPOIL the.... well, what I would call the plot. So how are you to discuss it then?

About the plot, I can say these things: It is a book about many. It starts as if it is a book about a brother and sister; it continues as if it is a book about just the brother and the difficulties and crazy insurmountable challenges he will face; it further continues as if it is a book about just the sister and the difficulties and crazy insurmountable challenges she will face; it is throughout a book about love.

So, a little more practically, James Norbury and his sister Charlotte are all-but abandoned by their father in their childhood. Their mother having passed away, they are much left to themselves to grow up and attempt to learn about life. They have their private trials and tribulations, and ultimately, they seem to grow from them. And then fast forward. James is now a young man who has graduated from Oxford and is looking for a life in London. He must room with a young aristocrat who seems James' opposite in many ways. James and his aristocrat roommate make remarkable discoveries together and James finds love. (and this is one of the spoilers.... he finds love in "an unexpected quarter" is how the back puts it...)

Then tragedy strikes and James must continue his learning and life under difficult circumstances. (yes, another spoiler) And this is around where Charlotte revisits us as she attempts to assist James in his difficulties (spoiler, spoiler) and she meets someone who also is going through great difficulties (spoiler of course). They all work toward ... er, spoiler. And then spoiler, spoiler.

So yeah. JUST PURE SPOILERS. But that's ok.  Do I recommend the book anyway? I do. See below...

In review, I will say these things: It's a quick read. This 500+ page victorian-esque novel reads quickly, and you must turn the page to see what next! and how! Although I was not actually shocked by any of the so-called spoilers (it wasn't that I expected it; it's that it wasn't shocking to me), I can see why some wouldn't want it "ruined" for them. So I refrain. But Owen has written one of those dark, gritty, victorian-underworld, mystery-fantasy novels that is very satisfying to read.

Where it fails? It was scattered and choppy and overly ambitious. It was like reading the Meaning of Night... but not as good. It was like reading The Passage, but not as good. It was like reading The Map of Time (Palma), but not as good.  And it was all those "but not as good"'s that just kept adding up.  The Quick is fun, it's fast, it's interesting, but it's not great.

There's a lot of promise in Owen's writing, and I will DEFINITELY read something else by her. This being her debut novel, she starts strong and I'm excited for her additions to the world of literature.

Overall, THREE AND A HALF of 5 stars.

Oh, and for those who really want to know?  Spoiler 1: (highlight to see) In this victorian timed tale, James' "unexpected" love is another man and Spoiler 2: (highlight to see) and yeah, we're talking vampires here. But good vampires, like in The Passage, not like in Twilight. ;) 

Three-fer: Daughter of Smoke and Bone; The End of Mr. Y; and Shades of Grey

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Briefly: This book was highly recommended.  One of those articles with recommendations for people who liked other popular books, like The Hunger Games or Twilight.  I don't remember the exact comparison...

Regardless, coming off of the Hunger Games trilogy and even Divergent, Daughter of Smoke and Bone was quite the let-down.

What's good: the idea! kind of. It's sort of a new mythology, explaining so-called angels and demons. It's a God-less world; there's another explanation. Ok, I can dig some creativity. And there's this long-time war between them, and of course your protagonist and her love interest are caught in the middle somehow. I'm not going to say how, because that's sort of the book.  But suffice it to say there's a lot of romeo & juliet influence in here.

What's bad: the romantic aspect. it was rather predictable and just a whole lot more of the same that has already supersaturated the market.

It wasn't terrible, it was just terribly annoying. UNLESS you really dig teen-romance. In which case, you will love this book!  So... yeah. It was fine to pass the time. I was eager to be done. I will likely read a synopsis of the other 2 because I really don't think I could justify the time to read the other 2 in the series...

THREE AND A HALF of five stars

The End of Mr. Y by Scarlett Thomas

Briefly: I've been meaning to read this book for a while. It just sounded so interesting.  This book had GREAT promise when it started. And I think the height of its promise partially resulted in the fall of its disappointment. I loved this book when I started it and through about half of the book. I felt attached to it in something akin to the way I had felt attached to Ready Player One. And then it just took a nosedive.  I don't know what happened.

You know when you read a book that's interesting and creative and smart, and the author puts a lot of intellectual stuff in there that's also interesting, and it doesn't weigh the book down? and you feel like you're learning new things, and it's just wonderful? that's the first half of the book. All the additional science information and philosophical information was good, interesting, and appropriately "lengthed."

And then it was like the author felt like this was her chance, she was going to EDUCATE her readers, darnit, whether they wanted to be educated or not. The science and/or philosophical information stopped being relevant to the plot, stopped assisting with the movement of the story, and started feeling like the author's own opinions and soliloquies, rather than those of the actual characters.  And it was too much and weighty and created disappointment.

The story of the book is about a book called The End of Mr. Y, written by an author who engaged in "thought experiments" (considers some hypothesis, theory,[1] or principle for the purpose of thinking through its consequences), and who is supposedly brilliant. Supposedly, because all copies of the books, save 1 in a vault in a foreign country, have disappeared. Supposedly, because anyone who has ever read the book has allegedly succumbed to the curse and died. Supposedly, because no one really knows. Then, our protagonist stumbles upon the book and finds herself on a rapidly accelerating roller coaster to the ultimate thought experiment.

Intriguing concept, and partially excellent executed. Thomas creates a few very vivid characters, and although her protagonist, Ariel, has been criticized by some readers as non-realistic, I strongly beg to differ. I know her -- I've spent many hours having those types of conversations with her. She is realistic, even if she's not your "typical" heroine. And I love Adam, one of her co-stars. I mean, he was expertly drawn. The idea was great, the characters were great, and the execution was, therefore, disappointing.

If you're super philosophically read, you might enjoy this anyway. But for most people, it became more of a task than an enjoyable reading experience. Ultimately, it is a good book -- an intellectual modern sci-fi/fantasy. But not great.

Overall, THREE AND A HALF of 5 stars.

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

This is another one I've been meaning to read for a while.

The book is classic dystopian; yet, although the narrator (Edward Russett) is only 20, it's not a YA book. Another great idea. In the future, you are what you see. Vision and perception have "evolved" to the point where people can see only the brightest versions of all colors; but, otherwise, they can only see their color. Color is distributed by a central city and paid for, and people marry "up" or "down" in order to increase their stance on the chromatic scale, to make money (marrying down usually means you get paid by the family you're marrying), or, on rare occasion, for love.

Eddie Russett is a red. His life is on the eve of taking the adulthood test that determines just-how-red-are-you. If he scores above 70%, he will become a prefect, his dream. In such a case, he will also get to marry Ms. Constance Oxblood, up on the chromatic scale and societal standing, to whom he is partially betrothed. (i.e., he's committed to her, but she has not yet made a commitment to him).

Eddie Russett, however, has a curious mind that has gotten him into a bit of trouble. He has decided to take his punishment (rather than pay his way out of it), and goes with his father to a small town on the ouskirts to learn humility whilst purportedly completing a chair census. His father will be replacing the town (East Carmine)'s "Swatchman" -- which is their version of a doctor.

After arriving in East Carmine, Eddie learns that things do not always exist as they appear, and his curiosity begins to get him into more and more trouble. Add to the mix Tommo, a sneaky untrustworthy friend, Jane, the gray who he's started to fall for, Violet, the purple he is supposed to want, a murder, a national figure snooping around, ghosts, deathly swans, people who don't exist, and carnivorous plants, and you have Shades of Grey.

It was enjoyable to read. At times, it was quite the page turner -- particularly in the last third-to-quarter.  I didn't love Eddie, though I'm not sure we're supposed to. I didn't love Jane, but again, maybe that is by design. I didn't love Tommo... I didn't love... yeah, I didn't love any of the characters. They were all so realistically flawed. But I cared what happened to them. And how.

And I REALLY wanted to know what was happening and why and how and... I completely got caught up in Eddie's curiosity.
This is not a mindless novel. Recommend to people looking for a slightly more complex dystopian novel.


Note: this is the first in a trilogy! (I didn't know that until I finished the book!) However, it ends satisfyingly enough that it can stand on its own.

FOUR of five stars.

The Frangipani Hotel: Stories by Violet Kupersmith

Review based on ARC.

This was a fun, surprisingly quick and easy read.  A collection of "ghost" stories involving, originating from, or relating to Vietnam and its people.  Some of the stories were fantastic, others felt a little flat, and many were in the "that was pretty good!" category.  The first story (Boat Story) felt juvenile to me (like something I wrote in high school), so wasn't the best intro to her work and I definitely would recommend giving the rest of the book a chance if that first story turned you off!  And some of the stories felt a little contrived, but in reading many of the stories in this collection, I was able to lose myself in the story - a mark of good writing!

The story that  I enjoyed the most and, I think, showed Kupersmith's atmospheric talent the best, was One-Finger.  There is depth, range, and skill in that story that I think showed Kupersmith's true potential and made me definitely interested in reading her next...

The stories in Frangipani are not scary and the reader is not left afraid of the dark, but they are interesting, well told on the whole, and have a nice level of creep just below the surface to keep the reader engaged and turning pages.

Violet Kupersmith shows a lot of promise as a writer, and I hope to see something longer, more complex, and definitely in the gothic genre in the future.

The Pure Gold Baby by Margaret Drabble

Review based on ARC.

Perhaps my expectations have risen too high.  Or perhaps this is just another book that... had so much potential but just did not meet it.

As you'll read in every other blurb or review, Jess is an anthropology student with a bright career ahead of her.  She has an affair with her married professor and "finds herself" pregnant... er, I mean, she got pregnant.  Although that's not an altogether surprising result of having an affair with a member of the opposite gender.... I'll at least give them that this was in the 60s.. in London.  So, okay, she finds herself a single mom and .. I guess it makes sense to become a free-lance writer to keep her kid fed rather than continue on an anthropology career.  Sorry, I'm just a bit confused because I know actual free-lance writers and on the whole their money situation is neither good nor steady.  But they do it because they love the writing and there's potential for the future.  Conversely, staying in a career-oriented educational program seems like a smart decision.  I have friends who went to law school w/ little babies and kids (and, yes, no dads). and sure it's hard but.... anyway, I digress.

Jess' baby Anna is the pure gold baby.  Sunny, happy, and developmentally delayed.  And so dubbed the Pure Gold Baby.  The book spans 50 years, to the present, and we get to watch as Jess and Anna struggle (well, Jess struggles...) with every day life -- jobs, friends, men.  So yeah, it's one of those kind of books that just goes on, without a plot per se -- no real climax -- just character development and ongoing life.

And as I've said before, in order for those books to really impress me, they have to ... well... really impress me.  They have to be really well done (e.g., Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart).  And Drabble's was fine, it was good, the writing was good, but it wasn't great.  So it got kind of boring... and kind of directionless.  And while I did keep reading and I was glad to have read it... and I thought that Drabble added some interesting perspectives and history about women's libbing... it didn't blow me away.

I'll agree with some of the other reviewers that perhaps the narration from Jess's friend was just a bit too detached.  She was privy to more, er, inside-knowledge than you might expect (thoughts and emotions) for a non-omniscient 3rd person perspective, but it was still just a little too cold, unemotional, and.. well, detached, for my tastes.

So overall, a good book.  If you're looking for something that has some history, some women's strength undertones, some discussion on developmentally disabled ... pick it up.  But it's not a blow-me-away book.

THREE AND A HALF of 5 stars..

Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison by Piper Kerman

Review based on ARC.

This is one of those books that was entertaining, informative, and infuriating.  Piper Kerman wrote a memoir that reads almost like a diary.  This is both a compliment and a criticism.  The problem with the non-diary-diary format is that it was scattered, unfocused, and anecdotal.  The good thing about the non-diary-diary format, however, is that it was interesting, personal, and present.

So, the story.  Kerman makes massively stupid and selfish decisions in her young life, as young ladies are wont to do, and years later, she begins to pay for it.  a little.  Her involvement in large-scale drug trafficking ultimately lands her in inside a minimum security federal prison, which she proceeds to detail in a manner that is, at turns, entertaining and lecturing.  There's not really much more to the plot:  she learns about being in prison, she learns about the people there, she learns about the impact of her actions.  Thus, a memoir.

What works is Kerman's tone, most of the time.  She takes an equally amusing and reverent tone in describing her prison-mates and describes heartbreaking, enraging, and amusing stories alike.  Kerman's own appearance and naivety land her, fortunately, friends with some of the more powerful women in the prison and, to hear Kerman tell it, she herself ends up being one of the most popular prisoners to ever grace Danbury's walls (this is a literal exaggeration of the tone that many of the anecdotes presented -- she never, of course, ever states anything quite so ludicrous).

Kerman flits between anecdotes, grant philosophical rants, political lectures, and summaries, which unorganized presentation was, at many points, annoying and disrupted the flow of the tale.  However, Kerman's voice was consistent throughout these variances, making the sudden switches more tolerable to read.

Kerman mentions in passing that her year had its rough moments... but aside from dealing with her Grandmother's illness, stays far on the surface of these times.  Which leads the reader to believe that her time in Danbury wasn't so bad--that maybe she was just a "whiney privileged white girl."  In reality, there were probably times when it was terrible for *her* (and not just one of the other girls there), and maybe she didn't want to relive those in her memoir.  Or maybe she didn't want to be too depressing for her readers.  Or maybe just being incapable of leaving the walls for such an extended period of time was rough.  She managed to remain a picky eater, looked years younger after LEAVING prison, worked out, got a lot of daytime, watched movies, had friends.... yeah, I know a lot of girls who'd kill for her crappy year.   But, as I say, maybe there was some stuff under the surface that she didn't divulge.

All in all, the book gets THREE AND A HALF stars (bumped to 4 on non-half-star sites for its importance) because Kerman tells a good story and creates a few vivid characters (though a few others are glaringly 2-dimensional), and because the story she is telling and the impact it has had and can have is important.  Important!  For any person who knows no-one who has been to jail or prison (even a "swanky" minimum security prison like Danbury), or anyone who thinks that prisoners cannot be rehabilitated and/or do not have any good in them, this book is a MUST.

For the rest of us who've had harder lives, I say go ahead and read it if it sounds interesting.  It certainly is not a bad book and, even though it's a bit disorganized, it tells an interesting story.

**side note: I am both interested in watching the tv show to see some of the characters come to life, and adamantly opposed in case my fears that it has created caricatures of very real people's lives, pain, and struggles are justified.

An Evil Eye by Jason Goodwin

I purchased this book and recommended it to my book group based on the recommendation of a highly respected, interesting, cultured, intelligent friend.  I'm not sure if I needed to have read the first three in this "set" to really appreciate the book, or if it just wasn't my style, or what, but I thought it was good!  But just that:  good!

This "set" is not so much a series of books that must be read in order -- I understand it is more like a set of mystery novels, that can certainly be read out of order.  Inspector Yashim is a Eunuch in Istanbul with connections to the Sultan and other high ranking politicos, who is permitted to live outside of the castle, and who ends up being the man called in to solve the most bizarre or intricate of crimes.  He also happens to stumble upon others, in light of his life and connections.  In this book, Yashim is called in to see about a body in a monastery that has mysteriously appeared.

The unfamiliarity with the subject matter and even the most basic of things such as a persons title make the beginning of the book difficult to wade through.  Efendi appears to be a sort of casual title -- perhaps akin to "sir" or "friend" and is often used in connection with the proper name for an individual, and occasionally on its own.  Such as:  Efendi Yashim or just Efendi.  Pasha is another title... and Valide I believe is a title and not a proper name.  Goodwin uses these words as if they are every day words to his readers.  And perhaps they are to some; and perhaps readers of the first three found these words familiar.  But as for my friends, co book group readers, and myself: a glossary would have been helpful to refer to for reminders and a brief explanation or background.  I can understand not weighing down the story w/ these definitions, but as I say, a glossary of some sort would have been helpful.

The other frustrating/annoying bit about the book is the author's gratuitous food scenes.  I understand that some of these mystery-type authors want their theme, but this one already has one -- exotic locations, foreign involvement, and history!  No need to bring in how that onion was cut, how the parsley was sprinkled, etc.

On the plus side, however, it was an entertaining story and somewhat rewarding in the end.  For me, once I passed the halfway point, it became a quick read, and I wanted to know what happened next.  I began to read much more quickly, and even found myself wanting to turn the page rather than obey my bed time.  I also liked some of the side characters quite a bit (particularly Palewski), and I imagine that having read the first 3 books would have assisted more in caring about Yashim's own backstory.

There appears to be a story of revenge lurking in the background, and once the "big reveal" was made at the end of An Evil Eye, I imagined that I might have cared more if I knew why it was such a big reveal.

Overall, I enjoyed the scenery, I enjoyed the familiarity with the unusual (to us here in America, anyway), and I enjoyed the mystery.  As I said, it was good!  But not great.  I would recommend to someone who is a big mystery fan, a fan of Istanbul and/or harems and/or sultans and/or historical politics.  I would recommend to someone looking for a meatier book, a denser book.

THREE AND A HALF of five stars.

Briefly Knocked Unconscious by a Low-Flying Duck: Stories from 2nd Story

Review based on ARC.

Unfortunately for me, the title story was the first story, and I didn't like it.  I imagine if you liked that story, then the whole book is set up for you.  But for me, it was kind of going nowhere, kind of depressing, kind of just blah.  I've heard so many of that story, from so many perspectives, and this one fell flat for me.  I say unfortunately because it made me avoid reading (altogether) for a while, because I didn't want more of "that."

When I finally DID pick the book back up and bear down to geterdone, I was very pleasantly surprised.  No, I did not love all the stories - I felt that some were self-gratifying.. "look how RAW I am" kind of tone.  But on the whole, there was a lot of good stories, a lot of good telling, and some pretty good writing.

I particularly liked Push Kick Coast because it accomplished the "raw," harsh reality, without being so self-aware.  It was just.  So.  Well. Done.  Loved it.

And Why I Hate Strawberries... Well, I hated the story because of why she hates strawberries, but it was well told and I appreciated her courage.

Overall, I was pleased with the opportunity, but it felt a bit weighty to be put all together like that... I know that not all of the stories were sad, but they were all dark, weighty, lessoned.

I also enjoyed being brought back to Chicago -- having lived there for about a decade, the stories brought me back to my first adult home, and I enjoyed the nostalgia.

Overall, 3 1/2 stars because some were just excellent, some were okay, and a couple were really blasé.

Follows is a reaction-blurb of each individual story:

• Briefly Knocked Unconscious by a Low-Flying Duck, by Matt Miller:  As I already stated, I did not love this one.  This was a cute title, a great hook, a well-phrased description of something that happened, and a boring story surrounding it all.
• When the Fairies Came by Julie Ganey:  This one probably won't appeal to everyone, but it was a light (and welcome) moment of frivolity.  I really enjoyed it.
• Push Kick Coast by Ric Walker:  Like I said above, this was the pinnacle.  So impressed with the way the whole story came together, the point, the awareness.  So impressed.
• Crazy for You by Lott Hill:  I don't know.  Again, I kind of felt like, yeah yeah, I've heard it before.  It was cute and sweet, but kind of cliched.  I'm sure it was not cliched to the person experiencing it, but not all versions of the same story need to be told... 
• This Teacher Talks Too Fast by Megan Stielstra:  This was pretty good, okay.  I knew where this story was going, but it almost seemed like the author felt like I was supposed to be surprised when it got there.  Nonetheless, I thought the ending was satisfying and redeeming.
• Super K by Kim Morris:  This was one of the one's that mostly fell flat for me, but then I loved the ending, making me feel better about the whole story, overall.
• Amber by Sam Weller:  I did not like Amber because I felt like I was just reading a Brag.  You know, your friend who once met [fill in name of celebrity] and just HAS to tell the story.  Like, Dude, I met this porn star, you know, the one from when I was a kid, and she totally wanted me. but I turned her down. I know, I'm awesome.  and you sit there smiling politely with your eyes glazing over.  It was like that.
• A Cautionary Tale? by Eric Charles May:  This one was one of the lighter moments in the book... May told a potentially dark tale in a pretty light-hearted and certainly humorous fashion. I really enjoyed this one.
• Why I Hate Strawberries by Deb R. Lewis:  As I stated above, I did not like the story, but because of what HAPPENS in the story, not because of how it was told.  I commend Lewis for telling her story - I am certain that this helps various audience members (and now, readers) come to different terms with their own stories.  
• Foundationalysis by Lawrence Kerns:  This was okay.  It didn't really go anywhere, up or down.  I imagine it's a welcome break from the heartbreak, but it was just kind of blasé.
• Xena: Cardboard Princess by Sara Kerastes:  I really enjoyed this.  It was cute and fun, serious and heavy.  It was well-told and ended just right.
• The Kids and the King by Khanisha Foster:  This was another one of the stand-out pieces.  Although I felt like the author was a little self-gratifying, I really enjoyed her story, and I *REALLY* appreciated the resolution and what you learn from it.
• Hollyweird by JC Aevaliotis:  I think that I enjoyed this one for a similar reason that many will -- it gives you some confirmation of that odd feeling you get when you think about Scientology!  But not only that, he told it well.  He had just the right amount of creep, suspense, and humor.  Another one of the stand-out pieces.
• Dirty Dancing by Byron Flitsch:  This one was well-told and made me sad.  Not deeply sad (or angered) like Strawberries, but sad at the cruelty in the world, and at the loss of innocence (even if it's just the next degree of innocence).  Fortunately, Flitsch has a sense of humor about what he learned that night, and tells his story well employing that humor.
• Running on Empty by Julia Borcherts: This was yet another stand-out piece.  I loved it, it was so well-told and well-paced.  It was believable, honest (had an honest tone), and whole.  I don't even really know what I mean by that word -- It just felt "complete" reading that one.
• Tribes by CP Chang:  This was a pretty cute story, with some light moments, and just the right amount of unknown at the end.
• Here, Capture Something by Andrew Reilly:  This is the perfect story for the romantics out there.  It was sweet, young, and innocent.
• Covergirl by Kimberlee Soo:  I really liked this nostalgic little piece.  It was just the right tone to perfectly describe what it feels to be at that age.  What it feels to have an older sister.  What it feels to be different from everyone else, and to have someone notice how it's a benefit.
• Foreigner in a Straight Land by J. Adams Oak:  This one is funny to start and light throughout.  Another sort of coming of age/coming out story, but innocuous and fine.  A little meh, but fine.
• Here Comes Trouble by Randall Albers:  I liked it.  I liked what he did and how he did it.  I liked the realization of what it means to grow up and be responsible.  I like the transition, and I like the struggle against it.  It felt a little like sour grapes, but just a little, and, regardless, did not detract from the story.
• A Prostitue Comparison by Molly Each:  I must have liked this one more than I realized because when I re-read the title to myself just now, a smile came to my face.  It was funny.  It was disgusting, but just in the right way, and just for the right reason.
• Counting Days by Bobby Biedrzycki:  Loved this one.  Not because it was so poignant or moving -- I didn't know that it really was.  But because it was brave and honest.  Because Biedrzycki struggled and moved forward.  There was truth in the story, and hope.
• Return Trip by Patricia Ann McNair:  This is another one of the stories that kind of went nowhere; yet, this one didn't really bother me -- so I assume it was because it was a well-told, well-written story.  I suppose I can see why they ended with this piece... it was an ending and a beginning in and of itself.

A Mind of Winter by Shira Nayman

Review based on ARC.

I was initially intrigued by this book because its title and brief description made me think of reading a cozy psychological thriller.  Fortunately, Nayman moves the reader seamlessly into an intriguing story.  I say fortunately because there are portions of the book that don't move the reader along as effortlessly as others, but the initial intrigue of Oscar's situation drives the reader through those less exciting portions.

You can read the basic description of the book in other reviews & on the book jacket, but very briefly, Nayman presents a story of mystery and intrigue through the perspectives of Oscar and two women in his life, Christine and Marilyn.  Oscar may have committed some horrible crime and may be the victim of mistaken identities, or perhaps both.  Christine is his love who has left upon discovery of his crime, and Marilyn is his companion, a war photographer who enjoys the life of his mansion and his parties (it is this part that seems to remind people of the Great Gatsby, though I find Nayman's portrayals more interesting).

Oscar's incredibly brief introduction somewhat sets the stage for the reader to be pulled into the overall story.  But the book truly starts with Christine, after she has left Oscar, after she has become addicted to Opium, and near her point of desperation.  Nayman flits between past and present with ease, and I even thought at one point that the book, written by a lesser writer, would have left me confused and annoyed.  Instead, Christine's tale is convincing and understood, artfully written and non-gratuitously told.  I felt that Nayman was a little brilliant in her ability to present Christine so well, despite my discomfort with some of the subject matter (for you more sensitive readers, please know that this story involves various types of sexual assault, but Nayman does not gratuitously divulge the details).

Then we are rather abruptly moved to Marilyn's main story.  It is abrupt largely because it is so very different from where we are left at the end of Christine's "chapter."  There is some darkness, but Marilyn is not currently staggering through the darkness, which is (essentially) where we left Christine.  As others have stated, her portion is, overall, the least moving, but it serves its purpose in the book.  I'm not yet sure if I would have preferred more depth into Marilyn's character, or a quicker foray...

And we are finally reintroduced to Oscar.  The discovery, the tied up loose ends, the conclusion... well I like satisfying ends.  I know it's trendy to leave the reader frustrated, but I appreciate a writer who is willing to actually conclude a tale.  It does not, of course, conclude the lives of the characters therein, but it leaves the reader with a sense of satisfaction.  I appreciated Nayman's decision and felt she did a nice job of wrapping up this dark and anxious tale.

Overall, a thoughtful read, a dark read.  I recommend to people seeking something more challenging -- particularly more emotionally challenging.

THREE AND A HALF of five stars.

Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk

This was my first Palahniuk. I had heard that this book was incredibly disturbing and was, of course, intrigued. The book was disturbing, I suppose, but I would not add the modifier "incredibly." The book is, however, graphic and detailed and delves into the more deranged parts of the human mind. Although I had not read Palahniuk before, I have of course seen Fight Club, and I understand that Palahniuk takes extreme situations and explores human interactions and reactions within those situations. Haunted does this and takes it just one step beyond "the line."

The way I think of the book is as a warped reality tv show gone wrong. Imagine a group of people, psychologically messed up because of the realities inflicted upon them and because of the choices they have made. Lock them together in a building with no escape for three months and see what happens. It's like The Cube meets Saw. Palahniuk's characters are actually believable in their extreme behavior and those with weaker stomachs should refrain.

The format the book takes is relatively unique. The characters in the book are identified by nicknames that somehow represent how the author is warped. Each "chapter" includes a narrative, a poem, and a story. The narrative is told from the perspective of one of the individuals locked in the building -- though we are never quite sure which aspiring author is speaking. The narrative is followed by a poem "about" the aspiring author, which hints at something the author has experienced and sheds a little light on the nickname the author has received. The poem is then followed by a story written by the character that has been discussed in the preceding poem. The story explains the primary traumatic incident (or portion of that incident) that resulted in the author's warped personality and nickname.

I liked the format of the book and appreciated Palahniuk's timing. Some of the most intriguing (to me) characters' personalities and nicknames were revealed at the end of the book, which certainly kept me attached to the book -- even though it almost read more like a series of non-related short stories than a novel. In addition, although it was not immediate, I was eventually drawn into the narrative of the authors trapped in the building and felt invested in how it would all play out.

The writing was great, too. I suppose the reason I'm still rambling about this, somewhat incoherently, is because I recognize the good qualities of the book, cannot think of any particularly bad ones, but still was not blown away by the book. I expected to be more disturbed, more intrigued, more saddened, more anything... but mostly I was just reading without much emotion at all. It was certainly good enough to continue reading and good enough to casually recommend, but it made no strong lasting impressions on me.

Recommended for someone who likes gore and exploring the deranged ways in which humans can behave in extreme situations.

THREE AND A HALF of five stars.

Spooky Little Girl by Laurie Notaro

This was my first Notaro. Being drawn to funny and supernatural, I thought it would be a perfect introduction, even though I understood that it would be different from her "essays." Overall, Meh.

The book is good enough, interesting enough, and original enough to keep you reading, and pretty quickly. It did not, however, in any way impress me. But it was enough to pass the time.

The book starts with Lucy, the protagonist, who has a terrible day and then, to top it all off, dies. She ends up in Ghost School where she will need to learn the tricks of the trade, and then apply them to determine how she moves on. The idea is intriguing and has a fun spin to it, but, in the end, it fell a little flat. It was hard to care a whole lot about ... well, any of the characters. They were amusing enough but, again, didn't leave any lasting impressions.

Nevertheless, I would recommend to Notaro fans and people looking for a light, quick read.

THREE AND A HALF of five stars.