Listening to the Silence

Dr. Marina Singh is stunned to hear that her lab mate, Anders Eckman has died after travelling to the Amazon on company business. Pushed by her boss and compelled ny Anders wife, Marina undertakes her own trip into the jungle to learn the details of why Anders died and to finish the job he for which he was originally sent. Once there however, nothing is what she expected and she is left questioning her own life, past and present.

This book had a bit of a slow start, but once Marina finally gets to the Amazon, I was hooked. The story took some interesting turns, and each time I left off, I was anxious to hear more. I was disappointed by one event near the end, and also in a few loose ends that I felt Patchett could have done more to tie up. You wouldn't know it going in, but this book has a very subtle science fiction angle that I think anyone reading it should be aware of. I listened to this as an audio book and felt the reader was decent, though she would occasionally forget the accent when she was narrating an Aussie woman. Overall, I would recommend this book to fans of both Patchett and science fiction.

When Blue's grandmother dies, she leaves behind a legacy for him. He has lived his life in America, and doesn't even remember the five years he spent in an isolated Canadian community, his, mother a, member of an artist's commune and his grandmother a God-fearing pillar of Starling Cove. When he travels back to look at the property she has left him, he takes his friends Gave, Elisa, and her husband Jason. When they arrive however, nothing is as it seems and their lies begin to unravel.

This book has earned comparisons to Neil Gaiman's Ocean at the End of the Lane. While I can understand that, it is not the first book of which I was reminded. It put me much more in mind of Keith Donahue's The Stolen Child. The themes were incredibly similar, and cannot help but invite comparison. Unfortunately, beyond the themes and the underlying darkness, the comparison to both stop there. While those books were dazzling and grabbed me right from the beginning, I found this one to be nothing more than average, and ultimately forgettable. It was an entertaining enough way to pass the time, but I cannot remember more than basics of this novel. It had so much potential, and while I wish I could recommend it more highly, it just wasn't anything special.

At the outset, we hear Boy Blue's story of fleeing the Homelands on the last boat out during which he unwittingly leaves behind his love, Red Riding Hood. When Red shows up in Fabletown, there is at first jubilation as no Fable has escaped in centuries, followed quickly by suspicion, and events that may reveal their presence to the Mundys. Oh, and just for a little extra intriguing, Prince Charming is looking to.unseat Old King Cole as the Mayor of Fabletown.

I didn't enjoy this installment quite as much as  have the first three. The art as usual is well rendered, but I had a hard time fully engaging in the story. That said I was quite entertained by the witches' battle near the end, and I look forward to reading more about the Frau Totenkinder. This volume definitely appears to be pivotal to the continuation and I am looking forward to see where it leads.

George Sand was a precocious French writer during the 19th century. However Sand was another person entirely. Born as Amantine Lucille Aurore Dupin to a French courtesan and Maurice Dupin, though she was raised by her grandmother on her estate of Nohant in the province of Berry. Married at eighteen to Casimir Dudevant she gave birth to two children, the second possibly not his, before she left for Paris to pursue her dreams, before legally separating from her husband four years later. There she became an accomplished writer, though she was forced to publish under the pseudonym she came to use in her daily life. She was equally well known for her ostentatious behavior which included dressing like a man, smoking cigars, several prominent affairs, one of which was rumored to be with a woman.

That description there was about as interesting as anything I read in the book. It was a slow, dull recitation of Sand's life, mostly focused on her love affairs, though without any emotional impact. Sand is a fascinating subject, with a wealth of material to draw upon. I cannot fathom how was possible to make this story so boring. My only guess is that the author was attempting to pace the book to match the era. Regardless of the reason, this book was a complete failure, which I found incredibly difficult to finish. 

I have read other books by this author, books that I enjoyed greatly. I commend her effort to write this book as Sand is a fascinating person who lived an interesting life, but it is my suggestion that Berg stick to contemporary novels and leave the historical fiction to others. This book had little to offer in way of enjoyment, and I cannot say I recommend it at all.

***I received a galley of this novel in exchange for an honest review.***

After defeating Steelheart, there is a power void in Newcago. The Reckoners step in to try and provide stability but the population is still scared, waiting for another Epic to step in and take Steelheart's place. Then Mitosis, an Epic who can split himself off into innumerable clones appears, intent on taking out David and learning who really killed Steelheart. 

This a short story set in the dystopian world first created in <b>Steelheart</b>, available only in digital format. It is a fine story, though nothing special, and really acts primarily as a teaser to get the reader ready for the second book in the Reckoners trilogy. It starts to set up some of what is to come, but is clearly not intended to be an essential read. 

When he was only eight David watched Steelheart, a human who gained powers after the appearance of Calamity, kill his father and turn much of Chicago into steel. Ten years later he is a young man who is focused on one thing, discovering Steelheart's weakness and together with the Reckoners, the only ordinary humans willing to fight back, exact his revenge. 

I thought this novel was an interesting take on both the young adult dystopian novel and comic bookesque superpowers. A bit more simplistic than I usually prefer my reading, it was still a fun adventure with lots of action and entertainment value. It didn't suffer from the usual teen angst love story angle you typically get in this genre, which was refreshing. The book also doesn't end in a major cliffhanger, allowing it to stand alone even though it is book one of a planned trilogy. Another nice treat. There are questions left unanswered, the biggest of which is what is Calamity and where did it come from. There is definitely enough to keep me interested in continuing the series, especially as my son is also reading the books and can't wait to discuss them with me. 

I have in the past struggled with the word feminist, struggled with identifying myself as one. It is a dirty word to much of the world. It means man-hater, lesbian, b!*¢#. Yet to be a feminist is none of those things, it simply means someone who fights for equality for both genders.

Adichie has expressed just that in this inspiring speech turned essay. Through the cultural lens of a Nigerian woman she examines what it means to be a feminist in the truest sense of the word and why it is important for not just women, but for men too.

Few names conjure up a vision of American history like that of George Washington. His personage is so well known that his personal history has beef fraught with myth and folklore. Who hasn't heard the story of a young George and the cherry tree? In [b]His Excellency[/b] biographer and historian Joseph J. Ellis attempts to shed the myth and tell us the truth about the most famous man in American history.

I found this book to be very readable, it provided all the facts without become dry, but nor did it ever stray to the narrative as has become popular recently. The emphasis was very clearly placed on his time fighting in first The French and Indian War and second as the Commander in Chief if the American forces throughout the Revolution. We are provided copious details of his life as both a private and public man during this time, complete with excerpts from his personal communications. Another strong point of the biography was the details regarding his evolving opinions regarding slavery from a man who had no concerns about the institution to a man who granted them their freedom following his and his wife's deaths. 

Where I felt the book was lacking was in regards to his two terms as President following the failure of the Articles of Confederation and the establishment of the federal government under the Constitution. I felt more attention could have been played to his accomplishments and failures during this time. I would say a full two thirds of the book was devoted to his life and military career before he took office. While I have read other books that fully detail Washington's Presidency, I think a complete biography really should pay equal attention to both stages of his life.

Overall this is a very good biography and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about George Washington. For those who wish to expand their knowledge base after completing this book, Ellis complied a very thorough collection of notes and citations at the end of the book. 

Magnificent.

That one word can be used to describe my feelings about this book. Nothing happens in this book, yet at the same time everything happens. The book takes place over the course of a single weekend during which Franny Glass has breakdown. Returning home after passing out at a planned outing with her boyfriend, she sinks into a malaise from which her brother Zooey attempts to talk her down. 

As I said it doesn't sound like much, but from the very beginning I knew it was something special. The book is composed of two short stories, or more accurately one short story and one novella, named, one apiece, for each of the title characters, but there really is a lot packed into a few pages making it quite dense and not something you are likely to push through in one afternoon. Salinger relied heavily on dialogue for these two stories and I think going into it as if you are reading a play will help the reader. The conversations between first Franny and her boyfriend Lane, Zooey and his mother, and finally Zooey and Franny, are far ranging and often existential in nature. They discuss everything from the higher education system to the arts, religion, and psychology. I don't think this is a book for everyone, but for me it was perfection.

This a handy reference book filled with tips and advice for all knitters, from beginners to experts. The small size makes it perfect for on the go knitting. I believe it should be considered an essential tool for the knitter.

When Maya's grandfather, the man who along with her grandmother raised her, dies, Her life goes completely off track. She resorts to a life of drugs, alcohol, and crime in a misguided attempt to bury the pain eventually leading to a life on the streets of Las Vegas and putting her on the run from drug dealers and the FBI. When she was at the absolute bottom her grandmother finally finds her and sends her to a remote location in Chile to both hide and heal.

I really struggled with this book. I found Maya to be an unbelievable character. The book is written in the form of journal entries in which the events are related in a non-linear format, going back and forth between her recounting the events in the past and her current life. That would have been fine if it weren't for the completely unemotional tone in which they are written with zero sense of urgency, even as the situation is headed toward the inevitable climax. Maya herself was a wholly unsympathetic character who had a vocabulary unbelievable in a well educated adult, let alone a young girl who barely graduated high school. This was Allende's first attempt at a young adult novel, and I think it was a complete miss. If this is at all indicative of her further attempts at the genre, she may just want to stick to what she does best, magical realism written for adults.

There is a reason why this is one of the most well-known and loved graphic novels on the market. Aside from the brilliant artistic renderings, this clearly a prime example of what  happens to the comic book when it grows up. It is both mature in content and very intelligent. The author and illustrator both juggled multiple storylines effortlessly and seamlessly pulled them together at the end. 

So why only three stars? To be honest it was so intelligent that I felt much of the novel went right over my head. This is one of those books I would like to come back and re-read in a few years when I no longer have very youn g children sucking my brain cells dry.

Having heard nothing but praise for this book, I went into it with very high expectations. While I do think it was very good, I didn't love it in the same way that others did. In particular, I had a very difficult time getting into the flow of the story. I typically love both techniques used in this story, multiple narrators and a non-linear timeline, so I don't think that was the issue. As I went on however, I became more engaged in the story and thought the conclusion was brilliant. My other issue was that I preferred Werner's story to Marie Laure's, so I often found myself wanting to rush through her chapters to get back to his. I think I am beginning to experience burnout on the whole World War II narrative, so I think it is time to shelve the topic for a while. Overall I would say it started as a three star book and ended as a five, so my rating just averages them out.

Jonas is apprehensive. He is twelve, and twelve means receiving your adult assignment and beginning training for what you will do with the rest of your life. He has good reason for his apprehension, for he is not assigned a job, he is instead selected for the mysterious position as The Receiver of Memory. When he begins his training his whole life begins to change, unravelling everything he previously thought he knew about the world, leading him to question if he is strong enough to do what is necessary.

I have heard much praise for this book and it has lingered on my pile of books to read someday for years, but it wasn't until my son read it and declared it one of his favorite novels that I felt compelled to read it immediately. I liked it. I get why he loved it. I don't get why so many adults love it. This is a book clearly intended for middle readers, ages 9-12, and I think for that age range it is a great example of dystopian literature. That said, it is a very simplistic novel. I wanted the themes of the book to be explored more fully. I needed more information on how and why the world had become as it was. I was looking for more emotional depth and growth from all the characters. I desired more complexity and conflict. So did I enjoy it? Certainly. But for me, one book in this world is enough. I will be looking instead for more books that are more fully developed.