A few years ago, I read an interesting short story by Yugoslavian writer Téa Obreht, and when I finished it, I thought, "Wow! What a fantastic writer! I wonder what she'll do next."
'The Tiger's Wife' was sitting on the shelves at my Borders store, but I was so busy writing my own story that I didn't have the time to read it. I now slap my forehead, saying over and over, "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" I learned that an author like Obreht cannot be ignored.
Today, I finished reading 'The Tiger's Wife' and, to put it lightly, I was left breathless. Breathless because her writing is so brilliant. Breathless because she will undoubtedly have more to offer (as I type this, I'm praying that she's working on a new story). Breathless because she has taken so many strings and woven them into a perfectly-blended narrative.
Needless to say, Obreht is now on my list of favorite authors, and I hope she can forgive me for taking such a long time to join the party.
Natalia, a young doctor living in a Balkan country mending from almost-constant war, sets out to uncover the mystery of her beloved grandfather's death. With the reference of his worn novel, 'The Jungle Book', to guide her, she stumbles upon unsettling discoveries, and at the same time, remembers the stories he told her; the meeting with the 'Deathless Man', and the most extraordinary story of all, the legend of the tiger's wife.
Although death and loss are central to this amazing story, it is also filled with hope, reconciliation, and love. And while I could fully visualize the characters and feel as if I were accompanying them on their separate journeys, it was the folklore that truly touched me.
I will never forget this story, and I'm sure you'll feel the same way. As I've said before, great writing is still alive and well.
Especially when it leaves you breathless.
It's so refreshing to find a book that doesn't fit into a standard genre. Vampires and 'Fifty Shades of Gray' are a bit...tired. But I've found an unusual romantic novel that challenged me. One that made me glad that great writing is still alive and well.
'Courting Greta', the wonderful novel by Ramsey Hootman, is the story of Samuel Cooke, a crippled computer genius who has decided to change his life by leaving his high-paying job to teach computer programming to high school students. Prickly, sarcastic, and unwilling to let love enter his life, Samuel meets Greta Cassamajor, the high school gym coach, and just to prove he has the courage to do it, asks her out on a date.
But Greta is more than his match. She is tough, she is strong and no-nonsense, and no one dares mock her. Yet, surprisingly, she accepts Samuel's offer. And that's where it all begins.
'Courting Greta' is a quiet story, yet it has hard edges. It has secrets; while Greta is the one who challenges Samuel to confess, it her own confession that startled me and gave me more than a glimpse beneath the hard exterior of such an interesting woman.
Although the story didn't grab me right at the beginning, I soon found myself becoming very involved and read it every chance I could I get.
And when I found out why Greta called Samuel 'Mr. Cooke' (*spoiler*: it will melt your heart), I prayed that Ms. Hootman would grace us with another equally-wonderful novel.
Of that, I have no doubt.
As long as it doesn't contain vampires or sadomasochism.
'Courting Greta', by Ramsey Hootman, will be released on June 18, 2013, by Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster
Life is just one big mystery, isn't it? That's what makes it so darn exciting. Should I turn left, or right? What will happen if I don't answer the door or phone? Should I choose door number one...or door three?
That also includes books. Should I choose a noir mystery? Or a cute, little 'bed-and-breakfast' mystery? Or a political thriller? Hm...serial killers just might be my cup of tea this week.
That is, until I opened M.J. Rose's new novel, 'Seduction'.
I've always been a sucker for mystery novels with an underbelly of the paranormal, especially reincarnation. One chapter dealing with the past, the other dealing with the present, and how both swirl around each other in a passionate dance until it results in a boffo denouement.
Let's just say that 'Seduction' really delivered the tango.
Novelist Victor Hugo's beloved daughter drowned in 1843, and a distraught Hugo begins participating in séances in hopes of contact. Claiming contact with Plato, Galileo, Dante, and even Jesus and the Devil, Hugo writes journals of those conversations, and they have been published. But, it turns out, not all of them...
Jac L'Etoile, mythologist and chief protagonist from Rose's previous novel, 'The Book of Lost Fragrances', is recovering from her own losses. Invited to the Isle of Jersey by Theo Gaspard, an old friend, they investigate Hugo's journey into the world of the paranormal, and Theo is hoping that Jac can help him discover something very different...and very sinister.
M.J. Rose is a master of the atmospheric novel, and this one is no exception (I suggest you read 'The Book of Lost Fragrances' first, if you haven't already). I love how she employs the paranormal to help her characters find their strengths and, perhaps, answer their life-long questions.
With her trademark elegant style, Rose's characters are fully brought to life. The twists-and-turns kept me turning the pages. And things aren't always what they seem.
And that's why I love mysteries...
...because things aren't always what they seem...until you hit that last chapter and the Universe lets you go to dance another day.
'Seduction' will be released May 7, 2013, by Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster.
Of all the memoirs I've read in recent times, the one that affected me the most has to be 'The Glass Castle' by Jeannette Walls. I ran the gamut of emotions while reading it; amusement, sadness. But most of all, anger. Anger that two parents were more childish than their own children. While the parents were selfish and stupid and empty, their children assumed the adult roles. I couldn't believe that Jeannette and her siblings lived through such a life, but they listened and learned, and found success in their adult lives. That she was even able to admit to such a childhood astounded me...and she earned my respect. 'The Glass Castle' flew up the bestseller lists and stayed there for what seems like forever, and rightly so.
Her next book was not a continuation of her memoir. Instead, she gave to us the wonderful novel, 'Half Broke Horses', a fictional account of her maternal grandmother's life.
And now, we have been graced with another novel by the brilliant Ms. Walls. Set in 1970, 'The Silver Star' is the story of Bean and Liz, two sisters living with their delusional mother, a woman who leaves her daughters alone for days at a time so she can find success in the music business. But when one of her hiatuses stretches out for too long a time, the sisters begin to worry about being found alone and decide to travel to their mother's former childhood home in a small town in Virginia. They meet their uncle and he takes them in, providing a somewhat stable home life.
Bean Holladay is twelve and the narrator of the story. She is a feisty, optimistic girl, and because of her inquisitive nature, soon finds out who her father was when she meets his sister and her family. Her older sister, Liz, brilliant, studious, and a fierce nonconformist, is Bean's best friend. Deciding that they don't want their uncle to support them, they secretly take jobs as assistants to the mill's foreman, Jerry Maddox, a bully and a braggart. But when something happens to Liz, Bean takes it upon herself to help her sister.
And that's just the beginning of this well-told tale. I found hints of 'The Glass Castle' on almost every page, and 'To Kill a Mockingbird' certainly came to mind. 'The Silver Star' is a simply told story full of incredible insight and impact.
I'm counting down the months until I see it on the bestseller lists...and rightly so.
Visit any library or bookstore and venture into the Young Adult section, where you'll find shelves full of dystopian/post-apocalyptic books.
But this particular genre-within-a-genre isn't one to be dismissed so lightly. Out of this came the spectacular 'Hunger Games', 'Mazerunner', and many, many others. They are books so well-written and fast-paced that I hungered for more once I finished them. Unlike adult fantasy, YA fantasy novels are written in a simpler manner in order to engage young minds, but, and not surprisingly, adults have latched onto them. I have read so many of them that they are too numerous to count.
And I loved them. They took me out of myself and into a world full of desperation, young love (and sometimes delicately-written lust), and the sense that right will always win out over wrong. Isn't that what fairy tales tend to demonstrate?
Having just finished reading 'Wasteland', a new YA novel from the writing team of Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan, I couldn't wait to pop onto Book Hog and let everyone know about this story.
The teenage residents of Prin, a decaying city, don't have the typical problems that plague other teens. Their lives are full of desperation, hopelessness, and constant hunger. At 15, they marry. At 17, they reproduce. At 19, they die. There is also the looming threat of disease, acid rain, starvation, and attacks by the local tribe they have called the 'variants', people who are similar to the early Native American people. With every city comes one who leads, and not always with the citizens' best interests at heart. Levi lives in an old office supply building, which the citizenry have named 'The Source', and it is there where Levi stores the town's essential food and water, and only giving out that sustenance when the work crews bring him the results of their scavenging.
Esther is tired of the forced labor under a relentless sun, and longs to live with her best friend, a variant named Skar. When a mysterious stranger named Caleb bicycles his way into town, life unravels, and he and Esther must convince the town to fight for their lives and the freedom of Prin.
Kim and Klavan have given us a story that is fast-paced with great character development. I found the chapters dealing with Levi to be darker and more dangerous than those scenes set within the town itself. Although the plot is simply written, the surprises are many, and the authors will soon present us with the second in this trilogy.
I, for one, can't wait.
'Wasteland' will be published on March 26, 2013 by Harper Teen. Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan previously collaborated on the graphic novels 'City of Spies', and 'Brain Camp'.
Lately, I've been devoting most of my reading time to historical novels. The stories are well-written, and the research has led me to investigate particular eras. I've learned a lot about perfumery (thanks, M.J. Rose!), Middle Ages abbeys (thanks, Nancy Bilyeau!), and other assorted time periods. The reading can be exhausting, but the rewards are well worth the effort.
A particular favorite time period for me is early 20th century New York, a time of conflict, innovation, and the fight for women's rights. It was a rough-and-tumble period in American history. And the architecture! What seems dated now is, in my opinion, majestic and timeless. When I was a little kid, visiting downtown Portland with my mom and/or grandmother, I was in awe when I looked up and saw the beauty of the buildings. But now that I'm older, most of those same buildings are gone, and the ones that do remain are fighting the good fight in order to survive. Why must we replace such beautiful edifices with structures made of chrome, glass, and concrete? There is no imagination, no interesting embellishments. No gargoyles. Le sigh...
But instead of lamenting, I did some reading, and what I found was wonderful! 'Astor Place Vintage', by Stephanie Lehmann, was just what I needed. Ms. Lehmann did a fantastic amount of research in chronicling this story about a contemporary woman who has found a journal written by a woman who lived in New York in 1907.
Amanda Rosenbloom is the owner of Astor Place Vintage, a vintage clothing store in Manhattan. While she is appraising clothing from an elderly wealthy woman, Amanda discovers a journal sewn into a fur muff. Written by Olive Westcott, a young woman who had recently moved to Manhattan, Amanda learns about Olive's life and her job as a counterwoman at a department store. She also learns about Olive's friendships, and her attraction to Joe, the brother of her friend, Angelina. Although Victorian ideas held women back from pursuing their dreams of freedom, Olive slowly realizes her self-worth. As Amanda reads the journal, her life unravels as the coincidences pile up.
'Astor Place Vintage' is a slow, delightful read at the beginning, but as I kept my nose in the book, I appreciated its darker tones and subtle shift in character perspective. The author's research into early Manhattan was deep and very well presented. And the vintage photographs made the story even more meaningful.
But most of all, it made me glad to be a woman right now, when I can vote, and pursue my dreams without being held back. When I'm not afraid to talk about menopause and childbirth.
This story, dear reader, is more than 'chick lit'. It's a story that speaks to all of us.
'Astor Place Vintage' will be released in June 2013, by Touchstone Books, a division of Simon & Schuster.
Today, Catholic cardinals have elected a pope. Although the 'election' of a new pope is newsworthy, this one is a bit special, as the new guy takes the place of a pope who retired, the first one to leave his post in hundreds of years.
I wonder what Jesus thinks about this? Is He happy that the new pope takes his papal name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi? Or because the new pope is a humble man? Or because he's the first non-European man elevated to the papacy?
Well, they had to find someone...
Too bad it wasn't a woman. In Christianity's infancy, women (that's right: Women) led the secret services. If caught, they, along with their entire congregation, were murdered by the Romans.
But, as much as I'd love to see a woman become Pope, I've had to settle for the dream that perhaps the next holy messenger will be a...woman. God's daughter.
'The Second Greatest Story Ever Told', by Gorman Bechard, is a cross between Christopher Moore (his novel, 'Lamb', is my favorite of all his books) and Douglas Adams. Set in contemporary time, the story concerns the Second Coming. Only this time, God decides to send his daughter, Ilona Ann Coggswater. Born in Cooperstown, New York in 1970, Ilona reveals herself to the world in 1988 (one of my favorite scenes in the whole story). Her most important passions in life are the Mets (they never lose while she's watching them play), Charlie Chaplin, Elvis Costello, and drinking Tab (remember Tab?).
Her message to the world is quite simple: Be kind. Be kind to the environment, be kind to each other, be kind to all living things. But when certain someones don't heed her message, all hell breaks loose.
This novel pokes fun at fundamentalists (lots of irony here, folks!), the NRA, and celebrity. But scattered throughout this little gem of a story are tender passages that will, perhaps, bring a tear to your eye.
But it's mostly funny. And timely.
Perhaps there's hope for us yet.
Natalia, a young doctor living in a Balkan country mending from almost-constant war, sets out to uncover the mystery of her beloved grandfather's death. With the reference of his worn novel, 'The Jungle Book', to guide her, she stumbles upon unsettling discoveries, and at the same time, remembers the stories he told her; the meeting with the 'Deathless Man', and the most extraordinary story of all, the legend of the tiger's wife.
