The Forgotten Garden

THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN is an epic adventure which spans generations and continents. It is a tale of mother/daughter connection that binds so tightly, so intimately, and yet almost invisibly.

As in all great books there is a journey. This one involves not only a physical journey, but an emotional journey as well as one of discovery.

Wonderful writing encourages the readers imagination, not challenging it with overly wrought sentences or vocabulary. Ms. Morton has expertly woven in each woman's authentic voice, reflecting her specific time in history, her station in life and her location. Envy is as much a character here as any of the other physical ones, wielding its power over feelings and causing life to be altered, as is Greed and Loneliness.

I absolutely loved reading this book. It came recommended from my dear friend Susan, and I give thanks for the wonderful adventure.

Catching Fire

CATCHING FIRE, by Suzanne Collins effortlessly grabs the baton from her previous novel, HUNGER GAMES and continues the story at a full sprint.

The world created in HUNGER GAMES, at least the limited world of District 12, is a poor working community used to constant hunger, death and bleak futures. The Capitol, the smothering force in everyone's lives, becomes even more controlling for the outer-lying district inhabitants. The seed of independence that Katniss inadvertently planted while struggling to win in HUNGER GAMES, has grown into crops of unrest across the country.

In CATCHING FIRE, Katniss continues her struggle for independence, her obligations to those she loves, her secret pleasure with fame and her need for privacy. She is confronted time and again with where her loyalties lie.

I enjoyed reading both HUNGER GAMES and CATCHING FIRE immensely. I describe them as a sort of HANDMAIDENS TALE for teens. The world is different from what we know it to be today, but humans, and our emotions, desires, and need for independence are synonymous.

The Scarecrow, by Michael Connelly

As many know, I love any novel by Michael Connelly, so this review is going to be a biased one, but not to the point of being irrelevant.

The Scarecrow was actually the first novel of Michael Connelly's that took me a while to get into. In the past I have been hooked on the first page, ripping through his well crafted scenes, absorbing his frightening characters to the point of sleepless nights. But in The Scarecrow, I found myself on page 50, wondering out loud when this was going to get going!

I learned after finishing that he had to rewrite it several times because of the day to day changes to some of his subject matter. Unfortunately that seemed unintentionally translated to the reader - at least to me. In the beginning, the story seemed stilted and over worked.

Never the less, The Scarecrow did not leave me disappointed AT ALL. It was a brilliant novel. It made me think about all of the technology that we employ to speed us through our days, to market ourselves, to learn about the rapidly changing world around us while trying to maintain personal connections to one another. His evil characters prey upon this need, our entrenched reliance upon technology (the Internet) to harm physically, financially and psychologically. Connelly has an uncanny ability to tap into the gritty center of evil and describe it in such a way that stays with the reader for a while.

Michael Connelly did not disappoint with this addition to his library of suspenseful thrillers. I cannot imagine how hard it is to write about "to the minute" subject matter. The re-writing did have an effect, but not one enough to deter a reader from The Scarecrow.

For some reason I cannot find the gumption to write complete reviews of all of the books that I have read lately. I have stacks and stacks of notes regarding each one of them, but my inspiration ebbs when I sit down to communicate my experiences. I have been feeling guilty, lazy and a bad blogger. So, in order to set aside those feelings, to move onward with my haphazard blog life, I am just going to list the books recently consumed and give you a brief "brief" about each one.

The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga

Set in India, Balram, the main character struggles with the pressures and confinements of the age-old caste system and his inner desires to move beyond what is allowed by his caste. He is a selfish, emotionally detached person whose desire pushes him to do immoral acts in order to realize his goals. 3 out of 5 stars.

The Gargoyle, by Andrew Davidson

My dear friend believes this to be a story about a man finding his true self...not a definition based on his physical attributes, but a soul. I believe it to be a love story that spans centuries, each time the lovers meet, a new beginning takes place, an unfolding of personalities into a love that binds them until they meet again. It combines, fantasy, literature and love into one...and I say that is a winning combination. 31/2 out of 4 stars.

Mistress of the Sun, by Sandra Gulland

One of the best historical fiction writers out there today, Mistress of the Sun is another shining jewel in Gulland's formidable crown of literary accomplishments. We are immersed in the complicated world of the royal life of Louis XVI, and the many, many lives dependent upon his crown. Petite, the main character, is a woman of character, but of little station. Her passion for horses, hunting and honesty win her favor in court and in love. I am biased towards this author, so I give it a 5 out of 5 stars.

Parallax, by Jon F. Merz

Two hit men, intertwined by a paranormal mind connection, eventually have their fates dependent upon the others actions. This is a fast paced, on the edge of your seat read.

3 out of 5 stars.

Julie and Julia, by Julie Powell

Julie Powell successfully turned her popular blog into a fun, captivating novel about herself, who is desperately seeking direction. She embarks on a challenge to make all 524 recipes in Julia Childs Master the Art of French Cooking in one year and to chronicle her efforts. Through a constant supply of gimlets, butter, tears, cussing and humor, Julie Powell not only recreates amazing food, she creates a passion for herself and a fantastic future. 4 out of 5 stars.

Master Your Metabolism, by Jillian Michael

Many women I know, including myself, struggle with hormone imbalances that effect many aspects of life. I read this book to educate myself on some ways to help make better food choices that assist in balancing not exacerbating those imbalances. Gillian is a real communicator. She pulls no punches and is not a "holier than thou" writer or voice. She has written this book to share her own experience with upset hormones and how she bettered her situation through mindful food choices. 4 out of 5 stars.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, by Carson McCullers

This book, an Oprah Book Club selection (which I usually avoid), is set in a small depressed southern town in the 1930's. It was originally released in the 1940's. Everyone, black or white, is struggling through hard economic times, increasing racial tensions and the business of life. Carson McCullers mastery of capturing honest voices, no matter the color of skin, was seamless, intimate and perfectly human. 3 out of 5 stars.

Parallax

Jon F. Merz, an author I have been introduced to via Twitter, is a talented modern voice in the fast tempo world chorus of crime/mystery/fiction. Parallax is the first I have read of his works, though he has many, and I enjoyed this performance very much.

I like books that move, and this story sprinted. Here the reader is thrown into the story in the very first chapter. There is no fluff, no idle conversations, only the gas pedal to the the floor of a story that is sure to thrill. Usually one must wait until halfway through a book to get to the "twist", but in Parallax it is within the first 30 pages!

Good, solid characters, that were easy to relate to, and like, help the story build credibility and strength. The two main characters are both hired guns, exterminating lives in order to maintain their own. By choice or chance they have chosen this path, though at the point at which we meet them, they are both desiring a very different, more sedentary path. Their paths collide, their presents intertwine and their futures become dependent upon on another for survival.

Though in my version of the book, there were mass grammatical errors, I blame this completely on the editor and the publishing house and not the author. That said, it did not cloud what fun I had. It fulfilled its purpose for me = an escape.

I would recommend Parallax to anyone who enjoys that type of book (crime, murder, mystery, fiction) and is not looking to puzzle it all out before the author wants you to.

Happy reading!

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets

Finally I found a book that was difficult to put down, one that held my thoughts even when I had surrendered to life, and set it aside.

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, by Eva Rice was an easy, enrapturing journey to England in the 1950's, where we are introduced to a generation of youth raised with food rations, bombings and war.   Eva Rice offers an inside look into once privileged lives, whose titles, last names or addresses carried them to the pages of society magazines and notoriety.  Some privileged, especially those with large property, were displaced and their homes used for the benefit of the country during the war.  Most were left with a crumbling sense of self, of family and of the greatness that had defined them for generations.  

Every character, young or old, is struggling to find new focus, new joys, and new horizons on which to build their futures from shattered pasts.  They have all been altered and marred by war.  Each character has a personal story.  Yet the story of the book is their collective decisions to move forward, to focus on their vitality, on love and on music that screams with the promise of change.

Three characters, on the cusp of adulthood, come together by an incident of fate and form friendships that assist them in stepping forward to claim their futures.  Their unexpected connection is multi-layered and fraught with complexity, but the desire to throw off heartache and loss like an old coat is what binds them.  

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I was yearning for a captivating, understandable and moving story and The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets filled every expectation I had.

Peace Like a River

"And so I sound like a man making the most marginal sense - as if I were describing one of those dreams that seemed so genuine at the time." - Reuben

Peace Like a River, by Leif Enger was exactly that, a story of marginal sense.  It was clouded and confusing as some dreams are, and I yearned for when I would wake.  

The story of the unfortunate Land family is set in the cold, bleak, wintry world of North Dakota and Minnesota.  Hardship and faith are the cornerstones of the family's foundation.  Their ability to cling to one while enduring the other is what constitutes most of the book.

Reuben, a sickly eleven year old boy is the young narrator of the story.  He tells of his family's struggles and strength with a boyishness that is aptly written.  He is witness to many strange miracles done at the hands of his devout father, a school janitor, yet does not question or doubt their happening.  He also witnesses two boys get shot to death at the hands of his brother, yet blindly continues to worship him.  

The frequent episodes of the seemingly insignificant miracles do little to offer hope or salvation for any of the Lands, or to the book.  I thought the strong characters like Swede (the sister) and Davy (the brother) were as infirm as Reuben's asthmatic lungs, not allowed to fully develop in the story.  The weak characters, (everyone else) were as numerous and as paltry as the miracles.  The power of the prophetic father, as a single parent, and a healer was thrown away to Reuben's fleeting attention span and naive grasp on the tragedies befalling their family.  I felt there could have been so much more depth and interest to the story if we had been offered another point of view.  

There were redeeming factors in Enger's writing and imagination, but for the most part I thought Peace like a River was as bland and bleak as the scenery so expertly described.

 

The Meanest Doll in the World

*Submitted by guest reviewer Virginia Felder, age 8*

Hi, this is Virginia and I'm going to tell you about The Meanest Doll in the World, by Ann Martin and Laura Godwin.  

The story is about two dolls who go on a huge adventure starting from the attic where they live, to a school, and then to BJ's house where they meet the meanest doll in the world.  Her name is Mean Mimi.  She is mean because she is unable to be friends with four dolls that she really wants to be friends with.

This is the second book in the Doll People series, and I really liked this one.  I did have some scary dreams while I was reading it, but I still would tell you to read it.

-Virginia

Masterpiece

*Submitted by Kurt Felder, guest reviewer, age 9*

Masterpiece, by Elise Broach is an exciting, scary adventure story.  Marvin is the main character.  He is a beetle who lives in an apartment.  Marvin's best friend is a human named James, a ten year old boy.  

James, art, and his family are the most valuable things in Marvin's life and they are in danger!

Marvin, James and James's father are on a case to see who has stolen the four "Virtues" by the artist Durer.  They have to look all over New York City for the four stolen drawings.

I think you should read this book because it is exciting, full of adventure, and mystery.  It is a little bit hilarious and anyone would like it.

-Kurt

LAMB - The Gospel According to Biff

"I suppose that every boy wonders what he will be when he grows up.  I suppose that many watch their peers accomplish great things and wonder, 'Could I have done that?' For me, to know at ten that my best friend was the Messiah, while I would live and die a stonecutter, seemed too much of a curse for a ten-year-old to bear." -Biff

LAMB by Christopher Moore is a laugh out loud, thought provoking, insightful and refreshing look into the life of perhaps the most famous person that has ever lived.  The story is told from the point of view of Christ's best friend, Biff, but LAMB doesn't preach or make fun of religion. It simply tells the story of two great friends and their time together.

Joshua (Jesus) soon learns he needs to venture out into the world and learn how to be the Messiah. There is no hesitation in Biff as he takes his place is beside his friend, with no thought at all as to where their journey will take them.  Joseph tells Biff, "You go with Joshua.  He needs a friend to teach him to be human."  More than anything we see Joshua, aka; Jesus, as a human.  As Joshua learns, Biffs learns along side him, each coming away with vastly different, but complimentary knowledge.  

Joshua very much depends on Biff, on their friendship.  He seeks out his counsel, his advice, his humor.  They have amazing philosophical conversations, they study Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, yoga, as well as argue the Torah.  Without Biff Joshua would not have been the Messiah he came to be.

The humor, humanity and heart in this book are wonderful.  It takes the reader on an amazing journey of good friends who grow to become men, who learn to abandon their selfishness, strive for greatness and change the world.  LAMB truly is a must read.

Sin in the Second City

"It is not adequate to define a prostitute simply as a woman who sells her body...That is done every day by women who become wives in order to gain a home and a livelihood." Havelock Ellis

  

Sin in the Second City, by Karen Abbott, follows the lives of the Everleigh sisters, Ada and Minna, madams of Chicago's most notorious brothel, the Everleigh Club.  The sisters move to Chicago's Levee district just after the Worlds Fair in the late 1890's, when whoring was a well practiced and accepted vice, from the very wealthy to the destitute.  The sisters created a brothel like no other Chicago had seen.  Their "butterflies", the finest females courtesans, were surrounded with the best care and finest clothes, and the club itself was furnished like a palace where its "customers gained entry only with a solid letter of referral".

The sisters were honest, upstanding women who managed to survive and succeed in a city sick with corruption.  By night, the Everleigh Club entertained Chicago's most powerful politicians and lawmen, famous businessmen and entertainers from all over the world.  Yet would suffer mightily under constant public scrutiny, growing political pressures and religious reformers by day.

"I don't mind mankind's crimes, but I do mind its hypocrisy" - Minna Everleigh

Not only does Karen Abbott open our eyes to this first class brothel, she parallels this story with other brothels that were in stark contrast.  The majority of the other brothels in the city were filthy, with drug addicted prostitutes or "white slaves", under the control of madams/owners who sought only to make money no matter the consequences.  

This trafficking of women became a national concern as nearly 100,000 girls a year were abducted, tricked or forced into prostitution.  The religious and political prosecution of ending "white slavery", a major part of this novel, would eventually lead to the end of the Levee district in Chicago.

Karen Abbott is a skilled writer, compiling an amazing amount of information with astonishing detail of all aspects of life in Chicago during the first decade of the 1900's.  She has expertly woven different strands of life, facts, and happenings into a seamless story that is both interesting and educating.  Sin in the Second City is not a fast read, or one that effectively held my attention the whole time, but I did gain from reading it.  It read like a novel yet has the meat of a history course.

Educational and entertaining, yet requires a commitment to complete.

Bleeding Hearts

I had high expectations with this murder/mystery book, "Bleeding Hearts" by Ian Rankin, as it was marketed to me that he is like "an English Michael Connelly".  I love a good mystery book and Michael Connelly's writing and his stories are some of my favorites! 

But this was no Michael Connelly mystery.  

"Bleeding Hearts" was slow to start.  In the middle of chapter 4 (30 pages in) I found myself wondering if and when this story was going to get moving.  The plot line was muddied with purposeless confusion; character names that were too alike and too many characters offering little to the main character's development or to the already scrambling plot (book extras).

There was love, which is always appealing, and characters who struggle between the good and bad within themselves.  But there wasn't anything that kept the reader thinking, guessing, trying to puzzle it all out before the end (which of course in a good book would be a total surprise). 

There was a late-in-the-game charge of action that I had hoped would lead to an end with a bang and save my overall feeling about the story, but the ending was a total let down. It sputtered to a final close that mirrored its laborious beginning.  

Basically it just wasn't what I expected and hoped it would be.  Ian Rankin is a talented writer, and has awards to prove it, but I was disappointed in this piece.  

Mildly entertaining but ultimately disappointing.

 

The Reader

I was talking to a good friend of mine last night, who also shares my love of a good book, about the difficulty I have been having in trying to write about "The Reader" by Bernhard Schlink.  

She has been wanting to see the movie, but also to read the book.  I told her to see the movie first, as it could possibly enhance her read, but watching the movie after reading is certain disappointment.  I feel there is no question that a movie cannot fully relay what truly goes on in a book.  I think movies often only skim the surface of subjects, leaving the depth and full emotion lacking - especially when that movie is adapted from a book.

"The Reader" is a complex story set in a time in history I have always been interested in, post World War II Germany.  We are offered a look at the social conscience of the Germans some years after the war.  It has been fourteen years since the war ended at the beginning of the story, the camps are deserted and left as awful reminders.  The Nazis are reabsorbed into a battered and bruised society and economy. 

A young German man, fifteen years old, narrates his experiences as he and a woman of a much older age conduct an ill fated relationship.  Their physical relationship, though only a summer, creates a connection between them that lasts for the rest of their lives.  His narration carries us through his personal growth and that of Germany until the early 1990's. 

Their connection I found to be reflective of the larger connection between the old Nazi Germany and the new Germany that struggles to differentiate itself in a modern world.

Obviously the story is layers upon layers.  It is a love story, a social story, a world story.  Bernhard Schlink writes a narrative that is personal, harrowing and unapologetic.  I thought it was an excellent read.  

 

Come on baby light my fire!

I have to shout out to everyone that, "I love my Kindle"!!

I received the first edition as a gift for my birthday in June of last year, and I have to say I was unsure about it.  

First of all, it is expensive ($350).  Second, I really love the feel of turning pages, the weight of a good book in my lap and the smell of paper (though not the "germy" paper of library books).  I do not like reading books online, and assumed that reading on the Kindle would be the same.  I was worried that the money had been spent and I would end up not liking it, and worse, not using it.

I was so wrong!  I fell in love with "my Kindle" immediately.  I downloaded my first book, after browsing the easy to use Kindle Store, and literally 30 seconds after selecting, I was in literary bliss.  It has barely left my hands since then.

For all of you who are "greenies", this is perfect!  No more wasted paper or wasted gas on transporting all those books to all those various retailers.  For those who are cost conscious, the initial cost is sweat producing, but as you download book after book for a third of the costs of buying printed books, you will feel better.  And finally for all of you who (like me) "were in the back of the line when they handed out patience", as my mother says, will love it most of all. While ravenously reading the Twilight series over Christmas vacation, I would finish one book at 2am and by 2:01am the next was downloaded and the temporarily insance obsession would go on.

I have been inspired by the possibilities of Kindle.  I only read books, but you can read magazines and newspapers as well.  Needless to say, my reading addiction as been continuously kept aflame because of the Kindle.

Be inspired, get aroused and be ignited by Amazon's Kindle (nasty cat not included)!  Let it light your literary fire!

Happy Reading.

e

Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea

This is a laugh out loud, crass and often politically incorrect book!  Chelsea Handler, the main character and narrator is a comedienne and writer who drags us through some of her more embarrassing moments.  Chelsea has no shame, no filter and no remorse for her actions.  It is so funny!

The books structure is choppy and there is not a lot of cohesiveness within the story.  The worst part of the book was the ending - it is a total bust.  It just ends!  All of a sudden we are enjoying the story of her trip with her overweight father to Costa Rica, her smoking pot and then BAM! end of book.  The story of their trip didn't finish but the book did.  

I recommend this book for all who can laugh at things of a base or offensive nature.  If you are a person easily offended, don't read it.  I also recommend NOT reading it in bed, late at night, as your spouse will not appreciate the outbursts of laughter when he is trying to sleep.

Happy Reading!

e

The Art of Racing in the Rain

To be quite honest, I did not want to read this book.  It had nothing to do with the writer or his talent, I was just not interested in reading about a dog.  I have never gotten into the dog/pet books, and this seemed like just another in a long line of pet stories.  

I did obviously end up reading it, though I fought the encouragement from my husband, father and mother, all of whom loved it and said it was a "must read".  The reason for my doggedness is because I have issues with one of my two dogs right now.  He is needy, constantly eyeing me, following me from room to room, never relaxing, shaking and drooling and whining when I get my sweats on to go for a walk, and just a basic loyal, loving pain in the rear.  To read a book that I already knew was going to make me have sympathy for the main character, a dog, was going to force me to look at my own dog in a different way.  I am glad I relented.  

I was immediately and completely absorbed in a fun, philosophical, heartfelt story about this dog, Enzo and his life with his family.  Enzo is such an enlightened character, and his insightful perspective on four legged and two legged beings was educating and thought provoking.

In a matter of two days, I laughed out loud, felt guilty, roared with extreme dislike (bordering on hatred for the story because of the characters' choices and actions), and shed tears of relief and love.  It was a roller coaster of emotions and definitely tugged at my heart strings.  I am better for having read it.  Garth Stein has a true talent.  He told a wonderful story with a voice, in the first person, of a dog that was believable, educated, and emotionally moving.  The Art of Racing in the Rain is so much more than a story about a dog; it is a look in to the competitive mind of a race car driver, a love story and ultimately a discussion on how your focus determines your reality.

I am appreciative for the new eyes it gave me when looking at my own dogs; one in particular.

 

Revolutionary Road

What are you supposed to do when you have everything you are told you should want and you find it isn't at all what you expected it would be?  How are you to keep from going insane with dissatisfaction? Where is the "terrific sense of life" you are desiring to feel more than anything?  Your youth and all its promises are fading, your attempts to live are fleeting, and you feel trapped in a life going no where.  

Frank and April Wheeler, though on the outside,  are the picture of 1950's perfection, are inwardly horribly flawed and flailing characters that struggle against each other and them selves in Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road.  They suffer under those questions every day.  Though they make great attempts to rise above their defeatist mindset, they find it so laborious and so taxing on their relationship to do so, that their efforts are unsustainable.  The inevitable return to reality results in such bitter disappointment that their life becomes unbearable.  Their days are so frustratingly confined in conformity that the story eventually turns tragic.  The Wheelers are a couple in crisis, surrounded by others in crisis, all trying to maintain the happy facade we all know was characteristic of the 1950's. 

Revolutionary Road is layered with thought provoking, disturbing and hauntingly precise descriptions and prose.  It is a book I would recommend but with a disclaimer.  It is not a "feel good" read, as you could probably tell, but it is a book that echoes sentiments that will forever remain questioned and challenged.  It is a book that causes one to take an evaluating look at their own life, their goals, hopes, desires and realities.  

I hope that you enjoy the road as much as I did.

e 

  

American Wife

American Wife, written by Curtis Sittenfeld, seemed a good choice for the start of this book review blog.  As we embark on a new era in politics, it is nice to look back, often with new eyes at what has come to pass.  I am not a politico,  and I was not particularly eager to read a book built on a political foundation, but I will forever be interested in reading about an interesting life.  That is precisely what Ms. Sittenfeld has exposed us to.  The position of the First Lady is not one that can be campaigned for.  It is one acquired by simply falling in love.  American Wife is above all else, a love story.

It is well known that the character of Alice Lindgren is based on our most recent first lady, Laura Bush.  The author creates a rare, intimate and often overly detailed look in to the life, heart and emotions of one of our nation's most notoriously private people.  Having no prior knowledge of Mrs. Bush or her life before acquiring that famous last name, I was absorbed in her personal journey and quite surprised, as she herself seems to be, by where that journey ends.    

The line the author draws between fact and fiction is like a layer of Saran; thin, see-through and almost imperceptible.  I am still unable to decipher what is really representative of Laura Bush's life, or what is simply the life of the character.  Ms. Sittenfeld has given the reader this unique gift, of allowing us to become involved in her life, her story, without really being able to judge it's truth or the politics that encircle it.

I did find myself skimming the last section of the book, and did not care for the back and forth of memory/personal history and current happenings.  I feel that I had already learned what I needed to about the characters to support my fondness of them during their most famous chapters.  The going back and forth was jarring and often confusing.  Other than that, I truly enjoyed the read and encourage you to give it a try.

Please let me know your personal thoughts.

Happy reading!