More Brief Book Reviews!

There were some great reads in this bunch!

1. The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen Year Old Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida: This is a quick read and, more importantly, a touching insight into the world of an individual who has been diagnosed as autistic. While it is hailed as a must-read for those whose lives have been touched by autism, it also serves to facilitate understanding and acceptance for those who have no experience with this disorder. Higashida's thought process isn't always coherent, but this is revealing in itself. 

2. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender: Bender is a master at marrying the depressingly mundane and the absolutely outrageous,which I thoroughly enjoy. With that being said, this is a quirky novel and will not be well-received by everyone. Bender beautifully captures the unique bonds between a family burdened by highly unusual abilities as well as standard, run-of-the-mill familial issues. The plot is slow and occasionally seems nonexistent, and the lack of quotation marks might drive some mad. 

3. Rape: A Love Story by Joyce Carol Oates: Teena Macguire and her daughter, Bethie, are violently attacked by a group of men on their way home through the park one fateful summer night. Through Teena and Bethie's story, Oates highlights the stigma of rape as well as the glaring flaws in the justice system. Like most of her work, this novel will make you uncomfortable with its raw portrayal of humanity.

4. Wonder by R. J. Palacio: Auggie is about to start fifth grade at a new school. He's your average, Star Wars-loving ten year old boy except for one thing- Auggie was born with a severe facial deformity. This is a sweet, uplifting story about acceptance that is told from a variety of different perspectives.

5. Horns by Joe Hill: This is my favorite book of 2013 (even though it was published in 2010). Hill tells us the story of Ignatius Perrish, a young man who is suspected of the rape and brutal murder of his girlfriend, Merrin Williams. Alienated from his former friends and townspeople who are convinced of his guilt, Perrish falls into a deep depression only to awaken one morning with a pair of horns growing from his temples. These horns give him the power to learn the darkest secrets and desires of anyone with whom he comes into contact. Perrish decides to use his terrible new power to exact his revenge and to find out who is responsible for Merrin's death. The premise is intriguing even if the jury is still out on what it all means. 

6. The Good House by Ann Leary: A pleasant enough read about an alcoholic Realtor, Hildy Good, who is coping with her disease while struggling to extract herself from a toxic, scandalous relationship between two mutual friends. 

7. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell: Dare I say it? I liked Rowell's version of teenage romance better than John Green's in The Fault in Our Stars. Eleanor and Park are two misfit teens who find comfort and joy in one another especially as Eleanor's world crumbles around her. This book is charming. 

8. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman: Oh, Neil Gaiman, how could I have overlooked you for so long? This is an odd and wonderful story about a man who is allowed a glimpse at something terrible and beautiful as a child. Gaiman seamlessly merges childhood innocence and old knowledge, which is telling in itself. This is a thin novel that is lush with ideas. Just read it already!

Happy Tuesday!

Sharlene Edwards, Program Director

Four Sentence Book Reviews

Here are some titles that I've recently picked up:

1. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple: Semple is a quick-witted satirist,which makes the overall tone of this novel delightful. She stocks her story with eccentric characters whose relationships with themselves and with others are complex, but, even after Bee's mother goes missing, Semple manages to keep the mood light. The format of the book is unique in that it is a series of exchanges in various formats between a handful of different characters. The ending of the book feels a bit rushed but will satisfy readers who prefer neat resolutions.

2. The Kill Room by Jeffrey Deaver: This is part of the Lincoln Rhyme series, but it can be read as a standalone novel. This is a dense, intricate mystery, which means that it can be a slow read at times. Some of the murder details are gruesome and might disturb individuals with a weak stomach. The ending is chock full of twists and turns- Deaver will keep you guessing until the last page.

3. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green: A tearjerker about a terminally ill teen who falls in love. Green's adolescent characters use poetic language and may seem larger than life, which can be difficult to swallow, but, all in all, Green tells a beautiful story about love, loss, and hope. While you may forget the plot over time, you won't forget lines like, "I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once." Also, there is something to be said about a writer who makes you want to read a non-existent book that is a favorite of one of his fictional characters.

4. Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra: Based on a true story (purportedly), the brutality and injustices exposed by Carcaterra will haunt you. The courses of four best friends' lives are changed forever the day that they enter Wilkinson Home for Boys where they endure torture- both physically and psychologically. This is a horrifying and touching story of four broken men who come together to take the law into their own hands.

5. The Execution of Noa P. Singleton by Elizabeth L. Silver: Noa P. Singleton is on death row and, as her story unfolds, you'll debate not her innocence but her motivation. By the end of the novel, you'll be preoccupied with the following question: with whom should the guilt rest? The best aspect: an unreliable narrator. My one gripe: Silver's use of metaphor borders on excessive.

6. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black: Black's take on what the world might look like if vampires existed is an interesting and original one albeit with the requisite vampire/human love story thrown into the mix. The characters' motivations in this book are hard to pinpoint at times, and the back-story concerning the creation of coldtowns (towns of debauchery in which vampires and humans are quarantined to their delight) is more than a little unconvincing. The plot drags often throughout the four hundred and nineteen pages.With that being said, I wouldn't be surprised if Hollywood snatches this one right up.

7. I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella: This is a fun, humorous read about a somewhat frivolous, well-intentioned young woman, Poppy Wyatt, who misplaces her engagement ring. You'll fall in love with Poppy and laugh out loud at her frequent social blunders. There is never a dull moment in Kinsella's storytelling despite the predictability of the plot. Plus, a little romance never hurt anyone.

8. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick: Today is Leonard Peacock's 18th birthday. It is also the day that he will kill his best friend, Asher Beal, and then himself. Even with the knowledge of his neglectful upbringing and personal torment, Leonard can be a difficult character to sympathize with because of his "uber" condescending attitude, but, throughout the novel, Quick humanizes him by bringing several people into Leonard's life that offer him solace. Leonard's story is a reminder that one person can change someone's life- both for the worse and for the better.

If you've read any of these titles, I'd love to hear what you think! : )

Sharlene Edwards
Program Director

Guest Review: Police by Jo Nesbo

Here is a guest review by Shirley Ayres of Jo Nesbo's Police. Thanks again, Shirley!

If you'd like to submit a review, email sharlene@bradleybeachlibrary.org or drop off a copy of your review at the library.

The latest book featuring the Oslo, Norway Police Investigator, Harry Hole (pronounced Hol-ley).

In the city of Oslo, police officers are being brutally murdered.  The Police Department believes the killer is baiting officers to get more victims. As the suspects are eliminated, one name keeps popping up.  The name of a child molester who was thought to have been killed in prison. At last, Special Investigator Harry Hole is called back in to serve on a Special Task Force to find the murderer.  He is teamed up with several of his former colleagues who have worked cases with Harry in the past. The reader never suspects the outcome because Nesbo cleverly weaves the plot and characters well.

The usual gory murders, nasty murderers, and complicated plot twists just make this book, and all the other Nesbo books so interesting to read and impossible to put down once you have started to read the book.

SPOILER ALERT.  On the last pages, you can see that there will be another Harry Hole mystery very soon. That, to me, is very good news.

Perennial Favorites

It's funny how some books are being discussed in book clubs long after they have been printed.

My book club is reading, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Our copy was out, because another book club was reading the book, but I got a copy through inter-library loan. This seemed like a remarkable coincidence for a book that was published in 2001.

Another favorite is The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal We have a beautiful copy that includes pictures of the netsuke that are such an important part of the story.

Do you have an all-time favorite book club read? Let us know.

The Wonderful World of Large Print Books

Have you tried a large-print book lately? Once a fusty afterthought, the volumes are slimmer and many best sellers release the large-print versions at the same time as the hardcover version.

For a small library, we have a thriving large-print collection. Check it out!

Our large-print book club recently read The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey. This illustrates another trend in large-print publishing: reissuing old-favorites such as Tey and Agatha Christie in large print. The book club was divided on The Daughter of Time: some enjoyed the fresh look at Richard III and some felt it was just too complicated.

Next month we're reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. We're offering bonus points for reading his newest book Songs of Willow Frost (simultaneously released in large print :)

Guest Review: Silencing Eve by Iris Johansen

Guest Review by Shirley Ayres:

1. Silencing Eve by Iris Johansen (2013)

Book 2, Hunting Eve, ends with Eve Duncan and her kidnapper, James Doane, being in the house when a massive explosion takes place. FBI agents confirm that two people were seen just as the house exploded. No one could have lived through it.

But there are doubts about the facts. A well-hidden escape route is discovered and Eve's lover, Joe Quinn, her adopted daughter, Jane MacGuire, and friends are almost positive that Eve and Doane survived and are hiding out. But where?

From the beginning, Doane has an evil plan and Eve Duncan is a big part, and the man who killed Doane's son, Kevin (the mass murderer of children) is another part. What is the connection between the two soon-to-be murdered persons? Johansen has prepared a surprise that will floor you.

Publicly pretending that Eve is dead gives Joe Quinn and the gang a head start in finding Doane and rescuing Eve from his clutches.

Will Joe find and rescue Eve before Doane finally kills her? Are you ready for an unhappy ending? The final book of the Eve Duncan trilogy is filled with twists and turns and surprises and even a good guy being killed. You won't be sorry when you read all three books, in order of course.

Thanks, Shirley!

Guest Review: The Eve Duncon Trilogy by Iris Johansen

Shirley Ayres on the first two books from Iris Johansen's Eve Duncan Trilogy:

1. Taking Eve (2013)

Eve Duncan, Forensic Sculptor, has been kidnapped from her Atlanta, Georgia, home by Jim Doane and held in an unknown location forced to do a reconstruction of the skull of a serial killer. Doane's son, Kevin. Her lover and longtime companion, Atlantic Police Department Detective Joe Quinn, Eve's and Joe's adopted daughter, Jane McGuire and others are drawn into the hunt for Eve. Positive she will be killed once the reconstruction is finished, Eve looks for ways to escape.

2. Hunting Eve (2013)

The second book of the trilogy has Eve Duncan realizing her goal. After planning her escape into the surrounding forest and wilderness of Colorado, she takes food, water, warm clothing, and Kevin's skull with her, but Doane is close behind her. When he catches up with Eve, she throws Kevin's skull over a cliff, hoping that Doane will go after it, giving her time to escape but that does not happen. She does escape again, but Doane is always close to her. 

Meanwhile, Joe Quinnn, Jane McGuire, the FBI, and lots of others try to find Eve's location so that they can rescue her. Will they find her? Who will get there first? The FBI? Quinn? And will Eve be alive when they find her? Stay tuned for the third and final book of the Johansen trilogy.

Thanks, Shirley!