Every Anxious Wave
by Mo Daviau
Nineties Music and Love in the Time of Time Travel (10/14/2015)
I was captivated from the first page. This debut novel by Miss Mo, Mo Daviau, is a fun and creative read for the Generation X and Y crowd (and anyone interested in the alternative/modern music of the 1980s/1990s and the subsequent collapse of the radio and the music industries as they were with all the great labels that once existed catering to every kind of artist out there). It took me back in time to the days of good radio stations and college radio where you could discover interesting bands and then see them locally with your friends, like the fictional Axis. The music scene before everything came through the internet. The title is actually taken from an early 1990s band's song lyrics. The author does well writing from a male perspective, I thought. It's fun and a bit nostalgic but then bam! Astrophysics comes into play. The protagonist is sweet and tries to keep a grip while a lot of crazy things go on around and because of him. The smart goth girl from the small town is also a character to relate to; one who has had a bit too much trauma in her young life--something women experience more than I think others are aware. A couple of characters are underdeveloped and the end needs to be flushed out more completely, but this was an exciting read that I felt had something for everyone like me. A bit of High Fidelity meets The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Afraid some other reviewers did not get it from the fact the author is a woman to being offended by the language. If the Hunger Games to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and other dystopian, violent books are ok, the language of this age group is what it is and is not bringing an end to our culture. Also, there is no indication the author wants to live in pre-Columbian America, but that is hilarious, especially this week!
Dangerous When Wet: A Memoir
by Jamie Brickhouse
Boring as a Wet Cocktail Napkin (4/14/2015)
I wanted to like this memoir but as I read it, questions came to mind such as: how did this book even get published? I've read a lot of books and watched several films about addiction and find them very interesting. This book is interesting at first, but what do you do when the main character has no interests, no character, and one basic goal in life? The author includes more details about the random guys he picks up than about his long-time partner.
Jamie's goals from a young age--(high school) are to drink and boink. Those are his aspirations in life and he sets out to do them in NYC because he always visualized himself drinking there--oh the glamour! We get details on how much he loves fur coats--a lot!. He loves martinis. He adores Joan Crawford. We get a glimpse of a few real people that seem important to him, but one who sounds incredibly interesting and maybe influential is reduced to the angora sweater she wears. And unfortunately is gone too soon.
The author sets out to party because he wants to; and he loves it and continues endlessly. It's a bit backward; and since he's my age, the post-80s sex education makes it counter-intuitive as well. Dangerous is right.
The "drama" about MamaJean is really overdone. She is a Southern woman who lavishes attention on her baby, but I really couldn't see how it was any more co-dependent than a lot of child-parent relationships that don't involve drinking and boinking as your main goals in life. He went off to college and then moved to New York. If she had a tantrum here and there, so what? Parents sometimes get mad and have a little drama. This book is just a love letter to the author. He used her as part of the framework for this book. She was busy with her life during this time as well but always helped him when he needed it. It's possible he thinks her slight eccentricity and his shallow eccentrics make him special somehow, but they don't. I've known plenty of alcoholics, some family members. None have risen to this height of utter disdain.
His contempt for everything from his small hometown to monogamy to 12-step programs to a really nice rehab is off the charts. What does Jamie love? Fur coats, alcohol, sex, and himself. And Mama Jean to some extent. When he can look past himself. This book is a great guide about a full-blown narcissist. He wasn't repressed, oppressed, abused, or harmed in any way. He wanted to drink and boink as much as possible and he did so until he was too sick to do it anymore.
There is no redemption for this spoiled, immature, shallow, irresponsible, egotisitcal brat. He's taken it all for granted. If you want a good memoir about addiction--this is NOT it.
Note: I have no problem with gay writers or addicts at all. The issue here is that this book was a complete chore to read with no redeeming qualities. I'd recommend David Sedaris for great writing on family dynamics and even James Frey's A Million Little Pieces (part fiction or not; it's still a much better story).
The Fortune Hunter
by Daisy Goodwin
Pleasantly Surprised (5/17/2014)
I don't usually like this type of novel--the story or the writing. But I was drawn in from the beginning and couldn't put the book aside for anything else. I liked all the elements of historical fiction, mystery, romance, and a bit of feminism in the main character (I don't know if that much freedom really existed at that time or not). The great thing is that I learned more about that time in history without reading works written during that time. I am a student of literature, but Victorian, actually a lot of early English literature is not my cup of tea. So The Fortune Hunter could use a bit of editing--it drags a bit in the middle--but it is a good read. And I think it would be a good book club offering. And the love of horses in it was very appealing as well. And the way the Queen is depicted--well you'll just have to read it. Like my title says I was pleasantly surprised and congratulate the author on an accomplishment fitting her obsession from childhood with good research filled in with good story-telling.
Buying In
by Laura Hemphill
Buying in Clueless (10/23/2013)
I have been interested in finance and economics all of my life and was very excited to read this novel (and was a Literature major). Unfortunately it was horrible. There is one protagonist, but the story is told from the POV of a few main characters. The characters are two-dimensional at best. The obnoxious stereotype of one immigrant is particularly disgusting. The protagonist's fetish would be impossible in any office. Anyone would know this right away. I understand it's a novel, but are we to suspend disbelief completely? As far as financial details: Excel spreadsheets, a model, and due diligence. Wow! Way too hard to believe she is so naive after four years at Yale (did she not have any internships?), so insecure, and so clueless. No friends from college except the boyfriend? I get she's from the "small town," but it's the 21st Century! It's not cute or sweet or heartwarming that she's so lost. It's insane. Route 71? I live in Cincinnati. It's Interstate 71--hope your editor gets to that; and they wouldn't be driving out of downtown to go to lunch. As for all the tangential relationships, they add nothing. I don't think writing is this author's passion or talent. Definitely change the genre to fantasy or Young Adult. It reads more like a soap opera or a slight thriller with some sensationalism. And really mostly, I was just insulted. And the ending is icing on that cake--I wanted to throw it out the window. Really? There? Really, that is hilarious. So maybe it's a comedy.
One Minus One: Nancy Pearl's Book Lust Rediscoveries
by Ruth Doan MacDougall
A View of a Time (5/17/2013)
One Minus One is a novel examining a woman's life at a very specific time in a very specific place at a very specific time in U.S. history. I couldn't help but think of the tv show Mad Men because of the author's attention to detail and the fact that it is set in the late 60s. It is strikingly first-person narrative. Everything is seen through the eyes of this woman and through the prism of her previous life. She is in a kind of awakening, trying to measure how far she can or wants to go, wondering who she really is at this point. It's not great literature, but it is an interesting novel for a look at women's lives at that time and the very sheltered lives in small towns on the upper East Coast.
Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald
by Therese Anne Fowler
I'll Take Zelda (5/17/2013)
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight in Paris." It was very interesting, having a degree in literature, and learning more about this couple. I'm not one that puts Fitzgerald in the best writers of all time column. He might have been if he applied himself a bit differently. And Zelda might have been had she been allowed. But it does give a view into that time: The Lost Generation. My great aunts lived at this time and did not marry but had really big careers and traveled and visited the Algonquin, so I'm always curious to learn more. I also kind of feel the same as Zelda about Hemmingway, but do love a couple of his novels. But I could never understand the huge ordeal over The Old Man and the Sea. Really? I am missing something. But I like Zelda and I like reading her perspective of things, fictional as they might be.
The White Mary: A Novel
by Kira Salak
The White Mary (7/31/2008)
I was so excited to read this book--a journalist who draws from personal experience in some of the most war-torn and unstable places on the planet as well as a personal journey in a place we rarely hear of in the news. I was disappointed to find a novel with few interesting scenarios that ultimately fell flat and rang hollow.
I know writing is challenging--non-fiction or otherwise, but the writing here is poor. And the omniscient narrator doesn't work. I really wanted to feel the experience of going deep into Papua New Guinea, but the descriptions were cursory and didn't bring it alive to me at all. Then the novel seems to want to be an allegory for emotional redemption and instead sounds like some ridiculous self-help advice. Even if you suspend disbelief this novel doesn't work. For a real journey into the jungle I would recommend skipping it and reading Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
Charming and Unique (7/27/2008)
This creative novel has a lot to offer. Formatted in letter-only narrative, a wonderful story unfolds in post-war England. Although the basic history is known, it offers a perspective of how hard hit England was and how difficult it is to recover from the horrors of war and the legacy it leaves. But this book isn't depressing or preachy--it's lovely and chronicles the wonderful journey of a writer. Fun stuff for people who understand how writing can bring people together and create a powerful bond. This novel would be great for book groups--it's not long and offers a beautiful humanity as well as interesting history of the English island of Guernsey which was occupied for five years by the Germans. A great read--I'm already looking forward to re-reading it!
Ancestor Stones: A Novel
by Aminatta Forna
Voices from Africa (2/8/2008)
A beautifully told story of Sierra Leone through the voices of four daughters in the Kholifa clan (same father, all different mothers) spanning from 1926 to 2003. Describes a nearly lost way of life, the tragedy of civil war, and the unbreakable bonds of family, especially women. Really quite an achievement. Read the first time straight through, then re-read each aunt's story in order: Asana, Mariama, Hawa, and Serah, all being told to their neice Abie who has made her home in England. Very interesting--the landscape, traditions, Islamist and Christian influences, imperial rule, and painful modern African politics. Five different voices set against a vivid history--in the world and in their country.
Gomorrah: A Personal Journey into the Violent International Empire of Naples' Organized Crime System
by Roberto Saviano, translated by Virginia Jewiss
An Entirely New View on Italy (10/13/2007)
I knew corruption was rampant in the government, but this book rips open the wounds of ongoing and enmeshed organized crime at odds with building a fruitful and strong society. It's a tough read, redundant, and the author is clearly so close to the material it has made him sick. He names names endlessly that must mean more in Italy and I would guess has put himself in jeopardy. It is fascinating, though, because it challenges the idea that Italy is an enchanting, happy place. Globalization has not only helped the world economy, it has helped organized crime itself. This area alone would be a fascinating discussion. The history of the AK-47 is also immensely interesting. Very informative, frightening, and sad.
 (1).gif)
