Landline was not on my radar as a book I wanted to read until I noticed it on the Goodreads site as one of the best books of 2015. Actually, I had to search quite a few bookstores for it. I figured because of its popularity it would be a good read. I was looking forward to it.
I really enjoyed the premise of the book. I can see why it was so popular with readers, and I can say those who read the book most likely lay in the "Housewife" margin. So, 'What if" you are in a less than perfect relationship and you have the opportunity to talk to your "other half" from the past via a magic time traveling telephone....would you try to talk him/her out of pursuing you. Would you sabotage your relationship in the past to avoid a heartache in the future?
The main character Georgie McCool is a writer for a popular television comedy show, and her husband, Neal is a stay at home dad. The tension between the wife and husband grows as Christmas approaches. At the last moment, Georgie needs to stay home over the holiday to work, and Neal leaves for his mother's home in Omaha with their daughters. Georgie refuses to stay at her home without her family, so she stays at her mother's home in her childhood bedroom. She uses an old/retro telephone (you know..the ones that weighed a ton and had wires attaching it to the wall) to call her husband Neal. Here in the story is where the magic begins.....Georgie goes through depression and neurosis about her relationship with Neal, and ...well, I don't want to spoil the rest. I can say...pick up the book and read it :-) it is worth it..especially if you are half of a relationship, and always wanted to know..."would I do it the same if I could do it over?" **** 1/2
I have always enjoyed reading Jodi Picoults novels. A friend in Arizona introduced them to me three years ago and I never looked back. I heard that Jodi was writing a Young Adult novel with her daughter I was beyond excited.
Jodi usually touches on very sensitive subjects in her books, and I was hoping this one with her daughter would be different. It pleased me to find this novel had great characters, and the storyline was fun and original. It was a great, WHAT IF....
What if, the characters in a book actually are existing, they are playing their parts over and over again when the book is being read? What if, once the book is closed they have completely separate lives from their "Character's". What if one day one of the characters decides that he/she has had enough? What if, communication begins between the reader and the characters?
This novel explores these question and many more. I loved it! There are also many pictures throughout the book which coincide with the story, well, (Stories). I read somewhere online that the daughter Samantha was the one who originally had the idea for the story. I think that it is awesome that Jodi saw the potential for the project. She encouraged and collaborated with her daughter to write such a fantastic story. I highly recommend teens read this novel...maybe even read it at the same time as their mothers, and talk about it together. ****
The Story of Beautiful Girl brought out the emotional side of me, as a reader. I have heard from some friends who read, that they have to put a book down to gather their emotional "wits". I was not ready for the story that was hiding in between the covers of this hardback. I can tell you when I finished it...tears ensued.
Beautiful Girl is the name of a teenage girl who has what I believe is Autism. The book does not name the reason that Beautiful Girl does not talk (communicate) with people. The author though, did give her a voice....a voice....to the reader...an internal voice. This makes is much easier to see who Beautiful Girl is.
The book follows the trials of Beautiful Girl and her Beau, named Homan, but is also known as number 42 (more on this follows). Beautiful Girl and Homan escaped a facility for the feeble minded. Beautiful Girl recently gave birth to a baby girl. They knocked on a woman's door, (Martha), and though are hidden by the woman for a few hours, the police come to take them back to the facility. Beautiful Girl left the baby with Martha, and Homan escaped being recaptured.
The rest of the novel is from the viewpoints of Beautiful Girl, Homan and Martha, who decided to raise Beautiful Girl's child, and wait for Beautiful Girl to return. Homan tries his best to avoid police and recapture, and yet wants to get back to the facility to help Beautiful girl escape again. Beautiful Girl is returned to the facility, and awaits Homan's return.
The timeline that this story covers is 1968-2011. Rachel Simon weaves the stories together of these brave characters expertly. She did a wonderful job of showing the reader how humanity sometimes ignores those who cannot communicate with the rest of the world. It may appear that I have exposed too much of the tale, but rest assured, there is much more to be discovered. I do encourage you to do so. ****1/2
The Homecoming by Marc Merrill ....This is one of the most difficult reviews that I have had to do. It is not because it is too good or too bad of a book, or any other reasons a book reviewer might find. It is because this book covers a subject that is all too familiar to me. Marc Merrill and I both come from the same hometown, Yankton, South Dakota. The story he has written about in this novel is based on the real life murder of teenager Tammy Haas, who was only a few grades ahead of me. She was a victim of an unsolved murder/accident which occurred in the early 1990's. There is still much controversy and sides being taken on this subject in Yankton. It is difficult for me mainly because I know that I should be biased one way or another about the situation, which I really wanted to make sure didn't happen in this review.
As I said the novel is based on a true event, and the author did make sure to change many of the names of people who were involved in the murder (allegedly) All, except a few, especially the main two characters in the novel.....The deceased (Tamara Haas) and the accused killer, boyfriend (Eric Stukel).
The author, Merrill claims that he had a good friendship with Haas and in this novel he breaks down the investigation of the murder, all of the "cover ups" that were happening in Yankton at the time, and the trial, which in the end was a not guilty verdict against Eric Stukel. There was more to the story that many in Yankton were aware of besides what people had heard in rumors, etc. I believe that this story is one that Marc wrote, in order for him to reveal to "Yanktonites" what he perceives as his truth of what happened. I learned much about the evidence and the trial from Marc's eyes. It is definitely a biased written novel, and very emotionally based. I wonder what the other side's story would be....if they would tell it. well written, short novel. ***
By now you know that I love Historical Fiction novels. This novel was such a surprise read. I knew nothing about this piece of history. Historical Backstory: Hitler had a niece named Geli Raubal. There was a 'relationship' of sorts between Hitler and his niece. His niece, Geli, eventually committed suicide (arguers of history, suggest she was actually murdered by Hitler's SS), the light of their relationship threatened Hitler's rise to power.
In this novel, "Hitler's Niece", Hansen focuses on a fictionalized account of what the relationship between the two might have been. This of course is fiction based on factual events.
In the novel, Geli is portrayed as a young girl who is intrigued by Hitler. She watched him in the early years of his quest for leadership. She was not at all interested in power, but only about being a young girl, trips into the countryside, swimming, and family. On the other hand Hitler..It is almost impossible to understand why Geli was interested in Hitler. He guided her life and shielded her from the world, and other men (especially other men). He was childish in both actions and speech. Hitler let temper tantrums and pouting rule his life.
It is not altogether an unbelievable plot line, because historically there was a relationship between the two, I did remind myself of this many times while reading the novel. This is not necessarily a judgement on the author's writing, Hansen wrote an excellent novel. It may just be a quirk of mine, as a female saying to myself as I read the book, "Why? Why do you like him?" humorous, i can say this as I am an older lady, but i have to remember what it was like as a young girl, and an older man there wooing you. Overall, bravo to Ron Hansen on a great historical fiction writing, *** 1/2
I really enjoyed this novel by Stephen King. I am a really big fan of King's storytelling, so I suppose it is not s surprise. BUT, in my defense, I had already read King's "The Shining" and I found out that "Doctor Sleep" features Danny Torrence as the main Protagonist. Danny Torrence was the young boy with 'The Shining' ability in the first novel. This peaked my interest because I wanted to see what had happened to Danny, and how he has been shaped as an adult, using his 'shining' ability.
King did a wonderful job of using weaving this tale. I liked that he did his normal mix of the natural and the supernatural. He inserted a young new character named, Abra who became an ally with Danny as she also possessed his "talent."
As in the first book, there is an supernatural evil force who needs to be dispatched by Danny Torrence and his little friend Abra. It is hard to imagine how a writer could bind two people together, a child (female) and an older man, but he did it. The two match forces to bring down the evil that is hunting the young girl.
In this novel, King replaces the evil from an old hotel (The Overlook), with Vampires who have a taste, not for blood, but for "The Shining". They hunt for young Abra....and well....that's all i can say...without totally spoiling the novel. I highly recommend this book, it is well written and very imaginative. Kudos to King, I love his books. ****
The book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij-oCL50M-g
to buy: http://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Sleep-Novel-Stephen-King/dp/1476727651/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1428465184&sr=1-1&keywords=doctor+sleep+hardcover
Sad Monsters.....what to say about this book. I saw it one day in Barnes and Nobles on their Bargain Priced shelves. I was about to pass it by when I read the quote on the cover which said, "Thanks to this hilarious book, I'm no longer scared of monsters. However, I am still terrified of books" - Stephen Colbert. Well, If Stephen loved it....and the quote...hilarious! It looked like a fairly easy read, so..why not!
This was a really awesome buy! I enjoyed the nonchalant laid back read. It was hilarious and the pictures were a cool addition. The short stories within the book involved monsters that we have all grown up with: Vampires, Werewolves, Ghosts...etc. They were stories about the situations these monster were gloomy about.
The humor was geek humor too, stuff that i could relate to, it is hard to explain, without an example. But instead, I will say..if you have a sense of humor, a love for monsters..this is a great little book! give it a try....you wont be disappointed. ***
See more about Sad Monsters at http://sadmonsters.com/
I believe I was in grade school when I first read this novel. The Pigman, by Paul Zindel is considered a must read for Young Adults. I came across this in a second hand shop and could not really remember what it was about, except that I really liked it. So, I bought it. It was time to reacquaint myself. It is a short read, 160 pages. A quick and satisfying read.
As with all stories about youth, this one deals with the innocence of two children, and their self believed, harmless decisions, from their first prank they play on Mr. Pignati (The Pigman), to their last that leads to a broken heart and death.
The choices that children make especially in their most formative years, and how they affect others, are HUGE turning points for these two protagonists, Lorraine and John.
For a shorter story it is hard to review this book without giving away too much, but I enjoyed it and learned lots about children, choices, and empathy. As a mother I saw into the eyes of both the girl and the boy and the difficulties they endured as young adults. I will be handing this to my children hoping they read it so that we can discuss it together, *****
For the first few pages excerpt from this book go to: http://www.paulzindel.com/hisworks/synopsis/chapterexcerpt/pigman.htm
to buy: http://www.amazon.com/The-Pigman-Paul-Zindel/dp/0060757353
Everyone who hasn't been living under a rock knows author JK Rowling wrote the Harry Potter series. I saw the movies, but I did not read her books. I hope to someday, partly because I hope her writing is a bit better than what I saw in this novel, The Casual Vacancy.
First, the premise of the novel. Two towns (one highbrow, one wrong side of tracks). The novel opens with the death of a man. Barry Fairbrother is on a council which his death opens up his seat, or what is called, a casual vacancy.
Let the fighting begin. There are many people in the town who want to take over the seat. Secrets of these families (rich and the poor) are revealed. The book makes for a juicy nighttime, Peyton Place sort of read. On a personal note, it was not my type of read. It took me till page 400 of this Goliath to get to the point where I actually cared about the characters (and there were many to follow, too many in my opinion). I was quite expecting a different type of read I suppose, especially from the man who sold it to me...he said, "I hope you enjoy it as much as I did." unfortunately, i really didn't.
I do not think that her writing is bad. Rowling is actually a very good writer, but in this instance, I had a problem with the number of characters, backgrounds on those characters, and all the drama I had to keep track of as a reader. It may have been a more fun read, if there were unnecessary scenes cut that had taken up pages and pages, and not to mention hours of my time. I kept thinking, "it has to be leading somewhere, it has to be getting better." It did, and i enjoyed the final 200 pages, but I am not sure I would want to go through that again. This was not my cup of tea so to speak, but I am sure there are those who would love it.
** 1/2
This book will be a BBC tv movie adaptation see the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_Myt40YHiU
and more about buying the book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Casual-Vacancy-J-Rowling/dp/0316228591
Everyone who has a knowledge of history knows who Frank Lloyd Wright is and how he changed the landscape of Architecture. What many might not know, is his life beyond his work. The loves he had, his personal life, and the tragedy he endured. In Loving Frank author Nancy Horan focuses on Wright's love affair with Mamah Borthwick Cheney. It is written from the perspective of Mamah, in her voice, her love, her emotions, her ambitions, HER work as a translator for the ideas and writings of Swedish feminist Ellen Key.
This novel is written exquisitely that keeps the reader's attention because of the issues that are covered, adultery, love, divorce, women's rights, death. Mamah is famous for two things; loving Frank Lloyd Wright, and her death.
I have read many of the reviews regarding this novel, and the focus seems to stay on Mamah's willingness to leave her husband and children for her love, Wright. What I loved about the book is how that focus turned towards the emotional angst that Mamah went through regarding her decisions. She couldn't avoid her heart's desires and happiness, but she was well aware, as any human would be, of the broken hearts she left in her wake. She broke her own as well. Her viewpoint on needing more in her life, than motherhood and wife, is valid, but in her time and the cultural milieu of American society, she was a villain.
I say Bravo to Mamah.....she followed her heart, she made her decisions, she loved herself.....This book, opened my eyes to the plight of woman, more than I know myself (as a woman) and helped me in more ways than one. Highly Recommend *****
For more about the author and this book: http://nancyhoran.com/loving-frank/
I have an affinity for Historical Fiction Novels, as far as confessions go it could be worse. I picked up this novel, not knowing anything about the author, or even the book itself. I fell in love, with both the book and the author.
First, the book, The Lost Wife is primarily set in 1940's Nazi Europe, Prague. The Protagonist, Lenka falls in love with a young man named Josef, and after they marry they are torn apart by the German Nazis. Lenka is placed in a work ghetto called Terezin, where she is an artist serving the needs of the Third Reich. Josef ends up in America where he believes that Lenka perished at the hand of the Nazis. This first love is reunited decades later.
Let me tell you it is quite the story. There is drama, suspense, and love (who doesn't love LOVE right?) I ate, drank, and slept this book...quite literally, this book went with me everywhere. Any time I could sneak in a few pages, at a store in line, waiting for a meal at a restaurant, or at the Theater waiting for the movie to begin. I normally read 6-7 books at a time, switching between them, but in this instance, I put all the others aside until I was finished. The depth and scope of this book kept me entranced from page 1-334, and only wished for more.
Now the Author, The articulate way of writing that Alyson has, is overwhelming. She is able to describe every thought emotion and situation...well....its almost like listening to a song. She weaves the story in such a way it captivates the reader and makes it almost impossible to set the novel down. The historical details of time and place are so accurate, it is almost like when you see a painting in the right light. It brings everything into focus. *****UPDATE: per Alyson Richman, the Lost Wife will soon be a movie!!! :-) once the trailer is released, I will post the link.
I loved this novel, and highly recommend it to those who have a love for Historical Fiction.
*****
For more on this novel see these sites the first is the Author explaining the novel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WasL_dZunhA
The second is to purchase the book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Lost-Wife-Alyson-Richman/dp/042524413X
I know that I am well past the Tuesdays with Morrie craze, where it was the book to read and talk about. This blog is an updated blog about all the books I read, and some of them will be older....so with that out of the way.
I loved this book. It is small and relatively easy read, but I admit I put the book down on occasion due to the need to get over some overwhelming feelings, and to think about the prose. Author Mitch Albom had a mentored/mentor type relationship with Morrie. Morrie, a character in himself who loved to dance, even at a ripe "older" age. I personally think that any scholar wishes to make a connection with a Teacher (Professor for Mitch).
The way that Morrie talked so open with Mitch. He wanted to talk, and it almost seemed that Mitch was his mouthpiece. This old man who was terminally ill had much more to teach. I loved that Morrie opened up about his childhood. I personally think that he did so because he felt some nostalgia (good and bad) in his last years.
The most important piece of advice that I believe Morrie was wanting to impart on Mitch was that it was ok to learn, it was important to know, to be curious..to ask questions. I don't want to spoil the book by going over every subject that Mitch and Morrie spoke about in their interviews.
The heart of the story for the author i feel is the renewal and eventual continual bond that Morrie and Mitch had with each other. Mitch weaved his own feeling of life, mortality and how he would feel at the end of his time with Morrie (Morrie's death). as a reader, i believe that Mitch grew and learned from his experience with Morrie, his writing becomes less technical, and more humorous, heartfelt and personal.
To sum up in Mitch's words, "Have you ever really had a teacher? One who saw you as a raw but precious thing, a jewel that, with wisdom ,could be polished to a proud shine? If you are lucky enough to find your way to such teachers, you will always find your way back.'"
We should all be so very lucky.
****
For more info about this book visit this site: http://mitchalbom.com/d/books/3856/tuesdays-morrie
