The Quirks: Welcome to Normal by Erin Soderberg

Yes, this is a kids book for ages 8 - 12. I received an advanced readers copy, thought it looked amusing, and read it this morning. The story is about a family, the Quirks, who have moved to the town of Normal, Michigan. Each member of the family except for one, Molly, has a magical power that makes them unique. These 'powers' have continually gotten the family in trouble, so they have moved around often. They chose Normal because they hoped that they could be normal there instead of quirky. The mom in the family can control minds to a certain extent, the grandpa can leap back and forth in time a few minutes each way, the little brother is invisible to all but his sister Molly, things in the other sister's imagination have a way of becoing real. All these quirks lead to many funny situations.

I had thought from reading brief summaries ahead of time that the book would be a little funnier than it turned out to be, but I liked it anyway. It has a nice theme for middle grade kids. The idea is that, if you feel you are different  and have a hard time fitting in because of it, stop thinking of your difference as a bad thing and instead think about how you can use your different abilities for good.

But, no mistake, there are many funny events and situations in the book which will amuse young readers. The little brother gets into lots of mischief because no one can see him. For instance he 'painted' the white picket fence around his house with a sandwich which left the fence with a pinkish tinge and a hammy smell. The sister imagined a little monster into existence which she named Niblet because of its tiny toes.

I'd recommend The Quirks to young readers. I'm sure they'd get a kick out of it. I think there will be other Quirk books in the series too.

Room by Emma Donoghue

Loosely based on similar actual events, this is the story of a little boy, Jack, who was born in captivity and remained there until he was 5 in 'Room' with his mother, who had been kidnapped and held captive for sexual purposes. The story is told from his viewpoint. Jack is very verbal and intelligent, but has absolutely no concept of the world outside. He has been able to watch tv, but thinks everything on it is fantasy.

I liked how the mother structured Jack's day and tried to see that he studied and learned, got as much exercise as possible in the confines of their small space, and ate as well as possible. I was bothered about her plan to use Jack as a means of escape.

Much of the story revolves around the post-Room life of Jack and his mother...people's reactions to them, and how they learned to integrate into the world. For the mother it was a long hoped for return, but for Jack it was a whole new world that could be quite frightening.

I don't think the mother's depression was explained well enough. I didn't think the way her parents treated her on her return was realistic. If it was, it was very annoying. I didn't understand how some of the family could take Jack to the mall on his first trip out. I could understand that there would be mixed feelings and misunderstandings, but such gross lack of understanding on the part of seemingly intelligent people was unrealistic.

All in all this was an interesting story that ends with a feeling of hope for the future. of Jack and his mother.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Though normally I don't care for fantasy, I did find the time travel aspects of this book moderately interesting. It was written of as a genetic defect in a way that made it seem more 'real' than if it were written as pure science fiction.

The story is about the love between Henry, the time traveler, and Clare. From Clare's point of view they meet when she is 6 yrs. old and he is 36. They meet in real time when Clare is 20 and Henry 28. The books chapters are written alternately from Clare's and Henry's viewpoints. The chapters are headed with a listing of the date and the ages of Clare and Henry at the time. Not being able to read this entire, somewhat long, book at one sitting, I found it somewhat hard to keep track of who was who, and what was when, and what had already happened, or what was in the future.

For all it's length, the author didn't really develop the personalities of the characters that much. Henry the son of musicians, was an alcoholic and did drugs, but managed to hold a job as a librarian. Clare, a paper artist,  came from a weathy pampered  background and seemed to only work on her art, apparently not needing a day job. Once the two of them met in their twenties, their relationship seemed to be based almost entirely on sex. That became tiresome when I would have rather learned something more about them as people.

I did want to see what happened, but it took a long time for the book to get there. A lot of what was written about seemed peripheral to the story, and I found myself wishing the author would just get on with it.

There was some good almost poetic writing in the book, and I enjoyed the setting in Chicago since I am familiar with many of the places mentioned.

I gave this book a 3 star rating (liked it) on Goodreads, but really would have rather given it 2 1/2.

One Day by David Nicholls

The chapters in this book each cover one day, July 15, for 20 years in the lives of the two main characters, Emma and Dexter. It's an interesting approach which jumps back and forth between the viewpoints of the characters in a kind of 'how does each one view the same events differently?' way. The tale is basically about how these two are drawn to each other but can't really admit it. We see how that affects their relationship as friends over the years.

I found the book interesting enough to finish, wondering how it would all turn out, but there were things that bothered me. Dexter seemed like such a looser who faced almost everything in his life, good or bad, with drinking and drugs. Emma was more interesting and had much more character as a person, but even she did some crummy things. I really couldn't see why she was so attracted to Dex. At one point a drunk Dexter is left alone with a baby. Wow. That really angered me.

Also there was the occasion where a letter from one to the other was inadvertantly and unknowingly left unsent, thus perhaps altering the course of the relationship. I hate when that kind of thing happens. It always seems contrived.

Then finally I hated the ending. It was also contrived. It made me feel like I had wasted my time reading through all the rest of the book.

There was some humorous dialogue in the book, but overall I did not care for this novel.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

 

This is the true story of how cells taken in 1951 from Henrietta Lacks, a poor black woman, have been used ever since as one of the most important cell lines in medical research. For some reason, these cells, called HeLa, would continuously divide, unlike any other cells previously known. They became an invaluable tool in the development of the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping and more.

The author has done exhaustive research into the background of Henrietta and her family. She writes about their ignorance concerning what was done by the medical establishment... they didn't learn about the cells until more than 20 years after they were taken. And she writes about the whole issue of medical ethics, dealing with racial politics and the even broader issue of informed consent.

This is a fascinating book. I was totally unaware of the HeLa cells previously, so found the story so interesting. At the same time the treatment of the Lacks family, who couldn't even afford proper healthcare themselves, while companies were making money selling the HeLa cells, was really maddening. The author writes about the family in such a compassionate way, even while talking about their foibles and faults.

At the end of the book the author has included several helpful reference chapters, Where Are They Now, an Afterword, a Cast of Characters, a timeline, notes, and an index, among others. There are also a few pages of photos of the family and the doctors.

I would highly recommend this well written book to everyone. You will not regret reading it.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

 

 

What an enjoyable book this is. It's the story of a retired English army officer who leads a quiet life as a proper Englishman, set in his ways, in a small village in the English countryside. Though Major Pettigrew is a stickler for convention, he is still likeable. After the unexpected death of his brother, he becomes friends with Mrs. Ali, a widowed local Pakistani shopkeeper, when he finds they have much in common. This is a very unconventional friendship in a society that thrives on thinking of itself as the privileged locals, and turns up its nose at 'foreigners'.

The whole story charmingly and humorously details the budding romance of this older couple and tells how the two deal with the stodgy culture and traditions of the townsfolk and with the pressures of families who are slow to change from the way things have always been.

The story equally pokes fun at the younger generation as well as the older, at the English as well as the Pakistani, and all in a lighthearted way. I can easily see it as one of those wonderful British TV series on public television.

Flat Water Tuesday by Ron Irwin

When I first saw this book I jokingly characterized it as a story about a guy who rows.  When I started reading it I found that it is so much more. I was intrigued right from the start.  The author weaves  a tale of struggle and loss, conflict and disconnection, and also some great triumphs and joys. The characters seemed true to life and most were able to keep going in one way or another in spite of what happened in their lives. I also think the author showed that there can be much hope in simple forgiveness.

The main character, Rob, goes to a prestigious prep school for one year after his high school graduation, to make the crew team and get the chance to attend an ivy league university. Events of that year shape his life and the lives of all who were involved. The story begins 15 years after that prep school year when Rob, an independent documentary filmmaker working for National Geographic, receives a letter from one of his former teammates. It then goes on to tell of both his struggles on the crew team in his past and his complicated relationship with his girl friend in the present.

All the characters in the story have issues, from the over-achiever who can never please his parents, to the girl trying to find her place in a man's world. We see how they all deal with these issues with varying degrees of success. Some are able to accept the events of their lives and move on, some are not. The author made the character's inner thoughts seem very realistic and true to life, and while some of their stories end badly, others are left with a sense of hope. He also obviously knows a lot about the sport of crew. His vivid descriptions of the team workouts as they strove to gain strength and speed literally made me feel the pain.

I enjoyed this book immensely. I found it hard to put down and was always eager to get back to it when I did have to put it down.

 

a lucky find (no, this isn't a book title)

I scored a few books at the dollar store today. I always wonder how good they can be if they've sunk so low as to find themselves on the back shelves of a dollar store, but, hey, they're only a dollar apiece, so I figure I haven't lost much on them.

I looked up some reviews on goodreads, and found that most of them got 3's and 4's.

The Last Will of Moira Leahy - by Therese Walsh
Hope's Boy - by Andrew Bridge
Box 21 - by Roslund and Hellstrom
Husband and Wife - by Leah Stewart

I got the next 2 because they were both about piano players (I play the piano). They both were rated a little lower, 2's and 3's.

The Leopard's Wife - by Paul Pickering
The Bradshaw Variations - by Rachel Cusk

The last one is an autobiography with an intriguing title. Sadly it has the lowest ratings, with mostly 2's. Still sounds intriguing, though.

Spent - Memoirs of a Shopping Addict - by Avis Cardella

So, these will be good additions to my summer vacation reading list...not too heavy, some mysteries, probably quick reads, and best of all, only $7 for the bunch!!

Dark Diversions by John Ralston Saul

I just finished reading this book and found that, while containing stories that did have dark aspects to them, the author told them in a rather humorous way. The book really isn't one whole long tale, but is a collection of little stories about the people and places that the narrator runs across in his globe hopping life as a writer. From dictators in foreign lands to his wealthy circle of friends, he finds incidents to write about that are both odd and sad yet at the same time quite funny. The stories take the reader from the homes of aristocrats in New York or Paris or London to meetings with dictators and exiled former dictators in places like Haiti or Madrid or Algeria.

The narrator, who is never really identified except as a single American man who is a writer, describes the homes and offices, what the people look like, how they dress, what they eat....many small details that make the people seem like regular, albeit it moneyed, folk who just find themselves in unusual circumstances. Behind their rather ordinary personas, we learn that they have secret lovers, or engage in double-dealing, or have very strange habits , or are kind of amusingly wicked.

In an aside in the middle of the book, in a chapter called 'the narrator pauses to reflect', the narrator takes the opportunity to explain to the reader his role as narrator. Other chapters are 'conversations with dictators' (or in one case, 'chatting with a dictator's assassin') or stories of friends such as 'the cripple' or 'a victim of romance'.

After my initial puzzlement at the seemingly unrelated chapters when I first started reading, I soon settled in to the idea of the compact short stories. It was very handy to be able to complete a chapter or two in one sitting and not have to concern myself with remembering who and what I was reading about the next time I had a chance to pick up the book. I enjoyed reading this. I found it interesting and amusing. I'd look for other books by this author and would recommend this one.

The Rathbones by Janice Clark

In the whaling town of Naiwayonk, Connecticut in 1859, a young girl, Mercy Rathbone, sets out on a voyage to discover the story of her family's mysterious past. From that simple beginning, proceeds a tale that is very strange, to say the least. It's part mystery, part fantasy, part fairy tale, part sea shanty, part history, part mythology, part coming of age.  If you like these things, this is the book for you.

For me, it was just too weird. We come across pet crows, a reclusive teacher who appears old but isn't, strange women who seem like sirens, a mother who barely speaks to her daughter and at one point slices a dress off her, a father who has seemingly been away at sea for 10 years, a whaler who has many wives one after another, so he will have sons to sail his whaling ships. There is much more, but I wouldn't want to give anything away. There are many horrible things that happen throughout the story, yet the girl, Mercy, seems oddly unaffected by them. I found it difficult to keep track of when the story was being mystical or when it was being realistic.  It went back and forth between the two quite randomly. I didn't feel any sympathy or connection to any of the characters. None of them told anyone the truth, but rather spoke only in half truths or metaphor, if they spoke at all.

The author was good at describing the scenery and the ships and sea, but I could never quite figure out the architecture of the rather strange house that the Rathbone family lived in.  I was interested in finding out how the story ended, so the author managed to keep me intriqued enough to finish the book, but it wasn't my cup of tea. I do think it was well written, though, and should appeal to those who like mystical fantasy type books.

You can't have too many books

I feel uncomfortable if there isn't a stack of books waiting to be read....not just one unread book, but many. I want to have choices when it's time to start a new book. I might be in the mood for a good mystery, or some historical fiction, or a gothic romance (yes I admit it), or a new recent novel, or something political, or maybe a biography (though for some reason, when asked, I always say I don't particularly care for biographies, yet I really liked every one I've read, and there have been several).

I just stocked up on a bunch of new to me books at a recent rummage sale (what would I do without rummage sales and thrift shops?!) in anticipation of my upcoming summer vacation. This has added nicely to the pile of unread books I already had, which was running perilously low...only about 20 books. Usually on vacation I read a book a day, so I need to have a steady supply to choose from.

The books that take me only a day to read are generally murder mystery, spy novel type books....authors like Harlan Coben, John Lescroart, John Sanford, Kay Hooper, Iris Johanssen, etc...books where I can't figure out who did it. I like mysteries with twists and turns and surprises and nothing obvious to give away the ending ahead of time. Some books have a recurring character with interesting personality traits who I like to follow from one book to another. Jack Reacher in the Lee Child books is one of them. I don't consider any these books great literature, but they are really fun and entertaining reads.

Then there are books that I'd consider meatier...really good novels for instance. I usually spend more time with these. There's more to think about while reading them. Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini would fall into this category (I'm anxiously awaiting Hosseini's latest book, And the Mountains Echoed),  the Chris Bohjalian novels, Sarah Dunant's books, and so many others....the kind of books you remember. I haven't mentioned some of the  classics like Jane Austen, or Dickens, F. Scott Fitzgerald or Hemingway. Those were all read long ago.

So, I'm off to hunt for a few more treasures, just to be on the safe side. There's a nearby used book store that's calling my name.