Book Review: The Fisherman by Chigozie Obioma

I read this book via audiobook. Mostly because it was available for download immediately.

The Goodreads Summary (truncated):

"Told from the point of view of nine year old Benjamin, the youngest of four brothers, The Fishermen is the story of an unforgettable childhood in 1990s Nigeria, in the small town of Akure. When their strict father has to travel to a distant city for work, the brothers take advantage of his extended absence to skip school and go fishing. At the ominous, forbidden nearby river, they meet a dangerous local madman who persuades the oldest of the boys that he is destined to be killed by one of his siblings. What happens next is an almost mythic event whose impact-both tragic and redemptive-will transcend the lives and imaginations of its characters and its readers. Dazzling and viscerally powerful, The Fishermen never leaves Akure but the story it tells has enormous universal appeal."

What I Thought About It:

Fake Book Review: The Madwoman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell

Firstly, let me just say that I love this cover. I'm basically a big sucker for the orange and teal combination right now. Like, ridiculous. But I also love feathers... basically, the only reason I lifted this off the bookshelf was for the cover. I have to tell you, the whole judging a book by it's cover thing has never gone badly for me. Well, not that I can remember. 

What I've Been Reading (Outbox June 16, 2016)

I’ve barely blogged this month! My averages! My stats! I’ve got to get my head in the game!

I’m not sure what’s going on that’s kept me from the blog this month, so far. Oh well. I try to go with the flow of how I feel. Blogging is a hobby for me so I don’t want to stress about it too much. I have been able to get some books into my head though. Maybe I’ll squeeze some longer review posts out of some of these.

It's really been a Diverse Books kind of month so far with almost every novel I've read being by or about the people of color or from a marginalized group. I hope that means that this is becoming so common the people don't have to try so hard and will just automatically find themselves in the diverse stories of the world! I just eye rolled myself, y'all.

Some Highlights from June so far:

Book Review: The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

I read this book because it’s been on my Overdrive #TBR list forever and when I was looking for a book it was available. Yay! It also seemed liked a good “counterbook” because I had crammed 10 young adult books into my head the week before to meet a challenge goal.

Here’s the Goodreads summary:

There is no problem that a library card can't solve. 

The Andreas family is one of readers. Their father, a renowned Shakespeare professor who speaks almost entirely in verse, has named his three daughters after famous Shakespearean women. When the sisters return to their childhood home, ostensibly to care for their ailing mother, but really to lick their wounds and bury their secrets, they are horrified to find the others there. 

See, we love each other. We just don't happen to like each other very much. 

But the sisters soon discover that everything they've been running from -- one another, their small hometown, and themselves -- might offer more than they ever expected.

My tuppence:

Book Review: One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

I read this book because a member of my book club said that I had to. I’ve heard great things about the author but hadn’t gotten around to reading anything by her.

Here’s the Goodreads Summary:

Suppose your life sucks. A lot. Your husband has done a vanishing act, your teenage stepson is being bullied and your math whiz daughter has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you can’t afford to pay for. That’s Jess’s life in a nutshell—until an unexpected knight-in-shining-armor offers to rescue them. Only Jess’s knight turns out to be Geeky Ed, the obnoxious tech millionaire whose vacation home she happens to clean. But Ed has big problems of his own, and driving the dysfunctional family to the Math Olympiad feels like his first unselfish act in ages... maybe ever.

What can I add to that:

Book Review (Blog Tour): Friday Night, Eight O'clock by Nino Gugunishvili

I received a copy of the ebook for free in exchange for a review and participation in the blog tour, going on right now!

What Goodreads had to say:

Tasha is a dreamer in search of a new dream.

She's bored with Pilates. She's never tried yoga. She doesn't even have a driver's license. She lives a pretty ordinary life as a freelance writer who battles the occasional flow of melancholy with the regular flow of martinis. Nestled into her couch, her television remote in one hand and a cold adult beverage in the other, she's found a favorite way to pass the hours on a Friday evening. It's comfortable and familiar, but it's not exactly an exciting way to live. With two of her closest friends, a bossy mother, an eighty-two-year-old grandmother, and Griffin, her fat yellow Labrador at her side, she knows that there has to be something better out there.

But where?

When she gets an unexpected offer to relocate to France to write a magazine column, she thinks her circumstances are improving. But life in a new country isn't all pêches et la crème. Now far away from her comfort zone, Tasha must find the inner strength to start a new career and navigate the bizarre and unknown world of professional jealousy, intrigue, and conflicting personalities in a very foreign land.

It's enough to make a girl yearn for those quiet nights on the couch.

My two cents:

Book Review: The Double by Alison Brodie

One of my blog goals for 2016 is to do more “book community” stuff. Ergo. I signed up with I Heart All the Books to participate in a couple of book tours! Yay, me. Isn’t it amazing how easy it is to get involved with writers and their work these days!? Anyway, I received a free copy of the book in order to provide a book review and to participate.

  

Here's the book's official (and much too detailed) blurb:

A night she can’t remember. A week she won’t forget. 

Beth is mistaken for rock star, Sonita La Cruz, and ends up on a billionaire-dollar yacht. As a shift-worker in Glasgow, Beth has only known hardship. Now she's in a world of uniformed stewards, French cuisine and rows of gorgeous designer frocks. Beth keeps quiet about the mix-up, determined to wear every outfit in her wardrobe before she's sent home. What's wrong with a little play-acting? Beth takes to the role of rock diva like a duck takes to water.

The captain arrives. Aleksandr sees a raven-haired girl in tiara and diamond-studded bikini lying on deck issuing orders through a megaphone. Aleksandr realizes what’s happened: His smuggling pals, knowing he needs to speak to Sonita about a kid’s crisis, have grabbed this lookalike and brought her here to meet him. Sadly, the girl is not Sonita. Aleksandr is desperate. Sonita promised to help the children but she’s disappeared.

Beth rises to the challenge. She looks like Sonita, so why not BE Sonita? Beth does a magazine interview for one million dollars, and ransoms herself for another million. Beth saves the children but can she save herself? Too late, Beth discovers the reason why Sonita disappeared.

 *

A full-bodied romance that sweeps across the globe, from a civil war in the Eastern Bloc, to a luxury yacht on the Côte d'Azur, to a poor housing estate in Glasgow.

  

Here’s what I had to say about it:

Book Review: Santa Muerte by Lucina Stone

So, last month I posted a Themed Thursday post about bad- ass women monster killers. Super fun post to write, by the way. Check it out... Anyway, in response to that I was offered a copy of Santa Muerte to read and review because it seemed up my ally. Free book? Have opinions? Yes, please!

So, the Goodreads summary is mad long, go find it [here.] Once you've read that you can come back here and I can give you the real story.

- Jeopardy Theme Song- 

Book Review: The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card

So obviously, I'm late to the Orson Scott Card party. I didn't realize this was the Ender's Game guy when I picked this book up from the library based almost exclusively on the cover. Magical sparkles coming from a book? Yes, please.

Here's the Goodreads summary:
Danny North knew from early childhood that his family was different, and that he was different from them.  While his cousins were learning how to create the things that commoners called fairies, ghosts, golems, trolls, werewolves, and other such miracles that were the heritage of the North family, Danny worried that he would never show a talent, never form an outself.

He grew up in the rambling old house, filled with dozens of cousins, and aunts and uncles, all ruled by his father.  Their home was isolated in the mountains of western Virginia, far from town, far from schools, far from other people.

There are many secrets in the House, and many rules that Danny must follow.   There is a secret library with only a few dozen books, and none of them in English — but Danny and his cousins are expected to become fluent in the language of the books.  While Danny’s cousins are free to create magic whenever they like, they must never do it where outsiders might see.

Unfortunately, there are some secrets kept from Danny  as well.  And that will lead to disaster for the North family.

****

This is one of those books where I would have been sorely frustrated by the Goodreads summary had a actually read it ahead of time. Here's the real summary, a la Kenya The Boss Lady.

Book Review: A Paris Wife by Paula McLain

This was a book club pick. Though I owned this book I likely would never have read it had it not been picked to read for book club. In fact, I didn't read my copy but listened to it on audiobook. [Click here for the Goodreads page.]

Paula McLain tells the story of Elizabeth "Hadley" Richardson, Ernest Hemingway's first wife and, some would say, the love of his life. Ernest was a dynamic, moody writer who was young and on his way to being one of the most famous American writers in history. He was war- torn, young, impulsive, and a bit of a lady's man. Hadley was older and in some ways wiser, but also dreadfully sheltered and horribly naive; she's never had a real boyfriend and she's reaching old maid status at a ripe 29 years old. They each had strained and damaging relationships with their parents and families with suicide histories. When they meet, it is instant sparks. They get to know each other initially through their correspondence, which the author reviewed before writing this text.

Hadley is Ernest's FIRST wife, so we know right away that the marriage is not going to endure. We're given hints, too, that another woman will come between them. But it is not Pauline who is the downfall of Hadley's marriage. It is Hadley's realization that she deserves more from love than Ernest can give her. Her story is one of growth and strength. Luckily for Ernest, it was not one of experience with a fire arm because he was trying to get jacked up... but I digress...

Mini Book Review: Notes from the Internet Apocalypse

I waited too long to review this book for it to be meaningful to me or to have any special memories of it. It was a busy week because the show I was in opened. What? You want to know about the show? Ok! I play a middle management overseer of mythical creatures, basically. I'm basically chastising and threatening a Cupid who is overzealous with his arrows of love. Three very different people come out and tell their stories as evidence of Cupid's ineptitude. It's a super fun Valentine's Day show. But the involvement in other things is, as usual, cutting into my reading time. So, I've only been reading via audiobooks during commute to/from work and the theater.

Ok, on to the mini-review for 

Notes from the Internet Apocalypse by Wayne Gladstone

[Check out the Goodreads summary here:]

This is a different kind of apocalypse story.

Book Review: Let Me Just Say This by B. Swangin Webster

I was asked if I would be interested in reading this book as part of a blog tour hosted by The Notebook Blogairy. I was super flattered to be considered for this blog tour and accepted a free copy of the book to participate.

Let Me Just Say This by B. Swangin Webster.

Goodreads Description:

"Let Me Just Say This is an urban drama depicting the struggles one woman goes through to get out of her abusive marriage and how she finds the strength to begin the search for love with another."

Not a hell of a lot to go on, is it? I like fiction that depicts realistic people, relationships, and drama. This book certainly does that. The story is mostly about Cheryl, a woman who married a handsome young man despite her misgivings

Book Review: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

I saw the author Of The Fifth Season at Book Riot Live last year on a panel talking about world- building. The panel was called "writing what you don't know" and Ms. Jemisin shared the stage with Margaret Atwood. My reading this novel was the result of having attended that panel and being thoroughly enthralled with what Ms. Jemisin had to say about authenticity, researching the real world even if you're making things up, and her own experience reading characters that influenced the way she wrote when she was starting out.

First off, the dedication in this book is lovely. It reads: “For all those that have to fight for the respect that everyone else is given without question.” BOOM! You know there's going to be some heavy moral/ political/ humanity shit happening in this book. And, yes, there is.

Goodreads Summary:

"Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze -- the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand years -- collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman's vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.

Now Essun must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Without sunlight, clean water, or arable land, and with limited stockpiles of supplies, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations not for power or territory, but simply for the basic resources necessary to get through the long dark night. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She'll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter."

Book Review: We Are Called to Rise by Laura McBride

This was one of those Barnes and Noble Buy 2 get one free books. Is anyone else completely roped in by this BN ploy? Even if I have ZERO interest in every single book on the table, there is an almost 90% chance I am walking out with 3 - 6 books when they have this "sale" going on. I am such a sucker. There is really no reason for them to be my favorite major chain bookseller. But, alas, they are.

Here's the modified Goodreads summary:
"An immigrant boy whose family is struggling to assimilate. A middle-aged housewife coping with an imploding marriage and a troubled son. A social worker at home in the darker corners of Las Vegas. A wounded soldier recovering from an injury he can't remember getting. By the time we realize how these voices will connect, the impossible and perhaps the unbearable has already happened. "We Are Called to Rise" is a boomtown tale, in which the lives of people from different backgrounds and experiences collide in a stunning coincidence. When presented the opportunity to sink into despair, these characters rise. Through acts of remarkable charity and bravery, they rescue themselves. Emotionally powerful yet tender and intimate, "We Are Called to Rise "is a novel of redemption and unexpected love." 

Book Review: The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson

I read this book because of the title. Yes, yes. I'm a cover-judger and a sucker for a good book book. Anyway.

Here's the modified Goodreads Summary (I edited it and changed the formatting): 

"The Bookseller follows a woman in the 1960s who must reconcile her reality with the tantalizing alternate world of her dreams. Nothing is as permanent as it appears . . . 

Denver, 1962: Kitty Miller has come to terms with her unconventional single life. She loves the bookshop she runs with her best friend, Frieda, and enjoys complete control over her day-to-day existence. She can come and go as she pleases, answering to no one. There was a man once, a doctor named Kevin, but it didn’t quite work out the way Kitty had hoped. Then the dreams begin.

Denver, 1963: Katharyn Andersson is married to Lars, the love of her life. They have beautiful children, an elegant home, and good friends. It's everything Kitty Miller once believed she wanted—but it only exists when she sleeps.

As the lines between her worlds begin to blur, Kitty must figure out what is real and what is imagined. And how do we know where that boundary lies in our own lives?"

What Say I:

Book Review: Breakdown by Jordon Quattlebaum

So, I have mentioned before that I met three of the Dapper Press guys at Book Riot Live. As a related aside, if you haven't been over to the Dapper Press website you should head on over. It's pretty neat. They come up with book - related ideas and projects and the common folk like you and I get to throw in our two- cents. 

Anywhooo... 

Breakdown is a Post-apocalyptic Serial Adventure. It's released in "episodes" via kindle through Amazon.com for about a buck each with the episodes being about 40 pages. This printed version is the first 5 episodes. The story starts pretty quickly, with our main dude Thom Monroe breaking down on the side of the road right before hell breaks loose.

So, we are at the moment of Apocalyptic breakdown. And Thom's car breaks down... heh heh... the title of the book... but I digress. There are three primary character voices through the first five episodes: Thom, his daughter (Anna), and his new friend, John. 

What I like about this book is the realistic - ness, if that can be a word for a second. This could be happening right now. Thom is an every day man trying to deal with an every day life that kind of sucks. His wife has died and he's lost his job and his daughter is away at college. There are people who are more prepared and people who have lost their minds. This is probably how the downfall of technology is actually going to hit people. I hope I'm dead at the time. 

This book gives you the sense that you should INDEED be packing up a few survival kits. It also made me think of an article I read recently about how old zombie movies had an educational element to them: what do do and not to do if the ZA broke out. This book reads, too, like a fictionalized survival manual. Apparently, Jordon Quattlebaum is into that sort of stuff.

The action is quick, the pace is lively, each episode ending with a "and now what?" vibe so you're ready for the next one. I'm on the fence about whether I will start getting the serials or wait until the next "bulk" one comes out. I'm not too good with ongoing series. I'm a binge - er. But this is definitely on my list to keep following.

 

******

Related Posts: 

 

Book Review: Joe Vampire by Steven Luna

I mentioned in one of my post - Book Riot Live posts that I met three cutie patootie authors from Dapper Press and fell hook, line, and sinker for their schpiel. Schpiel is apparently not a word. But, I guess neither is patootie. 

Well, Joe Vampire is the second Kenya- is- a- sucker- for - a- good- sales- pitch book. It's a story of an average Joe (yep) who gets bitten and changed into a vampire. Before the bite, Joe is a bit of a pushover with a history of being run over by friends and bitches. Seriously, his ex- girlfriends are bitches and Joe has a clever way of nicknaming them that I might steal for my own purposes. After he's bitten, he's trying to be the same loser but might just have to get a backbone and make some meaningful connections with people. In the meantime, he's going to blog about it.

Yes, the chapters are set up (as in label) as if they are blog posts. There are zero people about whom I would sit down and just read 247 pages of their blog, so the concept kind of bugged me. Once I was able to get past that, there was a glaring plot hole of Joe wanting to keep his little experience on the hush- hush but blabbing everything into the interwebs. This plot hole is not left dangling, so that was a relief. 

Joe's blog takes us through how he's dealing with all This, his life, his job, and his relationships while trying to maintain his sense of morality and cope with the proverbial blue balls of staying off the people- meat. His friends and co-workers think he's a crack- head. And they aren't any better at keeping his new- found fangs a secret than he is. And so, shit hits the fan. Not literally, though there is a lot of talk about poop in this twist on a classic monster tale. But I guess that's actually better than there being sparkly skin, but I digress. 

Joe Vampire is a quick, light - hearted (mostly) read and there's enough action and Oh! moments to keep you moving along, with only a few spots of ho-humness (most notably the first chapter). There's some good wisdom about how we are masters of your own destiny regardless of the shit (literal and otherwise) you have to deal with and that we all get by a little easier with some help from our friends. And that it's never to late to stop being a D-bag. 

The Whole Bloody Story is available in Kindle version for four bucks. Now, everyone go out and buy his stuff so that Mr. Luna can get famous and I can hock his autograph on The eBay. 

Book Review: The Golem and The Jinni (#MustRead)

This is one of those books that was recommended on some list for something or other. I actually worry that all of my social media sites are actually just becoming different places for lists of books I should read. It's ridiculous. So, maybe this book was on a list of books for people who like fairy tales, or fable creatures, or something. It could have been on a "best thing we read this week/ month" sort of a list. It's definitely made my best of 2015 list for the year.

This story is really about four characters:

• A rare female golem (Chava) made with curiosity and intelligence for her master, who promptly dies, and the man that created her. 
• A jinni (Ahmad) who has been trapped in a flask for 1000 years and can't remember how he got there, and the man that becomes his mentor and friend.
• There are a number of other characters that move the story along: a man who is struggling to keep a homeless shelter open with scraps, a love- seeking young girl that Chava works with and befriends, etc. 

Book Review: The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley (#NaBloPoMo)

I've basically decided to give up on the synopses on the backs of books. It's really a 50/50 shot they they are going to tell you anything meaningful besides the names of the characters and MAYBE the setting. But, I digress... before I even get started. Hoozah!

This book was a lovely little ditty about a man, Nathaniel who works as a telegraphist in London in 1884. There's all kinds of stuff going on the world at that time. Irish bombs, women's suffrage, and Japan's civil war. Thaniel (yes, he's called Thaniel because his father was Nat) gets thrust into the role of detective/ hapless spy and meets a man who most certainly changes his outlook on things. He also meets his future wife. I assure you, that's not a spoiler to be up in stitches about.

I love historical fiction that's a bit speculative. [In fact, Speculative Historical Fiction is a better genre sticker for this book's spine than simple "Fantasy."] I've only recently discovered this proclivity of mine so sorry if I seem a little enthusiastic about it. I should probably started writing these Things down, so I'm not constantly surprised by The Things. 

Anyway. This one is well written with a dash of mystery. There's advanced clockwork technology, a female physicist, and a clueless man all wrapped up in a story that pulls you forward wondering what is going to blow up next. Tamely. They're English. There's also a beautiful hint of ambiguity the reader is left with making this a good pick for a discussion group. There's also the touches of cultural relevance of the day that keep it realistic: the women aren't thought of as competent enough for property ownership; the Japanese are all called Chinamen and the women think they're all dirty; the perceived role of nationalism and the danger of it's extremes. These aren't heavy handed or used in an preachy or distracting way, but allow you to better immerse yourself in the story and the time period, so you're not going "Wait... wouldn't she have needed a chaperone?"  

I believe this was on a list of must reads, or good reads, or something, which is what led me to pick it up. If it's not, it should be.  I got a little bogged down with the names and the details and it needed a chapter or two to pick up a bit of pace. And the resolution of one of the story lines was meh. It's a solid 4.5 out of 5 starts. This was well worth the 70 cents in library fines I accrued because I wanted to finish it. If the author ever writes another fiction novel, I'm definitely in!

Book Review: Apocalypticon by Clayton Smith (#NaBloPoMo)

I have started a running list of popular characters that I hate. These are characters that I think would wear on my nerves quickly and should not be allowed to be friends with people until they learn how to get their shit together. On this list is one Shawn Spencer from the USA network show Psych. The show is about a man who grew up training his observation skills because his police officer father is obsessive about that sort of thing. Shawn is an asshole, to be honest. He is generally unconcerned about how his immature, reckless behavior put people in danger and messes up their lives. His best friend, Gus, played by the wonderful Dule Hill, is the usual victim of his assholery. Shawn steals from him, puts his job and life in jeopardy in almost every episode and just basically manipulates Gus at every turn. Now, I'm not saying that Gus is blameless. He loves the adventure and is loyal to his friend. I'm also not saying that Shawn doesn't have his charms.

Apocalypticon is Shawn and Gus three years after the Jamaicans release a biological weapon that wipes out most of the population of the U.S. They decide to trek from Chicago down to Disney World on an adventurous quest. Shawn, I mean Patrick, doesn't tell Gus, I mean Ben, exactly why they need to go, but they set off. On the way, they are told they will face great peril, and they do. They narrowly escape death a few times though booze is easy to come by. Remember The Walking Dead tagline: Kill the Dead, Fear the Living? It holds true in this world, too, though also true is that friendship and companionship will help get you through the roughest patches. 

Apocalypticon is a funny take on a serious condition. The story itself started off a little campy (maybe that's not the right word, but there's a ridiculous scene with fake drugs that made me roll my eyes) but gets better. Patrick is basically a good person, struggling with his own stuff (it is the apoc after all) and becoming a better friend over the course of the book. He was likely always a good friend, it's just hard to see underneath the crappy person exterior. Ben, too, sticks by his friend's nuttiness but develops a bit more backbone. The characters talk a lot of shit about a lot of things. [Although the negative comments about Arkansas are clearly not funny, Mr. Smith.] They get into trouble and look out for each other. And they help each other deal with the shit they have to deal with.

Each group of people they meet is really an example of different ways that groups of people might adjust to the hell they live in. But seriously, there's only so many times one person can be hit in the face with a hammer, bat, or wrench, and keep on keeping on, amIright?

I also consider this cover porn. Great concept. Love it. Solid four out of 5 stars. I LOL'd a few, undisclosed number of times. 

I met the author of this book, Clayton Smith, at Book Riot Live 2015 (yes, I'm still talking about it, get off my back!) last weekend. He and two of his author buddies had this little schtick. It might not have been a schtick. But basically, rather than telling me about their own books, they took turns telling me about each other's books. I can't guarantee you that they actually read each other's books. But I can guarantee you that the energy and enthusiasm they had for each other was real and I bought a book from each of them. Mr. Smith thinks he's funny. And he is, though I've been tweeting him comments to the contrary to help keep his ego in check.