Introverted Reader

Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith: Book Review

Mma Ramotswe has just gotten engaged to Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni. But she's not going to let a little thing like that change her life too much. She's still running her business and solving mysteries with her unique blend of luck, insight, persistence, and wisdom. I'm missing something. I know I am. Too many people love these books for it to be a fluke. I just don't love them. I don't dislike them either. I don't really feel much either way. I like Mmma Ramotswe herself. She has a kind heart and I love her solutions to problems. I remember her being a little trickier in the first book, but it has been years since I read it, so maybe I'm wrong. Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni doesn't really know what he's gotten himself into. He has a kind heart as well, so I like him with Mma Ramotswe, but I think he's going to get trampled by her personality. Although I was shocked at one big thing he undertakes without first consulting with Mma Ramotswe! I tried this second book in the series on audio, thinking that the stories have a bit of a "spoken word" feel to them. It worked a bit better for me, but I'm still not left longing to read more. The bonus of the audio was that I wasn't constantly tripping over unfamiliar names. I feel perfectly confident saying them now. I thought Lisette Lecat's soft voice was a perfect accompaniment to these simple-on-the-surface tales. I think I'm going to give up on the series now, but if you're interested in them, definitely give them a try. I seem to be in the minority in not loving them. Read an excerpt. My review of the first book, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency…

The Exile of Sara Stevenson by Darci Hannah: Book Review

Sara Stevenson has shamed her family and has been exiled to a remote Scottish island for months. Along with her lady's maid, Kate; Kate's husband; and the lightkeeper, William, she will have to weather a long winter, unsure of the fate of her lover. I thought this was pretty good. It's not exactly my typical read, but I still enjoyed it. My one real problem was that it was a bit too romance-y. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just not my thing. There are some supernatural elements that just took it over the top for me. Don't get me wrong--I love fantasy, it just felt too "Love transcends all" for me. Sara and her maid both irritated me at times. Sara is determined to do the exact opposite of what she's told, to the point that it's stupid and dangerous. "Don't go out today, Sara, a snowstorm is coming." So what does she do? She rides out. Of course. Because who doesn't want to get caught out on the moors or what have you in a snowstorm? She also jumps to some ridiculous conclusions about William and refuses to change her mind about him for an inordinate amount of time. The maid was a little holier-than-thou tattletale. But at least Sara was independent and spoke her mind. I ended up liking her. I liked William too. He's a tortured soul. He can be charming when he wants to be, but in the right mood, he's scary. I had an idea what his story was going to be from early on, but I still liked reading all about him. But then, I do like me a good Scottish man! I wish I could remember more details, but I don't. Fans of Susanna Kearsley should give this one a try. Read…

Bookish Miscellany

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. Posted:Review: A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah Review: Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews, read by Isabel Keating Review: Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood Review: Mermaids in the Basement by Michael Lee West Read:Nothing. I didn't quite finish The Grapes of Wrath before our book club meeting today, but I gave it a good shot. Currently Reading:The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker, read by Carrington MacDuffie Up Next:I may try to re-read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald before the movie comes out. I haven't decided yet though. The sunshine and warmer weather have left me wanting to read lighter fare! What are you reading this week? I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in beautiful downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

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April 22, 2013

Mermaids in the Basement by Michael Lee West: Book Review

Renata DeChavannes is reeling from personal loss. She runs home to her grandmother in Alabama, seeking answers to questions about her mother. I don't have a lot to say except that I can't help but feel like this has been done before. Younger generation, digging in the past, looking for parents' secrets. Sound familiar? I'm thinking of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, and this book is nowhere near as good as that one. I liked most of the present-day characters. Renata was pretty funny, but apparently pretty dense, but Honora, Gladys, and Isabella were tons of fun. Unfortunately, they weren't really the focus of the story. The focus is on Renata's mother Shelby and her broken relationship with Renata's father, Louie. Everyone talks about Shelby like the only reason she didn't walk on water was because she didn't want to, but once the past starts coming out, I couldn't stand her. I really don't get what was up with Renata. She's about 30 years old, but you would think that she was five. She seems to know absolutely nothing about family history, even when she's directly involved. An explanation was given, but it was pretty weak. And everyone's supposed to be telling her these old family stories, but when they start talking, it's like Renata's not even there. Instead of, "You weren't a very pretty baby," it's "Renata wasn't a very pretty baby." What's up with that? The chapters float around between several of the present-day characters. Some of them are titled, "Honora says..." and that made it pretty clear who was talking. But sometimes that was left off and I would think Renata was telling a story only to find out that it was her father. Confusing. I'm making this sound bad, and it really wasn't. It was…

Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood: Book Review

The Bliss family has a secret. A lot of bakeries say that their pastries are like magic but their pastries really are magic. Oldest daughter Rose loves helping out in the kitchen but she hasn't been allowed to do much more than fetch ingredients and she's never been entrusted with any magical recipes. But when both parents are called away for a week to help a neighboring town, they leave Rose with a key to the magic recipe book. Coincidentally, their long-lost "aunt" Lily rolls into town just as the Bliss parents are leaving and she seems awfully curious about the bakery... What a cute read! I just loved it! Rose is the responsible one in the family and it's starting to wear on her. She's a little tired of watching her brothers have all the fun while she isn't even allowed to do any real baking. Anyone can bake a scone; Rose wants to bake a love muffin. The misadventures the Bliss children have while their parents are gone just amused me to no end. Their solutions to their problems are more and more creative but they just cause bigger and badder problems. Aunt Lily is just enough of a suspicious character to keep Rose on alert, but she's smooth enough that Rose is able to forget about her for little bits of time too. It's obvious she's up to something, it's just not entirely obvious how she intends to do it. The siblings learn lessons about family and listening to their parents and trusting their instincts and each other, but the book does not beat you over the head with them. This was cute enough that I looked forward to getting on the elliptical machine so I'd have time to read it. Need I say more? I'll be…

Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews: Book Review

Old friends Ellis, Julia, and Dorie have rented a beach house on the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a month. They've realized that their lives are moving along quickly and they want to spend some time together again. Ellis makes the arrangements and they all show up for a lazy vacation for the month of August. But they're all in tough places in their lives. Ellis was recently downsized, Julia's disenchanted with her modeling career, and Dorie's just not her normal perky self. With Ellis and Dorie worried about money, Dorie seizes on the opportunity to rent out the extra bedroom on the top floor of the house to a perfect stranger she meets in a diner one day, Madison. But Madison has troubles of her own. So this wasn't one of my favorite MKA novels (that would have to be one of the Savannah books), but it was still a fun little escape. It was wonderful to hear about August on the Outer Banks as I drove around in the last gray days of winter, wondering if there was really a sun up there somewhere. I loved Ellis, Julia, and Dorie--from a distance. Ellis is a control freak and she was pushing my buttons at the beginning. Julia is pushy in her own way and too nosy for her own good. Dorie is a sweetheart though. And Madison is so bristly and quiet that I even felt like she was pushing me away--and we find out her story very early on. But they felt like a real group of old friends in the way that they laughed and fought and told it to each other straight. Ty, the next-door neighbor, is a dreamboat of a man. He's not perfect either, being entirely too stubborn for his own good,…

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah: Book Review

Ishmael Beah was about 12 years old when Sierra Leone's civil war found him. He and his brother were visiting friends in a neighboring town and got cut off from their family. Their world descends into chaos and they are left trying to survive on their own. Oh my gosh. This was just heartbreaking. I started reading it one night, didn't even get to anything about him being a soldier, and had nightmares. I was afraid of what Ishmael was in for. In that respect, it was actually easier to read than I was afraid it would be. He tells about his time in the war pretty quickly. There are quite a few flashbacks, but he only tells enough to show what his life was really like. He doesn't relive every waking moment. It was still tough to read, but not as bad as it could have been. He and I are very close to the same age. He's almost exactly a year older than my sister. So when he gives a date for whenever something happened, it was easy for me to compare it to our lives. In 1997 he was on his way to speak to the UN about child soldiers. I was getting my heart broken in college. The war reached him in 1993. I was a freshman in high school, swimming along just fine in my niche. We were practically the same age but our lives were light years apart. It was somehow humbling. It's downright frightening to think this started when he was just a bit older than my youngest cousin is right now. I was frustrated that this group of boys were basically coerced into the army because they were hungry and wanted some sense of community. Oh, there was a lot more to…

Bookish Miscellany

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. Posted: Review: The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna von Praag Review: This is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz Read: A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews, read by Isabel Keating Currently Reading: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker, read by Carrington MacDuffie Up Next: My book club meets Sunday to discuss Grapes and I'm only 80 pages in. I'll be lucky to finish, much less have time for anything else! What are you reading this week? I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in beautiful downtown Asheville, NC. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

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April 15, 2013

This is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz: Book Review

Yunior has cheated one too many times. The smartass Dominican narrator of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is just not in a good place. In a series of short stories set around different events in his life, he reflects on how he has arrived at this point. This is so hard for me to rate! I was not happy through most of these stories. I really, really, really liked Yunior in Oscar Wao. Would I ever date him? Absolutely not. Did I like him? Yes. He was a screw-up at best but he seemed to have his life together by the end of that book. At least from what I remember. But this shows us that he doesn't. He can't seem to change his ways. He relates affairs, his relationships with his brother and his father, his friends' affairs.... This is not a happy romcom by any stretch of the imagination. I still loved Yunior's voice, I just wanted to smack him around until he became the person I knew he could be. And then. And then I read the last page and a half. Yes. That close to the freaking end of a book that was at best three stars, Junot Díaz rocked my world. I understood where Yunior was coming from and what he was trying to do. I understood what he was saying. And I loved it. I had goosebumps, it was so perfect. I am not lying. I started seeing what was going on and I got more and more excited and then I read the last sentence and I was in love. It was perfection. Seriously. I immediately wanted to flip to the front and start over and see how my perspective shifted now that I got it. But the library book is…

The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag: Book Review

Alba Ashby is mortified. On the cusp of a brilliant career as a historian, she's lost everything, including her hope. Then she finds herself at the house at the end of Hope Street. Peggy, the eccentric caretaker of the home, invites Alba in and starts to regale her with stories of the house's more famous residents. It seems that every woman who has ever been anyone has stayed at the house at a time in their lives when they desperately needed hope as well. Peggy invites Alba to stay, but she only has 99 nights to resolve her issues and leave the house. With a comparison to Jasper Fforde, Lev Grossman, and Sarah Addison Allen in the book blurb, I had high hopes for this. I don't know exactly how all of those authors fit in, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book anyway. The book mostly centers around Alba but it's also the story of Peggy and two other women staying at the house, Greer and Carmen. There were aspects of each woman that I think will resonate with all of us. I couldn't help but root for them, hope they worked out their problems, and wish them all their happily-ever-afters. I want to live in this house, let me tell you. It readily dispatches advice (asked-for or not), has a knack for supplying exactly what you need, and giving you the tools you need to succeed. The walls are lined with photos of past residents who also form a sort of Greek chorus, commenting on events and offering their opinions. When Dorothy Parker, Agatha Christie, or Vita Sackville-West speak up, a wise woman listens. There's also a resident ghost but the only person who sees her is Alba. They form an instant friendship, something sadly lacking in young Alba's…