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Powell's Staff:
Five Book Friday: In Memoriam
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Every year, the booksellers at Powell’s submit their Top Fives: their five favorite books that were released in 2023. It’s a list that, when put together, shows just how varied and interesting the book tastes of Powell’s booksellers are. I highly recommend digging into the recommendations — we would never lead you astray — but today...
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Brontez Purnell:
Powell’s Q&A: Brontez Purnell, author of ‘Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt’
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Rachael P.:
Starter Pack: Where to Begin with Ursula K. Le Guin
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Customer Comments
Gracie has commented on (44) products
The Martian
by
Andy Weir
Gracie
, April 21, 2015
This book opens with "I'm pretty much f#@ked," so you know you're in for something intense right off the bat as you find astronaut Mark Watney stranded on Mars. But it's the reader who's f#@ked at the end because the book is over, and as it's a debut novel there's nothing left to read by Andy Weir (yet). Weir has an easy writing style that makes the highly scientific parts of the book not only accessible to the layperson but engaging. And Mark's charming, self-deprecating snark makes him an ideal loner protagonist, making his way through an unimaginable situation with no one on the planet to help him. I tried to slow myself down when reading this book because it was so much fun. Whether it was Mark's log entries, the conversations on Earth, or the interactions on the ship carrying the rest of his crew, every part of this book was entertaining. Action, adventure, wit, suspense, and disparaging remarks about disco��"what more could you possibly want?
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Ready Player One
by
Ernest Cline
Gracie
, December 07, 2013
This book is as addictive and fun as the video games it nostalgically champions. Underdog hero Wade, aka Parzival, is living in an all-too-realistic dystopian future: the planet's a wreck and escapism in the virtual OASIS is infinitely preferable. The OASIS is, in fact, where Wade spends most of his time and where he considers his real life to be. The creator of the OASIS, philanthropic soul, lover of all things 1980s, and Wade's hero, James Halliday, also preferred the virtual world. So much so, that when he died, he left no heirs but a contest. Whoever wins Halliday's contest will inherit his great fortune and control of the OASIS. There is, obviously, widespread interest in the contest. Whether it's idealistic individuals, cooperative clan groups, or mega corporations out for profit, the game is on. Wade must do battle with friend and enemy alike, trying to decipher clues, pass tests, and even just to stay alive. And it's along the way that he'll discover who he really is, what he wants, and change the world he knows. Ernest Cline writes this story with wit and depth, using pop culture references and gaming strategies to illuminate the human condition and the mise en abyme of the game within a game works beautifully. Loved this book.
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Whered You Go Bernadette
by
Maria Semple
Gracie
, May 02, 2013
Where'd You Go, Bernadette? is a charming, quirky, snarky, and highly entertaining novel about a charming, quirky, snarky, and highly entertaining family. Bee Branch isn't your average teen. As a reward for her stellar grades, she wants to take a family trip to Antarctica. Bee's father, Elgin Branch, is Microsoft's rock star. Bee's mother, Bernadette Fox, is a once-famous architect who's now an agoraphobic woman who rarely leaves home. She has a virtual personal assistant from India to do even the most basic errands, so how is she going to handle going to Antarctica? And then, one day, Bernadette disappears, leaving behind a jumbled mess involving hostile neighbors, wary psychiatrists, frustrated FBI agents, and her confused family. Bee is determined to find her mother and will go to the ends of the earth, literally, to do so. The result of Bee's search is Maria Semple's marvelous novel. A combination of Bee's narrative, emails, letters, newsletters, etc., Where'd You Go, Bernadette? is a delightful satire of mordant wit and humor.
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Lifeboat
by
Charlotte Rogan
Gracie
, March 13, 2013
Charlotte Rogan has a unique gift for creating atmosphere. The story opens with Grace Winter awaiting trial for murder, and how she got there is the heart of this story. The book is not titled The Lifeboat for nothing. After the ship Grace and her husband were sailing on sank, she is left on a lifeboat, and that lifeboat became Grace's whole world. As time passes and food, water, and hope begin to run out, so do the norms of society and basic human interaction. Moods darken and morals shift--if they're lost altogether. Life before the lifeboat is a distant thing, a memory of another life that gets farther and father away. Reading Grace's account of what passed on the boat after returning to civilization is like reliving in a bad dream--it's fascinating and enthralling but nothing one wants to get too close to. Monotonous hunger, thirst, weakness, and despair envelop the passengers. There is no escape from it. There is no escape from each other. There is only survival and what one has to do to ensure it. This book is beautifully written, more and more captivating as it goes along. It's amazing what people are capable of given the right circumstances, and Rogan has created those circumstances with an adroit hand.
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Constellation of Vital Phenomena
by
Anthony Marra
Gracie
, February 03, 2013
In the same vein as The Tiger's Wife, this debut novel by Anthony Marra is an extraordinary, eloquent, heart-rending book. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, is as lyrical as the title implies, this story gleans meaning from the senseless environment of perpetual war. The characters may not always know the parts they play in each other's lives, but the author brings their stories together with such grace that Akhmed, Ramzan, Khassan, Sonja, Natasha, Dokka, and Havaa resonate in their world and with the reader. Truly beautiful.
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Gone Girl
by
Gillian Flynn
Gracie
, January 30, 2013
This book is crazy good. It's crazy good, byzantine, seamless, and incredibly well written. Gillian Flynn's writing is truly engaging (to the point where I nearly missed my subway stop every single time I was reading on the train). Her descriptions are some of the most eloquent I've ever read--all the things people think but can never seem to express. Her characters can be simple complex at the same time, and the narrative takes a tenacious hold quickly and never lets up. Amy and Nick Dunne are supposed to be celebrating their fifth anniversary when Amy goes missing. There are signs of a struggle, but what happened? And what part does Nick play in her disappearance? The perfect set-up for a mystery novel. But Gone Girl is so much more than that. There's a psychological (and sometimes psychopathic) depth explored in the novel that gives it substance and resonance. The narrative switches back and forth between Nick and Amy, in the present and the past. They've lost their jobs. Amy's parents, writers known for their Amazing Amy children's books with their perfect daughter as the heroine, have taken back a large portion of Amy's trust fund to fix their own problems. Nick's parents are stricken with cancer and Alzheimer's, respectively, with only his sister to take care of them. So the Dunnes move from New York City to a small town in Missouri where things then deteriorate steadily. Those are the facts they can agree on. But their narratives reveal two very different stories. Just when a clear picture of who Nick and Amy are begins to emerge, everything changes. Just when the clues start to make sense, something shifts. Just when one character becomes easy to identify with, that narrator is proven to be unreliable. It's amazing (pun intended) how Flynn has put this book together. The novel is stunning, fascinating, and disturbing by turns, but it's always riveting. Absolutely amazing. This is the first book of Flynn's that I've read, and now I have to go find the others.
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Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice On Love & Life from Dear Sugar
by
Cheryl Strayed
Gracie
, November 12, 2012
Insightful without condescension, honest without equivocation, and funny without derision. What makes this collection of advice columns so interesting and enjoyable to read is its author. Cheryl Strayed has suffered, rejoiced, made mistakes, made choices, had good times, and had bad times, but has always picked herself up and started again. When she gives advice, she doesn't do it from on high. She understands her readers because she's had problems too, and she's willing to share her experience. She's a gifted writer with a true sense of empathy, and whether or not you've had the same problems as those who write in to "Sugar," you find yourself relating to those people and encouraged by Sugar's enthusiasm and hope. Beautifully done.
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Sharp Objects
by
Gillian Flynn
Gracie
, September 04, 2012
Gillian Flynn has an uncanny aptitude for writing about dark, disturbing things happening underneath a facade of normalcy. In Sharp Objects, she brings the small town of Wind Gap, Missouri, to life, and at first glance it seems an ordinary, quiet place where everybody knows everybody. But it has seen two children murdered, and the police are at a loss. No one can believe it was someone in the community who did it. Camille Preaker grew up in Wind Gap and left as soon as she was able. She isn't just haunted by her past there, she's damaged, scarred, and lives with it every day. She's carved words into her skin since she was thirteen, and the scars throb with meaning. Wind Gap is where she started cutting, it's where her sister Marion died, it's where her cold mother, Adora; stepfather, Alan; and half-sister, Amma, live in a mansion on the hill. The last thing Camille would ever want to do is go back. But that's exactly what her boss tells her to do. She's a journalist with an inside track on the town, so who better to cover the story of the two dead girls? It's not exactly a cheeful homecoming. The police aren't forthcoming and the case seems to be going nowhere. Camille isn't getting far, and spending time with her family doesn't go well. Adora's ideas of how things should be don't conform well with reality. She wants to dote on her children, the way she did sickly Marion, and for that to happen, those children need to be compliant and sick. Alan doesn't really have ideas and is little more than a ghostly presence in the house backing up Adora. Amma's ideas of how things should be mean that at thirteen she knows how to manipulate people; she plays with her dollhouse at home and rules over her contemporaries, drinks, takes drugs, and has sex when she's out with her friends. Camille has difficulty navigating through both the case and her family. Vodka, burbon, and sleeping with the detective called in on the case can only do so much. And as the case and Camille's family come together, things only get worse. Secrets, some long-buried, some fresh, but all calculated and violent, come out with widespread consequences. The book then haunts you when it's over. The characters linger. They seem so real, so incredibly screwed up, and their lives echo for a bit until you can pull yourself out of that place and back into the world.
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Shadow of Night: All Souls Trilogy 2
by
Deborah Harkness
Gracie
, August 30, 2012
In preparation for reading this book, I went back and re-read A Discovery of Witches, and I'm so glad I did. Deborah Harkness has created such a rich tapestry (you'll get that reference once you read it!) in her fictional world. The detail is truly extraordinary, and every vivid thread of plot has a purpose. I devoured the book in two days and am now dying to see what happens in the third. At the end of Discovery, Diana and Matthew, witch and vampire, must escape from their enemies by traveling back in time. Not only have they broken the centuries old Covenant forbidding witches and vampires from being together, they have a connection to what may be the most sought-after book in their world. Other witches and vampires, along with daemons, are desperate to get their hands on Ashmole 782, and they're opposed to using violence to get it. So Diana and Matthew travel to the past in hope of finding a teacher to help Diana understand her newfound and somewhat uncontrollable powers and hopefully Ashmole 782. Elizabethan England both is and is not what Diana expected and the dangers are many. While she tries to fit in, Matthew tries to reconcile the events that were with the person he's become. And their stay turns out to be much longer and much more complicated than expected. Diana's magic doesn't work the way other witches' does. She can't cast their spells but must create her own if there is any hope of returning to the present. The questions of Ashmole 782 and how it is connected to Diana, Matthew, and their marriage are an equally pressing matter. And the more they learn, the more they need to know. Even fleeting glimpses of the book give profound information. But the past tries to unfold as it did before. The book is not with them for long. The pages are torn just as before, the magic broken, the secrets lost. Going back to the present is the only way for Diana and Matthew to get to it again and save their burgeoning family, the Conventicle of witches, vampires, and daemons waiting for them in fear and hope. I've tried not to give too much away in this description, though I'm sorely tempted to discuss the familial relationships, side-effects of timewalking, and the new threads introduced in this novel just waiting to come together in the third. Harkness's work is addictive, thought-provoking, and mysterious. As trite as it sounds, I could not put it down. Vibrant, intriguing, and fascinating don't begin to cover how well written these books are. Following the de Clermonts through convoluted journies of time, abecedarian witchcraft, and the precarious world of shadows in which they live is a rare pleasure. Shadow of Night transcends its genre with complexity and depth. I absolutely cannot wait for the third tome of this triology.
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In the Shadow of the Banyan
by
Vaddey Ratner
Gracie
, July 25, 2012
Raami is seven when the Khmer Rouge force her and her family from their home in Phnom Penh. No one is safe under this new regime, but as members of royalty, there is even more danger for the Sisowaths. Their exodus takes them into the country, and things go from bad to worse. Raami’s father is the first to be taken away. Then she, her mother, Aana, and younger sister, Radhana, are separated from Grandmother Queen, Aunt Tata, Big Uncle, and his wife, Aunt India, and their children. Travelling further and further from home they are stripped of everything they own bit by bit and forced to work, first in the fields and later building useless embankments to keep the floodwaters at bay. Tragedy follows everywhere. Life in a forced labor camp means sickness, starvation, and death. Through it all, Raami remembers the stories that were told to her, the myths that explain life, religion, and tradition. She stops speaking, but holds on to her stories. She protects herself, but never forgets who she is. Ratner’s writing is eloquent and lyrical, reminiscent of Jhumpa Lahiri. This book is lush with metaphor, myths, and stories. The narrative voice of Raami is imbued with a child’s understanding and the knowledge that comes with hindsight. It’s a story of survival, a firsthand account of life during war like Agnès Humbert’s Résistance. It’s a story that resonates and is as riveting as it is moving.
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Age of Miracles
by
Karen Thompson Walker
Gracie
, April 03, 2012
My boss was kind enough to give me this book, and I'm really glad he did. It's a great read with wide appeal that goes beyond genre and demographics. It's got elements of everything from a bildungsroman to a science fiction classic, and those elements are blended extremely well. The story revolves around Julia, protagonist and narrator of the book, as she recounts how her world--not to mention the world at large--changes when "the slowing" beings. The earth's rotation suddenly starts slowing down, and there's no one who knows why or how to stop it. Julia is eleven years old when it starts, and in the span of only a few months, life is irrevocably changed. Everything is affected. Plants, animals, and people all fight to survive as things become ever more extreme. How can the crops survive long stretches without light? How can animals migrate when the earth's magnetic fields are breaking down? How can relationships survive when they're tested by the stress of extreme environmental changes and fear of the unknown? As if life weren't difficult enough in middle school, when you're just trying to figure out where you fit in the world, Julia has to deal with the fact that the world might no longer fit people. Days are stretching and the world is breaking apart. Julia watches as people abandon their homes and families to live on real time as opposed to following the old clocks, as people fall ill from a syndrome resulting from the slowing, as people die from the syndrome or mass suicides, as people fall away from her life as she tries to move forward. The Age of Miracles is a captivating story of the human experience in extreme circumstances. It's evident from the beginning that Julia is telling this tale from some point in the future, after the slowing, and there's no telling what that future is like. She reflects occasionally, marking the things that are lost--everything from eating her last grape to the ability to go outside without the sun's radiation burning through her clothes. It's a remarkable book. I only wish I hadn't read it so quickly--because now I want to read it again.
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Darlings
by
Cristina Alger
Gracie
, March 02, 2012
The Darlings aren't your average family. They're the 1%, with Park Avenue apartments, weekends in the Hamptons, and jobs in high finance. Paul Ross, however, wasn't born into this life. He married into it when he married Merrill Darling. He feels lucky to be part of the family and to have a job working for Merrill's father, Carter, when so many others are getting laid off in financially troubling times. But something isn't right. When one tragic event brings attention not only from the media but also the SEC, Paul has to make a choice. He needs to decide whether he will save the family business or betray his family and save himself. Which is the right thing to do? And can he live with the consequences? No matter what happens, someone is going to lose, and lose big. Cristina Alger has lived in that world and writes her debut novel with an insider's experience. The twisted connections between the Darlings, the SEC, and the journalists investigating both create an atmosphere of complex deception and intrigue that offers happy endings to some and not-so-happy endings to others. Whether the endings are right for the people who get them, well...that's the real question, isn't it?
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Leelas Book
by
Alice Albinia
Gracie
, March 01, 2012
This book is an intricately woven tale that spans continents, cultures, and lifetimes. The characters are so enmeshed in each others' lives that not even reincarnation can separate them for long. Leela Sharma finds that out when she finds herself returning to India after decades away, decades of avoiding the memories of Meera, her dead poet sister; Vyasa, her arrogant manipulator of a brother-in-law; or twins Bharati and Ash, the niece and nephew she hasn’t seen since they were babies. But just because Leela is drawn back by Vyasa for a family wedding (between his son, Ash, and Leela's husband's niece, Sunita), it doesn't mean that the past is going to repeat itself. Ganesh, blue elephant-headed god and scribe of the Mahabharata, isn't going to let Vyasa have things all his own way. Ganesh acts as more than a scribe; he writes his own stories as well, and he's writing one for Leela and those who surround her. Families intertwine in unexpected ways, and whether noted professor, impoverished servant girl, or newlywed liar, everyone feels the effects of what's happening. Alice Albinia has created a book or rich texture and experience. Literature, history, religion, and fascinating characters are put together so well that Leela's Book is a book I didn't want to put down. It shows great depth and the plot has a sophisticated complexity full of lush detail and the human experience.
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Shatner Rules Your Key to Understanding the Shatnerverse & the World at Large
by
William Shatner
Gracie
, December 31, 2011
So . . . much . . . fun! William Shatner is hilarious. Seriously. I was laughing out loud as I read. His life has been filled with some crazy situations, and he shares them with readers with great perspective and attitude. Who else would have a football party and invite Rush Limbaugh and Henry Rollins? (Only one of them stayed, but for a minute they were in the same room together.) Loved this book!
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Sherlockian
by
Graham Moore
Gracie
, August 31, 2011
I'm so behind in my reviews, so it's time to catch up with the brilliant historical fiction mystery, The Sherlockian. The title alone tells you that there's some detective work to be done here, and it's a finely crafted mise-en-abyme plot that keeps you guessing. It's a mystery wrapped in a puzzle inside an enigma. Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, has left behind a legacy. There are not only fans but organizations devoted to the study of the great detective. People dress in costume, play games in quotes, and revel in the foggy atmosphere of the late nineteenth century. Conan Doyle also left behind a diary. Or, most of a diary. There's a volume missing. It chronicles the events of the fall of 1900 and is an irresistible conundrum for the Sherlockian scholars. One such scholar, Alex Cale, claims to have found the diary, and in doing so creates another mystery. Before he can publicly reveal his discoveries, he is found dead in his hotel room--and the diary is missing once more. The newest member of the prestigious Baker Street Irregulars, who'd seen Alex Cale looking nervous the night before, is compelled to take on the case. Socially awkward, deerstalker-cap-wearing Harold White wants to know who committed the murder, but more than that he wants to find the diary. He wants to walk in Holmes's footsteps, using his methods of deduction, to find out who killed Cale and what is in the missing tome. Author Graham Moore juxtaposes Harold's search with chapters detailing the events of that missing book, following Conan Doyle as he tries to solve several murders of his own. Both Harold and Conan Doyle look to Holmes for help. The question is, can they solve real-life murders that aren't plotted out for the "penny dreadfuls"? They follow clues around London a hundred years apart, each accompanied by a Watson of their own. For Harold, it's a not-so-trustworthy reporter named Sarah, who seems to have more invested in investigation than just a story. For Conan Doyle, it's his friend and fellow author Bram Stoker, who seems to be more familiar with the seedy East End than he'd care to admit. As each pair gets closer to the truth, they have to remember that even if they get what they want, they might not want what they get. Does Conan Doyle, practically dragged into the quest, really want to see where it leads? Does he want to follow the methods of his creation, a character he'd come to detest so much that he's killed him off? And does Harold truly want to find out what happened that fall? I won't spoil it. And Neither will Moore. He furthers each mystery in step with the other. The plots becomes an intricate web of twists and turns as Harold and Conan Doyle get closer to the truth. It's a brilliant tale of intrigues and "vile treacheries" imbued with literary tradition and Victorian style brought into the modern age. A true pleasure to read.
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In the Woods
by
Tana French
Gracie
, August 15, 2011
Mysteries aren't my usual genre of choice, but I was captivated by In the Woods. Tana French uses gray characters uncommonly well, giving them depth and appeal. Detective Rob Ryan is an excellent choice of narrator. Admittedly dishonest from the start and wrapped up in a mystery of his own, Ryan is always interesting and he struggles to solve the case. When he was twelve, he and two friends went into the woods, but he was the only one to come out�"with his life but no memory. When the death of a twelve-year-old girl brings Ryan back to those same woods, the consequences for him and for the case start bleeding together. French does well to layer these mysteries. Are they related? Will Ryan ever remember what happened? Can he put his own experience behind him to focus on the case? Will his career be able to stand it? Will his partner, Cassie Maddox, be able to stand him? There is complexity and intrigue in nearly every page as the detectives come closer to solving the murder and grow farther apart from each other. The characters are smart but flawed, and the plot unfolds naturally, with all the frustrations, mistakes, and disappointments going along with the victories and making life real. Off to the next book in the series...
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Last Letter from Your Lover
by
Jojo Moyes
Gracie
, August 09, 2011
Missed opportunities and miscommunications. Nothing quite like them for creating havoc in love affairs. The Last Letter from Your Lover if filled with them. In 1960, Jennifer Stirling wakes up in a hospital with pain but no memory. Trying to fit into her old life, to be who everyone expects her to be, is not easy. It feels wrong. She can't connect to the life she had or to her husband. It's only when she finds a letter from her lover that she realizes why. But the letter isn't even signed with a name, so how is she to find him? In 2003, Ellie Hayworth finds a love letter in the archives of the newspaper where she works. Trying to find out who wrote it and to whom, to save her career by coming up with a feature story, is not easy. It feels wrong. She can't concentrate on her life because she's too wrapped up in her affair with a married man, and the love letter she finds strikes a chord. Jojo Moyes writes Jennifer's love story with great care. Going back and forth, before and after her accident, showing the progression of the affair with "B." and the confusion she feels, is done extremely well. It's a tortured affair from the beginning, always complicated, never simple. The characters involved are sympathetic and real. Ellie's story is a different story. She has advantages that Jennifer didn't have and yet doesn't have the love that Jennifer did. So it's a different series of mistakes made and lessons learned. Moyes shows the similarities and contrasts with finesse and a palpable change in tone that shows how special and rare love is.
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The 19th Wife
by
Ebershoff, David
Gracie
, August 05, 2011
I really enjoyed this book. An amalgam of fact and fiction, past and present, secretive fundamentalists and broader society, The 19th Wife has a lot to offer. Ann Eliza Young, one of Brigham Young's numerous spouses, known as #19, chooses to leave her husband and Mormon faith after years of struggling with the polygamous life takes its toll. BeckyLyn Scott, one of Sawyer Scott's numerous spouses, also known as #19, doesn't choose to leave her husband or faith as one of the Firsts and is instead taken away in handcuffs, accused of murdering her husband. Jordan Scott, BeckyLyn's son, excommunicated from the Firsts years ago, comes back to find out what really happened to his father and if his mother is responsible. The history of polygamy as seen through Ann Eliza's quest to end it and the journey back into the sect that cast him off as seen through Jordan's quest for the truth parallel each other in many ways. Trying to determine what faith is, what is means and what it calls for, in any time period is a difficult thing. And the stresses seem to vary little from Ann Eliza's day to this. Jordan has long since stopped believing in the rigid, hypocritical, and corrupt rules of the life he was born into. But has his mother? Or has someone pinned the blame on #19 again? David Ebershoff weaves the stories together beautifully. Ann Eliza makes allies in the outside world who help her escape. Jordan makes allies in the outside world who help him break back in. And each step along the way reveals a new piece to the puzzle until things all come together and the reader finds out who the #19 Sawyer Scott spoke of minutes before his death really is. It's a long book, but captivating in its complexity and its inside look into a society closed off from the world, ruled by a prophet and his desires and decrees. A fascinating book.
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13 Rue Therese
by
Elena Mauli Shapiro
Gracie
, August 02, 2011
I knew before I read 13 Rue Thérèse that it was going to be good. I have yet to be disappointed by anything from the same imprint. I wasn't sure exactly how the story would go, though, and I found it utterly fascinating. Trevor Stratton's discovery, the box of artifacts, the gift given by Josianne, is no ordinary collection of keepsakes. As Trevor goes through the objects, reads the letters, and learns more about the life of the long-dead Louise Brunet, it becomes difficult to tell whether he possesses the objects or the objects possess him. Elena Mauli Shapiro's writing pulls you in and begins blending the past and the present, the real and the imagined. It becomes almost hypnotic and gets to a point where the reader can't tell what's real any more than Trevor can! Louise's life comes vividly alive, whether she's making false confession away from her neighborhood church or having dinner with her father and husband. Trevor is feverish with this knowledge, as if he's there with her, seeing her actions, speaking her words, feeling her emotions. And when Louise is feverish? What then? 13 Rue Thérèse is a mystery of intricacy and imagination. And the fact that it's based on a real box of memories only makes it all the more intriguing. It's the kind of book you want to read again, if only to look out for clues and to see how your understanding of it changes.
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Storm at the Door
by
Stefan Merrill Block
Gracie
, July 27, 2011
In The Storm at the Door, author Stefan Merrill Block weaves his family history together with a plausible fictional account of his grandfather's 1962 stay in a mental institution. This is a daunting task that he accomplishes with brilliance. The novel is, in a word, stunning. It's not only an intricate, original, and emotional story, but an honest examination of sanity, insanity, and whatever space there is between the two. It is also one of the most articulate books I've ever read. Block has an extraordinary gift for vocabulary and syntax, and the tone he conveys is pitch perfect as a result. He writes of a past that he didn't live but which has far-reaching consequences affecting his own life in profound ways. Language, madness, poetry, genius, memory, and the quest for something more. There is such empathy and truth here. Whether writing of his grandmother Katharine's life alone with four daughters or his grandfather Frederick's life in an asylum, Block is eloquent, compassionate, and has the uncanny ability to see beyond the surface of things, uncovering their complexities in a masterful way.
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Sarahs Key
by
Tatiana de Rosnay
Gracie
, July 15, 2011
Sarah's Key is one of those fictional stories that's has the kind of devastating heartbreak in it that makes it believable. When ten-year-old Sarah Starzynski is arrested with her parents, rounded up to be sent to a concentration camp, she doesn't understand what's happening. She thinks she'll be coming right back to their apartment on the Rue de Saintonge. She thinks it won't take long. She thinks her four-year-old brother, Michel, will be safe locked in the hidden cupboard. It doesn't take her long to realize that she's wrong. When Julia Jarmond researches the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup sixty years later, she doesn't understand how it will affect her life. She thinks she'll just be writing a story. She thinks she'll move on. She thinks her life with her husband and daughter will start again in a remodeled apartment on the Rue de Saintonge. It doesn't take her long to realize that she's wrong. Julia's investigation and Sarah's journey are told in concurrent narratives, and Tatiana de Rosnay does well to balance them until they converge. Sarah's tragedy takes on a great importance in Julia's life, becoming so much more than a story from the past. It shakes the foundations of the present and shapes the future too. There are times when I wanted a bit more depth, as some tertiary characters (inconvenient relatives, difficult spouses, etc.) are a bit too conveniently eliminated. Yet the profound grief of a child, and the far-reaching consequences of if, resonates and remains captivating.
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The Happiness Project
by
Gretchen Rubin
Gracie
, June 19, 2011
I'm not sure that I'm happier after reading this book, but there are some ideas in it that might help me to be so. Gretchen Rubin doesn't start out battling any great demons to transform her life and become happier. She's already fairly happy, with a successful career, plenty of money, a loving husband, and two children. So when I first read that she was on a quest to make herself happier, I thought, "Cry me a river. Some of us have real problems." However, Rubin acknowledges what she has and never claims to be overcoming depression or tragic circumstances. She just wants to be happier and tries a lot of different strategies for getting there. Many of them are practical and straightforward. In fact, almost all of them are things that my mother has told me to do on countless occasions! Yet they can be more difficult to put into practice and it helps to have someone lay them out for you and show you how they did it. The other thing I really enjoyed about this book was the research that went into it. There are some fabulous quotes from Samuel Johnson, Saint Therese, Aristotle, Ben Franklin, and Voltaire. People have been trying to attain happiness for thousands of years, and it helps to know that I'm not alone in that quest and to be given a little nudge in the right direction
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Public Enemies: Dueling Writers Take On Each Other and the World
by
Bernard-Henri L. Vy and Michel Houellebecq
Gracie
, June 19, 2011
I've seen Bernard-Henri Lévy speaking on TV for years, so when I heard about this book, I thought it would be a lot of fun. A debate between two diametrically opposed French philosophers. How could it be anything but. I must admit that I am by no means a philosopher and have never been a fan of reading philosophy, but I did enjoy this book. There are times when both Lévy and Houellebecq got off on a train of thought, exploring it and arguing it for the sake of polemics rather than conviction. And it does appear at those times that they're more interested in the sounds of their own voices than making a point per se. Yet they are both eloquent and articulate, and the care they take in crafting their responses to one another is evident. It's the type of book that you don't often see, and for that alone it is worth reading. They discuss everything from their childhoods to politics, literature, and society. I may not have understood or agreed with them all the time, but I enjoyed what they had to say all the same.
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Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
by
Beth Hoffman
Gracie
, May 12, 2011
CeeCee Honeycutt has had to endure more in her short life than most people do in a lifetime. Her father is constantly absent, and her mother may as well be for all the care she takes of CeeCee. Mrs. Honeycutt's dramatic mood swings, hallucinations, and flamboyant delusional behavior make her the laughingstock of Willoughby, Ohio, and embarrass and frustrate CeeCee. And when CeeCee's mother dies suddenly, it's hard for her to know how to feel. Her father isn't up to taking care of her anymore now than he was before, but her unknown Great Aunt Tootie is another story. CeeCee embarks on a journey to Savannah, Georgia, and finds there a diverse group of women who all have something to write in CeeCee's Life Book. Whether flinging slugs into the nosy neighbor's backyard or treasure hunting at the beach, CeeCee's making friends and learning how to live without her mother. Beth Hoffman has created a cast of kooky, heartwarming characters with southern charm (and silly floral hats) who show great compassion and care for a lost girl struggling with all the guilt, loss, and fear that her mother's death has left her with. It's a sweet story that leaves you feeling good about CeeCee's future.
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Blind Contessas New Machine
by
Carey Wallace
Gracie
, May 10, 2011
When Carolina tells her parents and her fiancé, Pietro, that she's going blind, they don't believe her. Only her quixotic friend Turri is there for her, so it's no surprise that it's he who invents a writing machine for her. But the relationship between Carolina and Turri is so much more than that gift. As Carolina's vision fades and finally fades away, she learns that she can still see in her dreams, and that there is a rich world there. Confined to the house by her husband, there's not much in her waking world to enjoy. But when she starts to sneak out of the house late at night to meet Turri at her old lake house, her hours gets confused; sleeping and waking, dreams and reality, love and life are all mixed up. The Blind Contessa's New Machine is a charming tale, inventive and bittersweet. Carey Wallace has a beautiful way of describing things�"especially those things that are so easily understood and yet so hard to express. It's a lovely book that reads like a fairy tale.
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by
Mark Haddon
Gracie
, April 02, 2011
This is a pretty amazing book. I didn't really know what to expect going in, but it's a fascinating story about an autistic boy who sees the world differently from most other people. Christopher sees things both as being more complicated and less complicated than everyone else does. Extremely intelligent and logical, he has a great deal of difficulty with people and emotions. So when he begins investigating the murder of a neighborhood dog and comes upon an even greater mystery about what truly happened to his mother, he confronts confusion and fear unlike any he's ever known before and he must learn to rely on himself. The story is very well crafted. Christopher journals his experience in painstaking detail, with order, organization, literal honesty, and refreshing perspective. Mark Haddon writes beautifully and poignantly of this boy and his struggles in such a simple, straightforward manner that you can't help but feel as you read.
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Girl Who Chased The Moon
by
Sarah Addison Allen
Gracie
, March 15, 2011
There's just something so refreshing about Sarah Addison Allen's books. They're whimsical and light�"in the case of The Girl Who Chased the Moon, light actually has a great deal to do with the story. When Emily Benedict goes to live with her grandfather in Mullaby after her mother's death, she doesn't expect to find a giant living in a house with wallpaper that changes itself to match your mood, a place where people can see smells and glow in the moonlight. And she certainly didn't expect to find that her mother was perhaps the most vilified person in town. There's a lot to learn and understand about Mullaby and the people who live there. Julia Winterson bakes cakes even on the hottest days. The Coffeys never go out at night. And Vance Shelby checks the dryer constantly even though there's never any laundry in it. It's a quirky fairy tale that shimmers, a quick and entertaining read that brings a warm glow with it.
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Discovery of Witches All Souls Trilogy 01
by
Deborah Harkness
Gracie
, February 26, 2011
This book is downright addictive. It draws you in completely and you're practically bereft when the book ends and you have to put it down. Diana Bishop starts out as a scholar, doing research and ignoring the fact that she's a witch as best she can. But merely by touching a book, she starts something in motion that threatens everything she thought was true. Witches, vampires, and daemons—all with their own agendas—are after her, and she must learn to embrace who she is if only to protect herself and her family. She has to learn who she can trust and depend on, a difficult thing when overcoming prejudices that have lasted for centuries. Deborah Harkness has created a world full of spells, powers, old grudges, and dark plots, but it is also a world of great love, rich history, and intellectual curiosity. It's a heady, spellbinding mix of fact and fiction told in an enthralling manner. Seductive, engaging, thrilling, and mysterious, A Discovery of Witches is a captivating story. My only problem with it is the cliffhanger of an ending. I haven't been this anxious to see what happens next in a long time.
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Benny & Shrimp
by
Katarina Mazetti
Gracie
, February 20, 2011
Opposites attract. But what then? Benny and Shrimp (whose name is actually Desirée) couldn't be more different. He's a farmer. She's a librarian in the city. His house is decorated with cross-stitch. Her apartment isn't so much decorated as it is stark white walls. He likes tractor pulls. She likes operas. But they love each other. Their relationship has plenty of obstacles, but there's a quirky and sweet quality to them, and you root for them in spite of everything. Katarina Mazetti's writing has an offbeat charm to it as she alternates chapters from Benny's and Shrimp's perspectives. Honest, occasionally blunt, often funny, and delightfully real, she's created a story that I already want to read again and I hope she writes another novel soon!
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Wolves of Andover
by
Kathleen Kent
Gracie
, February 14, 2011
The Wolves of Andover is another gem of historical fiction from Kathleen Kent. A prequel to The Heretic's Daughter, Kent's fictional account of her ancestors' experiences during the Salem Witch Trials, The Wolves of Andover recounts colonial life in the years following the English Civil War. The war may be over, but there are far-reaching repercussions, threats that cross oceans. Martha Allen is young woman forced to work for cousins until a suitable husband comes along. But with a fiery temper and strong will, she is at odds with nearly everyone at one time or another. The one person she is drawn to, Thomas Carrier, is a complicated man with a mysterious and dangerous past that could hurt everyone close to him. As rumors of his history grow, there are more wolves circling the farm than those attacking the livestock. King Charles I lost his head, and those who were wielding the ax now have reason fear for their own when King Charles II sends executioners after them. While Martha and Thomas grow closer to each other, dangers from England grow closer to them both, and Kathleen Kent writes of it all with great insight, tension, and intrigue. She has a great grasp on her historical voice and brings the past to vivid life with care and a sense of realism that belies the fact that she is, in fact, writing fiction.
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Swan Thieves
by
Elizabeth Kostova
Gracie
, February 10, 2011
An intricate and engaging story, The Swan Thieves weaves together multiple narratives of the present and the past, of art and love, of madness and obsession. The novel is also more accessible than Elizabeth Kostova's debut, The Historian, though both are incredibly well researched and have a great deal of depth and detail. It takes some time before the meaning of the book's title is revealed, and the mysterious journey that psychiatrist Andrew Marlowe takes to find out why his painter patient, Robert Oliver—who refuses to speak, let alone explain—attacked a painting in the National Gallery becomes a much greater search for the truth than anticipated. And Dr. Marlowe finds his own life changing more than he ever anticipated as a result of his search. He starts traveling the world to find out the method of Robert's madness and continues searching for himself and for the people he's discovered along the way. And while the ending is perhaps a bit too neat, there is satisfaction to be found in it all the same. There is an echoing pathos to this book that might be better described with a painting than with words, and Kostova uses both to great effect. I'm eagerly looking forward to see what else she's going to write.
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Heretics Daughter
by
Kathleen Kent
Gracie
, January 29, 2011
I truly had a hard time putting this book down once I started it. And I don't usually go for historical fiction, as it tends to be too much fiction and too little history. But Kathleen Kent stays well within the bounds of history while bringing to life vivid characters—her own ancestors, in fact—as they struggled with horrific circumstances. Her voice is historical in tone without affectation, and the narrative flows smoothly through the 1690s approaching those ignominious days with a sense of i...moreI truly had a hard time putting this book down once I started it. And I don't usually go for historical fiction, as it tends to be too much fiction and too little history. But Kathleen Kent stays well within the bounds of history while bringing to life vivid characters—her own ancestors, in fact—as they struggled with horrific circumstances. Her voice is historical in tone without affectation, and the narrative flows smoothly through the 1690s approaching those ignominious days with a sense of inevitability that lends an appropriate tinge of melancholy to the story. The narrator, Sarah Carrier, brings the reader along on an account of the Salem witch trials that shows just how easily such a thing can happen and just how little—and how much—the truth means. The mass hysteria surrounding the trials shapes Sarah's young life and the life of her family in heartrending and profound ways starting with the arrest of Sarah's mother; the Carriers are met with anger, suspicion, fear, accusation, separation, imprisonment, sickness, and death before the story is done. How they face those trials is what gives the story its heart and meaning, much the way John Proctor's actions make The Crucible the story that it is. And Sarah tells her story with simplicity and honesty, opening the painful wounds of her childhood experiences. All the anger, misery, and guilt she carries; all the resignation and love she finds; and all the strength she sees in herself and her family are there. People will ask those who have lived beyond terrible trials, "How did you come to get beyond your loss?" as though the survivor who suffered the loss should simply stop up their nose until breath is starved from the lungs. It is true that some people will lose their desire for life and refuse food and drink after the death of a beloved, or if there is too much pain and injury to the body. But a child, so recently come into the world from the void of creation, can be more resilient than the strongest man, more strong willed than the hardiest woman.
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Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
by
Jonathan Safran Foer
Gracie
, January 23, 2011
Jonathan Safran Foer has done something extremely difficult and incredibly beautiful with his sophomore novel. He's made it better than his first book. It's a richer, more complete story, and following protagonist Oskar Schell, whose business card lists myriad unusual occupations for a nine-year-old that barely scratch at the surface of who Oskar is, is an amazing journey. Inventor, Jewelry Designer, Jewelry Fabricator, Amateur Entomologist, Francophile, Vegan, Origamist, Pacifist, Percussionist, Amateur Astronomer, Computer Consultant, Amateur Archaeologist, Collector of: rare coins, butterflies that died natural deaths, miniature cacti, Beatles memorabilia, semiprecious stones, and other things. This precocious, imaginative child has more to deal with than most children his age—more than most people in general. His father died on 9/11, and in trying to cope with that loss and find a way to be closer to his father, Oskar opens his life to the reader. The book is insightful, wise, poignant, and moving while at the same time using humor and tenderness to great effect. It's emotionally and psychologically remarkable, avoiding the trite pitfalls of writing about sensitive topics.
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Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
by
Tom Stoppard
Gracie
, January 21, 2011
I heard about this play years ago but was always reluctant to read it. Hamlet is my favorite play by Shakespeare, and I didn't want to see it mistreated in a derivative work. I needn't have worried. Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is a brilliant play that in no way diminishes the play that inspired it. In fact, it's a complementary work. Funny and snarky, with great insight and remarkable finesse, Stoppard really does have a masterpiece on his hands. I found myself snorting with laughter on the subway when reading Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's polemical games. They are both witty and obtuse, and the interchangeable gentlemen provide the reader with a refreshing new perspective on the Danish tragedy all the way up until their inevitable deaths. So much fun! I only wish that I'd read it sooner.
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Gendarme
by
MT Mustian
Gracie
, December 31, 2010
The Gendarme is a beautifully written book. Mark Mustian's writing is so natural as he transitions between discussing the everyday activities of life and the atrocities mankind is capable of. Emmett, or Ahmet depending on the circumstances, takes the reader with him through a journey of dreams and memories long since buried and forgotten, memories he's not even sure are real. And with a brain tumor at the age of ninety-two, running out of time, Emmett must catch up with his past even as it is catching up with him. There is something frightening in that, as Emmett recalls the events of his youth as Ahmet. He sees past horrors across the distance of time, and yet those horrors become fresh again in the remembering. They are completely vivid and tangible, interfering with Emmett's present life to the point that reality becomes difficult to recognize. Mustian has crafted a story of love and hope inside a story of war, genocide, and despair, and he has done it with remarkable grace.
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Johnny Got His Gun
by
Trumbo, Dalton and Doctorow, E. L.
Gracie
, December 23, 2010
This is a stunning book. The stream of consciousness—or unconsciousness as the case may be—is so poignantly effective that it's heartbreaking. It's a perfectly suited narrative style for the story. Trumbo shows a side to being a soldier that few get to see, and he shows it remarkably well, through the mind of Joe Bonham. Joe suffers in horrific ways that most wouldn't survive, and communicating his story is one of his greatest challenges. Johnny Got His Gun is simply an amazing read. The political messages that can be drawn from it are secondary to the personal experience of this one man, his memories, his existence, and his life itself. I'd recommend it to anyone.
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Patron Saint of Liars
by
Ann Patchett
Gracie
, December 17, 2010
I have yet to be disappointed by anything Ann Patchett has written. She has an uncanny gift for characterization, and Rose, Son, Cecilia, and Sister Evangeline are prime examples of this talent in The Patron Saint of Liars. For people so close to each other, they are nevertheless bound by secrets and lies. Patchett's writing is filled with power, and its subtlety and eloquence are extraordinary. It's a remarkable mix of people and personalities that come together at St. Elizabeth's home for unwed mothers. It's an isolated place, run by nuns near a healing spring long since dried up. And as the years pass, and girls come and go, some things change and others remain ever the same. Rose starts out as one of those girls, coming to St. Elizabeth's to give up her baby. Son starts out a traveling handyman just looking for work for a few days. Cecilia starts out as the first baby born there who isn't given away. And Sister Evangeline watches over them all, with intuition and love.
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Object of Beauty
by
Steve Martin
Gracie
, December 05, 2010
Steve Martin's latest novel is wonderful. The writing is erudite without being condescending or pedantic--no small feat--and it pulls you into New York's art world of the past twenty years by following the exploits of the ambitious Lacey Yeager. But what makes the story work is that it is not told from Lacey's point of view. Rather, a friend of hers, an art writer named Daniel who's been privy to her life for years, takes on her tale combining intimate firsthand knowledge with speculation, detailed accounts with faded memories, conversations with projected motives. Daniel is both a participant in and a spectator of Lacey's tumultuous life as she goes from downtown galleries to Sotheby's and back again. And while recording her story, how she uses her wit and keen business sense, sex and charm, he also illustrates how the art world grew and changed, boomed and crashed. He writes of trends and schools of thought with great knowledge and insight. And lucky for the reader, there are a number of color reproductions included in the text to make the discussion all the more powerful. I enjoyed this book immensely, finding myself completely in that world as I read, and startled back to reality when I had to put it down. An Object of Beauty is a fantastic read that I look forward to picking up again.
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Tinkers
by
Harding, Paul
Gracie
, November 26, 2010
This book is stunningly well written. The language is so beautiful, eloquent and expressive while being remarkably clear and simple. Harding writes of dreams and memories, fathers and sons, in an almost seamless narrative. He writes what for most people would be ineffable, and even the shortest passage is powerful. "Howard resented the ache in his heart. He resented that it was there every morning when he woke up, that it remained at least until he had dressed and had some hot coffee, if not until he had taken stock of the goods in his brush cart, and fed and hitched Prince Edward, if not until his rounds were done, if not until he fell asleep that night, and if his dreams were not tormented by it. He resented equally the ache and the resentment itself."
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Open
by
Andre Agassi
Gracie
, November 26, 2010
As a tennis fan, and a big fan of Andre's, I was eager to read this book. Once of the things I've always liked most about him as a player is the fact that he's suffered—had losses, personal problems with an overbearing control freak of a father, career slumps, excruciating injuries—and come back stronger, with grace. This book definitely shows that side of Andre, but it also shows a whole lot more. The uncertainty, the doubt, the hate for the game. And all of it is written with candor. No excuses. I have no doubt that things may very well have been softened a bit, and other things left out, but I really enjoyed getting to read this, and I'm still a fan of Andre's. Whether he's stuck at Nick Bolletieri's tennis prison, winning his first major, doing meth in Vegas, or making a birthday card from airplane menus, I was rooting for him.
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Unaccustomed Earth
by
Jhumpa Lahiri
Gracie
, September 11, 2010
Jhumpa Lahiri's short stores never disappoint. They're character-driven gems that completely draw you in. I spent the past few days taking this book everywhere with me, reading on the subway, and it was always hard to put away. The stories in the book span the globe, and no matter where the characters are, no matter where they're from or where they're going, whether they're children or adults, each one is vividly drawn and fully realized, easy to identify with and understand. They face life's challenges—whether moving to another continent, losing family, or trying to hold relationships today—as best they can, and it's a privilege to go on that journey with them.
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Heretics Daughter
by
Kathleen Kent
Gracie
, June 14, 2010
I truly had a hard time putting this book down once I started it. And I don't usually go for historical fiction, as it tends to be too much fiction and too little history. But Kathleen Kent stays well within the bounds of history while bringing to life vivid characters—her own ancestors, in fact—as they struggled with horrific circumstances. Her voice is historical in tone without affectation, and the narrative flows smoothly through the 1690s approaching those ignominious days with a sense of inevitability that lends an appropriate tinge of melancholy to the story. The narrator, Sarah Carrier, brings the reader along on an account of the Salem witch trials that shows just how easily such a thing can happen and just how little—and how much—the truth means. The mass hysteria surrounding the trials shapes Sarah's young life and the life of her family in heartrending and profound ways starting with the arrest of Sarah's mother; the Carriers are met with anger, suspicion, fear, accusation, separation, imprisonment, sickness, and death before the story is done. How they face those trials is what gives the story its heart and meaning, much the way John Proctor's actions make The Crucible the story that it is. And Sarah tells her story with simplicity and honesty, opening the painful wounds of her childhood experiences. All the anger, misery, and guilt she carries; all the resignation and love she finds; and all the strength she sees in herself and her family are there. "People will ask those who have lived beyond terrible trials, 'How did you come to get beyond your loss?' as though the survivor who suffered the loss should simply stop up their nose until breath is starved from the lungs. It is true that some people will lose their desire for life and refuse food and drink after the death of a beloved, or if there is too much pain and injury to the body. But a child, so recently come into the world from the void of creation, can be more resilient than the strongest man, more strong willed than the hardiest woman."
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War
by
Sebastian Junger
Gracie
, June 01, 2010
I really enjoyed this book. In fact, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Sebastian Junger's writing is vivid and engaging. He can easily go back and forth between anecdotes about the men in the Korengal Valley and broader examinations of the psychological and physiological aspects of war. His descriptions are honest: sometimes disturbing, sometimes humorous, and sometimes surreal. War isn't about politics; it isn't about the global repercussions or even the repercussions in the...more I really enjoyed this book. In fact, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Sebastian Junger's writing is vivid and engaging. He can easily go back and forth between anecdotes about the men in the Korengal Valley and broader examinations of the psychological and physiological aspects of war. His descriptions are honest: sometimes disturbing, sometimes humorous, and sometimes surreal. War isn't about politics; it isn't about the global repercussions or even the repercussions in the country of Afghanistan itself; and it isn't about the outcome of the war. It's about the men there fighting it. There's such an odd mix of things happening there. The circumstances of being isolated without hot food, running water, women, or anything to do besides engage in firefights create an atmosphere unlike anything back home. Primal aggression fueled by testosterone and adrenaline, the occasional Lord of the Flies group dynamic that ends badly for one roaming cow, puerile jokes and black humor you'd find in a M*A*S*H rerun, and a bond that brings to mind Henry V's St. Crispin's Day speech. Things that would seem incongruous in everyday civilian life become the norm and the result is an experience like no other. And Junger has captured it with grace and presented it to people who will never get anywhere near it in such a way as to make it relatable and real.
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The Boat
by
Nam Le
Gracie
, November 05, 2009
This collection of short stories really drew me in. Each one was so captivating that I couldn't put the book down until I'd finished it. Nam Le maneuvers with ease through various perspectives, tenses, voices, and subject matters. He creates complex characters with simplicity and creates atmospheres with richness and depth. It's an extraordinary first book, and I am so glad that someone recommended it to me!
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