Title: Seeing Me Naked
Author: Liza Palmer
ISBN: 9781615566600
Pages: 295
Release Date: January 8, 2008
Publisher: 5 Spot
Genre: Chick Lit
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Elizabeth Page is a pastry chef at a popular restaurant, and despite the fact that she is content professionally, she is stuck in her life.  Her ongoing relationship with her best friend, Will, is broken; despite the fact that he claims to love her, he puts his work first, leaving her behind while he travels around the world.  Elizabeth’s father disapproves of her line of work; as a Pulitzer Prize winning author, he believes his daughter should be in a more intellectual profession.  But when Elizabeth receives an exciting new work opportunity and meets a new, intriguing man who is the opposite of Will, will she have the courage to change her life, even if it’s something of which her family might not approve?

Review:

Seeing Me Naked is an enjoyable chick lit novel with a sympathetic main character.  Elizabeth is doing the best she can in life, and by all objective accounts, she’s successful - she has a boyfriend and a job at one of the best restaurants in LA.  But she’s not truly satisfied with either.  She’s tired of Will’s complete lack of regard for her feelings, even as she is always available for him when he happens to be around.  It’s understandable how Elizabeth has fallen into a rut; she has such a strict routine that she doesn’t really have time to think about how her life is unsatisfying.  But when a new man, Daniel, shows up, Elizabeth is forced to take stock of what her life has become, and she doesn’t like what she sees.

Elizabeth’s family certainly doesn’t make her life any easier.  Palmer did an excellent job portraying a completely dysfunctional family.  Elizabeth is so used to her dad’s peculiarities that she barely notices them anymore.  He’s a famous author, so he’s allowed to be rude to people and generally behave abominably.  It’s so interesting to see their dynamics, and through them it’s easy to understand why Elizabeth is so stuck.  While difficult, each member of her family is written very well; Palmer did an excellent job developing her characters.

The main theme of Seeing Me Naked is the difficulty of change.  It’s so easy to continue on a non-ideal path if it’s what you are used to.  The hardest thing can be to change something that you’re comfortable with.  It’s a great message, especially after the reader sees how rewarding change can be, how much Elizabeth alters her life for the better after taking a few risks.

While Seeing Me Naked is predictable, it’s still a fun read, especially if you are in the mood for something light and easy.  I enjoyed getting to know Elizabeth, and I look forward to reading more of Palmer’s work.

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Title: Lift
Author: Kelly Corrigan
ISBN: 9781401341244
Pages: 96
Release Date: March 2, 2010
Publisher: Voice (Print) / Random House Audio (Audio)
Genre: Memoir
Source: Library
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

“I want to put down on paper how things started with us,” Kelly Corrigan writes in this love letter to her two daughters.  She focuses on both the joys and sorrows of parenting, trying to somehow convey the impossible depth and breadth of her love for her children.  Weaving in anecdotes and stories from her own life and the lives of those close to her, Corrigan uses her own experiences to deliver her thoughts on what it is to be a parent.

Review:

Lift is a slip of a memoir that is, above all, an attempt to convey in words that amorphous thing called parenting.  Corrigan wants to tell her children how much she loves them, how much she wants to give them a happy childhood, but also how much they scare her.  In her well known memoir The Middle Place, Corrigan recounts her experiences with Stage 3 breast cancer, so it’s understandable that she would want something permanent for her children, a remembrance of how truly she loved them.

I’m not a parent, and in fact I still have some ambivalence about whether I truly want children, so I’m honestly not sure why I picked this book up.  But once I started it, I was hooked.  Corrigan writes beautifully and honestly about her love for her daughters.  Sometimes the placement of certain lines is surely manipulative, designed to make the reader choke back tears, but it’s disguised well enough (at least in the audio version).  I loved the idea of this book, of Corrigan trying to convey just how much mothers love their children, and how difficult it can be.

I read Lift in audio, and the production is unabridged and runs about an hour and a half.  (I’m not going to lie, the fact that it’s short is a big reason I chose to pick it up).  The narrator is the author herself, Kelly Corrigan, and this both worked and didn’t for me.  It worked because it’s natural the author would want to narrate such a personal book.  The fact that it’s her meditations on her love for her children, and was originally written as a letter to them - it would be strange to have anyone but the author read it.  But Corrigan doesn’t have the easiest voice to listen to.  She isn’t a bad narrator by any means, but her voice has a certain emotionless, flat quality (not to say that she is flat or emotionless - just that her voice is) that doesn’t really jive with the deep feelings of the book.

I think Lift would make an excellent gift for anyone with young children; I expect this made a very popular mother’s day gift this year.  If you’re childless but considering having a kid, the deep, unflinching emotion that Corrigan portrays will scare you, but also likely appeal to you.  I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the book to others in my position, but then again, I’m not the target audience for this book.  Overall, I enjoyed Lift and look forward to reading some of Corrigan’s other memoirs.

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Title: Very Bad Men
Author: Harry Dolan
ISBN: 9780399157493
Pages: 432
Release Date: July 7, 2011
Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books
Genre: Thriller
Source: Publisher
Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary:

David Loogan is still the editor of the mystery magazine Gray Streets and is living with Detective Elizabeth Waishkey and her daughter Sarah after the events of Bad Things Happen.  When Loogan receives a manuscript in the mail that outlines three different killings, one of which has already occurred, Loogan must work with the police in the effort to stop a killer.

Review:

I love the premise of the David Loogan books - Loogan, as an editor of a magazine that publishes crime fiction stories and mysteries, is drawn into conflicts and situations by his readers.  In Very Bad Men, Loogan receives a manuscript that begins with, “I killed Henry Kormoran.”  A stunning first line, it is clear that Dolan knows how to draw readers into a novel, ensuring that he captures their attention sufficiently to unfold his plot.

But does Dolan keep readers entertained, after the wonderful promise of the beginning?  Unfortunately, he is less successful at this than the reader would hope.  The novel has multiple characters, all of whom are well drawn and carefully developed by Dolan, and they each seem to follow their own storyline that is a single thread of the overall plot.  These disparate threads don’t come together and gel as well as they should, so at times, the reader feels like the book is spinning off in random and uncontrollable directions.

Loogan himself is as endearing as ever, though his deductive skills are put to the test in this novel.  It becomes difficult because, more often than not, he is wrong in his suppositions and continually has to rethink what he knows.  While it provides for some interesting twists and turns, having no idea what is going on becomes old after awhile.  The reader is left with nothing firm to hold onto, and the book seems to just fall apart.

It’s a shame that Very Bad Men isn’t as well constructed as Bad Things Happen because it certainly has a gripping storyline.  What kept me reading was the desire to know the truth behind the central mystery, which was very creative.  The novel would have worked better for me if the key plot points were more tightly woven; the book could have been one hundred pages shorter and still achieved its goal.  If you were a huge fan of the first book in this series, I would consider picking this one up, but otherwise I would wait for the next David Loogan book.

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Title: The False Friend
Author: Myla Goldberg
ISBN: 9780385527217
Pages: 272
Release Date: October 5, 2010
Publisher: Doubleday
Genre: Literary Fiction
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Celia and Djuna were the best of friends growing up.  However, their friendship had a mercurial nature - sometimes they were as close as sisters, and at other times Celia couldn’t stand Djuna.  Walking home from school one day, Celia sees Djuna fall into some sort of hole, but instead of telling the truth, because of her frustration with Djuna at the time she lies and says that she saw Djuna get into a stranger’s car.  Twenty years later, Celia can no longer live with her lie and returns home to confess the truth about what happened to Djuna.

Review:

From the beginning of The False Friend, the reader is biased against Celia.  After all, she told a horrendous lie, and while she was just a child, it has taken her twenty years to come forward about her misdeed.  Additionally, it seems as though she has sabotaged every relationship in her life.  She’s not the easiest character to like, and I’ll admit that made this a bit of a difficult read.  That being said, Celia is certainly an interesting character from an objective point of view, especially when it becomes clear that her memories may not be what she believes they are.

One of the central themes of The False Friend is the reliability of memory.  At the beginning of the novel, Celia is absolutely certain she lied.  She has been living with this her entire life, and she finally decides that it’s time to come clean.  But the difficulty that arises when she tries to do just that is surprising.  It seems that others around her agree with her false memories - that everyone knows that Djuna was kidnapped, and no matter how much Celia insists that was a lie, even those who were with her believe that is what happened.  It makes Celia and the reader question her memories.  What is the truth?  What happened to Djuna?  And why does Celia believe she lied if the evidence suggests otherwise?

Though the plot of The False Friend might sound like a gripping, suspenseful tale, it’s not quite that.  That’s not to say it’s not worth reading, because it definitely is.  But it is on the slower side; Goldberg takes her time uncovering the plot and developing the themes.  It unfolds beautifully, and on each page the patient reader is rewarded, but action packed it is not.  If that’s what you’re looking for, I’d choose a different novel.

I was pleasantly surprised by The False Friend and am looking forward to reading more of Goldberg’s backlist.  Her prose is beautiful and holds the novel up.  Though it can meander at times, and Celia can definitely be difficult, it’s a book worth reading.  If your book club is in the mood for something on the quieter side, this is a great pick due to the fact that it is relatively short.

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On the road to Wanaka & Queenstown, New Zealand

I absolutely adored A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness when it was released in hardcover, and now that it’s out in paperback, the wonderful people over at Penguin have given me the opportunity to give a copy away to one lucky reader!  The paperback edition really is beautifully put together, so I’m excited to be able to share it with one of you.

To enter: fill out the form below completely.  If you are having trouble with the form, email me your name and mailing address, and I’ll enter you myself.  Because this giveaway is being fulfilled by the publisher, US mailing addresses only please.  This contest will run through Thursday, January 5.  On January 5, I will use random.org to pick a winner and send their submitted information along to the publisher.

Click here for complete privacy policy and giveaway rules.

Good luck!

Title: The Very Picture of You
Author: Isabel Wolff
ISBN: 9780553807844
Pages: 336
Release Date: October 4, 2011
Publisher: Bantam
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Amazon Vine
Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary:

Ella Graham is a portrait painter, and at thirty five years old, she is starting to think she will never settle down and find happiness.  When her younger sister, Chloe, asks Ella to paint a portrait of Nate, her fiancé, Ella isn’t pleased.  After all, painting a portrait of someone is an intimate experience, and she has a few reasons to really dislike Nate.  But as Ella gets to know Nate through their sessions, she begins to understand what Chloe see in him and fears she may be getting too attached to her sister’s fiancé.

Review:

The Very Picture of You is an interesting novel dealing with the painting of portraits, which is the most appealing aspect of the book.  Ella takes the reader through the process of painting a portrait, of how she tries to capture not only the physical appearance of the person, but their soul as well.  She has multiple clients in this novel, and it’s wonderful to experience their stories and innermost thoughts as Ella paints them.

Ella is a complicated character, and as a result, she isn’t necessarily the most likeable person.  Her personal journey is very predictable in this book - almost from the beginning, readers know that she will fall for Nate.  It’s a difficult plotline because it’s so hard to sympathize with, especially with the way it happens with Ella.  It’s almost hard to believe how quickly she falls for him, and it’s a bit distasteful.  Additionally, Ella discusses at length how she keeps the secrets her clients relate to her during their sittings because such an intimate experience lends itself to confessions of sorts.  However, it really bothered me how Ella was volunteering information that Nate shared with her left and right, seemingly in a bid to one up those around her on how much she knew about Nate.  I had a lot of trouble with Ella during this novel and it hampered my enjoyment of the book.

The subplot with Ella’s mom is a very interesting one, and I found myself wishing that this was the main storyline of The Very Picture of You.  From the beginning, it’s clear that something strange is going on with regards to Ella’s mom and her biological father.  The pieces fall together early on for the reader, but it takes Ella a long time to realize what really happened.  This part of the novel was well done, though again, it was predictable.

Overall, The Very Picture of You was an enjoyable novel if you’re interested in portraiture or are looking for a light, easy read that will still make you think.  Much of the novel is easy to guess at, and while that does take something away from the experience of reading it, it’s still worth picking up if the plot intrigues you.  I enjoyed Wolff’s previous novel A Vintage Affair and will be looking forward to her next book.

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Title: Flesh and Bone
Author: Jefferson Bass
ISBN: 9780060759841
Pages: 352
Release Date: December 26, 2007
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Crime Fiction
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

In the second of the Body Farm mysteries, Dr. Bill Brockton continues his work as the head of the institution.  Their latest case is the brutal murder of a homosexual man, and as Bill and his assistant Miranda try to help the police with solving that mystery, Bill finds himself in hot water.  After giving a heated lecture to his students about the travesty of teaching a literal interpretation of the Bible in schools, Brockton finds himself the target of a protest by fundamentalist Christians.  Bill must use his skills to fix both of these problems, especially when things get personal and Bill himself becomes the suspect in a murder.

Review:

Flesh and Bone picks up right after Carved in Bone, with Dr. Bill Brockton going about his days at the Body Farm.  His work is incredibly interesting; though I’m not always interested in the more grisly aspects of the human body, especially when it comes to decay, Bass has a unique ability to describe processes in detail without making my stomach turn.  I enjoyed just going about Bill’s days with him, and it made for very interesting reading as the novel’s plot was being set up.

The book has two different plotlines; first is the murder of the young man, which Dr. Brockton believes might be a hate crime.  The second is Bill’s issue with the Christian fundamentalists and how that unfolds.  I’ll admit, I found the second plotline a bit random and didn’t fully understand its inclusion in the novel.  That being said, it provides interesting character development for Dr. Brockton and really illuminates a lot about the man he is.  It didn’t mesh as well as I’d hoped with the primary storyline, but overall it was an interesting choice.

As Flesh and Bone progresses, the mystery becomes incredibly intriguing.  I don’t want to elaborate on how Bill gets personally involved in it because it is a major spoiler, but I will say I love the twists and turns the novel took.  I was impressed with Bass’ daring and his (their? I feel strange referring to Bass as one person when I know it’s the pseudonym for a writing team) choices when it came to the long-term storyline of the series.

If you enjoyed the first book in the series, Flesh and Bone is definitely worth reading.  And if you haven’t heard of the Body Farm novels, they are a must-read for anyone interested in forensic investigations into crimes.  I’d recommend reading the books in order if you want to get to know the characters, but if your primary interest is the grisly forensics, this is a fine place to start.

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Title: A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts
Author: Andrew Chaikin
ISBN: 9780143112358
Pages: 720
Release Date: August 29, 2007
Publisher: Penguin
Genre: Non-Fiction, NASA/Space
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary:

One of the most comprehensive accounts of the Apollo program available today, Andrew Chaikin delivers the history of this awe-inspiring period and relates to the reader how the great feat of putting a man on the moon was accomplished. Chaikin presents the story as not only that of the astronauts who made the voyages, but also of those left behind, from the men in Mission Control to the engineers who worked tirelessly to ensure that our moonships were safe enough to ferry three men from the earth to the moon.

Review:

One of my favorite TV series ever produced is From the Earth to the Moon, a miniseries that focused on the Apollo program and our attempts to land men on the moon and return them safely to Earth. The acting is superb and the story told is so compelling and gripping, that I can happily watch this series again and again. One thing that always struck me about the series is the quality of the stories, the way it focused on unexpected issues like the difficulty in building the lunar module (LM) or the astronauts' crash course in geology. Therefore, I decided that I needed to read the book the series was based on in order to see where Chaikin got his information as well as how broad his book was.

I must say, I was thoroughly impressed with A Man on the Moon. It's clear Chaikin exhausted all the resources available to him. He spoke with dozens of astronauts; the astronauts themselves have called it the definitive account of the Apollo program, and having read many books on the subject, I certainly agree. Chaikin really gets under the surface of the program; he discusses every [possible aspect of he flights, rewarding the reader with inside stories and wonderful details to illustrate the humanity of the story. He never goes overboard and drags the reader down with useless information, a delicate but important balance

A Man on the Moon is told in a narrative non-fiction style, and it really doesn't read like non-fiction. With a book of this size and the incredible scope it covers, readers might assume that the book, while rewarding, is dense and difficult to read. However, this is not the case at all. It is so easy to immerse yourself in Chaikin's story. Not only does he tell it in an incredibly engaging way, but he gives the astronauts personalities and tries to let the reader get to know them. It's incredibly well done and surprising, to say the least.

Interested readers might be daunted by the length of The Man on the Moon and while I certainly can't blame them (it's a large part of the reason t took me so long to pick up the book), I hope I have at least somewhat calmed their fears through this review. There's a very good reason that this book is one of the most popular about America's efforts to put a man on the moon; it's brilliant, easy to read, and incredibly interesting. Whether you're a seasoned Apollo program reader, like me, or just want a comprehensive introduction, this is an amazing book to pick up. I can't recommend it highly enough.

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Title: Angel Fire
Author: Lisa Unger
ISBN: 9780307953094
Pages: 304
Release Date: August 9, 2011
Publisher: Broadway
Genre: Mystery
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

When she was just a teenager, Lydia Strong discovered her mother's body and was permanently scarred by the gruesome scene she stumbled upon. Now, fifteen years later, Lydia is still haunted by her past. In an effort to deal with her demons, she has become a true crime writer, trying to solve murders with the help of Jeffrey Marks, the (now former) FBI Agent she connected with during her mother's murder investigation. Lydia travels to Angel Fire, New Mexico in an effort to find some peace, but instead finds a new set of grisly crimes to investigate.

Review:

I'm a huge fan of Lisa Unger's and thought I had devoured everything she'd written, so I was very confused when I saw Angel Fire. A brand new Lisa Unger series I wasn't even aware of? So I did what I always do in these situations - I asked Twitter about it, and was rewarded with an answer from Lisa herself. These novels were originally written under the name Lisa Miscione, but in recognition of the success Lisa has found as a crime fiction writer, they were being rereleased. Therefore, Angel Fire is actually a rerelease of one of Lisa's very first novels.

Lydia Strong is an interesting character. She can be very frustrating at times; she takes unnecessary risks and often doesn't seem to know her own mind. However, the reader can't help but sympathize with her. It's clear she has never really recovered from the horrible way her mother was murdered, and she has been trying to find some sort of solace ever since. In some ways, writing crime fiction is her therapy, as twisted as it sounds. By solving these crimes and getting into the minds of the killers, Lydia not only gets one more dangerous murderer off the street, but she moves one step closer to understanding the man that killed her own mother.

The relationship between Lydia and Jeffrey is sweet, if a little strange. It's clear they have strong feelings for one another, but Lydia is afraid of moving forward and damaging the only real friendships she has in her life. While the reader wants her to overcome these obstacles and take a chance with him, they are also reminded that she first met him when she was a teenager and he was investigating her mother's murder. While Unger does a good job with the relationship and it's clear that Lydia is an adult, it never lost that slightly wrong sense for me.

The plot takes the reader through vicious twists and turns as Lydia and Jeffrey work to unmask a killer. Unger writes the suspense well, making sure she maintains a tight, ordered plot. I was pleased that, though this wasn't quite as good as any Lisa Unger novel I've read, it didn't disappoint and was reliably entertaining (something that reissues often aren't). Overall, I enjoyed Angel Fire and look forward to reading the next Lydia Strong novel as I eagerly anticipate Lisa Unger's next release.

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Title: The Queen’s Rival: In the Court of Henry VIII
Author: Diane Haeger
ISBN: 9780451232205
Pages: 416
Release Date: March 1, 2011
Publisher: NAL
Genre: Historical Fiction
Source: Publisher
Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary:

Elizabeth “Bessie” Blount is just fourteen years old when she takes her mother’s place as a maid of honor to Queen Katherine of Aragon.  She is dazzled by the court of King Henry VIII, though her lack of knowledge of the ways of court intrigue hold her back at times.  Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Bess catches the eye of the king, and it becomes increasingly difficult for her to resist his advances.

Review:

Those familiar with the story of Henry VIII likely recognize the name Bessie Blount, as she has a place in history as the first woman to bear the king a son.  While Henry VIII did acknowledge the boy, naming him Henry Fitzroy, he chose to marry Anne Boleyn instead of his beloved mistress.  Haeger dives into Blount’s life, romanticizing her story and giving a voice to a woman who has often been marginalized by history.

Bess herself is an innocent, agreeable girl, and though she becomes wiser in the ways of court life as the pages progress, she is generally quite naïve throughout the entire book.  She wants to believe the best of the people around her, which is a nice quality.  Haeger does a solid job fleshing out Bess, giving her a likeable personality.  Readers will be able to sympathize with Bess as she finds herself torn between her love for the king and her loyalty to Queen Katherine.

While it’s clear that Haeger researched Bessie Blount’s life in order to write The Queen’s Rival, the history isn’t completely reliable.  The author changes dates here and there to make the story flow better.  While that’s a regular occurrence in historical fiction, I prefer it when the author makes clear in an Author’s or Historical Note what has been changed.  That makes it much easier to separate fact from fiction.

The Queen’s Rival is an easy read, if a bit thin on plot.  It read as more of a romance than historical fiction, as there wasn’t much focus on the events of the time outside Bess’s relationship with the king.  If you’re looking for a simple read, this is a good pick.  However, if you like your historical fiction on the meatier side, with side plots, and are less interested in the romance aspects (as I am), I’d look elsewhere, perhaps at Kate Emerson’s Secrets of the Tudor Court series.

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Title: A Gentleman of Fortune; Or, the Suspicions of Miss Dido Kent
Author: Anna Dean
ISBN: 9780312596965
Pages: 226
Release Date: March 29, 2011
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Historical Mystery
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

In this sequel to Bellfield Hall, Miss Dido Kent, a spinster in her thirties, returns to solve another mystery.  Dido is on vacation visiting her cousin when Mrs. Lansdale, an elderly neighbor, unexpectedly dies.  During the investigation into her death, it is revealed that there may have been foul play, and once again, Dido takes it upon herself to find the culprit.

Review:

The second Regency-era historical mystery featuring Dido Kent is a fun read from beginning to end.  Once again, Dido sticks her nose where it doesn’t belong in order to clear the name of a friend, who also happens to be the nephew to the deceased, Henry Lansdale.  While Dido feels she is obligated to help, especially because she has proven her skill at solving mysteries, the man she loves, Mr. William Lomax, has mixed feelings about Dido’s involvement.  This presents an interesting dilemma for Miss Dido Kent as the novel progresses.

A Gentleman of Fortune has many different characters, and at times they are difficult to keep straight.  While this can be frustrating at times, it also means that the identity of the murderer is difficult to predict.  The mystery is well-written and moves forward at an agreeable pace.  Dean takes the reader on twists and turns; Dido forges ahead along one path, only to find herself at a dead end.  She constantly is having to reevaluate what she thinks she knows.  However, all these different threads come together at the end for a surprising conclusion.  I appreciated Dean’s creativity and Dido’s skills, as the end result wasn’t something I saw coming.

This novel is a fun installment in a creative and engaging historical mystery series.  Rarely does a second novel in a series live up to the promise of the first (the dreaded “sophomore slump” syndrome), but Anna Dean successfully avoids that problem with A Gentleman of Fortune.  If you’re looking for a promising series with a feisty, intelligent heroine who has a great personality, Miss Dido Kent is a great choice.

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Title: reMIND, Volume 1
Author: Jason Brubaker
ISBN: 9780983114901
Pages: 152
Release Date: July 21, 2011 
Publisher: Coffee Table Comics
Genre: Graphic Novel
Source: Publicist
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Sonja is tired of her life.  Ever since her father claimed to have seen a “Lizard Man”, people come from near and far to stare into the lake by her house and find this strange creature.  When her cat, Victuals, goes missing, Sonja worries about him.  But when he finally returns, Sonja is even more worried.  Victuals has strange stitches in his head, and what’s more, he can talk.  His strange tale makes Sonja wonder if the Lizard Man could actually exist.

Review:

reMIND, Vol. 1 is a story that artist Jason Brubaker had been developing for years.  It was always his dream to author a comic book, so he finally decided to sit down and write and illustrate his own.  However, he chose not to pursue a traditional publishing route because he wanted the quality of his book to be high - he wanted a hardcover book with rich, color illustrations and thick pages.  He decided to publish reMIND, Vol. 1 as a web comic, with an eye on publishing it eventually in print. 

This graphic novel is really one driven by the art.  Brubaker’s artwork is absolutely breathtaking.  He uses bright, vivid colors, and his illustrations are something to be scrutinized, as he pays a lot of attention to detail.  After seeing the quality of his drawings, I can completely understand why Brubaker wanted thick paper on which to print them; they are really beautiful, and low quality paper simply would not do them justice.  If you’re at all interested in the graphic novel format and appreciate lovely art, you should definitely check out Brubaker’s work.

The story of reMIND, Vol. 1 is a little strange, to be honest.  It went in a completely random direction, ending up someplace I never would have dreamed of.  That being said, I enjoyed its unique qualities and the way Brubaker continually surprised me.  It’s refreshing to go into a book and allow it to lead you, and though I was skeptical of where it was going at times, I was able to just go with it, and thus enjoyed it.

While you cannot purchase reMIND, Vol. 1 in print at this time (there was a very limited print run of 2,500 copies), you can read it for free on Brubaker’s website, reMIND.  It’s not a long book, so it will go quickly, but it is certainly worth giving a chance.  A computer screen is a great way to experience the colorful and rich world that Brubaker creates.  I’m looking forward to the second (and final) volume to see what happens to Sonja and Victuals next.

Botanical sculpture outside the Art Gallery in Auckland, NZ

Title: The End of Everything
Author: Megan Abbott
ISBN: 9780316097796
Pages: 256
Release Date: July 7, 2011
Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Lizzie Hood is a regular thirteen year old girl who is the closest of friends with Evie Verver. The two girls are inseparable; that is, until Evie goes missing. Was Evie taken? Did she go along with her kidnapper willingly, or did she run away? As Lizzie asks herself these questions, she finds herself in the center of the kidnapping investigation. Enjoying her newfound power, she uses it to dig into Evie's disappearance and to do her best to find her friend.

Review:

The End of Everything is many things – the story of a small community, and a study of how that group of people is impacted by a young girl's disappearance. It's also a story of distrust. Before she disappears, Evie hints to Lizzie that there are things going on in her life that Lizzie doesn't know about. She references a man that has been watching her. Lizzie doesn't understand how Evie could have kept secrets from her. This issue of distrust is taken a step further; members of the community begin to doubt one another and turn on their own as more and more is revealed regarding Evie's disappearance. It's definitely an interesting novel on many levels and while it has a lot going on in terms of themes, it is never cluttered.

There is also one more thing that The End of Everything is: incredibly and completely disturbing. Lizzie is thirteen years old, beginning her long march into adolescence, and is becoming more aware of the world around her. She begins to notice boys and men alike, and one man in particular she finds herself attracted to is none other than Evie's father. While many might write this off as a harmless crush, it's written in an incredibly disturbing way. Indeed, one of the themes running through the novel is the relationships between older men and teens – from father/daughter to something else entirely. The sensuality that Abbott uses to characterize these relationships is, quite frankly, frightening and difficult to read.

That's not to say that The End of Everything is a bad novel or not worth reading. Quite the contrary, I was rather impressed with how uncomfortable Abbott made me while reading the book. Her writing style has an edgy quality, and it seems as though she writes to provoke debate. As a result, this novel would make an excellent book club pick. It's a book you'll want to discuss after reading it, if only to get the more difficult aspects out of your head.

I'm not sure what to tell mothers of young daughters about this book. On one hand, Abbott gets into the mind of a young teen so incredibly well that I highly recommend it. On the other hand, though, I want to tell them to run away screaming. This is the type of novel that will make you want to imprison your daughter in the house forever and never allow them any kind of freedom. It's so different and strange, yet it was incredibly well done. If you're in the mood for something on the darker side, The End of Everything is a good choice.

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Title: First Grave on the Right
Author: Darynda Jones
ISBN: 9780312662752
Pages: 320
Release Date: February 1, 2011
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Crime Fiction
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Charley Davidson is a private investigator and a consultant for the police department, but her specialty is not exactly standard.  Charley can talk to dead people; when someone dies in an unnatural way, she can help them achieve justice and encourage them to “go into the light”.  But lately things have been different.  Charley’s been having dreams about a shadow that has been following her (and protecting her) over the course of her life.  Charley must figure out who this entity is and what his connection is to her, all while solving the latest murders thrown her way.

Review:

First Grave on the Right was a surprising novel in many ways.  I knew that there would be elements of the paranormal, but I expected this to be a sort of crime fiction novel, and there definitely were mysteries to solve.  However, the story and overall plot development take a backseat to Charley.  Above all, this is a novel about a woman, rather than about ghosts, dead people, or murder.

Charley sets the tone of the novel through her sass and wit.  She’s appealing, funny, and has a great attitude about life.  This could have easily been a serious, even gloomy, novel, but Jones keeps it lighthearted through Charley.  That’s not to say Jones doesn’t deal with weighty issues or that the book as a whole is fluff, but that Charley ensures that the book maintains a light and easy pace.  There is also a serious romance novel-esque relationship running through First Grave on the Right, and since I don’t love that genre, I'll admit that wasn’t my favorite aspect.  The mystery is interesting enough, but since it’s not the center of the book, it’s not incredibly important.

The backstory that Jones presents in First Grave on the Right is certainly interesting, and there are some surprising revelations about Charley over the course of the book.  Jones begins to develop a mythology, especially as the novel comes to a close, but doesn’t explore it as well as I’d hoped.  Presumably that will come in the next few books, but it seems as though this was written as the first in a series, rather than a standalone book.  As a result, I wasn’t completely satisfied with how it ended.

That being said, First Grave on the Right was an enjoyable read.  Charley is an incredibly refreshing heroine, and I love how creative Jones was with her story and characters.  I will not hesitate to pick up the next book in the series to see where Jones takes Charley next. 

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Happy Sunday, everyone! Today, I am planning to relax after a busy week.  Our condo building is having all kinds of work done on it right now, so during the days, I hide in my office while people come through the unit to fix pipes and such.  While they are all professional and courteous, it’s not fun to constantly have people in your home, especially when you are trying to work.  I’m steeling myself for next week, which will be bad, but at the same time I remind myself that all the pipe work badly needs doing.

I’ve been playing around with my new laptop for just under a week now, and I absolutely love it.  My old computer was a little too small to work on, only slightly larger than a netbook.  This one is larger, though still slim and light.  I’m really excited to have it, and have already tried to start catching up on blog work.  This week was a great reading week - I spent much of yesterday reading (instead of working, something I’ll regret today).  I’ve really been thinking about my “Best of 2011”, though I won’t be writing it up until 2012.  After all, I still have two weeks of reading ahead of me!

This week, I’m giving away five sets of Thrity Umrigar’s backlist, thanks to the generous people over at Harper.  I also posted another picture from New Zealand for my Wordless Wednesday. And don’t forget to sign up for the South Asian Challenge 2012!

Reviews posted this week:

Title: Winged Obsession: The Pursuit of the World’s Most Notorious Butterfly Smuggler
Author: Jessica Speart
ISBN: 9780061772436
Pages: 320
Release Date: April 5, 2011
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: True Crime, Non-Fiction
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Ed Newcomer is a new U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agent who has been assigned an investigation on butterfly smuggling.  While at first, he is disappointed with what he sees as a lackluster assignment, Newcomer quickly becomes obsessed with the idea of catching Yoshi Kojima, a ruthless butterfly smuggler.  As he tries to forge a relationship with Yoshi undercover, Newcomer is simultaneously amazed at Yoshi’s cleverness and frustrated at how the smuggler keeps slipping through his fingers.

Review:

Winged Obsession: The Pursuit of the World’s Most Notorious Butterfly Smuggler is a suspenseful work of narrative non-fiction.  Jessica Speart is most widely known as a mystery author, not an investigative author, so this book reads like a mystery novel.  Speart sets a quick pace and does a wonderful job ratcheting up the suspense as Newcomer closes in on Yoshi.  As a result, this book is an incredibly easy and engaging read, especially considering it’s non-fiction. 

Speart also includes a vast amount of information about butterflies in this book.  It’s not always ideally placed - for example, at one point, Speart veers off the narrative path in order to inject some more butterfly facts, rather than including the section in a non-jarring chapter introduction - but it’s incredibly interesting.  Before reading this book, I had no idea people collected dead butterflies.  I also was not aware that butterfly smugglers such as Yoshi Kojima were hunting certain species into extinction, just to make a quick buck.  I appreciated that I was able to learn a lot while simultaneously being very entertained.

Yoshi is an interesting character, to say the least.  Though he is clearly a real person, I call him a character because he almost comes across as a caricature.  That’s not to knock Speart’s writing ability; I’m convinced she wrote him true-to-life because you just can’t make up some of this stuff.  To start with, he was absolutely disgusting, living in filth and surrounded by insects, both dead and alive.  He raised his level of grossness to an entirely new level when he started sexually harassing Ed at every possible turn.  At the same time, though, Yoshi was incredibly smart and savvy.  It’s honestly difficult to reconcile these different parts of Yoshi, especially considering he hid as much of himself as possible.  How much was an act and how much was the real Yoshi?  It’s a puzzle that readers will enjoy trying to solve.

Newcomer is a sometimes naïve agent, and he’s definitely not perfect.  At the same time, though, it’s clear that he’s good at his job and dedicated.  As the book progresses, the reader feels sorry for him.  On one hand, he’s trying to have a life and keep his marriage from falling apart, but on the other, there’s Yoshi.  Newcomer wants so badly to capture him, but at what cost?  Yoshi’s demands on his time are unbelievable, and if Newcomer doesn’t respond, he knows he risks losing Yoshi.

Speart takes all these different narrative threads and ties them together very well into one cohesive and engaging whole.  The hunt to bring Yoshi down will have readers cheering for every one of Newcomer’s victories.  This is a wonderful work of narrative non-fiction, one mystery lovers and fans of investigative non-fiction should definitely pick up.

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Title: The Bordeaux Betrayal
Author: Ellen Crosby
ISBN: 9781439112380
Pages: 336
Release Date: July 28, 2009
Publisher: Pocket Bookx
Genre: Mystery
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Lucie Montgomery has done her best to put her past behind her and focuses instead on running her family's vineyard in Virginia. She is collecting bottles of wine for a charity auction when a friend gives her a priceless gift - a bottle that Thomas Jefferson ordered for George Washington. Thrilled at the publicity the bottle brings to the charity auction, Lucie doesn't think twice about it. That is, until wine historian Valerie Beauvais hints that the provenance of the bottle might not be as solid as Lucie thinks. But when Valerie is murdered before she can tell Lucie anything, Lucie begins to question whether this bottle of wine might be worth killing for.

Review:

The Bordeaux Betrayal is the third of Ellen Crosby's Wine Country mysteries, after The Merlot Murders and The Chardonnay Charade, and it's a worthy addition to the series. Crosby takes the reader back to Lucie's vineyard, and once again, she creates a beautiful and atmospheric backdrop for her series. Vineyards have a certain romanticism about them, and Crosby doesn't spare any details when describing her setting. Readers can close their eyes and feel the warm breeze, smell the vines and fresh earth, taste the delicious wine; this book is really a feast for the senses.

The novel centers around a bottle of wine that Thomas Jefferson, a wine enthusiast, supposedly purchased for George Washington. Crosby includes a good deal of history in her novel, and it's clear that she researched the backstory thoroughly and based this plot point in fact. However, if you are already familiar with the Jefferson wines, the information provided may leave you wanting. While I enjoyed the novel as a whole and was thrilled with the inclusion of this bit of history, I felt like Crosby could have done more with the Jefferson bottle.

Crosby doesn't disappoint when it comes to information on wine in The Bordeaux Betrayal. She relates all kinds of knowledge n the guise of a mystery novel, and it's wonderful to experience. What's more, she does it while keeping the reader completely entertained - the twists and turns of the plot are enough to satisfy the most discerning mystery reader, while all the information about wine is just icing on the cake.

I have enjoyed all of the Wine Country mysteries and am glad that I still have more to read before I'm caught up with the series. Lucie is a wonderful character - smart, yet completely human and flawed - and fans of the series will really devour this installment. If you haven't read the series, The Bordeaux Betrayal is easy enough to dive into as a standalone, though you may be confused about some of the character relationships. Either way, this is a book that's definitely worth reading.

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Title: Beautiful Darkness
Author: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
ISBN: 9780316077040
Pages: 528
Release Date: September 19, 2011
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genre: Teen/YA, Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5

Warning: This review may contain spoilers for the first book in this series, Beautiful Creatures.

Summary:

Despite the horrifying events at the end of Beautiful Creatures, Ethan is still completely committed to Lena, sure that he loves her and that they are meant to be together.  But Lena doesn’t seem to share that sentiment, as she begins to pull away from Ethan, seemingly blaming herself for the death of her beloved Uncle Macon.  Though Ethan fights for Lena, it becomes increasingly clear that she is not giving him a choice in the matter and decides to leave him.  However, Ethan is determined to follow Lena to the ends of the earth, desperate to save the girl he loves.

Review:

I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t love the book Beautiful Creatures.  I didn’t hate it, and perhaps it was just a case of too high expectations after all the hype, but it just didn’t appeal to me like I thought it would.  I was ready to let the rest of the series go until I saw the authors speak.  They were so engaging and funny that I became convinced I had missed something in the first book, and so decided to read the second.  I’m glad I did, because I enjoyed Beautiful Darkness more than Beautiful Creatures.

Once again, Garcia and Stohl take the reader to the atmospheric southern town of Gatlin, where the Civil War is recent history and the townspeople are unaware there is a supernatural battle being fought right under their noses.  In the first book, one of the most redeeming aspects was the incredibly well-written location, and that continues in Beautiful Darkness.  I loved the eccentricities of Gatlin; it’s a wonderful creation and a spectacular setting for this series.

This is a YA novel, so of course, it has its share of teen angst.  Lena is the definition of angst as she acts out in response to her uncle’s death.  While her devastation is easy to understand, her childish behavior isn’t.  This became increasingly annoying over the course of the novel, to the point where I breathed a sigh of relief when she left.  However, all isn’t what it seemed.  There’s a startling revelation about halfway through the book that brings into sharp relief exactly why Lena is so tormented.  This was well done, and while her behavior was still annoying, in light of this new knowledge, it was more understandable.

While Ethan’s devotion to Lena isn’t exactly easy to understand (though I found his voice much more believable in this book than in the first), it’s good because it involves him in the fascinating world of the Casters.  Garcia and Stohl expand on the mythology of this supernatural culture, and it’s simply fascinating.  I loved the gothic nature of this book, and the wildly surprising revelations at every twist and turn.  Though I was able to predict one of the big twists in the book, that didn’t bother me because I really loved where the authors went.  Though the plot seems meandering at the beginning of the book, it really solidifies as the novel progresses, and becomes very enjoyable.

In short, I’m very glad I gave this series another chance.  I found this sequel enjoyable and engaging, and I do love how dark and gothic the series is.  I’m looking forward to the next installment, Beautiful Chaos, to see where Ethan and Lena go next.

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As part of my upcoming readalong and discussion of The World We Found by Thrity Umrigar in January, the kind people at Harper have given me five sets of Thrity Umrigar’s backlist books to give away!  This amazing set includes paperback versions of the following books:

The Space Between Us	If Today Be Sweet
First Darling of the Morning: Selected Memories of an Indian Childhood	The Weight of Heaven

I am so excited about this giveaway because not only does it promote one of my favorite authors, but it also goes right along with the South Asian Challenge 2012! 

To enter:  Fill out the form below completely.  If you’re having trouble with the form, email me with your full name and mailing address and I’ll make sure to enter you myself.  Because this giveaway is being fulfilled by the publisher, US and Canada only, please.  The giveaway will run through Tuesday, December 27 (US Eastern Time).  On Wednesday, December 28, I’ll choose five winners using random.org and send their information along to the publisher (and also notify them via email). 

Click here for complete privacy policy and giveaway rules.

Good luck all, and I hope to see you via the South Asian Challenge and/or the discussion of The World We Found!

Title: The Sixes
Author: Kate White
ISBN: 9780061576621
Pages: 384
Release Date: August 2, 2011
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Mystery
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

After being accused of plagiarizing her last book, Phoebe Hall has left Manhattan to allow things to cool off.  She is offered a teaching position at a small college, where her best friend from college is running things.  Phoebe settles in at the school, and though she feels like an outcast, she gets along well enough.  But when a girl goes missing and it looks as though her disappearance might be related to a secret society on campus called The Sixes, Phoebe feels compelled to investigate and find out what is really going on underneath the surface.

Review:

The Sixes is a novel that you have to just go with in order to be able to enjoy it.  There are random coincidences and occurrences that are just strange if you think about them too hard.  However, if you can just put aside your sense of disbelief and allow yourself to be immersed in the story, you will find an enjoyable mystery with an appealing setting that deals with timely issues.

I’m a sucker for books set on a college campus, so I really loved this aspect of The Sixes.  White portrays the world of academia well; Phoebe is ostracized because she is new, but she’s also shunned by some because of the plagiarism charge.  It’s surprising that any college campus would want to hire her (one of those niggling occurrences I mentioned earlier), but she’s an appealing character.  I appreciated how determined she was to get to the bottom of what was going on, and how much things affected her personally.

The main issue that The Sixes deals with is bullying, and it’s an important problem right now.  Phoebe searches for information about this mysterious group of girls, trying to determine who they are and whether they could be responsible for what’s been happening.  Female bullying is an issue close to Phoebe’s heart, as it’s something she experienced in college, so she wants to protect people from it now.  The Sixes are supposed to have a bit of a creepy nature; as Phoebe begins asking more and more questions about them, they begin to target her, and it’s supposed to be sinister.  It doesn’t quite come across that way, though, and it left me wondering why they couldn’t come up with something a little scarier to do.

In the end, the twists and turns surprised me and kept me hooked on The Sixes.  This would be a great book for an airplane or car ride; it’s engaging, but also easy enough that you don’t have to put a lot of thought into it.  It kept me hooked from beginning to end, and I definitely recommend if you’re in the mood for a fun mystery.

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Title: Long Gone
Author: Alafair Burke
ISBN: 9780061999185
Pages: 368
ease Date: June 21, 2011
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

It seems too good to be true. After struggling to find her place in the world, one independent of her famous father, Alice Humphrey has finally caught a break. A chance encounter at an art gallery leads Alice to the chance of a lifetime – managing her own art gallery for a mysterious client. But when Alice arrives at work one day to find her boss dead and the gallery empty, she becomes the focus of a police investigation and must take it upon herself to discover what really has been going on.

Review:

Long Gone is the psychological thriller genre at its finest. While Alice hasn't had a tough life by most standards, she has struggled to emerge from her father's very large shadow. She feels a sense of pride at the fact that she found a job she loves on her own. Alice is a sympathetic character; she's tough, resourceful, and very determined. She's easy to like, and despite the fact that she's from a privileged background, it's gratifying that she wants to work hard and make it on her own, rather than just coast on her father's fame. When all that is ripped away from her, neither Alice nor the reader knows what to think.

As the plot builds, Burke also ups the suspense. Alice no longer becomes an innocent bystander; it becomes clear that someone is trying to frame her for a murder she didn't commit. The twists and turns are so convincing that it's sometimes difficult to remember that Alice did nothing wrong. I can't describe how well Burke draws out the psychological aspect of this storyline. It's so tightly woven, and there is a surprise around every corner.

The novel does contain multiple storylines, seemingly unrelated plot threads that slowly begin to come together as Long Gone progresses. I'll admit that I was a little thrown by the non-Alice storyline. It seemed to come out of nowhere, and while it was certainly interesting, I didn't understand why Burke had chosen to include it. As the book sucked me in, however, I recognized how well Burke planned out her novel and ensured all the loose threads would tie together neatly at the end. While I never loved this secondary plot line, I do respect Burke's talent at weaving together a wonderfully suspenseful novel.

While Long Gone was my first Alafair Burke novel, it certainly won't be my last. I really enjoyed getting to know Alice and how relatable she was. I also loved her refusal to give up, no matter how daunting her circumstances seemed. She simply would not play the victim, which was very refreshing. If you're looking for a gripping and suspenseful psychological thriller, look no further.

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Cathedral Cove, on the Coromandel Peninsula

Title: The Language of Flowers
Author: Vanessa Diffenbaugh
ISBN: 9780345525543
Pages: 336
Release Date: August 23, 2011
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary:

Victoria Jones has been in the foster care system for most of her life, and now that she’s eighteen, she’s being emancipated.  She has nowhere to go, nothing except her love of flowers.  Flowers have a language of their own, and for years, Victoria has used them to convey her cynicism and mistrust of the world.  But when a flower shop owner gives Victoria an opportunity to work for her, Victoria realizes that she may have a second chance at life.

Review:

The Language of Flowers is the story of Victoria Jones, a girl who is struggling to overcome her past.  Victoria hasn’t had an easy life - she’s been abused by foster families and ended up in a group home for most of her teens.  The reader gets a firsthand look at these difficulties through the secondary storyline running through the novel, which consists of flashbacks to Victoria’s childhood.  After being removed from a vicious family that took pleasure in starving Victoria, she is given her last chance at adoption with a woman named Elizabeth.  While young Victoria rebels against Elizabeth at the beginning, she quickly realizes that Elizabeth loves her, and she is in it for the long run.  Why, then, the reader asks, does Victoria end up in a group home?  What happened between her and Elizabeth?  These questions keep the reader in suspense and drive the narrative forward at a steady pace.

Victoria herself is a difficult character at times.  She has definitely had a difficult life, but at the same time, her refusal to help herself can be very frustrating.  For example, at the beginning of the The Language of Flowers, her social worker sets Victoria up in an apartment, instructing her to find a job in order to pay the rent or she will be evicted after three months.  Victoria does nothing on this front, wasting away the three months, and ends up homeless living in the park.  It’s only after that that Victoria bothers to look for work at the flower shop.  I was completely baffled why Victoria didn’t try to help herself by finding a job before she was evicted, and this thread runs through the book.  As the book progresses, Victoria finds herself surrounded by people who care for her and want to help.  I could completely understand her lack of trust in others, considering what she’s been through, as well as her desire to keep her pride, but this character trait was very frustrating.

The focus on the Victorian language of flowers was a very nice touch.  Victoria communicates through flowers, and ends up helping others by selling them flowers that will assist with their problems.  It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn something and it gives the reader some insight into Victoria.  She learned about the language of flowers from Elizabeth, and it’s clearly something she’s held onto, even if she appears to have left Elizabeth behind.

Despite the fact that I often want to reach through the pages and shake some sense into Victoria, I very much enjoyed The Language of Flowers.  The main character frustrated me, but I felt deeply for her.  I wanted her to be happy, even if she seemed to sabotage any chance at happiness that presented itself.  I cared very much, and was impressed with Diffenbaugh’s ability to develop a complex character and weave a compelling story around her.  This is an engaging work of contemporary fiction that would make a great book club selection, as readers are likely to have strong opinions about Victoria.

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Title: The Night Strangers
Author: Chris Bohjalian
ISBN: 9780307394996
Pages: 400
Release Date: October 4, 2011
Publisher: Crown
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary Fiction
Source: Amazon Vine
Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary:

Chip Linton used to be a commercial airline pilot; that is, until one fateful day when a bird flew into the engine of the small plane he was flying. He tried his best to make a water landing, to save his crew and passengers, but in the end, thirty-nine people died. Now, Chip, his wife Emily, and their twin daughters are trying to start over in a new town. But the house they bought has its own mysteries, specifically, a door in the basement sealed with thirty-nine carriage bolts. As Chip becomes obsessed with what lies behind this door, he begins to see the ghosts of those he was unable to save.

Review:

The Night Strangers is in some ways an old-fashioned ghost story. Chip Linton is haunted by his failure as a pilot. Though no one truly blames him - he did the best he could in an impossible situation - he cannot help but feel an enormous amount of guilt for the crash and its aftermath. As a result, Chip is already psychologically tormented when the novel begins. It's a natural leap, then, to turn this book into a ghost story, but what Bohjalian excels at is keeping the reader guessing. It's easy to assume that the ghosts are in Chip's head, but if they are, why can his daughters hear them as well? And how do these ghosts relate to the strange happenings in their New Hampshire town?

The ghost story is, by far, the best aspect of The Night Strangers. Bohjalian does an excellent job creating an intensely sinister atmosphere. Just the description of the door in the basement is enough to send shivers down the reader's spine. Chip Linton's psychological state ties into this eerie nature very well.  From this angle, the novel is a mix of a psychologically charged thriller and a ghost story, which makes it seem incredibly promising.

However, there were parts of The Night Strangers that just didn't work. The secondary storyline (which becomes the primary plot as the novel progresses) involves a group of female herbalists that the rest of the town believes to be witches. They ingratiate themselves with the Lintons, and their influence over the frustratingly weak Emily increases steadily over the course of the book. It's clear from the beginning that their motives are anything but pure, but the story didn't work for me.  I found it hard to take them seriously, especially as “villains”. It’s as if there were two entirely different novels fighting for supremacy in this book, and the one that seemed to win just didn’t engage me.

Additionally, the pace of the novel is incredibly slow. This is subjective, of course; I've spoken with some people for which the book flew by. But for me, this book took a frustrating amount of time to read. Perhaps it was because I wasn't really into one of the major storylines, but I cannot describe how slowly this book creeped by.

I’ve enjoyed some of Bohjalian’s other novels, such as Secrets of Eden, so I know I am a fan of his work. Despite the fact that The Night Strangers didn’t work for me, I’ll definitely be picking up his next book.  What’s more, even if I hadn’t read anything else by him, Bohjalian’s sense of humor when I was discussing my dissatisfaction with The Night Strangers on Twitter would have been enough to convince me to read more of his work.  This book wasn’t for me, but I know plenty of people who loved it, so if it still sounds interesting to you, I’d definitely give it a chance.

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Good afternoon everyone! Today finds me incredibly happy and excited.  Why?  Because my new laptop is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow!  I was completely resigned to waiting until February, which was the estimated ship date, so I was so excited to receive news on Thursday that it had shipped! I’m sure I’ll spend a good amount of this coming week getting everything installed and customized on the new computer, and I do have a lot of blogging catch-up work (emails, etc.) that I’m hoping to get to now that I’ll have a laptop again.

My reading week was good, but not great.  I’ve found it hard to get back into my reading groove since I returned from New Zealand.  I feel like there is just so much to do all the time, and any time I actually do settle down to read, a million things that I’m behind on pop into my head, so I end up doing those instead of relaxing!  I’m hoping that things calm down a little this week so I can get some reading in before Christmas.

This week, I announced the South Asian Challenge 2012, and I really hope you all will participate.  You can read any number of books for the challenge, even just one, so if it’s something you’re interested in, then please consider it!  I also discussed the challenges I am joining for 2012, and posted a Wordless Wednesday picture from my New Zealand trip. 

Reviews posted this week:

Robopocalypse - Daniel H. Wilson	The Kingdom of Childhood - Rebecca Coleman
Flesh and Fire - Laura Anne Gilman	The Burning - Jane Casey
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs	In a Strange City - Laura Lippman
Provenance - Laney Salisbury & Aly Sujo