Now that it's finally time to sit by the pool, I'm getting a lot more reading done (as I expected). I also decided to add into my blog how many pages each book is. Because I was not enough of a nerd already! Here we go!
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. (493 pages) This was my second book club book. It's the story of Francie Nolan, creative eldest child of handsome ne'er-do-well Johnny Nolan and hard, hard-working Katie Rommely. Francie grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in the early 1900's. She is an avid reader, an imaginative child, who longs for something more out of life than what her parents have. She has the best of both families running through her, but with something else in her- "what God ... puts into each soul that is given life- the one different thing such as that which makes no two fingerprints on the face of earth alike." The story is about Francie's coming of age. The hardships of living in Brooklyn in the 1900's, the loss of a parent, falling in love, the importance of education. I must say- I totally understand why this book is a classic. As someone in my book club said, they don't write like this anymore. Beautifully written, I was rooting for Francie to get everything she wanted out of life!
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin. (272 pages) This was my first book club book. It took me a few chapters to figure out what was happening in the story and to get the characters straight, but once I finally got into it, I couldn't put it down! Larry (white) and Silas (black) used to be friends as boys. Then, a forced fight ruined their friendship. A few years later, a girl in their high school disappears while allegedly on a date with Larry. The accusations fly and he is forever branded. Silas escapes their small town to play baseball, but eventually comes home and becomes constable. Then another girl disappears and Larry is found shot. Immediately, Larry is the assumed kidnapper/eventual murderer of the girl, a man who tried to commit suicide because of his guilt. But Silas knows better. The things that come out in the investigation were pretty interesting. The story does go back and forth between past events and current events quite a bit (I think that's what I found most difficult until I got into the rhythm of it). Interesting story- I rather liked it. It was an Edgar Award nominee, so clearly the writing is good. And so was the mystery!
Up Where We Belong by Emily Giffin. (372 pages) I decided to return to an old standby- chick lit. And if you are going back to an old standby, you must go back to a master of the craft. And boy- is that Giffin! Marian is thirty-six years old and living the perfect life. She's a TV producer living in NYC and dating the man of her dreams. Nothing can touch her! Until the baby she gave up at 18 shows up on her doorstep. Kirby, herself 18 and somewhat lost, turns Marian's world upside down. All of a sudden, memories flood back- memories of Conrad, Kirby's father and the love of Marian's life. As Kirby is searching for who she really is, Marian learns she isn't who she wanted to be either. This was perfect pool-side reading (which is exactly where I was when I read it!)
Z by Therese Anne Fowler. (367 pages) When in doubt, it's always back to historical fiction for me! In 1918, Zelda Sayre met army lieutenant Scott Fitzgerald for the first time. She is 17, from a very prominent family and Southern. He is none of those things. But their love is so passionate, so overwhelming, that they defy the odds to be together. Through Scott's successes and failures, through Zelda's frustrations and misdiagnosed bi-polar episodes, through the birth of their daughter and the loss of family members, through knock-down fights and wild parties, their obsession for each other wavered but never faded. What I love about historical fiction is that I find myself doing research to discover how much of the novel is true. And when is learning a bad thing?! This book was particularly enjoyable because there was some crossover with The Paris Wife, another favorite book. Obviously, there was quite of bit of common events and friends between Fitzgerald and Hemingway, including their own obsessive friendship/mutual hatred. But having read some of the events from Hadley's perspective, it was fascinating to read them from Zelda's! I STRONGLY recommend this book!!
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. (563 pages) I do enjoy a book about supernaturals. I didn't see the movie that came out a while ago, but read a lot of reviews about how it destroyed the book. Of course, when is the movie EVER as good as the book, said the English major. Looking at the actors cast in the movie, I certainly understand one frustration I read about- Emmy Rossum, as gorgeous and talented as she is, had to have been totally wrong for her character, a curvy blonde. But back to the book, you know, the whole reason for this blog. Ethan was born and raised in (fictional) Gatlin, SC. And all he does is dream of escaping. And of a girl. Amazingly, that girl appears one day. Lena is the niece of the town recluse. And a Caster to boot. Basically, it's Garcia/Stohl terminology for a family of witches. Lena's family, and Gatlin itself, has an interesting past, one that Lena and Ethan want to discover. Hanging over their heads is Lean's upcoming 16th birthday, the day she will be Claimed for either Dark or Light, as all members of her family are. Good or evil, light or dark. Which will win? Excellent mindless reading, as most supernatural character books are. My biggest complaint? While I'm all for creating a fictional town, when an author then reference real places that surround the fictional town, please do your research. Do not make the only grocery store in town a Stop and Shop. That is a chain that exists only in the Northeast, definitely NOT in the South! If they'd called it some sort of mom and pop name or a Winn-Dixie, I'd have found it a lot more believable. But either way, I'm ready for the next three in the series to arrive from Books-a-Million!
The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern. (512 pages) At first I thought it was a little Something Wicked This Way Comes (book turned old school Disney movie), except not so evil. Then it seemed a little The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (also a movie, a VERY strange movie), except an easier story to follow. Turns out it was its own thing entirely. Prospero and Alexander are long time rival magicians. And when I say magicians, I don't mean they just perform slight of hand tricks. These men have serious powers. And they love to challenge each other, usually involving their students as their pawns. This time around, it's Prospero's daughter Celia who will be his ultimate student, and ultimate victory. The game is set in motion long before Celia and Marco, Alexander's protege, even meet. And there can only be one victor and one survivor. Marco is the right hand man of Mr. Lefevre, proprietor of Le Cirque de Reves. Celia, the Illusionist, is one of the attractions. Both of them actually have a hand in creating the attractions that make Le Cirque such a success. They also have a hand in keeping Le Cirque safe and ageless. Eventually, the game becomes something more. They fall in love. And discover a way to end the game and save both of their lives. The circus itself, and the characters who are intertwined with it, might be the most interesting part of the story. The "magic" that surrounded all of them was so intriguing, so captivating. Just a fantastic book! Side note- I decided to read some reviews after I finished and darned if the novel wasn't compared to Something Wicked This Way Comes!
So that's it- 6 books, 2579 pages. Man, I love summer!
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