Book Review: The Blondes

Title: The Blondes

Author: Emily Schultz

Pages: EBook 270

Summary: Hazel Hayes is a grad student living in New York City. As the novel opens, she learns she is pregnant (from an affair with her married professor) at an apocalyptically bad time: random but deadly attacks on passers-by, all by blonde women, are terrorizing New Yorkers. Soon it becomes clear that the attacks are symptoms of a strange illness that is transforming blondes--whether CEOs, flight attendants, skateboarders or accountants--into rabid killers.

Hazel, vulnerable because of her pregnancy, decides to flee the city--but finds that the epidemic has spread and that the world outside New York is even stranger than she imagined. She sets out on a trip across a paralyzed America to find the one woman--perhaps blonde, perhaps not--who might be able to help her. Emily Schultz's beautifully realized novel is a mix of satire, thriller, and serious literary work. With echoes of Blindness and The Handmaid's Tale amplified by a biting satiric wit, The Blondes is at once an examination of the complex relationships between women, and a merciless but giddily enjoyable portrait of what happens in a world where beauty is--literally--deadly

My Rating: 4.75/10

What I liked/disliked about the book: I enjoyed a few aspects of the book, the basic premise behind the disease and how it spread was interesting, and had that been more explored, I think there would have been less of a chance of me losing interest in the book. There were also a few things here and there that were hinted at and I wish the author took me as the reader down that way rather than, Hazel retelling what happened, to her unborn child. This was where the author lost me as a reader for the most part. No matter how I look at the book or what I took away from it, creepy thriller versus a satirical novel, how the author told the story, really influenced and had a negative effect on the overall story for me.

The book had two sides to it, a serious, creepy thriller versus a satirical thriller. On the more serious side of the book, I think was where the author seemed to shine the most. There were a few superbly written moments, that were only touched on, but would what was there, was fantastic. I found that the satrical side of things got a bit muddled and forced when the author did this. It didn't come across as a natural flow for the story and while there were a few moments that made me laugh, I think the book fell apart because it seemed to concentrate to strongly on the satirical side of things. I also found that anything to do with Gale didn't work well for me, she was a character and an aspect of the book that really needed to be toned down. Her appearances were repetitive and didn't really add much to the actual story.

The characters were also a big reason why the book didn't work for me. There was an entire cast of characters that didn't really invoke any emotion or connection to at all. I was bored with them all, and I never could get myself to like them to actually care what would happen.

Overall, the book started off with some interesting potential and while I found it to be an original read, it didn't work for me in the end.

Would I recommend it to read: I don't think I would, I found that the book just didn't come together enough for me to recommend it.

What to read next: This is another book I'm at a lost with. I picked the book up because, it was on the list of eligible reads for the 2013 Giller prize, long before the longlist/shortlist was released (basically any book published between a certain time frame goes on that list). So I'd say check that list out, I've found some interesting finds there.

Challenges: 100 Books Challenge, 2013 Category Challenge, Canadian Book Challenge VI, EBook Challenge, Mount TBR Challenge, New Author Challenge

Book Review: The Painted Girls

Title: The Painted Girls

Author: Cathy Marie Buchanan

Pages: 349

Summary: Paris. 1878. Following their father’s sudden death, the van Goethem sisters find their lives upended. Without his wages, and with the small amount their laundress mother earns disappearing into the absinthe bottle, eviction from their lodgings seems imminent. With few options for work, Marie is dispatched to the Paris Opéra, where for a scant seventy francs a month, she will be trained to enter the famous ballet. Her older sister, Antoinette, finds work — and the love of a dangerous young man — as an extra in a stage adaptation of Émile Zola’s naturalist masterpiece L’Assommoir.

Marie throws herself into dance and is soon modelling in the studio of Edgar Degas, where her image will forever be immortalized as Little Dancer Aged Fourteen. Antoinette, meanwhile, descends lower and lower in society, and must make the choice between a life of honest labor and the more profitable avenues open to a young woman of the Parisian demimonde—that is, unless her love affair derails her completely.

My Rating: 7.5/10

What I liked/disliked about the book: Overall, I enjoyed the book, it had a good story, some good character development and for the most part it kept my interest, but it didn't exactly live up to the hype the book received. The book quite never captured me and I never got that need to read the devour the book in a sitting.

The story was slow moving, but I think it worked wonderfully for the book, it helped build the characters and ensured the story flowed naturally. Although I did find certain aspects of it, including the ballet practice to be a bit repetitive, it was still interesting to read about, and I think the author captured the day to day life of the sister during the time period exceptionally well. I also enjoyed how the author took equal time to concentrate on each sister and the progress throughout the book. Both story lines interconnected and wove in and out of the other which I enjoyed. Sometimes you were able to see a different view point of an event or the character's behaviour, without that part being retold - and I think it added something to the story.

The author also managed to show each sister's story and development consistently throughout the entire book, working in the twists and keeping the character development and the character's personalities true to the character. Unfortunately, while the characters were well developed, fleshed out characters, I found they weren't exactly likeable or characters I could really enjoy reading about. The trials and hardships they went through were well explored, but something was missing for me to truly enjoy them or want to like them enough to get into the book. I never had that drive to want to read on, to see what would happen with the characters, and how their story would end.

In the end, it was a good read, well worth reading, but it wasn't as extraordinary as I thought it would be.

Would I recommend it to read: I would. I don't think it lives up to the hype it's received, but it was still a good book to read.

What to read next: The Seamstress by Frances de Pontes Peebles

Challenges: 100 Books Challenge, 2013 Category Challenge, Canadian Book Challenge VI, New Author Challenge

Book Review: The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

Title: The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

Author: Ayana Mathis

Pages: 256

Summary: In 1923, fifteen-year-old Hattie Shepherd flees Georgia and settles in Philadelphia, hoping for a chance at a better life. Instead, she marries a man who will bring her nothing but disappointment and watches helplessly as her firstborn twins succumb to an illness a few pennies could have prevented. Hattie gives birth to nine more children whom she raises with grit and mettle and not an ounce of the tenderness they crave. She vows to prepare them for the calamitous difficulty they are sure to face in their later lives, to meet a world that will not love them, a world that will not be kind. Captured here in twelve luminous narrative threads, their lives tell the story of a mother's monumental courage and the journey of a nation.

My Rating: 7.75/10

What I liked/disliked about the book: The book was slow and character driven, but the author manage to create a very realistic cast of characters, who in the last chapters, left a haunting impression on me. While I may not have loved the book enough to inhale it in a sitting, it was a very good and worthy read.

The characters were well done. Both well created and developed, the author created a very interesting cast of characters, very flawed characters, and there are ones I found I disliked, but the author did a good job at creating a cast of very believable characters.

I did find that not all the stories connected together well, while the ongoing theme of Hattie and her influence on the children at the various points in life was there, I found that the book read as individual short stories, rather than a novel, or a collection of connected stories. There were times were the stories linked together, but I found most of them didn't flow into each other, which made for a choppy read. The last two stories/chapters in the book were both haunting and stunning, and were probably my favourite part of the entire book. It was the first time, everything was truly linked to create a novel, rather than interconnected short stories, and the focus point for the last to stories, was told wonderfully - it got me interested in the book again, after a few lulls in the book. They also gave me a whole new outlook on the book as a whole, and Hattie as a character.

In the end, I did end up enjoying the book quite a lot.

Would I recommend it to read: I would recommend it to read. There is a lot in the book to take from, and I think there are a lot of readers who would enjoy it.

What to read next: The Secret Life of Bees is the only book that pops into my mind.

Challenges: 100 Books Challenge, 2013 Category Challenge, New Author Challenge

May Wrap-Up

May was quite the month for me - as real life got pretty hectic between work and other personal events. So I didn't manage to read much, and it seems I'm still in a bit of a reading slump. Which I hate, because I find that when you're in a slump, I have an even harder time choosing what to read next, because not sure if the slump will continue or not. One of those things I suppose. June should be a little better, at least I'll have a little more time to read and post reviews - and become more social with everyone again. But May seems to have been a bit of a write off.

The Books

As I said above, I've been in a reading slump and there weren't a lot of fantastic reads this month. There were some good and interesting books - but still nothing that screamed awesome for me. I finished the mini-series from my SGA books and those books ended up being my favourites of the month. My least favourite books were Fishy ducky's Fables and The Blue Castle. But all in all, it was a slight improvement from last month, but not by much.

1. The Girl Who Fell From the Sky - Heidi Durrow - 7.75/10
2. Cream Puff Murder - Joanne Fluke - 7/10
3. Heidi - Joanne Spyri - 8/10
4. Secrets - (SGA 20/Book 5 of the Legacy Series) - Jo Graham, Melissa Scott - 8.25/10
5. The Inheritors (SGA 21/Book 6 of the Legacy Series) - Jo Graham, Melissa Scott, Amy Griswold - 9/10
6. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore - Robin Sloan - 7/10
7. Fishducky's Fables - Fran Fischer - 5/10
8. The Blue Castle - L.M. Montgomery - 5/10

The Challenges

I'm falling slightly behind on my challenges, but not by much. I think in the next couple of months I should be right on target - or hopefully, slightly ahead. A Few challenges are going wonderfully, and I think it's safe to say I'll have a handful done by the end of summer, so challenge wise, things are going pretty much as planned.

1. 100 Books in 2013 Challenge - 51/100 -51%
2. 2013 Category Challenge - 46/131 - 35%
3. 777 Challenge - 3/7 - 43%

4. Alphabet Challenge 2013 - 25/52 - 48%
5. E-Book Challenge 2013 - 25/50 - 50%
6. Finish That Series Challenge 2013 - 0/4 (Series), 1/7 (Books) - 0%
7. Ireland Reading Challenge 2013 - 4/10 - 40%
8. Mental Illness Advocacy Challenge - 4/12 - 25%
9. Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2013 - 25/75 - 33%
10. Mystery/Crime Reading Challenge 2013 - 4/5 - 80%
11. New Author Challenge 2013 - 31/50 - 62%
12. Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge 2013 - 1/5 - 20%
13. War Through the Generations Challenge 2013 (American Revolutionary War) - 1/3 - 33%
14. 50 Book Pledge - 51/100 - 51%


Countries Visited

This month through my reading travels I "visited" The USA, Switzerland and England. Oh, and I went up to the Pegasus Galaxy.

Create your own travel map - TravBuddy

Books That Followed Me Home

Full House - Maeve Binchy
Heart and Soul - Maeve Binchy
The Painted Girls - Cathy Marie Buchanan
The Golem and the Jinni - Helen Wecker

EBooks

The Hypnotist - Lars Kepler
The Blackhouse - Peter May
Open - Lisa Moore
Signs and Wonders - Alix Ohlin
Away From Everywhere - Chad Pelley
Solomon Gursky Was Here - Mordecai Richler
Baggage - Jill Sooley

And that's it for may folks!

Book Review: The Blue Castle

Title: The Blue Castle

Author: L.M. Montgomery

Pages: EBook - 248

Summary: At 29, Valancy had never been in love, and it seemed romance had passed her by. Then a letter arrived from Dr. Trent, and Valancy decided to throw caution to the winds. Soon she discovered a surprising new world, full of love and adventures.

My Rating: 5/10

What I liked/disliked about the book: I couldn't get into this book, even with the majority of the theme being a women coming out and breaking some of the social constrictions, early feminism and all that. I personally found it boring with a cast of silly characters - it felt more like a poorly done satire - than anything else.

The first half of the book I slogged through - it was difficult to keep reading and there were times I nearly gave up on the book. In the middle, the book did start picking up - I appreciate what the author was trying to show with Valancy, I couldn't connect to it. The story itself wasn't the greatest, and I found all the characters lacked any sort of depth, and I didn't like the ending much at all either - like with the entire book, I felt it had a lot of plot strings, but nothing came together properly.

In the end, it wasn't the greatest of reads.

Would I recommend it to read: Hmm, I'm not sure on this one. It wasn't a good book, and while I suppose, there is some early issues of "feminism" in it, the book wasn't exactly one I'd call a good read. Although I do seem to be in the minority of this opinion, it's not one I'd recommend.

What to read next: I'd stick with the Anne of Green Gables, the author's talent seems to be better directed towards children, than adults.

Challenges: 100 Books Challenge, Canadian Book Challenge VI, EBook Challenge, Mount TBR Challenge

Book Review: Fishducky's Fables

Title: Fishducky's Fables

Author: Fran Fischer

Pages:  EBook 125

Summary: This book contains every single fairy tale, legend and nursery rhyme ever written (except for the ones Fishducky didn’t include).

Join Rapunzel, the Ugly Duckling, Snow White, Chicken Little, Alice in Wonderland, Beauty & the Beast, Robin Hood and many more beloved characters in this hilarious short story collection that will have you laughing out loud.

My Rating: 5/10

What I liked/disliked about the book: The book wasn't too bad, but it really wasn't cup of tea either. While there were a few stories and rhymes that made me chuckle, I found that the wasn't anything to special about any of them. Sure they were funny, and the author added an interesting twist to some of them to make them in to her own, but I found that overall, the individual stories didn't impress me much.

The writing was simple, to the point, and abrupt at times, but it worked with how the author tied her own personal twist to the stories.

Overall, it was good for a chuckle, a quick read, but not one that impressed me to much - especially compared to other satirical books in the genre.

Would I recommend it to read: It's a fast read and entertaining at times, but it wouldn't it be at the top of my list of books I'd recommend.

What to read next: I'm not sure on that one, there are a lot of books and stories taking fairytales and classics and twisting them around, so I'd say check those out.

Challenges: 100 Books Challenge, EBook Challenge, New Author Challenge




I received this book from LibraryThings Early Review program in exchanged for a book review.

Book Review: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

Title: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

Author: Robin Sloan

Pages: 288

Summary: The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco Web-design drone—and serendipity, sheer curiosity, and the ability to climb a ladder like a monkey has landed him a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days on the job, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything, instead “checking out” impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he’s embarked on a complex analysis of the customers’ behavior and roped his friends into helping to figure out just what’s going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore.

My Rating: 7/10

What I liked/disliked about the book: I liked aspects of the book, there were parts that were interesting to me, but as a whole it was a bit of a disappointment compared to the amount of hype it's received. It was okay, but not spectacular.

I did enjoy the books eclectic characters, and the main plot was a fun read. A bit odd, but it did make it worth reading. I just found that while the plot was fun and eccentric, it seemed to lack in depth and I found that it didn't come together well. I felt like there was a big piece of the story missing to make everything come together. I also found the book went overboard in mentioning things like, "Google", it began to feel like I was reading something sponsored by the company, rather than a book. And while the character were eccentric and fun to read about at times, they weren't very concrete characters, and where rather one sided - none of them are all to memorable and they were, at times somewhat stereotypical.

The narrative and writing were fine, and overall I did enjoy the book, but it wasn't a spectacular read like I thought it would be.

Would I recommend it to read: I would, it wasn't what I was expecting, but a good read, and a good choice for anyone who enjoys books about books.

What to read next: Hmm, I can't pick an actual title out, but more books about books would be a start.

Challenges: 100 Books Challenge, 2013 Category Challenge, New Author Challenge

Book Review: The Inheritors

Title: The Inheritors

Author: Jo Graham, Melissa Scott, and Amy Griswold

Pages: EBook 296

Summary: End game. The battle lines are drawn.

Queen Death is mustering her fleet. But who will stand against her? As conflicts and betrayal threaten to shatter Atlantis's fragile alliances with Guide's Wraith and the Genii, humanity's only hope of survival rests on the fate of an Ancient device - a weapon too terrible to use but too powerful to cast aside. A weapon capable of exterminating every Wraith in the galaxy, and with them every human carrying Wraith DNA.

With Queen Death's fleet fast approaching, Colonel Sheppard and his team must make their final choice. In the sixth and concluding installment of the STARGATE ATLANTIS Legacy series, the future of Atlantis will be decided - and more than one of her crew will be called upon to sacrifice everything in the fight for her survival.

My Rating: 9/10

What I liked/disliked about the book: This book was very well done, and I found myself anxiously awaiting what will happen next - and despite some of the issues I had it, it was an excellent close to the miniseries. I think the authors did a good job at collaborating on this, although there were a few times I could tell when it changed writers, the narrative and story came together wonderfully. The entire story as a whole and how it wrapped up the series, was amazing. I think the authors did a great job at tying up the story, making it a fitting ending, but leaving a lot of future possibilities for more storylines and twists, if the book series continues.

One thing I didn't like was SG-1's appearance - as much as I love them it didn't fit at all they were there, they were written out of characters, they were huge continuity issues, and how they came in the story and out just didn't work. It felt like it was an afterthought, because the book series may or may not continue. But I didn't like it, if SG-1 had been written in properly, then maybe I would have been okay with it, but I didn't like it.

Otherwise, I think with the exception of some of the shipping of characters, which I've addressed throughout the series at the hints, and the end scene with Jack and Sam, the issues I normally have with the series weren't there, or at least, as noticeable. The characterization, was for the most part, fairly spot on from what you'll see in the show, and I think as a whole, the Legacy miniseries, would fit in fairly well with the show.

All in all, great final book for the Legacy series.

Would I recommend it to read: Again, it's a book that is meant more for fans of the series, although I'd say watch the series, so you can read the books.

What to read next: The other books in the series, SG-1 or Atlantis, the entire collection is worth checking out (assuming you've watched the series the book is based off.)

Challenges: 100 Books Challenge, 2013 Category Challenge, EBook Challenge