Monday, September 23, 2013

Mrs. Kimble by Jennifer Haigh

My rating: 3.4

This book is about the 3 wives of Mr. Kimble.  I think that this will make an excellent book club discussion on why women marry men that they barely know.  While I really enjoyed the writing style the reason I am only giving this 3 stars is that despite having some empathy for some of the characters, I didn't like any of them.  Still, an enjoyable read and I will definitely read more by this author.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Reconstruction Amelia

My rating:  3.2
A single mother reconstructs her teenaged daughter's life, sifting through her emails, texts, and social media to piece together the shocking truth about the last days of her life. This was a compelling story that got into the minutia of a teenage girl's life. At times, it did seem far fetched and drawn out but, it still held me until the end.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman


My Rating: 1.0
I was mildly entertained by this book and got 40% of the way through.  I had met Spider and all his glorious god antics and met Daisy and Graham Coats and all of their antics

I think there were too many elements that Gaiman was trying to juggle -I normally like mythology but, right about the time that Fat Charlie checked out, so did I.

Saturday, September 14, 2013

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp


The Spectacular Now

My rating: 1.2 

Sutter is an arrogant alcoholic partying loser.  He was entertaining, for the first chapter.  The description of this book makes it sound like he will change but....he doesn't.  Just more and more of the same of his wasted arrogant wise ass behavior which gets very old and tiring.  I can't believe I read the whole thing.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Whatever You Love by Louise Doughty


My rating:  4.6

A hit-and-run car crash claims Laura’s daughter Betty, and her whole world is turned upside down. You feel Laura's grief come out and take hold of you in the pit of your stomach. Wow can Doughty write. Powerless stuff. The first 2/3rds of the book deals with the grief and the reeling and fall-out and the last 1/3 is about revenge. This book was one that I couldn't wait to get back to and thoroughly enjoyed.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

The Golem and the Jinni by Helen Wecker

My rating:  4.9

The Golem and the Jinni is an amazingly crafted magical fairy tale that weaves history, magic and religion together. The description of this book captures it better than I ever could:

In The Golem and the Jinni, a chance meeting between mythical beings takes readers on a dazzling journey through cultures in turn-of-the-century New York.

 Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life to by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic and dies at sea on the voyage from Poland. Chava is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York harbor in 1899. 

Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire born in the ancient Syrian desert, trapped in an old copper flask, and released in New York City, though still not entirely free 

Ahmad and Chava become unlikely friends and soul mates with a mystical connection. Marvelous and compulsively readable, Helene Wecker's debut novel The Golem and the Jinni weaves strands of Yiddish and Middle Eastern literature, historical fiction and magical fable, into a wondrously inventive and unforgettable tale.. 

The only thing I didn't like about this novel is that it is Helene Wecker's first novel. I can only say that I hope she writes quickly!

Friday, September 6, 2013

Everlost by Nick Shusterman

Everlost by Neal ShustermanMy rating:  3.2

Nick and Allie don't survive the crash, and now their souls are stuck halfway between life and death in a sort of limbo called Everlost.  Everlost is very magical, entertaining, a unique plot and a very good ending and yet, for me, it didn't quite hit the mark.  I much preferred Divergent or Unwind.  That being said, I could see this being a big hit with young adults.