Quick Review: Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

Posted on July 18, 2015 by Bethlylou

I’m going to be brief because I don’t want to be spoilery and also want to wait until Kate finishes it to talk in more detail. I will say it was a truly powerful novel. A dystopian novel set on the African continent. Onyesonwu is born from rape and because of it is an outcast but she has a destiny that will change the world. I admit that I haven’t ready many books that take place in Africa so this was a new voice for me. At times it confusing and it was also horrifying. Nnedi Okorafor does not shy away from the ugliest and violent moments of the novel and it’s equal parts terrifying as it is uncomfortable. It’s an unflinching portrait of racism and sexism and how both corrupt a society. Onye is not only a woman but also Ewu, a child born of violence from an Okeke women and Nuru man. She is shunned by most and seen as both worthless by many more. When it becomes clear that she is more then normal, she repeatedly turned away from the local sorcerer not because she isn’t extraordinary but because she is a woman. One has to wonder, how differently things would have turned out if she started training when she first asked to but I guess we will never know. When she finally unleashes her power and saves the day it’s a sight to see. My favorite part of the novel is the friendship from Onye and Luyu. At first, they are just two girls who are in the same class, who are forced together thanks to a common experience shall we say but as they grow they become closer. They give each other strength and support. They each show bravery and different ways. I truly don’t believe that Onye would have made it through without her. Mwita may be the love her life and soulmate, more then a soulmate really but it’s Luyu who is the back bone. She keeps everyone grounded in a way. Her bravery is truly inspiring because unlike Onye and Mwita who have varying degree of powers, Luyu is nothing but human but she knows there are bad things happening and will do anything to help Onye stop them. This isn’t an easy book to read but what the characters go through are not meant to be easy. If you feel uncomfortable because it’s supposed to be uncomfortable. You should be horrified at the lengths people will go for an idea and belief. It truly was a great book.

Review: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Kate

I am halfway through my Pop Culture Homework Assignment!

This book repeatedly punched me in the stomach.

Eleanor and Park meet when Eleanor gets on the bus for her first day at the new school. Eleanor immediately gets on the wrong side of the cool kids on the bus by almost sitting in someone else’s spot. Park growls at her to just sit down next to him. Everything after that awkward and totally real meeting is beautiful and painful and awkward and wonderful. Eleanor and Park are so fucking cute together I actually just swore at you in a review of a YA novel. This was a beautiful, painful and real novel about teen romance. It was also a novel about negotiating identity (when you’re not really sure how to be what people think you are. Are you that thing? Are you not? Does it matter?), being there for your loved ones, and dealing with crappy things in your life.

This book was great also great because of the main characters. Eleanor is a chubby red head and Park is half Korean. Others have talked about the need for diverse characters in teen novels and I think this is a good example.

Spoiler alert and trigger alert: This book deals with domestic violence in a very honest and very real way.

More spoilers ahead.

Eleanor and Park’s relationship grows slowly over a few months. At first, they are just sharing a seat on the bus. Then, they are sharing comic books. Then, they were sharing comic books and music. (I’m actually making a mix tape inspired by the music mentioned in the book.) It just snowballs from there. Eleanor loves her time on the bus because she hates being at home with her Mother’s husband, who is an alcoholic and a wife beater. The story builds until it becomes obvious that the creepiest of the awful things that have been happening to Eleanor aren’t being done by the awful girls in Eleanor’s gym class but are being done by Eleanor’s step dad.

I cried and cried and cried throughout this book. The relationship between Eleanor and Park was wonderful. Eleanor’s relationship with DeNice and Beebi was great. Park’s parents were A+ and their attempts to interact with their son’s first real girlfriend were awkward and beautiful and also very real. Sabrina, Eleanor’s mom, was heartbreaking. (At one point she tells Eleanor she’s so lucky and good for staying away from boys and then implies that there are two types of women in the world: women who are with a man and brave women who aren’t. I think my heart is still breaking from that interaction between mother and daughter.) Eleanor’s brothers and sisters were also heartbreaking.

God, this book. It was so good. It was so good, I’m still crying over it.

Review: Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Bethlylou

There was a recent discussion on Twitter about whether or not you avoid reading popular books. Is the fact that the book is popular and “You just got to read it” a turn on or turn off. Whether a book is popular is not really a selling point for me but I’m not going to avoid reading it if it is. Unless it’s an Oprah book. Now bear with me. Oprah’s Book Club has done so much to get people to read and for that I applaud her. It has also been a boom for the publishing industry, it has promoted authors that probably would never get exposure or that level of exposure but as a former bookseller, it made my life difficult. I know, it sounds weird but ask any bookseller. For years, Oprah wouldn’t announce her new pick until she did it on her show. People would immediately come into stores asking for the new Oprah book and we wouldn’t have a clue what they were talking about since we were working and not watching Oprah. And rarely would people who watched the show know the title of the book they must read and would come in with no information. Now, it’s a little easier. Oprah works more with publishers to make sure her picks are ready to go with her sticker already on the book when she makes her announcements. Also, now with the internet, if customers come in for her books and we were left unaware, they could look it up more easily but yeah Oprah. Also I found that a lot of her picks were the same. Different authors but all carried the same theme and that didn’t appeal to me.

Why bring this up? Wild was the first book in Oprah’s book club 2.0 and quickly became the “You just have to read” book. It’s also a memoir and I think we have established I don’t read much non-fiction. So I had no interest in reading it. I still had no interest in reading it when Kate assigned it to me but I’m glad I did. I was truly touched by Cheryl’s story. I was in tears when she was describing the death of her mother. I don’t even want to think about losing my mom and I think I could understand her downward spiral. To decide to go on a three month, thousand mile hike by herself is not only crazy to me but unbelievably brave. To do something like that when you are not really prepared to so is even more crazy and brave. I laughed through her struggles with “monster” aka her pack. I was anxious for her when the reservoir was out of water and she hadn’t brought enough. With every new person she met, I was just as nervous about meeting as she was but most were nice and helpful. As a woman alone, meeting strangers, particular men can be dangerous but the danger was mostly from the trail itself and Cheryl’s own mistakes not from people she met. I enjoyed reading her journey and could see as the hike went on how much she grew. By the time it ended, I knew she would be ok. Not just because I know that Cheryl has had a successful writing career but because through her hike, she was able to see truths about herself, admit the ugly truths and accept things about herself that are unpleasant but all of that, everything that happened, led her to that moment and made her who she is today. Maybe we all should take a break from our lives and go wild.

Review: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Kate

I ripped through this novel like a knife through tissue paper. it was so good. Better than good. It was a delight.

The book takes in 1999 and early 2000. Lincoln works for the newspaper in Omaha in the IT department. Most of what he does is monitor the webfence, a program designed to monitor internally for the inappropriate use of email. Everyone at the paper now has email and the higher ups are worried people will abuse it. Mostly what Lincoln does is he checks the folder, sends out warnings, and then does whatever he wants for the rest of his shift.
Beth is a reporter for the newspaper who inappropriately uses her email. Well, she uses it for personal messages and not just for business. Most of the time she emails her friend and coworker Jennifer. Lincoln sees the messages but decides not to say anything. And, then he just keeps reading them and reading them.
When I figured out the premise of the book, that Lincoln basically falls in love with this woman by snooping on her emails I thought, “Oh. That is so gross.” Because it is. But, everything we know about Beth we know from her emails that Lincoln reads. That is the only way she’s in the story. And, she’s easy to like. Beth is smart and she is funny and she really cares about her friend Jennifer. Thankfully, the creepiness of snooping through someone’s email is actually discussed in the book. There are moral compass characters (who play d&d!) There are comic relief characters (Justin, Lincoln’s friend, is fantastic. As is Lincoln’s mother. And, Lincoln’s lunch buddy Delores.).
SPOILERS AHEAD!
The subplots about Jennifer’s marriage and complex relationship with having children was wonderful and something that I would like to see more of in literature and media. The decision to have children is really huge and shouldn’t be taken lightly and so to have it discussed at all (and to have a woman’s doubts about having children discussed) was amazing.

And, the subplot about Beth’s partner Chris was infuriating. If someone is “just too much” for you. Break up with them. Don’t try to make them feel bad about it. Ugh. What a jackass.

This book had everything and I’m so happy that it was part of my pop culture homework assignment!

Review: Adultery by Paulo Coehlo

Posted on June 26, 2015 by Kate

So, you could read my spoilery review of this book or you can follow this link to this video of Bill Nye on Inside Amy Schumer and pretend that I am Bill Nye and the book is all of the women in this video.
Bill Nye on Inside Amy Schumer

When I requested this from the library, I thought I knew what I was getting into. I’ve read other Coehlo books before. I know what his writing is like. I expected that something would happen and that it would lead to some kind of inevitable communion with the infinite, the one, God. I wasn’t wrong.

What I did not expect was to so thoroughly loath the main character. I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt. I’m not married so I certainly haven’t been married for ten years. I don’t have children. Her life is just different from mine, I kept telling myself. Don’t be a hater!
I’m totally a hater.
And, I’m a hater because the main character dismissed people’s attempts to help her. I’m a hater because she assumed that all treatments for depression are just pills and you’re fine. I’m a hater because the main character didn’t talk to her husband about her feelings until way past the point that she should have and then failed to connect with him. I’m a hater because when she sought therapy (finally) she was unhappy that it would take six months for her to make progress that she dismissed them all and looked for a quicker cure (that wasn’t a cure-all pill. Which no one offered her, by the way). And, when this Swiss woman finds her “quicker cure” in the words of a Cuban shaman (who tells her to go ahead and have the affair), it still takes her at least six months to have her effing epiphany.

I get there are many paths to God and I get that lots of people are different and I get that sometimes you just got to get something out of your system. But, this book was terrible and the main character is a horrible person. I don’t often finish books that I don’t enjoy but I did finish this one. And now that I have, you don’t have to. You’re welcome.

Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Do not read this book.

Review: Losing at Love by Jennifer Iacopelli

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Bethlylou

This was a good follow up to Game. Set. Match. With the French Open now behind them, Penny, Indy, and Jasmine look to make the quick turn around of Wimbledon. Probably the most underrated difficult thing to do in any sport, go from the super slow clay courts of Roland Garros to the lightning fast grass courts of Wimbledon. True, over the years, The All England Club has slowed down their courts in an attempt to encourage more rallies but it’s still unbelievable achievement to win the French Open and Wimbledon back to back. Borg did it multiple times, Nadal has done it twice and Federer only once. Ok, so you get the point.

All three girls are in very different places. Indy had a successful French Open, in more ways than one. She won the juniors and got Jack. Penny beat the World number 1 again but sprained her ankle in the process. And poor Jasmine, crashed out the first round of the juniors and now is being pushed to play college instead of going pro. All of their careers are going in different directions and the stakes are getting higher. How does one balance friendships when your playing for thousands of dollars in the most prestigious tournament in the world?

Now, there are a few things I do have a problem with from a tennis fan perspective. Indy and Jasmine have to qualify to make the women’s doubles field but when Indy is given a wildcard, she pulls out. The reasoning is her coach and agent think that she can’t play qualifying and focus on her singles. For someone who has followed tennis as long as I have I feel this in inaccurate, for lack of a better word. Young players are often encouraged to play doubles when they are younger. It gives them more match play, a chance to get real life experience of playing in tournaments. It gives young players a chance to compete and learn how to compete on a more consistent basis while their singles game improves. Winning is winning. However, I understand from a drama point of view, why Miss Iacopelli would decide to go this way and really, I’m being nit picky here.

I do like the friendships. I like that they are messy. I like that for the most part, when they do fight, it’s not about boys but about their games. They all may have dramatic love lives but for all three of them their tennis comes first. I think it’s important to show that girls can be ambitious, that they can have drive but also have the love and respect of a man. I hope that there are more of these because now that Wimbledon is over I can’t wait to see what happens at the US Open.

Reasons I love The Diviners by Libba Bray

Posted on June 20, 2015 by Bethlylou

Let’s try something different in this review. Let’s just talk about what I love about this book and this series (now that I have finished Lair of Dreams!!!)

1. Evie O’Neill is the Elephants Eyebrows, which I assume in 20’s slang for the Bees Knees. She’s joyful, funny, sarcastic, brave and yes a bit spoiled but at her core she wants to help and make difference. If that happens to get her name in the papers so be it.

2. All of the female characters are awesome. Mabel, Evie and Theta are all completely different. I mean seriously, I don’t think you could find different girls. Well, you probably could but as different as they are they compliment each other. Yes, they fight, yes they have their falling outs but when it matters, they are there for each other.

3. The guys are not bad either. Sam, Jericho, Henry and Memphis all have book boyfriend potential. You have bad boy Sam with a heart of gold. Studious Jericho who is more then he appears to be and mysterious Memphis with a poets heart and brother’s loyalty. Henry is the class clown.

4. Libba Bray does a great job of setting a tone of 20’s optimism with darkness and foreboding of something big that is about to happening.

5. You can tell that a lot of research went in to writing of this novel. Everything from the tone, to the slang to the description of clothes and city to the politics and social issues that really brings you into the time and truly makes for a lush reading.

6. I sorta can’t believe that I’ve made it this far without mentioning their super powers! The story revolves around a group of 17-18 years old who start to discover they have strange powers. Like, walking in dreams, reading objects for a person’s past, seeing into the future or healing the sick. It’s like an X-Men origin story!

7.The big bad is truly terrifying but nothing is truly terrifying to me then someone who truly believes that what they are doing is for good even though it is bat shit crazy!

8.Speakeasies, night clubs, Follies and so much more of the Roaring 20’s.

9.For all the optimism of the 20’s, Bray is not afraid to touch on the less happy things from the era, like racism, the Chinese immigration laws, religious fervor and eugenics movement.

10. The diversity of characters. Memphis is black and Henry is gay. Not to mention it’s filled with characters from all spectrums of life in smaller roles as well and more of those characters to come in the sequel.

Review: The Walls Between Us by Nova Ren Suma

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Bethlylou

There are some authors that other authors just swoon over. Nova Ren Suma is one of them and I really don’t get it. Her prose is quite beautiful but I’ve always had a hard time getting into her books and they are not that memorable after I have read them. The only thing I remember about the other book I have read by her, Imaginary Girls was that it had a good ending and I think one of the girls died for the other. The common thread of these books is that her characters are shrouded in mystery. I’m not sure what I’m missing. It’s not that I don’t like her books but I don’t find them to be as wonderful as I they are supposed to be. Then again, reading is subjective. What someone likes someone else might not.

The Walls Around Us is the story of three girls. Amber is in a juvenile dentition center for girls, serving time for a crime she may or may not have committed with little chance of getting out anytime soon. Violet is a ballet dancer, who is on the verge of getting everything she has ever wanted. She just graduated high school and is about to start at Julliard for more training. Orianna is the link between the two of them. As the story unfolds, we discover who did what and who is innocent and who is guilty.

Major spoilers ahead Continue reading →

Review: Penryn and the End of Days by Susan Ee

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Bethlylou

I was first turned onto Angelfall by our friend Stephanie back in 2012. Like her, I was immediately taken with Penryn and Raffe and their struggle to keep their families together litereally and figurely. Her mother schizophrenic and her sister is in a wheelchair. After her father left them, it’s been up to Penryn to take care of them. It was hard enough before Angels descended on the earth an caused a massive breakdown of civilization. For Raffe, he just wants to stop his people from an all out Civil War. Raffe and Penryn team up as they help each other and discovered that the Angel’s appearance of Earth may not be divine intervention after all. Spoilers Ahead! Continue reading →

Review: Game Set Match by Jennifer Iacopelli

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Bethlylou

I liked this a lot more then I thought I would and what a perfect time for me to read with just the French Open starting on Sunday. The players of Outer Banks Tennis Academy are gearing up to play Roland Garros. There is Penny Harrison, rising star on the WTA, who has just beat the number one player in the world. Indy Gaffney, a natural talent who is getting back in the game after the death of her mother and Jasmine Randazzano, the daughter of two Grand Slam tennis. They all of their sights set on tennis greatness and boys. Despite being billed as a romance it’s pretty heavy on the tennis. It actually has more tennis action then Monica Seles’ series, The Academy which is kinda surprising.

Continue reading →

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Our "to read" stacks way exceed our life expectancy

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