(Crown, October 2011, 375 pp., $25.00, ISBN:9780307394996, HC, Fic)
"What do these women whose names belong in a garden want from you? Do they want anything, anything at all?" (226)
I know what I want - a story that lives up to its promises of haunted basements, green thumbed witches, traumatized twins and psychotic caregivers. "Night Strangers" has it all, but does it deliver?
Chip Linton is not Chesley Sullenberger. Thirty-nine of his passengers are dead due to a botched water-landing after his plane collides with a flock of geese. He is not a 'Hero of a the Hudson', but a failed pilot who carries the souls of the dead on his conscience. Three in particular will not leave him alone, and their ghosts have followed him to northern New Hampshire where he has moved with his wife and children to start anew. Something in his new home is giving shape to these ghosts, and it lies behind a door in his cellar with thirty-nine bolts.
His wife, Emily, and their twin daughters are having difficulties of their own. Chip is detached, and his bouts of PSD are driving him further away from the family and reality. Can a group of herbalists help them to establish a new life out of the wreckage? And why should the herbalists with their green houses and exotic tinctures feel so invested in this family's well-being? Why are they especially so interested in the twins?
Bohjalian balances the presence of two stand alone stories expertly and finds a way to weave them together, starting off slowly at first, and building tension half-way through. What begins as a ghost story turns into a complex psychological thriller that leaves the reader guessing who - or what - is real. A paranoia sets in that pits the reader against the town, and then the family themselves. I love this kind of mystery, and if it were not for the changing narration styles and myriad characters coming in and out of the picture, this could easily have been a top pick for the year.
The major hole for this novel has nothing to do with plot, but a bad editorial decision. Chip Linton's character tells his story through second-person narration. I have unpleasant memories of my English teacher berating me in junior high for daring to put "you" in a business letter. She was right though - under no circumstance does "you" belong in anything but a conversation. Bohjalian uses it through half the book, and I found myself re-reading many passages to fully understand what the main character was trying to say. A reader should never have to re-read a passage unless she knows it's going to be on a test! I was ready to throw the book down by page fifty I was so confused. Switching back and forth between third and second person is a no-no and I'm sorry the editor did not catch this and convince the author to change the style. It disrupted the flow of a great story from start to finish.
The number of characters also took away from the story. Much like Tolstoy's "War and Peace", I felt I needed to write down the names of each person on an index card to keep track! Maybe if the characters were not named from the book of plant taxonomy. What is harder to remember? Anna Mikhaylovna Drubetskaya or Yarrow Collier?
The saving grace for this novel is Bohjalian's expert research. I greatly enjoy the small passages he writes that describe the most intimate thoughts and actions of characters while performing difficult techniques in gardening or flying. In one such passage, the author describes how Chip feels when flying above the clouds:
"Their exquisite polar flatness: fields of pillowy snow that stretched to the horizon. As the shadow of your plane would pass over them, you would imagine you were gazing down on an arctic, alabaster plain, and in your mind you could see yourself crossing them alone in a hooded parka and boots." (209)
Once again Chris Bohjalian presents us with a fun weekend thriller. If the reader is patient enough to get past a slow first half and the presence of two narration techniques, then they will be rewarded with a satisfying psychological thriller.
3 out of 5 stars.
Cat Nap
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Make Your Own Fabric Book Cover
Why spend $20 at Barnes & Noble when it's so easy to make one yourself!
The following pattern and images are all created from scratch by Ariel G. Yang. Share with your friends, just give credit where it's due :)
Monday, August 22, 2011
"Abandon" by Meg Cabot
(Point, May 2011, 304 pp., $17.99, ISBN:9780545284103, HC, YA Fic)
Pierce Oliviera died when she was fifteen. She has seen the underworld and met it's caretaker, and the Pierce who comes back to life is forever changed. In a story loosely based on the myth of Hades and Persephone, Pierce must avoid being captured again and dragged down by her dark suitor. However, it is not death who wants to hurt her, but something far more sinister.
"He was a death deity. I was a senior in high school. This was never going to work." (262)
This quote about sums it up, and the main character is right - it doesn't work. Since seeing this book at Book Expo, I have been too eager to get my hands on it: Greek Mythology, Hades & Persephone, Key West? How could this not be fantastic?
First, this is a 300 page book. Since Harry Potter and the Twilight series came out it was clear to publishers that teen attention span did not go the way of the dodo. However, authors need to be reasonable and know when to scale back on unnecessary verbiage. It reads like a Dicken's novel - and I don't mean melodramatic. Was Cabot paid by the word? A good editor could have cut this story to half of it's size and provided an exciting, fast-paced read. Instead, main characeter Pierce spends far too much time repeating the same facts over and over again and making references to past/future events that never pan out. Ok! Hannah was your BEST friend, I get it. Oh, you're telling me that you wish this thing hasn't happened because you know how badly it's going to turn out, but you're not going to tell me about it until several chapters later if you tell me at all?
Second, in reference to the statement above, there are many loose threads that read as important at the time, yet do not get mentioned or explained ever again. How did her uncle end up in jail? What happened to him there? What did her father's company do that caused an environmental disaster and how is he involved? What is his profession? What beef does her cousin Alex have against Seth Rector? And several more that I can't mention because they would spoil the plot.
Third, the characters are not fully developed. It's hard enough figuring out what kind of person Pierce is, it's also difficult to figure out the motivations of other characters around her. John being the hero, I feel I know nothing about him. How can I root for a hero I know nothing about? And her friends, cousin, uncle, all make statements and do things that are not explained. Most importantly - what is up with grandma? (I won't mention any more, you will understand when you read it through to the end.)
Fourth, eh, it doesn't matter at this point. Let's just say there are A LOT of things wrong with this book and I am not anticipating the next installment. Sure, some of my questions above will be answered, but it will probably take another 300 pages to do it and I'm just not feeling the story deep enough to care. And it feels like Cabot isn't feeling it either.
The saving grace for this novel comes at the very end in the author's notes. Cabot recommends Edith Hamilton's Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. This is my go-to book for all things mythology and I'm glad that a very popular author like Meg Cabot is recommending such a great book to a large youth audience. Perhaps some good will come out of this after all?
Pierce Oliviera died when she was fifteen. She has seen the underworld and met it's caretaker, and the Pierce who comes back to life is forever changed. In a story loosely based on the myth of Hades and Persephone, Pierce must avoid being captured again and dragged down by her dark suitor. However, it is not death who wants to hurt her, but something far more sinister.
"He was a death deity. I was a senior in high school. This was never going to work." (262)
This quote about sums it up, and the main character is right - it doesn't work. Since seeing this book at Book Expo, I have been too eager to get my hands on it: Greek Mythology, Hades & Persephone, Key West? How could this not be fantastic?
First, this is a 300 page book. Since Harry Potter and the Twilight series came out it was clear to publishers that teen attention span did not go the way of the dodo. However, authors need to be reasonable and know when to scale back on unnecessary verbiage. It reads like a Dicken's novel - and I don't mean melodramatic. Was Cabot paid by the word? A good editor could have cut this story to half of it's size and provided an exciting, fast-paced read. Instead, main characeter Pierce spends far too much time repeating the same facts over and over again and making references to past/future events that never pan out. Ok! Hannah was your BEST friend, I get it. Oh, you're telling me that you wish this thing hasn't happened because you know how badly it's going to turn out, but you're not going to tell me about it until several chapters later if you tell me at all?
Second, in reference to the statement above, there are many loose threads that read as important at the time, yet do not get mentioned or explained ever again. How did her uncle end up in jail? What happened to him there? What did her father's company do that caused an environmental disaster and how is he involved? What is his profession? What beef does her cousin Alex have against Seth Rector? And several more that I can't mention because they would spoil the plot.
Third, the characters are not fully developed. It's hard enough figuring out what kind of person Pierce is, it's also difficult to figure out the motivations of other characters around her. John being the hero, I feel I know nothing about him. How can I root for a hero I know nothing about? And her friends, cousin, uncle, all make statements and do things that are not explained. Most importantly - what is up with grandma? (I won't mention any more, you will understand when you read it through to the end.)
Fourth, eh, it doesn't matter at this point. Let's just say there are A LOT of things wrong with this book and I am not anticipating the next installment. Sure, some of my questions above will be answered, but it will probably take another 300 pages to do it and I'm just not feeling the story deep enough to care. And it feels like Cabot isn't feeling it either.
The saving grace for this novel comes at the very end in the author's notes. Cabot recommends Edith Hamilton's Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. This is my go-to book for all things mythology and I'm glad that a very popular author like Meg Cabot is recommending such a great book to a large youth audience. Perhaps some good will come out of this after all?
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
"Witches of East End" by Melissa de la Cruz
(Hyperion, Jun 2011, 272 pp., $23.99, ISBN:9781401323905, HC, YA Fic)
North Hampton sits on the upper fork of Long Island's east end shrouded in mist and removed from the map like a modern Brigadoon. It is the home of the Beauchamp family - three women who have hidden their magical powers away for centuries since their involvement in the Salem Witch Trials. When an old money family moves onto a nearby island strange environmental disasters and illness descend upon the idyllic town, and the women must step out of the darkness to preserve their new lives. Is the 21st century ready for witches? Or will history repeat itself?
Even though this book is billed as de la Cruz's first novel for adults, it still reads like a series installment for teens. The only difference is the age of the characters (twenty somethings) and a few mild sex scenes - and I mean mild. I liked the reference to characters from her Blue Bloods series. It's a smart move to encourage adults to read the ya series about vampires in NYC, and admittedly I've picked up the first two titles from my local library already.
This was a pleasant "popcorn" read. I am very excited about this new genre of mythic god crossover that is slowly shoving a stake into vampire lit. Retellings of ancient myths have been on the market for years as recently as those works by Rick Riordan, R.L. LaFevers, and so many others. I hope this will encourage readers to revisit the older texts by Edith Hamilton to brush up. Witches of East End uses Norse mythology which is very hard to do and not always as popular. I look forward to the next entry and in the meantime I'm going to study up on my Norse legends to be more prepared.
North Hampton sits on the upper fork of Long Island's east end shrouded in mist and removed from the map like a modern Brigadoon. It is the home of the Beauchamp family - three women who have hidden their magical powers away for centuries since their involvement in the Salem Witch Trials. When an old money family moves onto a nearby island strange environmental disasters and illness descend upon the idyllic town, and the women must step out of the darkness to preserve their new lives. Is the 21st century ready for witches? Or will history repeat itself?
Even though this book is billed as de la Cruz's first novel for adults, it still reads like a series installment for teens. The only difference is the age of the characters (twenty somethings) and a few mild sex scenes - and I mean mild. I liked the reference to characters from her Blue Bloods series. It's a smart move to encourage adults to read the ya series about vampires in NYC, and admittedly I've picked up the first two titles from my local library already.
This was a pleasant "popcorn" read. I am very excited about this new genre of mythic god crossover that is slowly shoving a stake into vampire lit. Retellings of ancient myths have been on the market for years as recently as those works by Rick Riordan, R.L. LaFevers, and so many others. I hope this will encourage readers to revisit the older texts by Edith Hamilton to brush up. Witches of East End uses Norse mythology which is very hard to do and not always as popular. I look forward to the next entry and in the meantime I'm going to study up on my Norse legends to be more prepared.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
"Hidden" by Helen Frost
(R R Donnelley & Sons Company, Apr 2011, 142 pp., $16.99, ISBN:9780374382216, HC, YA Poetry)
In 2008 I did a book group with several teens. We read "Keisha's House", also by Helen Frost. It was meant to be an introduction to free verse poetry, a way to break teens from the idea that all poetry had to be laid out with mathematical and grammatical precision. While the poetry angle was accomplished, the story itself was deeply felt by all. A home for "lost" teens who need time away from their ordinary lives to accept their pasts and create new futures.
"Hidden" touched a similar chord with me. The premise concerns a young girl who is abducted when the car she is in is stolen. The captor, who is unaware of her presence in the back seat, drives her to his home and locks the car in the garage. After two days she is able to escape, leading the police to the captor's home and resulting in a six-year prison sentence. Fast forward six years and the captive, Wren, is attending summer camp. What will make this summer different from others before is that she has a new cabin-mate - a girl named Darra whose father mistakenly abducted a young girl named Wren six years earlier.
Though it sounds unbelievable, Frost is able to lay out the story in a plausible manner. I read the book cover to cover in one sitting, wanting to know how these girls would react, and whether they could make amends. Encompassing the story is the lake in which the girls swim. Water slows their movements, draws out wordless scenes that speak volumes, and acts as a metaphor for the cold of the garage, and finally a blanket of forgiveness.
I highly recommend this story for tween book groups. Great discussions can be had about how to react in a dangerous situation, how to help others in trouble, the sacrifice of family when relationships go sour, and the nature of forgiveness. Fantastic!
In 2008 I did a book group with several teens. We read "Keisha's House", also by Helen Frost. It was meant to be an introduction to free verse poetry, a way to break teens from the idea that all poetry had to be laid out with mathematical and grammatical precision. While the poetry angle was accomplished, the story itself was deeply felt by all. A home for "lost" teens who need time away from their ordinary lives to accept their pasts and create new futures.
"Hidden" touched a similar chord with me. The premise concerns a young girl who is abducted when the car she is in is stolen. The captor, who is unaware of her presence in the back seat, drives her to his home and locks the car in the garage. After two days she is able to escape, leading the police to the captor's home and resulting in a six-year prison sentence. Fast forward six years and the captive, Wren, is attending summer camp. What will make this summer different from others before is that she has a new cabin-mate - a girl named Darra whose father mistakenly abducted a young girl named Wren six years earlier.
Though it sounds unbelievable, Frost is able to lay out the story in a plausible manner. I read the book cover to cover in one sitting, wanting to know how these girls would react, and whether they could make amends. Encompassing the story is the lake in which the girls swim. Water slows their movements, draws out wordless scenes that speak volumes, and acts as a metaphor for the cold of the garage, and finally a blanket of forgiveness.
I highly recommend this story for tween book groups. Great discussions can be had about how to react in a dangerous situation, how to help others in trouble, the sacrifice of family when relationships go sour, and the nature of forgiveness. Fantastic!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
"A Reliable Wife" by Robert Goolrick
(Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, Jan 2010, 320 pp., $14.95, ISBN:9781565129771, Pbk, Fic)
Two outwardly simple people are brought together by an ad in the newspaper - a wife is needed by a rich man in a remote part of the newly industrial west. Both enter into the relationship with dark pasts and darker intentions. Can these two survive a winter together without letting their secrets slip out? And will these secrets be their undoing in a world where murder and insanity are as common as the blizzards that imprison the town?
It will be hard finding another novel quite like this one. I can only compare the feeling I got while reading with movies like "The Piano", "Lolita", and "Damage" - the type of movie that is set in another time or place like a richly textured painting, and gives you the chills to look at it because of its slightly sinful nature.
Goolrick is a master storyteller and his retelling of the mythic story of Theseus brilliantly explores the darker side of the American experience. I look forward to reading his next work.
Original Post: http://my.barnesandnoble.com/communityportal/review.aspx?reviewid=1787047
Two outwardly simple people are brought together by an ad in the newspaper - a wife is needed by a rich man in a remote part of the newly industrial west. Both enter into the relationship with dark pasts and darker intentions. Can these two survive a winter together without letting their secrets slip out? And will these secrets be their undoing in a world where murder and insanity are as common as the blizzards that imprison the town?
It will be hard finding another novel quite like this one. I can only compare the feeling I got while reading with movies like "The Piano", "Lolita", and "Damage" - the type of movie that is set in another time or place like a richly textured painting, and gives you the chills to look at it because of its slightly sinful nature.
Goolrick is a master storyteller and his retelling of the mythic story of Theseus brilliantly explores the darker side of the American experience. I look forward to reading his next work.
Original Post: http://my.barnesandnoble.com/communityportal/review.aspx?reviewid=1787047
Monday, August 1, 2011
"Before I Go To Sleep" by S.J. Watson
(Harper, Jun. 14, 2011, 368 pp., $18.99, ISBN:9780062060556 , HC, Adult)
Christine wakes up each morning in a strange house in London with no memory of how she got there and who is sleeping next to her. She is even more shocked when she looks in the mirror and sees herself some twenty years older than expected. A phone call from a mysterious doctor leads her to a journal buried deep within her closet. Every day she reads the journal to find out who she is, and every day she must add everything she learns before falling asleep and forgetting it all. Each day uncovers new memories of friends, family, and her husband... but what accident could have caused such a tramatic brain injury? And what does it have to do with the strange man in her bed each morning?
I was skeptical reading the synopsis of Steven J. Watson's Before I Go To Sleep. I loved the plot the first time when it was a movie called Memento by director Christopher Nolan. But I'm a sucker for psychological suspense a la' Ruth Rendell, so I picked up a copy.
The best thing about Watson's story, and the most important element by my standards, is his ability to keep the reader guessing. Nothing ruins a book more than a predictable plot twist. Watson did a great job of adding bits and pieces of the final puzzle in a way that doesn't spoil the outcome. Christine's illness is believable, and her painful recovery is seemless. Not only was the ending an unexpected twist on a commonly used finale, it ties up loose ends without fully solving the greater mystery at large - Christine's illness.
When Watson writes his next story (and I hope he publishes another soon), my only request is to edit the main character's inside voice. We understand the anxiety and desperation that Christine feels - but we need not be reminded every page. Trust the reader to feel the tension, a great writer can create suspense without ever having to say Boo!
Original Post: http://www.rtbookreviews.com/rt-daily-blog/million-dollar-thriller-debut-it-worth-it
Original Post: http://www.rtbookreviews.com/rt-daily-blog/million-dollar-thriller-debut-it-worth-it
"Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
(SCHOLASTIC, Jun., 400 pp., $18.99, ISBN: 9780439895972, HC, 14 & Up)
Original Post: http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/beauty-queens
Perhaps my expectations were impossibly high, how could they not be after a masterpiece like Going Bovine?
Beauty Queens starts off beautifully (no pun intended) - a mysterious plane crash, quirky characters, and the challenge of surviving without food, shelter, and -gasp- lip gloss! Libba Bray makes it clear that this is not aLost or Lord of the Flies inspired story, but it could have been a brilliant and witty comeback to both. A female alternative to Golding's story would have made for great discussion in schools and public libraries. With generous influences from fellow 'dystopian' novels like M.T. Anderson's Feed, a materialistic world run underhandedly by The Corporation and fellow countries with Chavez-inspired dictators produces shallow, narcissistic teenage girls, and what archetype is more extreme than the beauty pageant girl. The demand is there with shows abound on cable networks and the 2007 Miss Teen USA pageant's Miss South Carolina interview fiasco.
Unfortunatly, all the sarcastic commercials and witty dialogue could not save a potentially awesome story. If the intention was to show shallow teens finding their inner Girl Power, or bridge the gap between petty differences to encourage girls across the spectrum to unite against a world that demands skinny, perfectly coiffured, pleasant and unopiniontated girls, then it was an 'epic fail'. Bray should have focused on one goal instead of branching off into weak tangeants. Is it a survival story? If so, leave out the government and corporation conspiracies. Outside characters were two-dimensional and drew away from the already too-large cast at hand. And what was with the ship full of cockney-accented actors and the Australian eco-warrior that popped up out of nowhere to woo the girls. Was a love-plot that necessary? The romance that blossomed briefly between two of the girls could have been an all-encompassing focus on positive relationships in general.
All-in-all, I cringed more than I smiled, and said, "Huh?" more than "Ha!" The potential was strong, but the inconsistent messages, thin characters, and silly plot-twists left me disappointed. Libba Bray has shown true talent in past YA novels, but this one felt rushed and un-loved.
Original Post: http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/beauty-queens
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