so many books....so little time

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


Clearly in the minority of readers, I found this NY Times Best Seller "epic fantasy" to be a verbose, bloated, complex and disjointed mess with the characters going in circles, battle after battle, flashback after flash-forward, and constantly changing voices. It doesn't even begin to come together until about page 600, and even then it doesn't really ramp up for another 250 pages, with the final result being a giant prologue to his newest fantasy series. When the 1007 page novel finally ends it isn't really over and I don't care to read another 9,000 pages of sequels to reach the real conclusion. This is one novel that would benefit from a ruthless Reader Digest condensation.



But don't decide to read it or not based upon my opinion as I'm definitely not an epic fantasy aficionado and 66% of Goodreads readers give it 5 stars; less than 1% give it 1 star. I give him high marks for masterfully crafting a complex fictional world of fauna, flora, terrains, extreme ecospheres, civilizations with multiple races, cultures, ethnicities and class structures, complete with its own Stormlight Series taboo words & phrases e.g. "storm it". Hey, there are even multiple palindromes. And I give high praise for omitting all too common obscene language, vulgarities and gratuitous sex.*



His overall theme is laudable: Life before death; strength before weakness; journey before destination. Still, the clever complexity feels more like schizophrenic disorganization. With so many books, and so little time, choose carefully.


*This is a "Squeaky Clean Reads" book http://www.squeakycleanreads.com/







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Louie Zamperini is the Unbroken in Laura Hillenbrand's 2nd Best Seller

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Absolutely compelling, amazing nonfiction. Clear, evocative, and emotionally exhaustive narrative about the indomitable will of Louis Zamperini, and his fellow POWs to survive man's inhumanity to man in the Pacific Theatre of WWII. Louie, an Olympic Runner(1938 4 min. mile)known worldwide as the Calif. "Torrance Tornado", the son of Italian immigrants and his fellow airmen Phil, and Mac, were adrift 47 days(!) covering 4000 miles(!)in a life raft with *no* food & scant provisions (fish hooks but no bait, 4 canisters of water...) 4 attacks of enemy airfire, sea storms, and horrendous daily shark attacks, only to be captured by the Japanese Army and endure prison camp atrocities for an additional 2 years 4 months. I will remember these men, along with Harris and the other POWs, the Zamperini family, and the sadistic camp commander, Watanabe ("the Bird"). I will forever be grateful for these men and carry sadness for 140,000 POWs held in Japan's camps, 36,000 of whom died. This book will make you cry, rage, wonder and cheer.



Hildebrand is also the author of Sea Biscuit.



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Garden Spells

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Another book dripping with Southern (North Carolina) charm, that was a fun escape read. Romantic fiction with a culinary twist--think of Like Water for Chocolate. It is whimsical, lovely, magical, enchanting, and a thoroughly delightful book. I LOVED this book by a first time author!



from the flyleaf:
"The women of the Waverley family -- whether they like it or not -- are heirs to an unusual legacy, one that grows in a fenced plot behind their Queen Anne home on Pendland Street in Bascom, North Carolina. There, an apple tree bearing fruit of magical properties looms over a garden filled with herbs and edible flowers that possess the power to affect in curious ways anyone who eats them.


For nearly a decade, 34-year-old Claire Waverley, at peace with her family inheritance, has lived in the house alone, embracing the spirit of the grandmother who raised her, ruing her mother's unfortunate destiny and seemingly unconcerned about the fate of her rebellious sister, Sydney, who freed herself long ago from their small town's constraints. Using her grandmother's mystical culinary traditions, Claire has built a successful catering business -- and a carefully controlled, utterly predictable life -- upon the family's peculiar gift for making life-altering delicacies: lilac jelly to engender humility, for instance, or rose geranium wine to call up fond memories. Garden Spells reveals what happens when Sydney returns to Bascom with her young daughter, turning Claire's routine existence upside down. With Sydney's homecoming, the magic that the quiet caterer has measured into recipes to shape the thoughts and moods of others begins to influence Claire's own emotions in terrifying and delightful ways.


As the sisters reconnect and learn to support one another, each finds romance where she least expects it, while Sydney's child, Bay, discovers both the safe home she has longed for and her own surprising gifts. With the help of their elderly cousin Evanelle, endowed with her own uncanny skills, the Waverley women redeem the past, embrace the present, and take a joyful leap into the future. "



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Comingof Age in Savannah Georgia

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Loved it. A young girl surrounded by beautiful, strong, crazy, and wise women with Southern charm discovers who she is and how to let go of an unhappy past. A fun chick-lit read. I LOVED this book by a first time author! Reminded me of The Secret Life of Bees.

From goodreads.com review:

"Steel Magnolias meets The Help in this Southern debut novel sparkling with humor, heart, and feminine wisdom

Twelve-year-old CeeCee Honeycutt is in trouble. For years, she has been the caretaker of her psychotic mother, Camille-the tiara-toting, lipstick-smeared laughingstock of an entire town-a woman trapped in her long-ago moment of glory as the 1951 Vidalia Onion Queen. But when Camille is hit by a truck and killed, CeeCee is left to fend for herself. To the rescue comes her previously unknown great-aunt, Tootie Caldwell.

In her vintage Packard convertible, Tootie whisks CeeCee away to Savannah's perfumed world of prosperity and Southern eccentricity, a world that seems to be run entirely by women. From the exotic Miz Thelma Rae Goodpepper, who bathes in her backyard bathtub and uses garden slugs as her secret weapons, to Tootie's all-knowing housekeeper, Oletta Jones, to Violene Hobbs, who entertains a local police officer in her canary-yellow peignoir, the women of Gaston Street keep CeeCee entertained and enthralled for an entire summer.

Laugh-out-loud funny and deeply touching, Beth Hoffman's sparkling debut is, as Kristin Hannah says, "packed full of Southern charm, strong women, wacky humor, and good old-fashioned heart." It is a novel that explores the indomitable strengths of female friendship and gives us the story of a young girl who loses one mother and finds many others."

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Gorky Park--A Cold War Era Russian Crime Detective Novel

Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This is a time-tested popular classic crime fiction, obviously much appreciated according to its high ratings, but this is not a fun read. I admit that Smith is a word smith (no pun intended), but this is not my favorite genre --international intrigue, labyrinthine crime thriller with lots of bloody violence, gore, and more f-words and macho sex than I care for.



Although the mostly corrupt characters are well drawn, except for bumbling Pasho, I didn't care for any of them. Irina is self absorbed, shallow, completely lacking in moral strength, but hey, she's so gorgeous that even ragged shabby clothes look terrific on her. Arkady, the good guy hero, scorns almost everyone & everything. He is arrogant, morose, cynical, and emotionally conflicted. I couldn't decide if he was skilled or just plain lucky with his unrealistic, "gut feeling" approach to exposing corruption and dishonesty. But he was a maverick with integrity and afterall he was successful.



Having been to Moscow & Leningrad in the early 90's, and being somewhat famiiar with Russian history & cultrue, I got right into the dark feeling of the book, but I felt the first 1/3 of it dragged.













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Y is for Yorick, A Slightly Irreverent Shakespearean ABC Book for Grown-Ups

Y is for Yorick: A Slightly Irreverent Shakespearean ABC Book for Grown-Ups by Jennifer Adams

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved this little book!! It's a humorous tongue-in-cheek quick reference on Shakespeare's characters and works. "C is for Claudius. He killed his brother and married his brother's widow, Gertrude. However, he forgot to take into account the stepchildren.(Hamlet). . ."U is for Ursula, a maid who nobody remembers...If you want to be remembered it is better to be a queen, king, murderer, cross-dresser, or ghost.(Much Ado About Nothing)"

The book includes a brief synopsis of each of his plays. I enjoyed it so much that it is my current bathroom book and am now reading it a second time. In addition to being a great graduation gift, I highly recommend it to anyone who, like the author, "has a general affinity for civilized dark humor and all things British." (flyleaf)



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The Scent of Rain and Lightning

The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This story kept me involved with sustained suspense. I didn't expect the truth until the big reveal at the end. The plot, sub-plot and characters are all successfully developed. I felt the joys and the pains of each of the latter as their individual stories unfolded. The novel is a well written, stand alone mystery reminiscent of Mary Higgins Clark. It would have earned 5 stars from me were it not for the occasional "f-bombs" and some adult content. This is my first read from Pickard and won't be my last.



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Moon Over Manifest

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It's easy to see why this is a 2011 Newberry Award winner, but difficult to credit as Vanderpool's *debut* novel. The plot is cleverly complex with a pervasive air of mystery; the voices of the characters are clear and distinctive; the 1936 town and its 1918 incarnation come alive; and the whole thing is written with a steady hand. Please, please don't dismiss a book because it is labeled as a children's or YA book. There is plenty of substance in there for us big people. There are many nuances and undercurrents, and imho many under age 15 would not "get it" and may find it slow & boring. (If you want to get teens to read, give them Printz Award winners.) That being said, this is a beautiful coming of age story about a girl finding out about herself and the world around her. It is an absolute gem.





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Intrigue and Suspense

Einstein's Trunk by Jim Haberkorn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This mystery/thriller piqued my interest immediately and I didn't want to put it down. The plot is exciting, suspenseful, gripping and keeps the reader wondering what's going to happen next. The good guy is really "good:" an international spy who believes in no sex before marriage, and who doesn't drink, smoke, or cuss. No gratuitous sex or vulgar language. The characters are so well drawn and the locale so well described that 2 weeks later I still have visual pictures of both in my mind and am waiting for the next adventure from this talented author. I can imagine a movie being made of this.







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EINSTEIN'S TRUNK

Einstein's Trunk by Jim Haberkorn




I'm only into this suspense novel a little way and don't want to put it down. This promises to be a great quick read!



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