Fiction #12 in 2009 – The Myth of You and Me: A Novel by Leah Stewart

The Myth of You and Me: A Novel by Leah Stewart

From Publishers Weekly (amazon.com):

Stewart peers into the complicated heart of friendship in a moving second novel (after 2000’s Body of a Girl). Ever since a cataclysmic falling out with her best friend, Sonia, after college, Cameron’s closest companion has been Oliver, the 92-year-old historian she lives with and cares for in Oxford, Miss. Oliver’s death leaves Cameron alone and adrift, until she discovers that he has given her one last task: she must track down her estranged best friend (whose letter announcing her engagement Cameron had so recently ignored) and deliver a mysterious present to her. Cameron’s journey leads her back to the people, places and memories of their shared past, when they called themselves “Cameronia” and swore to be friends forever. It was a relationship more powerful than romantic love—yet romantic love (or sex, anyway) could still wreck it. Stewart lures the reader forward with two unanswered questions: What was the disaster that ended their friendship, and what will be revealed when Cameron and Sonia are together again and Oliver’s package is finally opened? The book is heartfelt and its characters believable jigsaw puzzles of insecurities, talents and secrets, and if Cameron’s carefully guarded anger makes her occasionally disagreeable, readers will nevertheless welcome her happy ending.

My thoughts:

• Not the type of book I usually read, but hey, I was missing my girl friends back home, so thought it’d be nice to read a book about girl friendship.

• The book is about how 2 best friends got into a fight (but of course the author didn’t tell you why in the begining) and ended up not talking for 8 years. I guessed the reason half way through, if not sooner. I kept hoping I was wrong, that it couldn’t be that predictable. Really?! Maybe I read too many crimes novels with more sophisticated twists.

• If there is one thing I like about the book, it is this quote regarding why some books stopped where it stopped, from a writer’s perspective (p137). I found it interesting since I don’t always want a happy ending book: “A happy ending isn’t really the end, it’s just the place where you choose to stop telling the story. Why not make everything work out when you have the chance?”

Fiction #11 in 2009 – Life Sentences: A Novel by Laura Lippman

Life Sentences: A Novel by Laura Lippman

From Publishers Weekly (amazon.com):

This stunning stand-alone from bestseller Lippman (Baltimore Blues) examines the extraordinary power and fragility of memories. Writer Cassandra Fallows achieved critical and commercial success with an account of her Baltimore childhood growing up in the 1960s and a follow-up dealing with her adult marriages and affairs. The merely modest success of her debut novel leads her back to nonfiction and the possibility of a book about grade school classmate Calliope Jenkins. Accused of murdering her infant son, Jenkins spent seven years in prison steadfastly declining to answer any questions about the disappearance and presumed death of her son. Fallows (white) tries to reconnect with three former classmate friends (black) to compare memories of Jenkins and research her story. In the process, she discovers the gulf (partially racial) that separates her memories of events from theirs. Fallows’s pursuit of Jenkins’s story becomes a rich, complex journey from self-deception to self-discovery.

My thoughts:

• The book raised an interesting topic, especially since memoir is so popular nowadays -  how accurate is our memory? Especially for memoir? We have all heard of those “fake” memoirs that came out recently, whether it was done on purpose (to sell) or did we really just remember things differently than others? Seriously, I don’t remember a lot of my own details when my husband told me such and such happened. Ummm, made me nervous after reading Still Alice :p

• There was one big hole/mystery about the character Aubrey that was never answered. I got frustrated. Searched online for spoiler and found that I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t figure it out (I was feeling dumb about it). Finally, found that the author answered the mystery on Face Book’s “Life Sentences” page (after a reader asked her about it, see, so I wasn’t the only one!) and still not really satisfied with the answer – partly because now I have forgotten who-is-who in the book. Plus the answer should have been included in the book in the first place since it was a critical point.

• So interesting concept, but didn’t quite delivered.

Fiction #10 in 2009 – The Kindness of Strangers by Katrina Kittle

The Kindness of Strangers by Katrina Kittle

From Publishers Weekly (amazon.com):

Master caterer Sarah Laden is barely holding her life together as a widow with two difficult sons—recalcitrant teen Nate and troubled fifth-grader Danny—when the unthinkable happens. Her best friend and neighbor, Courtney Kendrick, is arrested in a child sex abuse scandal. Courtney’s husband has vanished; their 11-year-old son, Jordan, is in the hospital recovering from a suicide attempt; and across the street Nate is finding, in Jordan’s backpack, evidence of unthinkable abuse. Kittle (Traveling Light; Two Truths and a Lie) crafts a disturbing but compelling story line, as Sarah, Nate and Jordan uncover and come to terms with the horror in alternating chapters. Sarah, for instance, is shocked to learn that she dropped off food for the Kendricks’ sex parties; Jordan must decide whether or not he wants to continue a relationship with his mother—who insists she’s innocent—if and when she gets acquitted. Kittle’s research sits awkwardly in expository dialogue—”One in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before their eighteenth birthdays,” intones the detective who will later become Sarah’s love interest—but it doesn’t slow the momentum. Though the movement is toward healing, there are bumpy roads ahead for everybody in this melodramatic but gripping read.

My thoughts:

• Similar to Testimony, this book is written from different characters’ perspective as well, but with less characters which made it less confusing. It also deals with a dark topic (a darker topic, if you ask me). I like this book better than Testimony because I think there are more to the characters. While the topic is horrifying, it wasn’t quite as disgusting as The Girl Next Door – nothing to do with the subject matter as both are equally disturbing, but just how the author presented it. Sometimes,  you just don’t need to be quite that explicit to get the message across.

• It is an engaging read, but I think the story could be shorter as it’s about 400 pages long. E.g. the prologue can be editted out.

Fiction #9 in 2009 – Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

From Publishers Weekly (amazon.com):

Neuroscientist and debut novelist Genova mines years of experience in her field to craft a realistic portrait of early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Alice Howland has a career not unlike Genova’s—she’s an esteemed psychology professor at Harvard, living a comfortable life in Cambridge with her husband, John, arguing about the usual (making quality time together, their daughter’s move to L.A.) when the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s begin to emerge. First, Alice can’t find her Blackberry, then she becomes hopelessly disoriented in her own town. Alice is shocked to be diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s (she had suspected a brain tumor or menopause), after which her life begins steadily to unravel. She loses track of rooms in her home, resigns from Harvard and eventually cannot recognize her own children. The brutal facts of Alzheimer’s are heartbreaking, and it’s impossible not to feel for Alice and her loved ones, but Genova’s prose style is clumsy and her dialogue heavy-handed. This novel will appeal to those dealing with the disease and may prove helpful, but beyond the heartbreaking record of illness there’s little here to remember.

My thoughts:

• I don’t have a particular interest in Alzheimer’s, but had read some good reviews so I thought I’d give it a try. I mean, if I am really interested in learning more about Alzheimer’s, I probably would’ve picked a non-fiction to read, you know? Nevertheless, I want to keep reading some fiction (I used to read 99% fiction, but now it’s more like 33 since I got interested in reading non-fiction.)

• This book totally exceed my expectation. I just couldn’t put it down and was just sucked into the story. I admit I do cry when I read books or watch movies, so be warned. Luckily I was reading that part (really depressing) at home and not at work or on the bus!!

• The story definitely makes you think “what if” – not just “what if” if it happens to you, but “what if” if it’s your spouse, your parents, your grandparents, your siblings, your friends.

• I admired how Lisa Genova told this story – this is a serious disease and she raised awareness in a powerful way. As I was reading it, I felt that sometime I was being ‘tested’ as well to see if I remember the details… (omg, I don’t remember! Do I have it too?). It was so realistic that it almost read like a memoir.

• The author’s inspiration was man who mistook his wife for a hat:  “In examining disease, we gain wisdom about anatomy and physiology and biology. In examining the person with disease, we gain wisdom about life“.

• I enjoyed the “conversation with the author” in the back of the book. Her blog also talked about her writing and self-publishing (this book was self-published!). Her website (FAQ) also talked about how she got into writing this book. Website: http://www.stillalice.com/ Blog:  http://www.stillalice.blogspot.com

• I can’t wait until her next book, LEFT NEGLECTED, that deals with traumatic head injury.

• HIGHLY Recommend this book. Moving and haunting. Will stay with you long after you read it.

Fiction #8 in 2009 – Testimony by Anita Shreve

Testimony by Anita Shreve

From Publishers Weekly (amazon.com):

Shreve’s novels (Body Surfing; The Weight of Water) benefit from propulsive plots, and her mixed latest, with its timely theme of debauchery among children of privilege, does not lack in this regard. The first paragraph foreshadows a tragedy in which three marriages are destroyed, the lives of three students at a private school in Vermont are ruined, and death claims an innocent victim. The precipitating event is a sex tape involving three members of the boys’ basketball team and a freshman girl. Beginning with an account of the debacle by the Avery School’s then headmaster, and segueing to the voices of the participants in the orgy, plus their parents and others touched by the scandal, the narrative explores the widening consequences of a single event. Shreve’s character delineation is astute, and the novel’s moral questions—ranging from the boys’ behavior to the headmaster’s breach of legal ethics to the guilt of those involved in the death—are salient if heavy-handed, while the female characters are wicked in the way women have always been stereotypically portrayed. The novel is clever, but the revolving cast of narrators often feels predictable and forced, keeping the novel on the near side of credible.

My thoughts:

• Each chapter is told from different characters’ perspective, so it is interesting to read a book written like so. Though there are quite a few characters, so sometimes I found myself asking, “who is this again?”

• Some reviewers found the content/text a bit too graphic. I didn’t find it too bad, probably I’d read worse (happens a lot when you are interested in reading true crimes!). It is a sensitive topic, and I guess the fact that I don’t have any children (especially if they are teenagers) made it easier to read or it may hit too close to home. Especially since this was supposedly inspired by a real life school scandal.

• The story can probably be shortened a little (not that I don’t like reading long books, but it is an easy read as far as the writing goes since it’s quite engaging (not to be confused with it’s not an easy topic to read for some). Though there is just something missing… you want to feel for the characters but they don’t touch you so.

Fiction #7 in 2009 – Scarpetta (Scarpetta Book 16) by Patrician Cornwell

Scarpetta (Scarpetta Book 16) by Patrician Cornwell

From Publishers Weekly (amazon.com):

At the start of bestseller Cornwell’s plodding 16th thriller to feature Dr. Kay Scarpetta (after Book of the Dead), the forensic pathologist—who recently relocated to Belmont, Mass., with her forensic psychologist husband—is called to Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital for reasons that don’t become clear until she gets there. Oscar Bane, who voluntarily committed himself to Bellevue while denying he brutally murdered his girlfriend, refuses to speak to anyone except the high-profile Scarpetta. Bane, Scarpetta discovers, is obsessed with her. Meanwhile, someone masquerading as Scarpetta is lurking in cyberspace and supplying an online gossip site with dirty secrets about the doctor. For help on the murder case, Scarpetta turns to her computer whiz niece and a macho former colleague whose shocking actions in Book of the Dead severely damaged his relationship with Scarpetta. With a plot full of holes and frustrating red herrings, this entry falls short of the high standard set by earlier volumes in this iconic series.

My thoughts:

• I’ve always enjoyed the Kay Scarpetta’s series with all the forensic detials. In fact, that was a quote that Scarpetta wrote about herself that I really idenfy with (but I don’t remember the exact quote now, probably in a diary somewhere). I love reading murder/mystery books, especially those with a forensic focus.

• Having said that, I’ve been disappointed to read the last few books in the series – it was more about drama than who dunnit. Some reviews said this book is better, so I thought I’d give it a try.

• I was disappointed. I prob must have missed a book too cause I really don’t recall some of the details, and don’t feel the need to go read the one I missed. It’s still more about drama. I missed the chemistry the characters used to have with each other. The plot wasn’t that great either (I think I guessed the killer before it was revealed… I don’t really remember anymore, it’s that memorable.)

• Would I read the next book? I dunno. Probably, just to see if the old friends are back, but probably would still be disappointed since it’s been a few disappointing books already. I’d still recommend the early books.

Fiction #6 in 2009 – Life on the Refrigerator Door: Notes Between a Mother and a Daughter – A Novel by Alice Kuipers

Life on the Refrigerator Door: Notes Between a Mother and a Daughter – A Novel by Alice Kuipers

From Publishers Weekly (amazon.com):

Kuipers’s haunting debut unfolds like a flip book of half-drawn images too swiftly ended, a compilation of tantalizing notes posted on a refrigerator by a single working mom and Claire-bear, her wistful teen daughter. Bittersweet, funny and achingly real, the nameless mother (an overworked obstetrician) and bubbly Claire communicate through these notes instead of talking, e-mailing or text messaging. Missives range from the daughter’s plainly impassioned (Hi MOM! (Who I never see anymore EVER!)) to her mother’s soothing, tough-upper-lip responses written during her breast cancer treatment. Kuipers captures the anxiety surrounding tragedy and conveys the importance of fully experiencing life. Although the format has its limits (notably in character development and narrative momentum), Kuipers delivers a strong, emotional reminder about the importance of loved ones, even through times of unceasing complications and challenges.

My thoughts:

• After reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, I wanted to read another book written in a similar format. This book is an exchange of Post-It notes between a single mother and daughter.

• A very, very quick read (like 20-30 minutes quick), so even if you don’t like it, it doesn’t waste too much of your time. Although the characters don’t have much depth and it’s a rather simple story, it’s still a little touching (probably because I haven’t seen my mum for 5 years, so mother-daughter stories get to me.)

• Though it’s difficult not to think after reading this “novel” (using the term loosely) that, Hey, I can write this and have a book published too!

Fiction #5 in 2009 – The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows5

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

From Publishers Weekly on amazon:
The letters comprising this small charming novel begin in 1946, when single, 30-something author Juliet Ashton (nom de plume Izzy Bickerstaff) writes to her publisher to say she is tired of covering the sunny side of war and its aftermath. When Guernsey farmer Dawsey Adams finds Juliet’s name in a used book and invites articulate—and not-so-articulate—neighbors to write Juliet with their stories, the book’s epistolary circle widens, putting Juliet back in the path of war stories. The occasionally contrived letters jump from incident to incident—including the formation of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society while Guernsey was under German occupation—and person to person in a manner that feels disjointed. But Juliet’s quips are so clever, the Guernsey inhabitants so enchanting and the small acts of heroism so vivid and moving that one forgives the authors (Shaffer died earlier this year) for not being able to settle on a single person or plot. Juliet finds in the letters not just inspiration for her next work, but also for her life—as will readers.

My thoughts:

• This is not a book I’d usually pick up as I prefer contemporary to historical fictions. But I read so many good reviews, so thought I’d give it a try. I don’t advoid Best Sellerse or Ophrahs books on purpose, just that sometimes I am just not interested in that types of books. Plus, I was intrigued by the book title.

• Well, I learned a new word after reading reviews of this novel: epistolary – a novel written as a series of documents and in this case, letters. I like books written in dairy or letters format (ha, I guess we’re all nosy to some degree! BUT I won’t ever read others’ letters or diaries without permission. Ugh, I probably don’t want to know.)

• It is a delightful, light read. Not on my best books list, but I don’t regret reading. There are a little too many characters I think. I do want to find out more about Guernsey afterward thought since it sounds like such a charming place!

• The ending is a little predictable, but the characters are likeable. It’s a fast read, perfect for summer vacation (though I read this back in the bitter cold.)