Friday, June 3, 2011

Review: Billy Girl by Vickie Weaver

Summary

Abandoned as in infant because of her incessant crying, Billie Girl is raised by two women who are brothers. Her life, a gender-bending puzzle filled with dark humor, is a series of encounters with strangers who struggle along with what they are given: a bigamist husband, a long-lost daughter named after a car, a lesbian preacher's wife, a platonic second husband who loved her adoptive father. Twin themes of sexuality and euthanasia run throughout. In a journey from hard-dirt Georgia farm to end-of-life nursing home, Billie Girl comes to understand the mercy of killing.

Review

This book was in no way what I expected.  We follow Billie as her life never ceases to change.  Billie rarely seems to gain any happiness through her years, but few reoccurring characters bring her peace.  Though it seems whenever she gets too comfortable something happens and/or someone dies.

The book spans seventy-some-odd years, beginning with Billie's birth and ending with her death.  You feel for her and I personally found myself attached to various characters that may not be conventionally likable characters.

I wouldn't recommend this book to those who are squeamish or shy away from dark themes.  It is thought provoking and well crafted.

4.0/5.0

Monday, May 23, 2011

Review: Quiver by Stephanie Spinner

Summary

Cast off and abandoned at birth, Atalanta– saved by a she-bear and raised by hunters–proves herself to be a superior archer and the fastest runner in the land. But her skills and independence anger many, including her father, the Arcadian King, who suddenly reclaims her and demands that she produce an heir to the throne. Atalanta has pledged herself to Artemis, goddess of the hunt, who has forbidden her to marry. Unwilling to break her promise, Atalanta suggests a grim compromise: she will marry the first man to beat her in a race, but everyone she defeats must die. All the while, Artemis, Apollo, Aphrodite, Eros, and Zeus himself watch–and interfere–from on high.

Review

Normally I am not a person who enjoys fantasy books in any way (save for Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl), but I do have a weakness for the Greek Gods and Goddesses.  While this book is straight forward, it is not always easy to follow if one is not the least bit familiar with mythology.  We follow Atalanta, but the banter between the Gods is interspersed and highly amusing.

It is a quick, satisfying read.  For those of you who like when books have a map in them that is required to figure out the setting, this book is for you.

3.5/5.0

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Review: Knifepoint by Alex Van Tol

Summary

Jill is enduring a brutal summer job on a mountain ranch, guiding wannabe-cowboys on trail rides. On a solo ride with a handsome stranger she ends up in a fight for her life with no one to help her.

Review

One of many in the "Orca Soundings" Series.  It's not so much of a series as it is a collection of books by various authors that are quick, interesting, and interesting reads.  Out of the few I've read so far this has been my favorite.  While it was less than 150 pages, it had such a fast-moving pace and great description that I felt it was even shorter than that.  It was amazing.

You follow Jill through her last day at a summer job as it goes from bad to worse.  By the end of it you are as out of breath as she is.

5.0/5.0

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Review: How I Made It to Eighteen by Tracy White

Summary:

How do you know if you’re on the verge of a nervous breakdown? For seventeen-year-old Stacy Black, it all begins with the smashing of a window. After putting her fist through the glass, she checks into a mental hospital. Stacy hates it there but despite herself slowly realizes she has to face the reasons for her depression to stop from self-destructing. Based on the author’s experiences, How I Made it to Eighteen is a frank portrait of what it’s like to struggle with self-esteem, body image issues, drug addiction, and anxiety.


Review:

It is a comic book essentially.  The comics are all black and white, but it doesn't feel like you're reading a comic, it feels like a regular fiction book.  Her humor is great and the pictures are simple and effective.  The story takes us through her stay at a mental hospital that was very recent as it is a brand new book.  I would recommend this for virtually anyone, it is a great, quick read.

3.5/5.0

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Review: Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks

Summary

When her husband leaves her for a younger woman, Adrienne Willis is thrust into a devastating midlife crisis. Suddenly abandoned at 45, she reels without purpose. Lacking any clear plan, she accepts a friend's invitation and flees for a weekend to the small coastal town of Rodanthe, North Carolina. Located near the northern tip of Hatteras Island, this Outer Banks retreat seems well suited to be a quiet respite, but a brutal storm destroys any sense of sanctuary. Adrienne's stranding is complicated and relieved by the presence of Paul Flanner, a 54-year-old physician with his own shattered past.


Review

Nicholas Sparks is my absolute favorite author and I have yet to read a book by him that I did not like.  While I did see the movie before reading Nights in Rodanthe, I believe the book is much better.  Adrienne and Paul are astonishingly real and it's not hard to relate to their plights, no matter your age.  I would recommend this book to all those hopeless romantics out there, but also to anyone in need of a good cry.

5.0/5.0

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Review: Room by Emma Donoghue

Summary:

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.


Review:

I was slightly skeptical about a book that is considered to be adult fiction being written in the hand of a child, but it was perfect.  The story is an in-depth look at what can happen following a kidnapping and is slightly reminiscent of the Jaycee Dugard case.

I recommend this to anyone wanting something that will open their eyes.  I admit that I take things in life for granted, but after reading this book I appreciated things more (at least for a short time).  It's hard to imagine a life where you are not even allowed fresh air, but it happens.  To have this story told by Jack we see the side of the kidnapping that is never talked about, some of the people taken want to stay as they are.  Many people who are taken young may not remember anything else.

Though it is a large book, it's easy to get through so give it a chance.  I give it a 4.5/5.0