The Nobodies Album by Carolyn Parkhurst- Interesting plot/concept. Woman who is a famous author is also the mother of a famous rock musician. Mother and son are estranged and the reader is given only bits and pieces at a time as to why. The mother as the main character is working on her latest novel, which is really taking all her previous novels and rewriting the endings of them and putting that into a "new" book. (Still with me?) It's a bit confusing, and even more so because excerpts of the main characters books and the new endings are included. If you can get past that fuzzy part it's an interesting novel. I understand where Parkhurst is coming from in setting a theme of wanting to change endings/outcomes, especially when we learn details of the mother-son relationship and estrangement. I liked the concept of attempting to add books within books but the execution was a bit odd. I had to keep getting back into the original story line after leaving the mini stories behind. The mother and son come back together after the son is accused of murder. This mystery within the novel turned out to have a somewhat predictable solution. I will say though that I loved the ending of this book. The author ended it by fast forwarding to years later when all was settled but also staying in the present by having the characters say that of course they couldn't know at the time it would all work out that way. I get the point about endings/outcomes/revisions etc, and it definitely won points for uniqueness.
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See- Love this author. Her ability to create visual scenes that feel like they are right in front of you just by words alone is incredible. This novel shares the journey of two sisters living in Shanghai right as war breaks out with Japan in the 1930s. The girls and their mother attempt to journey to America but suffer many loses along the way. The girls once rich girls with many opportunities have to face the harsh realities of the real world and in their case there are many many difficulties to be faced. Although some of the events are somewhat predictable, mostly I found myself hurriedly flipping the pages to find out what happened next to Pearl and May. The book made me sad in many ways too to learn of a part of history I didn't know and to learn of the terrible treatment the girls received once they entered America and had to wait out being allowed in at a "camp" in the San Francisco area. I loved the scenes in this city but felt sad about what a tough life it was for so many people. The American Dream can have such high prices. The novel concludes on a sad note as well but probably intentionally as it set the stage for the conclusion to occur in the next book.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larrson- Okay so here is another one where I cheated and saw the movie first. Movie was strange to say the least. The book has been on my list for some time and I would have liked to have read it first but it just didn't work out that way. After seeing it I finally got it from the library and listened to it in the car. The book was equally as strange as the movie but I think after having some time to process it the story now makes more sense. The movie needed the book to tell some parts and the book needed the movie to make visual some parts. It's almost like you need to see and read it to get it. The ending of the movie also makes zero sense unless you read the book. The problem I have with both is that the most climatic part comes and goes quickly. This is especially true in the movie as it is made very clear this will be the climax. It was slightly less true in the book but odd because it happened with many chapters still left. The book was well written and certainly thought provoking at times, but overall I'm still confused...
Dreams of Joy by Lisa See- This is basically the continuation of the other novel I read by the same author this month. Pearl and May's story continues through a daughter, Joy. Joy returns to China in the late 1950s during communist times believing this is a good life that she wants. She surrenders her US identity and winds up on a commune. Joy also returns to find her birth father who oddly enough is easy to find and that part of the novel is solved immediately. The rest of the book focuses on the rest of the family's journey back to their home to find Joy and remove her from the commune. Again See does a wonderful job setting the scene for the reader. We follow Joy and Pearl on their journeys of learning about their families, where they came from, and what their futures hold. The extremely happy (possibly too happy?) ending in this novel makes up for the lack of one in the first.
Bringing Adam Home by Les Standiford- I had somewhat heard of the story of Adam the little boy who went missing in Florida in the 80s which led to new legislature and also to the TV show America's most wanted. I did not know though that he was so brutally killed. And though I knew his father ended up hosting that show, I did not realize he had no previous TV or entertainment knowledge/ability. I also did not know that it took so so so many years for his killer to be determined and unfortunately not really brought to justice. Turns out after building the case several key detectives/cops really dropped the ball. In the meantime the killer was in jail for other charges and ended up dying before they actually had the opportunity to charge him. The book was a bit gruesome especially since it is a true story. It also really made me think about the strength of Adam's parents. I feel like put in the same situation I would probably give up and that would be it. These parents incredibly found a way to move forward and worked hard on laws and never gave up hoping to find their son's killer. It's very encouraging to read about such amazing people and how much they affected the lives of countless others.
The Pregnancy Project by Gaby Rodriguez- So this is also a true story book. High school senior pretends to be pregnant as her senior project to learn about stereotypes and to shed some awareness to her classmates on this issue. The book was interesting and a very quick read. Overall though, while I applaud the author for her ability to come up with such a creative project that would have such a big impact, I was left wondering a little too much. I also didn't really like a lot of the authors views and unrealistic thoughts. For instance she can't seem to grasp why everyone thought he college dreams were out the window once she was "pregnant" and seems to think it would be just as easy to continue on with life if she had actually had a baby. Rodriguez has 7 older siblings who her mom started having when she was a teen and most of those siblings had their own children in their teens. She was determined not to end up the same as her family which is commendable but I don't understand how she had such unrealistic views and hopes to pass on to other classmates. Overall an interesting story but not really enough to need to read the whole book, the news articles were more than enough.
Everything We Ever Wanted by Sara Shepard- Only a few pages in I realized I knew this author from another book of hers I read. I love her writing style and the unique way she shares and concludes a story. This book was about family secrets in a well to do family connected to a local prep school. The story unfolds and flashbacks often to bring the past into the present. Slowly secrets are revealed until the reader sees how each character wound up the way the did in the present. Some of the secrets were interesting to watch unfold but the big main secret I found to be a bit predictable. I guessed pretty early on what had happened and since it was so obvious to me it was frustrated that a few of the characters didn't seem to get it. The story centers around an incident involving the youngest son in the family. The novel is told from the viewpoint of the matriarch of the family, the oldest son, and the oldest son's wife. It's interesting that the author chose not to give the youngest son a voice, though he is such a crucial part of the whole story. Overall a good read and something that kept me turning the pages to find out what happened next to the family, even if I already suspected what that would be.
Dear Husband by Joyce Carol Oates- In general I'm a little iffy on short stories but I like JCO so I went ahead and starting listening to this book. It's a collection of I believe 14 short stories. Individually some of the stories were quite good and catchy. All together though I missed what united them to be in the same collection. Some of them I really disliked and was hoping for the next story to begin quickly. A few of them were intriguing and took unexpected turns. Overall I really like the author as a writer and even though this once wasn't my favorite book of hers, it won't stop me from continuing to read her books.
