To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Title: To Kill a Mockingbird
Author: Harper Lee
Pages: 323
Published: 2005 (first published 1960)
Genre: Literary Fiction, Classics
Edition: Paperback
Source: Personal

Description: Set in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression, To Kill a Mockingbird follows three years in the life of 8-year-old Scout Finch, her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus--three years punctuated by the arrest and eventual trial of a young black man accused of raping a white woman. Though her story explores big themes, Harper Lee chooses to tell it through the eyes of a child. The result is a tough and tender novel of race, class, justice, and the pain of growing up. (via Amazon.ca)

Thoughts:  I read this book this past summer because I wanted to have the storyline fresh in my mind when I read Go Set A Watchman.  It also didn't help that I hadn't read the book in over 20 years and the book had become fuzzy and couldn't quite remember when things happened in the book.  I suppose listening to the audiobook, which was narrated by Sissy Spacek, didn't hurt either.

Usually I find some little thing to nit-pick, even the ones that have a 4.5 rating, but  honestly there was nothing that came to my mind in regards to anything bad about the book.  I can see why why this book is considered to be a classic, even though it has only been about 55 years since its first publication.

Bottom line: I quite enjoyed this read and would recommend this book not only to readers, but also to non-readers as well.  Highly Recommended.

Rating: 5/5

Hausfrau - Jill Alexander Essbaum

Title: Hausfrau
Author: Jill Alexander Essbaum
Pages: 324
Published: 2015
Genre: Literary fiction
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description: Anna Benz, an American in her late thirties, lives with her Swiss husband, Bruno—a banker—and their three young children in a postcard-perfect suburb of Zürich. Though she leads a comfortable, well-appointed life, Anna is falling apart inside. Adrift and increasingly unable to connect with the emotionally unavailable Bruno or even with her own thoughts and feelings, Anna tries to rouse herself with new experiences: German language classes, Jungian analysis, and a series of sexual affairs she enters with an ease that surprises even her.  

But Anna can’t easily extract herself from these affairs. When she wants to end them, she finds it’s difficult. Tensions escalate, and her lies start to spin out of control. Having crossed a moral threshold, Anna will discover where a woman goes when there is no going back. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: This was another book that I felt that the writing was strong where the main character was unlikable.  I felt that Anna was really unlikable and that many of the decisions that she made where very selfish and not willing to make her marriage work or seek out more women who are in a similar predicament as she did end up doing.

That being said, Essbaum's writing was excellent, drawing the reader into Anna's mind and the conundrum that Anna gets herself into and leaving the ending to the reader's imagination.

Bottom line: Despite Anna's self-destructive behaviour in the book, I found the book to be an enjoyable read.  Highly recommended.

Rating: 4/5

The Narrow Road to the Deep North - Richard Flanagan

Title: The Narrow Road to the Deep North
Author: Richard Flanagan
Pages: 334
Published: 2014
Genre: Historical Fiction
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description: Richard Flanagan's story — of Dorrigo Evans, an Australian doctor haunted by a love affair with his uncle's wife — journeys from the caves of Tasmanian trappers in the early twentieth century to a crumbling pre-war beachside hotel, from a Thai jungle prison to a Japanese snow festival, from the Changi gallows to a chance meeting of lovers on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Taking its title from 17th-century haiku poet Basho's travel journal, The Narrow Road To The Deep North is about the impossibility of love. At its heart is one day in a Japanese slave labour camp in August 1943. As the day builds to its horrific climax, Dorrigo Evans battles and fails in his quest to save the lives of his fellow POWs, a man is killed for no reason, and a love story unfolds. (via Goodreads).

Thoughts: I will admit that the only reason that I read this book was because it won the 2014 Man Booker Prize, making it the fourth Booker award winner that I have read, that I am aware of (The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Illuminaries by Eleanor Catton and Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel being the other three).

What I liked about the book was that while the book has beautiful imagery, it is also heartbreaking at the same time and renders the reader speechless.  It is a book of contrasts in that while your heart is breaking, yet at the same time you are hoping that characters in the book survive.

You also get a feel for what the POW camps that were building the railways through Thailand and Burma during the Second World War (the movie The Railway Man takes place during the same era). I definitely got the sense of atmosphere and quickly got wrapped up in Evans' world before, during and after the war (I felt that the scenes that took place after the war were almost dream-like; almost as if Dorrigo was imaging what could happen, if he survived the labour camp).

I really liked the dream-like quality that Flanagan brought to the book, especially the parts that take place after the war.  It was  almost like one was driven into a dream-like trance as a result.

Bottom line: A very well written book and certainly worthy of the Man Booker Prize that it received.  Probably would recommend the book to those that enjoy reading literary pieces of fiction.  Highly Recommended.

Rating: 4.5/5

Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel

Title: Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell Trilogy #1)
Author: Hilary Mantel
Pages: 532
Published: 2009
Genre: Historical Fiction
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Personal

Description: Tudor England. Henry VIII is on the throne, but has no heir. Cardinal Wolsey is charged with securing his divorce. Into this atmosphere of distrust comes Thomas Cromwell - a man as ruthlessly ambitious in his wider politics as he is for himself. 

His reforming agenda is carried out in the grip of a self-interested parliament and a king who fluctuates between romantic passions and murderous rages. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: This book had been on my TBR for a number of years and the TV series that aired this past spring in North America on PBS prompted me to read the book.  I actually liked that it was a little slower to read through, as one was able to get a sense of Cromwell's intellect and calculating behaviour.  I liked how Mantel used language to slow the reader down deliberately and the personal details that were interspersed throughout the book and didn't overwhelm the story itself.

Bottom line: Really enjoyed the book and details and can see why the book won the Man Booker.  I would recommend the book to those that enjoy literary fiction and history fiction.  Highly Recommended.

Rating:  4.5/5

The Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton

Title: The Age of Innocence
Author: Edith Wharton
File Size (Pages): 1.5 MB (210)
Published: 2012 (first published 1920)
Challenges: Back to the Classics, Classics Club, E-Book, Eclectic Reader
Genre: Classics
Edition: E-book
Source: Personal

Description: The Age of Innocence is the haunting story of the struggle between love and duty in Gilded Age New York told through the eyes of Newland Archer and his betrothed, May Welland. A young lawyer on the rise, Newland Archer needs only a society wife to solidify his position, but finds himself torn after he meets and falls deeply in love with May’s disgraced cousin, the Countess Olenska. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: This was a book I had wanted to read for sometime and had also borrowed from the library the film that was directed by Martin Socrsese.  

I was a little disappointed with the story itself, in that I felt that the characters were superficial and therefore did not really care for the characters nor did I feel any sort of sympathy for them.  I also felt that the story was simplistic and thought that it could have been a bit more complex than it actually was.

Bottom line: I felt that the book was okay and did not exactly wow me.  I would probably start with something else by Wharton, but since I put this book in my Classics Club Spin list, it was what I ended up reading.  Recommended.

Rating: 2.5/5

Pages for 2015: 897

Burial Rites - Hannah Kent

Title: Burial Rites
Author: Hannah Kent
Pages: 388
Published: 2014 (first published 2013)
Challenges: Historical Fiction
Genre: Historical Fiction
Edition: Paperback
Source: Personal

Description:  Set against Iceland's stark landscape, Hannah Kent brings to vivid life the story of Agnes, who, charged with the brutal murder of her former master, is sent to an isolated farm to await execution.

Horrified at the prospect of housing a convicted murderer, the family at first avoids Agnes. Only Tóti, a priest Agnes has mysteriously chosen to be her spiritual guardian, seeks to understand her. But as Agnes's death looms, the farmer's wife and their daughters learn there is another side to the sensational story they've heard.

Riveting and rich with lyricism, BURIAL RITES evokes a dramatic existence in a distant time and place, and asks the question, how can one woman hope to endure when her life depends upon the stories told by others? (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I really enjoyed the book; it definitely will be on my top ten books that I read in 2014.  It was much like reading The Children Act this past fall, in that the language left me mesmerized by creating an atmosphere that was as stark as the environment of northern Iceland during the winter months.

The pace of the book reflected the starkness of the environment that surrounded the characters and didn't reveal too much of Agnes' story at once, but instead revealed her story slowly, piece-by-piece, with most of it in chronological order, but sometimes with a quick flashback to something that happened several years prior.

I also liked that reader got a sense of Agnes' thoughts and feelings as her execution date approaches.  I particularly liked how the attitudes towards Agnes changed amongst the family over the course of the book and how Agnes becomes more sympathetic as the book wore on.

The characters came off as being a bit matter-of-fact and maybe a bit stark at times, reflecting the landscape.  There were times that the book was tedious at times, but felt like there was just enough to keep one interested in the story.

I am looking forward to seeing how the book translates into a film, as a good portion of the book focuses on Agnes' thoughts and feelings.

Bottom line: If like books that draw you in through language and has a strong narrative, you will probably enjoy this read.  Highly recommended.

Rating: 4.5/5

Pages for 2014: 26,751

Mrs. Hemingway - Naomi Wood

Title: Mrs. Hemingway
Author: Naomi Wood
Pages: 336
Published: 2014
Challenges Blogger Summer Reading, Historical Fiction
Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Edition: Trade Paperback
Source: Personal

Description: [T]ells the story of how it was to love, and be loved by, the most famous and dashing writer of his generation. Hadley, Pauline, Martha and Mary: each Mrs. Hemingway thought their love would last forever; each one was wrong.

Told in four parts and based on real love letters and telegrams, Mrs. Hemingway reveals the explosive love triangles that wrecked each of Hemingway's marriages. Spanning 1920s bohemian Paris through 1960s Cold War America, populated with members of the fabled "Lost Generation," Mrs. Hemingway is a riveting tale of passion, love, and heartbreak. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I first heard about the book through You Wrote the Book, a podcast hosted by The Reader's Simon Savage, when he interviewed Naomi Wood about this book and another novel she has written, and I was interested in the book, especially since I had really enjoyed reading The Paris Wife the previous summer.

I wasn't at all disappointed.  I liked how Ms. Wood structured the book, using the beginning and ending of each of Hemingway's four marriages as the areas that were primarily focused on.  I also liked that while the book was fairly easy to read, it also had a depth to the narration, as though the author cared about each of the four women that she wrote about as individuals.  The prose was made to seem effortless and moved with a consistent cadence that made it easy to pick up and read a section, even after not reading it for a few days.

There were some things that made it difficult to read at times, but they were minor and few and were mostly due to me not able to focus on the story at hand.

Bottom line:  While it appears to be a light read, there is a depth to the book and I look forward to whatever Ms. Wood writes in the future.  If you enjoyed The Paris Wife by Paula McLain, you will enjoy this expansion of that story.  Highly recommended.

Rating: 4.75/5

Pages for 2014: 19,349

If you have read this book, what did you think of it?

The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

Title: The Remains of the Day
Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
Pages: 245
Published: 2005 (first published 1988)
Challenges: Historical Fiction, Blogger Summer Reading, Roofbeemer TBR, Bookish TBR
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction
Edition: Paperback
Source: Personal

Description: The novel's narrator, Stevens, is a perfect English butler who tries to give his narrow existence form and meaning through the self-effacing, almost mystical practice of his profession. In a career that spans the second World War, Stevens is oblivious of the real life that goes on around him -- oblivious, for instance, of the fact that his aristocrat employer is a Nazi sympathizer. Still, there are even larger matters at stake in this heartbreaking, pitch-perfect novel -- namely, Stevens' own ability to allow some bit of life-affirming love into his tightly repressed existence. (from Goodreads.com)

Thoughts: This was the third Ishiguro novel that I read (first two were When We Were Orphans and Never Let Me Go) and this was by far my most enjoyable experience, probably because I had already knew what the story was about due to the Merchant Ivory movie of the same title that was based on this book (the one that starred Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins, Hugh Grant and Christopher Reeve).

I did have some issues with the book, namely that when Stevens was in the 'present'.  I found that those sections dragged and that when he was reflecting on his life just prior to World War II seemed to fly by and go more quickly.  It also didn't help that it took me the majority of the book for me to find a rhythm and get a sense for the book.

What I did like was that the ending was a bit ambiguous and Ishiguro allows for the reader to draw their  own conclusions about what happened in the end.

Bottom line:  I would probably say that if you have really enjoyed any of Ishiguro's other pieces of fiction, you probably will enjoy this book as well.  Also if you enjoyed the film, you probably will like the book as well.  Highly recommended.

Rating: 4.25/5

Pages for 2014: 13,061

If you have read the book, what did you think of it?

The Bear - Claire Cameron

Title: The Bear
Author: Claire Cameron
Pages: 221
Published: 2014
Challenges: I Love Libraries, Blogger Summer Reading
Genre: Fiction, Canadian Fiction, Contemporary, Literary, Suspense/Thriller
Edition: Paperback
Source: Library

Description: While camping with her family on a remote island, five-year-old Anna awakes in the night to the sound of her mother screaming. A rogue black bear, three hundred pounds of fury, is attacking the family's campsite -- and pouncing on her parents as prey.

At her dying mother's faint urging, Anna manages to get her brother into the family's canoe and paddle away. But when the canoe runs aground on the edge of the woods, the sister and brother must battle hunger, the elements, and a wilderness alive with danger. Lost and completely alone, they find that their only hope resides in Anna's heartbreaking love for her family, and her struggle to be brave when nothing in her world seems safe anymore. (from Goodreads)

Thoughts: Prior to reading this book, I had seen a review or two, which piqued my interest in the book.  And when I was able to sit down with the book and read it, I basically ripped through the book and could really feel the intensity of the kids trying to get help.  It took me a couple times to read the beginning to understand what exactly happened.  But once I had gotten through the first pages of the book (basically got myself launched into the book), I was able to get swept into the rhythm of the book and felt like I was right there with the two kids.

Bottom line: If you were a fan of Room by Emma Donoghue, you will probably enjoy this read, as it had that same sort of frenetic pace that Room had.  Highly Recommended.

Rating: 4.25/5

Pages for 2014: 9661

HHhH - Laurent Binet

Title: HHhH
Author: Laurent Binet, Sam Taylor (translator)
Pages: 330
Published: 2012 (first published 2009)
Challenges: I Love Libraries, Eclectic Reading, Historical Fiction
Genre: Historical Fiction, War Fiction, Translation, Literary Fiction
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description: HHhH: “Himmlers Hirn heisst Heydrich”, or “Himmler’s brain is called Heydrich”. The most dangerous man in Hitler’s cabinet, Reinhard Heydrich was known as the “Butcher of Prague.” He was feared by all and loathed by most. With his cold Aryan features and implacable cruelty, Heydrich seemed indestructible—until two men, a Slovak and a Czech recruited by the British secret service, killed him in broad daylight on a bustling street in Prague, and thus changed the course of History.

Who were these men, arguably two of the most discreet heroes of the twentieth century? In Laurent Binet’s captivating debut novel, we follow Jozef Gabćik and Jan Kubiš from their dramatic escape of Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia to England; from their recruitment to their harrowing parachute drop into a war zone, from their stealth attack on Heydrich’s car to their own brutal death in the basement of a Prague church.

A seemingly effortlessly blend of historical truth, personal memory, and Laurent Binet’s remarkable imagination, HHhH—an international bestseller and winner of the prestigious Prix Goncourt du Premier Roman—is a work at once thrilling and intellectually engrossing, a fast-paced novel of the Second World War that is also a profound meditation on the nature of writing and the debt we owe to history. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I first heard about this novel through Hear...Read This! as one of their first selections and because the book sounded interesting.  I had never heard about Reinhard Heydrich (may have heard his name his name in course of my history courses in university, but it never probably clicked in my head) and once I had received the book, I did some research on him and trust me he was not one you wanted to cross, both in life and in death.

What I liked about the most about the book is that the chapters were very short, mostly about a third to a half page and that you could see the author's thought process, at least I think it was, interjected with a bit of history of the Czech resistance movement.  It was interesting to read a book that took from the Axis side that didn't involved the civilian population.

If there was something that bothered me was that when the author would spend a lot of time in the present and not return to the historical aspect of the book as quickly as I would have liked the author to.

Bottom line: If you are a fan of war fiction, I would highly recommend the book.  Even if you like reading historical fiction that presents something that isn't your typical historical fiction and something more with a literary bent.  Recommended.

Rating: 3.9/5

Pages for 2014: 7073

The Orenda - Joseph Boyden

Title: The Orenda
Author: Joseph Boyden
Pages: 501
Published: 2013
Challenges: Chunkster, I Love Libraries, Historical Fiction
Genre: Historical fiction, Canadian literature, Literary fiction
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description: A visceral portrait of life at a crossroads, The Orenda opens with a brutal massacre and the kidnapping of the young Iroquois Snow Falls, a spirited girl with a special gift. Her captor, Bird, is an elder and one of the Huron Nation’s great warriors and statesmen. It has been years since the murder of his family and yet they are never far from his mind. In Snow Falls, Bird recognizes the ghost of his lost daughter and sees the girl possesses powerful magic that will be useful to him on the troubled road ahead. Bird’s people have battled the Iroquois for as long as he can remember, but both tribes now face a new, more dangerous threat from afar.

Christophe, a charismatic Jesuit missionary, has found his calling amongst the Huron and devotes himself to learning and understanding their customs and language in order to lead them to Christ. An emissary from distant lands, he brings much more than his faith to the new world.

As these three souls dance each other through intricately woven acts of duplicity, small battles erupt into bigger wars and a nation emerges from worlds in flux. (via Goodreads.com)

Thoughts: I felt that the book was disjointed and while for the most part I could tell who main speaker was, there were times that I was unable to.

There was also the problem that I couldn't tell what point in time the chapter was, even though it was clear that time passed in the novel, mainly due to the age of Snow Falls.  While it was a read that I did get entranced with, I really couldn't figure out exactly time period I was moving through (but after doing a search, I realize that it takes place during the mid-17th century, but it would have been nice to have a context for the book).

That being said, the author does create a lyrical picture of Huronia (yes, I also found that out too during my search to find out the period of the book and by end of the book, I was definitely engrossed in the book.

Bottom line: If you are a fan of contemporary Canadian literature or at least a contemporary spin on a historical event, you might enjoy this one.  Even if you like literary fiction, you may like this as well. Recommended.

Rating: 3.5/5

Pages for 2014: 6391

The Interestings - Meg Wolitzer

Title: The Interestings
Author: Meg Wolitzer
Pages: 480
Published: 2012
Challenges: Chunkster, I Love Libraries
Genre: Literary Fiction
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description: The summer that Nixon resigns, six teenagers at a summer camp for the arts become inseparable. Decades later the bond remains powerful, but so much else has changed. In The Interestings, Wolitzer follows these characters from the height of youth through middle age, as their talents, fortunes, and degrees of satisfaction diverge.

The kind of creativity that is rewarded at age fifteen is not always enough to propel someone through life at age thirty; not everyone can sustain, in adulthood, what seemed so special in adolescence. Jules Jacobson, an aspiring comic actress, eventually resigns herself to a more practical occupation and lifestyle. Her friend Jonah, a gifted musician, stops playing the guitar and becomes an engineer. But Ethan and Ash, Jules’s now-married best friends, become shockingly successful—true to their initial artistic dreams, with the wealth and access that allow those dreams to keep expanding. The friendships endure and even prosper, but also underscore the differences in their fates, in what their talents have become and the shapes their lives have taken.

Wide in scope, ambitious, and populated by complex characters who come together and apart in a changing New York City, The Interestings explores the meaning of talent; the nature of envy; the roles of class, art, money, and power; and how all of it can shift and tilt precipitously over the course of a friendship and a life. (via Goodreads.com)

Thoughts: I first heard about this book either through the Bookrageous or through Books on the Nightstand, but I pretty sure I heard about the book through both at some point, and then heard about the book through the New York Times Book Review Podcast, which convinced me that I really did need to read the book and that it did appeal to me.

And I wasn't disappointed with it at all.  While I felt that it took a bit of the story to actually get going, once the story did get going, I really got into the story.  What I really liked was the shift between the characters and how very different their narratives ended up being from each other and reflected their personalities well.  I also liked how they interacted with each other and was really surprised how involved I got with the various characters, especially with Jules.  In fact, I got so involved with the story that I found myself bawling as I finishing up the book.

I don't know why the book struck a chord with me in that manner, but while I didn't like it so much as to garner a higher rating, it was a book that probably will stay with me for a long time.

Bottom line: If you enjoy reading more contemporary pieces of fiction, you probably will enjoy this book.  Or even if you want to read something that allows you to think a bit while being engrossed in a book that allows one to escape for a bit.  Highly recommended.

Rating: 4.5/5

Pages for 2014: 4946

The Luminaries - Eleanor Catton

Title: The Luminaries
Author: Eleanor Catton
Pages: 834
Published: 2013
Challenges: Chunkster, Historical Fiction
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Personal

Description: It is 1866, and young Walter Moody has come to make his fortune upon the New Zealand goldfields. On the stormy night of his arrival, he stumbles across a tense gathering of twelve local men who have met in secret to discuss a series of unexplained events: A wealthy man has vanished, a prostitute has tried to end her life, and an enormous fortune has been discovered in the home of a luckless drunk. Moody is soon drawn into the mystery: a network of fates and fortunes that is as complex and exquisitely ornate as the night sky. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I had a bit of difficulty getting into this book, but I ended up actually enjoying the book.  I think if there had been a little bit more editing to the book (the first section should have been cut maybe by about 100 pages), I think that I may have enjoyed the book a little bit more than I did.  Overall, it is a pretty good read and once I was able to get more into the book, I was able to enjoy a little more than I had.  It is one of those books that the payoff comes later on in the book, as you are given so much information in the first section that I felt that there was too much to digest.

Bottom line: Overall, the book is pretty good and definitely does deserve its nominations, but having not read the other nominations for the Booker Prize, I can't say if it deserved to win the prize, nor can I say if it deserve to win the Governor General's award for literary award for Fiction (she holds a Canadian passport and therefore is eligible for Canadian literary prizes, even though she hasn't lived in Canada for over 20 years; personally it should be awarded to those only that make their primary residence in Canada, but I digress), as I haven't read those books either.   To put it concisely, I didn't exactly love it, but I didn't exactly dislike it either.  I haven't read other Booker winners, but I am hoping that Wolf Hall is a bit better.  Recommended.

Rating: 3.75/5

Pages for 2014: 3200

Winter's Tale - Mark Helprin

Title: Winter's Tale
Author: Mark Helprin
Pages: 768
Published: 2005 (first published 1983)
Challenges: Chunkster, Historical Fiction
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal, Historical Fiction
Edition: Paperback
Source: Personal library

Description: New York City is subsumed in arctic winds, dark nights, and white lights, its life unfolds, for it is an extraordinary hive of the imagination, the greatest house ever built, and nothing exists that can check its vitality. One night in winter, Peter Lake, orphan and master-mechanic, attempts to rob a fortress-like mansion on the Upper West Side.

Though he thinks the house is empty, the daughter of the house is home. Thus begins the love between Peter Lake, a middle-aged Irish burglar, and Beverly Penn, a young girl, who is dying.

Peter Lake, a simple, uneducated man, because of a love that, at first he does not fully understand, is driven to stop time and bring back the dead. His great struggle, in a city ever alight with its own energy and besieged by unprecedented winters, is one of the most beautiful and extraordinary stories of American literature. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts:  I bought this book because I had hoped to go and see the film version of this book, which was released in North America on Feb. 14, and I had started out with high hopes for the book.  Based on how the book started out, I had hoped that this book would live up to the expectations that I had built up for this book and I ended up being a bit disappointed.

While I did like the author's use of words and how he described the rich atmosphere of the book early on in the book, I felt that it just kinda fell flat and by the end I just wanted the book to end.  I realize that this was my first foray into paranormal fiction and so I didn't really know what to expect and how I would react to such a book.

It's not that I didn't have times where I enjoyed reading the book, its just that I felt that it was maybe a little too long and that the book could have been much more effective and cohesive if somebody had cut 200-300 pages; it didn't really need the 700+ pages to describe what it did.

Bottom line:  If you absolutely love paranormal fiction, you maybe should give this one a try.  I realize that this a very long book, but one really does get swept up into the story and at times you really don't feel like you are reading so much.  Otherwise, I would probably give this one a pass and read something that I would enjoy. Recommended.  As for me, I really gave this book a chance and this genre a chance and I honestly don't know if I could read much more of the paranormal genre.

Rating: 3/5

Pages for 2014: 2366

How to be a Good Wife - Emma Chapman

Title: How to be a Good Wife

Author: Emma Chapman

Pages: 288

Published: 2013

Challenges: I Love Libraries

Genre: Fiction, Suspense

Edition: Hardcover

Source: Library

Description: Marta and Hector have been married for a long time. Through the good and bad; through raising a son and sending him off to life after university. So long, in fact, that Marta finds it difficult to remember her life before Hector. He has always taken care of her, and she has always done everything she can to be a good wife—as advised by a dog-eared manual given to her by Hector’s aloof mother on their wedding day.

But now, something is changing. Small things seem off. A flash of movement in the corner of her eye, elapsed moments that she can’t recall. Visions of a blonde girl in the darkness that only Marta can see. Perhaps she is starting to remember—or perhaps her mind is playing tricks on her. As Marta’s visions persist and her reality grows more disjointed, it’s unclear if the danger lies in the world around her, or in Marta herself. The girl is growing more real every day, and she wants something. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts:  Compared to the other book I was reading at the time, this was a fairly quick read and I was able to get this completed in a few days.

The premise was interesting, especially since the title of the book throws off the reader.  And while the title does have quite a bit to do with the storyline, in a sense it really doesn't and is sort of a play on the title.  

I found the book to be a little convuluted at times, as one wasn't really sure as to what was really going on, but in the same respect about 2/3 of the way through, the book actually got somewhat interesting and made me start to think about Marta's actual history.  What was the truth?  Was it the visions that Marta is having or is the life that she has been told for most of her adult life?  And how much can we as the reader really believe is the truth?

Honestly, if the story hadn't made this sort of switch, I probably would have put the book down and not completed it, as I was not completely enamoured with the story and felt that some of the things that Marta goes through were being repeated, but in someway it was the perfect length, as it didn't take too long to get the the premise of the story and the storyline kept at a pretty good pace throughout the book to keep my interest.

Bottom line: If you are looking for a happy book, I would probably not go near it, but if you are a fan of Gillian Flynn's book Gone Girl, I would recommend this and hope that you read it.  Overall, it was a pretty good book and something that can be read when one has a few spare moments to read, as the chapters aren't long (at most they are about 15 and probably average about 10 pages per chapter) and the storyline can be easily picked up when reading it.   That being said, I realize that it won't be everybody's cup of tea and probably would recommend it to those that are fans of thriller and suspense fiction and that enjoyed Gone Girl.

Rating: 3.25/5

Pages for 2014: 1598

The Good Earth - Pear S. Buck

Title: The Good Earth
Author: Pearl S. Buck
Pages: 357
Published: 2004 (first published 1931)
Challenges: The Classics Club, Historical Fiction, OfftheShelf, Embarrassment of Riches
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary
Edition: Paperback
Source: Personal

Description: This tells the poignant tale of a Chinese farmer and his family in old agrarian China. The humble Wang Lung glories in the soil he works, nurturing the land as it nurtures him and his family. Nearby, the nobles of the House of Hwang consider themselves above the land and its workers; but they will soon meet their own downfall.

Hard times come upon Wang Lung and his family when flood and drought force them to seek work in the city. The working people riot, breaking into the homes of the rich and forcing them to flee. When Wang Lung shows mercy to one noble and is rewarded, he begins to rise in the world, even as the House of Hwang falls.  (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: It took me at least until the half-way through the book to get into the book and to actually understand the point of the book and see its importance in the modern literary canon.  Its almost as though the land is a part of Wang Lung, no matter how poor or wealthy he becomes; as though he is a nurturer of the land around him and sees himself as a steward for the earth, treating it in a manner that is respectful and honourable.  The book, in a way, could be a morality story on how to treat the land, in that if one treats the land well and with respect, it will in turn treat you well and with respect; almost an early form of environmentalism before the term was being used frequently.

Bottom line: I would probably recommend this book that enjoy books by the likes of Steinbeck, Hemmingway, and Faulkner.  It has the same sort of epic and literary quality that one can find with those authors (yes, I have read at least one piece of each).  Highly recommended.

Rating: 4/5

Pages for 2013: 17,120

Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen

Title: Northanger Abbey
Author: Jane Austen
Pages 235
Published: 2003 (1818)
Challenges: The Classics Club, OfftheShelf, Embarrassment of Riches
Genre: Classics, Gothic, Literature
Edition: Paperback
Source: Personal Library

Description: Catherine Morland, an unremarkable tomboy as a child, is thrown amongst all the 'difficulties and dangers' of Bath at the ripe age of seventeen. Armed with an unworldly charm and a vivid imagination, she must overcome the caprices of elegant society, encountering along the way such characters as the vacuous Mrs Allen, coquettish Isabella and the brash bully John Thorpe. Catherine's invitation to Northanger Abbey, in her eyes a haven of coffins, skeletons and other Gothic devices, does lead to an adventure, though one she didn't expect, and her misjudgement of the ambitious, somewhat villainous General Tilney is not wholly unjustified. However, with the aid of the 'unromantic' hero Henry Tilney, Catherine gradually progresses towards maturity and self-knowledge. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: Maybe it was due to the fact that I had read Sense & Sensibility not long before reading this one and the fact that I really I enjoyed that particular book or that I hit a reading funk just as I started the book, I don't know, but I just couldn't get into this particular Austen.  It kinda felt like it was an early book of hers (which upon further research it was actually one of the first that she completed) and probably therefore needs a re-read of the book before I make an overall judgment of the book (I have a bookclub meeting this coming spring that is focused on the book).  But in a way I can see the formula for her later and more beloved books being started.  That being said, it wasn't exactly my favourite and hence I struggled with the book, as it seemed choppy at times and her thoughts and concepts didn't feel as though they were coming from somebody like Jane Austen.  It was an enjoyable read and I will give it a re-read to formulate a more well-rounded opinion of the book. 

Bottom line: Like Mansfield Park and Persuasion, I would recommend the book to those that are more familiar with Jane Austen rather than those that aren't as familiar with her work. Recommended.

Rating: 3.5/5

Pages for 2013:  16,763

Longbourn - Jo Baker

Title: Longbourn
Author: Jo Baker
Pages: 352
Published: 2013
Challenges: Jane Austen, Historical Fiction
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Public Library

Description: The servants at Longbourn estate--only glancingly mentioned in Jane Austen's classic--take centre stage in Jo Baker's lively, cunning new novel. Here are the Bennets as we have never known them: seen through the eyes of those scrubbing the floors, cooking the meals, emptying the chamber pots. Our heroine is Sarah, an orphaned housemaid beginning to chafe against the boundaries of her class. When the militia marches into town, a new footman arrives under mysterious circumstances, and Sarah finds herself the object of the attentions of an ambitious young former slave working at neighboring Netherfield Hall, the carefully choreographed world downstairs at Longbourn threatens to be completely, perhaps irrevocably, up-ended. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: A funny thing happens sometimes when I like a book, I sometimes am unable to express how I feel about a book through words.   But I can say that I really did enjoy reading the book.  Of course there were aspects of the book that I didn't like and felt that certain things didn't really work with the book, at least until I was able to make sense of them.  I suppose the one thing that did work was that Wickham in the book was able to be shown with his true colours and was interesting to see his portrayal through Sarah's eyes, rather than through Lizzie's eyes.   It does offer an interesting perspective on life as a servant in world about 100 years prior to the start of Downton Abbey.

Bottom line: While there are things that I didn't like about this book, I felt that it was a really good complement to Pride & Prejudice and would recommend it to fans of Pride & Prejudice.  Recommended.

Rating: 3.8/5

Pages for 2013: 16, 528

The Dinner - Herman Koch

Title: The Dinner
Author: Herman Koch
Pages (File Size): 304 (2376 KB)
Published: 2013 (first published 2009)
Challenges: E-Book
Genre: Fiction,  Mystery, Literary Fiction
Edition: E-book
Source: Library

Description: It's a summer's evening in Amsterdam, and two couples meet at a fashionable restaurant for dinner. Between mouthfuls of food and over the polite scrapings of cutlery, the conversation remains a gentle hum of polite discourse -- the banality of work, the triviality of the holidays. But behind the empty words, terrible things need to be said, and with every forced smile and every new course, the knives are being sharpened.
     

Each couple has a fifteen-year-old son. The two boys are united by their accountability for a single horrific act; an act that has triggered a police investigation and shattered the comfortable, insulated worlds of their families. As the dinner reaches its culinary climax, the conversation finally touches on their children. As civility and friendship disintegrate, each couple show just how far they are prepared to go to protect those they love. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I had a lot of expectations when coming into the book and by the time I completed the book, I felt disappointed and a bit let down by the book.  I felt that the story was a bit short and that the author spent too much time away from the dinner table, which I had been led to believe what it was about.  Of course most of it did take place during the course of the dinner, but it just felt like the author spent too much time away from the dinner.  And while I understand the point of "the dinner", I just felt that it spent too much time away from the actual dinner and spent more time dealing with their lives, which I had very little interest in.  It was almost I was waiting for them to discuss why they had come together for dinner and one point I wondered why couldn't they have this sort of dinner in private, where there wouldn't seem to be as many prying eyes/ears around.

The characters didn't really seem to be likeable and just seemed to be so self-absorbed with whatever issue they were having and not really in the moment and as though anything they ordered wasn't good enough for them.

Bottom line:  I really didn't like it and struggled to get through it at times.  While it was recommended for those who liked Gone Girl, which I did enjoy, even if I didn't like the main characters, I felt that it fell a bit short in that I felt that the characters were way too pretentious for my liking and I am glad that I read it as quickly as I did.  I really don't know who to recommend the book to due to the fact that I have mixed feelings about the book and that I had a difficult time reading the book.

Rating: 3.25/5

Pages for 2013: 10716

The Help - Kathryn Stockett

Title: The Help
Author: Kathryn Stockett
Pages: 522
Published: 2011 (Originally published 2010)
Challenges: Chunkster Challenge, Historical Fiction Challenge
Genre: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction
Edition: Paperback, Movie Tie-in
Source: Personal 

Description: Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step. 

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone. 

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken. 

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own. 

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: This was my second read of the book and I enjoyed it probably more this time around because I was actually paying attention to the small details and noticing things I had missed the first time around.   It was also interesting reading the book on the 50th anniversary of Medgar Evers' assassination on June 12 and realizing what the community was feeling at the time of that event.  I can say that the book is much more detailed than the movie, but that the movie does utilize a lot of the material in the book through narration.   I felt as read on in the book that I was able to feel as though I was actually there.

Bottom line:  I know that I said that couldn't see myself re-reading this book, but since it was a book for my bookclub, I was needing to read it again and I think reading it again, I was able to find new things that I had overlooked the first time around I read the book.  It might become something that I read on a yearly basis, but knowing my reading habits, it may not.  And like I did last time, I am going to recommend this book.

Rating: 4.5/5

Pages for 2013: 7586