A Good and Happy Child December 31, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction.Tags: A Good and Happy Child, Demons, Fiction, Justin Evans
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—4.5—
Well, let’s finish off the reviews of 2008 with one of my favorite books of 2008. A Good and Happy Child by Justin Evans surprised me in it’s intelligence, suspense, and originality. George Davis and his wife have just had their first baby, but George finds he’s unable to be near the child. He his haunted by a difficult childhood, in which he believes he was tormented by a demon visible only to himself. George describes to us the work of his father, who spent his life researching demons and performing exorcisms, and the actions of his father’s friends to try and save George. Throughout the book you wonder if this is a horror story or a psychological thriller. What is real and what is in the mind? Do demons exist in the biblical or paranormal sense, or are we all just tormented by our own “demons”? This book was fascinating! I couldn’t stop reading it. Every time I had decided that I knew what was happening, a new piece of the puzzle was thrown at me and I had to reassess my assumptions all over again. This is definitely a scary story. By the end I was saying “oh no, oh no!” out-loud as I saw final events unfold about themselves. If you haven’t heard about this book, pick it up!
4.5/5
Stumbling on Happiness December 31, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, Nonfiction.Tags: Daniel Gilbert, Nonfiction, psychology, Stumbling on Happiness
1 comment so far
—4—
My lovely boyfriend, in an effort to cheer me up, gave me this book, Daniel Gilbert’s Stumbling on Happiness. The premise of the book is simple: you may think you know what makes you happy, but you would be wrong. Stumbling on Happiness combines a little neurology, a little psychology, and a lot of wit to explain why our imaginations don’t do us justice, why we can’t prepare for the future as hard as we try, and we can’t have control over the uncontrollable (although we think we can). Most of all, we can’t know what will make us happy tomorrow, or next year, or in the next decade.
To show us all this, Gilbert describes how the brain works, and how it fills in its gaps often incorrectly. For the science minded of you, this is a funny book (and a little frightening) that shows you how you’ve got it all wrong. Sometimes it felt a little heavy on the psychology for me (I am not a huge psych fan, stick to the hard-sciences for me), but overall Stumbling on Happiness strikes a good balance. Thanks for the gift Jonathan!
4/5
Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn December 31, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Best Sellers, Book Reviews, General Fiction, Young-Adult Fiction.Tags: Best Sellers, Breaking Dawn, Eclipse, New Moon, Stephenie Meyer, Twilight, Vampires, Young-Adult Fiction
2 comments
—4—
—3.5—
—4—
—4.5—
I read the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer so long ago, I don’t even know what to say in a review right now. I have been putting off writing a review because I didn’t know what I could write that hadn’t already been said, and I still don’t, but I suppose I’ll write a few quick notes anyways. I decided to review them all as one for time’s sake, and because I don’t know if I could write full reviews on each. I think everyone knows the basic plot of these books by now, Bella Swan, typical teenager, moves to a new town and falls for Edward Cullen, who happens to be a vampire. This results in a lot of danger for Bella and Edward, from other vampires and retaliating werewolfs. Twilight is the first in the series, and we are introduced to Bella and Edward, and we see the progression of their relationship. New Moon is a continuation of this story, with Edward leaving Bella “for her own good”, and Bella moping around because her heart has been broken. Eclipse really sets us up for Breaking Dawn, the finale where we find out what will become of Edward and Bella.
My favorite was Breaking Dawn, although this seems to be the most heavily criticized of the bunch. I was happy with it because finally things started to happen! Often in the other books, especially through New Moon, I felt frustrated with the lack of progression of the story. A lot of the same problems arose; nothing was ever resolved. I was happy with where Bella and Edwards lives took them in the end, and I know a lot of people thought it all wrapped up to nicely, especially with Bella’s best friend Jacob, but I think the ending served it’s purpose. Anyways, I don’t have much else to say, so how about a poll?!
And another?
Beautiful Lies December 31, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction.Tags: Beautiful Lies, Lisa Unger
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—3.5—
When reporter Ridley Jones saves a little boy from being hit by a car, it seems her 15 minutes of fame have arrived. But instead of happiness, Ridley’s world is overturned by a picture of a young girl mailed to her, asking “Are you my daughter?” She confronts her parents, who insist that she is, of course, their daughter. But the new next-door neighbor Jake, who Ridley pours her story out to, seems less sure about the whole situation. Soon everyone in Ridley’s life is implicated in a bizarre cover-up, her drug-addicted, sometimes homeless brother; her parents who have been hiding numerous secrets; her rich, doting, alcoholic uncle Max; and even her exboyfriend, a pediatrician who pretends to have Ridley’s best interests at heart.
The premise of Lisa Unger’s Beautiful Lies is original and innovative. I didn’t always find it as exciting as it sounds, and I sometimes wished it was wrapping up quicker than it was. However, Beautiful Lies is an overall thrilling and suspenseful novel, with more intelligence than most. I plan on looking into Unger’s other novels Black Out, and Sliver of Truth.
3.5/5
Plainsong December 31, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction.Tags: Kent Haruf, Plainsong
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—3—
Plainsong by Kent Haruf is a story following several intertwining characters. The first is Tom Guthrie, a high school history teacher struggling with his students and raising his two young sons. His wife does not leave her bed, andwhen she eventually does, she leaves him and the boys. Next is Victoria Roubideaux, a student of Guthrie’s, who has just found out she is pregnant and no longer welcome in her mother’s home. Finally there are the McPheron brothers, two old men who have spent their lives on the farm their parents owned before them. Each is living their separate existences until another teacher, Maggie Jones, intersects. She tries to arrange a living situation between the ever-expanding Victoria and the McPherons, who have been on their own and know nothing about caring for a teenage girl, let alone a pregnant one. And Maggie also brings light and changes to Guthrie.
All this is set in the small-town of Holt, Colorado. Everyone knows the business of everyone else, and everyone has an opinion about it too. While I liked this dynamic of the book, I was often frustrated by the way some of the characters acted and talked, it made some of them seem too “hick” and backward. I couldn’t ever decided when this narrative was supposed to be taking place, and that added to my frustration as well.
My favorite parts were told from the perspectives of Victoria and from Guthrie’s two sons. The slow growth of the relationship between Victoria and the two gruff farmers was heart-warming and often humorous. And the hypocrisies and hostilities of the adult world are especially poignant through the eyes of Gutherie’s sons. Overall, the characters of Plainsong steal the show from a plot that is never surprising, but often reflects true life.
3/5
Twisted December 23, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction.Tags: Andrea Kane, Fiction, police procedural, romantic-suspense, Twisted
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—3—
I got Twisted by Andrea Kane on audio-book for my long car rides. It is classified as “romantic-suspense”, which isn’t exactly my favorite genre, but I can’t follow plots or characters that are too complicated while driving. It follows basically the same path that books of this type do. Sloane Burbank is a former FBI agent who has had a tragic hand-injury (you read that right), and now cannot operate her weapon, and so has become an independent consultant. One day she gets a call from the family of Penny, a childhood friend, and is told that Penny has been missing for almost a year. To find her, and perhaps others, Sloane is forced to work with her ex-lover Derek Parker. As Sloane and Derek come closer to catching a potential serial killer, they become closer to each other (surprise!).
This book was fairly entertaining, serving it’s purpose of getting me to and from school in the car. It’s not great literature, it’s not particularly original, but it was suspenseful in it’s own way. And I didn’t figure out the perpetrator exactly, so that’s a plus.
Basically I’ve read this story a hundred times before, strong female detective-FBI agent- and/or cop must solve the crime without being trapped herself, and she has a strong man to help her and make her swoon a little. I suppose it’s a formula that works. The only other thing I wanted to say was that I found the “romantic-scenes” incredibly uncomfortable. I wouldn’t know how to write a love scene either, but those way too were weird to read (or in my case listen to, even more awkward!)
I think fans of this genre will actually enjoy this book. Either I’m too much of a snob or just have read too many books like this in the past. It was a good book to pass time in the car, and it did have very exciting moments.
3/5
Anderson Book Club Tshirts December 21, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Randomness.2 comments
Look what I made (with help from Mom and Jonathan)! Book Club Tshirts for the Anderson Family’s Book Club!
Making Iron on Tshirts
The complete set
Up Close
The Christmas Shoes December 21, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction, Holiday Reviews.Tags: Donna Van Liere, The Christmas Hope Series, The Christmas Shoes
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—3.5—
Donna VanLiere’s The Christmas Shoes is one of those Christmas books that seem like it’s just trying to make you cry the whole time. And if that is the goal, this book succeeds. The Christmas Shoes spends a Christmas season with Robert Layton, a lawyer who is allowing his career to take the place of his family. When Kate, his wife, tells him she’s had enough, Robert has trouble understanding why providing them with nice things and a home wasn’t what they wanted, and he doesn’t know how to win her back. On the other side of town Robert Andrews tries to prepare his young son for the death of his cancer-stricken mother, who probably won’t make it until Christmas. The lives of these two families cross Christmas Eve, and Robert finally understands what he must do to regain his family’s love.
Ok, it’s sappy. And a tear-jerker. But if Christmas isn’t a time for sappy stories, when is! It isn’t an earth-shattering experience, nor a fantastic piece of literature, but anyone looking for a nice, little book to get you in the Christmas mood should pick it up. It wont take more than a day to read, so you’ll have it done in plenty of time to make some more Christmas cookies and prepare for Santa’s visit in a few days.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
3.5/5
Thanks Aunt Jane for lending it to me!
The Likeness December 7, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction.Tags: In the Woods, police procedural, Tana French, The Likeness
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—4.5—
I promised I was going to do reviews of several books I really enjoyed, so add this one to the list! The Likeness by Tana French returns to Ireland in order to follow up with Detective Cassie Maddo, six months after the action of In the Woods. Cassie no longer works murder, and is dating Detective Sam O’Neill. Life is at least calm for Cassie, until a panicked Sam calls her from the scene of a homicide. The young woman murdered looks strikingly like Cassie and has been living with the name Lexie Madison, Cassie’s former undercover name.
In order to solve the crime, Cassie returns undercover, this time posing as the murdered girl. She goes to live with Lexie’s strange, reclusive, intellectual friends, with the back story that the injury wasn’t fatal. Cassie can’t decide if they are hiding something or are just an incredibly close group. Cassie finds herself drawn to them, feeling like one of them, and losing sight of why she is there and that one may have been the murderer. People in the community are also antagonistic toward the young college students, for reasons no one will explain, and without knowing the true identity of Lexie, and without raising suspicions among the roommates, Cassie is forced to walk some fine lines in order to solve the murder.
This novel requires a little leeway on the reader’s part to presume that Cassie could have a double that looks like her so much she could trick those closest to her. But once you get past the unlikelihood of the situation, this is an incredible psychological thriller. That Cassie may be living with the murderer is terribly exciting and frightening. The house, the friends, and the countryside are wonderfully Gothic, and I felt completely transported into Cassie’s world. If you haven’t read In the Woods I recommend it because it was pretty good (although I think this one was better), but if you haven’t read it I don’t think it is necessary to before picking up The Likeness. The plot doesn’t rely on In the Woods much, and when it does French catches the reader up.
4.5/5
Try The Likeness if you liked Tana French’s In the Woods.
Life as We Knew It December 6, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction, Young-Adult Fiction.Tags: Fiction, Life As We Knew It, Survival Story, Susan Beth Pfeffer, Young-Adult Fiction
2 comments
—4.5—
Susan Beth Pfeffer has written a remarkable book with her Young Adult novel, Life as We Knew It. Miranda is just your typical sophomore, dealing with a split family and changing friends, when an asteroid hits the moon. Everyone is out to witness this historical event, but each soon realizes that something has gone wrong. The moon has been knocked closer to earth. Now it looms way too large and way to near. The effect on the climate and tides is disastrous. Tsunamis hit the coastlines, wiping out the entire east and west coasts. Dormant volcanoes reawaken, sending their ash into the sky and blocking out the sun. There is a run on food, water, and ways to stay warm. Some try to leave to better parts of the country, but no one knows if any part of the country is truly better; almost all long-distance communication has ceased. Quickly, there is no power, no heat, no fuel, and Miranda and her family must try to survive. During it all she keeps this diary, and through it we see her progression from frightened, to angry and hostile, and finally to resigned in her fate.
This book is wonderful because it is so plausible. As I read it, I kept wondering what actions I would take, whether I could be as resilient, what decisions I would make, who I would protect, how I might survive. Would I be altruistic? If I was, would I survive? Would I be a bad guy or a good guy? Miranda leads the reader through all these emotions and decisions, and you wonder if she will survive in the end, if there ever is an end, or if all the suffering is just prolonging the inevitable. An awesome book!
4.5/5
Try Life as We Knew It if you enjoyed Meg Rosaff’s How I Live Now.
