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!

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang

Partial Review based on partial ARC (Advanced Readers' Copy received in exchange for an honest review).

I won this audio book as a part of the Early Reviewers program on LibraryThing. It is a 9-disc book, and I began listening in earnest. Once I finished the first CD, I was delighted. Oh, I thought, this is going to be so good.

Alas. The remaining eight CDs were all blank. :'(
I have contacted the ER program and hope to get a replacement. Meanwhile, I will have to wait until I can get to the physical copy, and that may take quite a bit longer.

Based on the 1st CD, however, I expect this to be a strong and enjoyable book about extraordinary circumstances. I'm not sure who the baby is yet. I'm not sure what happens to Mary yet. I'm not sure how Waylon (sp?) fits into everything yet. But I look forward to finding out! A current 4 of 5 stars.

UPDATE:
I've now finished the audio book (checked it out from the library). It continued to be a wonderful, magical read. I loved the characters and thought the readers did a great job of bringing each of them to life. Weylyn is particularly endearing, of course, as I believe he was meant to be. I was surprised that I didn't mind the various narrators each giving him their own version of his personality more... it fit alright and I never felt that it was too jarring. Even though there really isn't much of a plot-arc, per se, I nonetheless enjoyed the love story (and, indeed, that's what it is) and the friendships and family lines. Definitely recommended. FOUR of five stars.

Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights (Wrong Questions Series #4) by Lemony Snicket

The series is wonderful. I love the way Snicket writes and the way he perfectly presents the psyche of an intelligent, precocious 13-year-old in the middle of a terrible situation. I loved all the characters and thought the mystery(ies) was(were) wonderfully presented and "resolved." (Many things are not actually "resolved" in Snicket books.) I also thought Liam Aiken did a wonderful job reading the books, improving with the series. He was a perfect voice for Lemony Snicket. I will definitely be buying this series for my goddaughter! I believe this is age-appropriate for mature 8+ year olds (there is death and sadness) and middle-grade children. Of course, Snicket can be enjoyed by adults as well. :)

The book, FOUR of five stars , and the series as a whole, FOUR of five stars .

Some Possible Solutions by Helen Phillips

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

This is a series of short stories that all consider something unique, something out-of-the-ordinary, something bizarre. Some of them were excellent, some of them were thought-provoking, and all of them were interesting. I read this series of short stories in two sittings. Although Phillips seems to be a bit infatuated with the female body and perhaps a bit falsely cavalier about sex, the stories were nonetheless well executed, well-thought out, and well-manufactured in short story form.

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys speculative or unusual fiction. I will give a brief response to each of the short stories below.

FOUR of five stars.

The Knowers Phillips starts out with a sci-fi type piece where you can find out the date of your ultimate demise, and with it considers how some might react to the possibility and the way such knowledge may impact a typical relationship. The ending is unexpected and I actually kind of loved it.

Some Possible Solutions delves briefly into a few ways to "solve" some relationship "problems." The first is a bit disconcerting in the best way (you know, that creepy, crawly, under-your-skin feeling).. I believe Phillips has taken real things people think about and taken them a bit further along in their "natural conclusions" progression. Well-considered.

I didn't think I liked The Dopplegangers that much while I was reading it, but I was disarmed by where it went and am impressed in retrospect.

The Messy Throes... was funny and a bit surprising.. consider if all of a sudden you alone had not frozen in time during a diner party..

Life Care Center was probably my least favorite of the bunch... I don't know, it just felt a bit bleak and unfocused. Which was probably intentional, but I didn't really understand how it fit in with the rest.

The Joined, conversely, may be my favorite. It considers a different kind of answer to the problem of human relationship insecurities, and, once again, surprises and impresses me with its ending.

Flesh and Blood is one of the more "bizarre" ones.. It removes certain objects from the narrator's vision and follows through her responses. This was also not one of my favorites.. I think because, unlike many of the others, I was "meh" about where it went.. It was sort of predictable.. but any short story collection will have one or two of these..

When the Tsunami Came is perfect in its short and sweet honesty.

Game was another I didn't particularly like. I think I understand what Phillips was trying to do with the dual story lines, but it's one of those views of an inane relationship that just didn't strike me in any way. I couldn't wait to be done with that one.

One of Us Will Be Happy... was also not one of my favorites. It felt a little forced and aimless at the same time.

Things We Do was another meandering relationship piece that felt a bit like Game to me.. just kind of meh. I'm sure some people will like these pieces the most -- but the review of depressing relationships has never been my favorite thing in literature.

R is one of my favorites. I love the perspective. This was a sort of quick view into a dystopia where weather and it seems jobs are controlled to protect people, and how two strippers(/prostitutes?) fare in such a world after experiencing something they shouldn't have.

Children was another great one -- where might a line be between insanity and truth..

The Worst was almost a satirical look at perspective. Enjoyed in its brevity.

How I Began to Bleed Again... touches on everyday pain and losses with a touch of mysticism and leaves just enough unanswered to satisfy.

The Beekeeper was an almost light story about a developing, unlikely relationship at a time of fear and worldly problems.. I liked the story and mostly liked the ending, but it was a little abrupt -- not what happens, but what happens after. (I know that's confusing, but I don't spoil :))

The Wedding Stairs is somewhat unsettling, somewhat shocking, somewhat sad, a little confusing, and very well done. Another one of my favorites in the bunch.

The final piece, Contamination Generation was hopeful and heartbreaking and so well executed. It is not-too-distant future in a world in which we have kind of killed nature, but in which the very rich and the middle-class (?) live side-by-side and the stark differences are outlined and felt. I wanted it go to somewhere different than it did, but Phillips was correct in her decision and it was the right ending to the whole book.

Ashley Bell by Dean Koontz

Review based on an ARC (Advanced Readers' Copy received for free in exchange for an honest review). Also note, review based on audio version.

I absolutely loved how this book set itself up. Bibi Blair  is a smart but young author with a lot of potential and a little fame. Her fiancé is a special ops type of army-guy on a radio-silent mission when the book starts. Bibi is going about her normal everyday business when she suddenly tastes something funny and begins to feel a tingling along half of her body. A little longer and various bodily functions stop working on that same side. Although I won't say what precisely is revealed, the set-up of the book is that Bibi is told she has some rare, essentially incurable disease.

She nonetheless recovers quickly and miraculously. Her parents celebrate by sending a psychic/medium to Bibi, telling her to go at it with an open mind. In her experiences with the psychic, it is revealed that Bibi's life was saved in order for her to save another's -- Ashley Bell's. The problem is, Bibi doesn't know any Ashley Bell and the phone book doesn't seem to be helping much.

Follows is an intense cat and mouse type of thriller, where Bibi is rushing to find and save Ashley Bell while others, who are determined she do no such thing, rush to find her and perhaps end her life. There are elements of the supernatural weaved in as well, as Bibi struggles to understand the various experiences that she has had since she was a little girl. However, because of a memory trick taught to Bibi by her grandfather when she was little, Bibi and the reader are not really sure what those experiences are, or how they affect her current chase... we are only relatively certain that they do.

And I can't say much more than that because it would be spoiler and I'm anti-spoiler.

What I loved about the book: the puzzle, the pace (although the audio reader was a bit slow for my preferences, the book's pace was good), and many of the characters. I LOVE Bibi's old professor Solange St. Clair and her old teacher whose name is presently evading me. I also thought that (the bad guy whose name I won't reveal) was well-written and well-done and had a good amount of creepy/angry/disturbing personality. I thought Bibi was a fine, plucky character and her mom was interesting as well. And I also liked her best friend, the brilliant surfer dude. Conversely, I felt that her dad and her fiancé were pretty flat, but I didn't mind that. I didn't think every character needed to be robust. Her grandfather, however, I felt should have been fleshed out a little bit more -- having had such a large role in her childhood, I thought there were some pretty big holes that never felt answered with regard to his life and experiences.

As for the plot, although I loved the set-up, I felt that it started to waver and ultimately fall a little flat in the end. Not completely, but its end was definitely not as strong as its middle. In fact, I think parts of it could have been better had they merely been resolved a bit more quickly. There comes a point when the reader knows exactly what is happening and is fairly certain how it will all turn out... I thought the book took a little too long to conclude once that point occurred.

But overall, I still recommend it. I just recommend it with the caveat that it has a somewhat weak ending.

So overall, a strong THREE out of five stars. Recommended for people who like psychological thrillers with some supernatural elements... with the caveat mentioned above. I also think this probably reads better in a hard copy than the audio version because you can get through it a lot more quickly, and perhaps the lag near the end won't be as noticeable.

Arcadia (#3 in Advent Series) by James Treadwell

Review based on an ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy received for free in exchange for an honest review).

I re-read the first two books in the trilogy in order to "prepare" for the third and final installation. I again enjoyed Advent and continued to be impressed with Treadwell's creation of the world we know so well, as affected by magic in a way that we could not predict. I love some of the people and non-peoples he created, and the depth he gave some of his characters.

I again particularly enjoyed Anarchy. I thought Treadwell did an excellent job of showing the chaos experienced by the reintroduction of magic in our world. I loved the new stories and new characters he introduced, and I liked how it all tied together in some way or another.

So I was a bit disappointed with Arcadia. Arcadia begins about a year and a half after Anarchy ends, so magic has been well-incorporated into our world, and we have well screwed ourselves almost completely trying to deal with it. It's a sort of post-apocalyptic story in that sense, which is definitely my speed. But then Treadwell focuses our attentions on a single small island off the coast of England and we don't really experience the chaos of the world. Not that that is a bad story, it's just not what I was expecting. After the development in Anarchy, I was expecting Arcadia to be a bit more... exciting.

Instead, we follow a ten-year-old boy who knows that he is likely to be the next (and last) "man" to die in his universe (the island), as a result of Them. If you have read the first 2 books, ****NOTE: THERE IS SOME SPOILER'ISH LANGUAGE IN HERE. IT'S NOT VERY SPOILER, BUT I DID HIDE IT ON SITES. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. it is clear rather quickly who They are. If not, I can imagine this might actually create some uncertainty that could have been interesting. For me, though, it felt like the first 50-60% of the book was just repetition of how boring life on the island is; how scared everyone is of Them; how likely it is that the main character is going to go off to Them anyway; how crazy his mom is; and how frustrating the rest of the characters are. Treadwell's gifted writing is still rather evident, but it was just a bit of a (long) lull.

That being said, when we MORE SPOILER>>>>  get to the mainland and see more of the after-effect of the introduction of magic, and especially when we arrive in the Valley, the magic (heh heh) of Treadwell's writing is fully exposed. I *loved* the Valley and I loved how uncertain and creepy that whole part is.

Ultimately, I felt that the end was a bit of anti-climax as well, but I also felt that Treadwell did a very good job of wrapping up... much. (but not all) All in all, I still definitely recommend the book as part of the trilogy.  It is worth completing the trilogy and, overall, the trilogy is a great one. I like that it is involved and hearty and satisfying.

So, overall, FOUR of five stars. Thanks to NetGalley for the copy!

Slade House by David Mitchell

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

I have talked about and written about this book so many times since reading it, I didn't realize I hadn't yet officially reviewed it!

In short, I loved this book. It's a mini little ghost story with a lovely repeating but not really repetitious pattern.

It is almost a series of short stories, taking place every 9 years. It starts with a small black iron door. It starts with the Slade House. You may not find it, but if you do, you will be invited, expected, needed.

You're not quite sure who lives there, but you are sure that the brother and sister who crop up every 9 years play a significant role.

No more explanation. It's all spoiler other than that. But it's a quick read, an interesting read, and a thought-provoking read. It's creepy and atmospheric.. the perfect read for a dark and stormy night...

I love how it starts. I love how it middles. And I love how it ends. An easy 5 stars from me.

Note: I've only read 1 other David Mitchell book, so far. Cloud Atlas was a very good book, but a completely different type of book. I am impressed with Mitchell's ability to write different types, different characters, different perspectives. I look forward to more!

After Alice by Gregory Maguire

Review based on advanced review copy received for free in exchange for an honest review.

I am no stranger to Gregory Maguire. I started with Wicked, as everyone should. I was wow'd. After Alice did not completely move me, as Wicked did. However, it w
as a wonderful little novel with a lot of the magic that Maguire showed in Wicked coming through.

As the title and cover imply, After Alice is somehow a take on Alice in Wonderland. However, this story does not really track Alice, per se; rather, it tracks her awkward, chunky, physically disabled friend Ada. Ada is mentioned in Carroll's own Alice only in passing (passage at the beginning of After Alice shows only mention of Ada's long ringlets).

In Maguire's version, Ada is a difficult, perhaps abrasive, curious, but sweet-hearted child, with a near-full body back-brace and an inclination to get in trouble. Ada perhaps intentionally misunderstands the instruction to bring Alice some marmalade and uses the opportunity to escape not only the vicarage, where she lives with her noisy baby brother, but also her governess who is always attempting to correct Ada into ... well, into someone perhaps more like Alice.

Ada sees the famous white rabbit with a timeclock and, as we know Alice has done, follows the rabbit and falls down the hole to wonderland. Everything from the fall itself to Ada's experiences in Wonderland and the various "people" she meets down there are described with a very strong nod to the images and stories we know from the traditional Alice. Unsurprisingly, Maguire's take is dark. There is an ominous presence hanging over everything and even careless death occurs without the batting of an eye.

Additionally, amidst Ada's adventures, Maguire takes us back and forth between her nanny's awful day (she has lost one of her charges!), Alice's sister's day (her very teenage confusing feelings about her mother's recent passing and the attentions of an American visitor and his black adoptee), and Siam, the black child who has escaped slavery and worse under the care of Mr. Winter (the American). And there are, I believe, a few other perspectives as well. Yet Maguire is certainly a talented writer, and the varying perspectives work well together, moving together toward a climax in Wonderland and in the real world around the same time.

I enjoyed the story and the magic that Maguire weaves into the everyday, and the everyday that Maguire weaves into the magical... and I was particularly impressed with the ending.... something about it (no spoilers!) just... I don't know, it almost made me feel as if the world were unsteady for a few moments.

What I didn't love... all I really didn't love about the book might be the pacing. I say "might be" because I had so much going on in my own life while I was reading this, it is hard to tell if the book or real life was the cause of my relatively slow read. Regardless, I thought it was a pretty, enjoyable read.

I would recommend to fans of Maguire, to fans of Alice in Wonderland, and to fans of magical realism and fantasy. FOUR 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 

The Night Parade by Kathryn Tanquary

Review based on advanced reader copy received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What I think I enjoyed most about this book is the imagination that went into it. This is something I would like to recommend to my friends' children (only because I don't yet have my own!) because it's smart and thoughtful and ultimately has a good message without feeling preachy.

Saki (middle-grade) is forced to spend several days during her precious summer vacation in the village where her grandmother lives, preparing for the annual Obon ceremony (honoring the dead), rather than with her friends in her big-city Tokyo. She is, as expected, sullen about the retreat, spending the time with her family, and being without good signal on her cell phone. Looking for any way to have some real fun during this antiquated ritual time, Saki agrees to go with several local kids (typical troublemakers) to her family's property and dishonors it in an attempt to prove both her bravery and her coolness. Saki unknowingly invokes a death curse and opens the door to the spiritual world.

In the nights that follow -- the nights of the Night Parade -- Saki is guided by various spirits, meets good and evil spirits, and learns a lot about the village, the importance of the rituals and honor, and herself.

I thought Saki was written beautifully. She is a complex character, accurately depicting that pre-teen/teen angst, apathy, anger, care, and innocence all at once. She is frustrating and endearing and ultimately tries to do the right thing. I like that the path was not easy, that things were not always what they seemed, and that little efforts made big differences, both good and bad.

The book is pretty and soft and gentle, while addressing big and hard and deep issues. It is not fast paced, but it is steady and consistent throughout. And, as I said, ultimately, I think the things that Saki learns throughout her experiences in the book are great things. And I think the book pulls off an impressive feat by merging Japanese legends, universal truths, and difficult physical and emotion lessons with a beautiful, creative, and imaginative background, populated by a unique array of friends and foes.

I would definitely recommend (and give!) to smart middle and high schoolers open to something beautiful and thought provoking, and to anyone looking for the same!
(and a beautiful cover to boot!)
FOUR of five stars.

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

This is an interesting piece of historical fiction. It is 1686 and Nella (short for Petronella), at 18, finds herself on the doorstep of her new husband, 39, who she hardly knows, but who is a wealthy merchant in a bigger city who is supposed to help her life become new and wonderful.

However, of the many surprises Nella is confronted with when she arrives at her new home, one of the most confounding is how her new husband does not visit her bedroom and does not treat her as a husband typically treats his new wife. Instead, his gives her a replica of their home -- a "distraction" -- for Nella to furnish.

Nella seeks the services of a miniaturist to assist her and requests a few intro pieces. In return, the miniaturist sends Nella the requested pieces, along with a few unrequested pieces that seem to be exact replicas of items in Nella's new home. Does this miniaturist know the family? Has he been in the house? How did he create such perfect replicas?

Thus begins a subtle mystery as Nella both tries to stop the gifts and cannot wait for the next gift from the miniaturist, each new gift providing insight, prophesy, or explanation of happenings in Nella's increasingly complicated life.

We also meet her husband Johannes' sister Marin, an unmarried woman living in the house who almost seems more master of the house than Johannes or Nella, the "manservant" Otto, who has been educated and is more free with his relationship than Nella has ever seen before, their maid Cornelia who is not only fresh and forthright but, again, is more forward than seems proper for a maid. Add to that their "old friends" the Meermans and mysterious Jack Philip who seems to be more than the miniaturist's delivery boy, and the story has a complete and robust cast of characters, which take us through a short amount of time.

It was an enjoyable read. At times, it reads quickly and at others, Burton seems to relish the word as she slowly moves through the narrative. Overall, a satisfying read, filled with intrigue, tragedy, mystery, and love of many kinds.

Definitely recommend.. maybe a nice winter read with a cozy lap blanket and a warm fire.
FOUR 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.

The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami

This is my first Murakami. And I understand it's not typical in the sense that it's... well, it's kind of a kids' book. Kind of. It's short (less than 100 pages) and maybe 40% of those pages have pictures, and the font is big, and it's about a kid (like elementary-middle school age). But it's dark and surreal and wonderful. (and it's not a kids' book)

A kid goes to the library and wants to look into some books about a topic he thought about, so he's directed down to the basement, to room 107. From there, he's further directed into the labyrinth of the basement of the library... which he didn't know existed. He's thus trapped and must find his way out with the help of a "mysterious girl" and a "tormented sheep man" (from the publisher's description of the book).

No more should be said and, given how long this book will take you to read (not long at all), that's all that needs to be said.

I know not everyone loved this. But I sure did. It was just a dip into the surreal. And though there was so much sadness explaining the dip, the foray was so deftly woven. I am VERY much looking forward to more Murakami!

5 of 5 stars.

The Phone Company by David Jacob Knight

Review based on free copy received in exchange for an honest review.

The plot was a big hook for me. Smart phones have advanced so much that they can now do things that seem like magic. Their new apps can diagnose car troubles, detect real-time popularity in a high school, and give an accurate lie detector test for cops, to name just a few. Oh, and yeah, maybe a couple people have reconnected with their dead loved ones as well.

But when the company in charge of the newest, smartest phone out there, the Tether, sets to open a new base in a small town in Montana, one father (Steve) thinks the phones and the Phone Company (PCo) have taken it all a step too far.

Not only do the apps seem to have abilities that defy logic and scientific understanding, but there almost seems to be some sinister plot lurking under the shiny new surface.

First, PCo offers free phones to all faculty and students at the school -- some sort of grant project that allows them to do research, perhaps. Steve declines the use of the fancy new phone---mostly because he is just stuck on his old phone - the phones he and his wife used before she died of cancer five years ago. But because of this decision, he's sort of "sober" while the rest of the town gets sucked under by the amazing new phone and its apps that seem designed JUST FOR YOU.

So yeah, it's a little sci-fi, a little horror, a little lovecraftian paranormal thriller.  Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I loved the creativity with regard to the apps and how they ended up playing out IRL (in real life ;)). It did drag a little in the 3rd quarter and there seemed to be a little repetition with Steve's a-little-too-slow realization that PCo may be quite a bit more than it appears, but overall, a great read. And just creepy enough to keep me awake late into the night...

FOUR of five stars.

The Green Man by Michael Bedard

Review based on ARC.

What a lovely teen fantasy. Bedard pays tribute to bookstores, creativity and poetry, and the Green Man himself in his aptly named book. The Green Man is the bookstore owned by Ophelia's ("O") aunt Emily, named after the legend of the Green Man, a protector who stands between the worlds and where life began. While O's father travels to research Ezra Pound, he sends O to Emily for the summer in a dual effort to ensure both are taken care of. Initially, fifteen-year-old O and seventy-year-old Emily clash in some to-be-expected ways, but eventually their similarities and common love of poetry and all things related thereto draw them into a very close relationship. Although each believes she is really taking care of the other, Bedard has deftly created an actual dual relationship that feels organic and true.

While visiting Emily at the Green Man, O learns about not only the magic of poetry and poets, but also about a recurring sinister plan that continues to plague her aunt and the town in which she lives. Saying much more about the plot would ruin it, so I won't.

What I will say is that I loved this little YA novel that is atmospheric, soft, and lovely. It has ghosts and books and hot summers. It lifts up jazz and pays homage to the receding world of used bookstores. There is also darkness and hard life, an acknowledgment of the deterioration of such a world and the effects it can and does have on real people. It is somewhat gothic and somewhat romantic.  It is simple as a YA, but will appeal to book and bookstore lovers alike. To me, it gave just a little of a lot, just enough to satiate, just enough to squeeze your heart and then leave you for a peaceful night's sleep.

Highly recommended.
FOUR AND A HALF of five stars (boosted to 5 on sites w/o halves).

I note that I am *not* typically a fan of poetry. While this novel is about poets at its heart, and the power of poetry to those moved by it, and while this novel occasionally drops a poem here and there, it is not overdone and definitely did not turn me off, despite my natural disinclination to poetry.

Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin

I'll not say too much about this.. It's epic. It is the perfect book to cozy up with during the cold, snowy winter nights. It's a love story and a story about love. It's a story about potential and about hope. It's a story about faith and perseverance.

The movie makes this into a story just about Peter Lake, and I'll grant that he really is one of the the "main character," insofar as that's relevant. And I can completely understand why the movie needed to limit the scope. Because the book is beyond a simple movie.

It is a story about winter itself. About the magic of winter and the pain of winter. About the cold and the warmth. About families, about couples, about self. It's a large book with a large story to tell.  It is slow reading because there is just so much to take in. The descriptions of winter cover pages, but it's a story of winter, so it is right.

I definitely recommend. But have patience, it is worth the effort.
FOUR AND A HALF of five stars.

Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Sometimes, you just want to read a book with your guard down. You want to open the pages and see some promise and allow yourself to believe that this time, you're not going to be let down. You want to find that dark and stormy night and wander through it, feeling satisfied when you turn the last page. Marina gave me that present.

Marina has the ambiance of a good gothic novel (though for various reasons, is not true gothic literature). It is technically a young adult novel, but it was Zafon's last (4th of 4) YA novel and definitely feels like a transitional piece. It "stars" a 15-year-old protagonist, but the themes are dark and intense.

Jacob is often bored at his school and wanders the neighborhood in search of something interesting. Occasionally he is with his best friend JF, but more often, he's just alone. One day, he wanders down a particularly desolate part of town to an abandoned old house. For shaky reasons, Jacob decides to enter onto the property, hearing a sort of haunting melody emitting from within the old house. He enters the house, drawing nearer the music when he is surprised by the apparition of an elderly person with long white hair, and Jacob high-tails it out of the house, accidentally taking with him the old watch he had picked up right before the apparition.

The watch is engraved with a loving quote to a "German." Jacob's guilt at having accidentally stolen the memento drives him to return to the house to return the watch, and there he meets Marina. She approaches him from outside the property, referring to him as the watch thief. Marina, intrigued by Jacob's interest in the dark and mysterious, invites him to accompany her the following morning on a mini-adventure. Jacob, entranced by Marina's beauty and personality, agrees. Thus begins the adventure of Marina and Jacob as they wend themselves deeper and deeper into the dark, deathly, and dangerous past and insert themselves into a web of lies, half-truths, cover-ups, and sinister obsession.

The book is eerie, misty, mysterious, dark, and satisfying. It's got flavors of Shadows of the Wind (and, in my opinion, is much butter than Angels Game or Midnight Garden!) and is perfect for a rainy day/night!


FIVE of five stars.

Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson

Thank goodness there are books like this! I really enjoyed Alif. Wilson daringly takes on techie-fiction (is that a real thing? I think it is now...), fantasy, religion (muslim), and love all at once. And does she pull it off? I sure think so.

So, Alif is a young (~18) but brilliant computer programmer in "The City" (in the middle east and typical of the middle east, where Arabs believe they are superior to the Indians, where light skin is better than dark, where muslim is always known if not always practiced). He "protects" (i.e., hides identities and locations of people online) anyone who is willing to and able to afford his fees. Lurking in the background is the state program and/or person known as the Hand, which is working its way through the back channels of the internet and making Alif and his friends nervous about being caught and punished as criminals.

Alif is also engaged in an illicit relationship with someone above his class, and he believes himself in love with the beautiful Intisar. But then, Intisar suddenly ends their relationship, claiming that her father is forcing her to marry some royal person worthy of her lineage. And Alif flies into a first class funk. Alif creates this crazy program that, without going into detail and boring you, basically allows a computer to think, and with it, he shuts Intisar out of his life completely.

Then the Hand finds Alif right around the time that he is graced with the secret book of the jinn (genies), and Alif is forced to both go on the run and discover the secrets of the book and its origin/power. So the book races through technology, fantasy based in religion, religion itself, and love, all while being interesting and novel and accessible and pleasurable.

It was just such a smart and engaging read with likable and unique characters and a plot that flowed with a foreign subject matter that was made readable and accessible by an author who understood the distance.  I really enjoyed this and I very much look forward to more fiction from Wilson.

Recommend to those open to fantasy, who are looking for something more.
FOUR of five stars.

The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke

I finally sat down with Clarke's second, the Ladies of Grace Adieu. I'm fairly certain I waited as long as I did because I was afraid I'd be disappointed. Because Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is one of my favorites.

And I kind of was and kind of was not.  The short story collection definitely did not blow me away. But it was also really well done, really well written, well imagined. Each of the stories advances the world Clarke's created, or a version of the world. It feels almost like anecdotes that you might have heard told by characters from Jonathan Strange's world... fables, tales, stories.

The writing is, of course, immaculate. The story-telling is good.. great, even. The collection read quickly, and each story felt complete in its own right. I'm not sure what more I wanted, but it seems that I did want something more. When I was done, I felt it was sort of anti-climactic.

So, I would definitely recommend to Clarke fans and people who would be Clarke fans (but who just haven't had the good sense to read her yet ;)), but with the note that it is good, really good, great, but not as satisfying and fulfilling as Strange & Norrell...

Overall, FOUR of five stars.

Four Reviews... Quesadillas, Casual Vacancy, Smekday, and 84 Charing Cross Road...

 1. Quesadillas by Juan Pablos Villalobos

I really enjoyed this quick little angry rant. Juan Pablo Villalobos is brilliant, witty, and dark. Quesadillas is a novella taking place in a small town in Mexico, featuring a 13-year-old boy that feels very much like the author's young self. This may be due in large part to the fact that the novel is supposed to be written by the boy, but 20'ish years later.  Consequently, the narrator has the vocabulary and awareness of someone in their 30s, but the telling of the story itself has the maturity of a teen.

It's fun, funny (laugh-out-loud funny), smart, dark, and thought provoking. While poking at his own country of origin, Villalobos also opens the window into the inner-workings, thought processes, and difficulties of the poor/middle-class-poor of Mexico's rural communities.

Villalobos plays around with the magical realism that his country is known for, while still keeping his head above waters with a psychological smirk on his face.  It was a pleasure reading Quesadillas.

Definitely recommend, but with the "warning" that the narrator is dark and crass. Very crass. But funny. FOUR of five stars.

2. The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling

Ahh, I think I've been avoiding this review.

In two words, I would say this book is "Devastating Masterpiece." It's devastating. It's brilliant. And, oh, by the way, it is NOTHING like Harry Potter.

As I've said to many people since finishing the book, it's best to think about this as by a different author altogether. Trying to put the Rowling-you-know into this book just creates a disjointedness that is hard to reconcile. Take it separately.

Rowling has a knack for characters. I really don't know how she does it. She has created a world of peoples inside this tiny English village abutting a city that you feel like you know. The "main characters" range in age from their mid-teens to their mid-sixties or seventies... And they're all just as believable as the next. And they are all so very very flawed.

Superficially, this book is about someone dying in this small town in England, leaving open a vacancy in the town government. What happens next is a whirlwind of activity as the two "sides" in the town vie for the open seat.

In this book, you name it and Rowling's probably covered it.  Assuming what you're naming is dark and desperate. While I disagree that she felt the need to "prove herself" by covering so much hard and gritty ground, as some reviewers had suggested, it did almost feel at times as if the darker side of life was fighting to get out, and it all landed in this book.  I mean, seriously: drugs, sex, rape, adultery, jealousy, hatred, fear, abuse, etc. It's there.

Nevertheless, somehow Rowing creates a story about the human condition of hope. With peoples you know. And in this normal, run-of-the-mill life story, extraordinary circumstances occur. Brilliant. Devastating. Hopeful.

FOUR AND A HALF of five stars (but inching toward 5, so 5 on those sites w/o half stars :))

3. The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex

Wonderful elementary and middle-school level book. Highly recommended.

The protagonist is an eighth grader who has lost her mother to an alien invasion.
The book takes the form of an essay being written by the girl to explain what Smekday really means to her... The winner will have their essay included in a time capsule to be opened 100 years in the future.

So Gratuity ("Tip") Tucci begins her story.  She's funny, witty, and mature, while still having the light-heartedness and hopefulness of a, well, a middle-schooler.

She first goes into the "what happened"... then the "what next" when her teacher urges her to include more personal reflection.

Tip, her alien (Boov) compadre "J-Lo," and her cat all set out to first save themselves and then to save the world.

It's light, fun, quick, and cute. It's original, thoughtful, and funny. Well-populated by a wide variety of characters with their own personalities, this book is a gem that I'm glad I've discovered!

Definitely recommend for elementary (high level) and middle school readers looking for something new...


FOUR of five stars.

4. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

I am so glad this was recommended to me. What an absolutely lovely collection of letters.

I had no idea what this was about when I started reading it. I did not know that it was an actual series of correspondence (or, portions of it) between two actual people in an actual life.

Helene Hanff, a write in New York, begins her correspondence to the bookstore at 84 Charing Cross Road in London in 1949, seeking a better set and quality of books than what she has been able to find locally.

Frank Doel takes on the task of fulfilling Helene's requests and corresponding with her.

What develops, however, is a real 20-year friendship between not only Frank and Helene, but several other bookstore employees and their family members.

It is at times funny, at times moving, and always just lovely.  I loved this book. I highly recommend to anyone who loves books!

FIVE of five stars.


**Note: I was so eager to see the movie (made in the late 70s) after reading this book.... Ultimately, it was also lovely, but it took more than half the movie for me to adjust my expectations of who the characters were... In my mind, there was more of a playfulness to the people than the movie portrayed. Although I don't recommend against the movie, perhaps following up with the movie right after finishing the book wasn't my best move...