Jun 20 2013

Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld

Posted on by

Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld is a book about identical twins, Kate and Vi, who share a special sense. . . somewhat of a psychic power.  Although Kate does her best to hide it, to fit in, to be “normal,” Vi isn’t ashamed of her ability, which causes tension between the sisters.

When Vi receives a premonition that indicates danger, their lives and families are disrupted.

Throughout the book, even though Kate and Vi argue, they are there for each other as sisters.  And that’s something I can relate to.  Although my sister and I are 4 and a half years apart, we weren’t close until I left for college, and (dare I say it??) she totally missed me.  Now we’re really close, and I consider my sister to be a best friend.

While this book won’t go on my favorites list, I enjoyed it and would recommend the book to others.

As a side note. . . is it just me or am I the only one who had no idea that CURTIS, the author, is a GIRL???

Thank you to Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader for a copy of this book!

Let’s take a poll: Only child? Sisters? Brothers?

Thanks for reading,

Rebecca

Jun 18 2013

The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus – AWESOMENESS!

Posted on by

The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus is a book that has been on my radar for a while.  The concept just sounded so cool and unique, and when I ran across a copy at a local library sale recently, I just had to have it.

And what a good choice I made.

photo (1)

The Flame Alphabet is a book about a virus that occurs rendering children’s speech lethal.  Children’s speech sickens adults, eventually killing them.  Soon, all speech is lethal, while children are immune. . . but only until they are adults themselves.

Sam and Claire have a daughter, Esther, who is slowly killing them, being the difficult teenager that she is.  They leave her, as most adults do to their kids.

They also are part of this fictional sect of Judaism where Jews are “tapped” (like in a secret society) to practice their religion in these huts located around a wire-tapped hole in the ground.  It’s a unique and incredulous form of religion and plays a key part in the story.

The Flame Alphabet brings up so many questions like:

If all children are lethal does that mean the population will eventually die out because people won’t have more kids?

Will a vaccine be created?

What is this cool, made-up sect of Reconstructionist Judaism?

The Flame Alphabet makes you think deeply, and is not a light read, but it is one that will make an impression that is burned into your mind.

What are your thoughts on lethal speech?

Thanks for reading,

Rebecca

Jun 17 2013

365 Project: Days 161-167

Posted on by

This week, I got a lot of cool mail, did a lot of reading by the pool, and visited Mount Vernon (George Washington’s home).  Oh, and I also made a Mexican chicken soup in my crock pot with just a bunch of stuff I had lying around.  It was delish!

Day 161 – My mail today was full of awesomeness: a book I won from Goodreads, 2 postcards (from Spain and Russia), and a necklace I ordered from Bauble Bar!

Day 162 – Spending a little time at the pool reviewing the notes for my Blogelina class tonight!

Day 163 – Read by the pool!

Day 164 – Got a fun thank you card in the mail!

Day 165 – Made some Mexican chicken soup tonight, courtesy of my crock pot!

Day 166 – Enjoying the day on Mount Vernon with my husband and some friends

Day 167 – These are a few of my favorite things: doing my nails and reading. And earlier today, I got a cute dress at the mall, which is another favorite thing of mine. . . shopping!

What were you up to this week?

Thanks for reading,

Rebecca

 

Want to see my entire 365 Project?  Check it out here!

Jun 16 2013

The Clock of Life by Nancy Klann-Moren

Posted on by

I received this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.  

The Clock of Life by Nancy Klann-Moren is about Jason Lee Rainey, a white boy in Hadlee, Mississippi.  He befriends Samson, a black boy, and even when their friendship is tested, it is proved to be lifelong.

Jason Lee lives with his mother and Uncle Mooks, who is a little “off” from his time in the Vietnam War.  He has never met his father, who was killed while in Vietnam.  But as he grows up, Jason Lee finds out that his father was an amazing man, a fighter for equal rights among all races, who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr.

Will Jason Lee be able to grow up into the man he wishes to be, a man like his father, brave and willing to stand up for what is right?

The Clock of Life by Nancy Klann-Moren is a book that touches on a lot of tough topics.

  • Racism – The main character, Jason Lee Rainey, is a young white boy who immediately befriends (and becomes lifelong friends with) Samson Johnson.  They battle some ignorance with their friendship, but it holds strong for many years.  
  • Vietnam War – Jason Lee Rainey’s father was killed during the Vietnam War, leaving Jason Lee without much knowledge of his dad.  He does have his mom’s brother, Uncle Mooks, who was also in the war, but due to some circumstances that become clear only later in the story, he went to war, and came back unable to care for himself.
  • Addiction – Without giving too much away, there was a pill addiction problem in the novel for a short period of time
  • Language – I’m not a prude, and some of the language was definitely necessary to prove a point, but I just didn’t think all of it was
  • Underage drinking – I don’t have a problem reading about underage drinking, but in one scene in the book, after doing all of that drinking, the teenagers got in a car and drove.  Yikes!  That part just made me cringe.

I enjoyed this book, and love that Nancy Klann-Moren wasn’t afraid to talk about some tough topics, integrated into this coming of age story.

Ok, now for some bragging: The Clock of Life is being used in a school classroom, which is just so cool!  And it was a finalist in the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards!

What do you think about books with controversial topics?

Thanks for reading,

Rebecca

 

Jun 15 2013

North of Hope by Shannon Huffman Polson

Posted on by

I received this book from the author and publisher, Zondervan, in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

North of Hope by Shannon Huffman Polson is a memoir of a time in Shannon’s life when her world came crashing down, and she tried to get it back to normal.

Shannon’s father and stepmother, Kathy, were traveling on an Arctic hiking/river trip.  A bear came onto their campsite and killed both of them.

This tragedy was too much for Shannon to deal with, and after a year of trying to do just that, she set out on her own Arctic adventure on her parents’ path.

Shannon, her adopted and troubled brother Ned, and his coworker, embark on this journey that follows the same path that her father and Kathy took.  Along the way, Shannon is able to not only mourn properly and come to terms with the tragedy, but she is also able to take control of other parts of her life that were afflicted.

In addition to the main story of Shannon’s journey into the wilderness, she also provides information about her time in between the death and the trip, where she tries to find solace through music and various religious teachings (although the religion part is more spiritual and encompasses many faith’s ideas).

A few quotes jumped out at me:

“My resolve flickered like a flame in a gusty wind.  I willed the wick to hold on to that tiny flame.  It was all I had.” - p. 31

“One of the thoughts I could never shake the year after he died was that I no longer had anyone to check on me, no one making sure I was okay.  Who would ever know what might happen to me, and who would care?” - p. 51, Shannon thinking of her father’s death

North of Hope was a touching read showing Shannon’s growth as an adult mourner coming to terms with her father’s death.  It’s a good book to pick up in any phase of your life, but especially if you enjoy outdoor adventures and stories of people finding themselves.

And on a total side note, Shannon taught me something that I felt was very important!  Waaaay back in high school, there was an MXPX song that had a foreign word that totally boggled my mind!  I googled it, but couldn’t figure out what it was (turns out, I was spelling it wrong).  And in the text, Shannon actually talked about it!  So, thanks, Shannon, for helping me solve a lyrical mystery!

Are you an outdoorsy type of person?

Thanks for reading,

Rebecca

Jun 13 2013

Quick thoughts on The Forgotten Garden & The Golem and the Jinni

Posted on by

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

I have been recommended to read Kate Morton for a while (you know who you all are), but I’m sorry to disappoint, because the book just was not for me.  I was kind of bored with it. . .

I tried to like it, but I just didn’t. . . I mean, I did like the twists in the story, but I just didn’t ever care enough about the characters . . .

But then, I have The Golem and The Jinni by Helene Wecker (thanks to the Devourer of Books) which was really long but surprisingly good!

We discussed it over at Devourer of Books, but I’ll give you a quickie overview here.  A golem is created by a rabbi in order to be a wife for a not-so-wonderful man.  Problem?  A golem is inherently bad, and will listen to a master. . . but can still get out of hand.

A jinni (much like the genie we think of) is released from a bottle after many years, but still manacled.  Why?  How’d he get like that?

Both the golem and the jinni are lucky enough to meet mentors that help guide them on their paths.  But they are both very restless creatures, and when they coincidentally meet each other, their lives change.

So even though the book is super long, take a chance on it!  It’s worth the read.

Have you read either of these books?

Thanks for reading,

Rebecca