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Adult Book Reviews

Book Review: Still Alice
Genova, Lisa
2 stars = Meh

The novel follows the decline of a woman diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease. While the writing elicits sympathy along with hope, the plot and outcome are over-simplified to the point of near disbelief. The events of the character's journey combine medical terms and emotional appeals. Good for a quick summer read.

Melissa
Book Review: The Tie That Binds
Haruf, Kent
4 stars = Really Good

Another deeply complex novel masked in simplicity by Haruf. The story follows the life of a forlorn woman whose dreams are never realized. The story is expertly told by the character of a neighbor, which gives the story another layer in which to delve. A beautiful and captivating read, bringing you right back to Haruf's Holt, Colorado.

Melissa
Book Review: The Aviator's Wife
Benjamin, Melanie
3 stars = Pretty Good

While the subject of this historical fiction novel is captivating, with the narrator assuming the voice of Charles Linbergh's wife, Anne Morrow, the novel lacked going beyond what is commonly known of the family. I often found myself internally restructuring sentences because they were choppy or confusing. The novel is still worth the read and implored me to do research on my own on the infamous family.

Melissa
Book Review: The Bedwetter : Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee
Silverman, Sarah
4 stars = Really Good

This book was clever and entertaining, just like Sarah Silverman. I listened to it on audiobook and it was read by the author, which I highly recommend. A very sincerely sweet and funny book.

vfranklyn
Book Review: Orphan Train
Kline, Christina
4 stars = Really Good

This book was really good. The story was engaging and the characters were interesting and multi-dimensional. It was about a week ago that I finished this book, so really I don't remember what I was going to review. But it was good. The only problem I had was that something major happened towards the end of the book that I didn't feel was addressed enough or resolved completely.

vfranklyn
Book Review: Plainsong
Haruf, Kent
5 stars = Curiosity Mars Rover Awesome!

A beautifully written piece of literature that speaks to the timelessness of modern small towns. Set in rural Colorado, this novel follows several lives that inevitably affect one another. Haruf writes in poetical prose that is both beautiful and simplistic in structure. The amount of detail and imagery adds to an already rich text.

Melissa
Book Review: The Invention of Wings
Kidd, Sue Monk
5 stars = Curiosity Mars Rover Awesome!

This book was incredible. The narrative was so powerfully written I felt transported in time to the antebellum south. I'm embarrassed that I'd never heard of Sarah and Nina Grimke before this book. They are inspirational heroes of their time. Handful was so beautifully and hauntingly drawn that I felt she was as real as Sarah and Nina. I can't recommend this book enough! Sue Monk Kidd did her research, that's for sure. The story was so realistic it could pass for nonfiction. Awesome!

vfranklyn
Book Review: Wild Bunch Women
Rutter, Michael
4 stars = Really Good

Not exactly a meticulously researched volume on the women in the West. Lots of speculation. However, it was very readable and interesting. I liked that the author tried to make the subjects as human as possible. It's so strange to me that these women lived in a West that was so raw and untamed little more than a century ago. Good, quick read.

vfranklyn
Book Review: At Least You're in Tuscany: A Somewhat Disastrous Quest for the Swe
Criswell, Jennifer
5 stars = Curiosity Mars Rover Awesome!

Stumbled across this title through Goodreads, and I am so glad I did!
The author gives and honest, sometimes sad, sometimes hilarious view of her experiences moving to Italy rather impulsively. I didn't realize she had a blog, now I'm going to go through the photos to match faces with people I feel I've met through her book! Highly recommend.

Krista
Book Review: The Angel Makers
Gregson, Jessica
2 stars = Meh

I would start this novel and read a few chapters, then lay it down for a day or so, then pick it back up and have no idea what the book was about. The beginning doesn't grip at all. It gets better towards the middle. I'm not sure why I kept reading it, to be honest. The storyline is interesting, but the writing is disconnected.

vfranklyn
Letter to my Daughter
Angelou, Maya
5 stars = Curiosity Mars Rover Awesome!

This book is a compilation of essays on a variety of subjects. Thought provoking and beautiful, I highly recommend this quick read. I especially appreciated Angelou's observation that instead of "you can't go home again", it's more accurate to say you can't ever leave home, meaning your first home, where you grew up. I find this to be very true as I often think of where I grew up and the friends I had there as a child. Thankfully, I'm able to keep in touch with the most dear of them on Facebook.

vfranklyn
Book Review: Elizabeth is Missing
Healey, Emma
3 stars = Pretty Good

Loved the concept of the book, it showed the confusion, frustration, and fear that comes with diminishing memory. I liked the switching back and forth between the past and present and how they started getting blurred. It's just the ending I had a problem with - I don't think it lived up to the rest of the book.

Krista
Book Review: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
Walton, Leslye J.
5 stars = Curiosity Mars Rover Awesome!

Umm. Wow. This was an amazing book - it was weird, and beautiful, and horrible all at the same time. Reminded me somewhat of Far Far Away as it was like the original versions of fairy tales, dark and disturbing, but awe-inspiring at the same time. I had to keep reminding myself that this is cataloged as a teen book - I think adults would love it and appreciate the writing as well. Anyone who argues that YA novels are not sophisticated or that they are written at a lower level should pick up a copy of this book. Fantastic.

Krista
Book Review: All The Light We Cannot See
Doerr, Anthony
5 stars = Curiosity Mars Rover Awesome!

Lyrical and beautiful and an absolutely stunning book. I couldn't put it down!

Krista
Book Review: The Bear
Cameron, Claire
3 stars = Pretty Good

When 2 young children have to survive after a bear attacks and kills their parents you wonder if this could really happen. How long could they survive and how the whole experience will effect the rest of their lives.

Jennie
Book Review: Alias Grace
Atwood, Margaret
4 stars = Really Good

I really enjoyed this masterful work of historical fiction. Atwood did a great job researching the historical accuracy of her characters and admits when she was led to "invent" to fill in the blanks. Her creative use of imagery leaves you stunned, amused, thrilled, and pleased. I really enjoyed this novel.

Donna
Book Review: Merle's Door
Kerasote, Ted
4 stars = Really Good

I love dog books, and stumbled on this one while looking for ebooks. What a wonderful book, written by a man who obviously loved his dog-friend. Reading it felt like I was with them on their adventures! However, make sure you have tissues handy!

Lorna
Book Review: The Invention of Wings
Kidd, Sue Monk
5 stars = Curiosity Mars Rover Awesome!

This is a book that captures you immediately and you can't put it down. I loved this book. I truly cared about the 2 main characters, one of whom is based on abolitionist and suffragette Sarah Grimke.

Trish
Book Review: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Angelou, Maya
5 stars = Curiosity Mars Rover Awesome!

I find that sometimes I give 5 stars to what are clearly very good books, but then something like 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' comes along and I realize that there are very few books I've read that are as important and wonderful as this one. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars. Maya's voice is beautiful, honest, and so very observant and wise. I recommend this book to everyone in the world, period.

vfranklyn
Book Review: The Maid's Version
Woodrell, Daniel
3 stars = Pretty Good

I loved the way that Daniel Woodrell puts words together, his writing is so lyrical! That said, I had a hard time getting through this very slim book with the jumps in time and the amazingly large cast of characters. The story would have been a bit more enjoyable to me had it been linear, and without quite so many side stories of this small town.

Krista
Book Review: The Girl Who Came Home : A Novel of the Titanic
Gaynor, Hazel
4 stars = Really Good

Wavered between 3 1/2 and 4 stars on this one. I actually liked the end very much, and didn't know it was based on a true story, which made it much more poignant. I have read TONS of books about the Titanic over the years, both fiction and nonfiction, and this is one of the better novels, in my opinion.

Krista
Book Review: What She Left Behind
Wiseman, Ellen Marie
5 stars = Curiosity Mars Rover Awesome!

Wow. This is easily one of my favorite books of the year so far. I highly enjoy books with dual storylines, but sometimes one story is much, much stronger than the other. I actually think these two stories of girls close to the same age but in very different time periods could have each stood fantastically on their own, and work even better together. Clara's story of being forcibly committed due to her falling in love with the "wrong" type of man was heartbreaking, and the look inside the psychiatric asylum of the early 1900s was truly painful. The author mentioned that the story came together after hearing about the Willard Suitcase Exhibit, and there is a book based on it - "The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic" by Darby Penney and Peter Stastny. Already have it on hold at the library - I am completely fascinated. Wonderful book.

Krista
Book Review: The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street
Gilman, Susan Jane
4 stars = Really Good

I expected kind of a "fluff" book based on the cover, but this was anything but. For one, we go through the entire span of Lillian's life, from her and her family coming over from Russia when she was a child, up through her 70s. I do have to say I loved the main character - she was a tough woman! She was flawed, she was very stubborn, she drank too much and was incredibly angry at the world and suspicious of everyone (understandable when you read what she went through). But for all of that, I actually really liked her! I thought it would take me forever to get through this thick book, but I actually flew through it - I couldn't wait to see what she would come up with next!

Krista
Book Review: A Good Year for the Roses
McNeil, Gil
4 stars = Really Good

Gil McNeil has a way of creating characters that make you want to climb in their world and be their friends. I loved this kooky cast of characters, and enjoyed spending time with them! If you like this book, give her other book a try: The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club.

Krista
Book Review: The Painter
Heller, Peter
5 stars = Curiosity Mars Rover Awesome!

Is Jim Stegner an artist with a violent streak? Or just a violent ex-con with a talent for art? In his second novel, Peter Heller explores this intriguing question with prose both lyrical and muscular. Stegner, a Santa Fe painter with a stint in prison for assault is struggling with deeply embedded grief over the murder of his daughter, Alce. In an attempt to assuage this grief, he flees the New Mexico art scene for a remote cabin in Paonia Colorado where he can paint and also indulge his passion for fly-fishing. Unfortunately, fishing leads him to a situation that explodes in violence that will cause him to question who he is and what he believes. Heller has created a memorable character and, with the first person narrative, never lets the reader lose sight of Stegner's humanity - even when he's engaged in activities more suited to the lawless Old West than the current civilized scene. A great sense of place (I grew up in Paonia, so I should know), and fascinating descriptions of the artistic process and the Santa Fe art world are added bonuses. This is literary writing with a capital L, but also a great suspenseful page-turner. My pick for next year's APPR book!

Alan
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