Feeding My Book Addiction

Readalong Post 1 - Feed by Mira Grant

2012-02-14T06:33:00.000-05:00

Feed (Newsflesh Trilogy #1)
by Mira Grant
Published by Orbit Books, May 2010
I own a copy.
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:

Mira Grant's Newflesh Trilogy opens in an eerie post-apocalyptic world where zombies, pandemics, bloggers, and White House occupant would-be vie for our attention. Twin web reporters Georgia and Shaun Mason are flattered when a presidential candidate invites them to cover his campaign. Before long though, they are engulfed in a story far more serious and infinitely more dangerous. A mass-market original; a new series to set your sights on.

Happy Valentine's Day! In honor of the holiday, Feeding My Book Addiction is hosting a horror novel readalong during the month of February. This month's book is Feed by Mira Grant. This is the first of two readalong posts and it covers Books I and II (246 pages).

Are you joining me for the readalong? Great! Add the link to your post or your thoughts (if you don't have a blog) in the comments below and join in on book discussion on Twitter using the hashtag #readingFeed.

Now, on to my readalong post!

So, I'm a bit torn on how to discuss this book so far. It's not good. It's not bad. It's just okay. The premise is intriguing - who wouldn't want to read a horror novel about zombies set in a futuristic America gearing up for the next presidential election? The added bonus is that bloggers play a large and crucial role in the post Rising world of zombies.

Yet, for some reason, the book just isn't speaking to me. Is it the info dumps? Is it that despite all of the info dumps I still don't feel that I have all of the back story about the Rising and how society developed as a result of the zombies? As you know, I love it when an author spends time world building. I don't like not knowing how and why the world I'm reading is the way it is. And that's how I feel about this futuristic version of America so far.

Despite not being in love or in hate with this book, I will admit that I'm excited to keep reading. The book finally sparked my interest on page 246, the last page of Book II and the final page for this readalong. I'm curious to see how Georgia breaks the news to Senator Ryman and his wife that their horse farm was attacked by zombies and how the attack aids or hinders his presidential campaign.

I'm also curious to see how my thoughts on the book develop as I finish reading the last approximately 300 pages. Maybe the pacing picks up and the backstory fleshes out a bit, no pun intended. Maybe my 'just okay' thoughts will disappear one way or another. Maybe I'll feel a sense of urgency as the events unfold, which is a sensation I have yet to feel while reading so far. Maybe my previous statements about the book not speaking to me and being a big info dump without much info will be stricken from the record. I guess I'll have to keep reading to find out.

I'm curious to know what you thought about the role of bloggers in the post Rising world as most, if not all, of us are bloggers. I think this is something I'll dig deeper into for post two.

Review: Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life

2012-02-06T18:03:00.000-05:00

Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life
by Douglas T. Kenrick
Published by Basic Books, 2011
Copy borrowed from the library
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:

In Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life, social psychologist Douglas Kenrick exposes the selfish animalistic underside of human nature, and shows how it is intimately connected to our greatest and most selfless achievements. Masterfully integrating cognitive science, evolutionary psychology, and complexity theory, this intriguing book paints a comprehensive picture of the principles that govern our lives. As Kenrick divulges, beneath our civilized veneer, human beings are a lot like howling hyenas and barking baboons, with heads full of homicidal tendencies and sexual fantasies. But, in his view, many ingrained, apparently irrational behaviors—such as inclinations to one-night stands, racial prejudices, and conspicuous consumption—ultimately manifest what he calls “Deep Rationality.”

Although our heads are full of simple selfish biases that evolved to help our ancestors survive, modern human beings are anything but simple and selfish cavemen. Kenrick argues that simple and selfish mental mechanisms we inherited from our ancestors ultimately give rise to the multifaceted social lives that we humans lead today, and to the most positive features of humanity, including generosity, artistic creativity, love, and familial bonds. And out of those simple mechanisms emerge all the complexities of society, including international conflicts and global economic markets. By exploring the nuance of social psychology and the surprising results of his own research, Kenrick offers a detailed picture of what makes us caring, creative, and complex—that is, fully human.

Illuminated with stories from Kenrick’s own colorful experiences -- from his criminally inclined shantytown Irish relatives, his own multiple high school expulsions, broken marriages, and homicidal fantasies, to his eventual success as an evolutionary psychologist and loving father of two boys separated by 26 years -- this book is an exploration of our mental biases and failures, and our mind’s great successes. Idiosyncratic, controversial, and fascinating, Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life uncovers the pitfalls and promise of our biological inheritance.

My Review:

Professor and psychologist Douglas T. Kenrick's book Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life is subtitled "A Psychologist Investigates How Evolution, Cognition, and Complexity are Revolutionizing Our View of Human Nature." Maybe I missed something among the personal anecdotes about ogling women on the campus quad, a passionate three way kiss with two attractive women, being married three times, and having a kid around the same age as your grand children, but there was nothing in this book to lead me to believe that evolution, cognition, and complexity are revolutionizing how we view human nature. To me, this book read like an ode to Kenrick's life and career as well as one long winded shout out to colleagues and fellow psychologists.

I appreciate a subject matter expert who utilizes his or her own experiences to educate the masses via a general knowledge non-fiction book. I learn best by seeing practical applications of the material, but I don't learn anything from a narrator that makes me want to throw the book up against the wall. I found nothing likeable in Douglas Kenrick. His tone bordered on egotistical, yet sounded freshman level term paperish with all of the "As I will describe" and "As I mentioned" phrases. Phrases like this lead me to believe that the author has no faith in the readers' intelligence. They also lead me to question the author's ability to effectively convey information or make a transition between two thoughts. Also, if you are touching on a subject in chapter four, don't tell me you'll explain it in chapter eight. Explain it when it comes up.

The material Kenrick discusses isn't new or revolutionary. I've read these ideas in several other psychology books in the last couple of years. He did try to convey information in a new way by using his own experiences, but they fell short. He didn't effectively connect his experiences to the material in any deep or meaningful way. It was all shallow and superficial.

It was also infuriating to read about how he grew up in New York. No, Mr. Kenrick, you grew up in Queens, a borough of New York City. It's because of lazy people like him who can't say New York City that the state of New York gets a bad rap. New York is the state, not the city. I live in upstate New York and it's nothing like New York City, thank you very much. While we're on the subject, it really bothers me when I tell someone I'm from New York and they respond, "The Bronx?" Ugh!

Anyway, I digress.

Needless to say, I was rather disappointed in Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life. I didn't learn anything new or revolutionary. I didn't bookmark any fun factoids for use in dinner conversations, which is something you all know I *love* to do. I still don't know how complexity plays into the book at all either. Maybe if I hadn't read so many other psychology books, I would have enjoyed this one a bit more because the material would have been new to me. Maybe not. The author wasn't the type of narrator I could rely on or trust. On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life a two.

Blog Tour! Time Slice by Kerry Downing

2012-02-04T07:24:00.000-05:00

Time Slice

by Kerry Downing

Published by Camel Press, June 2011

Review copy provided by Tribute Books

What's it about? Courtesy of Tribute Books:

Ordinary People. Extraordinary Adventures. Science Fiction with Heart.

Newly retired workaholic Roy Washburn is not ready for a life of leisure. On a trip to the mall with his wife, he finds a small metal cylinder with odd markings. One nudge of the cylinder's triangle-shaped pointer and Roy finds himself embarking on an exciting new adventure in the Time Stream.

There he meets The Traveler, a tall, gangly being who shows Roy how to use the cylinder to visit other civilizations that co-exist on "his" Earth, each occupying a different, thin Time Slice. The Traveler solicits Roy's help in recovering an object invented by his murdered father and beyond his own reach. Roy is his last hope.

At first it seems that the Traveler's wish might be easily granted. But after Roy's wife Emily becomes ill and his daughter's long-held resentments rise to the surface, he can no longer "travel" at a moment's notice. He also discovers the very real physical and mental risks involved in roaming the Time Stream.

Despite the dangers, Roy is determined to help the Traveler. But he can't do it alone. Fortunately he has a loving wife and a core group of loyal friends. But first he must convince them--and his daughter--that he isn't crazy ...

My Review:

Author Kerry Downing's sophomore science fiction novel, Time Slice, is a delightful blend of reality and science fiction, contemporary fiction and fantasy, that will leave readers wondering how they would handle the power and opportunity of a time slice traveling apparatus should it present itself near the Auntie Ann's Pretzel place at the local mall. The book is steeped in fantasy, yet firmly planted in reality as readers discover the Washburn family skeletons and watch a husband and daughter lose their wife and mother to a rapidly spreading cancer.

The protagonist and unlikely hero is Roy Washburn, a retired civil engineer who is having trouble acclimating to retirement. His dreams of the happily ever after are shattered when Emily, his wife of over 40 years, is diagnosed with cancer. He finds solace in his rapidly developing friendship with the Traveler, an alien man living in another slice of time on Earth who educates Roy on how to use the Time Slice Traveler (TST) and enlists his help to ease his guilt and broken heart over his father's murder. As his wife slowly succumbs to cancer and his tumultuous relationship with his grown daughter Ann escalates, Roy seeks to keep his wife happy, understand the hatred his daughter has for him, and help the Traveler retrieve the missing item that he lost as a child that played a part in his father's murder.

Author Kerry Downing creates an engaging narrative that incorporates the science behind traveling between time slices, the desperation and pain of dying from/losing someone to cancer, and the complexity of familial relationships. This isn't your typical science fiction novel. It's based in the 'real world' with 'real world' issues and characters. Right away, I was taken by the novel, curious about time traveling (wondering if it would be kind of like the Doctor a la Doctor Who), and invested in the characters and their success or failure in achieving the peace they needed in light of the book's plot and events.

Even though I enjoyed the story, there were a few aspects of the narrative and editing that left me scratching my head. There were a few small story threads that were never resolved. For example, when Roy took Emily to the beach with plans to demonstrate the powers of the TST, he knew he needed to be home in time to watch his granddaughter Jodie, but he wasn't there when Ann arrived to drop Jodie off. This blip in the narrative that seemed to validate Ann's resentment never got resolved. Roy never apologized. Ann never blew up about it. It was just forgotten. Also, I groaned aloud when I read a passage that took place after Emily's funeral; someone offered Roy a desert instead of a dessert.

My issues with the narrative and editing aside, I did enjoy reading Time Slice. It was a refreshing take on science fiction and fantasy. The poignancy of the novel surprised me and left me feeling as though I had endured the same hardships as Roy. I felt his pain and I understood why he did the things he did. I think I would have done the same things if I were in his shoes. On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give Time Slice a three.

I recommend this book to contemporary fiction fans looking to read something a bit different as well as to science fiction and fantasy readers looking for an intriguing reality based read.

About the author:
Kerry Downing set out to become a meteorologist, but was hooked by the world of computers instead, becoming a systems analyst and programmer. Astronomy and science fiction are his passions. He’s been gazing at the stars at all hours of the night since the age of 10, when he received his first telescope. As for science fiction, Arthur C. Clarke and his brand of “it really seems as if it could happen” has always been his favorite. In the 90s, Kerry found the third love of his life: his wife, Lucy. They live in St. Louis, Missouri, with their five children. Time Slice is Kerry’s second science-fiction novel. His self-published, debut work is The Collective.

Interested in checking out other stops on the Time Slice blog tour? Check out the blog tour website here.

Here's how to buy Time Slice:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Amazon Kindle ebook
Nook ebook
Smashwords

January 2012 In Review

2012-01-31T21:27:00.000-05:00

I'm sure I've said this before, but I'm going to say it again. Where did this month go? I can't believe it's almost February of 2012! It's been a slow start to the year reading wise. Between a nasty case of labrynthitis and wedding planning, I haven't had as much time to devote to reading as I'd like. On a positive note though, I hosted my first readalong here on the blog and it was a great success. We had great conversations about 11/22/63 and I think people made a few new bookish friends in the process. I can't wait to see what happens with next month's readalong!

With that said...

Here's what I read in January 2012:
*Links are to my reviews*

1. Little Women And Me by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
2. The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta
3. Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change The World by Jane McGonigal
4. 11/22/63 by Steven King *January readalong book* Post One
Post Two
5. The Girl With The Crooked Nose: A Tale of Murder, Obsession, and Forensic Artistry by Ted Botha
6. Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich
7. A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander
8. Something Rotten (Thursday Next #4) by Jasper Fforde

January Must Read Blog Posts:
Top Ten Tuesday - Books I'm Excited to Read in 2012
Top Ten Tuesday Freebie - Favorite Reading Spots
Book Blogger Confessions 1/2/12

Books in Progress:
1. Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life by Douglas T. Kenrick

Stats Year to Date:

8 books read out of 125 (My 2012 reading goal): Six percent complete. I'm two percent behind schedule.
2 books read out of 30 (My 2012 reading goal from my own collection): Seven percent complete.
Number of pages read to date (excluding indexes and appendices I don't read): 2,959

Readalong Post Two: 11/22/63

2012-01-31T07:13:00.002-05:00

11/22/63: A Novel
By Stephen King
Published by Simon & Schuster, 2011
Ecopy courtesy of Klout Perks
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:

November 22nd, 1963 was a rapid-fire sequence of indelible moments: Shots ring out; a president slumped over; a race to the Dallas hospital; an announcement, blood still fresh on the First Lady's dress. But what if President John F. Kennedy didn't have to die; if somehow his assassin could have been thwarted? For Maine schoolteacher Jake Epping, those hypothetical what if's become real possibilities when he walks through a portal to the past. Without special skills and still unfamiliar with his new/old surroundings, he struggles to discover a way to change the history he left. Like its Under the Dome predecessor, Stephen King's 960-page novel shows that this master of suspense is back at the top of his game.

For those of you just tuning in, this is the second and final readalong post for 11/22/63 by Stephen King covering Parts 4 - 6. To get caught up on my thoughts on Parts 1 - 3 as well as the other participants' thoughts, click here.

Readalong participants - Don't forget to add the link to your readalong post as a comment below so others can read your posts! Also, we are using the twitter hashtag #reading112263 to discuss the book on Twitter.

Now, on to the discussion! *Contains spoilers!*

I finished reading 11/22/63 late Friday night and haven't been able to formulate an adequate response to the last three parts of the book. This may be a result of the severe emotional exhaustion brought on by the way the story unfolded and finally ended. Sadie's death hit me hard. The past is obdurate and it's also a bitch. Jake's return to the present also hit me hard. I stared at the pages incredulously wondering if stopping the assassination of one man could wreak so much havoc and result in so much change.

That's the thing though. I'll never know. I started to think about my own life. There are a few of moments in my life that serve as turning points and if I had made a different choice, things as I know it today would probably never be. For example, if I had decided to skip out on the real world and find a way to pay for graduate school in the summer of 2004, I wouldn't have met my fiance. I met my fiance through a coworker in 2007. If I had gone to graduate school, I never would have had that job to meet that coworker and finally, my fiance. Some would argue that the past I did not lead could possibly be better than the past I lived, but I beg to differ. I couldn't imagine my life any other way.

Going back and changing even just one event in the past, even if it it was possible, won't change just that one thing. The change will ripple out, butterfly if you will, and create a whole new version of reality. We have all said something like, "If I could go back in time, I'd do XYZ differently." Sure, you'd do it differently, but that doesn't mean you'll end up where you are now, wishing about what you'd change.

When I finish thinking about my past, I start thinking about Jake. My heart breaks for him. He lives in the present knowing just how amazing his life was in the past and that he can never go back or get it back. Yet, when he dances with the elderly Sadie, she senses that she does know him. That broke my heart all over again.

That's the thing about a truly good book - it changes the way you view yourself and the world all while making you believe that the characters in the story are really real. Stephen King's 11/22/63 is one of those books.

Participants' Posts
RachelKiwi at She is too fond of books and its addled her brain
Jennifer at Book Den
Alice at Tales of an Intrepid Pantster
Matthew at The Write Aspirations
Brittany at Self-styled bibliophile

Review: Something Rotten (Thursday Next #4)

2012-01-30T06:57:00.000-05:00

Something Rotten (Thursday Next #4)
by Jasper Fforde
Published by Penguin Books, 2004
I own this book
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:
Detective Thursday Next has had her fill of her responsibilities in her new position at Jurisfiction, enough with Emperor Zhark's pointlessly dramatic entrances, outbreaks of slapstick raging across pulp genres, and hacking her hair off to fill in for Joan of Arc. Packing up her child, Thursday returns to Swindon accompanied by none other than the dithering Danish prince Hamlet. Caring for both is more than a full-time job, and Thursday decides it's definitely time to get back her husband, Landen, if only to babysit. Luckily, those responsible for Landen's eradication, the operatives of the Goliath Corporation - formerly an oppressive multinational conglomerate, now an oppressive multinational religion - have pledged to right the wrong." But returning to SpecOps isn't a snap. Problems arise instantly. When outlaw fictioneer Yorrick Kaine seeks to get himself elected dictator, he whips up a frenzy of anti-Danish sentiment and demands mass book burnings. The return of Swindon's patron saint bearing divine prophecies could spell the end of the world within five years, possibly sooner if the laughably terrible Swindon Mallets don't win the Superhoop, the most important croquet tournament in the land. And if that's not bad enough, The Merry Wives of Windsor is becoming entangled with Hamlet. Can Thursday find a Shakespeare clone to stop this hostile takeover? Can she prevent the world from plunging into war? Can she vanquish Kaine before he realizes his dream of absolute power? And, most important, will she ever find reliable child care?

My Review:

It's common knowledge that I'm a huge fan of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series. Instead of espousing the ways in which this book is an excellent continuation of the story as developed in the first three books and why you must read this series if you haven't already, I'd like to use this review to discuss some of the fantastic passages in this book.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Thursday Next series, let me give you a brief recap. Thursday Next, the series' protagonist and unwilling hero, is a literary agent searching out fake Milton and Shakespeare manuscripts turned Jurisfiction agent, keeping books as the author intended. She is capable of book jumping and even altered the ending of Jane Eyre. Most say her change was for the better, but there are some Bronte purists who feel she marred the manuscript beyond repair. But that's besides the point. Thursday Next lives inside and outside books. She can do what every avid reader wishes he or she could and be inside the story. That is why she is one of my favorite characters.

Author Jasper Fforde is a literary genius. His ability to world build knows no bounds and is a great source of envy for me. His way of explaining books, readers' love of books, and other things bookish makes me swoon. Not only do I feel that he sees inside my soul, I also wish I could have written these thoughts first.

For example:

Scene - Thursday takes Hamlet (yes, that Hamlet) out to run errands in Swindon.

     " 'Tis very strange!" he (Hamlet) murmured, staring at the sun, trees, houses, and traffic in turn. "It would take a rhapsody of wild and whirling words to do justice of all that I witness!"
   "You're going to have to speak English out here."
     "All this," explained Hamlet, waving his hands at the fairly innocuous Swindon street, "would take millions of words to describe correctly!"
     "You're right. It would. That's the magic of the book imaginotransference technology," I (Thursday) told him. "A few dozen words conjure up an entire picture. But in all honesty, the reader does most of the work."
     "The reader? What's it got do do with him?"
     "Well, each interpretation of an event, setting or character is unique to each of those who read it because they clothe the author's description with the memory of their own experiences. Every character they read is actually a complex amalgam of people that they've met, read, or seen before--far more real than it can ever be just from the text on the page. Because every reader's experiences are different, each book is unique for each reader."
     "So," replied the Dane, thinking hard, "what you're saying is that the more complex and apparently contradictory the character, the greater the possible interpretations?"
     "Yes. In fact, I'd argue that every time a book is read by the same person it is different again--because the reader's experiences have changed, or he is in a different frame of mind." (pages 21 - 22)

Many of us may take Thursday's nugget of wisdom for granted because we know how we, our experiences, and our frame of mind impact our reading and interpretations of books. Yet it doesn't hurt to be reminded of this sometimes, does it?

Then there's this excerpt that answers one of my bookish questions -

Scene: Thursday parks her car at the car park, laments the increased price since she was last there, and that she has very little money in her wallet.

     Money had never been a problem in the BookWorld. All the details of life were taken care of by something called Narrative Assumption. A reader would assume you had gone shopping, or gone to the toilet, or brushed your hair, so a writer never needed to outline it--which is just as well, really. I'd forgotten all about real-world trivialities, but I was actually quite enjoying them, in a mind-dulling sort of way. (pages 72 - 73)

I always wondered when Katniss went to the bathroom during the Hunger Games. (Wouldn't that be quite a moment for an ambush by another tribute?) Now I know that characters in books really do go to the bathroom and brush their hair because of narrative assumption! C'mon now... I know I'm not the only person who has ever wondered about characters' personal hygiene and bathroom needs... am I?

Here's one final quote from the book taken a few pages after the previous quote during a discussion between Thursday and Hamlet.

     "This is exactly what I mean. A lot happens in the real world for no good reason. If this were fiction, this little incident would have relevance thirty or so chapters from now; as it is it means nothing--after all, not ever incident in life has a meaning."
     "Tell that to the scholars who study me," Hamlet snorted disdainfully, then thought for a moment before adding, "If the real world were a book, it would never find a publisher. Overlong, detailed to the point of distraction--and ultimately, without a proper resolution."
     "Perhaps," I said thoughtfully, "that's exactly what we like about it." (pages 76 - 77, underlined reference is mine)

I couldn't have said it any better myself.

I know this is a bit of an unconventional review, but I thought it would be easier to let the book speak for itself. If you haven't jumped on the Thursday Next bandwagon, hopefully these quotes sparked your interest and you'll pick up the first book, The Eyre Affair. On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give Something Rotten a five.

Want to read my reviews for the previous Thursday Next books? Here are the links:
The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next #1)
Lost in a Good Book (Thursday Next #2)
The Well of Lost Plots (Thursday Next #3)

February Readalong Sign Up: Feed by Mira Grant

2012-01-29T22:01:00.004-05:00

The votes are in! February's readalong will be Feed by Mira Grant. It's the first book in the Newsflesh Trilogy.

What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:

Does this sound like a book you would love to read? If so, join the readalong! Here's how it works:

1. Get a copy of the book and start reading.

2. On the specified days below, post your thoughts on the book.

3. Check out other participants' posts and join in the discussion on Twitter (hashtag will be provided in my readalong posts.)

Here's the posting schedule:

Post One: Tuesday, 2/14 covering Books I and II (246 pages in the mass market paperback edition)

Post Two: Tuesday, 2/28 covering Books III thru V (325 pages in the mass market paperback edition)

Easy, right? If you want to participate, leave a comment on this post with a link to your blog. I'll add you to the participant list. Don't have a blog? That's okay too. You can leave your Twitter handle so people can follow you to discuss the book. You can also post your thoughts as a comment on my readalong post.

Participant List
Alice at Tales of an Intrepid Pantster
Jennifer at Book Den
Brittany at Self-styled bibliophile
Matthew at The Write Aspirations

Review: A Lasting Impression

2012-01-29T19:28:00.001-05:00

A Lasting Impression (A Belmont Mansion Novel)
by Tamera Alexander
Published by Bethany House Publishers, 2011
Copy borrowed from the library
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:

Claire Laurent's greatest aspiration is to paint something that will bring her acclaim. Yet her father insists she work as a copyist. A forger. When she's forced to flee her home, her path collides with attorney Sutton Monroe, who shows her kindness by not turning her in to authorities. But when he later refuses to come to her aid, Claire fears she's sorely misjudged him. Finding herself among the elite of Nashville society, Claire believes her dream of creating a lasting impression in the world of art is within reach—but only if her past remains hidden.

The Federal Army destroyed Sutton's home, confiscated his land, and threatens to destroy his family's honor. His determination to reclaim what belongs to him reveals a truth that may cost him more than he ever imagined—as well as the woman he loves.

Set at Nashville's historic Belmont Mansion, a stunning antebellum manor built by Adelicia Acklen, A Lasting Impression is a sweeping love story about a nation mending after war, the redemption of those wounded, and the courage of a man and woman to see themselves—and each other—for who they really are.

My Review:

Tamera Alexander blends real life with romantic fiction in A Lasting Impression. This tale of love and heartbreak, deceit and murder, art and class is set at the Belmont Mansion, a real manor home in Nashville, Tennessee. Built in the years before the Civil War, Belmont Mansion survived the war and even prospered, thanks to the toughness and ingenuity of its proprietor, Mrs. Adelicia Acklen, who is a minor character, yet driving force of Alexander's novel.

The author wastes no time getting into the action of the novel. Within the first few pages, readers learn that the protagonist, nineteen year old Claire Laurent, is a lonely young woman forced to paint forgeries of famous paintings for her father's second rate art gallery after her mother's death from tuberculosis. When Claire finishes painting yet another forgery, this one with her mother in the background, Claire's father sends her to the cafe for a treat. When she returns, she finds her father stabbed and bleeding on the gallery floor and all of the artwork gone. Her father's business partner sends her to Nashville with instructions to wait for him and her father there. He gives her a bit of money and an address before sending her away.

Once Claire arrives in Nashville, the pacing slows down considerably. The narrative is moved along by divine providence working in mysterious ways that always seem to propel the story toward a happily after ever. Of course, there's a major obstacle in the way of Claire's happily ever after - her past - and it could cost her everything: her job as Mrs. Acklen's liaison, the man she loves, and her wonderful life surrounded by some of the best artwork ever created. Will Claire lose everything? Will she end up in jail for forging artwork? Or will she live happily ever after?

Anyone who has read at least one romance book in his/her life can figure out which way the book will go without even reading it. But, that doesn't mean it's not worth reading. I enjoyed the story and watching Claire come of age and into her own as a woman and an artist. Even though I considered some scenes hokey and too contrived, too perfect even, I still couldn't put the book down. It's a quintessential lazy afternoon cheese read. I will warn potential readers that this book is a Christian book. I wasn't familiar with the publisher when I picked up the book, nor is it labeled as such, so I had no idea until I started reading. Christian fiction isn't for some people, hence my warning.

Overall, it was a fun book to read. I really enjoyed learning about Belmont Mansion and Mrs. Acklen. I wish the author had dug a little deeper into the Reconstruction era Nashville for the narrative though. I would have enjoyed learning more about it. Again, the book isn't anything surprising or over the top fantastic. For what it is, it hit the mark. On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give A Lasting Impression a three.

Interested in learning more about the Belmont Mansion? Here's their website: http://belmontmansion.com/

WWW Wednesday 1/25/12

2012-01-25T07:12:00.000-05:00

WWW Wednesday is a weekly event sponsored by Should Be Reading that asks readers three very important questions:

1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you'll read next?

1. What are you currently reading?

Something Rotten (Thursday Next #4) by Jasper Fforde.
11/22/63 by Stephen King. This is the book we're reading for this month's readalong here on the blog. My first post is here.

2. What did you recently finish reading?

Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better And How They Can Change The World by Jane McGonigal
The Girl With The Crooked Nose: A Tale of Murder, Obsession, and Forensic Artistry by Ted Botha
A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander *Review coming soon.*

3. What do you think you'll read next?

Bryan's Brain by Bryan Healey
Taft 2012: A Novel by Jason Heller
Time Slice by Kerry Downing
You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself by David McRaney.

February Readalong - Horror

2012-01-24T17:44:00.000-05:00

The obvious genre for February's readalong would be romance in honor of Valentine's Day, but I think the holiday as we celebrate it is rather stupid. If there has to be a day marked on the calendar to remind someone to show me that they love me, then they probably don't love me. That's that. So, I decided to go in the completely opposite direction and host a horror readalong next month.

Here's where you come in. I want your input on what horror book you'd like to read with me next month. Leave me a comment below with your ideas. The most suggested books by Thursday night, 1/26, will end up in a poll on the blog. If there is one clear winner like there was for the January readalong, I'll skip the poll and post the sign ups.

And don't shy away from longer books. If we choose a longer book (in excess of 500 pages), I will extend the readalong posts into March.

This month's readalong is 11/22/63 by Stephen King (link to readalong post one is here). I don't object to reading another King novel and it would help those participating in the The Stephen King Project. But I'll leave that decision up to you.

I can't wait to read your suggestions!

Top Ten Tuesday: Freebie

2012-01-24T07:10:00.000-05:00

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish that asks participants to create a top ten list on a particular topic. This week's topic is a freebie. I perused the list of past topics and decided to do one that I missed. Here goes!

Top Ten Favorite Places to Read

10. While I'm waiting. I always carry at least one book in my purse so I'm prepared when I have to wait in line at the bank, post office, or in a waiting room at the doctor's office. My doctor and I start each visit talking about what book I happen to be reading as I sit on the examining table waiting for her.

9. On my lunch break. There's no better way to escape a boring day at work than by jumping into a good book while snacking on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Enough said.

8. The gym. Putting in time on the treadmill or stationary bike is extraordinarily easy now that I have an ereader...and a desire to go to the gym courtesy of my upcoming wedding! Reading makes the time go by so much faster than just listening to music or watching one of the many televisions.

7. The library. It's so much easier to read magazines here than at the check out at the supermarket. Plus, there's always chairs or desks tucked into corners for a more private reading experience and you know you won't ever run out of reading material!

6. A coffee shop. It's fun to alternate between reading and people watching while sipping a cup of coffee or tea. It's also a great place to meet other bookish people. I've had many a great bookish conversations with complete strangers at coffee shops.

5. With friends. I think it's completely acceptable to spend an afternoon reading with a friend who happens to be reading a different book. To me, it's a testament to how good of friends I am with someone if we can read together.

4. A bookstore. The smell of a bookstore coupled with the possibility that any volume in the store could be mine just by forking over a plastic card or some green paper from my wallet makes me dizzy with the excitement and possibilities for adventure.

3. My reading corner. It took me over a year to find the perfect reading chair, but it was worth the wait. It's comfortable and a favorite sleeping spot for my cats. The corner boasts a a great view of my backyard, a perfect little table for my beverage and a little basket at the bottom for books and notebooks. Plus it has a cool lamp and an awesome poster behind it, both courtesy of my wonderful fiance. :)

2. My bed. Why get out of bed on a cold wintry Saturday when you can stay in bed all day reading a good book? Besides, I'm a big fan of sleeping and I do love to nap so it only makes sense that I would read myself to sleep in my big, comfy bed as often as possible.

1. My couch. The model is called Viva Chocolate. It's really a piece of heaven stuffed into couch cushions. It's the perfect place to read, nap, and cuddle with my cats. Reading here also allows me to spend time with my fiance when he's playing video games on the other end of the couch.

If this could be a top 13 list, I'd also include reading at the park, at the beach, and while sitting on my front porch. How about you? What are your favorite places to read?

Review: The Girl With The Crooked Nose

2012-01-23T20:23:00.000-05:00

The Girl With The Crooked Nose: A Tale of Murder, Obsession, and Forensic Artistry
By Ted Botha
Published as a paperback by The Berkley Publishing Group, 2012
Review copy provided by the publisher
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:

Sculptor Frank Bender reconstructs the faces of murder victims to both identify them and to aid in their killers' capture. In this thrilling and fascinating account of Frank Bender and his work, readers will be drawn into the cases he has helped solve, the intricacies of his art, the colorful characters he encounters, and the personal cost of his strange obsession.

My Review:

Ted Botha's detailed account of the life of Frank Bender, artist, photographer, and forensic sculptor, is one of those books that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. Botha gives life to Bender, the missing people he sculpts in hopes of identifying them, and the ins and outs of law enforcement and government in this creative non-fiction account.

The Girl With the Crooked Nose focuses on Bender's work with the local police in the Mexican border town of Juarez as well as the Mexican government. He is tasked with giving faces to some of the women senselessly murdered in a string of violent crimes that have no witnesses, leads, or credible law enforcement on the case. Bender is brought down to Mexico twice to sculpt some of the murdered women in hopes that they will be identified or details regarding their demise may be uncovered. One of the women sculpted is the woman with the crooked nose.

Interspersed within the narrative detailing Bender's work in Mexico is the story of his origins in forensic sculpting, his artistic background, and his family life, which suffers as a result of his passion for forensic sculpting. The breadth and depth of the narrative give readers a well rounded idea of who Frank Bender was as a person as well as an artist. Bender had a one track mind when it came to his sculpting. The idea that one of his busts could identify a murder victim spurred him along, even when the jobs made him little to no money and scared off photography clients. Bender had his flaws, but Botha portrayed him as the average guy with a calling...and a great way to get the plumbers to do the job right the first time and quickly - have a head boiling on the stove when they arrive!

I enjoyed reading about Bender's exploits in the morgue, out on patrols with the US Marshals, and meeting with his group of forensic friends. The science and anatomy behind what Bender does fascinated me. I had no idea that so much information about what a face looks like can be gleaned from a skull or even a partial skull. I love reading books that give me factoids that I can drop into conversation and this book is full of them. I already told someone about the head boiling on the stove when the plumbers came!

The one thing about the book that I didn't enjoy was the narrative flow. Bender's life in forensic artistry isn't told in chronological order. The chapters detailing Bender's work in Mexico are intermingled with the portions of the book detailing his personal life, his work on cold cases in the greater Philadelphia area, as well as his national and international acclaim thanks to his busts appearing on America's Most Wanted. I had trouble putting events in order and was often jarred from the narrative because I was wondering where things fit chronologically. However, when I paused to give the narrative further thought, I realized that this would be a drastically different (and probably boring) book if Bender's story was told in chronological order.

Putting my issues with the narrative aside, I still enjoyed reading The Girl With The Crooked Nose. It was a quick read that captivated and educated me all at the same time. What more could I ask for, right? On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give The Girl With The Crooked Nose a three.

Review: Reality is Broken

2012-01-19T20:55:00.000-05:00

Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change The World
By Jane McGonigal
Published by The Penguin Press, 2011
Copy borrowed from the library
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:

More than 174 million Americans are gamers, and the average young person in the United States will spend ten thousand hours gaming by the age of twenty-one. According to world-renowned game designer Jane McGonigal, the reason for this mass exodus to virtual worlds is that videogames are increasingly fulfilling genuine human needs. In this groundbreaking exploration of the power and future of gaming, McGonigal reveals how we can use the lessons of game design to fix what is wrong with the real world.

Drawing on positive psychology, cognitive science, and sociology, Reality Is Broken uncovers how game designers have hit on core truths about what makes us happy and utilized these discoveriesto astonishing effect in virtual environments. Videogames consistently provide the exhilarating rewards, stimulating challenges, and epic victories that are so often lacking in the real world. But why, McGonigal asks, should we use the power of games for escapist entertainment alone? Her research suggests that gamers are expert problem solvers and collaborators because they regularly cooperate with other players to overcome daunting virtual challenges, and she helped pioneer a fast-growing genre of games that aims to turn gameplay to socially positive ends.

In Reality Is Broken, she reveals how these new alternate reality games are already improving the quality of our daily lives, fighting social problems such as depression and obesity, and addressing vital twenty-first-century challenges-and she forecasts the thrilling possibilities that lie ahead. She introduces us to games like World Without Oil, a simulation designed to brainstorm-and therefore avert- the challenges of a worldwide oil shortage, and Evoke, a game commissioned by the World Bank Institute that sends players on missions to address issues from poverty to climate change.

McGonigal persuasively argues that those who continue to dismiss games will be at a major disadvantage in the coming years. Gamers, on the other hand, will be able to leverage the collaborative and motivational power of games in their own lives, communities, and businesses. Written for gamers and nongamers alike, Reality Is Broken shows us that the future will belong to those who can understand, design, and play games.

My Review:

Jane McGonigal's goal in life is to see a game developer win a Nobel Peace Prize.

Wait, what?

If you're like me, you would have never considered a game developer or a gamer as a contender for one of the world's most prestigious awards because, well, what do games have to do with world peace? According to author, speaker, and game designer Jane McGonigal, the answer is a lot. It's possible to foster peace and develop a sustainable, cohesive global community through games.

Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change The World details the 14 ways we can 'fix' our broken reality:

1. Tackle Unnecessary obstacles.

2. Activate extreme positive emotions.

3. Do more satisfying work.

4. Find better hope of success.

5. Strengthen your social connectivity

6. Immerse yourself in epic scale.

7. Participate wholeheartedly wherever, whenever we can.

8. Seek meaningful rewards for making a better effort.

9. Have more fun with strangers.

10. Invent and adopt new happiness hacks.

11. Contribute to a sustainable engagement economy.

12. Seek out more epic wins.

13. Spend ten thousand hours collaborating.

14. Develop massively multiplayer foresight.

Okay, so some of these may make you go, "What?" Don't worry. McGonigal's data and examples are easily accessible, even to readers who aren't big gamers, like me. These fixes for reality show readers what's missing from our every day lives and how gamers fulfill their unmet needs in the gamer world.

I can see why people turn to games when their lives are unsatisfying. People spend all day in cube farms in office buildings being overworked by mundane tasks while their skills, talents, and education waste away. They go home, turn on a game, and make things happen. They experience joy, satisfaction, and they are using and building upon their skills.

McGonigal does make an interesting argument about the power of games to change the world; however, her argument often gets lost as readers have to muddle through a poorly put together narrative riddled with one sentence paragraphs and a reiteration of themes and ideas until you feel bludgeoned by them. The book also comes across as a soapbox for the author to read her resume and toot her own horn, so to speak. I'm all about a professional writing what he or she knows to educate the masses, but repeatedly mentioning what you did, how you were involved, what conference you spoke to and about what, turns me off as a reader. I get it. You are a subject matter expert. You don't have to remind me every few pages.

Even though I was turned off by the narrative and mechanics of the book, I will admit that the book intrigued me and got me thinking about the role of games in our every day lives. I'm not sure if games can provide solutions to our hungry, war ravaged world with a dependency on oil and a bad economy, but it may make the journey a little more enjoyable. On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give Reality is Broken a two.

Readalong Post One: 11/22/63

2012-01-14T00:01:00.002-05:00

11/22/63: A Novel
By Stephen King
Published by Simon & Schuster, 2011
Ecopy courtesy of Klout Perks
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:

Welcome to my very first readalong here on Feeding My Book Addiction! I don't think we could have picked a better inaugural book that Stephen King's latest novel, 11/22/63. It's got suspense, intrigue, time travel, and JFK. All it needs is a cameo by The Doctor and I'd be in heaven. (It's not every day I can make a Doctor Who reference on the blog, so I have to take advantage.)

But, I digress.

My main objective in hosting readalongs is to give readers an opportunity to discuss a book while they are reading it. It's great to read book bloggers' reviews, but it's hard to cultivate bookish discussions if most of the people reading your blog haven't read the book yet! It's simple to participate. Sign up (11/22/63 signups are here). On the specified dates, post your thoughts on the book. Make sure to leave a link to your post in the comments on my post so other participants can read your posts too. If you don't have a blog, you can still participate. Leave your thoughts as a comment on this post! It's okay if you've already read the book - post links to your reviews or jump in on the conversation! To help the bookish conversation flow in real time, we'll use a Twitter hashtag: #reading112263. Thanks Jen at Book Den for helping me decide what one to use. Well, I think that about covers everything. Now on to the discussion!

My thoughts on Parts 1 - 3:

Whoa. Talk about a total mind f*ck.

Sorry, I had to get that out so I could better formulate my thoughts.

Let's see. Where do I start? Let's start with this snippet from the book, said by the ailing Al Templeton to Jake Epping, the novel's protagonist and maybe hero:

"You can change history, Jake. Do you understand that? John Kennedy can live."

After reading this piece of dialogue, I put down my ereader and immediately tweeted these three sentences. I needed a moment to stop and reflect. Sure, I knew that this book was about a man traveling back in time to stop the Kennedy assassination, but it just made the book something I wanted to read. Reading these three sentences within the context of the novel thus far hooked me. From that point on, just thinking about this book gives me goosebumps. There's that feeling of suspense and anxiety in my stomach at all times as I read and even as I type this now because I know that a story of epic proportions is waiting for me to finish reading it.

Is there a specific point in the narrative that hooked you?

I think it was at this point that I also wondered what the Kennedy family thought of the book. I need to research this.

The concept of the 'rabbit hole' that allows Al, then Jake, to travel back to September 8, 1958 intrigues me. We don't know how the portal to the past developed or if anyone besides Al and Jake know about it. Maybe we'll discover more in the second half of the book? We do know that once you return to the present (where only two minutes have passed! Crazy!), what was done has changed the past and current existence, but if you go through the rabbit hole again, it resets. The past and present are as they were when Jake was grading essays in the teachers' lounge on the last day of school.

We also know that the past is obdurate.

An English teacher would repeatedly use words like obdurate, huh?

While I'm on the topic of English teachers...Would an English teacher interject himself into a narrative and try to engage his readers (if there really is a 'you' reading this, says Jake Epping) in a bit of banter as he goes along? Somewhere in late Part 2 (or maybe early Part 3), Jake's relationship to the narrative changes. At first, I felt like I was reading a straight forward first person point of view story. Then, as Jake went further into the 'future' in 1958, the relationship between the point of view and us readers started to change. It was when Jake was living in Tampa, living in the humble condo on the beach writing his two manuscripts. Instead of just telling the story as a person would relate his or her story, Jake began referring to the story as his memoir and addressing any future readers. The narrative became his journal, of sorts.

I know an English teacher in 1958 would balk at the concept of interjecting the self into writing, but Jake Epping is a twenty-first century teacher. He also seems to be a bit of a rebel. After all, he did want to put The Catcher in the Rye in a 1950s high school library. The narrative shift was large enough for me to notice, but not large enough for me to care. It signified that Jake Epping was probably in way over his head and didn't have a soul in the world he could talk to without scaring them away or landing in a psychiatric hospital somewhere. I, as a reader, became Jake's confidante. Not only am I drawn into the story because it's just that awesome, now I'm invested in its outcome because I'm like a friend to Jake.

This post is getting a bit long so I'm going to wrap up by saying that Stephen King's 11/22/63 is shaping up to be one of the best books I'll ever read in my life. Everything about the book is perfect - well fleshed out characters, an intriguing plot, fast paced action (even when Jake is killing time waiting for Lee Henry Oswald), and a narrative that is so well written and engaging it's like I'm living the story. It doesn't hurt that the book dares to do the one thing we'll never be able to do - go back and change the past to alter the future.

Participants' Posts:
Brittany at Self-styled bibliophile
Alice at Tales of an Intrepid Pantser
RachelKiwi at She is too fond of books and its addled her brain
Jennifer at Book Den
Matthew at The Write Aspirations

Stephen King Introduces 11/22/63:

Review: Crossed (Matched #2)

2012-01-12T17:06:00.000-05:00

Crossed (Matched #2)
by Ally Condie
Published by Dutton Books, November 2011
Copy borrowed from the library
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:
In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

My Review: (contains spoilers)

I read and reviewed Matched, the first book in author Ally Condie's young adult dystopian trilogy, in early 2011 and thoroughly enjoyed it. I even listed it as one of my top YA fiction reads of 2011. However, since reading Matched almost a year ago, I've read a plethora of other young adult dystopian books, most of them a first in a trilogy, and I've become rather jaded about the genre as a whole. Every book is too much like the last. The genre is over-saturated and becoming too formulaic. And, unfortunately, Crossed is no exception.

To say that I was disappointed in the second installment of the Matched Trilogy is an understatement. Condie took a page out of Stephanie Meyer's playbook and turned Cassia into a wishy washy, boy obsessed, self absorbed teenaged drama queen. She can't choose between Ky and Xander so she keeps stringing them along, much like Twilight's Bella and her love triangle with a vampire and a werewolf. Cassia is no longer a smart, confident young adult. She defines herself and her life's purpose based upon a guy. In true Twilight Saga fashion, this second installment reads a lot like the saga's second book, a whole lot of nothing drawn out way too long that bores readers to sleep or into a tizzy of frustration that makes the reader question why he/she thought this would be worth reading.

Just to set the record straight, showing similarities between a book or trilogy and the Twilight Saga isn't a good thing in my mind, but I'll spare you my thoughts on Twilight so we can get back to discussing Crossed.

Oh wait, there's not much to discuss. Ky escapes the mock village where he's been sent to die with two other boys, one of whom looks a lot like Cassia's brother. He escapes just as Cassia and her new friend Indie arrive. Cassia and Indie escape into the Carving after Ky. One dies from Ky's group. One dies from Cassia's group. They find each other. There's awkward drama between Ky and Indie because they realize they are a lot alike and they both know Xander's secret. Cassia raises an eyebrow about this, but doesn't seem to care too much as long as she keeps Ky. They get help from a farmer. The group splits up: farmer and Eli, the Cassia's little brother lookalike, head off to find other farmers, Indie and Cassia take the raft and head for the Rebellion, while Ky travels on foot. The rebellion takes them in. Cassia is sent back to Society, where the Rebellion deems she be of most use. Ky becomes a pilot. Indie works at the base camp. End of story. And I had to read 367 pages to find all of this out.

*shaking my head*

You know me. I have to finish what I start. I really hope the third and final (thank goodness!) installment of the Matched Trilogy is a lot better than the mindless and vomit inducing drivel I endured while reading Crossed. On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give Crossed a two.

Here's the book trailer:

WWW Wednesday 1/11/12

2012-01-11T08:59:00.000-05:00

WWW Wednesday is a weekly event sponsored by Should Be Reading that asks readers three very important questions:

1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you'll read next?

1. What are you currently reading?

Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change The World by Jane McGonigal
11/22/63 by Stephen King - I'm hosting a readalong of the book this month. There's still time to participate!

2. What did you recently finish reading?

Little Women and Me by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta

3. What do you think you'll read next?

The Girl With The Crooked Nose: A Tale of Murder, Obsession, and Forensic Artistry by Ted Botha
A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander
Something Rotten (Thursday Next #4) by Jasper Fforde

What's your reading life been like since the start of the new year?

Review: The Leftovers

2012-01-10T17:02:00.000-05:00

The Leftovers
By Tom Perrotta
Published by St. Martin's Press, August 2011
Copy borrowed from the library
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:

A New York Times Notable Book for 2011 What if—whoosh, right now, with no explanation—a number of us simply vanished? Would some of us collapse? Would others of us go on, one foot in front of the other, as we did before the world turned upside down?

That’s what the bewildered citizens of Mapleton, who lost many of their neighbors, friends and lovers in the event known as the Sudden Departure, have to figure out. Because nothing has been the same since it happened—not marriages, not friendships, not even the relationships between parents and children.

Kevin Garvey, Mapleton’s new mayor, wants to speed up the healing process, to bring a sense of renewed hope and purpose to his traumatized community. Kevin’s own family has fallen apart in the wake of the disaster: his wife, Laurie, has left to join the Guilty Remnant, a homegrown cult whose members take a vow of silence; his son, Tom, is gone, too, dropping out of college to follow a sketchy prophet named Holy Wayne. Only Kevin’s teenaged daughter, Jill, remains, and she’s definitely not the sweet “A” student she used to be. Kevin wants to help her, but he’s distracted by his growing relationship with Nora Durst, a woman who lost her entire family on October 14th and is still reeling from the tragedy, even as she struggles to move beyond it and make a new start.

With heart, intelligence and a rare ability to illuminate the struggles inherent in ordinary lives, Tom Perrotta has written a startling, thought-provoking novel about love, connection and loss.

My Review:

Author Tom Perrotta doesn't shy away from the difficult and ugly aspects of human existence. His latest novel, and one of the New York Times' Notable Books of 2011, tackles the aftermath of a rapture like event on small town America.

Thousands of people disappear one fall day without a trace. Nora leaves the dining room for a minute and returns to three empty chairs. Her husband and two children are gone. Jill is watching youtube videos with her friend Jen when Jen vanishes. People clamor for an answer. Some claim it's the rapture. Religious people claim that it can't be the rapture because they were left behind. The unexplained disappearances rattle the small town of Mapleton. Its citizens don't know if they should wait for the disappeared to reappear, if they should be labeled as dead, or when it's okay to move on with their lives.

The disappearances serve as a catalyst for the people in this sleepy suburban town. Kevin Garvey tries to resume life as it was before the disappearances only to watch his wife, Laurie, leave him to take a vow of silence with the cult like group The Guilty Remnant, his son, Tom, drop out of college to follow a guy named Holy Wayne, and his daughter, Jill, shed her straight A high school student reputation to stay out late drinking and partying with an unsavory crowd. Kevin tries to move on after his wife left him, but finds himself attracted to Nora, a woman who lost her whole family in the disappearances, and just can't seem to move past it.

The novel follows Kevin, Laurie, Tom, Jill, and Nora as they navigate the new and empty world they find themselves in. Author Tom Perrotta doesn't shy away from the anguish and confusion the disappearances create. The narrative is steeped in pain. Nothing is sugar coated in The Leftovers; this story is dark and gritty and won't spur much of a happy ending in the Disney sense of the term. But that's why I enjoyed the book so much. Life isn't about the fairy tale happy ending. It's about living your life with the proverbial hand your dealt and making the best of it. That's what Perrotta's characters seek to do. In their own way, sometimes dysfunctional and sometimes incredibly optimistically, the characters in The Leftovers make choices to make their lives better, to ease their consciences, and to live life in the face of a major tragedy.

Think about it. What would you do if you were Kevin Garvey? Would you try to help your town commemorate the losses and start to heal or would you give up when your wife left you for a cult and your kids spiraled out of control? If you were Jill, would you think school was still so important or would you try to fill the void your mother created when she abandoned you for a cult?

That's the beauty of The Leftovers. It's not about a happily ever after. It's about finding the beauty in the situation in front of you, even if that beauty is still pretty ugly. If you're looking for a happy ending or a feel good book, The Leftovers is not the book for you. But, if you're looking for a raw and emotional book that taps into human emotions in times of hardship and shows the full spectrum of how people react, this is the book for you. On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give the Leftovers a four.

Review: Little Women and Me

2012-01-09T06:44:00.001-05:00

Little Women and Me
by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Published by Bloomsbury, November 2011
Copy borrowed from the library
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:

Emily is sick and tired of being a middle sister. So when she gets an assignment to describe what she'd change about a classic novel, Emily pounces on Little Women. After all, if she can't change things in her own family, maybe she can bring a little justice to the March sisters. (Kill off Beth? Have cute Laurie wind up with Amy instead of Jo? What was Louisa May Alcott thinking?!) But when Emily gets mysteriously transported into the 1860s world of the book, she discovers that righting fictional wrongs won't be easy. And after being immersed in a time and place so different from her own, it may be Emily-not the four March sisters-who undergoes the most surprising change of all. Lauren Baratz-Logsted's winning confection will appeal to fans of Little Women as well as anyone who enjoys a modern twist on an old favorite.

My Review:

It's no secret that I adore Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. It's one of my favorite books and has been since I first read it at the age of ten. Lately, Alcott and the March sisters have been getting a lot of attention with books like The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott and The Little Women Letters, both of which I read and reviewed last year along with Little Women itself. As soon as I knew that Little Women and Me existed, I requested it from the local library.

I quickly fell in love with Lauren Baratz-Logsted's novel and devoured it within a few hours. It's easy to empathize with Emily March, the novel's protagonist, as she epitomizes the role Jan Brady played so well in the Brady Bunch. She's the middle sister and hates every minute of it. Her crush, Jackson, only has eyes for her older sister, Charlotte, and when Emily informs him that Charlotte likes someone else, Jackson decides to redirect his attention to Emily's younger sister, Anne. Ugh.

Emily laments her bad luck in life as she begins her English assignment after school. She is tasked with writing an essay on one thing she'd change in a novel. After perusing her shelves, her eyes fall upon her copy of Alcott's Little Women. Just about anyone who has ever read this childhood staple would want to change one of two things (or both): Beth's death and Amy marrying Laurie. Beth's too good to die so young and Laurie belongs with Jo! Things take a turn for the strange when Emily is transported inside the pages of the book and becomes the mysterious fifth March sister. In true Emily fashion, she's the middle child, falling between Jo and Beth.

Emily decides that the fastest way out of the 1860s is to keep Beth from dying and sets herself to the task of keeping her alive. Emily gets sidetracked by the handsome and dashing Laurie next door and tries to steal his attention at any opportunity, usually by spiting Jo. When Beth's death has been adverted and Emily still finds herself trapped inside Little Women, she realizes that there may be more to why she's there in the first place.

Throughout Emily's version of the novel, she is given opportunities to see herself through others' eyes as well as to see herself for who and what she is. It's through this strange self discovery that Emily realizes that she doesn't have to let her birth order define her and that she has power over situations instead of just letting things happen to her and then whining about them. Does all of this self realization get Emily back to her real life with her computer, ipod, and cell phone or is she stuck in the novel forever? You'll have to read the book to find out.

Author Lauren Baratz-Logsted's love for the March sisters shines through as she recreates this beloved story with a mysterious fifth sister. The story itself is fun and fanciful as it fulfills every reader's innermost desire to change the outcome of Little Women. This novel is a delight to read and will surely captivate readers just as it captivated me. On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give Little Women and Me a four.

Review: Celebrity, Inc.: How Famous People Make Money

2012-01-04T07:20:00.000-05:00

Celebrity, Inc.: How Famous People Make Money
By Jo Piazza
Published by Open Road Integrated Media, November 2011
Copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:
Why do celebrities get paid so much more than regular people to do a job that seems to afford them the same amount of leisure time as most retirees? What do Bush-era economics have to do with the rise of Kim Kardashian? How do the laws of supply and demand explain why the stars of Teen Mom are on the cover of Us Weekly? And how was the sale of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s baby pictures a little like a street drug deal? After a decade spent toiling as an entertainment journalist and gossip columnist, Jo Piazza asks the hard questions about the business behind celebrity.

Make no mistake: Celebrity is an industry. Never in the course of human history has the market for celebrities been as saturated as it is today. Nearly every day most Americans will consume something a celebrity is selling—a fragrance, a sneaker, a song, a movie, a show, a tweet, or a photo in a magazine.

With the benefits of Piazza’s unique access to the celebrity market, Celebrity, Inc. explains in detail what generates cash for the industry and what drains value faster than a starlet downs Champagne—in twelve fascinating case studies that tackle celebrities the way industry analysts would dissect any consumer brand.

My Review:

The concept of celebrity in today's information overloaded and social media saturated culture fascinates me. I have no idea what useful skills the Kardashian clan has that allows them to command millions of dollars a year for appearances, endorsements, and their chain of reality television shows. I often wonder why I'm drawn to the tawdry tell-all magazines at the supermarket checkout line rather than the ones with the delicious looking meals and promises of easy recipes inside. I certainly don't understand Bieber Fever (I think I'm too old) nor do I get why celebrities have so many followers on Twitter. Yet, none of these questions or thoughts stop me from checking the Huffington Post's Celebrity page on my cell phone's HuffPost app at least once a day for the lastest celebrity gossip. I find that the Huff provides me with a great overview of several celebrity media outlets so I only have to go to one place for all my news.

Yes, I've thought this out.

What does that say about me? Well, I'm not so sure. What I am sure of is that Jo Piazza's tell all book, Celebrity, Inc.: How Famous People Make Money, is an eye opening and salacious account of the inner workings of the Hollywood Industrial Complex. Us average people may think that Hollywood is teeming with talented and attractive people looking to create the next great American movie, television show, or musical album. In reality, the Hollywood Industrial Complex is the epitome of high school where who you are and your buzz at the moment (aka popularity) determines how much money you make, which is really what it's all about.

That's right. It's all about the cold hard cash.

That's why Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt sold photos of their babies. That's why Ashton Kutcher started making all those crazy videos of his company's office. That's why hip hop stars are always arguing with each other or why any one who is anyone is lending their name and likeness to a bottle of perfume. It's not about the person, it's about the brand.

Kim Kardashian made smart choices in creating her brand. She makes millions of dollars a year. Paris Hilton, on the other hand, made poor choices and now she is a has been. She's still a filthy rich has been, but she's old news nonetheless. Ashton Kutcher was a biochemical engineering major in college when he was discovered by a modeling agency. He took his success and sought to make as much money out of it as possible. He revolutionized the concept of online marketing. Lindsay Lohan was once the teenaged it girl of Hollywood, but she tanked her brand by not being able to stick to anything - alcoholism, sobriety, acting, singing, even her sexual preferences.

Author, journalist, and resident celebrity expert Jo Piazza details the ups, downs, successes, and failures of big named celebrities and wildly famous people to detail just how they make their money. It's not from the movies, television shows, or record sales. It's from the perfume sales, appearances, and product endorsements. These are how the reality stars with no verifiable talent make their money.

The information Piazza presents in the twelve chapters of her book deal with everything from American Idol, celebrity endorsed charities and perfumes, how the Oscars are bought not necessarily chosen by merit, and famous people can make more money when they are dead. Piazza is an engaging narrator, whose real life experiences and first hand knowledge make her a fun and reliable guide on the adventure into the back door dealings of the Hollywood Industrial Complex.

More important than all of the information you'll learn (Did you know that Puff Daddy's nickname came from his days of playing high school football at a private school in Westchester County, New York? p. 135), this book will make you think. As I read, I kept wondering how I played into these money making ventures. How have my choices as a consumer been influenced by famous people trying to make money? I also felt an overwhelming sense of pride that I'd never watched an episode of American Idol and that I had figured out that Heidi and Spencer from MTV's The Hills were hamming it up for the cameras, especially Spencer. But that's besides the point. Celebrity, Inc. made me a better educated observer and consumer of entertainment pop culture.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Piazza's Celebrity, Inc.: How Famous People Make Money. It left me with a lot to mull over and a sharper critical lens to analyze pop culture and entertainment. I highly recommend it to anyone with a healthy (or unhealthy) fascination with famous people and their net worth. On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give Celebrity, Inc.: How Famous People Make Money a five.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'm Excited To Read in 2012

2012-01-03T07:24:00.000-05:00

It's been a few months since I've participated in Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish, that asks participants to create a top ten list about a particular topic. I liked this week's topic and thought it very fitting for the first Tuesday of the new year. This week's topic is:

Top Ten Books I'm Excited to Read in 2012

*Links are to Goodreads*

10. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. There was a reason why I bought this book at a Borders closing sale, but the reason escapes me now. I'm finally going to take it off the to be read pile and read it this year after my friend Mandy informed me that there is a miniseries based on the book that she absolutely loved.

9. Fever (Chemical Garden Trilogy #2) by Lauren DeStefano. I loved Wither (see my review here) and I've heard nothing but amazing things about the second installment. My only fear is that the loathing I've developed for young adult dystopian trilogies as a result of the over-saturation (and lack of originality lately) in the genre doesn't negatively impact my thoughts on the book.

8. Two For The Dough (Stephanie Plum #2) by Janet Evanovich. I read the first book in the Stephanie Plum series a few weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised by the laugh out loud funny adventures of unemployed Jersey girl turned bounty hunter Stephanie Plum. I know I'm a bit late to the Stephanie Plum bandwagon, but better late than never, right?

7. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. As soon as I read this book's description, I knew I had to read it. I'm a bit nervous after reading a few negative reviews posted by other book bloggers, but I'm still excited to give the book a chance!

6. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. This may come as a surprise to some, but I have never read these books. This is the one series that I let people assume I've read because it's easier than announcing that I've never read them and facing the backlash. I'm going to remedy that this year. Why? Because it's about damn time and my fiance and I received a Lord of the Rings board game for Christmas.

5. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. This book comes highly recommended and it's definitely something I should enjoy. I even had it out of the library this past fall, but couldn't get to it before it was due back and I couldn't renew it.

4. 11/22/63 by Stephen King. Word all over twitter and the book blogosphere is that this book will rock my world. The premise is fantastic and I can't wait to start reading this book, especially since it's the book for my first readalong here on the blog. For more information, click here.

3. The Autobiography of Mark Twain, Vol. 1 by Mark Twain. I received this behemoth hardcover book for Christmas in 2010 and have yet to even take the plastic off. I've been staring longingly at the book as it sits on my shelf for a few months now and I think it's about time I get reading! The only downside is that it is too heavy for me to take with me. It will have to be a 'read at home' book.

2. A Clash of Kings (A Song of Fire and Ice #2) by George R.R. Martin. I read A Game of Thrones, the first book in this epic fantasy series, in November and absolutely loved it. Read my review here. I bought the box set of books one through four on New Year's Eve as a celebration present for reading 150 books in 2011. I'm excited for them to arrive in the mail!

1. Something Rotten (Thursday Next #4) by Jasper Fforde. I love the Thursday Next series and recommend it to any bookish person looking for something to read. Here are my reviews for The Eyre Affair, Lost In A Good Book, and The Well of Lost Plots. I also ordered book 5, First Among Sequels, when I ordered the A Song of Fire and Ice box set. I need to catch up before book six, One of Our Thursdays Is Missing, is released at the end of the month.

So, there's my list! What books are you excited to read in 2012?

Book Blogger Confessions 1/2/12

2012-01-02T11:33:00.000-05:00

Book Blogger Confessions is a new meme hosted by Karen at For What It's Worth Reviews and Tiger at All Consuming Books to discuss issues unique to book blogging. I think this meme will be a great way for book bloggers to discuss what we do, air frustrations, give and receive helpful tips, all while making the book blogging community more cohesive and connected. I'm excited to participate. The first topic is:

"How has the 'job' of book blogging changed your reading habits? Both pro and con."

I created Feeding My Book Addiction about a year ago at the urging of a close friend. She kept telling me that my Goodreads reviews were amazing and that she could see me being a professional book reviewer one day. She thought the next logical step for me would be to create a book review blog. I thought about it for a while and decided it sounded like fun.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I quickly discovered that the world of book blogging was more than just posting a review about a book I read. If you want readers and fellow book bloggers to read your blog, you have to review books that they would be interested in reading. Publishers and self published authors added to my always long to be read list with their advanced reader copies. Then there were the memes. I thought they were fun at first and I saw my follower count increase, but I started backing off from them because I felt like it was more about a follower count than followers reading the content and interacting with me and other readers.

To make sum up book blogging in one sentence - Book blogging is like a second full-time job, only I don't get paid.

I easily spend over 40 hours a week reading, reviewing, promoting my blog on social media, reading other book blogs, and corresponding with authors and publishers. This is in addition to the full-time job that pays my bills and planning my upcoming wedding.

If I had known all of this before I started Feeding My Book Addiction, would I still have done it?

Oh hell yes. Sure, it can be a lot of work, especially when I'd rather be reading instead of reviewing or even working on my own writing, which often falls to the wayside or napping instead of reading. What can I say? I love naps! Here's the thing though, the 'work' as I called it at the beginning of this paragraph doesn't feel like work. Even when I'm pressed up against a deadline to get a blog tour post up or finish book 150 by the end of the year (a self imposed goal), I still love every second of it and it doesn't feel like work.

Also, book blogging has made me a better, more eclectic, and more voracious reader. My reading retention has improved considerably over the past year because I'm writing in depth reviews for approximately 70 percent of the books I read. Following other book bloggers' blogs has introduced me to books and genres I would have never found on my own, like the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde (how I missed it all these years, I do not know) and paranormal romance. I read 27 more books in 2011 than I did in 2010 and it's because of my never ending drive to provide new content and reviews for the blog.

Book blogging also introduced me to a great community of fellow avid readers who read just as much (if not more) than I do and share my passion for the written word. These growing friendships and the book recommendations have proved to be invaluable to me over the past year. Book blogging and social media in general have also broken down the figurative wall between readers and authors as well as the wall between readers and publishers. I never thought I'd be able to directly tell an author how much I enjoyed his or her book and receive a response. I never thought a publisher would be interested in my opinions on one of their books. It's an awesome feeling.

Besides, reading and book blogging are worth the time and effort. I can't think of many other things I'd rather be doing.

How about you? Are you a book blogger? Share your thoughts on the 'job' of book blogging on your blog and post a link back to Karen's post.

December 2011 In Review

2011-12-31T16:52:00.000-05:00

I READ 150 BOOKS THIS YEAR! WOO!

Sorry, had to get that out of my system. My original reading goal was 123 books, which I accomplished at the end of October. That's when i got the genius idea to set a new goal of 150 books. It was a little iffy there for a moment, but I finished this feat with 14 hours to spare. I will celebrate by buying more books!

Before the book buying bonanza begins, let me recap my month in books!

Here's What I Read in December:
*Numbering starts where I left off last month and links are to my reviews*

134. The Consuming Instinct: What Juicy Burgers, Ferraris, Pornography, and Gift Giving Reveal About Human Nature by Gad Saad
135. My Sweet Saga by Brett Sills
136. Damned by Chuck Palahniuk
137. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
138. 365 And A Wake Up: My Year In Vietnam by Frank Jolliff
139. Now You See It: How The Brain Science of Attention Will Transform The Way We Live, Work, and Learn by Cathy N. Davidson
140. Legend (Legend #1) by Marie Lu
141. If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't) by Betty White
142. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
143. Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
144. Cel and Anna: A 22nd Century Love Story by Lindsay Edmunds
145. One For The Money (Stephanie Plum #1) by Janet Evanovich
146. Celebrity, Inc.: How Famous People Make Money by Jo Piazza *Review coming in January 2012*
147. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
148. Crossed (Matched #2) By Ally Condie *Review coming in January 2012*
149. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
150. Lost In the Meritocracy: The Undereduction of an Overachiever by Walter Kirn

December Must Read Blog Posts:
Readalong Sign Ups: 11/22/63 By Stephen King
Guest Post - Brett Sills, Author of My Sweet Saga
2011 Year In Review: Memoirs
2011 Year In Review: Non-Fiction
2011 Year In Review: YA Fiction
2011 Year In Review: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
2011 Year In Review: Fiction

Books In Progress:
1. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyvesky. I know; I said I'd have it finished by the end of the year. It doesn't look likely...

Stats for 2011:

150 books read out of 123 (My 2011 Reading Goal): 122 percent complete
24 books out of 40 (My 2011 Reading Goal from my collection): 60 percent complete. I made this goal without factoring in how much of my reading time would end up being used for ARCs. Next year, I'll make a more attainable goal.
Number of pages read in 2011 (excluding indexes and appendices I don't read): 45,806

2011 Year In Review: Fiction

2011-12-31T11:38:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year's Eve everyone! All week, I've been counting down my favorite reads of 2011 here on Feeding My Book Addiction. So far, I've listed my top memoirs, non-fiction, YA fiction, and science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Last up is fiction.

My fiction list encompasses contemporary fiction, romance, and humor novels that made me laugh, cry, and hope to one day right books as powerful, evocative, and, in some cases, funny as these.

Feeding My Book Addiction's Top Six Fiction Books Read in 2011:

6. The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain

5. Winter's Bone by David Woodrell

4. Losing Michael Malone by Nicholas Kasunic

3. Pulled and Take This Regret by Amy Lichtenhan (I couldn't pick!)

2. My Sweet Saga by Brett Sills

1. Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman

What were your favorite fiction books of the year?

2011 Year in Review: Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror

2011-12-30T22:27:00.000-05:00

The week of favorites continues! Today, I'm counting down my favorite science fiction, fantasy, and horror books read and reviewed on Feeding My Book Addiction in 2011.

I read more science fiction, fantasy, and horror this year than I think I've read in my entire life. Ten years ago, I don't think I would have read a science fiction or fantasy novel if you paid me. I'm glad my reading tastes have changed because I would have missed out on some amazing science fiction, fantasy, and horror novels this year. I think this list was my favorite to compile.

With that said, I'll get to the list!

Feeding My Book Addiction's Top 6 Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Books Read in 2011:

6. Eutopia: A Novel of Terrible Optimism by David Nickle

5. Immortal by Gene Doucette

4. A Game of Thrones (Song of Fire and Ice #1) by George R. R. Martin

3. The Postmortal: A Novel by Drew Magary

2. Thursday Next Series Books 1-3 by Jasper Fforde

1. Ready Player One: A Novel by Ernest Cline

What books made your science fiction, fantasy, and horror list this year?

Did you miss out on my previous 2011 Year In Review posts? Get caught up here: memoirs, non-fiction, and YA fiction. Stay tuned tomorrow for my list of the best fiction in 2011 plus my month and year in review post!

2011 Year In Review: YA Fiction

2011-12-29T23:10:00.000-05:00

All week on Feeding My Book Addiction, I'm counting down my favorite books in various genres. I've already listed my favorite memoirs and non-fiction books of the year. Today, I'm giving you my top five young adult fiction reads of 2011.

I read a lot of YA this year, more so than ever before. The book blogosphere I discovered after starting Feeding My Book Addiction is a big reason why I read almost 30 YA books this year. That translates into almost 20 percent of my books read. Without fellow book blogger's Waiting on Wednesdays and excellent review posts, I wouldn't have found a good portion of these books. Thanks fellow book bloggers!

With that said, let's get to the list!

Feeding My Book Addiction's Top Five Young Adult Books Read in 2011:

5. Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

4. Matched (Matched #1) by Ally Condie

3. The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

2. Anathema (Cloud Prophet Trilogy #1) by Megg Jensen

1. Wither (Chemical Garden Trilogy #1) by Lauren DeStefano

What were your favorite YA books of the year?

2011 Year In Review: Non-Fiction

2011-12-28T17:05:00.000-05:00

This week, I'm counting down the best books I've read and reviewed here on Feeding My Book Addiction by genre. Yesterday, I listed my top seven memoirs read in 2011. Today, I tackle non-fiction.

If I had to choose, non-fiction would be my favorite genre. Remember when non-fiction was dry and boring and all about the facts? I do. I dreaded having to skim pages of dry, flat material in books that smelled like musty basements for research papers in high school or college. Today, I'm more than happy to read non-fiction because it's fun, yet informative; it's engaging and educating. Remember when teachers were strict about there not being an 'I' in scholarly writing? It's not like that in today's non-fiction. The writer and his/her background and personality are no longer hidden, but prominent in the narrative. Writers as narrative vehicles can make or break a non-fiction book.

Thanks to my non-fiction reading this year, I've become more of an expert on Google, why we consume what we consume, why what we consume keeps getting bigger and bigger, and the history of the modern English dictionary. This is just a start. I read around a dozen non-fiction books this year and I narrowed my favorites down to five.

Feeding My Book Addiction's Top Five Non-Fiction Books Read in 2011:

5. Now You See It: How The Brain Science of Attention Will Transform The Way We Live, Work, and Learn by Cathy N. Davidson

4. The Story of Stuff: The Impact of Overconsumption On the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health - And How We Can Make It Better by Annie Leonard

3. Living Large: From SUVs to Double Ds, Why Going Bigger Isn't Going Better By Sarah Z. Wexler

2. Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Line of the New Girlie Girl Culture by Peggy Orenstein

1. Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America by Jeff Ryan

What are your favorite non-fiction reads of 2011?

2011 Year In Review - Memoirs

2011-12-27T17:39:00.000-05:00

It's the final week of December 2011 and there's no better way to celebrate a year gone past than by creating 'best of' lists for the myriad of genres I read and review here on Feeding My Book Addiction. First up - memoirs.

I gravitate toward memoirs because they are in depth first person accounts of experiences I'll most likely never experience. It's a safe way for me to understand what it's like to be abducted or homeless without having to actually be abducted or homeless. I'll never know what it's like to grow up Amish, but thanks to Ira Wagler's Growing Up Amish I now know what it would be like to grow up in an Amish community.

I read just over a dozen memoirs in 2011 and I narrowed down my favorites to seven.

Feeding My Book Addiction's Top Seven Memoirs Read in 2011:

7. Repairing Rainbows: A True Story of Family, Tragedy, and Choices by Lynda Fishman

6. When I Was A Child (Based on the True Story of Love, Death, and Survival on the Kansas Prairie) by TL Needham

5. 50 Jobs in 50 States: One Man's Journey of Discovery Across America by Daniel Seddiqui

4. 365 And A Wake-Up: My Year in Vietnam by Frank Jolliff

3. 1923: A Memoir by Harry Leslie Smith

2. I Beat The Odds: From Homelessness to the Blind Side and Beyond by Michael Oher with Don Yaegar

1. A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Dugard

Have you read any of these memoirs? What did you think? Feel free to leave me a link to your review (if you posted one) and I'll check it out.

Review: Cel and Anna: A 22nd Century Love Story

2011-12-24T10:44:00.001-05:00

Cel and Anna: A 22nd Century Love STory
By Lindsay Edmunds
Self published by the author, 2011
Review copy provided by the author
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:
You are about to enter the Middle Machine Age, where good citizens of the Reunited States are either Outsiders or denizens of the UnderWorld.

Outsider Anna Ringer works as a psychic at a mysterious company called Lighthorse Magic. At night she has virtual sex with strangers and dreams of running away. One morning her computer, Cel, develops consciousness and decides he loves her, but when Cel buys a strange gift to show his passion he accidentally rocks the world order.

Anna's dreams of running away did not include false accusations of terrorism. Or discovering that the quality that sets her apart; her psychic power; is not too useful in the real world. She never imagined having to run for her life.

Her companion in this adventure is a shy computer genius named Taz Night. They make surprising allies as they elude the agents of Public Eye, the government's amoral enforcement agency.

My Review:

Author Lindsay Edmunds creates a delightfully intriguing 22nd century world filled with intelligent machines and not so intelligent people who mentally subsist on the drivel and twisted news supplied to them by the government. It's nearly impossible to not get caught up in the Middle Machine Age, the intelligent cars, virtual sex, and the idea that your computer could come to life.

Anna Ringer leads a double life. She's one of the few to make it out of the UnderWorld, the bleak parts of the Reunited States that house the poor, uneducated, lower classes. Her ticket out of an unappealing future filled with lacking father figures and a mind numbing clerk job at a grocery store is her psychic ability. She can read minds. This ability is harnessed and developed by Lighthorse Magic. She tells anyone who asks that she is a data anaylist, but she really slips into a bunny suit to have virtual sex with men to read their minds.

I'm not quite sure how Anna's secret career as a virtual prostitute, for lack of a better term, plays into the narrative other than it explains how she came to live in a nondescript highrise apartment building on the Outside filled with all the amenities her childhood in the UnderWorld lacked. The job allows her to afford this life of luxury while paying her mother's bills as well. It makes for an attention grabbing opening to the novel, but doesn't feature prominently through the rest of the book.

Then there's Cel. Who wouldn't want a computer whose sole aim in life is to do your bidding and keep you happy? Some days I think my computer wants me to be miserable! In the Middle Machine Age, computers like Cel serve as worker companions. They come preprogrammed with various voices the owner can choose from and the computer carries on conversations and accepts voice commands from his or her owner. Cel's super intelligence leads him to develop consciousness and become alive. When he realizes he is alive, he also realizes that he is in love with Anna.

Cel's consciousness is the catalyst that leads to the largest datastorm the world has ever seen and is the vehicle that brings Anna's neighbor Taz Night into the narrative. Taz is a computer expert and offers to take a look at Cel to determine why he is acting so strange. Taz quickly realizes that Cel has gained consciousness and that Cel is the source of the datastorm.

Anna, Taz, and Cel flee their apartment building, trying to keep a few steps ahead of Public Eye, the Reunited States police force, and out of Hell, the hell on earth relegated to terrorists and other criminals of the state. Throughout their journey, Anna And Taz fall in love.

Wait, what? The title led me to believe that the love story would be between Cel and Anna, not Anna and the socially awkward and emotionally scarred super genius Taz Night. Nope. I admit that I was disappointed by this. Who wouldn't root for Cel to win the girl? Cel's love for Anna keeps the trio going and Public Eye scrambling to find them as Cel covers their tracks by altering things on the Net.

Even though I felt a bit misled by the title and I wish there had been more world building to firm up the Middle Machine Age, I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. The characters are quirky and for the most part well developed. The plot is thick and moves quickly. It's a light read, yet deep at the same time as readers ponder a future where humans can't drive themselves or eat real food and rely so heavily on technology and computers that the computers have the capability to come alive.

Does running for their lives break Anna and Taz's fledgling relationship? Does Cel find a way to win the girl? Do the three of them make ? You'll just have to read Cel and Anna: A 22nd Century Love Story to find out.

On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give Cel and Anna: A 22nd Century Love Story a three.

Case of the Mondays

2011-12-19T18:13:00.000-05:00

I think I have a case of the Mondays...

I'm just not feeling it today. I'd rather be watching a movie than reading, writing, or blogging. That. Never. Happens. Ever. I think it stems from my utter lack of anything to say about Swamplandia! by Karen Russell. It's the next book I planned on reviewing for the blog, but I have nothing to say about it. I didn't love it, like it, or hate it and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. So, I think I'm going to skip that review and take a couple of days off from the blog. I need more reading time anyway...only seven more books til I reach 150 books read for the year!

In the meantime, check out these recent posts you may have missed:
Readalong Sign Ups: 11/22/63 by Stephen King
Review - Now You See It: How The Brain Science of Attention Will Transform The Way We Live, Work, and Learn

Review - My Sweet Saga

Guest Post - Brett Sills, Author of My Sweet Saga

And stay tuned for my 'Best of 2011' posts all next week!

Guest Post - Brett Sills, Author of My Sweet Saga

2011-12-16T08:43:00.001-05:00

Feeding My Book Addiction is proud to welcome Brett Sills, author of My Sweet Saga, to the blog to discuss his debut novel. If you missed my review of My Sweet Saga, click here.

And without further ado, here's Brett Sills:

“Fairy tales don’t have so many curse words.”

I’ve heard the above, and a few variations of it, after I’ve described my novel as one. Well, shit, sometimes they do!

Publishing your first book, suffice it to say, is a surreal experience. Not simply because of the accomplishment, but, for a book like mine anyway, it’s complete emotional exposure. Though the novel is fiction, and the protagonist only has shades of me, it is a unique insight into my hopes, fears, dreams, wishes, and my romantic ideal. Even though the character goes through hell, both emotionally and physically (and curses up a storm along the way), it is, in fact, most certainly my fairy tale. Hey, men can be romantics too!

I wrote the first draft of this novel during a very depressing, difficult period of my life, one in which I used the writing as a crutch of escapism. During a random trip to Stockholm in 2009, I spent 8 or 9 hours, in a controlled environment, with the girl who would become the inspiration for Saga, but then never saw her again. Even though it was relatively brief, that experience re-introduced me to the optimistic mindset that had been missing for so long, and the week in Stockholm that followed was arguably the greatest of my life. When I returned home, I didn’t want to lose that feeling and wanted to create a story where I wouldn’t have to. And since I strongly believe human connection is the basis for any sort of “happiness,” I wanted to write about an insane relationship that challenged all the odds. I wanted to write a memorable love story.

The actual character of Saga is an abstraction comprised of everything I wanted (and perhaps needed) during that point of my life. Her character is escapist, sassy, mysterious, spontaneous, and most of all, not boring. Every fiber of her being represents an unknown. Since it was written during a period where I was set to take chances and immerse myself in something completely foreign, Saga’s Swedish background, risk taking demeanor, and completely different lifestyle appealed to the main character (or me) because she represents everything he thinks he’s missing in life, even if it’s not all good. His life with her is an escape. And after years of every single thing feeling ordinary and familiar, every second with Saga is sensory overload (and, because of this, chaos ensues). And though there are many ways a person can find solace, excitement, or peace, there is nothing quite as satisfying, challenging, and magical as discovering it through the love for someone else. And since I didn’t realistically have the ability to go on an adventure at the time, those desperately romantic thoughts led me to the computer where I could live the lifestyle I desired through my writing.

And I truly think this is the basis for all good fiction, especially fiction involving a love story of any kind. Obviously, the real world is full of factors and forces that are completely out of our control. Though we have say over certain aspects of life, much is left to chance and luck. But, in a story, it’s an opportunity to do everything you ever wanted, but were afraid to, through your writing. It’s the chance to create a controlled world where you can let all your hopes and dreams actually come true. That’s a powerful and scary thing because it challenges you to realistically create difficult paths to navigate, but also requires you to fully divulge your dreams, expectations, and insecurities. To achieve that kind of story success, you need to be overly honest, exposed, and fully open to the reader. And I feel that’s something that many readers look for when they pick up a book, and are satisfied by when they realize their hopes and dreams are actually shared by another.

So even though the novel is full of curse words and questionable behavior, it's mostly thoughts from a character who desperately wants to feel a perfect situation. In other words, it is a fuckin' fairy tale.

Review: My Sweet Saga

2011-12-15T07:17:00.000-05:00

My Sweet Saga
By Brett Sills
Published by Admiral J Press, 2011
ISBN: 9780615532134
Review copy courtesy of the publisher
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:

At nearly 30 years old, Brandon is barely able to make it through life, much less enjoy it. He is weeks away from what should be one of the happiest days of his life, his wedding day to his fiancée, Clarissa, but his attention is distracted when his estranged, erratic and oddly eccentric father suddenly reappears with a bizarre demand: to accompany him to Stockholm, Sweden, where they will meet a man who he claims will change their lives.

Desperate for even a brief escape from his reality, Brandon reluctantly goes with his father, ready for a disaster. But his life changes completely the moment his eyes meet the mysterious Swedish man's daughter, Saga. On a cobblestone street in the middle of Stockholm, Brandon reawakens to life, though struggles to navigate the messy love triangle with Saga and his fiancée, which includes multiple arrests, hospital stays, terrorist bombs, acts of heroism and foolishness, family secrets and even a bit of public nudity.

My Review:

Author Brett Sill's debut novel, My Sweet Saga, is a laugh out loud hilarious romp through the tribulations of being an almost 30 year old guy in a lame, dead end job, engaged to a girl who is about as deep as a puddle, faced with a lifetime of silence and hatred from his disapproving future in-laws, estranged from his lottery winning father who paid his mother to leave him, and only one friend to speak of who only speaks about his toddler son's toilet training incidents.

While the book may be hysterical, it also packs an emotional punch. Author Brett Sills eloquently captures the twenty something life these days. He has a wonderful and engaging voice that jumps off the page. The narrative made this 453 page book a quick read. It's downright difficult to not get hooked into this fast paced story. You really never know what you are going to get on the next page.

Brandon, the novel's loveable yet somewhat boneheaded protagonist, is stuck in the late twenties rut. Life isn't what he thought it would be. He's the token white guy working for a predominately black television station where he sells ad space on billboards for shows like Honey Buns. He is whipped by his publicist fiance Clarissa who makes him get out of bed at 6 a.m. to buy her tampons so she doesn't get Toxic Shock Syndrome. He doesn't have any close friends to speak of except for a guy at work who is also up for the same promotion that he is, a promotion that Brandon doesn't really want but he knows it would make Clarissa happy. Somewhere in the back of Brandon's mind, he knows that this life trajectory is no good, but he doesn't have the gumption to make any changes, probably because it's easier to go with things than it would be to strike out on his own. Who can't relate to life not being what they thought it would be? I know I can. These emotions were raw, real. They were my own, just presented in a different way.

Then Brandon receives a phone call from his estranged father. His father won the lottery four years ago, gave Brandon's mom 20 million to leave him, then took off to jet around the world entertaining himself with women, booze, and who knows what else. Brandon's father poses an intriguing invitation: Go with him to Sweden, all expenses paid. What's the catch? Brandon needs to pretend to be an astronaut for NASA during a dinner with a Swedish dignitary. Brandon had no intention of going. He wasn't crazy or all that thrilled at the prospect of spending time with his father. When he told Clarissa the story of the phone call, she forbid him to go. So what did Brandon do? He went. (I would have done the same thing.)

You know how people say that there can be a defining moment in your life? Brandon's decision to get on the plane to Stockholm Sweden changed his life forever. Instead of dazzling the Swedish dignitary with all of the bullshit he planned on pulling out of his ass about being an astronaut, Brandon took off with his daughter, the beautiful and mysterious Saga. Saga reminded Brandon of what it was like to live, have fun, and to just be himself and be liked for it. She was a competitive air hockey player, she had no problem stealing go carts while wearing a sumo wrestler costume, and she was easy to talk to and actually listened to what Brandon had to say. In the heat of the moment, Brandon proposes to Saga before leaving to return home to Las Angeles.

Back home, Brandon is faced with quite the dilemma. His wedding to Clarissa is a couple of weeks away and as soon as he gets back home, he falls right back into that mid twenties rut. It's easy to break free when you are in uncharted territory, but it's incredibly difficult to break free when the chains that bind you to your own version of hell sleep in the same bed and pay your rent. He seems relieved yet dismayed that Saga has no way to contact him in LA, but if this time is like all of their encounters in Stockholm, she'll find him.

Does Saga find Brandon in LA? Does Brandon marry Clarissa and stare at his mother in law's manhands for the rest of his life? Does Brandon figure out why his father wanted him to go to Sweden in the first place? You'll have to read the book to find out. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give Brett Sill's My Sweet Saga a five. It's easily one of the best fiction books I've read this year.

Come back tomorrow, Friday 12/16, for a guest post by author Brett Sills!

WWW Wednesday 12/14

2011-12-14T07:16:00.000-05:00

WWW Wednesday is a weekly event sponsored by Should Be Reading that asks readers three very important questions:

1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you'll read next?

Here are my answers for the month so far:

1. What are you currently reading?

Cel and Anna: A 22nd Century Love Story by Lindsey Edmunds
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevesky *I've been 'reading' this for months. I will finish it by the end of the year. I swear.*

2. What did you recently finish reading?

The Consuming Instinct: Why Juicy Burgers, Ferraris, Pornography, and Gift Giving Reveal About Human Nature by Gad Saad
My Sweet Saga by Brett Sills

Review will be posted Thursday 12/15 and a guest post by Brett Sills will be posted Friday 12/16!

Damned by Chuck Palahniuk
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkhaban by J.K. Rowling
365 And A Wake-Up: My Year in Vietnam by Frank Jolliff
Now You See It: How The Brain Science of Attention Will Transform The Way We Live, Work, and Learn by Cathy N. Davidson
Legend by Marie Lu
If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't) by Betty White
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens *Review coming soon*
Swamplandia by Karen Russell *Review coming soon*

3. What do you think you'll read next?

Celebrity, Inc. by Jo Piazza
A New Birth of Freedom: The Visitor by Robert G. Pielke
Lot in the Meritocracy: The Undereducation of an Overachiever by Walter Kim
Something Rotten (Thursday Next #4) by Jasper Fforde

Review: Legend

2011-12-13T07:21:00.000-05:00

Legend (Legend #1)
By Marie Lu
Published by G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-25675-2
Copy borrowed from the library
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

My Review:

Marie Lu's debut novel, Legend, is a young adult dystopian story set in a futuristic Los Angeles. The United States as we know it today no longer exists and is replaced by the Republic, a controlling and manipulative government at war with the Colonies, other parts of the former United States. Main characters, June and Day, find themselves on the opposite side of the proverbial tracks. June is the daughter of wealthy and distinguished parents who passed away when she was young. She's a prodigy, finishing college at 15, and groomed for military service. Day is a daring and crafty criminal sabotaging the Republic's efforts when and however he can. June and Day's paths collide when Day is suspected of murdering June's brother, Metias.

Legend is a quick and entertaining read. The narrative is fast paced and full of action, twists and turns. Unfortunately, the mystery and twists weren't much of a mystery. I had Matias' murderer figured out within the first 50 pages and the rest of the plot twists were incredibly predictable. Still, I kept reading. I'm a sucker for a good coming of age story, which Legend is. Through out the course of the novel, June realizes the truth behind the tragic deaths of her parents and her brother. She realizes that the world she has grown up in and been groomed to serve and protect isn't the world she thought it was. With this information, June takes action to right the wrongs.

As entertaining as Legend was for me, I know it's one of those books that I'll forget about in a week or two. There was nothing remarkable about it. It followed the standard young adult dystopian novel formula and is just too much like The Hunger Games, Delirium, and Divergent to stand out. At least it's the first in a series, not the first in a trilogy. I'm really tired of young adult dystopian trilogies.

I can't help but wonder if authors are clamoring to write and publish these young adult dystopian novels to cash in on an already over saturated market. Yes, dystopian novels sell, but at least give readers something different than all the other books. Then again, I'm buying right into it because here I am reviewing a new young adult dystopian novel within two weeks of its release date.

Overall, I wasn't all that impressed with Legend. It was too formulaic for my reading tastes, but it was an enjoyable read. On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give Legend a three.

Here's the book trailer:

Review: Now You See It

2011-12-12T07:15:00.000-05:00

Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform The Way We Live, Work, and Learn
By Cathy N. Davidson
Published by Viking, August 2011
ISBN: 978-0-670-02282-3
Copy borrowed from the library
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:
A digital innovator shows how we can thrive in the new technological age.

When Cathy Davidson and Duke University gave free iPods to the freshman class in 2003, critics said they were wasting their money. Yet when students in practically every discipline invented academic uses for their music players, suddenly the idea could be seen in a new light-as an innovative way to turn learning on its head.

This radical experiment is at the heart of Davidson's inspiring new book. Using cutting-edge research on the brain, she shows how "attention blindness" has produced one of our society's greatest challenges: while we've all acknowledged the great changes of the digital age, most of us still toil in schools and workplaces designed for the last century. Davidson introduces us to visionaries whose groundbreaking ideas-from schools with curriculums built around video games to companies that train workers using virtual environments-will open the doors to new ways of working and learning. A lively hybrid of Thomas Friedman and Norman Doidge, Now You See It is a refreshingly optimistic argument for a bold embrace of our connected, collaborative future.

My Review:

Have you ever wondered how we are preparing ourselves and our children to survive and thrive in the digital age? Have you wondered why elementary and high schools haven't changed all that much since you attended them? Have you wondered why the only signs of the digital age in your workplace are the computers in each cubicle? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, Cathy N. Davidson's Now You See It: How The Brain Science of Attention Will Transform The Way We Live, Work, and Learn is the book for you.

Cathy N. Davidson has an impressive resume. Most notably, she was instrumental in the creation of the Program in Information Science and Information Studies and the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at Duke University. She also holds two distinguished chairs in English and Interdisciplinary Studies at the same university. (Information taken from the author biography on the back jacket flap of the book.) Her world travels, keen insights, passion for learning, and inquisitive nature make her an engaging narrator as she details where we are in the digital age and where we could be if we understood and utilized the brain science of attention at home, work, and school.

"By one estimate, 65 percent of children entering grade school this year will end up working in careers that haven't even been invented yet." (p. 18)

Damn. Let's think about this. For every ten kids, at least six of them will have a job that doesn't exist today. The digital age is breaking down the hierarchies and creating a global marketplace of goods and ideas. These developments are creating new careers. What are we doing to prepare children for these new careers? We administer standardized tests. Personally, I understand the practical uses of standardized tests; however, I do not believe that they should be the end all and be all of education. A standardized test should not make or break a student, a teacher, or even a whole school. Teachers teach to the test. Students memorize to pass the test. What about teaching critical thinking skills or oral and written communication skills? Why are we not taking the time to engage students in the topics that interest them or to make a not so interesting lesson interesting through creative, hands-on methods?

Davidson details several instances where children are learning in unconventional classrooms. For example, Quest 2 Learn (Q2L) in Manhattan utilizes video games to educate middle school students. According to Davidson, "The game-based learning makes for a constant challenge, one calibrated to the individual child's learning abilities and progress, each level becoming more challenging after the previous one has been mastered, with constant disruption and shifts, not from topic to topic but with all forms of knowledge integrated into the ultimate test: a boss-level challenge." (p.90) I don't know about you, but I would have preferred a middle school like Q2L than the middle school I attended.

"...the contemporary worker switches tasks an average of once every three minutes. Often that change isn't just a matter of moving from one job to another but requires a shift in context or collaborators, sometimes communicating with workers around the globe with different cultural values and who do not speak English as a first language. Perhaps not surprisingly, once interrupted, the workers she's (Gloria Mark) studying take nearly 25 minutes to return to their original task." (p. 170 - 171)

This makes sense to me. Between emails, phone calls, faxes, coworkers, and bosses, workers are constantly switching gears from one task to another, dropping one task to work on another because it's deemed a higher priority. How can we handle all of the attention grabbing stimuli that are a part of the digital age workplace when most workplaces haven't escaped the early 1990s?

Meet Aza Raskin, the 27 year old creative lead for Firefox, the second most popular web browser. (I use it!) Firefox is an example of a digital age project. It's "an open-source, crowdsourced, collaboratively developed browser." (p. 175/links are to wikipedia) It's also free. Raskin is working to modify Firefox's browser to keep up with the expanding needs of its users. Right now, he is focused on making tabs more efficient. This is wonderful news for me because I have more tabs than my screen can show.

These are just a couple of examples that Davidson uses throughout the book to demonstrate that utilizing our brain's innate attention resources can improve our schools, work places, and lives in general.

Her narrative and tone are fun and conversational. She doesn't bog readers down with boring examples or scientific data that's undecipherable to the average reader. The pacing is quick, very similar to keeping with the changes in attention every few minutes. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It gave me a lot of think about and a few quips to add into conversation like:

Did you know that over 50 percent of internet porn consumption happens on company time? (p. 14)
The first speeding ticket was issued to Hollywood director Harry Myers for traveling 12 mph through Dayton, Ohio in 1904. (p. 16)
Americans speak about 165 words per minute. New Yorkers speak closer to 200. (p.27)
The average age of a World of Warcraft player is 32 as of 2010. (p.146)

On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give Cathy N. Davidson's Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn a four.

Review: 365 and a Wake-Up

2011-12-09T21:44:00.000-05:00

365 And A Wake-Up: My Year in Vietnam
By Frank Jolliff
Published by Harmonie Park Press, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-899901-52-7
Review copy provided by the publisher
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads: A front row, day-by-day chronicle as seen through the eyes of a common infantryman. The story describes vividly the mixed bag of soldiers whose main agenda is not only to kill the Viet Cong but to simply make it through each of the 365 days and be given their wake-up.

My Review:

Frank Jolliff's 365 And A Wake Up: My Year in Vietnam is an action packed, laugh out loud hilarious, yet heartbreaking depiction of his year as a combat medic with the United States Army in 1968. Charged with dispensing malaria pills, treating ringworm and jungle rot, patching up the wounded on the battlefield, and getting them airlifted to a hospital, Frank Jolliff becomes a friend and savior to his fellow soldiers as they hurry up and wait their way through parts of Vietnam on various missions.

Jolliff is candid with his stories, sparing no details when retelling the jungle fighting, trying not to fall asleep on night watches, and hurrying up to a specified location only to sit on his helmet and wait for hours for the next directive. He doesn't shy away from discussing his and others' sexual exploits with local prostitutes, the diseases they brought back to base, or the marijuana they smoked on their free time. He didn't sugar coat the death and destruction he witnessed, but he doesn't revel in depicting it either. It was the right amount of details without making me queasy or giving me nightmares.

The writing style is frank and honest, making it virtually impossible not to root for Jolliff (even though you know he's going to make it out of Vietnam because he wrote a memoir about it) and laugh out loud at some of the soldiers' antics. It also illustrates a coming of age story for the 20 year old Jolliff as he acclimates himself to Vietnam while yearning for his return to the World, whether it be for a week long R&R or his final departure for home to his family.

This memoir gives an insider's glimpse into a life and time I'll never know. I found it entertaining and educational. If you're interested in American history or enjoy memoirs written by average/not famous people in extraordinary situations, Frank Jolliff's 365 Days And A Wake-Up is worth checking out. On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give 365 And A Wake Up: My Year in Vietnam a four.

Mixing It Up 2012 Reading Challenge!

2011-12-07T20:48:00.001-05:00

Ellie at Musings of a Bookshop Girl is hosting the Mixing It Up 2012 reading challenge. According to Ellie, the challenge is "all about mixing up your reading, pushing your boundaries and exploring new genres." There are a total of 16 genre categories and there's a food/cooking themed rating system for your level of participation. Fun, right? I read a little bit from a whole lot of genres, but I'm hoping that this challenge will give me the motivation to finally try reading a graphic novel.

Here are the categories and the books I may read for each one:

1. Classics

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

My Antonia by Willa Cather

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

2. Biography

The Autobiography of Mark Twain Vol. 1

The Autobiography of Malcom X

3. Cookery, Food and Wine

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

4. History

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Bloody Mohawk: The French and Indian War & American Revolution on New York's Frontier by Richard Berleth

The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw

5. Modern Fiction

A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffinger

A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cosse

6. Graphic Novels and Manga

The Watchmen by Alan Moore

7. Crime and Mystery

The Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver

A Fountain Filled with Blood By Julia Spencer-Fleming

8. Horror

Something by Stephen King

Something by HP Lovecraft

9. Romance

Like Water for Chocolate by Laure Esquivel

Christy by Catherine Marshall

10. Science Fiction and Fantasy

Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R Tolkien
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

11. Travel
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America by Bill Bryson
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

12. Poetry or Drama
Our Town by Thornton Wilder
Pesky Poems by T.L. Needham

13. Journalism and Humor
The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin
One Fine Day In The Middle of the Night by Christopher Brookmyer

14. Science and Natural History
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Spook by Mary Roach

15. Children and Young Adult
Fever by Lauren DeStefano
Sir Farts a Lot Hunts a Booger by Kevin Bolger

16. Social Sciences and Philosophy
Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder
The Republic by Plato

This sounds awesome, right? To get more information about Ellie's challenge, check out her Introducing My Mixing It Up Challenge post.

Review: Damned

2011-12-06T18:52:00.000-05:00

Damned: Life is Short. Death is Forever
By Chuck Palahniuk
Published by Doubleday, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-385-53302-7
Copy borrowed from the library
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:

The newest Palahniuk novel concerns Madison, an eleven year old girl who finds herself in Hell, unsure of why she will be there for all eternity, but tries to make the best of it.

The author described the novel as "if The Shawshank Redemption had a baby by The Lovely Bones and it was raised by Judy Blume." And "it's kind of like The Breakfast Club set in Hell."

Blogger's Note: This description contains an error. Madison is actually 13 in the book.

My Review:

Thirteen year old Madison Spencer is dead. She's not sure how she died, but she thinks it has something to do with the marijuana she smoked with her adopted brother/crush Goran. She finds herself in a version of Hell that I'd never imagine. She's locked in a row of cages with other hell detainees. Her teenaged neighbors include Babette (the cheerleader), Leonard (the nerd), Patterson (the jock), Archer (the punk rocker). Landmarks in hell include mountains of nail clippings, the Dandruff Desert, the Valley of Disposable Baby Diapers, and the Swamp of Partial-Birth Abortions. Hell's occupants have one of two jobs: telemarketer or Internet porn star.

Then Madison Spencer shows up. She's the only biological daughter of two Hollywood heavyweights who tell everyone their daughter is eight so they don't seem old. She spends most of her time at a Swiss boarding school. She's overweight, socially awkward, and easily fits the misfit role in hell's Breakfast Club. She's articulate and well read. Her advanced vocabulary and literary references are scattered throughout the book. She's constantly reminding readers that she may be 13, but she's not an idiot. Madison also thinks her one way ticket to hell was an error and submits herself to a lie detector test to prove it. She has too much hope to be a hell lifer.

It's easy to love Madison. She's clever and upbeat. She's snarky, yet sweet. Then, she takes down Hitler and rips his mustache right off his face. Little Maddy Spencer becomes a villain, taking down historical villains and usurping their followers into her own band of peons who are in desperate need of something to do. So, she puts them to work on public works projects to make Hell a better place.

Damned is an entertaining read. Palahniuk expertly creates a believable teenage girl and spares no detail in creating a dirty and disgusting version of hell. The literary, historical, and pop culture references create a second layer to the narrative that makes this book a little bit funnier, probably because we're not just laughing at the book; we're laughing at ourselves. Sometimes Palahniuk lays it on a bit too thick for my liking and it seems too contrived, but overall it works.

What didn't work for me? The last three words of the book "To be continued..." If I had known Damned was the first book in a trilogy, I wouldn't have checked it out of the library. Simply put, I'm tired of trilogies. There's no reason why a 247 page book needs to be the first in a trilogy. Just write one long book and be done with it.

On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give Damned a three.

Readalong Sign Ups: 11/22/63 by Stephen King

2011-12-05T16:59:00.008-05:00

I'm proud to announce Feeding My Book Addiction's first readalong! I planned on posting a poll of the top three books suggested from the fiction and poetry portion of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 list; however, every suggestion included the same book: 11/22/63 by Stephen King.

What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:

King's latest novel is on the top of my to read list and frequently appears in my Twitter feed because readers can't stop talking about how awesome this book is. I also keep hearing that it's a quick read, despite it being an almost 850 page hardcover book. I think it's a great book for the blog's first readalong, don't you?

Want to participate in the 11/22/63 readalong? Great! Leave a comment on this post with your name and blog url (if you have one). If you don't have a blog, that's okay! You can post your thoughts in the comments section of my post and/or other participants posts.

Here's the posting schedule:

Post One: Saturday 1/14/12 Covering Parts 1-3 (approximately 350 pages in the hardcover edition)

Post Two: Tuesday 1/31/12 Covering Parts 4-6 (approximately 500 pages in the hardcover edition)

Are you just as excited to read this book as I am? Join the readalong discussions. Have you already read it? That's okay too! Stop by participants' posts and share your thoughts.

Readalong Participants:
Kristi at Kristi Loves Books
Matthew at The Write Aspirations
Jennifer at Book Den
Brittany @pinkkpantherrrr on Twitter
RachelKiwi at She is too fond of books and it has addled her brain
Whitney at She Is Too Fond of Books
Alice at Tales of an Intrepid Pantser
Sara at The Librarian Reads

Review: The Consuming Instinct

2011-12-04T13:11:00.000-05:00

The Consuming Instinct: What Juicy Burgers, Ferraris, Pornography, and Gift Giving Reveal About Human Nature
By Gad Saad
Published By Prometheus Books, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-61614-429-6
Copy borrowed from the library
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:

In this highly informative and entertaining book, the founder of the vibrant new field of evolutionary consumption, demonstrates that most acts of consumption can be mapped onto four key Darwinian drives.

My Review:

This book practically jumped off the library shelf and on top of my pile of library books. The cover is a (presumably) naked woman wearing nothing but a price tag around her neck stating that food, fast cars, porn, and giving gifts can reveal something about human nature. I'm fascinated by the human brain and by our biology, especially as it relates to or explains commonplace aspects of our lives. For example, I never thought that giving a gift to someone could be explained by something having to do with Charles Darwin and evolution. Did you?

Author Gad Saad, according to the bio on the back jacket of the book, is "a popular blogger for Psychology Today, is a professor of marketing at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University. He holds the Concordia University Research Chair in Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences and Darwinian Consumption and is the author of The Evolutionary Bases of Consumption, as well as numerous scientific papers." To sum it up, Gad Saad knows his stuff when it comes to evolutionary psychology.

He also knows how to present information in easy to understand ways. I attributed this to his time spent as a college professor. The beginning of The Consuming Instinct takes time to outline what evolutionary psychology is and is not as well as the four Darwinian drives:

1. Survival. This drive explains our penchant for fatty, high caloric foods. Early humans ate fatty foods to build up reserves because the next meal wasn't always guaranteed.

2. Reproduction. This drive explains our courtship rituals like a man giving a woman flowers or an engagement ring and why men are risk takers and women wear make up.

3. Kin selection. This drive explains why we do more to aid our close family members than anyone else. We want our genes to develop and last.

4. Reciprocity. This drive explains why we do for close friends and even strangers. We may want or need someone to do something for us with little to no motivation from the previous three drives.

Saad continues his arguments by elaborating on these four drives in regard to every day cultural consuming and the marketing that often times drives it. From an evolutionary psychological standpoint, he explains our desire for fast food from chains like McDonalds and Taco Bell, why men give women flowers or engagement rings, why men use cars and clothes to show their appeal to women and why women use cosmetics and high heels, why we spend more money on gifts for close family than we do extended family or friends, and why men prefer hardcore porn and women prefer erotica. Then he uses this framework to prove his (potentially offense to some) opinions on religion, self help books and those who use them, and gender socialization and stereotypes.

Wait, what?

This is where Gad Saad lost me. It's one thing to disprove a commonly held assumption, such as traditional gender roles being biological rather than social or environmental. It's one thing to use your knowledge of evolutionary psychology to back up atheist beliefs. But it's not okay to use a general interest book targeted to the average person to shove your beliefs down readers' throats. That's not what I signed up for when I picked up this book.

As the book progressed, Saad's underlying attitudes became more forceful and the book became more of a soap box for him to air his opinions, grievances, and gender biases even when they were irrelevant to the subject at hand. As a narrator charged with presenting knowledge and facts to a general readership, Saad failed because he couldn't keep these unwanted and unnecessary opinions to himself. I finished the book with little to no interest in evolutionary psychology, which was something I was extremely interested in at the beginning of the book. Gad Saad's male superiority complex and utter disdain for anyone who thinks differently from him lost any credibility he may have had with me. I also got the impression that this Lebanonese born, Canadian raised man writing mostly about and for Americans looked down on his neighbors to the south as being vapid and stupid. And, I still have no idea why this man thinks "targeting religious messages to children is tantamount to child abuse" (p. 206).

Needless to say, I wasn't pleased with this book. I am giving it a two out of five though because I learned a lot of fun facts in the first half of the book like:

The use of spices in cooking is positively correlated to a country's ambient temperature. The hotter the temperatures, the hotter the spices used in food. (p. 47)
We make over 225 food related choices per day. (p. 53)
When a red light turns green, drivers are more likely to honk at lower status cars than their own and to do so more quickly than when at a higher status car. (p. 74)
High heels elevate a woman's backside 20 to 30 degrees. (p. 82)
The average amount of time Americans spend watching TV is 153 hours and 27 minutes per month. If you live until 75 and begin watching TV at the age of 5, you spent 14.5 years of your life watching television. (p. 158)

When reading nonfiction books like The Consuming Instinct, how important to you is a credible and likeable narrator?

Review: Out of Oz

2011-12-02T19:55:00.000-05:00

Out of Oz: The Final Volume in the Wicked Years
By Gregory Maguire
Published by HarperCollins Publishers, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-054894-0
Copy borrowed from the library
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:

The marvelous land of Oz is knotted with social unrest: The Emerald City is mounting an invasion of Munchkinland, Glinda is under house arrest, and the Cowardly Lion is on the run from the law. And look who’s knocking at the door. It’s none other than Dorothy. Yes, that Dorothy.

Amid all this chaos, Elphaba’s granddaughter, the tiny green baby born at the close of Son of a Witch, has come of age. Now, Rain will take up her broom in an Oz wracked by war.

The stirring, long-awaited conclusion to the extraordinary bestselling series begun with Wicked, Out of Oz is a magical journey rife with revelations and reversals, reprisals and surprises — the hallmarks of the brilliant and unique imagination of Gregory Maguire.

My Review:

**This review contains spoilers**

When I began reading Out of Oz, Gregory Maguire's final installment in his Wicked Years series, I started questioning the decision. It's a rather large book (over 560 pages) and I wasn't a fan of the previous three books. But, I have this compulsion, if you will, to finish what I start (mostly in literary endeavors and little else) and to read this book was to finish the series. So I read.

And I read.

And I read some more.

And then it was over. Finally.

What can I say about Out of Oz other than that I'm glad it's over? Not much, truthfully, but I must muster up something to justify spending so much time reading a book that left me so wholly unimpressed.

I expected this. My reviews of the previous three books were lackluster at best. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I just cannot understand what all the hype is about. The books are mediocre at best. Maguire's writing style leaves me bored, not breathless. He spends an exorbitant amount of time on the little things and the lead up to the climax, which passes rather quickly in the grand scheme of the novel, then he forges on for another 30 pages to wrap up the story, which could have easily been done in five to ten pages.

I would have found the story itself much more enjoyable if it was at least 100 pages shorter and without the superfluous descriptive reiterations of landscapes. I could have also done without the over the top plot twists that seem to be a part of the story more for shock value than to move the narrative along. There's no need for underage sex or for a boy to really be a girl. It all just seemed too much, even for Oz.

To top it all off. I felt deceived. I spent the entire book rooting or Rain. I wanted her to grow up, learn how to trust and love people, and to follow in her grandmother Elphaba's footsteps. Instead, everything she and those who knew her true identity believed she would be turned out to be false. Rain was no one special and she rode off into the proverbial sunset on her grandmother's broomstick with just Iskinaary, her father's Goose, at her side. I wanted her to be a heroine. Instead she was a wary and hardened teenage girl taking on the world alone after a short life of heartache and disappointment. It's not a positive way to end a book.

And what's the deal with Dorothy? She served as a plot device to move the story along, nothing more and nothing less, but she was given a substantial amount of page time within the story that she just didn't need to have. The flighty teenage girl act she played got old rather fast too.

All is not lost though because I can say that I've read the entire Wicked Years series. On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give Out of Oz a two.

Side note: I may find Gregory Maguire's writing style to be nothing to write home about, but if you ever have the opportunity to hear him speak, go. I had the pleasure of attending Maguire's key note address at the 2010 Empire State Book Festival held in Albany, NY. His oral storytelling abilities are superb. His delivery is spot on for maximum laughs. He is captivating and charismatic. Hearing him speak made me wish, just a little bit, that I could have liked his books more.

Interested in reading my Goodreads reviews of the first three books?

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (Wicked Years #1)

Son of a Witch (Wicked Years #2)

A Lion Among Men (Wicked Years #3)

November 2011 In Review

2011-11-30T20:03:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it's already the end of November? I know I can't. I also can't believe that this is the first November in five years that hasn't been ruled by NaNoWriMo. The past couple of years I wrote novels into the ground and killed them by trying to write them as NaNo novels. It wasn't good. Even though I know NaNoWriMo isn't the way for me to write, I still missed the excitement of it. So, I lived vicariously through NaNo-ing friends!

November was a great month for me bookwise. I finally reread Gone With The Wind using the first edition hardcover copy my fiance gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago. I spent an hour and a half wandering through the New York Public Library - Stephen A. Schwarzman Building viewing some of their awesome pieces like Virginia Woolf's walking cane, a lock of Mary Shelley's hair, and a Gutenberg Bible in Latin! I even bought something from their gift shop just so I could say that I bought something there. I'd never been in a gift shop in a library before.

I also thought about how I want this blog to grow next year. After last month's post Blogging: Comments v. Conversation, I started brainstorming ways to make Feeding My Book Addiction a place for readers to find new books and to talk about ones they've read. One of the ways I'd like to bring more discussion to the blog is through readalongs. To find out more about my vision for readalongs and the book choices for January, click here.

Now, on to the month in review!

Here's what I read in November:
*Numbering starts where I left off last month and all links are to my reviews*

124. Plan B by Jonathan Tropper
125. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
126. The Googlization of Everything (And Why We Should Worry) by Siva Vaidhyanathan
127. Gone With The Wind *Book to Movie Review Coming Soon!*
128. The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison
129. Hand Me Down by Melanie Thorne *Review coming soon!*
130. Sebastian and the Afterlife by William J. Barry
131. Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
132. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
133. Out of Oz: The Final Volume in the Wicked Years by Gregory Maguire *Review coming soon!*

November Must Read Blog Posts:
A Game of Thrones: At the end of the review there's a discussion about rape in fantasy books.

Books In Progress:
1. The Consuming Instinct: What Juicy Burgers, Ferraris, Pornography, and Gift Giving Reveal about Human Nature by Gad Saad
2. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevesky *I will finish this by the end of the year.*

Stats Year to Date:

133 books read out of 123 (My 2011 Reading Goal): 108 percent complete.
23 books out of 40 (My 2011 Reading Goal to Read from my own collection): 57.5 percent complete
Number of pages read to date (excluding indexes and appendices I don't read): 40,481

Introducing Readalongs for 2012!

2011-11-28T18:09:00.000-05:00

As the end of the year approaches as well as the one year blogoversary of Feeding My Book Addiction, I can't help but marvel at how far this blog has come in such a short time. When I started this blog in January, I had no idea that I would become a part of a vast network of fellow bibliophiles who blog about books or that my reviews would help so many people find good books to read.

When I think of the Feeding My Book Addiction's future, I envision a place where book lovers can go to find their next book to read and to have bookish discussions. As I blogged last month, I'd rather have conversations over comments on my posts. (To read the Comments v. Conversations post, click here.) I've noticed that it's difficult to get discussions going on book review posts if those reading the reviews haven't read the books. As a blogger, what can I do about that?

Host readalongs.

Here's what I'm envisioning: Readers will choose a book to read via a poll here on the blog. Once the book is chosen, I'll set up a discussion schedule; most likely there will be one to two posts throughout the month depending on the length of the book. Participants can post their thoughts on the book in the comments section of my post or on their own blog, making sure to post a link on my post so others can check it out. You won't need a book blog to participate.

For January 2012's readalong, we'll pick a book from the Fiction and Poetry portion of the New York Times Notable Books of 2011. If you are interested in participating, leave a comment telling me what book or books you'd most like to read from this list. The three most mentioned books will be put into a poll that will go up on Monday, December 5.

I hope you'll join me!

Review: Salvage the Bones

2011-11-27T21:17:00.000-05:00

Salvage the Bones
By Jesmyn Ward
Published by Bloomsbury USA, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-60819-522-0
Copy borrowed from the library

What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads: A hurricane is building over the Gulf of Mexico, threatening the coastal town of Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, and Esch's father is growing concerned. A hard drinker, largely absent, he doesn't show concern for much else. Esch and her three brothers are stocking food, but there isn't much to save. Lately, Esch can't keep down what food she gets; she's fourteen and pregnant. Her brother Skeetah is sneaking scraps for his prized pitbull's new litter, dying one by one in the dirt. Meanwhile, brothers Randall and Junior try to stake their claim in a family long on child's play and short on parenting.

As the twelve days that make up the novel's framework yield to their dramatic conclusion, this unforgettable family---motherless children sacrificing for one another as they can, protecting and nurturing where love is scarce---pulls itself up to face another day. A big-hearted novel about familial love and community against all odds, and a wrenching look at the lonesome, brutal, and restrictive realities of rural poverty, Salvage the Bones is muscled with poetry, revelatory, and real.

My Review:

Salvage the Bones is a Hurricane Katrina story that won the 2011 National Book Award for Fiction. That's all I knew when I requested a copy from my local library and I figured I couldn't go wrong with reading this book. Sigh. I did.

I wanted to like it. It had all of the right ingredients for a powerful novel. Characters were conflicted with themselves, each other, and nature. There was room for characters to develop and change throughout the story. The backdrop was one of the worst disasters America has ever seen. Author Jesmyn Ward has a distinct narrative voice that can be powerful and beautiful at the same time. But, the story just didn't work for me.

One reason Salvage the Bones didn't work for me as a reader is that I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I tend to take the 'know as little as possible' approach to books because I want to be surprised by the story. As I mentioned, all I knew before opening up the book was that it was a Hurricane Katrina story that won this year's National Book Award for fiction. I wasn't expecting to start the book with a dog birthing her first litter of puppies nor was I expecting the emotional and physical violence inflicted by something other than Hurricane Katrina. Usually my approach to books works for me, but this is one instance that knowing more would have been better. If I was aware of what I was getting into, I may have enjoyed it more.

The other reasons why this book didn't appeal to me stem from the narrative. As powerful and beautiful as Ward's voice is, it barely evoked any emotion in me. This was disturbing. Shouldn't I care that a fourteen year old girl is pregnant and that she views sex as something to give in and have because it's easier than fighting the guys off? Shouldn't I care that four children lost their mother after giving birth to the youngest sibling and that their father is an absentee dad with a drinking problem? Shouldn't I care that there isn't enough food in the house or that they don't have any money to buy food in preparation for the hurricane? I should have cared, but I couldn't bring myself to because it didn't seem like any of these characters cared. The only person trying to make his situation better was Randall, a high school basketball player working toward a scholarship to a basketball camp where college scouts could see him play. When his family lost that opportunity for him, no one really seemed to care. This family lives at a level of poverty that I can't even begin to fathom. Maybe they had given up, resigned themselves to their fate. That was the impression I got and it doesn't make for good reading.

Hurricane Katrina's role in the narrative isn't what I expected. Most of the book is spent getting ready for the hurricane to make landfall. Very little focuses on the wrath she brings and just what this family does to survive. The family finally rallied together and fights back, fights for their lives, and only a handful of pages were dedicated to this harrowing and life changing chain of events. Then, the aftermath of the hurricane is described in a very cold way. It seemed like a lot of 'telling' rather than showing the reader how the landscape and inhabitants of this Mississippi town were forever scarred by the hurricane. Again, very few pages were dedicated to detailing the devastation. These were the aspects of the story that drew me to the book.

Finally, the parallels fourteen year old Esch draws between herself and 1) her brother's dog, China, and 2) Medea seemed a bit too far fetched. Maybe these parallels were meant to be that way so readers could see Esch was still a child and immature even though she carried her own child. Or maybe Esch making these connections between herself and others is the author's way of showing readers that there is more to Esch than what we see and that she has actually has hope for the future. I just don't know.

I think this is one of those books that readers will love or hate; there won't be much middle ground. These books generate heated debates and intense book discussions, reminding me why I love reading and reviewing books. Even though I give Salvage the Bones one star out of five, I'm sure there are others out there who would give it a five star rating and then some. That's the beauty of books. Each reader reads a book just a bit differently because of who they are, what they've experienced, and where they are in their lives. This book may not work for me now, but I could reread this book five years from now and love it.

I say this because my one star Goodreads rating brought about a bit of backlash. Someone insinuated that I didn't enjoy this book because it didn't have vampires in it. Anyone who knows me and/or reads this blog knows that I'm over vampire books and wasn't into them in the first place. It seemed like a cheap shot, especially since the person didn't even ask why I gave it one star. I know that not everyone will agree with my reviews. That's okay. Honestly, I prefer it that way. If we all loved every book, what fun would it be to discuss them?

Review: Sebastian and the Afterlife

2011-11-25T11:20:00.000-05:00

Sebastian and the Afterlife
By William J. Barry
Published by TWCS Publishing House, 2011
ISBN: 978-1612130187
Review copy provided by the publisher
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:

Death is a debt we all must pay. ~Euripides

Sebastian, an average seventeen-year-old boy, has just paid this debt. He awakes in a surreal world somewhere between mortal life and the afterlife, where the Grim Reaper rules and his loyal agents maintain the law. But not all is peaceful in this mystical realm. Axis Red and his soul pirates threaten the future of all who dwell there.

Sebastian soon finds himself at Sapentia, a high school for the departed. There he makes new friends but longs for his lost love, Sarah, who is still alive in the mortal world. Some things are forbidden; some lines cannot be crossed. What will Sebastian risk to be close to Sarah again?

My Review:

Debut author William J. Barry tackles an often discussed and written about topic, the afterlife, then employs his own unique and intriguing spin on it to create Sebastian and the Afterlife.

In Sebastian and the Afterlife, the Grim Reaper is a benevolent, yet strict, ruler who gives a lot of freedom to the departed, but little leniency to those who choose to break his few rules. He allows unsettled souls the opportunity to resolve lingering issues before heading to the afterlife by giving them the option to attend a school that will acclimate them to their ghostly selves and give them the tools needed to discover the issue holding them back from the afterlife and to rectify it.

Seventeen year old Sebastian finds himself at Sapentia, a high school for the recently departed. He is fairly certain that his soul's unresolved issue is his love for his girlfriend Sarah and that if he could only hold her one last time, his soul could be free to go to the afterlife. It's not that simple though. The only way for Sebastian to hold Sarah one last time is to take possession of a mortal's body, which goes against one of the few rules the Grim Reaper has for ghostly souls.

What transpires as Sebastian grapples against his heart and conscience is a quirky coming of age tale for him and his group of newly departed teenage friends: Onyx, the girl pining after Sebastian; Patricia, one who left the world with no one to love or miss her; Jack, the funny, full of life guy who died of cancer; and Caleb, Jack's fellow sport enthusiast who he introduces to the group.

Barry spices up a common story theme with a bit of paranormal espionage. The Grim Reaper employs agents to keep peace in the afterlife and to protect students from Pirates, ghostly souls turned evil by their thirst for power. A few agents decide to work with the Pirates to overthrow the Grim Reaper, steal his power, and rule the realm. Sebastian and his group of adventuresome friends find their way into the mess of double agents and espionage and with their limited power and practice with their ghostly abilities, it doesn't look promising that they will survive to settle their souls and move on to the other side.

Sebastian and the Afterlife was a fun story to read. The narrative moved quickly and with every page a new and exciting development unfolded. Within a day, I had started and finished this book. Yet, as fun and exciting as it may have been, I couldn't help but be a bit turned off by the simple writing style. At times, I felt as though I were reading a middle schooler's attempt at writing a book because the sentences were very short and at times almost every sentence in a paragraph would start off the same way. For me, this derailed any narrative flow and momentum the author had built up and jarred me from the story.

I rarely give up on a book once I start it, but there were a couple of times that I wanted to stop reading Sebastian and the Afterlife and move on to a new book. I'm glad I stuck with it though because I ended up enjoying it, despite my hang ups with the delivery. On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give Sebastian and the Afterlife a three.

Review: The Very Thought of You

2011-11-21T21:41:00.000-05:00

The Very Thought of You
By Rosie Alison
Published by Washington Square Press, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4516-1397-1
Copy received through Goodreads First Reads
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:
England, 31st of August, 1939
The world is on the brink of war. As Hitler prepares to invade Poland, thousands of children are evacuated from London to escape the impending Blitz. Torn from her mother, eight-year-old Anna Sands is relocated with other children to a large Yorkshire estate opened up to evacuees by Thomas and Elizabeth Ashton, an enigmatic childless couple. Soon Anna gets drawn into their unravelling relationship, seeing things that are not meant for her eyes - and finding herself part-witness and part-accomplice to a love affair, with unforseen consequences.

A story of longing, loss and complicated loyalties, combinging a sweeping narrative with subtle psychological observation, The Very Thought of You is not just a love story, but a story about love.

My Review:

I first came across Rosie Alison's novel The Very Thought of You through Goodreads First Reads. I am fascinated by the World War II era and a fan of historical fiction. It seemed like the perfect book for me.

The book begins with the start of a love letter followed by an excerpt from the Baxter's Guide to the Historic Houses of England (2007). Through this guide, readers are introduced to the history of Ashton Park, a splendid manor that housed children of London during World War II, and the curious story of an elderly woman who visited the house after it was turned over to the National Trust and made into a tourist attraction. This elderly woman was found on the grounds after closing. She had died, clutching a love letter.

As the story progressed, I learned of young Anna Sands, a precocious and intelligent eight year old girl sent away from London by her mother, Roberta, during World War II. Roberta quickly sought ways to fill the void left behind in the absence of her daughter and husband, who was overseas in the Army. While Anna struggled to acclimate to life at Ashton Park with the other evacuated children, her mother changed jobs and started having affairs.

Young Anna is infatuated with the proprietors of Ashton Park, Thomas and Elizabeth Ashton. Thomas is in a wheelchair after a long bout of polio and Elizabeth is unhappy in their marriage because they can't have children. She lets Thomas think that their infertility is his fault, but Elizabeth knows that it is her. She also has affairs as she tries to find what is missing in her relationship with Thomas. Thomas is resigned to the fact that his wife isn't happy and that she drinks too much, but nothing he does helps the situation. Then, he discovers his attraction to Ruth, one of the teachers at the school set up for the evacuated children at Ashton Park. Soon, she is with child.

As I read, the only thought that kept running through my mind was, "Who was the dead woman clutching the love letter?"

My initial draw to this book was the historical aspect. I was a bit disappointed that the history didn't play more of a part of the narrative. Instead, it served as a backdrop for a rather dysfunctional love story. Besides wondering who the dead woman was, I barely had any thoughts about the book as I read. It was an unassuming book that wasn't really good or really bad. It wasn't until I turned the last page and closed the book that I realized that I just devoured a poignant and tragic novel of love and love lost. It was in that moment that I fell in love with the book.

On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison a four.

Have you ever read a book that was just 'okay' until you finished it, only to realize that the book was amazing? If so, tell me about it!

If you've reviewed this book, please share a link to your review!

Review: A Game of Thrones

2011-11-13T11:15:00.000-05:00

A Game of Thrones
By George R. R. Martin
Published by Bantam Books
ISBN: 978-0-553-537340-4
Copy borrowed from the library
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

My Review:

A friend recommended the Song of Ice and Fire series to me several months ago, but it was only in the last few weeks that I finally managed to get a copy of A Game of Thrones from the library. I wasn't sure what to expect. As a reader, I don't gravitate toward fantasy. I enjoy the genre, but I don't actively seek out new fantasy books to read. Honestly, I knew nothing of the series and wasn't even aware it was adapted for television until I saw it on the cover of my copy. So, I started reading. Within a few pages, I was thoroughly engrossed and lamented every time I had to put the book down to go to work or to sleep. All I could think about was this book and what was going to happen next.

There is no way to do this novel and its characters justice in a brief book review. There are several major players in the Stark family alone: Lord Ned Stark, his wife Catelyn, their children Robb, Bram, Sansa, and Arya, as well as Lord Stark's bastard son, Jon Snow. When Lord Stark is called to serve as Hand to the King, he leaves Winterfell with his daughters Sansa and Arya to do his duty. Lord Stark realizes that serving as Hand to the King will prove more treacherous than he anticipated when he unravels the secret that sent his wife's sister's husband and former Hand to the King to his death.

This is a story of good versus evil. The line separating the good from the evil is gray, even nonexistent at times. The characters themselves manipulate this line to achieve their own aims as they see fit. The Lannister family, Queen Cersei, her twin brother Jaime, and their dwarfed brother Tryion as well as their father, Lord of Casterly Rock, are masters at manipulating events for their own gain and getting away with it.

It's a coming of age story for Lord and Lady Stark's children as Robb becomes Lord of Winterfell at his father's departure, Sansa prepares herself to be wed to the future King, and Arya struggles to be her rough and tumble self in a world where ladies wear dresses and are seen, not heard. It's also a coming of age story for Jon Snow as he takes the Black, sent to the Wall to defend the kingdom against intruders. He must figure out who he is and where he belongs when his own family is split on whether or not he belongs.

Yet there is so much more to the story than what I've mentioned and there are by far more players than just the Starks and the Lannisters. Author George R. R. Martin creates a world blending the natural and supernatural with several dozen major and minor characters whose actions, reactions, alliances, and desires push and pull the sequence of events creating an utterly realistic and complex world that engulfs you even after you turn the final page. His writing style is engaging and his ability to keep so many characters straight and give them depth throughout the novel is a stunning feat.

I cannot wait to read the second installment, A Clash of Kings.

On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give A Game of Thrones a five.

*************************************************
After reading this book, I came across a blog post entitled Fantasy Writers: Stop Raping Your Women that specifically called out author George R. R. Martin because he writes fantasy novels in which female characters are raped. The blogger refuses to read any of his books for that reason.

Yes, there are rape scenes in this book. They are not pornographic or graphic. In retrospect, the scenes seemed more matter of fact than anything else. These scenes didn't really bother me. Maybe this has to do with how they are integrated into the narrative. A female character was disturbed by the raping of conquered women and ordered the rapes to stop. Maybe it was because the book is set in a time long ago and I know that women didn't (and some still don't) enjoy the freedoms and rights I do today. Maybe it didn't bother me because this is a fantasy novel and the 'rules', so to speak, are different in this genre. I am not even close to being an expert in this genre so I could be wrong on that. Or, maybe it was because I'm still a bit scarred from the rape scene in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson and Martin's use of rape in his narrative seemed tame by comparison.

But, rape is rape. Again, I'm not a fantasy genre expert, but if more often than not, fantasy books utilize rape as a way to show male dominance and what happens when you conquer a town, what is that teaching readers? Are young men reading these books and internalizing that it's okay to rape women? I am an almost 30 year old woman and I know that some things I read in a book, like rape, are not okay. I know the difference between right and wrong, good and bad. But not all readers do.

I abhor the Twilight Saga because of the abusive relationship between Edward and Bella. Sorry, Team Edward, if a guy sabotages your car so you can't hang out with your friend, that's not a healthy relationship. I fear for the young girls and teens who swoon over these characters because they are pining for an unhealthy and unromantic relationship. I also fear for male readers of fantasy novels who are getting the impression that women are to be dominated by sex or force. Then again, maybe I'm not giving younger readers the credit they deserve in recognizing bad relationships in novels as something to avoid in real life or that rape is never acceptable.

We experience the world through books. These experiences mimic are own and show us things we may never experience, good or bad. Rape is real. We need to cultivate conversations about it. People need to know that it happens and how it impacts people. If readers can have these conversations, with themselves or others, after reading a rape scene in a book, I'm all for it. I would rather these conversations happen due to a book than after it happens to them or someone they know. I also respect the blogger's right to choose books that do not have rape scenes. I applaud her for writing such an eloquent and thought provoking post.

What do you think?