Review: Modern Lovers

Modern Lovers by Emma Straub
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It took me a long time to read this book - a story of friends, family, long lost dreams, fleeting youth, midlife crisis, secrets, and the power of forgiveness. Straub was great with characters. Each was surprising realistic with his or her strength and shortcomings, and was well developed through the book.

Jane and Zoe, the same sex couple with their rebellious biracial daughter Ruby, are the owners of a restaurant but their love is losing its sizzles. Zoe's college band mates, Andrew and Elizabeth are married and have a goody two-shoes son Harry. Elizabeth is a well known Brooklyn real estate agent and doing well with her life, but Andrew, Andrew's life is lacking purpose. The story begins when a movie producer obtained some journals of their other band mate Lydia, who made herself quite famous as a solo singer, but died at the young age of 27.

Zoe and Elizabeth were all for the movie, but Andrew had some reservations. To complicate the matter, Harry and Ruby were both preparing to apply for college as well as starting a relationship with each other. Will young love last? Will old love from college sustain a marriage? Will secrets ruin relationships? Will unrealized dreams destroy midlifers?

The book was a bit long since many details were given for the back story of each character, although I never found the story boring. I thought it was only going to be a 4-star book throughout the first 95%. Then - the ending surprised me. Not in the "I did not predict that!" sense, but in the fact that everyone had a happy and most perfect ending. Since the author made me fall in love with the characters and root for them for almost three weeks, having them in that perfect ending makes saying goodbye easier. I know, I'm such a sucker for happily ever after...

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Review: The Madwoman Upstairs: A Novel

The Madwoman Upstairs: A Novel by Catherine Lowell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was recommended to me by my daughter, who works in the book-related industry and gets lots of ARCs (as a full-time student, not that she has time to read all of them.) However, this book she finished in one sitting, and found it funny, unique and eloquent. The story's taken place at Oxford University about an English major (like she is currently) does not hurt, either.

The book, strangely, reminded me of An Unnecessary Woman. The female protagonists in both books were intelligent, book-loving, yet reclusive and awkward. Most conversations and thoughts were either book related, or literary related. However, the two were vastly different in age. Although Aaliya in An Unnecessary woman was 72, Sam was only 20 here in this book. Sam was the last living descendant of the Brontes sisters. She started attending college in Oxford a few years after her Dad died a tragic death. She was homeschooled by her Dad all her young life on literatures (especially the ones by their famous ancestors) and hardly met any other human, so Oxford was a strange and intimidating new experience for her. When her Dad was alive, they played these treasure hunting games where her Dad would leave her a clue on a bookmark (hers) leading to other places with clues. The final destination always had a matching bookmark (his) with the treasure (usually a book.) Imagine her shock when the lawyer who took care of his Dad's estate gave her an almost empty shoebox with a "her" bookmark. In her understanding, her family was broke and had no inheritance or treasures left over from the sisters.

So, the story also has a small mystery with a treasure hunt, which I found just okay...although people who definitely needed a plot in their books will find it more intriguing. What I enjoyed about the book were the witty conversations, especially the ones between Sam and her tutor/professor Orville when they analyze literary works. I laughed out loud many times through out the book. This is when they first met:

"Why did you come to Oxford?"
"Everyone's got to be somewhere."
"Is that supposed to be funny?"....
"I came here study English Literature."
"And why was that?"
"I like books."
"You like books."
"I'm good at reading?"
"I did not ask you whether if you are literate. I asked you why you are studying English Literature. What do you imagine it will provide you?"
"Unemployment?".... "English is the study of what makes us human?"...
"Human biology is the study of what makes us human,"...."Try again."
"English is the study of civilization."
"History is the study of civilization," He corrected.
"English is the study of art."
"ART is the study of art.".....

The rest of the book was sprinkled with conversations like the above. They were more intense and take a bit of thinking to comprehend since they were filled with specific quotes and phrases from the Brontes and other books, as well as analyses of literature and writing. Knowing a little history and work of the Bronte sisters (and other classics) might help, but not necessary, to enjoy this gem of a novel. I also enjoyed how Sam moved from being a reliable narrator, to an unreliable one, and vice versa. It's fun to keep guessing. Watching her navigating her life is also cringe-worthy but enjoyable.

This review is getting out of hand, so I'll end with my favorite short quote from the book -

"It was the sort of library you'd marry a man for."









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Review: A Man Called Ove

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I haven't added any books to my "All time favorite" shelf for a while, but Ove definitely belongs up there with Mr. Penumbra and the old man who jumped out of a window. As someone who was not an English or literature major, it took me decades of reading and thousands of books to realize that my 5-star books usually have one or few the following items: interesting characters, an author with "heart" and/or beautiful prose. So, whether if the characters are relatable or lovable, whether if the plot is logical, or the recent favorite: whether if the narrator is unreliable, are just not the most important criteria in my scale.

With phrases like this one, my favorite, by the way (laughed hysterically at midnight and woke up the house), "Like a bolt of lightning up your urethra.", Mr. Backman did not make the fine prose society, but he's definitely a writer who truly, deeply understands human feelings and he has an amazing talent of making unique characters. One thing that amazes me is how young he is. How possibly someone so young understands the sadness and anger of Ove and Britt Marie?

"Death is a strange thing. People live their whole lives as if it does not exist, and yet it's often one of the great motivations for the living. Some of us, in time, become so conscious of it that we live harder, more obstinately, with more fury. Some need its constant presence to even be aware of its antithesis. Others become so preoccupied with it that they go into the waiting room long before it has announced its arrival. We fear it, yet most of us fear more than anything that it may take someone other than ourselves. For the greatest fear of death is always that it will pass us by. And leave us there alone.

"We always think there's enough time to do things with other people. Time to say things to them. And then something happens and then we stand there holding onto the word like "IF."

Back to Ove. One of my favorite Japanese manga series was Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei: The Power of Negative Thinking Volume 1. It's a series about a pessimistic high school teacher that always fails at his suicidal attempts. The series explores and scrutinizes the various cultural and sociological aspects of the Japanese society in a satirical way. Ove reminds me of Sensei Zetsubou. After his wife Sonja died, Ove gave up living. This world is a place that he never cares for, anyway, people were not raised the same way as it used to be.

“Ove feels an instinctive skepticism towards all people taller than six feet; the blood can’t quite make it all the way up to the brain.”

“He can’t understand people who long to retire. How can anyone spend their whole life longing for the day when they become superfluous? Wandering about, a burden on society, what sort of man would ever wish for that? Staying at home, waiting to die. Or even worse: waiting for them to come and fetch you and put you in a home. Being dependent on other people to get to the toilet. Ove can’t think of anything worse. His wife often teases him, says he’s the only man she knows who’d rather be laid out in a coffin than travel in a mobility service van.”

"The two men have tattoos all over their throats, he notes. As if the SUV is not a clear enough advertisement for their stupidity."

“all over her face and sunglasses so big that one can’t tell whether they’re a pair of glasses or some kind of helmet.”

So Ove wanted to end his life and be with the only person that could understand him, but life was not done with him yet. To see all the surprises that life has in store for Ove, you'll have to read the book yourself...and love is love is love. At the time of writing this review, our world definitely needs more love.

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Review: Shadow and Bone

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Although there are already many YA trilogies with the same formula - female protagonist, first person-narrative, war-torn world, love-triangle..., I think this series is worth reading due to the amazing world-building skills of the author. She's also the type that describes scenes, things and places quite skillfully and ornately (Think Night Circus). I can visualize her colorful (literally) world through-out the entire book, which was quite an amazing experience.I think the characters needs a bit more development, but since there will be two more books that I have to dwell into, my view hopefully will change.

If you are in love with the fantasy world in this series, make sure to check out the Map of Ravka and the expanded map in Siege and Storm by Keith Thompson. They took my breath away.

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Guest Review: Micro by Michael Crichton & Richard Preston

Micro (subtitled "Substitutions NOT Welcome") by Michael Crichton & Richard Preston 

In 1957, “The Incredible Shrinking Man” made its movie debut. As the title suggests, the story concerns a man who, after being exposed to radiation and an insect repellant, begins a non-stop voyage to a progressively more diminutive existence. Interestingly, he’s nearly eaten by a cat, fights a giant spider, and encounters other dangers as his vertical stature diminishes. As noted in my prior reviews, the story line in Micro by Michael Crichton & Richard Preston shows there is really nothing new under the sun.

My reaction to Micro can be compared to a meal I recently had at a local diner. After all, sometimes a good ol’ allegorical reference best explains one’s position. On that respective day, in a rather shameful display of gastronomic urgency, I hurried into the eatery in question, bypassed the food stained menus, misspelled specials on a blackboard, sat down and ordered spaghetti and meatballs. I mean, how long could it take the kitchen to boil water in a battered, dented pot, cook the pasta & roll two meatballs with the consistency of cement onto an unwashed dish and slap it down in front of me?

Okay; editorial privilege seems to have gotten the best of me in that last sentence because the place does have some pretty tasty meals. I’ve had pork chops there cooked to near perfection, real mashed potatoes, burgers that are quite tasty, delicious chicken and surprisingly good meatloaf. Nothing necessarily to die for, but when you think about it, the phrase at the beginning of this sentence is actually a fine compliment when talking about food in an eating establishment.

Now, my palate has by no means been trained to consider the more discriminating tastes of an epicurean feast. In other words, I’m by no stretch of the imagination a food aficionado. But I do know crap when I taste it. (Please note that last sentence is meant as a figurative reference; not literal.) So when my meal arrived, I was totally unprepared after I shoveled the first forkful into my mouth. There was no disguising it; someone in the kitchen had simply opened a jar of cheap tomato sauce, heated it up and poured it on the spaghetti. It was painfully obvious it wasn’t a “name” brand. Rather, it was one of those knock-off store brands that looks red but that’s as far any semblance to real food that can be made. Now that you read how good food simply can’t be compared to bad, I can segue to my book review.

Michael Crichton wrote Jurassic Park, Sphere, West World, Rising Sun, The Andromeda Strain and several other novels. But when he passed away in 2008, he left a large part of his book Micro unfinished; author Richard Preston was chosen to complete the novel. This book’s premise is about eight scientific graduate students who are hired to work at a company that’s developed a device that shrinks objects. The owner of the business is crazy, forces all the students into a room, shrinks them all the height of about a half inch and then has them released in a forest, hoping they’ll be killed. The rest of the story is their attempts overcome their collective plight while being chased by voracious insects.

And here’s where my “good food/bad food” analogy comes to light, as good writing has been replaced by bad. In all honesty, it should be noted Mr. Preston is an accomplished writer in his own right. A prime example is that his novel “The Hot Zone” which I discovered served as the loose interpretation of the 1995 movie “Outbreak” starring Dustin Hoffman.

Since Crichton previously proved himself being able to tell a story, I found Micro under Preston’s keyboard endeavors lacking in several areas necessary for me to find a book captivating. First and foremost is the development of a strong protagonist. I discovered a while ago that medical thriller author Robin Cook’s lead characters in novels such as Coma, Foreign Body, Fatal Cure, etc. piqued my interest because they are believable, possessing both exemplary traits and pitiful foibles. In other words, they’re real-to-life. I got to know them, cared about them, became concerned with their welfare.

In Micro, I was about half way into the book when the character I had assumed was the star or hero was summarily killed off. My reaction was an immediate WTH? From that point on, successive characters I thought might take the place of the one who was written off also gave up the spirit (some quite horrifically, I might add). Perhaps Mr. Preston was deliberate in this design but I personally found the inability to discern the story’s main protagonist bothersome and disconcerting.

Not to appear too negative, Mr. Preston does an admirable job of instructing us about the insects that harass the characters. Remember, this is not a world most of us are familiar with so his observations as seen through the graduate students are both enlightening and fascinating. In fact, I feel if I ever become as vertically challenged as these poor folks were, I might just make it out alive.

As I recall, there were also at least two occasions when the segue to different scenes happened so quickly I had to go back and re-read what had just occurred, thinking I had missed something. I don’t remember the specific instances of these offenses and therefore am not being overly helpful, but as a former proof-reader my eyes simply cannot overlook sudden shifts in developments such as these.

Towards the conclusion of the book, the characters meet a fellow shrunken human named Rourke, a scientist who worked for crazy business owner and who has been presumed dead. Rourke has a hidden lab complete with airplanes that are shrunken but fully operative. Crazy business owner finds the mini lab, pours gas all around it and sets it afire. Although an ability to fly planes is never mentioned in the book, three of the remaining characters jump into the planes and fly off into the night. I think Mr. Preston erred significantly when not explaining how the three were able to operate the planes. Rourke is also mentioned as watching the planes take off. Enough detail is given in this scene to substantiate his re-appearance but he’s gone; it’s another “loose string” the author missed.

Due to the inconsistencies noted, I didn’t find this an overly enticing read. And so, I have some advice for Mr. Preston, garnered from the song “Let It Be” by the Beatles. If he ever has the inkling to try and pick up the pieces of an unfinished novel by another author, please:

“Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be.

There will be an answer, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be.

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.”

Reviewed by JTP

Not a good follow up after The Thirteenth Tale

Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I waited 7 years for this book.

The plot: Was there one, or the author just followed her flow as she wrote with no clear direction? Nothing is logical except for the business aspects of the shops.

The pace: Slow with lots of repetitive scenes and actions.

The characters: Dicken-ish, an unlovable man and some revengeful rooks (large black raven-like birds).

The setting: Great, if you like business and old time London in a bleak and dark way with lots of deaths.

The writing: Only thing that kept me reading till the end; wonderful use of words, lyrical prose…not without struggle, though.

The story was quite simple. Bellman, as a boy, killed a rook with a catapult while his three friends watched. Bellman later became a very successful businessman, a family-owned mill and a stranger inspired funeral business called Bellman and Black. On the personal side he suffered through lots of deaths of family and friends. The deaths may or may not have something to do with his killing of the rook. He became a bit detached from his human side, ignoring friends and family. Then he died, which, similarly, may or may not has anything to do with the killing of the rook.

I could tell Diane Setterfield spent a great deal of time doing research for this book. Her descriptions and facts of rooks, mills and the funeral business were all spectacular and informative. Although most readers enjoy more plot-driven books, I truly love reading books that also implemented real facts of certain subjects, especially places, customs and history, as long as the facts contribute to the understanding of the story. Case in point: Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons and Diane Harkness’ A Discovery of Witches. Although Setterfield wrote extensively about running the business of a mill and a funeral home, and included lots of facts about rooks, and weak plot and character makes these facts overbearing and a waste of time. Her prose was brilliant, as usual. She’s an expert in using the right phrases and arranging her words for the right effect. Her usage of English is excellent and her descriptions evocative. Sometimes orotund and overly wordy in a lifeless way:

“Far from it. The rook is no theatrical conjuror with his top hat full of tricks, deluding your eye into perceiving what is not. He is quite the opposite: a magician of the real. Ask your eyes, What color is light? They cannot tell you. But a rook can. He captures the light, splits it, absorbs some and radiates the rest in a delightful demonstration of optics, showing you the truth about light that your own poor eyes cannot see.”

After reading the above paragraph, one would wonder: are colors and the rook’s perception of colors important to the story? NO.

Another one:

“His cry is harsh and grating, made for a more ancient world that existed before the innovation of the pipe, the lute and the viol. Before music was invented he was taught to sing by the planet itself. He mimicked the great rumble of the sea, the fearsome eruption of the volcanoes, the creaking of glaciers, and the geological groaning as the world split apart in its agony and remade itself.”

Lots of passages like the above two, plus pages and pages of words describing Bellman running his day-to-day businesses. Prose did not help the story’s lack of luster in this case.

Unless you intend to buy the book to read how beautiful her words are and you are okay without feeling a bit of resonance in your heart for the characters or their situation; or you are one of those more elite readers, skip this and read her first book, The Thirteenth Tale, instead.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reading copy.



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A Haunting Tale...

How To Be a Good Wife by Emma Chapman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Haunting.

I always see this word while reading reviews, or blurbs in the cover of hardback books, but have never used it myself. Since I’m usually one of those people who can predict the ending and turns of stories, I’m not easily fazed (maybe only once, while reading Stephen King’s Misery, but I was young and didn’t know any better). I’m glad there’s finally a book where I can use this particular word in my review.

Haunting.

Yes, haunting, chilling, poignant, evocative, stirring, startling, unnerving, disturbing, mesmerizing, terrifying, unforgettable… You can use any or a combination of these words to describe the book. No matter which one, this story will haunt you for a long, long time.

Marta and Hector are a couple living together. Their son, Kylan, has grown up and moved out. Early in the book, we instantly knew something is just not right with their relationship; something seems to be wrong with one or the other. Marta follows the instructions on one particular book her Mother-in-law gave her for her wedding, and her recites the rules in her mind as she carries out the tasks in her day:

Make your home a place of peace and order.

Your husband belongs to the outside world. The house is your domain, and your responsibility.

Never question his authority, for he always does what is best for the family, and has your interests at heart.

Hector goes to work as a teacher, and Marta stays home and does all the housewife duties: clean, cook, shop. She watches the clock closely since she always needed to be ready and have everything prepared, especially the meal, before Hector gets home. Marta does not remember anything before her marriage to Hector. Her whole universe and existence revolves around her husband.

After a hard day at work, your husband will want a hearty meal to replenish his spirits.

Marta is also on some kind of medications, and Hector always makes sure she remembers to take them. Sometimes he stands in front of her and examines her mouth after swallowing. You need them, he says. However, Marta decided to skip the medicine, and that’s when some weird visions appeared. She keeps seeing this frail, skinny blonde girl in various places of the house. She’s wearing white pyjamas with flowers. Sometimes she’s clean, healthy and has perfect nails; other times, skinny as bones, filthy with dirty bitten nails and the color of the pyjamas grey.

Never bother you husband with domestic matters.

Who is the girl? Is she hallucinating, as Hector keeps insisting she is, or is the girl a real person in repressed memory? Should Marta continue to take her medication, or skip to see and hear the girl more clearly? Nothing seems to be what it is. Could she trust her instincts and memories? Should she trust her husband instead, or is she losing her mind? Then, things get even worse when Kylan return to visit with his fiancée… Marta's sometimes strong, clear and coherent and other times lost, confused and full of doubt narrative will break your heart.

Always put the needs of the rest of the family above your own.

It’s unbelievable that this book is a debut and how young the author was when she wrote the book. Emma Chapman writes with the skill of an accomplished, mature and experienced author. The concept is brilliant, the plot tight and the prosecution smooth. She explores many facets of our society with ease and grace. She did not take the easy way out by providing us with a straightforward answer to the question we are still asking ourselves way after the last page is turned… Brilliant.

Thanks to the publisher and Bookbrowse for providing my advance reader’s copy.
This book will be released in October 2013.

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A beautiful coming of age story of a somewhat imperfect girl

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton DiSclafani

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I don’t read reviews before I actually finish a book. Most of my reading selection and book purchases are based on instincts. The cover definitely helps, and the little blurb on the inside fold of the cover usually differentiates if a book will be put back on the shelf, or going home with me. My Kindle purchases are simplified, but similar versions of the same process. However, after I finish reading a book, I’ll read some of other people’s review to see if we share similar feelings about the same book…

After seeing so many negative (below 3 stars) reviews of this book, my finger hesitated between four and five stars for a long time, before I made up my mind to select the fifth one. I truly enjoyed reading this story, and Thea is among my favorite narrators of all times. This is another one of those books that people who enjoy plot-driven and non-wordy books will hate. This book is narrative-driven, character-driven, but it’s definitely not a thriller or mystery. We definitely don't read it to find out “what has she done?” What Thea has done or is going to do definitely should not be our main concern in reading this book. This book is great because of the characters, imperfect yet lovable. I also loved the book since the author did a great job bringing out Thea’s full character, her self-reflection, her self-doubt, her desire for love (parental/sexual), her worries, her passion for riding and her friends and family…it’s all there. It’s a wonderful coming of age novel. Thea is a conflicted girl. Yes, she’s self-destructive, let her desires rule over her head, compulsive, rebellious, headstrong, judgmental…yet she’s also smart, sensitive, curious, spirited, horse-lover, a great friend and sister, wise beyond her age, full of passion, and knows herself very well even without much guidance from her parents. Unfortunately the story took place in 1930, on the verge of the depression, when women/girls are still treated unfairly. I couldn’t help but imagine what kind of achievements Thea could’ve reached in our present world. She has just the right personality, drive and passion. It’s hard to remember she was only 15 at the beginning of the book, and barely 16 at the end.


“Mother would tell us that we were loved even before we were born. But that wasn’t quite true: one of us was loved, the other unknown.”


In the beginning of the book, Thea was dropped off by her Father at the Yonahlossee Horse Camp for Girls in the mountains of North Carolina. The camp was only affordable by the rich, where the girls could learn all sorts of things (including riding and manners) among other similar girls. Although she did not know herself at that time, Thea was sent here because her family was ashamed of something she did or caused. Among a bunch of teenage girls, Thea, who was sheltered in a luxurious home all her 15 years of life, being home-schooled by her physician Dad along with her twin brother Sam, feels out of place. Thea’s Mom, we later found out, was definitely not a normal, supportive and loving Mom. Although they had lots of money and physical needs were met, She did not provide her growing twins with the emotional support teens desperately needed, and she loves Sam more. Sam was the closest “friend” Thea had, along with their cousin Georgie. The animals in the farms were Sam’s world, and the horse Sasi was Thea’s. Being thrown into this mixture of girls, some nice, some not so, forced Thea to grow up and handle her own affairs. Being able to still ride offers Thea tremendous comfort, because it’s great to at least have control of something as simple as a horse. Making a close friend, Sissy, also helps. The whole story was narrated by Thea’s 15 year-old voice. The voice was sometimes naïve, sometimes angry and scornful, and other times lost and scared. The reader couldn’t help but get emotionally involved with her life. On the other hand, we also wait patiently for her to reveal her past, which came rather late in the book, while her “present” error somewhat mimics her past one. In a way, she made her mistakes over and over again. As a mother of a teenager at around the same age, I understand how important guidance is at that age. (view spoiler)[I also understand the curiosity about the other sex, and the pleasures that sex could bring. (hide spoiler)] With a Mom who kept her in a house without any other human contact was definitely not a good way to teach her about the world, or the rights from wrongs. Choosing to send her away was also not exactly problem solving, but it was 1930. Thea’s actions; therefore, were understandable in the way she was brought up.


“I was a girl of fifteen, locked away in the mountains, surrounded by strangers. But I would be all right; I would emerge from this place.”


She did.

As a debut novelist, the author’s reign on her story was as good as the Yonahlossee girls’ on their horses. It’s quite impressive considering her storytelling also alternated between now and then to tell Thea’s present and past environment/story. Not one instance I felt bored. Usually an inexperienced author would make the transition from now to the past at the wrong time, I find her transitions smooth, her story telling prose soothing yet gripping. Her descriptions involved all five senses: sight, sound, taste, touch and uniquely, smell. Thea’s character, as well as all others, along with the camp, came alive on the pages. I truly enjoyed reading the story and did not roll my eyes at the more sensual scenes (I do that a lot since some people are terrible in those kind of writings). However, a sense of sadness lingers long after I finished the book, for Thea, and for all the other suppressed women in that era.




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A great debut about love, life and a little bookstore

The Bookstore by Deborah Meyler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


There's no such thing as a used book. Or there's no such thing as a book if it's not being used.

As most others who requested this book, I have a soft spot in my heart for books about reading and bookstores, and this is a great book for bibliophiles. It helps if you already have some knowledge about the second-hand book trade, books, writers and artists, because there will be lots of references that will make most readers scratch their heads… So, if you like simple plot-driven books without any concerns of prose, literary, art, or even music references, leave this book alone.

Esme Garland was from England. She’s now living in New York working on a PhD in Art History with a scholarship from Columbia. Unfortunately, her taste in men is not as sophisticated as her taste in arts and literatures, and she accidentally has gotten pregnant by the most unlikeable man (rich, attractive, blue blood, tanned…just, very self-absorbed), who did not want to have anything to do with the baby, or Esme. So, she was left alone, pregnant, stressed (from school) and lost (in life), although she has decided to keep the baby.

Fortunately for her, she found herself a part time job at a second hand bookstore called The Owl at Upper West Side during this difficult time of her life. Ah, a bookstore staffed with workers who are well read is simply more than just a bookstore. The staff at The Owl are quirky yet human. From the homeless men that occasionally help taking carts and shelves out in the morning and bring them in before the shop closes, a health and organic buff who knows books like no others (George), a guitarist who knows music and it’s healing quality as well as books (Luke), to a customer that always visits with a towel on his head, they accepted Esme as one of their own. One of them we realized has special feelings for Esme before she herself did. Simply said, The Owl did not only satisfy Esme’s financial need, but also her emotional ones. It’s the best thing that has happened to her, other than her child, that is. The bookstore also taught Esme a thing or two about family, about love, about life...and about choices, especially when her finance suddenly reappeared in her life.

As a debut novel, I find the writing quite impressive and sometimes more ornate than I expected. However, everyone who knows me understand what a sucker I am for beautiful writing and quotes that make me think. This book succeeded in both regards. The plot is a bit weak and Esme's love for her boyfriend is a bit over the top, but believable, and acceptable for a new author who did brilliantly with characters and prose. The many takes of Esme on American life and behavior from her British standpoint was fun to read as well. Unfortunately, I cannot quote from the book too much since the copy I read was a pre-release one, but one scene that still lingers in my mind long after I finished the book was when Esme was going on a book call with Luke to buy all books from an old lady:

“These books…,” she begins, and stops. I am frightened; for her, for myself decades from now, struggling to retain dignity with two strangers as they take away my books. I can see the straight line to her grave, to mine….
“They are all my life. These books are all my life.”

It’s hard to not feel emotional reading these lines. Looking at all the books on my shelf and my Kindle…I can’t help but visualizing a straight line to my grave as well. I will be looking forward to each and every one of Meyler’s new books.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy.



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Another YA Dystopian book? This one worths your time...

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Before I start my lengthy book review to explain why we need to read another YA dystopian tale, here’s the short version of it.

The Testing is good, read it.

I usually stay away from copycat books and like authors who think outside the box and come up with their own unique ideas. Harry Potter inspired thousands of witch and wizards books, Twilight: vampires and werewolves. The Hunger Games: Post-apocalypse dystopian with children fighting each other. After going through Divergent, Legend, Delirium, Daughter of Smoke and Bone…especially the disappointing third book after an amazing first book in the Delirium trilogy, I just wanted to say, “Enough already!”

So, after I received the ARC of this book with it’s very Hunger Game inspired cover, I put it aside, and read about 15 other books, none young adult. A few nights ago, I was looking for a fast and easy read, and decided to give it a try. The story pulled my in from the first page, three hours later I reached the ending, and finally took my first breath. Okay, the breath was an exaggeration, but this book was a joy to read. The Testing proved that a certain “formula” would still work with the right creativity under the hands of a talented writer. The reader sometimes needs to have an open mind in these situations.

So, among hundreds of reviews (mostly of 1-2 stars due to the fact that it’s similar to The Hunger Games), I will focus on why this book is worth a read, even though you think you have read your share of similar books.

The story is definitely inspired by and similar to The Hunger Games and Divergent, and it also reminded me a little of City of Ember. There were quite a few similarities…and I admit, some were so similar to The Hunger Games, the I kept telling myself, “Don’t go there; do NOT go there.” One particular scene was her descriptions of the eyes of some wild creatures in a war scene. And, of course, I also glimpsed the possibility of a future love triangle.

The story took place in the post-apocalyptic America. The country was divided into colonies. When a teenager graduates from local school at 16, the Commonwealth government will send an invitation for the crème of the crop to join the Testing. All those who passed the testing will be attending the University and become future leaders of Commonwealth, and will focus on improving present living conditions for all people because the multiple wars had left the land dry and infertile, all living structures broken or destroyed. However, before Cia left for the testing, her Dad told her, “Do not trust anyone.”

The main character, Cia, came from a loving family, a family with 4 boys and a girl. The family work and play together, and also love and feel deeply for each other. This brings a bit of normalcy to the chaos of the outside world. I really enjoyed reading everything about Cia’s family and herself, and I loved her more than any other female characters in the books I mentioned above. Her character is realistic, strong, likable, smart and well developed. The author also did researches, or she actually knows facts on engineering, math, history…as well as current events. All the technical and historical bits were fascinating to read, as well as believable. I think she should receive some credits for writing YA fiction with something more than just a plot and likable characters. For example, here’s a question and answer in the testing process:

Q: Explain the cause of the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Stages of War and their impact on North America.
A: Use of nuclear and biological weapons increased the pressure near fault lines. This sudden rise of pressure caused earthquake swarms and aftershocks that began in what was once the state of California and traveled across the continent. Earthquakes also disrupted the ocean floors, triggering the first of the floods that signaled the start of the Sixth Stage and submerged what remained of the coastal states, destroying most of the population. The Seventh Stage was marked by a shift in the weather patterns, Tornadoes, radioactive windstorms, and droughts caused the population to decrease even further and tainted all but the hardiest of plants, animals, and food sources. When the weather calmed, those who survived could finally begin to rebuild.

If you don’t like the long wait for the sequel, “Independent Study," there’s actually a free prequel/novella available in the Amazon Kindle store available to purchase. Here’s the link:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Testing-Gui...

Thanks for the preview copy from Publisher via Netgalley.




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Finally, I've read the book everyone is talking about.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


My review came wait too late, since this is one of those “must read” books, as The DaVinci Code, Harry Potter, Hunger Games and The Kite Runner… I usually stay away from books with a lot of hype, so I was one of the last of my friends to read it.

This book could have been a 5-star book; too bad the last few chapters ruined it.

Gone Girl has two narrative voices, the husband’s, and the wife’s. Nick and Amy, supposedly a perfect couple, have been married for 5 years, and on their 5th anniversary, Amy disappeared. Over the next few days and chapters, clues were discovered, witnesses interviewed, and Nick became the prime suspect from the loving husband overnight. Adding to the complexity, Amy is also the one with the money. It’s always the husband, right? You have no idea.

The chapters alternated between Nick’s voice narrating the present situation, explaining how he thinks he was set up by his wife, since Amy has been unhappy about their marriage and “something else;” and the voice of Amy in some prior diary entries in the last 5 years leading up to the day of the disappearance. The chapters contradicted each other. At a few times I thought I have an idea what has happened or who’s guilty, the next chapter changed my mind. This happened quite a few times in the book. The author was great with plot planning, human characteristics and twisted/evil minds. The book was still a roller-coaster ride for me, although I’m the kind of people who is extremely logical and takes every evidence and clue with a grain of salt. I’m also good at predicting plot twists and this story line took me by surprise a few times.

The last few chapters were the breaking point of the whole well planned story. Both Amy and Nick were quite good in their monologues, self-reflections and thoughts; their conversations with each other were pale and stiff in comparison. It almost seemed putting the two main characters together dampened their sparks while alone. Amy’s last move was quite unbelievable and predictable as well (at least for me). It also contradicted to what she has planned in the whole marriage, her whole life, or the whole book.

Overall, I think it’s quite a great thriller and an entertaining read.




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Guest Review: Inferno by Dan Brown

   4 out of 5 stars

To add a new perspective here on This World is an Idiot Mill, we're inviting a guest reviewer. Young enough to enjoy carbohydrate intensive food but old enough to know better, JTP will offer his unique and sometimes acerbic outlook on books he reads. Here's his first review for Dan Brown's best-seller, Inferno:

Effectively proving he's a force to be reckoned with, Dan Brown has once again assaulted the best-seller list with his new book Inferno, named after Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem of the same name. Stalwart art historian Professor Robert Langdon must tap into his expertise to decipher a message hidden in a doctored Italian masterpiece. But, far be it for me to merely relate line by line who said what, who did that or where it happened. Rather, my 10,000 foot view of the book will instead reveal that Langdon takes us on a guided tour through Italy, providing insight into works by various masters, filtering through seemingly obvious answers to find the strand of truth, all the while battling the after-effects of a drug administered to him to obliterate his short term memory.

An interesting device used by author Brown is to reacquaint us to dialog or plot events when the climax to a long simmering situation finally unfolds. This re-telling of a prior event leaves no doubt in one's mind as to the sequence of events and how they logically developed. You'll understand what I mean if you've ever reached a turning point in a novel and said to yourself, "now, where was that mentioned previously," or "who said that to him/her?" Granted, this could be bothersome or perhaps even offensive in less able hands but I felt quite comfortable with Brown's restatement of prior events.

Ah...but if you're read any of my prior reviews, you know my efforts wouldn't be complete unless I pointed out something or things that stuck in my craw. (Incidentally, I fully intend on asking my doctor where the craw can be found in or on a human body.) And I found three significant gaffs as our story traverses from historic Italy and eventually to a massive basilica in Turkey. Mr. Brown employs the expression Pandora's box when referencing to something being set loose. BUT, he misuses the idiom by stating "Pandora was released from her box." Huh? How could an author so well versed in pieces of art, historic buildings and streets, byways and alleys of ancient cities goof on something that could be referenced via a Google search?

A second miscue (IMHO) was the time he confronts an individual he feels is responsible for an event that could have catastrophic results world wide if not immediately mitigated. With an ante of that magnitude, an appropriate emotional response would be anxiety, discomfort and an uncontrollable urgency to shake the individual to provide answers to solve the impending crisis? Instead, Langdon is calm and modulated, seemingly with an immeasurable amount of time to solve his dilemma. I suppose it was much more important to maintain deportment and demeanor rather than submit to blind fear because the world as we know it could be changed forever.

The third and most egregious error is when Langdon is with a physician who decides to open a device they've found sewn into his clothing. This cylindrical object has the universally known biohazard emblem prominently displayed on its surface but neither of the two professionals has any compunction about opening to see what's inside. Let me put it to you this way: if you found a box with that symbol on it would YOU open it? I mean, it could very well be Pandora's box!

However, don't let the comments I wrote above deter you from reading Inferno. This enjoyable book will whisk you around Italy, introduce you to painters Giorgio Vasari and Botticelli, the Palazzo Vechhio & other tourist attractions, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul as well as secret passages and other intriguing twists and turn that will keep you entertained. Hey, I'm not a published author but if I could write even half as well as Dan Brown I'd consider myself a smashing success. (N.B: Inferno is #3 on the NY Times best seller list for the week of 7/28/13; it was #1 the prior week.)

One Doctor is All We Need

One Doctor: Close Calls, Cold Cases And The Mystery Of Medicine by Brendan Reilly

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book reads like part House, part Grey’s Anatomy and part diary, yet much, much more informative. By bringing us into his every day life and meeting his various patients at New York Presbyterian Hospital’s emergency department, Dr. Brendan Reilly explains, by example, why US healthcare, or more precise, ER care, has evolved into the complicated, hard-to-navigate maze that we see today; why most young med school graduates decide to to become specialists instead of primary physicians, which our country desperately needs.

The title, One Doctor, was used. Due to the regulation and involvement of the health insurance industry, most of us do not have a doctor who deeply concerns about us, who knows us well, who rallies for the right care in our behalf. On the other hand, we all have a battery of specialists. We have a cardiologist for our heart, a rheumatogist for our arthritis, an urologist for our prostates...and so on. Specialists make much more money, and where we are referred to once our ailment is out of our primary care’s scope. But, they usually do not know our complete health history since they only focus on a specific part of us. Dr. Reilly claimed that the patient with the one doctor that truly care for him, follows him over time and know him well would win this rat race of so-called American healthcare. It’s the difference between life and death sometimes…or worse, between death and insufferable life.

Sometimes when a patient or family says, “Do everything for me, doctor,” it unnecessarily that they want to try everything possible to live. Sometimes they do not want to hurt the family members who can’t let go, or they’re scared, or they have no idea hanging on could be worse than death. It’s the doctor, a good doctor’s job to find out what these patients really want, since some scenarios can be really worse than death. We all have a different trade-off limit between how much we are willing to suffer to prolong our life, it’s also a responsible doctor’s job to find out. From the various cases we encounter along with Dr. Reilly, we acquire a better understanding of the end of life, terminal illness, palliative care (which is not used enough), the quality of life, letting go, who to assign as surrogate and all other choices we might face in the future which we most likely never prepared ourselves for. We also will learn about the not perfect, but needed advanced directives as well.

As Dr. Reilly stated, “Most of the sad stories happen when this process doesn’t start until it’s too late. That’s how all those folks wind up comatose in nursing home and intensive care units, fogged with drugs and flogged by machines, not a prayer of getting better. It’s a living hell—and the only hyperbole in that phrase is the ‘living’ part.”

Dr. Reilly is a brilliant storyteller and great writer, and also a rare doctor that deeply cares for his patients. I can feel his real concern and love for life and the world. I could also feel the empathy he has for his patients and their families by reading the way he put his thoughts on paper. Several of these stories were deeply moving: Mr. Gunther, who endured a progressive form of cancer earlier in life who now faces another one; Mr. Atkins with a rapidly progressive terminal illness, who does not have time to prepare his family for his death; Ms. Rhodik, who refused to speak, but her family’s decisions are endangering her health. Others were down right disturbing: Fred, who decided that “losing his marbles” was never an option…and many more. We also learn about the cost of a misdiagnosis, as well as the cost of doing too much.

This is a deeply moving book with many though-provoking stories, and lots of useful information from a good and genuinely caring doctor who has over 40 years of experience. Read this book, for your elders, for yourself, for your children…and for the hope of a better health care system in the near future. This book will make you a better patient, advocate, caretaker, healthcare consumer and....human.

Advance reading copy provided by the Publisher via Netgalley

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Don't believe everything your read blindly... Use your numbersense!

Numbersense: How to Use Big Data to Your Advantage by Kaiser Fung

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“The key is not how much data is analyzed, but how.”

Data is manipulatable. The same set of data can be analyzed to give the exact polar results. With the accessibility of the Internet, we are living in a world of lots of data. “Big Data” is the word the author used. It’s a vast number of data that’s beyond the scope of any normal data analysis program can handle or manage. Lots of data are obtainable, with lots of analyses of these data available, since every single one of the market players are studying these data to gain an edge in competition.

The author used the Gates Foundation’s example to let us know that even big organizations with lots of money and analysts can still make a stupid decision with the wrong data or analysis. Ten years ago, the Foundation made a mistake assuming that smaller school s are better for student achievement, which is later proven untrue. He argued that Big Data moves us backwards, since more data results in more time spend analyzing, arguing, validating and replicating results. More of the any above activities will cause more doubt and confusion. Therefore, It’s urgent to learn a way to analyze them so you can just keep your head clear, and not being lied to.

“Any kind of subjective ranking does not need to be correct, it just has to be believed”

What do we believe, and what technique do we use to help us make the decision? Data analysis is an art, and not every statistician knows what he’s talking about. A person with good “numbersense” will be way above the others in avoiding the pitfall. A person with a good numbersense will spot bad data or bad analyses, or know when to stop when collecting his own. Unfortunately, numbersense can’t be taught in a regular classroom, a program or a textbook. It’s only learned from another person or real life practices. After more than 20 years in management in a hospital, I know these people do exist, but rarely. They are wonderful problem solvers. Lucky for rest of us, this book is a great place to start learning about numbersense. The author has a way of explaining complex subjects in a simple and understandable way, and his flow of thoughts is logical and very easy to follow. While analyzing data, the author also explained statistical terms thoroughly, as the term significant does not necessarily means important.

The author used real life news examples where someone made a claim about something and then backed it up with data, and he analyzes them, explaining the process to us along the way. The examples include: Law schools admission data, Groupon’s business model, diets and BMI, unemployment and jobs, our inability to remember prices and CPI, and even fantasy football. These examples were very interesting to read as the author gives step-by-step instructions of how these data we see everyday could easily be manipulated to fool us. My daughter is in the process of applying for college, and I can assure you, after reading the first chapter, I will never look at college rankings the same way.

I think every person in marketing, business, sociology, management or data analysis should read this book, as well as any consumer who wants to make sense of this so called “Big Data.” Numbersense is a great word for people who have the talent of analyzing data and spotting errors or intended manipulation. This book reads very much like Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Stephen Levitt, but is a bit more technical and might take a little understanding of statistics and/or business to fully appreciate the book. My background is business administration and healthcare, and I had a fun ride.

*Thanks to Netgalley and McGraw Hill in providing the advanced reading copy.



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A Mother's Day reading: What My Mother Gave Me, edited by Elizabeth Benedict

What My Mother Gave Me: Thirty-one Women on the Gifts That Mattered Most by Elizabeth Benedict

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book came just in time for Mother’s Day 2013. It’s a collection of short stories/essays written by 31 different female authors. Some of them are well known, others, not as much. The theme? They wrote about the one thing that their Mom had given them with the most meaning or long-lasting impression.

As a reader, I truly believe that investing a little time to understand the background, education, life experiences, and childhood of an author would greatly improve my reading experience. When I saw the names of several authors I know, I thought this book would be a great supplement for my books. I also predicted that this would be an inspirational and uplifting easy read. After all, who else could influence us as much, or as positively as our Mother does?

I was quite wrong.

It was a shock to discover that not all stories were positive or easy to read. Some authors downright hate their Moms, or lack mothering there of. The “gift” their talked about were not all tangible as well, although most were. They varied from tangible: a nail polish, a photograph, a part of their home, an outfit; to intangible ones: memories, pain, love of words, a day’s experience. The essays also varied from pleasant to down right painful to read, from eloquent to mediocre. Some realized their Mothers loved them right there and then, others, years later. The essays definitely covered all sort of Mothers and daughters, some good, some not so good….just like in real life. A few stories I definitely had fond memories of even a few weeks after reading the book: A Thousand Words a Day and One Charming Note by Lisa See; The Missing Photograph by Caroline Leavitt. The introduction by Elizabeth Benedict was quite emotional to read as well.

Since the chapters are divided by authors and their piece. One can read this book all in one sitting, or divide them up and read one or a few at a time. I highly recommend this book to all who want to study the complex mother/daughter relationship, or just as a simple gift for a Mom or a daughter.

I received the ARC from NetGalley…and later purchased a copy as a Mother’s Day gift for my best friend, who has a “it’s complicated” relationship with her Mom.





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Children of the Jacaranda Tree - An Insider's book about Iran, and its suffering people

Children of the Jacaranda Tree by Sahar Delijani

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As a lover for fiction from faraway lands, I noticed and kept track of this title way before publication date. I love to read about how war and history could affect all of us, no matter where we are, where we were from. This is the debut novel of Sahar Delijani. She drew examples for this story from her parents and other family members, who were actually imprisoned in the Evin Prison in the 1980s. Ms. Delijani was born there. One could safely say that this book is part memoir, part fiction.

The book opened with a heart-gripping chapter. A pregnant woman prisoner, Azar, was being taking to a local hospital fanned by “sisters” and “brothers,” or male and female prison guards from Evin. She was blindfolded and suffering from humility, harsh treatment and contraction pain. When she finally was allowed to sit down somewhere, she thought a doctor was going to see her. Yet an interrogator came in, with paper and pen, hoping to break her during her time of weakness and pain, with her baby about to slip out… This was the best chapter of the book.

Not much is known about the Evin Prison, since most prisoners were blindfolded while being transported within; it has the most efficient interrogative methods that could break any human, and it was crowded. It was built to fit 350 prisoners but holds up to 15,000 all the time. It’s also called Evin University, due to the number of intellectuals who were imprisoned, tortured or killed there. It’s the prison not only for actual criminals, but also intellectuals, students, activists, Christians, journalists… In other words, any one who’s believed to oppose the Iranian government. The prison is right at the border of the city of Tehran, and its cold tall walls could be visible from many homes.

The stories in the book took place during 1980’s in Tehran, where there was a mass arrest of political activists, to the present, around 2011 in Europe, American and Iran. The chapters went back and forth between the two periods. There were many characters, which were all somewhat related to one to one another and somehow looked, talked and act similar to each other due to the lack or development or similar descriptions: dark hair, dark eyes, and stocky for men. They were the prisoners of Evin and their children who grew up with the effect of war and their emotionally broken parents. Among these kids were Omid, Sara, Neda and Forough who were cousins. The kids carry their parents pain, so they are also broken, suffering and in no way happy or normal, although their love for the country remain strong, even after fleeing to the west with their parents.

I really wanted to give the book 5 stars. It has, as predicted, opened my eyes to the history of Iran, which I only had just a vague idea about. I loved the intended plot; I loved the concept; I loved the way the author narrates, with such lyrical prose and well-used metaphors and symbolism. However, the book is a bit disjointed, the characters were all very similar to each other (except for one or two), the plot did not flow smoothly enough so the book was read like a collection of vignettes. The descriptions were not only weak for characters, but also for the most important place, the prison. The cousins’ home and relationship were just barely scanned over. There’s so much potential to elaborate, to embellish… Unfortunately some sentiments and descriptions were used once too many, like the author was trying too hard to come up with more and new descriptive words or poetic terms. I ended up flipping through pages just to get the book going.

However, I still think this book is worth reading as a debut novel and as an introduction to the sad history and present situation of Iran, since I could feel the author’s love for her country in every single page. A hardback might be better and easier to read than the ebook version due to the various characters that have similar names, descriptions and feelings.

This is a 3.5 star book, the 0.5 extra is for the poetic words and the great opening.






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The Mountain of Light - The story of the Koh-I-Noor Diamond

The Mountain of Light: A Novel by Indu Sundaresan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


There was a question on one of the book pages I frequent: "Name the last book that kept you up all night." It was an easy question for me to answer. Since I read all the time, I hardly stay up all night to finish a book; I have all day to do it. However, in a trip to Thailand many years ago, I hid in the bathroom to finish a book, a rather difficult book due to all the historical facts. I hid in the bathroom so my light did not bother the other members of my family (prior Kindle time). The book, The Twentieth Wife, was by this author. Since then, I've read a few more books by Indu Sundaresan, and none has disappointed me. I enjoyed this story as much as, if not more than, all the others.

This book, like all her books, was written with intensive research into the history of India (also England in this case.) The story is centered around the Koh-i-Noor diamond, a gorgeous yellow diamond that's was held by rulers in Hindu, Mughal, Turkic, Afghan, Sikh and finally British, countries. The diamond was once around 186 carats and its name means "Mountain of Light." It has a curse that is believed for centuries to bring bad luck to all its male owners. They suffered from sicknesses, the loss of their throne, or worse, death. Only women owners could wear it safely without suffering any ill effects.

“The diamond is said to have held a curse. Legend had it that the Kohinoor could be safely possessed only by a woman, that no man who had it would long hold his kingdom, and that it could never be worn in the official crown of a monarch (hence, perhaps, the reason it was worn in an armlet or set in a throne). In India, Persia, and Afghanistan, during the diamond’s tumultuous and bloody history, only men owned the Kohinoor.” **

With her known beautiful words and realistic descriptions of people and sights of the period, along with reliable facts, the story begins when the Koh-i-Noor was given to the Punjab ruler Maharajah Ranjit Singh so he could help the Afghan ruler Shah Shuja regain his lost throne. The story ended with the death of Dulip Singh in Paris and the ownership of Koh-i-Noor in British Empire. From page one, the reader will feel transported back to the sound and sight of old India. Through out the book, you will experience the love of the young who are full of hope for a better future; the power of rulers, the betrayal and loyalty of human, the architecture and sights of India, the brutality of conquest, and the sadness and hopelessness of old age and along with losing one’s country. The smell of Chai and saffron will still linger after you close the book. It’s the best journey a reader could ever hope to achieve.

Other than everything that mentioned above...this story offers a very interesting take on the effect of colonialism. It's quite a sad book to read. I couldn't help but feel a sense of loss for the diamond, for the puppet maharajah Dulip Singh...and for his three children that all had no heir. History, which could never be forgotten, influences all of us. Will the human race really learn from their past mistakes?

If you have time, google the Koh-i-Noor and admire it on the crown of the Queen of England. It’s breathtakingly beautiful, regardless how it was obtained…

**Thanks to Washington Square Press for a preview galley. The quote was from the advanced reader's copy.




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A Page Turner...Reconstructing Amelia

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I read this books straight through without stopping, so...literally, I couldn't put this book down. However, It wasn't that this book was extremely well written, but the plot was definitely above average, and the topic engaging.

I've noticed that some readers gave this book a low rating since all the characters were unlikeable. I totally agree with the unlikeable characters part. Everyone in the books seemed to be a liar, a cheater, influenced greatly by how others view them, and weak at making the right decisions. However, I still think the author should still receive credit for creating such terrible characters. They are annoying yet believable; unlikeable yet memorable. A few years from now, I could probably still remember some of the characters in this book. They reminded me of some unpleasant people in real life.

The book begins with Kate Baron, a successful lawyer and single Mother, receiving a call from her daughter's private school notifying her of her daughter Amelia's suspension, and asking her to pick up her daughter. It came as a surprise for her since Amelia is an achiever and well behave student. If not counting all the extra hours she spends work, Kate also have a very close relationship with Amelia and spends enough time together. However, when Kate arrived at the high school, Amelia was dead. Knowing how she mostly put her work before her only daughter’s needs, Kate was heartbroken.

A few months after the incident, Kate received an anonymous text telling her that Amelia did not kill herself. She embarked on a journey to find the truth for herself and her daughter. The things that she discovered were all unpleasant with lots and lots of betrayal and lies. The discoveries did not only involve secrets of Amelia, but also those of Amelia's best friend, classmates, teachers, and even long buried secrets of Kate herself. Having a teenage daughter myself made me broke out in cold sweats a few times, and wanted to grab a brick and kill someone at other times during the reading of this story. High school is way too cruel for teenagers to handle alone.

The organization of this book needs a little getting used to, especially for "older" readers like myself. The chapters include texts, Facebook posts, letters, a blog called Gracefully, entries from Kate’s old journals, and two POVs: Kate and Amelia. The chapters also jump back and forth in time from before to after Amelia’s death, and from Kate’s journal. It was particularly difficult to tell which time of her life Kate was talking about. I learned to differentiate her POV by looking at the year on the first page of her chapters. Once we get over this hurdle, the story will become so much easier to read.

Although some of the pranks were quite impossible to be planned by 15 year-olds girls but more of the style of a professional criminal, and the logic of the story left me with a quite few questions (For example: Amelia was narrating up to the last minute of her life), this book was quite an fast and enjoyable read.




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Schroder Book Review: Is love alone enough for your child?

Schroder: A Novel by Amity Gaige

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"I have told stories, in fact, that were elaborate-you could say-fictions, and although these fictions were not meant to defraud or to injure, I always knew-I knew in fact-that they would."

The book is narrated by Eric Kennedy as an apology letter to his estranged wife Laura, after being put in jail for abducting their daughter Meadow during a regular supervised parental visit. They were deeply in love before, but sometime during their marriage, like 50% of other marriages in the US, it fell apart. He then lost custody of the person he loves most. During that particular visit, Eric suddenly had a spontaneous urge to spend more time with Meadow, whom he deeply loves. He decided to take her for a prolonged trip, without consulting his wife Laura, who would have just said no to the request anyway. The complicated part is, Eric Kennedy was not a man he claimed he was, so the deceit was much more than a simple prolonged visit.

Eric's real name was Eric Schroder. He emigrated from East Germany with his Father when young. He had a harsh childhood that he has been trying desperately to forget. During a summer when he was applying for a prestige summer camp, he changed his last name to Kennedy. He got in. The name also got him into college with scholarship. When he met Laura, he was still a Kennedy who grew up somewhere near Hyannis Port. After marrying Laura, to protect his identity that he loved so much, he decided to stop visiting his Father.

From the first few pages of the book, we knew all about Eric and everything I mentioned above. We knew how the book was going to end and how unlikable Eric is. We knew that he was caught, thus the apology letter. We also knew that Eric was an emotionally non-existent husband, an unreliable Father, a pathological liar. He leaps before he thinks; he had no concern about anybody else but himself. Knowing the plot ahead of time, the fact that I actually finished the book, and gave it 5-stars, indicates how brilliantly this book was written.

This book falls into the strange book category that I can't classify simply, which includes The Death of Bees, Too Bright to Hear Too Loud to See, and Where'd You Go, Bernadette: brilliant writing, unforgettable characters and even thought-provoking questions. Since this whole book is narrated in Eric’s voice, one could only understand the other characters from glimpses in his narration, which is unreliable since he’s a liar. However, we did understand Laura’s frustration when he described his life with her. We knew Meadow is exceptionally intelligent from his conversations with his daughter. We got how irresponsible, unreliable, lack of common sense, extremely self-absorbed, spontaneous, unpredictable Eric is. The strange part is, due to the talented writing, we somehow started rooting for him or rather, his voice, regardless of all his faults. We found his love for his wife and daughter genuine, his pain substantial, his lies…somewhat understandable. His narration was so powerful that sometimes the readers need a break to recuperate from their emotions. We even found him brilliant in his study of “pauses.”

”I’ve always been fascinated by – and uncomfortable with – pauses. My research forced me to see that short pockets of silence were everywhere and that even sound needs silence in order to be sound. There are tiny silences all over this page. Between paragraphs. Between these very words. Still, they can be lonesome. So for all my project’s shortcomings, I’d say the worst is that I haven’t shaken the lonesome feeling that pauses give me. Sometimes I still wish there weren’t any silences at all. And so it is with some reluctance that I give you this one.”

The author did an awesome job on this wonderfully and beautifully written book. I don’t normally re-read books, but I might re-read this one just to admire her prose and beautiful writing again and again.

Note: I did not hear about the comparison of this story to the real story of the con man Clark Rockefeller until I finished the book. I think The Man in the Rockefeller Suit: The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial Impostor may be a great next read!



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Another YA trilogy...Unremembered by Jessica Brody

Unremembered by Jessica Brody

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A 3.5 stars book.

I'm always on the look for interesting YA series, for my daughter and son mainly, but also for myself. Although the writings of YA books are a bit less sophisticated and there's always a love with such childish teenage angst (not to mention the consistent appearance of love triangles), some recent YA books are beautifully written with a wonderful plot and/or great prose. Some well written YA series that I loved are Delirium, Divergent and Seraphina. This book falls into the great plot category, but I definitely will not call the writing great, or the characters unforgettable.

A girl, recovered from a plane crash site, who does not remember who she is, or where she's from - does the plot sound familiar to you? The Jason Bourne plot line has been used over and over again in modern literature. In this case, the mystery is that she was not on the original passenger list. It later turned out that she was also great with numbers, strong, fast and intelligent, but lack human emotion that we all possess naturally. The girl has beautiful, inhuman purple eyes, and a tattoo on her wrist that later turned out to be some sort of a tracker. She was then adopted by a foster family that appeared only in one or two chapters. During this time, she was constantly approached by a boy who she has no memory of, but his appearance always triggered a bit of recognition in her subconsciousness. He insisted her to trust him, and that there are people, bad people, after her. She was amazed by her own strength and intelligence, but also the lack of will power to face danger instead of fleeing every time. Is she human?

"What makes us human? Is it our hearts? Our brains? Our senses? Our limbs? Ask a hundred people and you'll get a hundred different answers."

The book is a page turner, with a good (yet a bit familiar) plot. However, the character development is a bit weak compared Delirium or Divergent. Although the physical descriptions were there, I could not visualize them as someone likable or grow to empathize them. They blindly believe in the love between them, and think it will triumph over every other obstacle...and that they will find each other even if one's memory is erased, which I found a bit unbelievable. In addition, the writing style is a bit bland compared to the other books, and quite lacking in prose. A phase from a Shakespeare sonnet was used throughout the book, and it was, sadly, the most beautiful writing in the book:

"Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments. Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove."

I wished the characters are as attractive as Romeo and Juliet, but they are not. However, I will still read the second book when it comes out. I love how the author integrated lots of technology, math and science facts into the story. I can't reveal too much, or I'll be giving the plot away. The plot is quite intriguing, so, if you ask me if this book is worth reading - yes, it is.



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