Not Dead Yet by Phil Collins

Not Dead Yet: The Memoir 
by 

Phil Collins

 

Oct 23, 2018  ·  edit

really liked it

Interesting look into an amazing life. I have always been a huge fan of Collins' and learning about his life, his musical collaborations, his famous friends, and yes, his messed up marriages was a lot of fun. Some softening of those details are to be expected, and some funny anecdotes about the making of his music had me laughing aloud. Lots of name dropping and brushes with the rich and famous from the music business and beyond. A bit dry at first, but I think Phil warmed up as he began talking about his years on tour and the affect that had on his career (fabulously successful) and his families (tremendously damaging). At what price, fame???

And, he does answer the question of What does Sussudio mean....but it's a letdown! Many other tidbits make up for that though. And now, I get to go see my favorite drummer this weekend on his Not Dead Yet tour in Las Vegas!!! He is not the drummer on this tour, his son Nic is, so that is pretty cool.  Definitely worth a read for anyone into 80's music!!  And 70's....and British royalty.....and drama....and, well, Phil.

Update - the show was AMAZING!!!  Nic is an incredible drummer - his solo was total proof.  Phil has aged tremendously and walks with a cane now - he even sat during the show.  But he still rocks, he still rolls (his eyes hilariously), and he still has that spark of humor, timing, and storytelling, even if he cannot really hit the high notes anymore.  What a life.  Well done, Phil, I promise I won't remember you only as the guy who wrote Sussudio.  

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Another book club book - I have only read one other Hannah book, and NO, it was not THAT one.  I read Firefly Lane years ago, also for book club, so I guess it was high time to read another!!

Alaska. That is who I thought the main character would be here.  Set in the tundra, in a tiny community of tough, rough, dig down deep characters, this is the story of wilderness and cold.  Of survival where humans probably should not survive.  Of bears and salmon and canning your vegetables for the winter because you ain't leaving your house/cabin for 4 months - not to mention, there's only a few hours of daylight - grey daylight.

Sounds fun, right?

Add in an abusive husband with paranoid tendencies and undiagnosed PTSD from the war, a young girl trapped and in love, and a wife torn between her deep love for the man her husband used to be and her desire to help her daughter live a better life, and now you see my dilemma - there are several main characters here, and they are all trying to survive the best way they know how.  They've moved several times at Dad's whim, but this time really seems like it might be The One.  They take to Alaska and it's toughness, and 13 year old Leni falls in love - with Alaska and with Matthew, the only other teenager around.   But as her father's paranoia builds, and as his hate for Matthew's successful father increases, Leni realizes she is a prisoner in her own house.  While the neighbors, including Large Marge from the local store where Leni works (loved her!!!!), try to help out, Leni realizes it is up to her to make a change.  And when change comes, everyone and everything is affected way more than she bargained for.

A few holes in the second half of the story, but I was hooked and invested and really enjoyed the writing.  So much so that I found myself accidentally promising my book club that I will finally read THAT Kristin Hannah book.  Sigh.  Stay tuned......

The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne

For fans of Room and The Great Alone.....

A fairy tale about a frog and a princess is turned into a modern day story of survival and warped relationships.  Helena is brought up with her parents in the woods of the Michigan Upper Peninsula.  She adores her father, who teaches her to hunt and shoot, and can't understand why her mother is so unemotional, or why there are no other kids to play with.  When she turns 11, a stranger stops by their house, and all hell breaks loose.

Fast forward 20 years and Helena is married with two adorable daughters, but no one knows. No one knows about who her parents really are, or that her father is in jail, or that her mother was a victim of a kidnapping.  Until the day her father breaks out of prison, and Helena is the only one who knows how to find him.  What will she do??

Lots of good questions here -  about family, love, forgiveness (or not), mental illness, appearances, and secrets.  Interesting how the author wove the fairy tale in, and I liked the references to how Helena still struggles with modern society's rules.  The majority of the novel is flashback, and her father is violent.  But it is a quick read, and worthwhile.  Recommended by Sally from my local!!!

Grist Mill Road by Christopher J. Yates

I read Black Chalk (Yates' first novel) and it was NOT my favorite book.  Creeped me out.

So when my friend Erin lent me Yates' second novel, I was a bit hesitant.  But I have learned not to judge an author solely on one book, which is a valuable lesson in reading as in life!!!  This book hooked me from page one.  What an opening line!!!!  A horrible act of violence (not rape though) on a teenage girl witnessed by two teenage best friends, one of them the perpetrator.  Flash forward to the adult lives of those involved, and this incident remains a major trauma point especially for the boy who witnessed it and did nothing to stop it.

I actually loved the format of this book - you get into several of the characters' minds - and the way the story unfolds is absolutely brilliant.  The impact of one tiny decision leads to a passel of lies, omissions, regrets, and behaviors.  Or, was it just one tiny decision?  Was it assumption?  What you see is not necessarily what you get. (wink) There are always two sides to a story.  And sometimes, there are three.  You decide who the narrator is here!  Static or ever changing??

Excellent thriller with very inventive plot points.  Storytelling at its "can't put it down" best as far as I'm concerned!!!!  Thank you Erin!!!

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

My book club decided to go back to the classics this month and read (or re-read, or try to remember reading) Jane Eyre.  I still have my 1960 copyrighted edition with my middle-school looking handwriting marking it in my maiden name!!  And yes, it has been about that long since I read it (probably high school in the early '80's!).

I cannot imagine that I understood what I was truly reading then.  It is almost a tragedy that teenagers were asked to read this at that age.  And also a tragedy that they are not introduced to it now.  Oxymoron much??

My teenage daughters will never read Jane Eyre.  They will find it way too old fashioned, maybe even offensive.  There is no sex, but there is some violence.  There is a twist, and there is definitely drama.  There is a rags to riches arc, and an extremely strong heroine.  But would they see Jane that way?  As a strong woman?  Ahead of her time?  Opinionated and not docile?  One of my friends at Book Club asked if I thought this book was even relevant today - asked SHOULD our young girls (and boys) read this novel from 1846?

I say YES.  Because situational content is so important to the girls of today.  How else will they really know how far women have come??  There was NO chance of divorce at that time.  None.  Ever.  A governess position was about all they could hope for if they did not get married super young (usually arranged, rarely for love) or become a nun - what a choice!!  Early sex or none at all???  They rarely owned property and if they did and they subsequently got married, guess who owned it then?  It was very unusual that Jane should travel alone - gasp!!  Not to mention the fact that Charlotte Bronte felt compelled, no required, to publish this under the name of Currer Bell.  So no one would know it was actually written by a woman (another gasp!).

We complain that women are still oppressed, we don't have equal pay, we are marginalized and traumatized especially in this environment of #metoo.  I do not dispute that.  But please, go read Jane Eyre and for five minutes focus on how far we've come.

Yes, the language is flowery and romantic and the story is heartbreaking.  Redemptive, but heartbreaking.  No one but this particular character would have come out ahead - why?  Because she RISKED EVERYTHING.  She left.  She begged. She worked. She stood up for herself and ultimately she held out for love.  She did not settle. And she risked it AGAIN to leave again and go in search of answers.  It worked out great for Jane - thank goodness for fiction!  And yes, the drama levels are extremely high, especially in the break up scene when she first leaves Rochester and again when they are reunited - I could see my kids sticking their fingers down their throats in disgust (and maybe I did too!).

The language here is tiresomely descriptive - the author spends line after line describing the "lineaments" of her characters. And there are several references to the Bible, to high moral standards, to decorum.  This would probably be offensive today (that and, again, there is NO SEX!!!).  Rolling my eyes.

I have to say, I absolutely LOVED reading this again.  I had forgotten parts of it, I substituted a movie scene for what really happened, I confused this one a bit with Rebecca (my other favorite gothic novel - don't bother reading the so-called sequel Mrs. DeWinter - yuck) and with Wuthering Heights by her sister Emily.  But, how wonderful to really let myself go in a classic of English literature, a book which ushered in romance like no one else could.

Hmmm. Maybe Jane got a bit of her gumption, as well as her backstory, from Charlotte herself.

Alex and Me by Irene Pepperberg

Fascinating!

I am not usually one to read memoirs or nonfiction for that matter, but something about this book intrigued me.  Honestly, it has been on my Kindle for a while now, so it was probably a BookBub special!!!!

So, I found myself taking this with a little bit of salt, but Irene, a pyschologist, certainly did develop an amazing attachment/relationship with her African Grey Parrot  Now, I want one!  But they are extremely social creatures, and she spent hours in her lab testing him and working with him and teaching him to talk and doing all kinds of crazy things that seemed to give credence to the fact that we really should NOT be using "Bird-Brain" in a derogatory manner.  She and Alex became famous, and had a banter of communication that was likened to an old married couple.  Irene discusses the judgment she faced for her gender in her field, for her CHOICE of field, and for her work at all.  But she was nothing if not determined.  A very sweet story with some scientific interest - I did not find it overly so.   A fun, and funny, different type of read for me.  Perfect for summer!!!  And, allowed me to stick to my rule that when I traveled this summer, I only took my Kindle!!!

Ink and Bone (The Great Library #1) by Rachel Caine

Another book I downloaded probably two years ago that I finally got to this summer while traveling.

I immediately bought/downloaded the second AND third books. 

Maybe this is YA, I don't know anymore.  Dystopian, futuristic, oppressive society notwithstanding, this story borrows a little bit from Harry Potter, a tiny bit of green juice from Game of Thrones, and a smidge from The Hunger Games while remaining mostly original and creative.  Automatons, anyone?

Plus, it IS about BOOKS.  Or, rather, the lack thereof.

In the future, the Great Library of Alexandria controls what everyone may read.  It's like everyone has a blank ipad and the Library controls what you are allowed to read, or even know about.  Over the centuries, power has of course corrupted the leaders of the Library, and so here we go with the rebellion.  What I like is that the rag-tag group of teens that are forced together to train at the Library to be Scholars, High Guarda, or Obscurists locked in a tower, are all very different yet they see the faults of the system and with some well placed allies begin the fight to change the world.  There is travel to different continents, there is referral to history both ancient and more modern and how the centuries long oppression of education has affected everyone and created a huge black market for the buying and selling (and ink-licking, gross) of hardback books.  It is illegal to own them - gasp!!!  But Jess Brightwell, himself from a family of smugglers, bands with his German Genius BFF Thomas, the swashbuckling Dario Santiago who annoys him no end, the tough as nails Welsh girl Glain, the braniac and loyal Khalila, the powerful and valuable young Obscurist Morgan and their unlikely allies - their disgraced Scholar teacher and the Elite High Guarda Captain - to try and improve their world and remove the blight and let the light of education and reading back into the world!!!  Whoo hoooo!!!!  I am currently reading the fourth book, and cannot put it down.  Please let there be a fifth, although I will probably have to wait for that one.....ugh!!!!

PS - I would let my kids read this - they are mature readers at 17 and 15 and listen, if they've read The Hunger Games, this one is fine........

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens

I knew within the first page of this book that I was going to like this one!  I love a wordsmith!!!

Eskens has a way with words.  This is beautifully written.  Joe Talbert is an English student assigned to write a biography for class.  He stumbles upon a Vietnam War veteran who has been in prison for murdering a child - awesome!  Slam Dunk!  A+ material!!!!

But when Joe gets to know Carl, he begins to understand that there is so much more to his story.  Carl is dying and is ready to tell his side of things - finally.  Joe begins the process of hearing the story, and in the meantime begins to realize that Carl is not what he seems.  Carl, for his part, seems to recognize in Joe a kindred spirit of sorts - he knows that Joe also has a story to tell, and the two men begin a fragile relationship built on honesty and trust.  As the stories unravel, Joe becomes more involved with Carl's tale while also juggling a dysfunctional mother, an autistic brother, and his crush on the literal girl next door.  Joe is in over his head, and sticking his nose where it shouldn't be, but he can't help himself - he's drawn in to what really happened in this life that Carl has buried, and he sees that burying things is not always the answer.

Great, quick read.  Predictable, yes, but worth it anyway, and you might have a surprise or two in store after all.  Loved the relationship between Joe and his brother!!  Brings up questions of responsibility and family and truth and loyalty.  Can't wait to discuss this one at book club!!!

The Edge of Nowhere by CH Armstrong

Very good debut novel, based on the true story of the author's grandmother's life in Oklahoma during the 1920's.  Interesting insight into the life of a farmer, of the lack of choice for women in those times, of desperation and strength.  The writing is simple, but then so were the times. 

Victoria is strong, determined, and dedicated to her family despite the early loss of her parents and the jaded idea she has of love.  The story of her life, told as an explanation for why her grandchildren only see her as a mean old angry woman, has all the qualities listed in the title.  Interesting info on dust storms, tornadoes, farm life and the hardships they all faced not all that long ago. 

If you are a fan of historical fiction, this is a good one!!!

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

Not what I expected, but a pretty good read.  As I was reading I was thinking - oh, I am not really liking this a whole bunch, but then as with other good books, the ending really wrapped things up in some profound ways that left it somewhat redeemed.  There were actually passages right at the end that I thought, "Oooo, I should copy that down and remember that!"

Lots of flashbacks and forwards here so it can be confusing.  The novel begins with four children sneaking out to learn their date of death from a rumored Gypsy woman.  Each child is then given a date, which affects each of them differently for the rest of their lives.  If you know, what do you do with that knowledge?  Suppress it?  Change your life?  Live your life?  Or live in fear that she was right?

Four children, four perspectives.  I think I enjoyed Klara's story the most during the telling; Daniel was just annoying, yet probably the most introspective;  Simon's story was a tough read but the most probable reaction; and eldest child Varya's story with all the final reveals was best saved for last indeed.  A bit dark - because death hangs over each story of course - but an interesting dissection of the human heart, brain, and emotive life.  Is the knowledge of the date of your death crushing or freeing?  If you know, do you then somehow play into fate's hand and help it to happen with the decisions you make or don't make?  How would their lives have been different if they had NOT gone to see "the woman" that day - or would they have been any different at all?  They each have their own dysfuntions - is that because of the prophecy or despite it?  Interesting premise, interesting study on family and heritage, and a great little twist that made me gasp out loud!!!  I love it when I don't see it coming at all!!!  Not sure I would recommend this to my book club - it is a bit dark and depressed me - but the ending did revive me a bit - like I said, redemptive somehow.  So, four stars.  Not my favorite book of the summer, but I am not sorry I read it.  The writing is good and well presented, I had no problem with that.  Plus, I loved the cover, remember???  ;-)

Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane

Wow. 

I have seen Mystic River and Shutter Island (and read the latter - quite different!), and they both left me freaked out, so I was a little nervous about reading this one. However, it was one of those books giving me anxiety because it was still on my shelf from being on my list to read last summer, so in I bravely delved.

I could not put it down.  What started out as what I thought would be another poor victimized woman manipulated by men and doubt and fear of insanity became so much more.  Typical for Lehane, there are twists and turns and quite a convoluted story.  But so worth it.

This book also has one of the best opening lines EVER.  Wow.

But I repeat myself.  I don't want to say too much here, but this is a mystery, a self-discovery, a thriller, a keep you up at night once you get into it story.  Very well done - I did have a few questions about a few plot points, but can't even ask them without spoiling.  Rachel is a great and complicated character.  I would totally read a sequel - if there was one....... the ending is left wide open so you really can only imagine what will happen next!  At first I was shocked by its suddenness; in retrospect, I kinda like it.  Well done.

The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash

Amazing. Based on the true story of Ella May Wiggins, a textile factory worker in Bessemer City, NC. Cash is a powerful voice in Southern fiction, and in his hands this tale of union struggles and the brave people who demanded fair pay and fair treatment truly comes alive. Ella is white and her best friend is black, which in itself is rare, but Ella does not see color, she just sees the poor conditions in which she and her four children live, with not much hope for improvement. Cash captures the patterns of speech, the desperation of a single mother, the loyalty of friends and the fear Ella must have faced in her decisions to try to make a better life for her family. Beautifully told, heartbreaking in its truth, this would be a great addition to a Local History or Southern Fiction class - in school or out. The title is well chosen too- love it!

The Hush by John Hart

Way off the beaten bath for Hart - this one is part fantasy, part mystical and not at all what I expected, even once I got into it.  Johnny is still haunted by the events of The Last Child and now lives a very secluded life on his land.  He still relies on his childhood bff Jack (who may or may not be the real protagonist here), now a brand new lawyer determined to help Johnny keep his land, despite his misgivings about how Johnny lives there, and what might be out there.  Johnny has had run ins with the law, and there is only so much his stepfather Clyde can do for him.  When he does come into town, the townspeople think his is strange and possibly dangerous.  Johnny needs his land, is connected to it somehow, and puts up a mighty fight when a rich man tries to buy it off him for his own agenda.  Why does he want it so badly?  What is out there?  Monsters? Power? A force of nature? 

Hart's writing is some of the best around, and even though the storyline here was a reach for him, his storytelling is still so so good.  Not sure I'd recommend this one to all - you have to have an open mind to that mystical element I mentioned above.  So if you want a true taste of Hart's writing, go with Redemption Road, or Down River, or The King of Lies (see, I still can't decide which one I like best!!!).

The Last Child by John Hart

Wow, I haven't read a page turner like that in a long time. Since 2009 as a matter of fact. 

Which would be the FIRST time I read this gem by one of my favorite authors.  Helps that he is from NC so I consider him local and all even though he up and moved to Virginny to be with John Grisham, but whatever.

As I mentioned on my Summer Reading list (please visit my blog at www.rawlesreads@blogspot.com), I have at the top of the list the newest John Hart, but since he wrote his new one about Johnny, I figured I better go revisit the first one, and boy am I glad that I did.  I thought I'd just skim it through again, since I knew I had read it before.  I remembered one big thing from the end, but I would have missed all the little things and the tangled web Hart weaved to create this multi-layered, yes miraculous story.

Johnny is sad - his twin sister went missing a year ago, his dad walked out, his mom is still drugged up and now being abused by her new "boyfriend".....  sounds like a winner right?  Stay with me, because Johnny is one of the most dogged characters you'll ever meet.  He is convinced his sister is still alive and is furious with the Detective who promised to find her.  We get the story from Johnny's view, a bit from his bff Jack, and a lot from Detective Hunt, who has his own family drama going on at home with a very sullen teenage son.  Johnny is conducting his own investigation and at age 13 is constantly stealing and driving his mom's car to "stake out" the local sex offenders.  He has even studied up on his family's history in the area and the connection to a particular plot of land and a freed slave.  Everything is circular, and things happen for a reason.  As Det Hunt gets too close and personal with this case, another girl goes missing.  Johnny steps up his jaunts and things get deadly.  You may or may not see the ending coming, but you won't see ALL of it til the very end.  Great story - can't believe he does not write with an outline.  Neither, apparently, can Grisham.

Extra points if you can comment below on who, exactly, The Last Child is.......

Can't wait to see what Johnny is up to in The Hush - set 10 years after the events of this novel!!!  Stay tuned......

Summer Reading List 2018

Hello Summer!!  (almost)

My pile of books is too high.  Said No Reader EVER!!

But it is pretty close this year.  I am a little bit behind on my reading schedule - Goodreads tells me I am four books behind in my self-imposed challenge.  And my pile of books is stressing my bookshelf and giving me anxiety.  Guess that is what happens when you go do something silly like GET A JOB!  

Oh well, this is just another test of time management - of reading shorter books and adding Audio Books as I drive 30 minutes to work. Interesting thing about audio books - it's like a dual review situation: you can like the story but hate the narration, be annoyed by the narration AND the story, or like the story because of the narration.  Hmmm.  My fav audio book so far?  I Let You Go by Claire Macintosh.  But that is looking backward and I am ready to surge forward into Summer Reading!!  Here are the 12 books I have on the top of my stack to read in the next few months.

1 - The Hush by John Hart.  The only reason I haven't jumped right into this one is that I feel like I might need to review The Last Child first - Hart has, for the first time, written a quasi-sequel.  He has aged the main character from TLC ten years and revisited his life after the events of the first novel.  I love the way Hart writes - absolutely gorgeous prose - so I want to be sure I can savor this one this summer.

2 - Circe by Madeline Miller.  A recommendation from Sally (for those of you new to my blog, Sally is my local bookstore owner, and I do what Sally tells me.  If you don't know your local bookstore owner by name -and they yours - get on that as your number one priority this summer!!).  Circe is born of two gods but is banished to Earth when her fierce powers make her parents nervous.  And so to Earth falls our first Witch.  A mythical, magical read!!!!

3 - A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan.  More witches!!!  Book flap: "A sweeping historical sage that traces five generations of fiercely powerful mothers and daughters - witches whose magical inheritance is both a dangerous threat and an extraordinary gift."  Oh yes.  From Brittany's 1821 to WWII, I may be having the most magical summer since Harry Potter.

4 - The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin.  Ok, I admit it, I bought this one for its luscious cover!  A colorful tree, lots of branching out, roots to place or displace - I love some good symbolism.  Four siblings visit a psychic who can supposedly tell you the date of your death.  Each deal with the knowledge differently but it definitely shapes their decisions and lives.  Would YOU want to know???

5 - The Half Drowned King by Linnea Harsuyker.  And if you think the author's name is hard to pronounce just wait until you meet the characters in this saga from medieval Scandinavia!!  The rightful Prince is left for dead by his less than loyal men and he must reclaim his right and save his sister, who is facing her own betrayals and decisions back home with the scheming stepfather.  A story of Vikings and mystical beliefs, this one should really bridge the gap until Game of Thrones comes back on!!!

6 - Chasing the North Star by Robert Morgan.  More historical fiction for me!  The author of Gap Creek turns his attention to the South of Slavery and to two slaves who decide to make a run for it - but one is secretly following the other.  Another Sally recommendation from last year that only recently made it to my pile.

7 - The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash.  I met Mr. Cash at the fundraiser my local library put on last fall - a very quiet man but oh that writing!  We read A Land More Kind Than Home in my book club last year - a dark and difficult read - but still I look forward to this one.  It is 1929 and Ella May has four children and a runaway husband and her job at the mill barely makes ends meet.  Then the Union shows up and Ella May has to make some decisions about her family and survival that will have repercussions for generations.  Switching between Ella May's narrative and the story of her life as told by her granddaughter, this is based on a true story and events that happened in Cash's native NC.  Local historical fiction!!! 

8 - The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers.  Sally said this one was the best Book Club Book on her list for this summer, so yeah.  An epistolary novel set during and after the Civil War about a young wife who is left in charge of the farm and a young baby, just like many war wives.  But when Mrs. Hockaday's husband returns he finds she is headed to jail accused of murdering a baby.  What happened in the two years he was gone?  A mystery for sure, especially since the baby was hers.....

9 - Not Dead Yet by Phil Collins.  The Memoir of my favorite drummer.  Against all odds, this book has been on my shelf for over a year, but you can't hurry a good book. I think I will let him steal my heart away this summer and finally learn more about the man behind Genesis.  It might take me One More Night, but I Don't Care Anymore.  I cannot believe it's true, but this is the only nonfiction on my list!  Su-Su-Sussudio! (which I also hope to learn the meaning of!!!)

10 - The Secrets You Keep by Kate White.  I met Kate White at that same Library Fundraiser last fall and she is delightful!!!  So full of energy, and I ended up buying two of her books!  In this one, a woman experiences haunting nightmares after a terrible accident and then begins to realize her husband has become distant, a murder has occurred, and her nightmares suddenly seem to be connected.  This will be my beach read - mystery, thriller, and paperback!!! 

11 - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.  Finally!  My book club has been talking about re-reading a classic for years so this year we are finally doing it.  I have not read this one in, oh, 35 years???  I am interested to get my own take on reading this as a "mature reader."

12 - My Kindle.  I discovered recently that I have upwards of 50 books on my Kindle right now. Unread.  Aaacckkkk!  Double anxiety.  It is all my friend Karen's fault for introducing me to BookBub and their $1.99 book sales.  I am not even sure what all is on there but I figure I picked them for a reason - let's see, there's Alex and Me, the one about the pet bird (hold on, that one is nonfiction too!!)......Dreams and Shadows, a young adult series that sounded right up my alley - a modern fairy tale set in Texas.....The Edge of Nowhere by a woman I met online through mutual Diana Gabaldon fans who has written an historical fiction account of her grandmother's childhood in the Oklahoma Dust Bowl....and a bunch of other books I probably never would have bought otherwise.  Sometimes these books surprise me and sometimes they are, well, terrible.  So we shall see.  But I have told myself that I can only take my Kindle on my long plane ride this summer so I can clear some of these out!  Poor Kindle has been neglected lately!

So there are my 12 reads of the Summer of 2018.  Let me know what YOU'll be reading and if any of the books on your stack are listed here!

Happy Reading,
Rawles

Artemis by Andy Weir

I don't usually read "science fiction" but I do enjoy it. I LOVED The Martian. What a fresh voice! And the science, while very detailed, was fascinating!!! Great story.

In his sophomore attempt, Weir again goes to the stars - well, the moon in this case. A future colony has been established there with peoples from all over Earth, creating a new kind of melting pot. And new opportunities for Jasmine to "improve" her station by earning money on the black market - just a bit of petty smuggling here and there won't hurt anybody. Until one of her clients makes a BIG ASK, and all her skills from her estranged father along with her quick problem solving skills and brazen courage come full circle. Jaz, who has grown up on the moon, gets quick lessons in economics, the caste system and the omnipresent mob factors in her colony. Can she outwit them? Can she earn the prize money that will allow her to move out of her tin can abode and have her own private bathroom (priorities!)? Can she even survive when she is asked to face the desert moon alone and unsupported? And what is up with her Earth Bound pen pal that keeps interrupting our story here? The only thing that storyline supported was the possibility of a sequel where they meet up. 

Still, an interesting story and kept me reading. Weir's first attempt at a female narrator falls a bit flat, but considering Jaz's upbringing it makes sense. I would still read more of Weir!!

Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford

I met Jamie Ford at our Library's Fundraiser last year.  I complimented him on Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, and told him how much I appreciated a sweet, happy ending.  He smiled and said to me,"Then you are going to love this one!" as he handed me back my personally signed copy.

He was right.  :-)

The set up is very similar to Hotel.  Three Asian youngsters trying to assimilate into America, this time in Seattle during the World Fair in 1909.   Like in Hotel, the reader almost immediately connects with the main character, in this case a boy called Ernest.  It is very easy to fall in love with these characters the way Ford writes them.  Maisie and Fahn are his two best friends/loves and of course a choice must be made, if not made for him.  Because Ernest was literally raffled off at the Fair, and the woman who "won" him runs a brothel.  And Ernest ends up loving his new family regardless of their line of work - he has completely lost the one he was born into an ocean away.

As we once again toggle between two times - the beginning and near the end of his life - Ernest reflects on his life, his choices, his loves and his secrets.  His grown daughters visit and ask questions which bring back many memories of the paths his life has taken.  Ford did a lot of research here, and actually based the premise on a true story (or as the author calls it, "lost history") of a baby named Ernest who was to be given away during the time of the fair, but was apparently never claimed.  And so this story was born.  Add in some side scenes nodding to the women's suffrage movement, the health hazards of the "trade," the transport of children and women to America for less than honorable purposes, and even the different levels of cribs - from downright abuse to the select education and expensive dresses Madam Flora's girls received in her respected establishment - and you have yourself an interesting, well presented, and emotional story based on truth.  And yes, the ending was quite the consolation prize......I love it!!!!

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell

Ok...a couple of things here......


One, I listened to this one on Audible and the narrator (or maybe the editor, to be fair)  NEVER paused. This story is told from three perspectives, and the narrator blended one sentence to the other and 5 seconds in I would think, OH, this is a new chapter.  ANNOYING!!!!!


Two, that ending.  Just - no.  I know what happened, that is subtly clear.  But it makes no sense to me to drop the story like that.   Revenge without the revengee realizing what is happening isn't really revenge, it is just torture.  And no questions?  No accusations?  (well, ONE)  Not the ending I would have thought for Esme, no matter what.  Yes, she has changed, but it just didn't sit right with me.

Three, the story.  Lots of subplots here, yes, and a beautiful juxtaposition of social expectations and the freedom in a woman's life between three generations.  Iris and Esme have quite opposing experiences, and the unthinkable yet undeniably realistic injustice that was Esme's life is hard to fathom in these times.

A quick "listen," but I think this story had such potential.  The voice of Kitty is actually well portrayed for her condition, and there could have been some kind of a future of reconciliation at least between Esme and Iris, if not with Kitty.  And that Robert had no role but in passing at the end just added to the sadness.  Such a waste, just like Esme's life.  A dark read.

The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer

I was actually pleasantly surprised by this book.  I had relatively low expectations (although I LOVED the Twilight series - don't judge) of this one after I saw some not so great reviews on her sophomore attempt The Host, but I am wondering now if Meyer has found a better niche for herself in this more action-packed spy thriller genre.  My mom recommended it, and my only complaint is that I read it right after reading Dean Koontz's The Whispering Room - Jane could have taught Alex a lot, but I digress.......

Yes, there is a triangle of main characters. Yes, there is a love story.  And yes, they are all fighting a common evil.  But this evil is real - it is the government!!! 

Alex is a former chemist and secret agent employee who is given wide parameters in her research of certain, um, chemicals that are very efficient in getting information out of certain people.  A-hem.  But then apparently Alex learns something she is not supposed to learn in her super secret job and she has to go on the run.  Many identities, no strings, no liabilities, cash only, and yes my accessories are ALL WEAPONS, just in case.  She is book smart, learns to become street smart, and relationally challenged.  Enter her chance to become normal again - one last job for the super secret agency, because she IS the best at what she does.  Or, is it the final trap????

So the premise is not new, nor is the plot of hiding in plain sight or risking your life ONE LAST TIME.  But Meyer does manage to spin this one a bit differently and she is pretty good at the whole dialogue thing - especially at banter and barbs.  I liked Alex and her pessimistic attitude - that is her survival gear.  The romance is of course hard to believe (spoiler maybe: but I kept expecting that to be the trap; who is cynical now??).  There are some complaints here about plot - it was a bit hard to follow but the action kept me going until the plot was actually revealed in full glory nearer the end.  Loved the Epilogue too.  Nice touch.

A good beach read, probably ok for your teens (maybe one bad word and implied but not graphic sex).  Nice job Ms. Meyer.  Maybe I will go back to The Host and make my own judgement.  Right after I finish the 42 other books in my stack.......  sigh.

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

I didn't want to read this book, but Sally said so (she's my local bookstore owner).  So now I am saying so too - read it.  But don't read all those other reviews - just dive in.  You'll be glad you did.


I thought this book was about a little boy that is killed in a hit and run accident.  That's not really the case.  That does happen in the prologue, but THAT is not what this book is about.  This story is about Jenna - she's lost, she's alone, she's devastated by the accident.....and she has secrets she doesn't want to talk about.

This book is a bit slow to start, and spends too much time on Detective Ray's homelife (it is just not relevant and is unrelated to the main story).  However, the second half is much more fast paced and the story really picks up.  And I mean, the story itself will wallop you.

I listened to this one on Audible and the narrators were excellent.   I enjoyed the very British-ness of this novel and the idea that a village like Pinfach in Wales does still exist - a simpler time!!  And where a cup of tea can answer all questions - except what Jenna is hiding!

I really enjoyed this one - it was so much more than I expected.

The Whispering Room (Jane Hawk #2) by Dean Koontz

Book Two in the Jane Hawk Series.
Thank Goodness Book Three comes out in three weeks!!!!

I absolutely love the way Dean Koontz writes.  Some of his sentences could be stand alone award winners - his imagery and word choice and how he always includes detailed descriptions of the outdoors (I am missing a doggie in this story however!) can be stunning without overdoing it.  His characters are fully fleshed, actually eat and take showers and hurt and drive and get sleepy - they are REAL.  And the idea behind this good old fashioned new fangled thriller - mind control, nanotechnology injected into unsuspecting people who become like robots, and tracking down the bad guys while staying off the grid and one step ahead - does not disappoint; nay it terrifies with its potential reality.

Lots has been said about the rare strong female protagonist we have here in Jane.  Move over Jack Reacher and Ethan Hunt.  While Jane is smart and thinks ahead through all the details and scenarios and is uber-prepared for every challenge, she is also human.  She misses her son who she has put into hiding.  She is grieving her lost husband, and places her gun under the pillow upon which his head will no longer lay. (paraphrasing Koontz's prose there....sigh!)  But she is determined, she is committed, and she will NOT give up.  She is tracking down the people responsible for her husband's commanded suicide to stop them from literally taking over the world.

What I like best here is yes the action, and the suspense, and the breakneck pace - but also the characters Jane meets along the way.  Dougal, Luther, Bernie, and her sweet in-laws help keep her grounded, focused, yet human.  Will she succeed in stopping this diabolical plan?  Not in this book - but she sure makes great strides.  A bit more violent than the first book (hello, chimpanzees!), but the stakes are higher too.  As with book one, we end with some questions answered and others posed, and Jane is on the way to regroup by hugging her son before the next phase of her mission. 

I also like how the conspiracy theory through media is explored - many of the people Jane meets almost immediately realize she is not the cold-blooded killer "they" are making her out to be.  The way she is able to stay under the radar and call in some favors is amazing.  I could never!  But then, you never know what you are capable of when your child has been threatened and your husband murdered by people who want to continue their grab for ultimate power.

Bring on Book Three.  I love it.

Beneath A Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan

My good friend Jeff recommended this book to me, and I am so glad he did.

I don't read a lot of non-fiction, and granted, even the author says this is fictionalized history.  And if you read other reviews here you will see the common thread of complaint about the writing style.  Yeah, yeah, get over it.  Sullivan does over dramatize here and he admits that he consolidated some events for literary purpose.  I listened to this one on Audible, so maybe it was a bit less painful than had I read it, but do not read this for the prose or writing style, read it for Pino.  Read it for his story and to give acknowledgement to an oft overlooked chapter of world history.

Pino Lella was an 17-yr old Italian boy when war came to his hometown of Milan, Italy.  Knowing he is about to be drafted, his family sends him to Father Ray and the mountains, where he begins one of many adventures in helping defeat the Nazis before coming back to Milan and beginning an assignment he resisted and then embraced.  Over the next 18 months or so, the things Pino sees, experiences and witnesses seem made for the movies and seem too far fetched to be real.  But this is war - old timey get your guns and crash through the blockade War.  I don't want to give away too much here, but if you can get through the first 1/4 of the book (which is slow), you will be amazed at what you will experience through Pino's eyes.  An extraordinary man during an almost impossible time, his story is fantastical and leaves many questions unanswered about how things were run in Italy during the war.  Other WWII novels focus on Germany, but Italy not so much - even in the history books.  I was fascinated also by the afterword about the rest of Pino's amazing life, which even 60 years later is still shadowed by what he experienced, who he knew, and what happened.

Definitely worth a listen.

The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin

Disclaimer: I was given a chance to preview this book in its infancy by the author, who lives in my town, but whom I did not meet until right before publication.  Several changes were made after I read it, so there was a new element of surprise included.  Still, I am a bit partial to the story....




Y'all.

This is good stuff.  (And the prettiest cover, like EVER.)  Get your bookclubs together and read this one - and then have a really really good and honest conversation about friendship.  About loyalty.  About how far you'd go to protect, or hurt, the people you love the most.

Zadie and Emma are polar opposites - one is outgoing and cute and perky (and smart and disorganized), the other is tall and gorgeous and coldhearted and brilliantly together.  Right?

Not so much.

As best friends go, these two have been through it.  You have a friend like that, don't you?  If you do, you are lucky.  Yet Zadie and Emma make it through medical school, residencies, tragedies, rotations, flirtations, boyfriends, husbands, kids, jobs, etc etc etc.  Until: until the past comes roaring back.  And there are two sides to every story, right?  Unless one of you thinks there was only one truth, and that YOUR truth is the same as hers.

Not so much.

I love how the chapters from Zadie's perspective are hilarious and quick and kind of all over the place - just like Zadie.  I laughed out loud at how she tries so hard to get to work on time but then her verbose toddler says something funny or her twins remind her of the game today or her daughter rolls her eyes - been there done that (but I don't have twins, thank the good Lord).  She's got some wit, that Zadie. And I loved how Emma's chapters are immediately calmer, introspective, organized and factual.  Just like Emma.  You know pretty quickly which voice you are reading.

Yes, this book is chock full of medical jargon.  Our esteemed author, is after all, an ER doctor.  But this book is also chock full of the daily disasters a toddler can create, because our esteemed author is also a mother.  And this book is chock full of heart, because...well, because our esteemed author CAN WRITE.  And to write about the particular bond of a deep female friendship is brave.  And hard. And fulfilling, and painful and .....REAL.

Do you have a girlfriend like that?  Someone you'd do anything for or with?  Someone who knows all your secrets and you know theirs?  Who knows every little thing about you?

Think again.  Because when the betrayal comes, you'll have to decide whether the secrets you keep for each other and the love and trust you shared are bigger than the not knowing.  Whether forgiveness is possible, and whether it is worth it.  Martin gives us a very brave and real ending here after the big reveal, and I LOVED it.  I cannot wait to discuss this with my book club - and we live in Charlotte where the book is set so we will have some fun with this - but I am also going to bring extra tissues because I can see having a really deep dig at the open heart surgery Martin performs here on the anatomy of friendship.  It'll get you, ladies.  But once you close, that scar will be a beautiful reminder of the strength you had to heal.

Scalpel.

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

Fascinating...

I had some big problems with this book, but was also spellbound.  I listened to it on Audible, and there was a different narrator for each chapter that was told from a different character's viewpoint - I liked that actually. Emma is a single mom to two teenage boys, one of whom has Asperger's Syndrome, is obsessed with forensic science and is accused of murder.  Their lawyer Oliver decides to plead insanity, using the Asperger traits to explain why Jacob could not have understood what he was doing when he rearranged the crime scene like they do in the Crimebuster's show he watches every day at 4:30.  I have read other reviews that criticize Picoult's  overuse of Asperger traits - Jacob apparently has every single marker - and there is a mention of the immunizations he received as a toddler that supposedly changed his behavior.  So just be ready for that side.

But you cannot deny that Picoult did a tremendous amount of research here.  She touches on how Jacob sees and navigates the world.  She delves into how his younger brother Theo feels like he doesn't matter, because his mom focuses only on Jacob's (many, many) needs.  She digresses in Jacob's character into the factoids that he obsesses over, the cases he knows about, the Crimebuster episodes he likes best - to the point of distraction for this listener.  She goes deep into Emma's feelings of love for her son but curiousity about what her like could have been like, and her deep devotion to bringing Jacob back into high functionality.

However,  did no one think to ask Jacob what REALLY happened the day Jess Ogilvy died?    Seriously?  Maybe he did kill his tutor, maybe he didn't.  All Jacob wants to do is follow the rules, the House Rules, and tell the truth.  He is not capable of lying due to his Asperger's.  So why doesn't anyone just ask him a simple question:  What happened when you got to Jess' house, Jacob?  I realize his lawyer won't ask him, and his mom is taking the stand, so maybe she shouldn't ask him either.  But they jump into a trial without even knowing what happened - they just assume he killed her "accidentally" and build a defense based on insanity due to a mental condition. (There is a lot of assuming going on here actually.....) And (spoiler) once he does take the stand, he is never cross-examined.  WHAT?  I am not a lawyer, but this left a gaping hole for me - that prosecutor surely would have said, "Jacob, did you kill Jess??" and then we would have known what you can see coming from the get go.  "I didn't mean to hurt her."  Literally.....  everything is literal....

But overall, I could not stop listening.  I wanted to get in my car and drive around the block to see what would happen next.  So if you can get beyond the gaping holes, this was an interesting story.  A bit of an abrupt ending, but loved the reference to My Sister's Keeper near the end - look out for a title chapter reference....  wink!!!

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

The Woman in the Window 
by A.J. Finn 

This one started off a little slow for me - I was comparing it immediately to The Girl on the Train with the voyeurism and alcohol usage. But trust me, once you get about half way in to this one, you will not be able to put it down.

Yes, there are some obvious and previous used-to-death plot points here. Hold out though because the second half is totally worth the ride. There were a few surprises I did not see coming to help balance out the obvious ones. Anna Fox is housebound and has been for 10 months following the break up of her marriage and a traumatic experience. She is also a doctor - a psychologist. Ironic.

The action happens over a three week period. I like how the author (who I will be following now, this is quite the debut!) separates the story into what happens each day between October 24 and November 15. The reader gets a feel for Anna's days, her schedule, her fear of outside and finally we learn why open spaces are debilitating for her. Meanwhile, she has it all worked out. Her therapist and her trainer come to her, as do her meals and her meds. Lots of meds.

So one day when she is spying on her neighbors, she witnesses something she shouldn't have. And she decides to tell, but no one believes the crazy lady who never leaves her house. Always in a bathrobe and hardly ever showered, Anna begins to doubt herself. How much wine did she have? Which meds did she take double of and which ones did she forget to take at all? So much becomes a blur. She finds some solace in helping other people on an online message board, which makes her feel useful. And she meets the new neighbors across the street, which only adds to her angst when she witnesses what she thinks is a murder.

Very well written, even if the subject is familiar. Anna's fascination with films, esp film noir, gives the author some fun with movie quotes and Anna's dry humor. I'd give this five stars but for the overused plot, but points for originality with the ending.

Origin by Dan Brown

Origin (Robert Langdon, #5) 

Not quite as good as his other symbol-filled books, but this one does give you pause more about where we are going rather than the Origin of where we came from. There is a lot of secrecy about these two questions, centering on a big announcement about what a scientist has discovered/predicted about the future of the human race. When you finally get to the big reveal, it is not as earth shattering as I expected, but much more plausible - which might even be scarier, really. I love Robert Langdon, and the introduction of Winston in this book was fun and, um, interesting. Set in Barcelona and including the Sagrada Familia basicila as an important location was a bonus. Forget where he's been (some nice references to Langdon's past adventures are sprinkled in), I have to wonder about where Langdon himself will show up next!!!

Note - pay close attention to the flap of this book - therein lies a code....... clever!!!

Hiddensee by Gregory Macguire

Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker 
by Gregory Maguire, Tbd (Reading) 

I had forgotten how dark Maguire's books can be. Wicked is NOT for children, my little pretties, and neither is this story.

I had thought this book would be more about the Nutcracker and Klara. But the main character here is the man who becomes Godfather/Uncle Drosselmeier. This is HIS backstory - unknown origin, bounced in a dreamlike state from small town to small town, finally becoming a toymaker with no family of his own. A love affair early on seems token and trite and contrived, but maybe that was just me. I found the writing to be stilted with a confusing sense of place (no bridging from one location or scene to another - a very strange stream of consciousness almost). And I was just not satisfied with the story at all.

Until.....the end.

Oh my Goodness what a beautiful way to end this book. It took me by surprise and made me think Oh wait, maybe I did like this book!!! There are definitely beautiful sentences throughout; Maguire wouldn't still be published if he couldn't write. But the whole plot line just seemed to plod along with no real meaning until the end. And even then, Maguire's dreamlike story leaves you wondering if you have questions or if you just didn't get it. Hmmmmm.

I wouldn't recommend this book to people who prefer just to read bestsellers. I am not even sure I would categorize this as fantasy. If you are a fan of Maguire's previous takes on fairy tales then give it a whirl. I would say this is not my favorite of his, but in the end, I liked it. Just didn't love it.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

Not at all what I expected.

I have thoroughly enjoyed Backman's other novels.  A Man Called Ove had me laughing out loud and a bit teary throughout.  My Grandmother Told Me to Tell you She's Sorry was likewise a light, funny and great family read.

This one, not so much.

Definitely not light.  But definitely about family - the regular family unit and also the family built within a sports team, and in a Swedish town that is obsessed with their sport - hockey in this case.  Bear Town LIVES for hockey.  It is their only claim to fame, and they hold onto it with a vice like grip.  They are on their way to the finals, and they have to win.  The current manager of the team was their star player in his youth but is beginning to realize he has very little say in anything, the coaches are vying for the top spot with highly opposing coaching styles, and the boys (both young and old) will do anything - ANYTHING - to help the team succeed.  Even cover up a crime.

I was a little disturbed by this story.  There are a lot of dual relationships here - loved the description of the relationships between Peter and his wife Kira, between their daughter Maya and her bff Ana, Fatima and her son Amat, even between Kevin and his bff Benji.  But Peter was so weak, it was annoying.  His daughter was strong and probably my favorite character, but not enough time was spent on her.  Lots of time was spent on Benji and his secret (was that even really relevant to the story?  What was the main story??) It was hard to tell who was the main character but I think that was by design.  The main character was Bear Town itself.  Does the town survive a scandal of this nature?  Does the team?  Do the boys who witness it, know about it, cover it up, refuse to believe it?  And most of all, what is more important - a hockey team which provides jobs, direction and inspiration for this town, or justice??

This is not a book about hockey.  It is written in a bit of a disjointed style, switching perspectives and inner dialogue and scenes very quickly.  You may have more questions than answers here, but I can promise you time spent in well written, thought-provoking story with lots to talk about in a book club, for sure!!!

n the end, I actually liked it better than I thought I would.  The ending was brilliant. Jodi Picoult would be proud of this one.