Flowers in the Attic, Petals in the Wind, If There Be Thorns, Seeds of Yesterday, and Garden of Shadows by V.C. Andrews This series is one that I was actually re reading. I read it many years ago when I was probably a pre teen. I can see the appeal to a teen with the sex the scandal the trauma, but as an adult I don't know it wasn't quite as good as I remembered it being. The series follows the Dollanger family. 4 children, two teens and two younger children who are twins. The father of the family dies and with no where to go the mother takes the four children back to her childhood home. The children had never been there before and the grandmother and mother send them to the attic in the middle of the night when they arrive. The children learn their grandfather knows nothing about them and the mother tells them she has to win back his love before they can leave. This is supposed to be for days or weeks but turns into years. During those years the children suffer all sorts of abuse and become their own sort of family with an incestuous relationship forming between the oldest two. The second book follows the children's lives when they escape from the attic/ grandmothers home although much has changed for them. At this point only 3 of the 4 remain and we now follow them through trying to make their life goals and dreams happen. This is the part that bothered me was that after all they had gone through it was so simple for them to then simply get what they needed and wanted next. The third book follows the two young sons of the main character, Cathy and how all the family secrets and history affects them. The fourth book is about the whole family when Cathy's children are grown up and they have inherited the home the Dollanger's once lived in the attic of. The last book is a prequel and tells the young adult story of the grandmother who was an evil character for all four of the first books but is now the main character whom the reader finds sympathy for.
The Silver Star by Jeanette Walls I really like this author and though this book was not on my to read list, when I saw it at the library I grabbed it immediately. The story if of two sisters, one 15 and one 12, whose mother essentially abandons them and how they get themselves to their uncles home and then their coming of age story during this hard time. I liked the overall story and plot line but I couldn't really get into the story and I don't think I liked the ending as it just seemed abrupt and like there should have been more.
Becoming Sister Wives by The Brown Family This is the true story of the Brown Family. A husband with 4 wives. They have a show on TLC. I like the show a lot and didn't know they had a book so when I saw it at the library I checked it out. I liked the book, divided into different sections with a chapter by each of the wives and also by Kody, the husband. I think like everyone else I find the concept of polygamy fascinating and while the FLDS religion and practices makes me sick, I see the Browns as a very loving family with just a different belief system then my own, and I should clarify they are not part of the FLDS. I didn't learn a whole lot from the book that I didn't already know from the TV show, but there were some stories I didn't know and they went into much greater detail of their stories of how they all met one another. I also didn't know that one of the wives had actually somewhat left the family at some point and was considering making that permanent. I'm glad that didn't happen and that they were able to work things out. Overall not the best book I've ever written but a nice break and interesting to learn a little more about this TV family.
Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon This is the story of a 6 year old child who is abducted by someone wearing a rabbit suit. The only witness, the main character Rhonda, watches as this happens. The story weaves in past details of Rhonda's childhood and suspicion of who could have been in the rabbit suit is moved from character to character. Overall I like the suspense this author creates, but I don't think I liked the ultimate ending of the story. And while there were several stories really going on at the same time, they never really felt like they wound their way back to connecting to each other.
The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian Loved this book. Love this author. This story goes back and forth from 2012 New York, with main character Laura who is Armenian, to 1915 Syria where a war is going on. The story moves back and forth giving just bits and pieces at a time with the reader frantically turning the pages to get the next piece to the puzzle. As a reader reading from what is present day, we sometimes get pieces to the puzzle before switching back to the past events story. I really loved the way Bohjalian told the women's story and realities of war and love. Great read.
Divergent by Veronica Roth This is the first in yet another teen series about the future where the world looks very different. This is about Beatrice who lives in the area that used to be Chicago in the future where her community is divided into factions. There are 5 factions and at age 16 every young adult takes an aptitude test of sorts to see which faction they are best suited for. They still then have the choice, at a choosing ceremony, to decide which faction they will ultimately choose. It's rare for the teens to choose a faction outside of their own though since it means they will have very limited contact with their original families as the factions don't tend to be involved with one another. This was the first of a trilogy so I'll have more to say next month when I finish the other two.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
March 10
We Are Water by Wally Lamb I love this author and was so excited to see he had a new book out. It did not disappoint. I really loved the book from start to finish. This author has a way of telling a story within a story within a story... While I think there was a lot of detail to this book and possibly not all of it necessary to each character's growth, when I try to think of what to have edited out I'm just not sure.
The story is about a woman who after almost 30 years of marriage leaves her husband and is now getting married to another woman. We get to read the effects of this from her and his narration and also of their 3 adult children. While the novel begins with the weekend of their wedding, the book goes pretty far back in history to narrate the story at points and we also get a glimpse at the future by the end.
I loved reading about the ways the traumas of our childhoods and the mysteries of adulthood can come together in life. I had a couple issues with the ending few chapters of the book but I also can see why the author made the choices he made. Overall a great book with so many stories within the story and I can't wait for his next novel.
Lucky in the Corner by Carol Anshaw Not the best writing. Also some parts of this book were really unrealistic. This was a story about a young woman trying to navigate life in her early 20s. Lucky is her dog that has been her dog since childhood but is now nearing the end of his doggy years. The main character is living at home with her mother and her mother's partner after her parents divorced when she was in middle school. She is attending a local community college at which her mother teaches. She also finds solace in her uncle who is also a drag queen. Her father has remarried and has new children and she seems lost in the midst of all these grown ups who have changed so much in front of her. I really related to the basic plot of the story of the dog being with her for all these changes and what it meant to grieve the loss of the dog and find her way in the world. I wish the book had been stronger in some of the twists and turns it took and that the writing had been a bit better, but the concept sold me enough that I don't regret reading it at all.
Family Pictures by Jane Green Not so sure about this author anymore. Her books are good easy light reads but the descriptions portray more interesting plot lines then what actually happens. The story line ideas seem unique but never seem to come together quite the way they could to make the books stronger. The stories also then seem to turn in unexpected, but entirely unrealistic ways. This story was about two women each raising their children as almost single parents and the twist that brings them together. The man is leading a double life and very quickly the reader learns that the two woman share a husband/ father to their children. On it's own the plot line seems strong but the way the writer tells the story just didn't match what I was looking for.
The Most Wanted by Jacquelyn Mitchard I'm still torn on this book. I like the author and I think she is a strong writer but each of her books is just so different it's hard to get a read of who she is as an author. This was the story of a young girl in Texas who becomes pen pals with a prisoner which leads to an odd love affair. The story is told from the girl's perspective and with glimpses to the future thrown in as she looks back and shares her past story.
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding Bridget Jones will always hold such a dear place in my heart. The first two books were so great. I was sad to learn (no spoiler here this is on the jacket) that Mark Darcy had died and now Bridget is a widow raising their two children in this book. I think it was a bold choice by the author to kill off the love of Bridget's life. The book was as funny as it was sad at first but in true Bridget Jones fashion she shows her bravery and her survival skills even in the most embarrassing or tragic situations.
The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure and The Kill Order by James Dashner Well this was an interesting series. The first book starts with the main character waking in a box and being lifted into a new environment. We follow him through his first few days in a complex community of young adults only and strange events that occur. As he learns about his new world even stranger things begin to happen and some of his companions begin to think he is the reason behind things though he has no memory of anything that happened before coming into the new environment. Through the series of all 4 books we learn that the earth had been through solar flares which has divided people into two categories. Those with what is called the Flare and those without. The characters are being put through challenges to determine the best outcome for those without the immunity to the flare disease. Basically another teen series about the future and how the need for the human race to continue on after some disaster or another. I liked the series enough and think it was really good at creating a visual picture of what was going on. The only part I disliked was the fourth book which was the prequel to the series. For whatever reason after racing through the first 3 books to see what would happen next, I just was not interested in the last one. It never really grabbed me the way the rest of the series did.
This Beautiful Life by Helen Schulman Interesting concept for a book but ultimately somewhat forgettable. The story if of a family recently moved to a more wealthy part of New York City. The teenage son winds up in a social media sex scandal while the family is already going through the process of change from their big move. I think the concept of the story is going to become more and more relevant abut something about it fell a little flat for me.
The story is about a woman who after almost 30 years of marriage leaves her husband and is now getting married to another woman. We get to read the effects of this from her and his narration and also of their 3 adult children. While the novel begins with the weekend of their wedding, the book goes pretty far back in history to narrate the story at points and we also get a glimpse at the future by the end.
I loved reading about the ways the traumas of our childhoods and the mysteries of adulthood can come together in life. I had a couple issues with the ending few chapters of the book but I also can see why the author made the choices he made. Overall a great book with so many stories within the story and I can't wait for his next novel.
Lucky in the Corner by Carol Anshaw Not the best writing. Also some parts of this book were really unrealistic. This was a story about a young woman trying to navigate life in her early 20s. Lucky is her dog that has been her dog since childhood but is now nearing the end of his doggy years. The main character is living at home with her mother and her mother's partner after her parents divorced when she was in middle school. She is attending a local community college at which her mother teaches. She also finds solace in her uncle who is also a drag queen. Her father has remarried and has new children and she seems lost in the midst of all these grown ups who have changed so much in front of her. I really related to the basic plot of the story of the dog being with her for all these changes and what it meant to grieve the loss of the dog and find her way in the world. I wish the book had been stronger in some of the twists and turns it took and that the writing had been a bit better, but the concept sold me enough that I don't regret reading it at all.
Family Pictures by Jane Green Not so sure about this author anymore. Her books are good easy light reads but the descriptions portray more interesting plot lines then what actually happens. The story line ideas seem unique but never seem to come together quite the way they could to make the books stronger. The stories also then seem to turn in unexpected, but entirely unrealistic ways. This story was about two women each raising their children as almost single parents and the twist that brings them together. The man is leading a double life and very quickly the reader learns that the two woman share a husband/ father to their children. On it's own the plot line seems strong but the way the writer tells the story just didn't match what I was looking for.
The Most Wanted by Jacquelyn Mitchard I'm still torn on this book. I like the author and I think she is a strong writer but each of her books is just so different it's hard to get a read of who she is as an author. This was the story of a young girl in Texas who becomes pen pals with a prisoner which leads to an odd love affair. The story is told from the girl's perspective and with glimpses to the future thrown in as she looks back and shares her past story.
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding Bridget Jones will always hold such a dear place in my heart. The first two books were so great. I was sad to learn (no spoiler here this is on the jacket) that Mark Darcy had died and now Bridget is a widow raising their two children in this book. I think it was a bold choice by the author to kill off the love of Bridget's life. The book was as funny as it was sad at first but in true Bridget Jones fashion she shows her bravery and her survival skills even in the most embarrassing or tragic situations.
The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure and The Kill Order by James Dashner Well this was an interesting series. The first book starts with the main character waking in a box and being lifted into a new environment. We follow him through his first few days in a complex community of young adults only and strange events that occur. As he learns about his new world even stranger things begin to happen and some of his companions begin to think he is the reason behind things though he has no memory of anything that happened before coming into the new environment. Through the series of all 4 books we learn that the earth had been through solar flares which has divided people into two categories. Those with what is called the Flare and those without. The characters are being put through challenges to determine the best outcome for those without the immunity to the flare disease. Basically another teen series about the future and how the need for the human race to continue on after some disaster or another. I liked the series enough and think it was really good at creating a visual picture of what was going on. The only part I disliked was the fourth book which was the prequel to the series. For whatever reason after racing through the first 3 books to see what would happen next, I just was not interested in the last one. It never really grabbed me the way the rest of the series did.
This Beautiful Life by Helen Schulman Interesting concept for a book but ultimately somewhat forgettable. The story if of a family recently moved to a more wealthy part of New York City. The teenage son winds up in a social media sex scandal while the family is already going through the process of change from their big move. I think the concept of the story is going to become more and more relevant abut something about it fell a little flat for me.
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