Book Thoughts - Raising Stony Mayhall by Daryl Gregory

Raising Stony Mayhall by Daryl Gregory 
published 2011
422 pages

Synopsis -

In 1968, after the first zombie outbreak, Wanda Mayhall and her three young daughters discover the body of a teenage mother during a snowstorm. Wrapped in the woman’s arms is a baby, stone-cold, not breathing, and without a pulse. But then his eyes open and look up at Wanda — and he begins to move.

The family hides the child — whom they name Stony — rather than turn him over to authorities that would destroy him. Against all scientific reason, the undead boy begins to grow. For years his adoptive mother and sisters manage to keep his existence a secret — until one terrifying night when Stony is forced to run and he learns that he is not the only living dead boy left in the world.

My thoughts -

This was, for me, quite a unique take on the zombie fiction genre. While it had a healthy dose of the blood & terror I expected, it also had a lighthearted sense of humor about itself that was really quite refreshing. Interesting musings on identity and discrimination and a setting in rural Iowa gave the book depth and value for me. I was pleasantly surprised by this novel, and I would definitely read more by this author.

Finished - 1/22/17
Source - my shelves
MPAA rating - R, because zombies
My rating - 4/5

Book Thoughts - Water and What We Know: Following the Roots of a Northern Life by Karen Babine

Water and What We Know: Following the Roots of a Northern Life by Karen Babine
published 2015
240 pages

Synopsis -

In essays that travel from the wildness of Lake Superior to the order of an apple orchard, Babine traces an ethic of place, a way to understand the essence of inhabiting a place deeply rooted in personal stories. She takes us from moments of reflection, through the pages of her Minnesota family’s history, to the drama of the land and the shaping of the earth. From the Mississippi’s Headwaters in Itasca State Park—its name from veritas caput, or “true head”—she explores the desire that drives the idea of the North. The bite of a Honeycrisp apple grown in Ohio returns her to her origin in Minnesota and to pie-making lessons in her Gram’s kitchen. In the Deadwood, South Dakota, of her great-great-grandfather, briefly police chief; in the translation of her ancestors from Swedish to Minnesotan; on the outer edge of the New Madrid Fault in Nebraska; through the flatlands along I-90; at the foot of Mount St. Helens: Babine pursues what the Irish call dinnseanchas, place-lore. How, she asks, does land determine what kind of people grow in that soil? And through it all runs water, carrying a birch bark canoe with a bullet hole and a bloodstain, roaring over the Edmund Fitzgerald, flooding the Red River Valley, carving the glaciated land along with historical memory.

As she searches out the stories that water has written upon human consciousness, Babine reveals again and again what their poignancy tells us about our place and what it means to be here.

My thoughts -

I picked this book up because the author is a friend of a friend. I didn't know much about it - just that my friend Carolyn told me I'd enjoy it. She was right.

The author explores the effects that place can have on a person's development - the way the land, the water, the home that we return to impacts the way we see the world. As a concept, I would have found this interesting, and her writing compelling, enough to keep me engaged until the end.

But, then there's the kicker - this place of the author's is also MY place. The small Minnesota towns she writes about are the towns of my ancestors - the towns we returned to every summer, and still return to as a family, each year, even though our ancestors are no longer with us. Reading her thoughts about these SPECIFIC places made this book heart-stirring for me in ways that I didn't expect.

Standout essays for me include Roald Amundsen's Teeth, which talks about the idea of The North as a choice, a place people seek out as an escape; The River - 1997, about the flood of the Red River Valley; Grain Elevator Skyline, which had my favorite sentence of the whole book - "The homeplace is where you go to be reminded of what you know."; I-90, about road trips, and soundtracks, and the highways that become part of your heart.

I expect I will read this book many times, sometimes in its entirety, but more often in pieces. It feels comforting and embracing - for me, it feels like home.


Finished - 11/13/16
Source - my shelves
MPAA Rating - PG, less for adult content than adult musings
My rating - 4/5

Book Thoughts - Adnan's Story by Rabia Chaudry

Adnan's Story: The Search for Truth and Justice after Serial by Rabia Chaudry
published 2016
410 pages

Synopsis -

In early 2000, Adnan Syed was convicted and sentenced to life plus thirty years for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, a high school senior in Baltimore, Maryland. Syed has maintained his innocence, and Rabia Chaudry, a family friend, has always believed him. By 2013, after almost all appeals had been exhausted, Rabia contacted Sarah Koenig, a producer at This American Life, in hopes of finding a journalist who could shed light on Adnan’s story. In 2014, Koenig's investigation turned into Serial, a Peabody Award-winning podcast with more than 500 million international listeners

But Serial did not tell the whole story.


My thoughts -

Before I was obsessed with Hamilton, I was obsessed with the podcast trifecta that was Serial, Undisclosed, and Truth and Justice. I listened to all the episodes of each in the span of about 3 months, and feel like I got a cursory legal education in the process. I came away believing in Adnan's innocence, and cheering loudly when he got his new trial early this summer.

I wasn't sure how much new information this book would contain - and if you, like me, listened to all three podcasts, the answer is not much from a case standpoint. The new information in this book comes in the form of Adnan's own words, mixed into each chapter, recalling the events from his perspective, and shedding light on his thought process through this whole journey. 

I don't read enough true crime to know, really, how this stacks up to other books in the genre. I just know that, despite feeling like I already know everything there could possibly be to know about this case, I found the book fascinating. Rabia is a wonderful narrator, and the glimpses she gives her reader about growing up Muslim in America, and her own personal journey, added even more depth to this already enthralling story.

If legal thrillers or true crime are your thing, definitely give this one a shot. A truly insightful and disturbing look into the criminal justice system in our country.

Finished - 9/28/16

Source - South side library

MPAA rating - PG-13 for some graphic depictions of crime scenes

My rating - 4/5

Book Thoughts - A Mile Wide by Brandon Hatmaker

A Mile Wide: Trading a Shallow Religion for a Deeper Faith by Brandon Hatmaker
published 9/13/2016
199 pages

Synopsis -

As a host and guest judge for HGTV and DIY Network (My Big Family Renovation, Brother v.s. Brother, Tiny House Arrest), Brandon Hatmaker understands what it takes to rehab a home. But after twenty-plus years of working with the local church (and as husband to bestselling author Jen Hatmaker), he has an even greater understanding of what it takes to rehab an everyday faith. In A Mile Wide, he helps readers see more clearly how the gospel works in us and eventually through us to transform an anemic spiritual life into a deeper, fuller, and more effective faith.




My thoughts -

I don't remember the last time I read a work of Christian nonfiction by a male author.

Scratch that - I do. I remember getting so mad at John Piper in college that I swore I would never read another straight, white dude's ideas about God ever. EVER.

So fast-forward a whole bunch of years, and I discover and fall in love with Jen Hatmaker. So when I hear her husband has a new book coming out, I am - despite my best intentions - curious. I decide to give it a shot.

And it was good. And honestly, that's saying something, because I've read some pretty amazing books in this genre this year, so he had a fairly high standard to live up to. His book was a nice mixture of big dreams - as Christians, we are called to step out and meet the needs of the world - as well as practical steps - start by slowing down, and identifying what actually needs to be done where you live. Hatmaker introduces a new way of living and relating to the world, but doesn't stop at the ideas - he gives individual people the tools to make change, in their own house, neighborhood, and community. His words are challenging, and I found myself nodding with agreement on one page, and feeling convicted on the next.

For example -

"We like people to share our theology, skin color, practices, politics, health, views, and interpretations, but what about when folks fall way outside those lines? Answer: that is not our responsibility. It's Jesus'. It's not ours to determine how God extends salvation on planet Earth. We don't have one clue how Jesus makes insiders from outsiders. He's been doing it for centuries, redeeming humanity, and not in the safe little evangelical way we understand it in America. Our job is simply to love."

And I'm cheering, YES! YES! YES! And then literally on the next page -

"...it's a great reminder to me personally to see that Jesus still loves the insider just as well. Because sometimes I don't.....I've deflected, accused, and pointed the finger. And I realized I still do that from the outside. It's just that now my arrows are pointed in."

Oh, yeah that. Ouch.

 For me, what I appreciate most about Brandon Hatmaker is that he seems to truly do the best he can to live what he preaches. His church is built on the principle of serving the homeless and needy in it's community. He founded The Legacy Collective, a giving community that focuses on funding sustainable solutions to social issues around the world. He's not just a dude standing at a pulpit spouting words. He's a guy who truly believes what he says, and puts it into action. That's what makes me want to listen to what he has to say.

There are a couple of tiny, stylistic things that kept me from falling completely in love, but overall I found it to be excellent. I'm so glad I put my misconceptions aside and gave this one a try. Definitely recommended!


Finished - 5/30/16
Source - ARC from the publisher (thank you!!)
MPAA rating - G
My rating - 4/5

Book Thoughts - Star Wars: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray

Star Wars: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray
published 2015
audiobook

Synopsis -

The reign of the Galactic Empire has reached the Outer Rim of Jelucan, where aristocratic Thane Kyrell and rural villager Ciena Ree bond over their love of flying. Enrolling at the Imperial Academy is nothing less than a dream come true for both of them. But Thane sours on the dream when he sees firsthand the horrific tactics the Empire uses to maintain its ironclad rule.

Bitter and disillusioned, he joins the fledging Rebellion--putting Ciena in an unbearable position between her loyalty to the Empire and her love for the man she's known since childhood.

Now on opposite sides of the war, will these friends turned foes ever find a way to be together, or will duty tear them--and the galaxy--apart?

My thoughts -

I can say with certainty that a year ago I never would have considered reading this book. But Disney is definitely upping the game of the Star Wars franchise, and after enjoying The Force Awakens so much that I saw in theaters twice (!), when I noticed my husband had used an Audible credit for this book I decided to give it a try.

Friends, this was a LOT of fun. I don't think you necessarily have to be particularly well-versed in Star Wars lore to enjoy it - the characters stand completely on their own, and while there are references to people and events from previous movies, this book has its own timeline and major events that are contained within the novel. This is just a very enjoyable sci-fi space opera, with two main characters I could root for throughout.

Thane and Ciena are wonderfully charismatic, and while it's clear from the start what trajectory their relationship will take, the author does a superb job of placing just enough road blocks in their way to keep the ride enjoyable. I so appreciated that neither character was dependent or subordinate to the other - each had their own clearly defined set of beliefs and values, and neither was willing to sacrifice them for each other. 

This was exciting and action packed, but the author didn't resort to a cookie-cutter happy ending for any of her characters, which was a refreshing change from many YA novels in this vein. I would happily read a series of books about these characters - I'd love to see where their paths take them.

The audiobook narration was good, but the producers did use a LOT of sound effects and music, which I am not particularly a fan of - just read me the book, thankyouverymuch. But that's a small quibble in an otherwise very enjoyable experience.

If sci-fi is your thing, check this one out. If you are a Star Wars fan, DEFINITELY check this out. This has made me extremely interested in reading more of the novels in the Star Wars universe, and that is certainly not something I would have said before starting. 

Finished - 2/13/16

Source - my own audible library #RMODB

MPAA rating - PG-13 for some violence, adult situations

My rating - 4/5

Book Thoughts - Bambi by Felix Salten

Bambi: A Life in the Woods by Felix Salten
192 pages
first published 1923

Synopsis -

Bambi's life in the woods begins happily. There are forest animals to play with -- Friend Hare, the chattery squirrel, the noisy screech owl, and Bambi's twin cousins, frail Gobo and beautiful Faline. 

But winter comes, and Bambi learns that the woods hold danger -- and things he doesn't understand. The first snowfall makes food hard to find. Bambi's father, a handsome stag, roams the forest, but leaves Bambi and his mother alone. 

Then there is Man. He comes to the forest with weapons that can wound an animal. He does terrible things to Gobo, to Bambi's mother, and even to Bambi. But He can't keep Bambi from growing into a handsome stag himself, and becoming...the Prince of the Forest.

My thoughts -

One of the first piles of books I'm planning to tackle in my year of #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks is the every-growing, nearly mountainous pile of books I've acquired with the thought that "I'll read this to the kids some day". Some of them are Newbery winners, some are remnants from my own childhood, some are just titles that sounded good at the time. Nevertheless, there are a LOT of them, and I'd like to do a little previewing before I start stumbling blindly into bedtime, and find myself stuck with a story I can't stand....

First on my pile was Bambi. This particular copy was from a set given to me as a kid - tan and red hardbacks, all animal stories, with a box for the set that is long gone. I am about 98% sure I never actually read this one growing up, so with only the Disney story in my head I will admit I was pleasantly surprised.

Salten's tale of the forest is much darker and richer than the cartoon version. The animals still talk, but their interactions seem strangely appropriate, as if the author has been given the ability to sense what it actually going on in their minds. This is an unforgiving world, and the weak and hurt do not fair well. It is also a beautiful world, with captivating descriptions of Bambi's word and the creatures who inhabit his forest.

I'm not sure I expected a novel about a deer to be a page-turner, but it was. I found myself eager to return to its pages, and feel emotionally invested in the story from the first chapter. I also felt a genuine amount of tension as I read, which is not a feeling I generally get from chapter book fiction. 

I'm really glad I decided to read this, and will definitely keep it on the shelves to read to the kids. I might wait for a bit - I'm not sure I'm ready for them to hear a book with quite this much death, even if it is about a deer. But this is an excellent novel, and I do recommend it for your little person library.

Finished - 1/30/16

Source - my shelves!

MPAA rating - PG - this has some scary stuff!
My rating - 4/5

Book Thoughts - Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
first published 1992
578 pages

Synopsis -


For Kivrin, preparing an on-site study of one of the deadliest eras in humanity's history was as simple as receiving inoculations against the diseases of the fourteenth century and inventing an alibi for a woman traveling alone. For her instructors in the twenty-first century, it meant painstaking calculations and careful monitoring of the rendezvous location where Kivrin would be received.

But a crisis strangely linking past and future strands Kivrin in a bygone age as her fellows try desperately to rescue her. In a time of superstition and fear, Kivrin--barely of age herself--finds she has become an unlikely angel of hope during one of history's darkest hours.

My thoughts -

Am I the only person around here who has a list of books somewhere - likely floating around in your head - called, "Books I AM Going To Read Someday Because I've Heard They Are Great", but that you almost never actually get around to reading? It's funny how each time I manage to read one of the books from that list, it winds up being, in fact, GREAT! Why don't I just read them all right now? One of the great mysteries of the universe.

Doomsday Book was on that list. I think it hit my radar when Raych talked about it, and then I saw someone else talking about it, and I filed it away on that Books I AM Going To Read....list, and here i am finally getting around to reading it. And WHOOOOO, boy it was good.

Doomsday Book wasn't the kind of good where each sentence is beautifully constructed, and the words flow together, and you just love the way the author has mastered her craft. Not really at all, in fact. Willis' writing is fine, but that's not why you read this book. You read this book because of the story that grabs you by your neck hairs and doesn't let go. I think what made Kivrin's story so gripping for me is that this stuff actually happened - clearly, not the time travel aspects. But once Kivrin was in the 14th century, all that horror was real. Real people lived through it. Real people were completely helpless in the face of it. It was terrifying, and it wasn't made up. I found this review on Goodreads, and I think it perfectly sums up my feelings (apologies for the language) -

"Connie Willis shows us that we do not need to look to the future for an apocalyptic setting suitable for exorcising whatever demons haunt us, testing whatever faith we may or may not have, revealing the height of humanity's capacity for compassion or the depth of its misery. We had the mid-14th Century for that.

These ain't Jesuits on a distant planet, or a man and a boy wandering down a road.

This shit really happened, people."


The juxtaposition of Kivrin's troubles in the Middle Ages and the Present-Day epidemic was also striking, because it showed a clear picture of the ways in which humanity has not, in fact, changed that much in a couple of thousand years. People were just as ignorant and cruel and apathetic in the present as we like to accuse those who lived in the Middle Ages of being, and frankly we know better and should be doing better. It was a stark, pointed reality check in the midst of an increasingly dark story.

I thought this book was great. I do agree that it dragged a bit toward the end, but I was so terrified for Kivrin that I couldn't stop reading. If sci-fi is your thing, I would definitely recommend this one. I cannot wait to read more by this author!

Finished - 11/15/15
MPAA rating - PG-13 for realistic portrayals of death and some pretty scary stuff
My rating - 4/5

Book Thoughts - Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmenn

Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmeen, illustrations by Kerascoet
published 2/25/14
96 pages

Synopsis from publisher -

Kerascoët’s and Fabien Vehlmann’s unsettling and gorgeous anti-fairy tale is a searing condemnation of our vast capacity for evil writ tiny. Join princess Aurora and her friends as they journey to civilization's heart of darkness in a bleak allegory about surviving the human experience.  The sweet faces and bright leaves of Kerascoët’s delicate watercolors serve to highlight the evil that dwells beneath Vehlmann's story as pettiness, greed, and jealousy take over.  Beautiful Darkness is a harrowing look behind the routine politeness and meaningless kindness of civilized society.

My thoughts -

I don't think anything I've read for RIP this year has felt as perfect for the challenge as this slim graphic novel. This is Lord of the Flies in a fairy-tale world, it is eerie and creepy and unsettling and challenging. This is much less about the plot and much more about the layers of horror, unwrapping before the readers' eyes. This is a gorgeous piece of art, wrapped around a completely terrifying story.

Like all good graphic novels, there is much to uncover behind the first glance, and this is the type of story than can be read many times, with the reader finding something new upon each subsequent visit to this dark world. I know I'm being vague, but part of the impact of the story, for me, was not knowing very much about what I was getting into when I started. More than anything I've read in the past couple of months, this is the book that has stayed in my mind, lingering in my thoughts, popping up in my dreams. It's good, scary stuff. Recommended for readers who can deal with dark.


Finished - 10/22/14
Source - South side library
MPAA Rating - R. This is not for young kids. Scary stuff.
My rating - 4/5


And with this, I have completed

Hooray for me! My first year to complete my RIP challenge. It feels pretty good, I have to say! And now I'm looking for recommendations for next year - what perilous reads have you enjoyed this season?

Sunday Shorts, R.I.P edition

Just a quick summary of what's been going on around here, R.I.P.-wise....


First I read

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
published 2006
406 pages

Synopsis from publisher -

Biographer Margaret Lea returns one night to her apartment above her father’s antiquarian bookshop. On her steps she finds a letter. It is a hand-written request from one of Britain’s most prolific and well-loved novelists. Vida Winter, gravely ill, wants to recount her life story before it is too late, and she wants Margaret to be the one to capture her history. The request takes Margaret by surprise — she doesn’t know the author, nor has she read any of Miss Winter’s dozens of novels.

Both women will have to confront their pasts and the weight of family secrets... and the ghosts that haunt them still.

My thoughts -

I think I'm at the point where I'm just going to admit that novels with ghosts as a plot device are not my favorite thing. This book had lots of saving graces, though, so I did enjoy it very much. But the ghost parts? Not so much. I loved the emphasis on reading and literature throughout the novel, and found Margaret as well as Miss Winter to be extremely engaging heroines. Good stuff here, even if it DOES have ghosts.

Finished - 10/15/14
Source - mom
MPAA rating - PG-13 for adult situations & possible scaryness.
My rating - 4/5


Then I read the first two stories from this collection -

A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor
published 1953


You can read a summary and some analysis of the title story here.

I intend to read the entire collection, but it is not a collection I will breeze through. These first two stories were tough, and bleak, and full of despair. In some ways they remind me of episodes of The Twilight Zone, which used to freak me out SO MUCH when I was young. These are worlds where horrible things happen, in ways that you don't expect. 

A Good Man is Hard to Find is a gut-punch of a story. It plays with emotions and perceptions, and introduces some pretty unpleasant characters without giving any of them much of a chance of redemption. I didn't particularly choose this collection to go along with RIP, but it certainly fits the bill. Lots of perilous situations in these stories!


Next I read this novel -

Advent by James Treadwell
published 2012
448 pages


Synopsis from publisher -

Once there were virtues in the stars and mermaids in the seas; but then a gift was lost, and all of that became no more than the stuff of fantasy. What if it came back? Everyone tells fifteen-year-old Gavin that the things he sees aren't really there. He hardly believes himself any more.

My thoughts -

Okay, there is A LOT going on in this novel. Elements of Arthurian legend, Faust, mermaids, Greek myth - there is a lot to keep track of, and there were moments in the novel that I could feel some of the threads slipping away from me. But I have to say that I was completely entranced by this story from the very beginning. Even when I wasn't quite sure that I was keeping track of all the fantastical bits, I was always eager to see where Gavin's story was going to take him next. I loved the writing, and I definitely plan to read the next in this series.

Finished - 10/24/15
Source - South side library
MPAA rating - PG-13 for fantasy violence
My rating - 4/5


And then I read -

Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesa Lia Block
published 2013
240 pages

Synopsis from publisher -

Her life by the sea in ruins, Pen has lost everything in the Earth Shaker that all but destroyed the city of Los Angeles. She sets out into the wasteland to search for her family, her journey guided by a tattered copy of Homer’s Odyssey. Soon she begins to realize her own abilities and strength as she faces false promises of safety, the cloned giants who feast on humans, and a madman who wishes her dead. On her voyage, Pen learns to tell stories that reflect her strange visions, while she and her fellow survivors navigate the dangers that lie in wait. In her signature style, Francesca Lia Block has created a world that is beautiful in its destruction and as frightening as it is lovely. At the helm is Pen, a strong heroine who holds hope and love in her hands and refuses to be defeated.

My thoughts -

This YA novel was a fairly loose retelling of The Odyssey, and it didn't work all that well for me. I thought the writing was lovely, but I didn't particularly care for the story as Block told it. I thought it was difficult to follow, and there were certain plot elements that seemed to be added more to have something to say about a "hot topic" issue than to really further the action of the plot. I will read more by this author, but probably not more in this sequence.

Finished - 10/25/14
Source - South side library
MPAA rating - R for violence, language, sexuality
My rating - 2/5



So this means that I have completed

for RIP this year!

Book Thoughts - The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
published 2010
427 pages

Synopsis -

Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle.

My thoughts -

My first book for Diversiverse this year, and it was a great one. 

I should start by saying that I am predisposed to enjoy fantasy. I've seen several reviews of this novel that explore various problems readers have with the story, and while in retrospect I understand and can even agree with many of the problems - the weird, somewhat uncomfortable relationships; the abrupt transitions in time and place; the "telling" rather than "showing"; and even some issues with Yeine herself. But I have to tell you, as I was reading the novel, I was completely swept away. 

Something about fantasy just allows me to roll with elements that would normally by problematic for me. Something about fantasy lets me open up my mind in a way that completely immerses in the story - I can allow for things that don't make sense, really, because the rules of the world are already different. If the story is engaging, the critical parts of my brain just shut off, and I read for pure enjoyment. I think that's why fantasy is almost always what I choose for a "guilty pleasure" read - because I can so fully escape into this type of novel.

So after saying all that, I have to admit I loved the reading of this novel. I did not find anything in the story itself that was extremely groundbreaking, but Jemisin uses traditional fantasy tropes very well. It is quite refreshing to read a heroine in a fantasy novel that is not clearly designed to be European, and I would enjoy exploring more of Yeine's background in future novels. And I am generally a sucker for a good antihero, and Nahadoth is that in some really interesting ways. 

Sooooo.....not a particularly insightful review (but then, let's be honest - I don't have time to write those much anymore. I'm just happy to be reading!) But boy, did I enjoy reading this novel, and I will definitely read more by this talented author.


Finished - 9/19/14
Source - South side library
MPAA rating - R for fantasy violence & adult situations
My rating - 4/5


If you are interested in reading more reviews of books read for Diversiverse 2014, make sure to check them out here!!

Sunday Shorts

Maybe the Moon by Armistead Maupin
published 1993
303 pages

Synopsis from publisher -

Maybe the Moon, Armistead Maupin's first novel since ending his bestselling Tales of the City series, is the audaciously original chronicle of Cadence Roth -- Hollywood actress, singer, iconoclast and former Guiness Book record holder as the world's shortest woman. All of 31 inches tall, Cady is a true survivor in a town where -- as she says -- "you can die of encouragement." Her early starring role as a lovable elf in an immensely popular American film proved a major disappointment, since moviegoers never saw the face behind the stifling rubber suit she was required to wear. Now, after a decade of hollow promises from the Industry, she is reduced to performing at birthday parties and bat mitzvahs as she waits for the miracle that will finally make her a star.

In a series of mordantly funny journal entries, Maupin tracks his spunky heroine across the saffron-hazed wasteland of Los Angeles -- from her all-too-infrequent meetings with agents and studio moguls to her regular harrowing encounters with small children, large dogs and human ignorance. Then one day a lanky piano player saunters into Cady's life, unleashing heady new emotions, and she finds herself going for broke, shooting the moon with a scheme so harebrained and daring that it just might succeed. Her accomplice in the venture is her best friend, Jeff, a gay waiter who sees Cady's struggle for visibility as a natural extension of his own war against the Hollywood Closet.

My thoughts -

This is the first novel I've read by Maupin, and wooah, do I get it. I get why people fall in love with his work. There were so many reasons why this novel should not have worked - I mean, it's characters are just about every stereotype you can think of, and it's "issues" practically smack you in the face. But somehow it transcends all those pieces that shouldn't work, and transforms into this somewhat magical, definitely emotional, and wholly unforgettable reading experience. I haven't read Maupin before, but I certainly will again.

Finished - 8/31/14
MPAA rating - R for language, adult situations
My rating - 4/5

In a Perfect World by Laura Kasischke
published 2009
326 pages

Synopsis from publisher -

This is the way the world ends...

It was a fairy tale come true when Mark Dorn—handsome pilot, widower, tragic father of three—chose Jiselle to be his wife. The other flight attendants were jealous: She could quit now, leaving behind the million daily irritations of the job. (Since the outbreak of the Phoenix flu, passengers had become even more difficult and nervous, and a life of constant travel had grown harder.) She could move into Mark Dorn's precious log cabin and help him raise his three beautiful children.

But fairy tales aren't like marriage. Or motherhood. With Mark almost always gone, Jiselle finds herself alone, and lonely. She suspects that Mark's daughters hate her. And the Phoenix flu, which Jiselle had thought of as a passing hysteria (when she had thought of it at all), well . . . it turns out that the Phoenix flu will change everything for Jiselle, for her new family, and for the life she thought she had chosen.

My thoughts -

I was unsure about the novel for most of the time I spent reading - it seemed purely superficial, lacking some sort of depth that could truly draw me into the story. While the situation was eerily prescient for our current times, I just couldn't quite connect with Jiselle's life. And then the author gave this book the absolute perfect ending - for THIS story - and it all came together. I'm extremely happy I stuck it out until the end, because it wound up being a thoroughly rewarding experience.

Finished - 9/2/14

MPAA rating - PG-13 for scary elements and some violence

My rating - 4/5

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

published 2010

370 pages

Synopsis from publisher -

Henrietta Lacks, as HeLa, is known to present-day scientists for her cells from cervical cancer. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells were taken without her knowledge and still live decades after her death. Cells descended from her may weigh more than 50M metric tons. 

HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Yet Henrietta Lacks was buried in an unmarked grave.

The journey starts in the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s, her small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia — wooden slave quarters, faith healings, and voodoo. Today are stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells, East Baltimore children and grandchildren live in obscurity, see no profits, and feel violated. The dark history of experimentation on African Americans helped lead to the birth of bioethics, and legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.

My thoughts -

I think much of my reaction to this book has to do with my current profession - dealing with poor people trying to access health care, and navigating the touchy waters of privacy and medical disclosure, the majority of this book was completely appalling to me. I am thankful the medical profession has made strides to improve over much of what was done to Henrietta, but her story was a very sad one for me. While I understand the need for cells and tissues for research, it's tough for me to accept that this is the way they were collected for so many years. What an important story - it should probably be required reading for every medical student in the country!

Finished - 9/10/14

MPAA rating - PG-13 for language and adult situations

My rating - 4/5

The State of the Stacks - Best of January edition

You knew you wouldn't be rid of me for long, right??


While I am still enjoying the freedom of not feeling like I have to blog about every single book I'm reading, I do miss talking about the ones that have made a significant impression - the stories that have engaged my mind or my emotions in a particular way. So to ease myself back into the blogging world, I'm going to start with a "Best Of" each month, and see where that leads. I knew I couldn't stay away for TOO long.....

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
audio - read by Neil Gaiman
published 2013


Synopsis from publisher -

Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.

Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie — magical, comforting, wise beyond her years — promised to protect him, no matter what.

My thoughts -

This was just gorgeous. I don't know if listening to the author read his own work enhanced the story, but it was breathtaking. Lettie Hempstock is smart and capable and funny - a terrific heroine. The story is a genuine nail-biter, but it's not even the story that is the remarkable thing - it's the idea of the magic that is inherent in childhood, and the lengths we go as adults to forget. It's a book about memories, and magic, and friendship, and it is unforgettable. Highly recommended.

A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin
published 2012
1016 pages

Synopsis from publisher -

In the aftermath of a colossal battle, Daenerys Targaryen rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her. Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way east—with new allies who may not be the ragtag band they seem. And in the frozen north, Jon Snow confronts creatures from beyond the Wall of ice and stone, and powerful foes from within the Night’s Watch. In a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics lead a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, to the greatest dance of all.

My thoughts -

Okay, full disclosure - I didn't technically finish this one in January. BUT, I read MOST of it that month, so it's a January book. And it was a doozy. This is a series for people who really LOVE this genre - it is destined to be considered one of the great fantasy series of all time, and for good reason. Martin's world is complex and all-encompassing, and each book - even the volumes (like #4) that are not the best are still pretty darn good. HOWEVER. I am beginning to worry that Martin has too much going on - that there will be too many plot threads to bring together - and that the series will ultimately end and feel unsatisfying.

That said, I am all in for the ride. I've invested too much time not to follow this story to it's completion. And even though this book left me feeling unsettled, it was still a darn good adventure. If you enjoy fantasy and you haven't started this series - well, at this point, wait until Martin gets around to finishing the last two books. But really, it's too good to miss. Recommended for series fantasy fans.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
published 2014
771 pages

Synopsis from publisher -

It begins with a boy. Theo Decker, a thirteen-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his unbearable longing for his mother, he clings to one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art.

As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love — and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.

My thoughts -

Donna Tartt is becoming a go-to author for me when I want troubled characters and immersive worlds that are a million miles away from my own experience. Theo's journey is long and twisty, but ultimately worth the time invested. More than just the story, however, is the examination of fate - are we born destined to a path? Can we change who we are, or is our character - good or bad - set at birth? Thought-provoking and memorable, but also L.O.N.G.  It's a book you have to be fairly invested in to finish. Recommended to readers who are willing to put in the time - I found it to be worth the read in the end.


So there you have it - the highlights of my reading in January. I'll be back soon to give you my most memorable reads of February. Let me know if you agree - or disagree - with any of the books I've highlighted. It's good to be back!