Genre Fiction

Usually I only read one book at a time, but in the past week I have started reading three fiction books. Upon the arrival of my new Latte MP3 player I have started reading Emma by Jane Austen using the player’s book reading feature. I have also started listening to Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger that I downloaded with my free trial at eMusic’s Audiobooks. I’ve also begun a new evening book - Knit Two by Kate Jacobs, the follow up read to The Friday Night Knitting Club - which means that I have finished another and so I have a review for you …

I fell in love with Lisa See’s writing after reading her fifth novel, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which was released in 2005. Loving both her style and the historical fiction genre, I snagged her next novel, 2007’s Peony in Love. The latter was a story with a unique twist: Much like Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones, the main character passes away near the beginning of the book and spend most of the story as a ghost. In addition to learning all about 17th century Chinese beliefs about women, literature, and marriage, the reader also gets a first-hand look at the beliefs and rites surrounding death and the afterlife.

While if you are only going to read one of these two See’s novel I certainly recommend Snow Flower over Peony, both of these books are extremely entertaining and historically educational.

In addition to these two novels, See has written four before and one since these, all of which are on my “to read” list:

On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family (1995)
Flower Net (1997)
The Interior (1999)
Dragon Bones (2003)
Shanghai Girls (2009)

As previously announced, Lauren “LC” Conrad of MTV faux reality shows including The Hills has written and released L.A. Candy, the first teen novel in the three-part series contract that she received with Harper Collins Publishers. All joking aside … well, okay, not all joking because come on, “LC” an author? Really? … but anyways, apparently it’s an entertaining book, according to the Fug Girls. Quality literature? No. Cheesy summer read? Not quite. But entertaining, yes.

The Girls ventured to the book store on the day L.A. Candy was released and quietly picked up a copy so that all of us curious about it, but too embarrassed to actually be seen buying the book, could learn all of the details. Get the gossip on Lauren’s writing ability, the obvious connections and allusions to her real life, and more over at the Fug Girls’ review on the Cut.

Another book-to-film creation hits theaters next month. On June 26, leaving you just enough time to read the novel before watching the movie, the big screen version of Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper releases under the same name.

My Sister’s Keeper is a heart-wrenching, “what would you do if” story about family versus self. It asks the questions how much do you owe to your family members and howw much of yourself should you sacrifice for their health and happiness. It’s the story of child sick with leukemia - Kate, played by Medium’s Sofia Vassilieva - and her sister - Anna, played by Abigail Breslin - who was conceived simply to provide Kate with any necessary transplants.

As they grow up, both girls start to question how much their parents - played by Cameron Diaz and Jason Patric - expect Anna to give up in her own life to save Kate’s. When Anna seeks emancipation so that she can stop undergoing painful medical processes to provide bone marrow and such for Kate, the Fitzgeralds begin to fall apart.

It is a story of familial love, don’t let that fact slip by. These sisters love each other and are connected in a way that most of us will never understand. But also know that you will surely want to bring along a box of tissues … or wait and rent it so that you can watch it and cry your eyes out in the comfort of your own home.

Click to check out more about: the book, the author, and the movie.

I am only a few chapters in to reading Rosy Thornton’s new novel Crossed Wires, but I thought that I would share my first impressions of the story, the characters, and the author’s writing style.

The Story: It’s easy to relate to and not outlandish. It’s something that could happen in real life. In fact, I am pretty sure that she stole multiple plot lines from my life! Mina and I both don’t have a car and instead take the 27 bus, which picks up right outside of our doors. Plus, there’s a blonde, curly-haired girl named Sally that reads every second possible.

The Characters: Thornton nails character quirks. Little idiosyncrasies are what we love about people in real life, and it’s what I love most, so far, about the book. From twins that always have to be on the same side of each other, to their father driving his car even though it can’t make left turns.

The Author’s Style: Thornton is from England and uses more British-English terms that other Brit author that I have read. It sometimes makes understanding the dialogue difficult, but certainly not impossible.

Get your own copy today - Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton went on sale yesterday!

I am about one-third of the way into Pearl S. Buck’s classic The Good Earth and so far I am loving it!

The book was originally published in 1931, and won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel the following year. And, I just learned, that it is the first in a trilogy. It was followed by Sons in 1932 and A House Divided in 1935. In 1937, a film version was made and later a Broadway play. The novel has been a steady bestseller since it was first published, and made Oprah’s Book Club list in 2004. Buck was the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938, and it was for The Good Earth.

The book follows Wang Lung, a young man living in China, taking care of his elderly father, as he marries an ugly, but hardworking, slave girl and the two begin their happy family. Wang Lung has a business-savvy mind and is a good farmer, the combination of which makes his family successful. Until the famine hits. From that point on Wang Lung and his family get hit with hardships and find brief moments of relief, but always he stays motivated because he still has his land and no one can take that away from him.

The reader gets an in-depth look at early 20th century family life in China, when rich and poor people were extremely divided and times were often uncertain as a revolution began to grow. Where some books have since given a glimpse into one or two aspects of Chinese culture, this book gave a wide-spread look at life in general, including women’s rights (or lack there of), childbirth, class separation, work and play, spirituality, and much more.

I cannot wait to finish, and hope that I enjoy the middle and end as much as I have the beginning.

Writing a fiction book blog has made me realize how few classics I have actually read (and remember) cover to cover. I prefer easy-to-read fiction, especially since I do most of my reading in bed before falling asleep.

To get myself started on catching up with the classics, I cracked open George Orwell’s Animal Farm this week. I picked up a small, paperback copy, in good condition, for free when my local library was purging their shelves recently.

The book has been recommended to me numerous times as an animal lover, with each person telling me that it’s more about humans than animals, which it is. The book is about a dystopian society, loosely reflecting the Stalin era leading up to World War II. The story goes quickly from the animals overthrowing human leadership and establishing their own, idealistic labor force and way of life, to the pigs claiming leadership and power and eventually creating a manipulative dictatorship. Being in tune with animals, I can now understand dictators and the WWII era better than ever.

Animal Farm is a quick, fairly easy read, with only a few awkwardly worded sentences that tripped me up. I enjoyed Orwell’s tongue-in-cheek story and would recommend it, especially if you can appreciate animals.

Now that I’ve read some Orwell, I have moved on to Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth, which I also snagged for free at the library. I’m only a few pages in, but am really enjoying the historical fiction characteristics of the story. Buck’s writing does have a few bumps that force me to re-read sentences, but getting through the style is worth is so far.

I finished another book, and have moved on to reading a classic: Animal Farm by George Orwell. I have decided that, since bestsellers have been failing to wow me lately - present reviewee excluded, I am going to look into the past and pick up some of the all-time best books. I have not read many classics aside from Shakespeare, so there’s a lot out there!

But for now, here’s a review of another 21st-century bestseller.

Novel Title: Whistling in the Dark

Author: Lesley Kagen

Year: 2007

Story Behind the Book’s Name: “Whistling in the dark” is an idiom meaning “to be confident that something good will happen when it is not at all likely” (source), and this describes Troo, the younger sister of the main character, 10-year-old Sally O’Malley, to a tee.

Type of Story: Murder mystery from the point of view of a child.

Main Setting: A small town neighborhood, where everyone knows everyone else’s business, in 1959 Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

First Sentence: The morning Mother told us she was sick, Troo and me were just laying in the lime summer grass, smelling the bleach comin’ off the wash that jitterbugged on the line and getting ready to play that name game with her.

My Thoughts: My initial reaction should say it all; read that by clicking here.

Similar Reads: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, and Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock. And although I wouldn’t compare it to Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants, a quote from her is on the cover so someone finds their styles similar.

Other Books by the Author: Land of a Hundred Wonders (2008).

I have not been captured by a book in a long time. I have certainly been enjoying reading books here and there, or else I wouldn’t spend so much time doing so. But it’s been far too long since I discovered one that had me staying up way too late to read just one more page. And I don’t mean like it’s been a few months since I’ve been fully enveloped by a novel, I am talking years, perhaps even since Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife or Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones (released in 2003 and 2002, respectively).

Until now, that is. I am exhausted with bags under my eyes because I cannot put down Lesley Kagen’s 2007 National Bestseller Whistling in the Dark. To think, I picked it up at the used bookstore primarily because the main character - a young girl in the summer of 1959 with a sick mother, recently deceased father, drunk and abusive stepfather, murder mystery to solve, younger sister to take care of, and wild imagination to tie it all together - is named Sally. If she had been a Susie or Allie I might never have known the wonderful world of the O’Malley sisters of Vliet Street.

Since I mentioned them, how about an update on the film versions of Time Traveler’s Wife and Lovely Bones? The first has been pushed back yet again, though estimated release for big screen is still within a year: February 2010. The latter should be coming a few months sooner, though still not soon enough: December 2009.

As a forewarning to this review, I should mention that I forced myself to finish reading this one only so I could accurately tell you just how bad it is. You’ve been warned.

Novel Title: Does She or Doesn’t She?

Author: Alisa Kwitney

Year: 2003

Story Behind the Book’s Name: This question is taken from a classic Clariol commercial that originally aired in the 50s. The answer was “only her hairdresser knows for sure.”

Type of Story: Part trashy, romantic fantasy, and part full on chick lit - hot pink cover and all.

Main Setting: The Levine family’s New York City apartment, and wife Delilah’s, yes that is the name of the sexual dreamer main character, imagination.

First Sentence: I’m going to take my hand off your mouth if you promise not to scream.

My Thoughts: Almost every chapter begins with a short, sexual fantasy that wife and mother Delilah Levine has about her plumber, who’s really an FBI agent. These fantasies are sick and disturbing. She is very open about wanting to be in rape-like situation. It’s not just about domination for this sex-crazed writer, she wants to be ravished and tied up against her will. I began ignoring the disgusting fantasy montages, hoping at least the story would be fun and quirky. But I was wrong. The reader is given no reason to like Ford, the plumber, and the plot barely exists until the final few chapters. On top of all that there are typos and editorial mistakes. For example, each chapter is titled as if a diary entry (despite the writing being nothing like a journal). The dates of these titles don’t always work out. One chapter is dated “Saturday, December 15″ and the next is “Saturday, December 16.”

Similar Reads: A softcore porno manuscript. A police report from a rape. And any other trashy, not-worth-your-time, attempt at chick lit.

Other Books by the Author: Till The Fat Lady Sings (1991), The Dominant Blonde (2002), On the Couch (2004), and Sex as a Second Language (2006). She has also done four graphic novels.

The March/April cover story in the knowledge-based magazine Mental Floss (on sale next week), “The 25 Most Influential Books of the Past 25 Years,” penned by veteran editor Rosemary Ahern, is attempting to put the spotlight back on the published, written word. The magazine is not only highlighting 25 unique choices for a top book list, but is also attempting to draw subscribers in with a teaser: online you can find only the first five reads mentioned in the printed issue.

“This list isn’t just about story arcs or beautiful prose,” says editor-in-chief Neely Harris. “It’s about books with spine. Whether they’ve saved lives or gotten people killed, predicted America’s future or uncovered its past, these 25 books have all had real world impact. Narrowing the list was an almost impossible task, but we’re confident our picks pass the test and will give even the biggest bookworms something to think about.”

According to Mental Floss, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami is “the Book that Lost Nothing in Translation;” Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin is “the Book that Explained Autism from the Inside Out,” and And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts is “the Book that Forced Us to Acknowledge AIDS.”

The other two online teasers will be revealed soon on the Mental Floss blog. You have to subscribe to find out the other 20. If you do so now you will not only get a most affordable rate - just under $30 for 6 intellectually packed issues - but also a hip tee shirt.

Other highlights from the March/April issue include: “Who’s the Fittest Now?,” a story about a new biology field called epigenetics that refutes some of Darwin’s theories; “The Startling Origins of the Boy Scouts;” an expose on “4 Holy Women Transformed By Cheese;” “Real Scientific Reasons to Believe in Vampires;” a piece on how “Art is Saving Aborigines,” and a surprising history of how “Early Pirates Embraced Democracy.”

Yesterday I mentioned that I have read two books by Sophie Kinsella that are not in the Shopaholic series. I did a snapshot review of Can You Keep a Secret then, and today have will offer my thoughts on The Undomestic Goddess.

Novel Title: The Undomestic Goddess

Author: Pen name Sophie Kinsella; real name Madeleine Townley Wickham.

Year: 2005

Story Behind the Book’s Name: Our heroine, Samantha, believes she’s made a mistake worthy of being fired at her job at a London law firm. She books it to the country and ends up working as housekeeper. But she can’t cook or clean! Sam learns how to slow down and take a breath, all while picking up some domestic skills.

Type of Story: Not happy with your current life? Create a new one!

Main Setting: A wealthy home in London’s countryside.

First Sentence: Would you consider yourself stressed?

My Thoughts: While I was working as a nanny, I noticed that the mom was reading this book and recognized the author’s name as I had recently finished Can You Keep a Secret?. She lent it to me, telling me that it was cheesy chick lit but that I would enjoy it. And I did! Following Samantha as she fumbles and fakes her way through the new life she fell into was a very fun, albeit fairy tale like, ride.

Similar Reads: Kinsella has a similar tone and style to Jennifer Weiner. This one is particularly similar to Weiner’s Goodnight Nobody.

Other Books by the Author: The Shopaholic series, which consists of five books published from 2000 to 2007. Outside of that series, she wrote Can You Keep a Secret? (2003), Remember Me? (2008), Twenties Girl (2009), and contributed to Girls Night In (2004). Under her real name, she also wrote another seven novels.

I haven’t read any of the Shopaholic books by Sophie Kinsella that inspired Isla Fisher’s new starring role as Becky in the film Confessions of a Shopaholic. I have, however, read two of Sophie’s other books: Can You Keep a Secret? and The Undomestic Goddess. Here’s a snapshot review of the first.

Novel Title: Can You Keep a Secret?

Author: Pen name Sophie Kinsella; real name Madeleine Townley Wickham.

Year: 2003

Story Behind the Book’s Name: The main character, Emma, spills her inner thoughts to the man sitting next to her on a plane when the flight experiences turbulence.

Type of Story: Friendly stranger turns out to be the new boss.

Main Setting: London office

First Sentence: Of course I have secrets.

My Thoughts: I grabbed this paperback from the used bookstore before I had heard of Kinsella, based on the bright pink cover and “New York Times Bestseller” label. The story is very formulaic chick lit - bumbling girl struggles with love, work, and finding her way in the world - but the witty dialogue and easy to relate to awkward situations make it a bit more. It’s fun and light, an entertaining, easy read.

Similar Reads: Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger. Kinsella has a similar tone and style to Jennifer Weiner.

Other Books by the Author: The Shopaholic series, which consists of five books published from 2000 to 2007. Outside of that series, she wrote The Undomestic Goddess (2005), Remember Me? (2008), Twenties Girl (2009), and contributed to Girls Night In (2004). Under her real name, she also wrote another seven novels.

Novel Title: Banana Rose

Author: Natalie Goldberg

Year: 1995

Story Behind the Book’s Name: The main character, Nell, transforms from a New York City girl to a southwestern commune woman. With her personal changes, comes the change of her name to “Banana Rose.”

Type of Story: Coming-of-age. Love. Life through the eyes of an artist.

Main Setting: Taos Mountains commune, New Mexico.

First Sentence: “The first time I saw him, he was standing in a corral.”

My Thoughts: When my creative writing professor, during my senior year of college, assigned it as required reading for discussion, I was hesitant. The summary on the back cover did nothing to strike my interest. Trying to be a good little student though, and since I liked this professor and trusted his opinion, I read it. I loved it.

Similar Reads: The Honk and Holler Opening Soon by Billie Letts; Barbara Kingsolver’s books, especially The Bean Trees and Animal Dreams.

Other Books by the Author: Natalie Goldberg has written and co-written dozens of writers’ manuals. Some of her titles include Chicken and in Love (1979), Writing Down the Bones: Freeing The Writer Within (1986), Wild Mind: Living the Writer’s Life (1990), Long Quiet Highway: Waking Up in America (1993), Long Quiet Highway: Waking Up in America (1994), Living Color: A Writer Paints Her World (1997), Thunder and Lightning (2000, also recommended by my professor), The Essential Writer’s Notebook (2001), Top of My Lungs (2002), The Great Failure: My Unexpected Path to Truth (2004), and her newest one Old Friend From Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir (2008).

Last night I finished another book: the historical fiction novel In the Company of the Courtesan by The Birth of Venus author Sarah Dunant. Once again, I have mixed feelings about Dunant’s writing.

The Courtesan starts out in 16th-century Rome, as German Lutheran soldiers are ransacking the city during religious battles. High-class courtesan - a fancy word for kept prostitute - Fiammetta and her partner Bucino, who happens to be a dwarf, use their cunning skills of wooing men to escape and flee to Venice.

The first section of this book is a vivid story of their struggle to survive. Every word keeps you hooked, cheering the perfectly mismatched duo as they find their way to safety.

Then there’s a lag.

The middle of the book drags, still weaving a good story of deep characters that are forced to start their life over from scratch, but all the while loosening its hook in the reader.

However, the last section comes back with a vengeance, regaining strength and rehooking the reader. And thus the novel is book ended: two phenomenally intriguing tales of historical fiction sandwich a so-so story about life. I enjoyed learning about what seems to be Dunant’s favorite era and country. I enjoyed getting to know Fiammetta, Bucino, and their potion-mixing healer La Draga. I just wish that it hadn’t been such a struggle to trudge through the middle.

In the Company of the Courtesan is Dunant’s most recent novel, having been published in 2006. The Birth of Venus came out in 2003, and her other novels include: Mapping the Edge, 1999; Transgressions, 1997; The Age of Anxiety, 1996, and more.

The movie version of Susanna Kaysen’s Girl, Interrupted was a major hit in 1999 for Angelina Jolie and Kaysen herself. Kaysen originally published her memoir of time spent in a teenage girls’ psychiatric hospital. Both the book and the movie give interesting perspectives into 1960s mental health, and both weave heart wrenching tales, but the two are very different from one another. And if you enjoyed the movie but never read the book, I highly suggest you consider reading the original story behind the blockbuster.

Kaysen’s book takes a more fly-on-the-wall approach to observing the characters of the hospital. Rather than becoming a part of the world, the book’s Susanna tells readers about what’s going on around her. And instead of becoming close with Jolie’s character Lisa, Susanna watches as Lisa and another Lisa bond and mentally spiral downward.

By reading the book version, you also learn more about the characters that played minor, side parts in the movie. For instance, the movie refers to one character by her nickname only - “M.G.” In the book, you learn that these initials stand “Martian’s girlfriend,” as she believes that she is dating a man from Mars.

These little character quirks add a new light to the background characters of the movie. The dramatic, fictional, extreme experiences created for the film do not by any means ruin the integrity of Kaysen’s story about overcoming mental challenges in an oppressed, institutionalized setting. However, the book’s details add integrity to the film and make for an excellent companion. For this one, you must read the book and see the film, in any order. Then repeat.