Books I Read in October 2019

Note: I am including only the books I loved in these "Books I Read" blog posts. I read a lot, and I don't want to clog the blogsphere (and my blog) with negative reviews. There were a few books I read this month that I did not fully enjoy; those are not included here.

The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala

On two sides of a long-running war, a soldier and an assassin sent to kill his military general uncle fall in love over the course of many months in a cat-and-mouse game. Inspired by Indian mythology and gorgeously written, this young adult fantasy is a truly great read. I only read a handful of YA books a year, choosing based on premises that sound fantastic, and this lived up to my expectations. The romance is front and center (usually not my fave), but the plot line, character development, and world building really make the book amazing.

Savage Gods by Paul Kingsnorth

Kingsnorth is an author whose books I read just about as soon as they come out. His writing blows me away. This book is no exception; in fact, this may be my favorite of anything he's written. As a combination of biography, exploration of the writing profession, and analysis of the disconnect between society and nature, this book says things I've been thinking and feeling but have been unable to find a way to express. Feelings about what it means to feel like you need to find a "home," a place to belong, a patch of earth to own and take care of. Feelings about writing and whether the words work to clarify concepts or if they obscure them. For writers, environmentalists, anyone who feels they don't understand the ease in which other folks follow along with the mainstream—I can't recommend this book enough. I always check out books from the library (since I work at one), but this one I may have to buy so I can read it again and again.

Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen

Anything involving time travel I will read. Eighteen years after a time-traveling spy gets trapped in the past, his rescue team comes to recover him. Though he has built a life for himself and doesn't want to leave, he is forced to return to the future, only two weeks after he left. The references to Doctor Who are everywhere in the text—plus in the About the Author section and the Acknowledgements. I'm not complaining—it's one of my favorite shows—but it was a bit distracting. The story, though, more than makes up for it, and the characters and science are compelling as well.

The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz

Again, time travel. Here, a group of feminist activists in the future use time travel to battle misogynists trying to rewrite history to destroy women's rights. Sounds cheesy, yes, but it's written very well. There are surprising plot twists that work perfectly to shape the story arc, and the way the science works in the book is unlike other books I've read. It's a great feminist sci-fi read.

Books I Read in September 2019

The Testament by Margaret Atwood

As this is one of the most popular books this year, I found myself lucky to be one of the first on the hold list at the library. It's an excellent follow-up to The Handmaid's Tale told from three perspectives—none of which are Offred from the first book. The narrative perspectives offer experiences outside Offred's, and they help to round out the world in a more thorough way. Each character is informed by her upbringing and the events happening around her. The plot is engaging and character-driven. For fans of The Handmaid's Tale, this book does not disappoint, but there's no need to have read it to understand this book. As far as sequels go, this one exceeded my expectations.

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

In an island off the coast of Japan, various items are disappearing—not only from the world but from people's memories. Birds, bells, fruit, and so on. The people in this small community continue on living without these items, though there are a few people who are unable to forget, and the Memory Police are there to seek them out to keep order in the world. The book's writing style is nonchalant, just as the people experiencing this memory loss are; they lose any sense of emotional attachment to the items once they've been removed from the world. It's an extraordinary exploration of sentimentality and how we move on from loss.

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

I had some trouble with this one. This writing is absolutely poetic and beautiful, but I felt that it takes itself too seriously. It's written as a letter from a young man to his mother, a Vietnamese immigrant. The writing is stunning, and the topics the book explores are important and uniquely defined. Thematically, the book is about the power of storytelling, of the secrets we decide to keep and when and how we decide to tell them, and of how our relationships are changed and defined by these secrets. In terms of the atmosphere of the book, I'm not sure I was in the right mood to appreciate it; it came off a bit pretentious to me. I used to adore "pretentious" books, if I'm honest, but I've become more sensitive to them now. This book is wise, and it knows it's wise, which was off-putting to me. Again, I may just not have been in the right frame of mind to enjoy it, but the writing truly is beautiful.

Books I Read in August 2019

The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t with Her Mind by Jackson Ford

I couldn't help but pick this one up for the title. And the story did not disappoint: a telekinetic young woman who does secret jobs for a government organization realizes she's not the only one with powers in her city when a murder is committed that only a telekinetic would be capable of. The narrator's voice is hilarious and distinct, and the plot is unexpected and exciting. It's the start to a series I will definitely be continuing.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Sloan's other book, Sourdough, is one of my absolute favorites; I figured I should read his first book as well! The writing style is along the same vein: witty, intelligent, quirky. The characters the same: funny, genius, lovable. Can't go wrong there. This book is so smart, and the story line is right up my alley. Whatever Sloan's next book is, I'll be picking it up the day it comes out!

Semicolon by Cecelia Watson

I'm a punctuation nerd, and this book called to me. It filled a hole in my grammar-deprived heart I hadn't know was there and reinforced my love of the semicolon (and the em-dash). There is so much knowledge in this book! Fascinating historical facts, particular grammatical incidents, sociological analyses: this book will excite any punctuation savant.

Books I Read in July 2019

Recursion by Blake Crouch

There's a secret plague going on. People suddenly possess memories of a life they have not lived. False Memory Syndrome, they're calling it, until detective Barry Sutton discovers what is really happening: A scientist has created a machine that sends peoples' consciousnesses back into a memory, and some have changed what has happened in the past.

I am incredibly partial to any story that has time travel in it, and this one really blew me away. I was impressed by the internal logic and consistency, and I was genuinely surprised at the plot's twists and turns. The characters were engaging, and their story was heartbreaking. Definitely my favorite read of the month.

Woman World by Aminder Dhaliwal

I rarely read graphic novels, but I could not pass this one up. After a plague has killed all men on the planet, women create communities to help rebuild the world. LGBTQ characters are handled decently well, though it would have been better if some issues were addressed more blatantly. The characters are all sweet and lovable. It's a humorous read, and many cis-gendered women will find scenes they relate to. I laughed out loud countless times in reading this.

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

A spooky atmosphere follows this book from beginning to end, as a group of teen girls navigate the new rules at their boarding school after a strange illness that alters their genetics sees them quarantined on their school-island. Much here reminded me of Jeff Vandermeer's Annihilation, including the imagery and the characters' hiding of secrets.

Obviously, the gorgeous cover is what drew me to this book, but anything that has characters secluded somewhere where strange things happen is up my alley, and this book accomplished that very well. Also, it's super feminist, which I love.

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

Yes, this is another book where the characters are struck down by some mysterious plague, but each one handles it differently. Here, a handful of people across the United States begin "sleepwalking" together, unresponsive and marching through the midwest. Their loved ones follow them, keeping them safe from those who fear them, and members of the CDC administer numerous tests to figure out what is wrong with them.

It's obvious from the start that this is Stephen-King-inspired, in all the best ways. The main characters bring real depth to the story, and the whole situation is thoroughly imagined. I think it would make an amazing TV mini-series.

Books I Read This Month - August 2014

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

A mentally challenged man undergoes surgery to improve his intelligence in this novel, but it does not quite turn out exactly how he or the scientists expected. This is one of those classic books that had been sitting on my shelf for a while and that I knew I would have to read eventually, but when I finally got to it, I didn’t realize that it was going to be so well written and moving. The author perfectly captures the main character’s voice and emotions as he goes through this experience, using the medium of a journal to describe the events over the course of several months and what he thinks about his mental development, relationships, and work life. His family history also plays an important part in his emotional development over the course of the novel. The book discusses some important themes of where intelligence comes from and what makes us happy in life, though I wouldn’t say I was satisfied with the ending. Overall, it was an engaging read that I would recommend for people who enjoy science and thoughtful books.

The Little Friend by Donna Tartt

In this book, a young girl named Harriet aims to solve the cold case of her older brother’s murder, which took place when she was only six months old. Harriet is very smart for her age but has trouble making friends and getting along with her family members because of her snarky, sarcastic, and smart-alecky personality. She constantly is asking why, which makes her annoying to the people around her but makes her a compelling protagonist, especially in the literary mystery genre. There is a pervasive To Kill a Mockingbird vibe here, which makes this a relatable read, as it follows the coming of age of a girl learning about the adult world a bit before she is ready for it. The first quarter or so of the book seems to consist of a lot more telling than showing, but it’s done in such a way that it come across as skilled storytelling. Tartt knows how to tell a great story with well developed characters. The writing style is clear and concise, not involving a lot of elegant, literary turns of phrase, which is sort of what I was expecting based on what I heard about the author and the fact that she has won big literary prizes. It's mostly the storytelling that makes this book a good read.

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami

This is Haruki Murakami’s latest book, which just came out this month. Of course, it was amazing, as to be expected from Murakami. Also, you should expect me to say it was amazing because he is one of my favorite writers. As a character, Tsukuru Tazaki is similar to many of Murakami’s protagonists in that he is a youngish loner who is in love with an independent woman but who is going through some sort of existential crisis. The plot of this book is easier to follow than some of Murakami’s other books, and it seems to have a bit fewer surrealist elements, even as it involves dreams and an exploration of the past. While I wouldn’t say it’s unique amongst Murakami’s books, it is certainly worth the read and has only reinforced my enjoyment of his work on the whole. Murakami has been and continues to be an important influence on my own writing.

Dune by Frank Herbert

I am not one to read soft science fiction or fantasy like this, but I felt the need to read this since it is considered a classic in the genre. I loved it, surprisingly, as the plot developed gradually and understandably, and the main characters were all well developed and empathetic. I can see why it’s such a popular and distinguished book. It takes place on a strange desert planet where a royal boy named Paul goes with his parents to learn the ways of a rare supernatural group of people to which his mother belongs (a bit like the Jedi). However, there is an evil man who wants to kill Paul's father, called the Duke---I'll be honest, I wasn't entirely clear on his intentions. Despite this latter fact, though, I found all the characters to be well rounded and entertaining to read about. I will continue reading the series, though probably not right away.

Lord Soul by S. M. Kois

In her second novel, S. M. Kois ups the ante in terms of philosophical discussion and spiritual questioning. This book, Lord Soul, introduces a young boy named Charlie who has an extremely high IQ. When his baby brother is diagnosed with an incredibly horrible disease and is given a life expectancy of only a few years, seven-year-old Charlie is determined to find a cure. He studies books well beyond his education level, and his ideas are soon funded by a research lab that takes over the project for him. However, Charlie begins to see a man called Lord Soul, whom his parents believe is a hallucination, and he is diagnosed with schizophrenia. What follows is a philosophical journey consisting of dialogue between Charlie and Lord Soul, as well as an emotional journey as Charlie deals with adult issues at his young age.

The philosophy is definitely the most important part of the book, to S. M. Kois, as more than half of the book is devoted to these compelling discussions, which provoke thought very effectively. Even though the plot often takes the passenger seat to the theme, the dialogue and descriptions drive the story forward at a fast pace. The content of the discussions paired with Charlie’s age and circumstance makes the story fascinating.

It does seem a bit unrealistic that Charlie is so young and yet so intelligent, but there are certainly a few children out there with IQs as high as his, and his questionable mental stability makes this more realistic. He is naive, like a seven-year-old, and his relationship with his brother is empathetic and emotive. That relationship and the scientific discoveries work well together to bolster the theme of the book.

This novel is perfect for people who prefer philosophical books and value theme over plot. The characters are well developed, so there is no shortage of literary merit there. With straight-forward prose and in-depth discussions of empathy, animal rights (though this second one often feels out of place and a step away from the plot and theme on the whole), and the nature of reality, this book is an interesting contribution to philosophy, while containing a decently compelling story, as well.

Books I Read This Month - July 2014

Room by Emma Donoghue

Whoa. This is a hugely powerful novel about a woman who was kidnapped at nineteen and held in a room for several years, repeatedly raped by her captor. It is told from the perspective of her five-year-old son, Jack, who was born in the room and has never been outside and never met anyone other than his mother and the kidnapper (from whom his mother fiercely protects him, never allowing the captor to speak to him or touch him). The writing perfectly captures what you’d expect to be going on in his mind, since this is all he’s ever known, and it’s evident that the author did a lot of research about developmental psychology. The first half of the book is creepy, since the reader gets hints of what's going on based on narrator Jack's observations, and the second half is heart-wrenching. Through Jack's eyes, we are shown some of the things in our world, often socially, that are strange and constructed rather than psychologically innate. It’s fast-paced and emotionally moving. Very much recommended.

The Abominable by Dan Simmons

Three men are sent on a mission to climb Mount Everest to uncover the body of a man who went missing on a climb the year before. But when they get there, they realize their mission is not quite what they thought. The book is very long and split into three sections. The first part details their preparation and is interesting, though it made me impatient wondering when they would start the trip; the second part details their climb, which is also interesting but doesn't yet include the suspenseful elements that the description of the book claims; and the third part details a scary chase up and down the mountain by creatures which the climbers must identify and attempt to escape from before they are killed. The legend of yetis is used here in a terrifying way, and the historical details in all three parts (especially the first and third) add a lot of depth and meaning to the plot. I found this to be an adventurous (albeit long) book, and I'd recommended for people who like big travel stories.

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

I’d been meaning to read this for a while, since Upton Sinclair was in his twenties when he wrote this (and I am also in my twenties), and it contributed to economic and environmental social movements. I can definitely see why it is considered a classic, as it follows an immigrant’s journey from his arrival in the US through his adulthood, which consists of many up and downs through poverty, success, tragedy, happiness, and more. His life is a roller coaster, which at times seems unrealistic, but the plot works perfectly for conveying Sinclair’s political and social messages. The narrative is also largely "told" rather than "shown" in its writing style, making it extremely plot-driven and lacking in emotional depth (except when discussing the main character's family, who goes through some heart-breaking experiences). Otherwise, it is a fascinating look at poverty, immigration, and labor unions in the US.

The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma

The front cover of this book and the description make this sound like a steampunk novel, with a lot of sci-fi elements, but it’s really not. It’s an extraordinary and fun adventure in the vein of Jules Verne or Charles Dickens. Set in Victorian England and following three main characters who each deal with time travel and romance in some way, this book is seriously fun. It’s split into three parts that each can stand alone as individual stories, but when straight through, they create a tapestry of a story where all the parts fit together. The characters and their dilemmas are unique, often hilarious, and sometimes over-the-top romantic. Anyone who loves a good time travel story will adore this.

My Short Story "Choice" Was Published Today!

My short story "Choice" was published today on S/tick magazine's blog. I'd love to hear your comments! S/tick is a feminist magazine based in Canada. My story fits with their mission because the subject of the story is a contemporary feminist topic. I feel like I should mention that my story is not based in experience, as it is a sort of controversial topic. I hope you enjoy it, if you venture over to read it.

Thank you!
Aimee

Books I Read This Month - June 2014

A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murkami

More Haruki Murakami, of course, because he is easily one of my favorite authors. This book is one of his earlier works, and it's less supernatural and surreal than his later books. It's more straightforward and clear in its writing style, but it still has Murakami's quirky sense of humor and introspectiveness. In this book, a young man who's a bit dull (again, classic Murakami) takes on a task that's a bit more than he can handle: literally a wild sheep chase. A man contacts him in search of a sheep with a star on its back that, according to legend, enters people's souls to make them immortal (but leaves them and makes them mortal again if it deems them unworthy). There's a creepy man who dresses up as a sheep, there's another creepy guy who hates his son for no reason but who claims that the sheep was once inside of him, and there's a girl with beautiful ears. Weird and wacky and unexpectedly insightful (or not unexpectedly, if you know Murakami's works at all). This book certainly has not hanged my overwhelmingly positive opinion of Haruki Murakami.

Bad Teeth by Dustin Long

If you like literary allusions (and I do), you'll definitely like this. It's very layer-y, more than a cake or an onion or other cliches, and follows a college-age man who's looking for a mysterious Thai author. He goes from Brooklyn to Berkeley to Bloomington to another town that starts with a B that has slipped my mind in search of any information he can find on this man. Several characters he meets are also tormented writers, and the relationships he makes with them reveal a lot about modern literary culture. I'd recommend this book for people like me (well, I mean, I did read this and enjoy it) who are well-read, and mostly young writers. It's a fun read, if you just read it along the surface like any other novel, but if you follow closely to the metaphorical language and what the characters are saying about their states of being, you'll discover some interesting analyses of the self and what "self-consciousness" means.

Drood by Dan Simmons

Told in the style of Charles Dickens, this epicly long and winding novel details (in a fictionalized manner) the last five or so years of Dickens's life, after the Staplehurst accident that killed several people and left Dickens mentally scarred. The book is told in a Watson-like fashion from the first-person perspective of Dickens's author friend Wilkie Collins. The layers of the narrative are extremely satisfying to read and uncover, especially with the voice of the story, which is immensely Victorian. It's Gothic, creepy, and very suspenseful; even at over 700 plus pages, I found myself whipping through it, wanting to know what happens in the next chapter (although, obviously, Dickens is dead by the end of the book). The book asks some fascinating questions not only of Dickens's life and motivations but also of the afterlife, the supernatural, and the divide between good and evil (as so many excellent books tend to do). The character of Dickens is, well, very like Dickens. Author Dan Simmons did a fantastic job making him act and sound like the image of Dickens we have today, only as a more full person revealed through the narrative. I will definitely be reading more by this author, and soon.

For the Time Being by Annie Dillard

I'm not entirely sure I've read anything by Annie Dillard before, but I have to say that this book is one of the most thought-provoking and deep books I have ever read. It covers a range of seemingly unconnected topics (China, Israel, clouds, birth defects, sand, and more), but she is somehow able to connect them through an analysis of how they reflect what God is like, while constantly asking of the universe if there is a God, what our world says about the nature of God, and how miraculous and uniquely awesome our world is, with or without God. It can sometimes be boring to read about a random topic and strange facts in some of the sections, but overall, this book is extremely fascinating and made me think deeply more than any other book has. If you venture into this one, be prepared to skip over some dull, boring parts but to find yourself thinking about the universe in a new way at the end of it.

Books I Read This Month - May 2014

Far from You by Tess Sharpe
I hadn't read a Young Adult novel in a while, and this thriller sounded like something I would enjoy. It was a quick read, as I expected it to be and as I was in the mood for, but that doesn't mean it wasn't powerful. This book follows high schooler Sophie in the few weeks after she is released from a drug addiction treatment center. Right before she was sent there, her best friend was murdered in front of her, and now she is determined to find the killer. The pace is quick, which makes the narrative heart-pounding, though it feels like not a lot of space to fully develop the characters. Sophie and her deceased best friend are the most developed and well-rounded, with Sophie flaws making her realistic and her hopes and motives making her someone to root for. There are some big themes that are perfectly developed and rare in YA fiction: love, friendship, coming out, drug addiction, etc. Recommended for readers of thrillers.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
At over 600 pages, this book took me a while to read, meaning I had to put off reading others on my list. But it was totally worth the time and effort. The narrator, a recently unemployed married man in Japan, is a bit of a downer in that he has zero ambition. However, as he goes searching for his wife, who leaves him for another man, the story gets more and more surreal. He is on a journey toward finding his identity in a world that is strange and unpredictable. This is a wonderful read for those who enjoy literary fiction, as well as some supernatural themes. Murakami is one of my favorite authors. I wish I could write like him.

Leverage by Nancy Thompson

I waited for Nancy Thompson’s sequel to her high-tension debut novel, The Mistaken, with a lot of excited anticipation. And it lived up to my expectations.

Leverage takes place a few years after where The Mistaken left off and follows Tyler, Hannah, and Hannah’s son Connor as evils from their past, which they thought had been long-buried, return with vengeance. Connor believes his college friend was pushed off his balcony to his death rather than having jumped, and then he falls in love his dead friend’s girlfriend. Tyler looks into the death of Connor’s friend to find that the Russian mafia folks he thought he’d dealt with a few years ago may be back for him. Tyler will do anything to protect his family from the rage and menace of the mafia, even if it means committing the one act he promised himself he’d never do again: murder.

Leverage has a high level of suspense, even more so than The Mistaken. The non-stop action makes it impossible to put down. The plot points are strung together will skill at a perfect pace, forming a cohesive story that is satisfying emotionally. Similarly, the characters have realistic emotions that are relevant to their situation and are superbly portrayed in the writing on every page. The only times where the characters’ reactions are a bit strange are when they have sex at relatively unrealistic times, like when they are in extreme danger. However, these scenes are written well and will have romance fans enjoying the story and these sensual scenes immensely. Nancy Thompson shows her skill in developing and conveying her characters’ emotional depth to great reader satisfaction in Leverage.

While all the protagonists are super attractive (which is sometimes hard to believe but definitely fits as a trope of the romance thriller genre), their personalities are what shine in the story. Tyler's flaws are real and scary, making him a very complex protagonist. His anger issues and secret-keeping are part of what makes this novel so emotionally engaging. Since his character is so well developed, I felt true frustration when he did something he thought was for the best but which definitely was not. Tyler's perspective makes sense based on his prior experience. He doesn't succumb as a character to being too good or bad to be true: he feels like a real person, and his personality is consistent throughout the book. Same goes for Hannah and Connor. It's because they are not perfect protagonists that they feel real and therefore emotionally compelling.

It's hard to tell if there could be a third book in the series, based on the book's ending. But no matter what happens, I will be eager to read the next book Nancy Thompson publishes!

You can find Nancy Thompson on her blog here, and on Twitter here.

Books I Read This Month - April 2014

A Wounded Name by Dot Hutchinson
This retelling of Hamlet following Ophelia and taking place in a boarding school is written with gorgeously flowery prose. The pacing, setting, and literary style are perfect. The only problem I had with the book is quite a major problem, in that the young Hamlet is violent and abusive toward Ophelia, and Ophelia simply deals with it, making excuses about his behavior. Thematically, it could be that the book is saying this behavior is unacceptable, but it might have been too subtle. Highly recommended for the writing style, as long as readers keep this in mind.

Child of God by Cormac McCarthy
This is definitely not for the faint of heart. It’s written in the class McCarthy style, with the characters speaking in vernacular, and solidly “showing,” not even a hint of “telling.” This technique makes it for an interesting read because McCarthy withholds judgment against the disturbing behavior of the main character. Excellent, though with extremely mature content.

Rosehead by Ksenia Anske
Dark and creepy, suspenseful and mysterious, quirky and hilarious. A little slow sometimes and requires a little extra suspension of disbelief, but perfectly delectable for children and adults alike. Lilith makes for a strong, intelligent young heroine.

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
I love this author. The story starts out a little odd, in a good way, and continues on to grow more and more supernatural, with a dreamlike tone. All of Murakami’s works that I have read are written in this same spectacular manner. This one follows a teenage boy and an older man whom both are suffering from mental and emotional disturbances. Fascinating and winding, and I was completely unable to put it down. Recommended highly, though beware that it is a bit weird. But good weird.

Books I Read This Month - March 2014

The Child in Time by Ian McEwan
A children's book writer struggles with the emotional downfall of his marriage after his three-year-old daughter is kidnapped in a supermarket. While the book is slow in parts, especially when it deals with the man's serving on a political board that makes policies concerning literacy in education, it goes really deep into his psyche and details how the loss of his daughter has affected all facets of his life. The themes of childhood innocence and the social construction of adult behavior pervade. It's a tough read sometimes, but worth it for those who are able to slog through. I still love Ian McEwan after this book. He's still my favorite author of all time, even though this isn't one of my favorites of his books.

The Cold Song by Linn Ullmann
Another book where a girl goes missing, and a writer is involved, but very different from The Child in Time. The missing girl here is teenage Milla who is nannying for two young girls for a summer. The parents, a writer and a chef, are having struggles in their marriage, and a few other members of the community receive narrative focus along with this family. This digs into the pain we feel when someone we know goes missing or dies, and how this pain can separate us from those around us. The writing is gorgeous.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
A nine-year-old boy who is rather naive moves with his family to a house outside a concentration camp, because his father is a highly-ranked officer of some kind stationed there to make decisions about the camp. The boy secretly walks along the fence one day and meets another nine-year-old boy, a Jew inside the camp. Their friendship builds the core of the story and is touching, especially when the main character's naivety shows through where the reader knows what's going on and he doesn't. The ending does not seem realistic to me at all, and neither does the extent of the main character's ignorance, even though he is only nine, but the message of the story is powerful enough to make up for the places where the book stretches the reader's suspension of disbelief.

Looking for Alaska by John Green
This book affected me more than I thought it would. In the aftermath of the book, I was quite sad for a day or two. I've read The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns by John Green, and this one made me cry nearly as much as TFIOS, even though the premise is completely different. This is a bit similar to Paper Towns, though I didn't like that one nearly as much. A socially awkward boy goes to a boarding school and falls in love with a wild, passionate, self-destructive girl who only loves him back as a friend. Her character is obviously selfish and a bit bitchy, but still, as a reader, I sympathized with her and empathized with Pudge, the narrator. Halfway through the book there is a twist that turns the narrative on its head and calls for some emotional reeling. I wish I had read this book a long time ago, when I was a teenager. But I'd still highly recommend it now.

The Emissary by Marc Pietrzykowski

Set in a nursing home where ex-worker Cam Wright often visits to record the residents telling vignettes from their life stories, The Emissary follows a handful of characters as they encounter death in numbers suspiciously higher than expected for the average nursing home.

Head nurse Carol Ann DeFazio is caring but a stickler for rules; nurse Angela Padilla is a kindhearted single mother and Cam's love interest; and several of the nursing home residents, such as Tom Kinney, Magoo, and Mrs. Treadwell, all have their odd quirks and sometimes mysterious personalities. All the characters in this novel are well-rounded and offer something unique and significant to the plot of the book, even when they are simply sitting there dictating an unusual tale to Cam's voice recorder. Cam is a protagonist to root for, a typical video-game-playing loser sort with artistic talent that could one day make him rich and happy. Angela is also a sympathetic character, as are her two daughters, and when she dies (poisoned by a plate of cookies) and Cam is arrested for her murder, the suspense goes through the roof.

The plot of The Emissary is original, quirky, and unique, putting fairly normal characters into a fairly normal setting but tossing in an odd motive for the sneaky, twisted serial murderer. At the start of the book, the plain setting and characters make the reading slow, but after a chapter or two, when the deaths begin and the characters start questioning some people and defending others, the murder mystery is what drives the story forward.

Thematically, The Emissary can be hard to pin down, but author Marc Pietrzykowski certainly had some thematic intent, as evident by his often literary writing style. The plot of the story is only the surface of the text; there is obviously something deeper behind the events in the book. Reading into the story is a bit tricky occasionally, though, with references to architecture, storytelling, and the desire for death appearing often but not very concretely. Not having the thematic intent so blatantly portrayed in the text is a nice move on Pietrzykowski's part, however, because it is easier for the reader to get something out of the book themselves rather than being told what the moral of the story is.

Pietrzykowski writes with wit and a dark sense of humor that is definitely this novel's strong suit. The way the pieces of the puzzle fall together (even though you'll definitely guess the murderer pretty much from the outset of the story), the interesting and funny characters, and the humorous writing style make this book very much worth reading. I reviewed Marc Pietrzykowski's previous novel, Music Box Dancer, a while back, and it has a similar writing style, evidence that this author has developed his own, unique voice.

Books I Read This Month - January 2014

I had a bit of time to read this month, but I'm not expecting that in the next few months, as I wrap up my university studies. Here are the first books I read in 2014!

Memoirs of an Imaginary Best Friend by Matthew Dicks

I really, really wanted to like this book. I had high expectations because of the fascinating premise—the story of the kidnapping of an autistic child told from the perspective of his imaginary friend—so perhaps that is why I didn't enjoy it as much I thought I would. The premise is brilliant, but the characters were not nearly fleshed out enough for my liking, even the imaginary narrator. The autistic boy hated a few things passionately, and he loved other things just as passionately, but he did not have much personality aside from his quirks. The imaginary friend and narrator was a bit one-sided for being a narrator, even if he was simply the product of a child's imagination. The writing is great, and the plot is amazing, and I will admit to getting teary-eyed at a few points, but I expected more depth from the characters. People who love suspense and stories with children as the main characters will enjoy this, though.

The Waves by Virginia Woolf

I've read one other work of Virginia Woolf's before, and I had the same opinion of it: a bit jumbly, lofty, and hard to understand. This is another book I really wanted to like, though I didn't feel cheated as I did with the previous novel, just a bit disappointed in myself rather than with the book, since I had a hard time following the plot. This book is told from the perspectives of six different people, told through their thoughts over the course of a couple years after they graduate high school. It is definitely eye-opening as to the experiments writers can succeed in when writing perspective, but it's hard to get something from it if you don't read slowly and closely. I tried, and I think I succeeded to an extent. Definitely recommended for writers.

Swamplandia! by Karen Russell

I read Karen Russell's short story collection, Vampires in the Lemon Grove, recently and simply died of envy of her writing abilities. This novel, runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize last year, did not disappoint in the least, except for the ending was vague and did not wrap up the story very well. I feel like I need to say that as a warning to people who read it. You should definitely, definitely read it, especially if you are a writer, but just be warned that the ending drops off. Sorry if this is a spoiler, but I don't want you to have your expectations up and then be disappointed; I want you to love this novel too! It takes place in an alligator theme park in Florida, where a family lives on a remote island. When the mother and alligator wrestler dies of cancer, thirteen-year-old Ava (the narrator) hopes to follow in her mother's footsteps and save the park from financial ruin. Some pretty weird stuff goes on, such as Ava's older sister falling in love with a ghost and Ava being kidnapped, sort of, by a man who works with the birds on the island, and Karen Russell does a brilliant job of making the reader believe that these things are true and good, as the young characters believe. A child's perspective on life is significant to the story, and it is a coming-of-age story in this sense, as the bleakness of reality is slowly revealed to the reader over the course of the novel, as Ava slowly realizes it as well. The ending was a sad lead-in to adulthood for the siblings, but the journey there is mystical and well-wrought. Russell's writing is flowery, but only in the good ways.

St. Lucy's Home for Girl's Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell

I simply had to read Karen Russell's other short story collection, and I loved it as much as the other one. She has a way of making the really out-there, fantasy-like plot lines and events seem normal, and by making the normal things seem strange. The stories are so original, and I have no idea how she could possibly come up with this stuff. Anyway, highly recommended.

In the House upon the Dirt between the Lake and the Woods by Matt Bell

This is another very lofty, high-attention-required novel, which I read mostly because the author is a professor at one of the MFA programs I have applied to for the fall, but I heard about the book before I heard about the program and thought it sounded interesting, just didn't get around to reading it until now. The narrator, a newly wed who moves with his wife to a secluded area in the woods where they build a small house near a lake, is extremely introspective. His wife suffers several miscarriages, which come to define the trajectory of their marriage. Some strange, dreamlike events which do not seem real in the least make this read more like an allegorical tale rather than an actual story, but, if this was the author intent, then he succeeded. The book is loaded with dualities: male/female, urban/rural, human/animal, land/water, young/old, parent/non-parent, forest/clearing ... I could go on. The writing style is quite experimental, not recommended for the light-of-heart, but worth a read if you are interested in different methods of storytelling and especially in symbolism and allegory.

The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan

Ah, Ian McEwan, one of my favorite writers of whom I have not (until now) read any of the earlier works. This, his first novel, has a good dose of weird and creepy, as four siblings deal with the death of both their parents without telling anyone they've died, so as to stay together and avoid the foster system. It's a bit gross, but engrossing, a bit awful, but awfully intriguing. Another one not recommended for the weak stomached, but it's a quick read for those who enjoy psychological books and the exploits of misbehaving children.

The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan

An unmarried couple goes on vacation to an Italian city and meets another mysterious couple, who introduces them to their odd sexual appetites. I found the voice of this novel to be the most engaging, and it inspired me to write a short story with a similar, suspenseful and psychological voice—though definitely not with a similar theme or premise. McEwan is odd, often labeled "macabre," which I suppose I didn't really understand until reading these two books, having only read some of his later, more mature works until now. This novel just as unsettling as The Cement Garden, but it has not put me off of Ian McEwan at all. I look forward to reading some of his other novels in the future.

Books I Read This Month - December 2013

The Gin Closet by Leslie Jamison

This novel begins with twenty-something Stella helping her grandmother, who is going downhill with dementia. After her death, Stella searches for her long-lost aunt and fins her an alcoholic living in a trailer park. The two women are both struggling through some difficult psychological and emotional issues, and they learn by attempting to help each other that they can only really work to help themselves. This book is depressing, very angsty, and takes some mental effort to get through, but the payoff is well worth it. The writing style is gorgeous and leaves you with a sad but overall reassuring feeling.

Let the Dark Flower Blossom by Nora Labiner

Strange and mysterious, this novel is a unique twist on the writer's experience of life, tracing the days of a writer and his twin sister during a relationship with their college friend and past his murder. The style is odd and winding but beautifully renders emotions through single-sentence paragraphs and evocative word choice. It often has the appearance of poetry but is definitely prose, detailing the inner life of this writer as he dives into his sister's and friend's minds, discerning the motives behind murder. This is a literary mystery with a confusing but surprising ending.

American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell

This collection of short stories is set in Michigan (my home state) and follows a handful of characters through some rough and raw experiences. There are meth addicts, domestic violence victims, and people living in poverty in these pages, each possessing their own degree of likability. Some are hard to understand because of their inconsiderate decisions, others are hard to pity be of their self-destructiveness. Overall, though, each character reveals something subtle about the human condition.

Brief Encounters with the Enemy by Said Sayrafiezadeh

Each of these short stories has a similar plot line and writing style, leaving each one feeling not quite unique from the collection. However, this sameness is necessary to reveal the themes of the book, more a novel in short stories than a short story collection. The inhabitants of a city, usually lower-class men in their twenties or thirties, tackle the mundaneness of 9 to 5 life, the predictability of relationships, and the blindness of war. The writing is bleak and straightforward which, in the case of the themes, is perfect for the stories. It's tough to get through and emotionally harrowing, and this book left me with residual emotional anxiety from the reminder that my life is not all that different from the young people in these stories. It's very affecting and depressing, not suggested for the lighthearted. Needless to say, the writing style is effective.

Books I Read This Month - October 2013

No Animals We Could Name by Ted Sanders

This is a collection of short stories by the winner of the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference Bakeless Prize. Overall, this is a spectacular collection. My favorites would have to be the three-part story, "Airbag," and the story, "Putting the Lizard to Sleep." When I first started reading, I was incredibly annoyed at the passive voice in the first and second stories. However, halfway through the second one, "Flouder," I got an idea for a short story that would work perfectly with the slow pace and extended moments of passive voice, so it's not all bad, apparently. Excellent voice and unique observations make this collection a great read for literary-minded readers and writers.

Saints and Sinners by Edna O'Brien

I have been reading a lot of short stories to help hone my own craft and to prepare for an MFA Creative Writing program, so I read this collection this month as well. I'll be honest, I wasn't too fond of this one. The characters were great and relatable, and sad in their human way, which is the goal of literary fiction, but sometimes the prose seemed a bit drab, though perhaps it was just in comparison to the book I read just before it.

The House at the End of Hope Street by

This book is girly, romancey, supernaturally, light and fluffy, and generally not very ... me. But somehow I found it charming and could not put it down. This is likely because of the strong main character, who I could relate to quite a lot. Problems I had with it: written in the present tense, except for flashbacks, character perspective changes pretty much every page, overdone use of dead literary figures as the main characters support and inspiration. But somehow, I really don't know how, I enjoyed it.

Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell

Spectacular. Gorgeous. I can't rave enough. It's not that there were any amazing themes that really resonated with me (which is the reason why I usually feel this passionate about a good book), but I cannot count the number of times I got caught up in Karen Russell's prose. Beautiful writing style, absolutely original premises, fully fleshed-out and rich characters, settings, and worlds, and syntax to die for. Every other page, I found myself thinking, "I wish I could write like this ... I want to write like this."

The Vanished Knight: The War of Six Crowns by M. Gerrick (Review and Interview)

"She’d never been to a boarding school before, but it was a school just the same as all the others. Except that here the students wore black and blue uniforms—a good reminder as any of the pain they could inflict if she let them."

Book Blurb: 
 
Since the death of her parents, Callan Blair has been shunted from one foster family to another, her dangerous secret forcing the move each time. Her latest foster family quickly ships her off to an exclusive boarding school in the Cumbrian countryside. While her foster-brother James makes it his mission to get Callan expelled, a nearby ancient castle holds the secret doorway to another land...

When Callan is forced through the doorway, she finds herself in the magical continent of Tardith, where she’s shocked to learn her schoolmates Gawain and Darrion are respected soldiers in service to the king of Nordaine, one of Tardith's realms. More than that, the two are potential heirs to the Black Knight—Nordaine's crown prince.

But when the Black Knight fails to return from a mysterious trip, the realm teeters on the brink of war. Darrion and Gawain set out to find him, while Callan discovers there is more to her family history than she thought. The elves are claiming she is their princess.

Now with Darrion growing ever more antagonistic and her friendship with Gawain blossoming, Callan must decide whether to stay in Nordaine—where her secret grows ever more threatening—or go to the elves and uncover the truth about her family before war sets the realms afire.

Review: 

With her sad, resigned cynicism and her muted self-consciousness, Callan Blair makes for an immediately likable protagonist who is easy to root for in this interesting, mysterious portal-fantasy novel, The Vanished Knight by M. Gerrick (pen name of Misha Gericke, who blogs here).

Gericke (or Gerrick, if you prefer) does an excellent job with characterization. Some characters start off at the beginning of the book acting a bit like archetypes—such as James, Callen's foster brother who is both attractive and arrogant in his upper-class snobbery, and Phipps, the castle guard who threatens expulsion to all who disobey even the smallest of rules. But, as it turns out, these archetypes are actually only the outer layers to the characters, which peel away as the adventure progresses and they reveal more of their true selves.

Callan's character is very well-developed, as she has both flaws and positive traits, both fears and desires. Her backstory and her life outside the fantasy realm are realistic, making the transition through the portal more accessible and believable.

Descriptions of action are dynamic and engaging, tracing the flowing moves of sword fights. The pacing of this novel is excellent and remains exciting page after page. The mystery behind who Callan's real parents are, where the Black Knight disappeared to, and who will be chosen as the next king keep the suspense going. I am eagerly anticipating the sequel!  

Now, how about an interview with the author, Misha Gericke?
 
Writers often use the mantra "Write what you know." This usually turns into characters as manifestations of the author's traits. How much of Callan is you? 

Hahaha oooh this is tricky. I see her as a person of her own, but in fact, I guess you can say that each of the characters have an aspect of my personality. Which is interesting, given how much they clash.

As for Callan, the most obvious bit to her that comes from my own experience is living with constant nightmares. I get night terrors, the intensity and frequency of which vary. But at the time I was rewriting the book (which is when her dreams started to feature) I was pretty much getting at least one night terror per night, every night, for months. It became a rather important part of the story, but when I was improvising it during the rewrite, I guess I was channeling my own feelings and fears onto the page. The nature of her dreams differ from mine, though.  

Tell us about the world of Tardith. How did it develop in your mind? 

Well... After the first inspiration came, I started thinking of the world I wanted to write about. And I wanted to be different, so I made the "world" a continent, and made the setting into four countries.

In a sense, I approached these four countries the same way I approach characterization. So I assumed (in my special special little mind) that Tardith and its countries existed. I also knew there'd need to be some sort of conflict between them, coming out of their history. (The same way I believe character conflicts need to come from their motivation.)

While I drafted, I started realizing that one country (Icaimerith) was the aggressor, one (Ladrien) was the scrappy Jack Russel that had been fighting Icaimerith off for centuries, one (Alfen Cairn) was actually in Icaimerith's sights and its king knows it, and one (Nordaine) despises, or at least ridicules the other three. Nordaine could counter-balance Icaimerith, but... well... due to one long and nasty history, they're simply not bothered to.

But then, of course, the war's coming, and suddenly Nordaine might just have to step up after all.

What is your writing process like? Do you plan ahead or just write as you go?

Mostly, I just write, discovering as I go, but making sure that everything I've learned before adds to the present discovery, or else the story wouldn't make sense. Usually, it's like a thinking game, where I contemplate what I know, and then see where I can take that knowledge within the overall story.

What has been the most challenging part of your writing and publishing journey so far? What's been the easiest? :)

Time-wise, drafting the story that would become The Vanished Knight and The Heir's Choice was the hardest. Took me about five years just to get that done.

Emotionally, querying was the hardest. The book simply wasn't standard fantasy fare. Still isn't, even if it might seem so. So I received a ton of rejections without, I feel, the agents even bothering to read anything I sent in except for the query.

Easiest was editing it. I spent so long locking up my inner editor that she had a field day when I unleashed her on my manuscript.

The Vanished Knight is the first in the series. Can you give away any fun teasers as to what's in store? :)

In the The Heir's Choice, Callan's the only person who can save Alfen Cairn  (and if you've read The Vanished Knight, you could probably figure out why she wants to). Problem is, she owes Nordaine for saving her life, and they need her to act against Alfen Cairn's interests...  

Author Bio:

M. Gerrick (AKA Misha Gericke) has basically created stories since before she could write. Many of those stories grew up with her and can be seen in her current projects. She lives close to Cape Town, with a view over False Bay and Table Mountain. If you’d like to contact her, feel free to mail her at warofsixcrowns(AT)gmail(DOT)com, Circle her on Google Plus, or follow her on Twitter. If you'd like to see her writer-side (beware, it's pretty insane), please feel free to check out her blog. You can also add The Vanished Knight on Goodreads.

The Prodigal by Michael Hurley

With a prologue that can stand alone as a striking, atmospheric short story on its own, The Prodigal is an eloquently written debut novel of island life. Overall, the story and writing style are enchanting, and the characters are all wonderfully drawn and mostly relatable and likable. As the title implies, the book is an allegory of the prodigal son story, though The Prodigal is a ship, so the reference is not entirely perfect, but this does not detract from the story at all.

Adrian Sharpe is a lawyer—and a very good one—who has charmed his way to the top with his clever and sneaky ways of getting out trouble. He and two of his coworkers take a vacation on the island of Ocracoke, where Adrian encounters a handful of unusual locals who leave him both confused and intrigued. After he returns home, he learns of a medical malpractice case that he had completely forgotten about and which starts that day. This scenario does not seem that realistic, but Hurley pulls it off excellently with his gorgeous writing style, gift for description, and a creation of a distinct tone and atmosphere. The section detailing the trial also is quite long, and though it is a very enjoyable read while reading it, after finishing that section, it seems like the amount of detail did not necessarily serve a purpose. However, upon further inspection, it becomes apparent that most every paragraph does at least something to further develop and reveal Adrian's character. He has both flaws and positive qualities, which make him a someone readers will want both to root for and to hope for personal growth and change.

After the trial and an unfortunate series of events, Adrian is offered the opportunity to return to Ocracoke Island. Each character there has their own personality and background that tie into the story nicely and influence that plot. On the island, Adrian seems to move into the backdrop of the plot as other, more interesting characters come forward—and Adrian also seems to stick out to the reader (but not to the characters) like a sore thumb on the island. The eclectic nature of the population of the island keeps the story engaging, even when it pushes the level of realism. Perhaps it is this edge-of-realistic atmosphere that contributes to the magic of the writing. Hurley has incredible skill in creating a mystical and mysterious tone, especially at the start of the book. The small town community atmosphere is also well-developed, especially in scenes that take place in the bar. A large portion of the book, in the final third, takes place on the boat, The Prodigal, as Adrian and his friends are racing against the main antagonist; once again, here, the descriptions of the setting and of the relationships between the characters are gorgeously wrought, but some of the events aren't entirely realistic. And, once again (again), Hurley pulls it off wonderfully with his romantic-sounding prose.

One thing that bothered me was the level of nudity in the book. I was in no way offended by it (though maybe conservative readers would be) but it did make me roll my eyes sometimes, when it seemed unnecessary. "Really? She's naked again? Why?" Sometimes it made sense, but it seemed that every other page had someone not wearing any clothing for little to no reason.

I would love to read more about the two lovers in the prologue, honestly, and I was disappointed that Hurley didn't fully flesh out their story. Overall, though, The Prodigal is a beautiful read. It is one I would feel compelled to recommend to romance fans and maybe historical fiction fans (even though it takes place in present day, it has a sort of historical fiction feel to it), albeit with a disclaimer about the nudity—but this shouldn't stop anyone from reading.

Books I Read This Month - August 2013

Apparently I went on a science fiction and historical kick this month, with four books that each take place in the past, two of them with science fiction elements, and all with some real events. Must just have been the mood I was in.

Equilateral by Ken Kalfus

A physicist has a plan to dig a hundreds-of-miles wide equilateral triangle into the Sahara desert to attract Martians by lighting it on fire as a signal on the night that Mars is closest to Earth. Fascinating premise, and I was super excited to read this book. The jargon and scientific language slowed down the plot a bit, but I am educated in science enough understand it completely. The characters are so dynamic, well-defined, and interesting.  A great read for those who enjoy sci-fi rather than historical fiction.

The Movement of the Stars by Amy Brill

A twenty-something girl who has grown up in a Quaker community in the 1800s has a dream of discovering a new comet and has no interest in getting married, as her family wishes her to do. But then she meets a foreign sailor who she begins teaching navigation skills, and she falls in love. I didn’t think the sailor character was very believable, and though he was a very sweet guy, I wasn’t entirely sure what she saw in him—or what he saw in her. Though the characters and premise were not original or quite deep enough for my liking, I did enjoy the writing style of this book.

Bright and Distant Shores by Dominic Smith

Extremely thorough and rich detail—so much the plot was too slow for my tastes, but also so much that a vivid image of the setting could be immediately conjured, almost dreamlike—made this book a deep, fantastic read. The level of detail could sometimes make the story boring, but I generally found myself caught up in the imagery. It’s a story set partly in turn-of-the-century Chicago, partly in some Pacific islands, where a museum item collector sailed to bring back native islanders for a museum exhibition. I would highly recommend this read for those with the time, intellect, and attention-span to make it through.

Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus by Orson Scott Card

Half of this book is a historical account of Christopher Columbus’ life, and the other half is the account of a distant future community where a machine can peek into the past and observe. But one girl believes she can develop the technology to actually travel back and change Columbus’ mind about his journey across the ocean in order to divert the corruption of Christianity—and even more terrifying, she believes that someone has already done this before. I loved the plot, though the historical story line wasn’t all that engaging, and, to be honest, the conversation taking place in the future story line wasn’t all that exciting either. Maybe it was just the premise that kept me reading, wanting to know how the plot would resolve.

Peace, Aimee