So Long, Farewell

This blog is no longer being updated. I've started a reading blog focused on adult titles at jennythefair.com.

Review: Elizabeth is Missing

Elizabeth is Missing
Emma Healey
HarperCollins, 2014
3 stars

Fiction
320 pages (hardcover)



In this darkly riveting debut novel--a sophisticated psychological mystery that is also a heartbreakingly honest meditation on memory, identity, and aging--an elderly woman descending into dementia embarks on a desperate quest to find the best friend she believes has disappeared, and her search for the truth will go back decades and have shattering consequences.

Maud, an aging grandmother, is slowly losing her memory--and her grip on everyday life. Yet she refuses to forget her best friend Elizabeth, whom she is convinced is missing and in terrible danger.

But no one will listen to Maud--not her frustrated daughter, Helen, not her caretakers, not the police, and especially not Elizabeth's mercurial son, Peter. Armed with handwritten note she leaves for herself and an overwhelming feeling that Elizabeth needs her help, Maud resolves to discover the truth and save her beloved friend.

This singular obsession forms a cornerstone of Maud's rapidly dissolving present. But the clues she discovers seem only to lead her deeper into her past, to another unsolved disappearance: her sister, Sukey, who vanished shortly after World War II.

As vivid memories of a tragedy that occurred more than fifty years ago come flooding back, Maud discovers new momentum in her search for her friend. Could the mystery of Sukey's disappearance hold the key to finding Elizabeth?

-- Description from Amazon


A sad, readable tale. From the first page it’s very apparent that Maud’s memory is not what it used to be. The sudden disappearance of her best friend mingles with memories of her sister’s disappearance following World War II. The interweaving of the two time periods is sometimes confusing, but that’s more the nature of Maud’s mind rather than the writing style.

This is probably the first (only?) book I’ve read from the perspective of an Alzheimer’s sufferer, and it’s certainly eye opening. My grandmother is into the habit of telling me “It’s hell getting old,” and, to my regret, it’s been easy to ignore. It certainly opened my eyes to the realities of memory problems. Parts of the story were foreseeable, and I have to disagree with the description that refers to this as a thriller, but overall it was an interesting read.

Discussion questions for book clubs available from ReadingGroupGuides.

Suggested reading:

Full disclosure: Title borrowed from the public library.
Links go to Amazon.com

Stacking the Shelves

As stated before, I have a serious problem when it comes to bringing library books home. So I'm going to make a slight tweak to my version of Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews. The stack I'm sharing is of books that I not only brought home, but ones I'm actively trying to read. I love sharing books just to share books, but I always feel guilty when I look back and realize I didn't read any of the ones I shared. For me that kind of defeats the purpose. Shelfari Goodreads is the place to store books to-read.



Currently reading:



Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (audio) The Story Hour: a novel by Thrity Umrigar Up next:

Deadly Lover by Charlee Allden The Knockoff by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza (audio)

Book Club: The Cake House

The Cake House
Latifah Salom
Vintage, 2015

Fiction
336 pages

Rosaura Douglas's father shot himself after her mother left him . . . or at least that's the story everyone is telling. Now her mother has remarried and Rosie is trapped in "The Cake House," a garish pink edifice in the hills of Los Angeles that's a far cry from the cramped apartment where she grew up. It's also the house where her father died—a fact that everyone else who lives there, including her mother, Dahlia, and her mysteriously wealthy stepfather, Claude, want to forget.

Soon, however, her father's ghost appears, sometimes in a dark window, sometimes in the house’s lush garden, but always with warnings that Claude is not to be trusted. And as the ghost becomes increasingly violent—and the secrets of her family’s past come to light—Rosie must finally face the truth behind the losses and lies that have torn her life apart.

--Description from Amazon


The Cake House proved to have more questions than answers for my group. It's a good option for a book club, though teen to early 30's might be a more appropriate audience.

The Cake House Discussion Questions

1. What moral/ethical choices did the characters make? What did you think of these choices? Consider Claude’s business and his relationship to Alex. Also Rosaura’s discovery in the Koi pond at the end of the novel.

2. How would you describe Dahlia and Claude’s relationship?

3. What did you think of the story's development? Was is credible? Why or Why not?

4. Do you think Rosaura ending up with Deputy Mike’s coats was intentional? What were you expecting as a result?

5. Dahlia says, “The life you have is the life you choose.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why? Do you think Dahlia could have made another choice?

6. Does the use of Rosaura’s father’s ghost, Robert, bring to mind any other works? Was it a helpful plot device? How would the story have worked without it?

7. At first, Claude was a bit cold toward Rosaura, forbidding her to attend a luncheon with the “family.” Later he builds her a darkroom. Why do you think his attitude toward her changed?

8. Were there scenes in the book that made you uncomfortable? If so, which scenes led to your discomfort and why did you feel that way?

9. What’s the significance of The Cake House as a title? How does it tie into the idea of the Fisk family home?

10. Do you think Dahlia had more or less freedom after her husband died? Consider the two scenes where Dahlia changes her appearance.

These questions were created with the assistance of Westfield Memorial Library's Fiction Questions.

Stacking the Shelves (1)

Still love this meme so I'm sticking with it on the new blog. I have a serious problem when it comes to bringing library books home. Below are just a few I've picked up recently. Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

From the library:

Dispatches from Dystopia: Histories of Places Not Yet Forgotten by Kate Brown
The Night Stages by Jane Urquhart
Thank You, Goodnight by Andy Abramowitz
Time Salvager by Wesley Chu

Advanced Reader Copies*

Goddess by Kelly Gardines
The Great and Calamitous Tale of Johan Thoms by Iam Thornton (10/13)
Three Days in April by Edward Ashton (9/15)

Freebies:

Thread of Hope by Jeff Shelby
Surface Tension by Christine Kling


*Provided for no other reason than I'm a librarian.

4x4 Mini Reviews

I've been reading a fair amount lately and it's left me little time to share. Below are 4 reviews of titles I've rated 4 stars.

What Angels Fear: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery

C.S. Harris

Obsidian Press, 2014 (originally published in 2005)

4 stars

Historical mystery

410 (trade paperback)

It’s 1811, and the threat of revolution haunts the upper classes of King George III’s England. Then the body of a beautiful young woman is found savagely murdered on the altar steps of an ancient church near Westminster Abbey. A dueling pistol discovered at the scene and the damning testimony of a witness point to one man: Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, a brilliant young nobleman shattered by his experiences in the Napoleonic Wars. 

Now a fugitive running for his life, Sebastian calls upon his skill as an officer during the war to catch the killer and prove his own innocence. In the process, he accumulates a band of unlikely allies, including the enigmatic beauty Kat Boleyn, who broke Sebastian’s heart years ago. In Sebastian’s world of intrigue and espionage, nothing is as it seems, yet the truth may hold the key to the future of the British monarchy, as well as to Sebastian’s own salvation. 

- Description from jacket

This novel was enjoyable from start to finish. Admittedly, the description of Rachel York’s rape and murder was a bit jarring, though I was able to continue reading because the incident happened “off camera” and the description was from the point of view of other characters. Otherwise the novel is well-plotted with an interesting cast of characters. The best part about this novel is that although the mystery of the killer is solved by the end of the novel, there is so much more to learn. Glimpses of the past and hints at other, central secrets makes this a series worth reading.

Holy Cow: A Novel

David Duchovny

Farrar, Straus, and Giroux: 2015

4 stars

Fiction

224 pages

A rollicking, globe-trotting adventure with a twist: a four-legged heroine you won't soon forget. 

Elsie Bovary is a cow, and a pretty happy one at that--her long, lazy days are spent eating, napping, and chatting with her best friend, Mallory. One night, Elsie and Mallory sneak out of their pasture; but while Mallory is interested in flirting with the neighboring bulls, Elsie finds herself drawn to the farmhouse. Through the window, she sees the farmer's family gathered around a bright Box God--and what the Box God reveals about something called an "industrial meat farm" shakes Elsie's understanding of her world to its core. 

-Description from Barnes and Noble

In the vein of Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, Duchovny brings us a story of adventure, curiosity, and absurdity. This not-to-be-taken-too-seriously novel is a charming read and an even better listen read by the author himself.

The Unraveling of Mercy Louis: A Novel

Keija Parssinen

Harper, 2015

4 stars

Fiction

320 pages

In Port Sabine, the air is thick with oil, superstition reigns, and dreams hang on making a winning play. All eyes are on Mercy Louis, the star of the championship girls’ basketball team. Mercy seems destined for greatness, but the road out of town is riddled with obstacles. There is her grandmother, Evelia, a strict evangelical who has visions of an imminent Rapture and sees herself as the keeper of Mercy’s virtue. There are the cryptic letters from Charmaine, the mother who abandoned Mercy at birth. And then there’s Travis, the boy who shakes the foundation of her faith. 

At the periphery of Mercy’s world floats team manager Illa Stark, a lonely wallflower whose days are spent caring for a depressed mother crippled in a refinery accident. Like the rest of the town, Illa is spellbound by Mercy’s beauty and talent, but a note discovered in Mercy’s gym locker reveals that her life may not be as perfect as it appears. 

The last day of school brings the disturbing discovery, and as summer unfolds and the police investigate, every girl becomes a suspect. When Mercy collapses on the opening night of the season, Evelia prophesies that she is only the first to fall, and soon, other girls are afflicted by the mysterious condition, sending the town into a tailspin, and bringing Illa and Mercy together in an unexpected way.

-Description from the Publisher

Mercy Louis is going places. But do that, she has to be disproportionately good--in basketball, in manners, and especially with boys—her coach and grandmother are counting on it. Told alternately from Mercy and Illa’s points of view, it’s absorbing to watch as these two girls come together in a most unexpected way.

The Strangler Vine

M.J. Carter

G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2015

4 stars

Historical Fiction

369 pages

India, 1837. William Avery is a young soldier with few prospects except rotting away in campaigns in India; Jeremiah Blake is a secret political agent gone native, a genius at languages and disguises, disenchanted with the whole ethos of British rule, but who cannot resist the challenge of an unresolved mystery. What starts as a wild goose chase for this unlikely pair--trying to track down a missing writer who lifts the lid on Calcutta society--becomes very much more sinister as Blake and Avery get sucked into the mysterious Thuggee cult and its even more ominous suppression. 

- Description from dust jacket flap

Engrossing debut novel that requires a dictionary. Using spelling, terminology and geography of the time period, Carter transports the reader to Colonial India. Avery and Blake are paired for a mission to locate a writing causing the British government some trouble. Various accidents—happy and otherwise—occur along the way. A second Blake and Avery adventure, The Infidel Stain, is already available.

Great title for book groups.



All titles listed above were borrowed from the public library. 

Review: The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell

The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell

William Klaber

St. Martin’s Press, 2015

278 pages (Hardcover)

4 stars

At a time when women did not commonly travel unescorted, carry a rifle, sit down in bars, or have romantic liaisons with other women, Lucy Lobdell boldly set forth to earn men's wages. Lucy Lobdell did all of these things in a personal quest to work and be paid, to wear what she wanted, and love whomever she cared to. But to gain those freedoms she had to endure public scorn and wrestle with a sexual identity whose vocabulary had yet to be invented. In this riveting historical novel, William Klaber captures the life of a brave woman who saw well beyond her era.

The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell is the fictionalized account of Lucy's foray into the world of men and her inward journey to a new sexual identity. It is her promised memoir as heard and recorded a century later by William Klaber, an upstream neighbor. Meticulously researched and told with compassion and respect, this is historical fiction at its best.

 
-- Description from Barnes & Noble*

Please be aware: There may be spoilers below, though I have tried not to reveal too much. Also, I refer to the main character as Lucy Ann and use feminine pronouns for convenience. I have no judgments regarding the lifestyle that is depicted in this book.

Lucy Ann Lobdell lived in a time when a woman’s place was behind her husband, and if she were a spinster, much scorn was brought upon her. Lucy Ann lived much of her young life as a woman: she married and had a daughter. When her husband deserts her, and work is scarce, she is compelled to find a way to provide for her daughter. After cutting her hair and donning her brother’s clothes, she heads away from her family to find a new life using her grandfather’s moniker, Joseph Lobdell. Unfortunately, bad times befall Lucy.

The Rebellion of Lucy Ann Lobdell is an important work. Not only because it is the fictionalized account of a woman who dared to live life her in a way that might have been lost to history, but because her struggles are still relevant today. This story came to be because Lucy’s secret did not--could not--stay a secret. The truth was discovered almost every time she headed to a new locale. Oftentimes she was met with violence for her "deception."

It seemed as time went on, things only got worse for Lucy Ann. When she eventually returned to society, most seemed to accept that she was different and let her be. However, some were offended by her, claiming her behavior went against God and Nature.

I’m glad this story has been told. Lucy Ann faced many ordeals throughout her life. Society would like to think things are different now. Women are treated better. Individuals who feel different are free to live their life. Except they really aren't.

Consider this title for your book club. It’ll open the door to many themes that face the world today, such as the continued inequality of women in the workplace and blaming victims.

Further Reading:

*Note: “A slightly different version of this title was first published in the United States by Greenleaf Book Group Press in 2013.”