Book Review - The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

From Goodreads:

"One evening, my father asked me if I would like to become a ghost bride..."

Though ruled by British overlords, the Chinese of colonial Malaya still cling to ancient customs. And in the sleepy port town of Malacca, ghosts and superstitions abound.

Li Lan, the daughter of a genteel but bankrupt family, has few prospects. But fate intervenes when she receives an unusual proposal from the wealthy and powerful Lim family. They want her to become a ghost bride for the family's only son, who recently died under mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced, a traditional ghost marriage is used to placate a restless spirit. Such a union would guarantee Li Lan a home for the rest of her days, but at a terrible price.

After an ominous visit to the opulent Lim mansion, Li Lan finds herself haunted not only by her ghostly would-be suitor, but also by her desire for the Lim's handsome new heir, Tian Bai. Night after night, she is drawn into the shadowy parallel world of the Chinese afterlife, with its ghost cities, paper funeral offerings, vengeful spirits and monstrous bureaucracy—including the mysterious Er Lang, a charming but unpredictable guardian spirit. Li Lan must uncover the Lim family's darkest secrets—and the truth about her own family—before she is trapped in this ghostly world forever.

Such a beautiful cover! I was curious about this story since I am Chinese, and I have heard of the "ghost bride" practice. I didn't know much about it though, so was excited to learn more.

I am sorry to say that I did not finish this book... even though I was eager to read it. It started off interestingly enough, but I just couldn't get engaged. [SPOILER]  I mean, I should feel for Li Lan - she was asked to be a ghost bride after all! Her family was falling apart! But I just didn't really care one way or the other... And there just wasn't much development between her and the boy she fancied - one second they were strangers, then the next she wanted to marry him already (and if it really was love at first sight, I didn't feel the attraction). And the she was had the out-of-body experience, it just because too much of a self-of-consciousness type of story and I just couldn't read anymore... [/SPOILER]

I generally do like having a strong female protagonist, but in this case, she annoyed me instead... maybe I am just getting old and the protagonist seemed kinda young. Some other reviews said this reads more like a YA - maybe that's it... YA is really not my genre apart from a selected few.

I did like that the author included a few pages of notes in the end of the book, explaining the different traditions/folktales regarding ghost marriage. I just wish they were incorporated more into the story itself. I don't have any concrete examples (too lazy to go find some), but the impression I got from reading this book was that it was more "tell" than "show"... so maybe the author's writing style and my reading style just don't jell?! I am really thinking it is just me though, since if you read other reviews on the TLC tour, there are many, many positive reviews and I am the rare exception... so never mind me, as the lack of time/energy/brain power had made me extremely picky into what I'd read nowadays...

0 Star - Did Not Finish

Yangsze’s Tour Stops

Wednesday, August 7th: Bibliophilia, Please!

Monday, August 12th: The Reader’s Hollow

Tuesday, August 13th: Bibliophiliac

Thursday, August 15th: Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile

Monday, August 19th: Peeking Between the Pages

Tuesday, August 20th: Luxury Reading

Tuesday, August 20th: BoundByWords

Wednesday, August 21st: No More Grumpy Bookseller

Thursday, August 22nd: Ageless Pages Reviews

Monday, August 26th: Mental Foodie

Tuesday, August 27th: Excellent Library

Note - An advanced copy was given in exchange for an unbiased review.



All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

From Goodreads:

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.

A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. It is a stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark.

I have always meant to read Neil Gaiman, and came across this one recently. I love the cover of this book!

This is a thin book, with less than 200 pages. But I regret to say, I read only about 1/5 of it... I may have finished if (1) I didn't have to return to the library - couldn't renew as there was another hold; (2) I didn't have other books I need to read for blog tours; or (3) I am not so busy I hardly have time to read so must be picky with what I read.

I was excited to read this book, and it was off to a good start... but then, it just didn't hold my interest... I didn't really care about the characters, or the plot. 

If you have read this book though, is it worth giving it a try again? Or trying another Neil Gaiman book - if so, what should I start? (I haven't watched Coraline... )

Did Not Finish.




Note - The book was borrowed from the library.



All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Totally not a book I'd have picked, based on the title, cover, or brief description. But I heard so many people said it's so great, and so funny. I thought I'd widen my horizon to give it a try.

Maybe I shouldn't read it on a night when I was tired, but want something easy to read. I read a few pages, and just could not get into it at all even though the first 2 pages were promising. It alternated among quite a few characters, but most were very short chapters (they were done in emails mostly) so I just found it jarring. Like, who are you again? Why am I reading your email now?

I usually don't mind books written in letters/emails, but this book just was not my style. I don't even know what writing style this book is... one of those "I'd know it when I see it" lol.

I am so glad Melissa from Spare the Reader, Spoil The Book reviewed this book a few days after I DNF it (see her review here!) because I did want to see what the fuss was about. After reading her spoilers though, I still don't think I'd have liked this book.

Saved myself hours/days, so thanks Melissa! :)

0 Star - Did Not Finish (DNF).



Note - The book was borrowed from the library.



All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - You Shouldn't Call Me Mommy by Susan Tsui

You Shouldn't Call Me Mommy by Susan Tsui

Saw this on the library new books shelf, thought the premise sounded intriguing - especially since it touches on the love between a mother and son - though the mother is a robot. There are some great reviews out there when I checked, and it sounds like it'd be a thought provoking book.

But, I just can't get into it. I think it is the writing style, and I found the dialog a bit forced. Which is a shame... I think I need  Cliff Note summary just so I could find out what happened.

Note - The book was borrowed from the library.



All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - The Antagonist by Lynn Coady

The Antagonist by Lynn Coady

Randomly picked his up from the library as the premise sounded intriguing - "Now pushing forty, he discovers that an old, trusted friend from his college days has published a novel that borrows freely from the traumatic events of Rank’s own life. Outraged by this betrayal and feeling cruelly misrepresented, he bashes out his own version of his story in a barrage of e-mails to the novelist that range from funny to furious to heartbreaking."

It's an epistolary novel, which I usually liked. But the emails in the books didn't sound like emails at all... and I got irritated by the guy writing these emails and I just couldn't continue anymore. I suppose since I don't have much time now with a baby, I just have less patience... not that I didn't abandon books before, but I have gotten even more picky than before.

It did have some good reviews on Goodreads - so it's probably just me.

It got me thinking though - this is a female author writing a male protagonist. So can an author write a novel from an opposite sex protagonist convincingly? Or about experience they haven't experienced (or have done thorough research on?) I am thinking that if I had written a book about motherhood before I had a child, I think I'd have failed badly. The love I have for my child is not something I'd known prior his birth. Granted, all those cliche I hear are true, but you are skeptical about them until you experience it yourself... Or I suppose that's why I am not a writer since I can't put myself in someone else's shoes? 


0 Star - Did Not Finish



Note - The book was borrowed from the library.



All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - Darkfever (Fever, #1) by Karen Marie Moning

Darkfever (Fever, #1) by Karen Marie Moning 

I was intrigued after Tea Time with Marce asked whether she'd get the fever.

Ugh, I should have just listened to her when she said she abandoned it.

Urban fantasy is totally not my genre. I'd only read one, Moon Called (Mercedes Thompson, #1) by Patricia Briggs and thought it was just meh but I did finish it.  But I thought maybe I just haven't found the right book. Darkfever started out fine, I wanted to find out why the protagonist's sister was murdered in Ireland. But the story went downhill once she landed in Ireland... it just got repetitive and nothing happened and I just lost interest... I just couldn't get engaged and just didn't care anymore when I see the words Seelie and Unseelie or whatever they are called.

Have to say, I like Twilight better than this and I am not even a Twilight fan. At least I finished it and googled to see what happened in Book 2-4.

Note - The book was borrowed from the library.



All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I was looking forward to this book - there was such a hype on the blogs about this. I should know better since my reading taste seems to be different to the majority of the bloggers. I thought this book would be magical (hey it's about the circus after all!) well, it started off well, and captured my interest, and then it just went on, and on, and on, and on, and on... and a quarter of the way through the almost 400 pages book, and still nothing happened.

Maybe this would work better as a movie, as I'd love to see how Celia did her magic, and what the opening night bonfire looked like. But that'd probably only last just seconds, instead of multiple pages.

If you like descriptive, flowery, wordy story, then go for it. Not for me.


0 / 5 Did Not Finish

Note - The book was borrowed from the library.



All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - Jane Was Here: A Novel by Sarah Kernochan

Title: Jane Was Here: A Novel
Author: Sarah Kernochan 
Year: 2011
Page: 318
Genre: Fiction

FTC Disclosure: A free copy from the Crazy Book Tours

Summary (from goodreads.com):
A mysterious young woman called Jane appears in a small New England town. She claims a fragmentary memory of growing up in this place, yet she has never been here before in her life. Searching for an explanation, she arrives at the unthinkable: that she is somehow connected to a beautiful girl who disappeared from the town in 1853. Is she recalling a past life? Jane becomes convinced of it. As she presses onward to find out what happened in this town over 150 years ago, strange and alarming things begin happening to some of the town's inhabitants. A thunderhead of karmic justice gathers over the village as Jane's memories reawaken piece by piece. They carry her back in time to a long-buried secret, while the townspeople hurtle forward to a horrific event when past and present fatally collide.

First Sentence:

The night is pale, humid, with a few begrimed clouds.

My Thoughts:

• I have been trying to limit the number of ARC or blog tours due to my schedule. However, I was attracted to this book based on the blurb - past life? Karma? Possibly reincarnation? Sounds very interesting!

• I was intrigued in the beginning of the book, wondering who Jane was. However, I soon lost interest because there were a lot of characters introduced, and so the storyline became choppy. Also, I didn't really care about any of the characters, so there was no incentive for me to keep reading.

• I read some other reviews on goodreads to see if I was missing out on the story. Some said they really like part 2 because there were all letters written in the past, and talked about the background. I know this sounds silly, but this part of the book was all written in italic, and it was just very difficult for me read text in italic. If it was just a page or two, that might have been okay, but we're talking about 50 pages here. To me, font, font size, font style is all part of the reading experience so that just deterred me from trying further.

• I think this story might be better told in movies. With the visuals, the plot might not be as jarring or jumping around so much. Later on I read that the author is a screenwriter / director, so I wonder if that's why I thought her writing style is better suited to that. 

• There are lots of good reviews out there though. In fact, don't forget to check out the tour! So far only one other tour post is written (as I'm 2nd on the tour) and it's VERY positive, so I really think it's just me.  Unfortunately this one is just not for me. While I do prefer plot driven to character driven novels, I do have to at least feel something for at least one character.

Overall Rating:

0 Star. Did not finish. Just not my style. But check out the blog tours as I am very picky on what I read! So it's probably just me, and not the book.

The scheduled tour stops:
12/11/2011  --  Psychotic State Book Reviews
12/12/2011  --  Mental Foodie
12/13/2011  --  Tiffany's Bookshelf
12/14/2011  --  Book of Secrets
12/15/2011  --  Endlessly Bookish
12/16/2011  --  Sinnful Books
12/18/2011  --  Proud Book Nerd
12/19/2011  --  True Book Addict/Castle Macabre
12/21/2011  --  WV Stitcher
12/23/2011  --  Reader Girls

A little bit about Sarah Kernochan:

Sarah Kernochan received early acclaim for her Academy Award winning documentary Marjoe. She then recorded two albums for RCA as a singer-songwriter. In 1977, her first novel Dry Hustle was published. Returning to film, she scripted the the film Nine and ½ Weeks, Impromptu, Sommersby, What Lies Beneath and All I Wanna Do, which she also directed. She received a second Academy Award in 2002 for her short documentary Thoth. 2010 brought the re-issue of Dry Hustle as an ebook, and a third album of songs. 2011 brings us to Jane Was Here; Sarah’s first love and teenage ambition – a novel about reincarnation.


All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Wham Bam Book Reviews - Did Not Finish

I like what Tales of Whimsy did with her Wham Bam reviews (see here). Thought I'd try it for my Did Not Finish books - would help me catch up sooner!

 
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

Another book club pick.  I was turned off by the Introduction section of the book - the author sounded arrogant and self-centered. I read the first couple of chapters and while the first chapter wasn't bad, it just didn't hold my interest. Some paragraphs were VERY long, and yet some pages were filled with just single line dialogs. If I didn't read the Introduction (which was long), I might have actually read a few more chapters of the book. In this case, first impression definitely made a difference, and it wasn't a good one.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 

I know there were many good reviews of this book as many readers could reminiscent the 80s culture. While it started off interesting and I wanted to find out what happened, the 80s references were too much for me. I didn't grow up in the western world in the 80s (despite Hong Kong had quite a bit of western influences since it was a British colony) and I wasn't into gaming at all (I only played Prince of Persia and Breakout for a little bit), so I couldn't really relate or be nostalgic about it. I did like the main protagonist's voice, but just was not interested in the content. There were quite a few footnotes which were distracting. Also, if this was set in 2044 (33 years in the future), would people still be blogging or emailing and using laptop? Maybe people would still blog or email, but somehow I doubt laptop would still be in use...

Mirror Image (Daniel Rinaldi Mystery) by Dennis Palumbo

Found this while browsing the library. I thought I'd be interested in this one because the main protagonist, Dr. Daniel Rinaldi, was a psychologist who consulted with the Pittsburgh Police. But I had to stop around p82 - I didn't hate him, but he didn't grow on me and I just didn't really care what happened to him. Many characters were introduced but that was just it - no development. Granted, I didn't read that many pages but it was only 250 pages long so I'd already read 1/3 of it. It was actually the first in a series but it read as though you should already know who the characters were. Most reviews were good though and said it had good twists... but I was impatient.

The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta
I was intrigued by the premise of this novel - "What if—whoosh, right now, with no explanation—a number of us simply vanished?  Would some of us collapse? Would others of us go on, one foot in front of the other, as we did before the world turned upside down?" I stopped about 60 pages because I got bored. It seemed to speak in a monotone. I also didn't really care about the characters I read so far... and the people who joined the cult after the Rapture all took up smoking even if they were totally against it before? It just didn't seem to make sense. I decided to checkout some 1 Star Goodreads review to see why people didn't like it, and to see if it was worthwhile to continue reading. I found a review that confirmed where I think the book was going, so I decided it's not worth my time... That's too bad, great premise, but not the execution style I like.

Best Kept Secret: A Novel by Amy Hatvany

Many reviews said this book read very real, even though this was fiction. I found that the author was a recovering alcoholic, so this was based on her own experience. It started off well, I could understand her guilt and pretense and avoidance, her love for her child, the fall out with the husband, and her relationship with her mother. However, I read about 1/3 of it and still nothing much happened... if you had follow my blog for a while, you know I prefer plot-driven than character-driven novel. I appreciate good characters, but I still need SOMETHING to happen instead of just their feelings and all. Also the story went back and forth between pre- and post- rehab without any clear indication of where the story time line was, and it got a bit confusing.

Book Review - Joy For Beginners: A Novel by Erica Bauermeister

Title:  Joy For Beginners: A Novel
Author: Erica Bauermeister 
Year: 2011
Page: 288
Genre: Fiction - Women

FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com):
At an intimate, festive dinner party in Seattle, six women gather to celebrate their friend Kate's recovery from cancer. Wineglass in hand, Kate strikes a bargain with them. To celebrate her new lease on life, she'll do the one thing that's always terrified her: white-water rafting. But if she goes, all of them will also do something they always swore they'd never do-and Kate is going to choose their adventures.

Shimmering with warmth, wit, and insight, Joy for Beginners is a celebration of life: unexpected, lyrical, and deeply satisfying.

First Sentence: 
Life came back slowly, Kate realized.

My Thoughts:

• Rhapsody in Books highly recommend this book (see her review here). I really liked the premise of the story, so I decided to read this. Well, or tried to read it as I could not finish it.

• There were many positive reviews out there for this book, so I think it is really just me. I just can't seem to like Women Fiction. I don't know if that's because I don't connect with the characters or that I am not a girly-girl or what, but these books usually bore me. I read the first 92 pages and I had had enough. After the introductory chapter, each following chapter was about one of the 6 friends and what their dare was. I just got bored reading 40 pages about each of these women - e.g. [SPOILER] a woman who tried to find courage to box up her husband's stuff after he left for a younger woman, or another 40 pages about another woman who tried to learn to make bread [/SPOILER].  Their stories were just too predictable.

• So yeah, most female readers would probably like this book. It's just me being difficult :) 

Overall Rating:

0 Star. Did Not Finish. I was bored.


All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Title: Middlesex 
Author: Jeffrey Eugenides
Year: 2003
Page: 529
Genre: Fiction - Literary 

FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com): 
"I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day of January 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Petoskey, Michigan, in August of l974. . . My birth certificate lists my name as Calliope Helen Stephanides. My most recent driver’s license...records my first name simply as Cal."

So begins the breathtaking story of Calliope Stephanides and three generations of the Greek-American Stephanides family who travel from a tiny village overlooking Mount Olympus in Asia Minor to Prohibition-era Detroit, witnessing its glory days as the Motor City, and the race riots of l967, before they move out to the tree-lined streets of suburban Grosse Pointe, Michigan. To understand why Calliope is not like other girls, she has to uncover a guilty family secret and the astonishing genetic history that turns Callie into Cal, one of the most audacious and wondrous narrators in contemporary fiction. Lyrical and thrilling, Middlesex is an exhilarating reinvention of the American epic.

First Sentence:
I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day in January of 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Petoskey, Michigan, in August of 1974.

My Thoughts:

• This was our book club choice for July. I've read some good reviews before, but never picked it up because I didn't think it was my type of books. I was right. I stopped at p34. Some may say 34 pages are not enough to judge a book. They might be right, but I just couldn't get into it. I kept having to flip back to the previous page to re-read what I just read. I just could not stand the thought of struggling 560+ pages

• Chapter 1 was actually kinda interesting, especially the part about the silver spoon to see if the baby is a boy or girl. Chapter 2 focused on the grandmother when she was a young girl in Greece, and I just lost interest in this chapter.  

•  Most of the book club people really liked it, except my friends and myself lol. But the book club people tend to be less harsh than I am :)

Overall Rating:

0 Star. Did not finish.


All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Did Not Finish - 3 Books

Since I am 14 books behind in reviews, thought I'd do mini reviews for the 3 books I abandoned in May and June (so far...). The 3 books were:

• So Much Pretty by Cara Hoffman
• The Good Patient by Kristin Waterfield Duisberg
• Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz and David Hayward

Title: So Much Pretty
Author: Cara Hoffman
Year: 2011
Page: 304
Genre: Fiction - Murder / Mystery / Thriller / Suspense

FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com): see here.

• First Sentence: 
• They are looking for someone with blond or dark brown or black hair.

My Thoughts:

• I chose this book because I liked reading psychological thrillers, and I read some great reviews of this one!
• I liked the cover too - set the atmosphere of the book
• I was so looking forward to reading this one since the premise sounded so promising - in particular, stories with a big a-ha ending like The Six Sense or Shutter Island. If I had to describe this book, I would say this book had ADD! Why? It was all over the place! (See next bullet)
• Now, I actually do quite look books told from different perspectives. I also didn't mind if the book jumped between past and present, if it was made clear. This book were told from multiple perspectives and from multiple years and from multiple formats... it was just too much for my brain. For example (this is just made up, since I don't have the book with me anymore as I borrowed it from the library): 
• Chapter 1, Perspective A in 2001, in 3rd person
• Chapter 2, Perspective B in 1987, in 1st person
• Chapter 3, Perspective C in 1991, in "evidence" / document format
• Chapter 4, Perspective A, in 1986, in 3rd person
• Chapter 5, Perspective D, in 2002, etc etc
• See what I meant? I couldn't keep track of the different perspectives, and the different timelines... I felt like tearing the book apart, and put it in chronological order or something! So I gave up at p137 (of 304 pages).
• I googled to see what the big secret was, and from the little that I read, I wasn't wow-ed. I guess I had to read the book to get wow-ed.

Quote:

... the responsibility of every intelligent person is to pay attention to the obvious. (p4)

Title: The Good Patient
Author: Kristin Waterfield Duisberg
Year: 2004
Page: 336
Genre: Fiction

FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com): See here.

First Sentence: 
From the inside out, these are my layers: bad, good, bad, good, and now - new - again bad.

My Thoughts:

•  I didn't know anything about this book beforehand, I just saw it at the library and the premise  sounded very promising - I am a sucker for books that promise big secrets!
• I gave up after 47 pages... I just couldn't get into it. I didn't like the protagonist - she annoyed me. You heard people saying "I don't need negative or toxic people around me?" This is how I felt when I read this book.

Title: Heads You Lose
Author: Lisa Lutz and David Hayward
Year: 2011
Page: 302
Genre: Fiction - Murder / Mystery / Thriller / Suspense

FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com): See here.

First Sentence:
Paul flipped the coin and Lacey called tails.

My Thoughts:

• I have read Lutz's The Spellman Files (The Spellmans, #1) before. I only read Book 1 - I liked it okay but didn't like it enough to read the rest of the series. It was a bit too chick-lit-ish for my liking and I didn't find it as funny as others. When I heard about this one, I was very intrigued with the idea of 2 authors collaborating on a novel - Lutz and her ex-boyfriend no less, and it didn't sound like they departed on good terms! So I wondered how the story would turn out, and why on earth would she want to do this project?
• Lutz wrote all the odd number chapters, and Hayward wrote the even number chapters. After each chapter, it included their emails to each other about what they thought of the chapter and what the other should do in the next chapter. Before the story even started, there was an Editor note to explain about this, and the original email Lutz sent to Hayward about why she wanted to do this project. It was kinda fun to read this, until...
• Until the email exchange between the 2 authors got kinda annoying and distract from the story, and the footnote seemed kinda petty. It was an interesting concept, but it wasn't execute well. A lot of times Lutz was telling Hayward what to write in the next chapter, and kept reminding him that she was the "name" of the pair... (I cheated, and skipped to read just the email exchange, and not the actual story.) It made me wonder if she should have just written the book herself. This might have worked better as a series of blog posts, rather than a book. It was almost like reading a draft of the book instead.
• The actual story was kinda weak too. I stopped around 46 pages, and didn't really care to find out who the killer was. The characters weren't very likeable either, they sounded like airheads. I guess when the authors wrote this book, they had no idea where the plot was going (since it was dependent on what the other author wrote in the previous chapter), and the characters weren't well defined.
• I was surprised that Jeffery Deaver, one of my favorite author of this genre (he wrote The Bone Collector), was quoted at the back of the book.
• If this book was written by two unknown authors, I doubt it would have been published.

0 Stars for all 3 books - Did Not Finish.

 

All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

Title: A Long Way Down 
Author: Nick Hornb
Year: 2006
Page: 352
Genre: Fiction

FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com):
New Year's Eve at Toppers' House, North London's most popular suicide spot. And four strangers are about to discover that doing away with yourself isn't quite the private act they'd each expected.

Perma-tanned Martin Sharp's a disgraced breakfast TV presenter who had it all - the kids, the wife, the pad, the great career - and wasted it away. Killing himself is Martin's logical and appropriate response to an unliveable life. "Maureen has to do it tonight, because of Matty being in the home. He was never able to do any of the normal things kids do - like walk or talk - and loving-mum Maureen can't cope any more. Dutiful Catholic that she is, she's ready to commit the "biggest sin of all"

Half-crazed with heartbreak, loneliness, adolescent angst, seven Bacardi Breezers and two Special Brews, Jess's ready to jump, to fly off the roof. Finally, there's JJ - tall, cool, American, looks like a rock-star, sometimes thinks he plays his guitar like one - who's weighted down with a heap of problems, and pizza.

Four strangers, who moments before were convinced that they were alone and going to end it all that way, share out the pizza and begin to talk ... Only to find that they have even less in common than first suspected." Nick Hornby's A Long Way Down is a novel that asks some of the big questions: about life and death, strangers and friendship, love and pain, and whether a group of losers, and pizza, can really see you through a long, dark night of the soul.

First Sentence:
Can I explain why I wanted to jump off the top of a tower block?

My Thoughts:

Why this book?

• April book club pick

First thought:

• Not my cup of tea... couldn't finish it

Cover Art:

• Guess it is relevant to the book and is a little quirky

Title:

• Since I couldn't finish the book, difficult for me to say whether it described the book

Writing:

• The writing was actually quite easy to read. It was the plot and characters that made me stopped reading...

Plot:

• To me, nothing much happened in 77 pages, and I got bored...

• Funny enough, one of the book club members said LOTS happened in the book lol. 

Characters:

• I didn't really care about the 4 main characters. I didn't care whether they lived or died (the book started off with all 4 of them wanting to jump off the building). 

• It was interesting to hear what the other book clubs members said about the 4 characters. Even though I couldn't participate much in the discussion, I liked to listen to learn what others thought of the book

Ending:

• I cheated and googled what happened. I probably would have ended the book a bit differently 

Emotion:

• Bored... 

What I Learned:

• That's right, I still don't like character-driven books!!! 

PS:

• Funny enough, I was the only one who couldn't finish the book. One person didn't really like it, everyone else quite liked it! (there were about 12-15 of us?) I found I have quite a different reading taste from most of them though so that might not have been surprising. Joining this book club is like doing one of the blog book challenges - trying to push my limit :) I am glad I joined though, as I otherwise wouldn't read some of the books.

Read this Author again?

• This was my first time reading this author. I had heard of him before but never really felt like I needed to read his book (or watch the movies based on his books). I am guessing I probably won't read him again... no in the near future anyway

Overall Rating:
0 Star. Did Not Finish.

All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - The Lens and the Looker (The Verona Trilogy #1) by Lory S. Kaufman

Title: The Lens and the Looker (The Verona Trilogy #1)   
Author: Lory S. Kaufman
Year: 2011
Page: 336
Genre: Fiction - Young Adult, Dystopian

FTC Disclosure: Tracee, PR Specialist and Virtual Book Tour Coordinator, from Pump Up Your Book contacted me to see if I was interested in reviewing this book for the author's virtual book tour. The author sent me a copy of the book. I was not paid for the unbiased review.

Summary (from goodreads.com):
It’s the 24th century and humans, with the help of artificial intelligences (A.I.s) have finally created the perfect post-dystopian society. To make equally perfect citizens for this world, the elders have created History Camps, full sized recreations of cities from Earth’s distant pasts. Here teens live the way their ancestors did, doing the same dirty jobs and experiencing the same degradations. History Camps teach youths not to repeat the mistakes that almost caused the planet to die. But not everything goes to plan.

In this first of a trilogy, we meet three spoiled teens in the year 2347. Hansum almost 17, is good looking and athletic. Shamira, 15, is sassy, independent and an artistic genius. Lincoln, 14, is the smart-aleck. But you don’t have to scratch too far beneath the surface to find his insecurities.

These three “hard cases” refuse the valuable lessons History Camps teach. But when they are kidnapped and taken back in time to 1347 Verona, Italy, they only have two choices; adapt to the harsh medieval ways or die. The dangers are many, their enemies are powerful, and safety is a long way away. It’s hardly the ideal environment to fall in love – but that’s exactly what happens. In an attempt to survive, the trio risks introducing technology from the future. It could save them – or it could change history.

First Sentence:
One of Hansum's earliest memories was of his mother telling him he was just like his name sounded in the old English, handsome. 

My Thoughts:

Why this book?

• I enjoy reading YA dystopian. I also enjoy some time travel stories. I thought the concept of this book sounds promising since it seems to be a combination of both.

First thought:

• Not quite what I thought it'd be... I read about 1/3 of the book and gave up...

Cover Art:

• Not something I'd choose, but I am not really the target audience

Title:

•  Since I didn't finish the book, I couldn't really comment on it. Though it did make me wonder what it meant by The Lens and The Looker.

Writing:

• It was a bit choppy for me. Now that I think about it, most YA I read are written by female writers, so may be I am not used to male YA authors' style? I looked back at the books I'd read, I think this book is most similar to Miracle Myx by David Diotalevi (as opposed to say, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher). Miracle Myx didn't really work for me either. 

Plot:

• The book started off interesting, and I actually enjoyed reading it to find out what happened. That is, up until the part the three main characters got taken to a secondary place. Not a lot happened in 2347, but you got a glimpse of  what the perfect future world looked like (perhaps more will be about the future in the future books since this is a trilogy?). The idea of the History Camp ("learn the lessons so history won't repeat itself") was also quite fascinating, and we learned a bit about making glasses and shopping in the market. However, right after that when the scenery changed, it just didn't hold my interest anymore... to the point I couldn't concentrate on the different characters and such.

Characters:

• Of the 110+ pages or so I'd read, I didn't get to know the characters much. Sure, you got a sense of their attitude, but it only showed you what they were like "now", not how they came to be they way they were. Perhaps there were more character developments in the rest of the book? Can't say I really liked any of the main characters though until this point. In fact, both Hansum and Lincoln were rather annoying. Shamira was at least a bit more intriguing since it was harder to tell why she was sent to History Camp. 

• I am guessing the target audience for this book is teenage boys. I think they would identify with the characters more than I do - they way the think, they way they act, the way they talk etc. I don't have much contact with teenagers, so it is difficult for me to put myself into their mindset

Ending:

• Obviously I don't know...

Emotion:

• Ah, once again, I'm feeling old when reading this YA (even though I'm in my early-mid thirties... I'd like to think I'm not THAT old yet... though sometimes my body tells me otherwise ha!)

What I Learned:

• While I prefer plot-driven story than character-driven ones, I still need some good characters. I think the Hunger Games is a good example - the plot is exciting, but I care about the characters too.

PS:

• There are many good reviews out there about this book, so don't let my "did not finish" status deter you from reading it yourself! I mainly read adult books, with a few YA here and there, so I am probably not the best judge for YA books. I definitely read YA books from an adult's perspective, as opposed to say, I read YA books to see if it's suitable to put into the high school library, or evaluating its suitableness my (non-existent) teenage children.

Read this Author again?

• Depends... but won't be reading this trilogy.

Overall Rating:
0 Star. Did Not Finish. (Probably just me)

All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year by Anne Lamott

Title: Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year 
Author: Anne Lamott 
Year: 2005
Page: 251
Genre: Non-Fiction - Memoir, Family

FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com):
It’s not like she’s the only woman to ever have a baby. At thirty-five. On her own. But Anne Lamott makes it all fresh in her now-classic account of how she and her son and numerous friends and neighbors and some strangers survived and thrived in that all important first year. From finding out that her baby is a boy (and getting used to the idea) to finding out that her best friend and greatest supporter Pam will die of cancer (and not getting used to that idea), with a generous amount of wit and faith (but very little piousness), Lamott narrates the great and small events that make up a woman’s life.

First Sentence:
I woke up with a start at 4:00 one morning and realized that I was very, very pregnant.

My Thoughts:

Why this book?

• I read Caroline Bookbinder's review and thought it sounded fantastic. Some of you might remember we don't have any children. We're still deciding whether we want any. I thought I'd read some motherhood books to learn more - it is probably the biggest decision one has to make and I want to make sure we make an informed decision (the last thing I'd want is to bring a child into this world and find out I hate being a mum or that I am unfitted to be one)

First thought:

• Fast read, but I can't finish it!

Cover Art:

• Could have been cuter (the design, not the photos)

Title:

• Clear enough what it is about

Writing:

• It is a small book, and before I knew it, I was about half way through. BUT the writing didn't engage me and even though it probably wouldn't take me long to finish, I just was not interested enough to finish it (stopped at p131)

• It wasn't until afterward I realized that she also wrote Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (okay, on the cover of this book it did say Bird by Bird on it, but somehow I failed to see it). I read that a few years back before blogging days. And guess what? I couldn't finish that one either. That was just something about the voice that I didn't like. And I think the same could be said about this book. Her books have A LOT of good reviews, but I guess her writing voice and my reading style just don't mash. I gave her a second chance unknowingly, and so I think I am not biased.

Plot:

• The book started off interesting enough, but then it got too whiny, it talked more about hating a certain political party (and I am apolitical so it is not like she's offending my political party), lack of a husband...
   
• Even though human have a tendency to get nosy about other people's life (we probably all have a degree of voyeurism - hey that's what gossips are for right? And look at all the reality TV shows!), and I like books in diary format, I just don't care about what happened in this book

Characters:

• I don't remember much about her son at all and the author just came off as bitter

• Some reviews said the author is funny, but I guess we have different sense of humor (though I always thought I have a weird sense of humor so it's probably just me) 

Ending:

• Since I didn't finish it I can't tell you!

Emotion:

• Isn't it ironic, I am whinging about not liking a whiny book

What I Learned:

• Despite A LOT of people enjoy this author's work (this book or others), I just don't like what I don't like

PS:

• I have to say, the quote I mentioned below, is something I'd said similarly about our youngest cat Sesame. If he isn't so cute, it's hard to get over all the naught stuff he does (yeah I know, it sounds so superficial but it's the truth. Hard to stay mad at him when he crooks his head to the side and looks down as though he is apologetic)

Read this Author again?

• I doubt it.

Quote:

I've decided the reason Sam's so gorgeous is that God know that I wouldn't have been able to fall in love with this shitting and colicky little bundle if he looked like one of those ET/Don Rickles babies. p20

Overall Rating:
0 Star. Did Not Finish

All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - In with the Devil: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption by James Keene, Hillel Levin

Title: In with the Devil: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption
Author: James Keene, Hillel Levin 
Year: 2010
Page: 256
Genre: Non-Fiction - Real Crime

FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com):

The unforgettable true story of a young man facing a ten-year prison sentence who was offered an impossible mission: coax a confession out of a fellow inmate, a serial killer, and be free to walk

Jimmy Keene grew up outside of Chicago and was destined for greatness on the football field. By the time he reached his twenties, he was rubbing shoulders with famous actors, porn stars, and the children of powerful politicians. But a few costly mistakes left him with a ten-year prison term and no chance of parole. Less than a year into his sentence, Keene was approached by the prosecutor who put him behind bars. He had convicted another man, Larry Hall, for murder and was fighting his appeal. He offered Keene a deal: Enter one of the most dangerous prisons in the U.S., befriend Hall, and get him to confess to the murder of two young women and tell him where he buried the one whose body was still missing. If he succeeded, Keene would get an unconditional release. If he failed, he’d have no choice but to ride out his term. If he was found out, he could also be killed. A story that gained national notoriety, this is Keene’s powerful tale of peril, violence, and redemption. 

First Sentence:
In life, people can take a few wrong turns that destroy them.

My Thoughts:

Why this book?

• I like reading non-fiction crime books. Saw this while browsing at the "new books" section in the library and thought it was interesting. For some reasons I thought it'd be a memoir (since the author's name is on the front) but it's written in 3rd person instead.

First thought:

• I could not finish the book...

Cover Art:

• I liked it. It at least attracted me to pick it up!

Title:

• I liked it also, sounded exciting!

Writing:

• For some reasons, I just couldn't get into the book, and this type of book is usually right up my alley. I wonder if I would have liked it better if it was written in first person instead (which I seem to prefer?)

Plot:

•  I read about 65 pages so roughly a quarter of the book. From what I remembered, it moved a little slow for me because where I stopped, the main protagonist had just started his "mission". Granted, I probably should have kept reading as this was probably the point where it got interesting, but since I was bored, and had to return it to the library, I stopped instead

Characters:

• I didn't really care about the main protagonist or his family, so that was another reason why I decided to stop this book. He might have became a hero or redeemed himself later, but it was a little too late for me. 

Ending:

• Since I didn't finish the book, I couldn't tell you if I liked it or not!

Emotion:

• I got bored, hence I stopped reading it...

What I Learned:

• I think if I was in the right mood to read it, I might have like it better. I definitely prefer faster-paced books. I don't always have to like the people in the book (I used to read a lot of real crime and I definitely did NOT like the serial or mass murderers!) but if that's the case, I need engaging writing to keep me interested

PS:

• I read that Brad Pitt's production company bought the movie rights. Maybe it's one of those I'd enjoy watching the movie more than the book - like the Millennium Trilogy (read the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but will watch the movies instead for the rest of the series) and Harry Potter (read 4 books, watched 1 or 2 movies... but after all movies came out, will probably just watch the movies in one go.)

Read this Author again?

• Probably not...

Quote:

You can get the best education in the world at being a criminal. (p42)

Overall Rating:
0 Star. Did Not Finish.

All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - American Uprising: The Untold Story of America's Largest Slave Revolt by Daniel Rasmussen

Title: American Uprising: The Untold Story of America's Largest Slave Revolt
Author: Daniel Rasmussen
Year: 2011
Page: 288
Genre: Non-Fiction - History

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? Not sure
Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Free ARC from HarperCollins

Summary (from goodreads.com):
A gripping and deeply revealing history of an infamous slave rebellion that nearly toppled New Orleans and changed the course of American history

In January 1811, five hundred slaves, dressed in military uniforms and armed with guns, cane knives, and axes, rose up from the plantations around New Orleans and set out to conquer the city. Ethnically diverse, politically astute, and highly organized, this self-made army challenged not only the economic system of plantation agriculture but also American expansion. Their march represented the largest act of armed resistance against slavery in the history of the United States.

American Uprising is the riveting and long-neglected story of this elaborate plot, the rebel army's dramatic march on the city, and its shocking conclusion. No North American slave uprising—not Gabriel Prosser's, not Denmark Vesey's, not Nat Turner's—has rivaled the scale of this rebellion either in terms of the number of the slaves involved or the number who were killed. More than one hundred slaves were slaughtered by federal troops and French planters, who then sought to write the event out of history and prevent the spread of the slaves' revolutionary philosophy. With the Haitian revolution a recent memory and the War of 1812 looming on the horizon, the revolt had epic consequences for America.

Through groundbreaking original research, Daniel Rasmussen offers a window into the young, expansionist country, illuminating the early history of New Orleans and providing new insight into the path to the Civil War and the slave revolutionaries who fought and died for justice and the hope of freedom.

First Sentence:
In 1811, a group of around 500 enslaved men dressed in military uniforms and armed with guns, cane knives, and axes rose up from the slave plantations around New Orleans and set out to conquer the city.

 
Why did I pick this book?
When HarperCollins asked if I wish to review some of their January 2011 titles, this one caught my eye as I wish to learn more about the history of slavery.


My thoughts:

• After I read The Help, I wish to learn more about slavery and its history in the US. While I don't typically read history books, I thought this may be a good book to start as I remember reading a blurb about "it read like a fiction" 

• I am afraid though I couldn't finish the book... I just couldn't get into it and got bored :( 

• Since history usually is not my genre, I think I'd stick to historical fiction instead if I want to learn a little more about history (I know, fiction is not 100% accurate... but at least it may spark my interest into learning more...)

• I think I'd pass this ARC onto someone else who may be more interested in this genre, rather than have it sitting on my shelve and go to waste. I think next time I'd be more careful in choosing ARC - to be fair to the author. Lessons learned. 

• This book will be out on Jan 4, 2011.

 
Overall Rating: 0 Stars. Did Not Finish.

 

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Book Review - The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

Title: The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by
Author: Elisabeth Tova Bailey
Year: 2010
Page: 208
Genre: Non-Fiction - Memoir

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? Probably not...
Tearjerker? Don't know
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com):
In a work that beautifully demonstrates the rewards of closely observing nature, Elisabeth Bailey shares an inspiring and intimate story of her uncommon encounter with a Neohelix albolabris —a common woodland snail. 

While an illness keeps her bedridden, Bailey watches a wild snail that has taken up residence on her nightstand. As a result, she discovers the solace and sense of wonder that this mysterious creature brings and comes to a greater under standing of her own confined place in the world.

Intrigued by the snail’s molluscan anatomy, cryptic defenses, clear decision making, hydraulic locomotion, and mysterious courtship activities, Bailey becomes an astute and amused observer, providing a candid and engaging look into the curious life of this underappreciated small animal.

Told with wit and grace, The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is a remarkable journey of survival and resilience, showing us how a small part of the natural world illuminates our own human existence and provides an appreciation of what it means to be fully alive.

First Sentence:
From my hotel window I look over the deep glacial lake to the foothills and the Alps beyond.

  
Why did I pick this book?
I read a blog review (sorry forgot who it was), that basically said this is a little gem. So off I read!


My thoughts:

• I am afraid I didn't go very far with this book... it was moving a snail paced (no pun intended!). I get that this book is supposed to be reflective and introspective, but I got bored instead :(

• I was more interested about the mystery illness the author suffered... perhaps she talked more about it later in the book, but I didn't go far enough to find out

• I guess this is one of those books that you have to be in the right mood to read it, and I wasn't...

Rating: 0 Star. Did Not Finish.

 

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Book Review - Denial: A Memoir of Terror by Jessica Stern

Title: Denial: A Memoir of Terror
Author: Jessica Stern
Year: 2010
Page: 320
Genre: Non-Fiction - Memoir

New to me author? No
Read this author again? No
Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Part of Crazy Book Tours - received a copy, then passed it on to the next reviewer

Summary (from goodreads.com):
Alone in an unlocked house in a safe neighborhood in the suburban town of Concord, MA, two obedient, good girls, Jessica Stern, 15, and her sister, 14, were raped on the night of October 1, 1973. When they reported the crime, the police were skeptical. Their father, away on business, did not return for three more days.

Following the example of her family, Stern—who lost her mother at the age of three—denied her pain and kept striving to achieve. But while her career took off, her success hinged on her symptoms. After her ordeal, she could not feel fear in normally frightening situations. Stern thought she’d disassociated from the trauma altogether, until a request took her back to that night more than 30 years earlier.

The world-class social scientist and expert on terrorism and post-traumatic stress disorder began her own investigation, with the help of a devoted police lieutenant, to find the truth about her rapist, the town of Concord, her own family, and her own mind. The result is Denial, a candid and deeply intimate look at a life, a trauma, and its aftermath. 

First Sentence:
Chet keeps trying to get me to swim with him.

  
Why did I pick this book?
I enjoy reading memoir. When I saw that this book was offered as part of the Crazy Books Tour, I signed up immediately. I'd also read good blog reviews about it.

My thoughts:

• I was so looking forward to this book, and so I was disappointed that I couldn't finish it. I was a psych major in college, so am interested in books dealing with trauma. This book dealt with an emotional topic, and yet, the author seemed quite disconnected or distant from it - now, that was probably how she managed to live through it, and that could well be her defense mechanism, which I guess reflects reality - however, as I reader, I just couldn't connect to her, and felt her pain. 

• It reminded me of another book I abandoned, on a similar topic, and for the same reason:  Lucky: A Memoir by Alice Sebold. While reading these two books, it felt like i was watching the events through layers of semi-sheer curtains, or dirty glasses, and couldn't quite see and felt frustrated by not being able to feel and see completely.

• There were other reasons I couldn't read on - it got repetitive. E.g., she mentioned her dad was overseas and didn't fly back - this was mentioned like 5 times at different spots. And I only read 40 pages! I know, this was a big deal to her as she went through her ordeal and thought back about it, but it was just frustrating to read... 

• There was also a bit about the grandfather that was a bit weird, that I wasn't quite sure if what I read was what I thought she really meant...  so I googled it and another reviewer mentioned this tidbit too and {POTENTIAL SPOILER!!} that nothing more was elaborated on this topic, so why even mentioned it...

• Disjoint, distant, repetitive... those were the thoughts I jotted down from the 40 pages I read... 

• Other reviews will be posted here from the tour. If you google, you will find quite a few other reviews - mostly positive from what I read.

 
Rating: 0 Star - Did Not Finish

 

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Book Review - The Last Picture Show: A Novel by Larry McMurtry

Title: The Last Picture Show: A Novel
Author: Larry McMurtry
Year: 1999
Page: 288
Genre: Fiction

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? Probably not...
Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com):
In The Last Picture Show Larry McMurtry introduced characters who would show up again in later novels, Texasville and Duane's Depressed. This first volume of the trilogy drops the reader into the one-stoplight town of Thalia, Texas, where Duane Moore, his buddy Sonny, and his girlfriend Jacy are all stumbling along the rocky road to adulthood. Duane wants nothing more than to marry Jacy; Sonny wants what Duane has; and Jacy wants to get the hell out of Thalia any way she can. This is not a novel of big ideas or defining moments; over the course of a year Duane and Jacy make up and break up, Sonny begins an affair with his high-school football coach's wife, and the only movie house in town closes its doors forever. Yet it is out of these small-town experiences--a nude swimming party in Wichita, a failed sexual encounter during a senior trip, a botched elopement, an enlistment--that McMurtry builds his tale and reveals his characters' hearts. No epiphanies here, just a lot of hard-won experience that leaves none of his protagonists particularly wiser, though they're all a little sadder by the end.

First Sentence:
Sometimes Sonny felt like he was the only human creature in the town. 

  
Why did I pick this book?
Book club pick for August. 

My thoughts:

• This is definitely NOT a book I'd have picked to read. But that's part of the charm of joining a book club so you are exposed to books you don't know about, and at least to give it a try! And you get to hear others' perspectives - while you get that from reading online reviews, but it's nice to be able to have a instant interactive conversation

• I read about 2 or 3 chapters and just lost interest. I have to say, I can vividly "see" the story as I read, but the topic, characters or plot just bored me... I did google spoilers for the book, and let's just say, after reading a 500 summary, I felt satisfied in knowing how the plot went without having to read it (though there are some, let's say, disturbing, pieces of the story that didn't make it to the summary, but I heard about it from the book club discussion! Still, didn't feel like I missed out on anything!)
   
• There is a movie for this book too but I doubt I'd watch it.  

• I guess I am just not very interested in learning about what teenagers did in small towns in the 60's... 

• Would I read other books by this author? Don't know... not if his other books are similar... if it's another book club read, then I'd give it a try. Probably not one I'd pick over others.

 
Rating: 0 Star - Did Not Finish

 

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!