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April & Oliver by Tess Callahan

April & Oliver by Tess Callahan, 336 pages.

Best friends since childhood, the sexual tension between April and Oliver has always been palpable. Years after being completely inseparable, they become strangers, but the wildly different paths of their lives cross once again with the sudden death of April's brother. Oliver, the responsible, newly engaged law student finds himself drawn more than ever to the reckless, mystifying April - and cracks begin to appear in his carefully constructed life. Even as Oliver attempts to "save" his childhood friend from her grief, her menacing boyfriend and herself, it soon becomes apparent that Oliver has some secrets of his own--secrets he hasn't shared with anyone, even his fiancé. But April knows, and her reappearance in his life derails him. Is it really April's life that is unraveling, or is it his own? The answer awaits at the end of a downward spiral...towards salvation

When Oliver returns to Maine for a funeral he is forced to confront his feelings for his childhood best friend April. Their relationship is filled with tension, words unspoken, and secrets kept.  Each one tries to protect the other and while both characters can be infuriating in their stubborness, it is obvious both are broken and unsure how to carve out anything healthy between them.  I found the book description to be misleading in regards to the "sexual tension"  - I was pleased to find it wasn't full of steamy affairs. This story is completely character driven - April & Oliver are flawed and believable, and the supporting characters are used sparingly but to great effect. I was completely engrossed from beginning to end.

This was an unexpected gem and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

4.5 stars

The End.

author's website:  www.tesscallahan.com

The Lost Hours by Karen White

The Lost Hours by Karen White, 368 pages.

Since Piper's riding accident she's been a bit aimless, but after her Grandfather dies she remembers the box buried in the garden. What she uncovers is a decades old mystery involving pieces of a scrapbook, three friends, and a dead baby.

I didn't have any expectations - even though I'd heard of Karen White I had never read her previous books (The House on Tradd Street, The Memory of Water are a couple) - and found this to be a truly enjoyable read.   The combination of setting (Savannah), history (old friendships and race relations), and mystery (what happened to that baby?) was successful without being obvious, cheesy, or schmaltzy. Piper's journey to piece together the past also has implications for her future as she emotionally heals from her devastating accident and regains her confidence. The supporting characters were well placed and the shift between past and present was easy to follow. The story dealt with some pretty heavy themes while remaining a lighter read.

This would be a great summer/vacation read.

4 stars

The End.

Testimony by Anita Shreve

Testimony by Anita Shreve, 320 pages.

At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal is about to break. Even more shocking than the sexual acts themselves is the fact that they were caught on videotape. A Pandora's box of revelations, the tape triggers a chorus of voices--those of the men, women, teenagers, and parents involved in the scandal--that details the ways in which lives can be derailed or destroyed in one foolish moment.

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This reminded me of a Jodi Piccoult book (although the writing is better)with it's different point of view on a controversial topic - in this case, underage drinking and sex amidst a private school setting. It was definitely a page turner although the first chapter was a bit graphic, detailing the events on the videotape that causes all the trouble. (So if you are interested in skipping that particular part it shouldn't ruin the book for you.)  Each chapter was from the point of view (1st, 2nd and 3rd person) of various characters and interestingly was in both past and present tense. In spite of this style, I didn't find it hard to piece together what was happening - if anything the various voices helped get to know those characters since they were spread out in small bits.

I found this story both horrifying and sad. There were so many what ifs and bad decisions, lives ruined and choices made. I'm not sure if it's because I have sons or the way the story was written, but I couldn't help but feel bad for a couple of the boys. The "victim" wasn't portrayed very sympathetically, but constant references to her age remind the reader of her naivete and poor judgment.  This is a serious story, made easier to read by quick pacing. No one comes out winning, although it does end somewhat hopefully.

3.5 stars

This book was just released in paperback. It would make for a great book club discussion.

Thanks to Hatchette Books for the review copy. I'm giving it away - just leave a comment and you'll be entered.

Other reviews:

Bermuda Onion

Book Addiction

Booking Mama

The Book Lady's Blog

Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton

Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton, 343 pages.

I first heard about Rosy Thornton's books on goodreads. And had imagined they would be a good introduction into British chick lit...but the latest by Jill Mansell moved to the front of the line. So when Ms. Thornton contacted me and offered to send me her latest, I was eager to get another chance at the genre.

While I don't know about the rest of her books, which I have on my TBR list, Crossed Wires is a mature version of chick lit. Let me explain, this is a good thing. The characters are not flaky or shallow - in this case single parents who meet when Peter has a minor accident, calls the insurance company and gets Mina. Their relationship develops over the phone through much of the story and the character development is richer than most of the fluff out there.  You get to know the separate families, their struggles,and they seem like real people - not the desperate one dimensional characters found in most of the genre. So if you're looking for a solid light read - I recommend Thornton's books. She seems to understand that you can still have a sweet story without being superficial.

3.5-4 stars

The End.

Rosy Thornton's other books include: More Than Love Letters  & Hearts and Minds. Her website is: www.rosythornton.com

If you'd like to win a copy of this book, leave a comment.  I'll pick a winner at the end of the month.

I Loved I Lost I Made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucci

I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucci, 288 pages.

I think, but cannot know for sure, that this compendium of love gone wrong/food gone right is supposed to make you think Ms. Melucci is carefree, witty, and leading a somewhat charmed life in the big city. Upon finishing it, all I felt was sad for her - not pity, just sad.  Obviously if you write a memoir about how awful your quest for love is and try to make it light-hearted, it would be nice if the reader believes you are okay with it. However she mentions her desire for marriage often, perhaps children, but mostly marriage, and as she moves into her 40s remains wistful on that front. I was expecting to get a sense that she was happy in her single-dom, and that some good pasta has satiated her desire for family. And that she is cooking up a storm, throws herself into dinner parties, and becomes a real foodie. That is what the book jacket promises, but does not deliver. It truly seemed like an exercise in frivolity, style with no substance as she falls into relationships that are train wrecks from the first meeting (with the exception of one). And the recipes and family anecdotes seem like an afterthought - more of a gimmick to be in the foodie memoir genre.  I wanted to like it, I just didn't believe it. Although I would be interested to study the reviews of single vs. married women. My suspicion is a single gal may find it a bit more palatable.

It probably doesn't help that immediately after closing this book, I read another foodie lit/memoir called Cooking and Screaming: Finding My Own Recipe for Recovery by Adrienne Kane (author of food blog www.nosheteria.com).  She had a stroke at 22, and food is very much a part of her comeback as she relearns everything, including how to cook. It is inspiring, honest, light without being flip, and the recipes fit nicely into the story (and sound appealing too). I would highly recommend this one as an alternative to I Loved I Lost if you are looking for a good memoir with food. (I'm obviously stuck in this genre as I savor Orangette's A Homemade Life....more on that later.)

I Loved I Lost - 2 stars

Cooking and Screaming - 4 stars

The End.

An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell

An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell, 408 pages.

I thought I'd try out some British chick lit since an accent makes everything better. Unfortunately, it wasn't an audio book.  Here's the story - Lola & Dougie are young and in love. Dougie's upper crust mum isn't a fan of Lola and offers her lotsa money to break up with Dougie. Lola is appalled, but when faced with a family emergency she is forced to accept the bribe and break up with Dougie.  Fast forward ten years later, Lola and Dougie meet again and she is still in love with him. But is he still in love with her and can he trust her?

This was actually a funny, likeable story with funky characters.  Lola was a feisty heroine and I wanted to like her, but she was a little bit too tarty and crass for my taste. (I am the mother of boys, after all). I thought the supporting players were amusing and liked the back story involving Lola's long lost father.  In this genre, there aren't going to be any surprises - if you're already a fan of chick lit this is a worthy addition. If you're looking for a light beach read go ahead and grab it.

2.5-3 stars

The End.

Thanks to Sourcebooks for the review copy. The book is available now.

Other reviews:

Bermuda Onion

Booking Mama

My Friend Amy

Sing Them Home by Stephanie Kallos

Sing Them Home by Stephanie Kallos, 540 pages.

Having just recently read her first book, Broken For You, I was anxious to read this one and grabbed it at my new favorite bookstore - A Likely Story. It's definitely a long one - makes me think I should have joined the Chunkster Challenge - but moves along fairly quickly.

Reminiscent of Haven Kimmel's The Used World with its small town and quirky characters, but not quite as skillfully done.  Sing Them Home is the story of 3 siblings shaped not only by their upbringing in Emlyn Springs, Nebraska but by the tornado that whisked their mother away in 1978. Kallos' ability to make this strange set of circumstances believable and compelling is to her credit. Unfortunately, I found two of the three siblings to be rather one-dimensional and never made it to rooting for them.  And in a book this long, it's nice to have some interest in the main characters, no? One of the highlights were the excerpts from their mother's journal as she chronicles her adjustment to small town living, pregnancies, and her battle with MS. 

Despite its length and a few cardboard characters, I liked it. If you were a fan of Broken For You, it has the same framework - the story begins and looks like it's headed in a totally different direction than you expect - which is unique.  So I recommend it even though it was just a like for me, I think some of you will really enjoy it.

3 stars

The End.

Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman

Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman, 320 pages.

Admittedly, I am a fan of the travel memoir. Possibly because I don't leave the east coast and most definitely because I'm the least adventurous person I know.  I'm open to travel, but only if led by someone more experienced - not a chart my own course kind of girl. So this story of a post-college backpacking trip to China in the 1980s caught my attention. (Would you agree that the cover doesn't really scream travel memoir? Yeah, that bugs me a bit.)

After looking at a world map on a placemat at IHOP, the author and her friend Claire make grand plans to travel following graduation. They decide to begin in China which at the time wasn't exactly known as a big tourist destination - all the better for adventure. Susan is the more hesitant of the two from the start, especially when the accomodations and transportation are less than sanitary. Claire is an encouraging counterpart, pushing them ahead into the unknown. As the weeks progress, Claire begins showing signs of fatigue and behaving oddly.  The foreshadowing is such that it doesn't take long to figure out the trip is not going to end well - but the cast of characters they meet along the way help to save the travelers from all manner of disaster. As far as I am concerned the supporting people make the story, as Susan appears to be most worried about "hooking up" and Claire is most worried about being followed by spies. It is truly unlike any travel saga I've ever read or heard about and the fact they both emerge safely is nothing short of miraculous.

A fascinating look at China in the 1980s from the perspective of an inexperienced traveler and a story that is likely to keep me safely stashed on my couch.  The author was honest about her naivete and foibles, but was annoying nonetheless.  Claire really couldn't help her issues, but I wonder at the wisdom in her decision to travel at all. As I said before, their fellow travelers and Chinese acquaintances keep the story moving and interesting.

3 stars.

The End.

Susan Jane Gilman has written other books: Hypocrite in a Poufy White Dress  and Kiss My Tiara. Her website is www.susanjanegilman.com

Other reviews can be found here:

Bermuda Onion

A Novel Menagerie

Blueberries & Peanut Butter

The Magician's Book by Laura Miller

The Magician's Book by Laura Miller, 320 pages.

Subtitled "A Skeptic's Adventures in Narnia", preparing to read and review this book was a bit daunting. I've had it in my to-read pile for months - afraid I would in no way relate to the author's feeling of betrayal at learning her childhood love was really a Christian allegory (although not in the true definition - she submits that it is symbolic not allegorical and I tend to agree).  And I normally don't enjoy entire books devoted to literary criticism.

In second grade, Laura Miller's teacher handed her The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe and she was entranced. Hooked. Captivated. Only to realize at 13 that Aslan symbolized Jesus and his death on the stone tablet, the crucificion. Hurt, angry and confused, Miller spends years and much energy returning to her childhood love and attempting to carve out meaning she can keep.

Well, as prepared as I was to gut it out, I didn't have to. From the Introduction, Laura Miller firmly establishes herself as a lover of books. Describing that feeling known only to avid readers seeking that next "one".  That feeling that begins in childhood when a book transforms you into "one of those children who haunt libraries, checking out the maximum number of titles every week, scouring the shelves for signs that this one or that one would spirit me away to a place almost as marvelous as (Narnia)." (pg.4)

There are plenty of parts in The Magician's Book when Miller becomes heavy handed in denouncing the Christian themes and Lewis' character (racist, sexist, elitist). It's one thing to feel duped but I can't imagine seeing Aslan as an annoying device or Susan's vanity (The Last Battle) as denouncing girlishness.  But of course, since Miller is a skeptic, and I am a believer we could go back and forth about it all day. And I am accustomed to doubt, seeing it in most contemporary writing.

I appreciate her thorough examination of all the elements of The Chronicles and Lewis, but she makes the mistake that most "intellectuals" make, implying Christians are simpletons.  Of course Narnia is totally unlike her experience with Christianity, it's unlike mine too. It's fantasy, it's an ideal - love and obedience to Aslan flows naturally - he is kind and wise, but his authority is never in doubt.  It is a picture of what Christianity should look like, and the depth that Miller still appreciates - the universal lessons of good and evil are exactly why Christians (and non-Christians) respond so strongly.  The fact that it is magical for children readers and instructive for adults is exactly what makes it wonderful. It is rare to capture the hearts and minds of readers of all ages - with depth and a lovely turn of phrase. Have you heard it said better - "always winter, never Christmas" - to describe the environment of Narnia?

At times the Magician's Book seems to be Miller's therapy - justifying how she can still love a book that has wronged her while at other times proving exactly the point that she is trying to dispute. (I.e. Edmund and original sin)  Any book (including the Narnia series) that inspires this kind of examination and dialogue must be worthwhile.

The idea that Mr. Lewis had some kind of sinister Christian agenda tends to overlook the fact that all authors have an agenda. And if you are an atheist, a Muslim, or fill in the blank - something of what an author believes naturally comes out in their writing. I continue to be amused by those who single out Christian authors merely because they feel tricked into reading what goes against their beliefs. As I have said before at least 80 percent of the books I read have elements that run counter to what I believe. But I find it to be stimulating and reaffirming. I certainly don't get angry, maybe sad, but rarely offended. For in their words, authors reveal where they stand and I feel as though I learn about them through their writing.  Perhaps I would think differently if I found out one of my favorite series from childhood,  Little House on the Prairie was really about hatred of the Indians .... In this vein, I tried to remember how I felt when I discovered Carolyn Keene was not the Mary Tyler Moore of writing the Nancy Drew series. In fact, she was created by a corporation who hired a series of ghostwriters to continue Nancy's adventures in a money-making series.  The words betrayed and horrified are too strong, I was definitely bummed to lose a role model, but still glad to have the books regardless of how they came to be.

I too read The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe in grammar school but did not continue through the entire Chronicles of Narnia until adulthood (and I'm still a couple books short of completion).  I don't enjoy fantasy, and as a child being totally unfamiliar with religious symbolism it was completely over my head.  Now that I am an adult (and a Christian) I appreciate Lewis' obvious storytelling talent more than the symbolism (a point with which Miller happens to agree). I happened to read the first two Narnia books right before picking up the first Harry Potter and it was akin to going from fine dining to fast food - the differences were that painful. I am convinced that Lewis effectively ruined any enjoyment I may get out of the Potter books, which is fine.  KWB is starting the Potter series now and I look forward to seeing them through his eyes. 

This book is one part criticism, one part memoir, one part Lewis biography, and one part hammering skepticism. I think it would be a valuable tool for use in a curriculum setting where Narnia is being studied.

3.5+ stars (somewhere between 3.5 & 4)

The End.

author website: www.lauramiller.typepad.com

other reviews:

Bermuda Onion

Beth Kephart (author I love) not so much a review, but an interesting mention

Devourer of Books

"A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest. " - C.S. Lewis

The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano

The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano, 241 pages

Melody Grace McCartney has been in the witness protection program since she was six. She has no idea what it would be like to go to college, fall in love, have a baby, live normally. The only thing she can "control" is crying wolf in order to change her surroundings. But this time is different when Jonathan Bovaro, from the mafia family she is hiding from, finds her and has unexpected plans.

Tight and sharp, the pace is quick and almost fools the reader, appearing as a lighter story. The themes of identity and self-awareness are definitely lurking here as it  alternately thrills, saddens, and triumphs. It would be easy to write Melody off as a whiny victim - she behaves foolishly at times, but is written sympathetically. I was moved to tears as I felt her pain and loss. She is truly stunted in some ways and who could blame her?

And David, I forgive your slight on good ole Columbia (aka where I live) - because you are right it is the epitome of suburbia.  I must admit it is great fun to read about places I recognize - with the Baltimore and East Coast setting. Regardless of your location this is a great first novel and an author to watch. 

I recommend it without reservation -one of my favorites of 2009.

4.5 stars

AVAILABLE NOW - Many thanks to Tanisha at Grand Central Publishing HBG.

The End.

www.davidcristofano.com