Snowdrops by A.D. Miller

My rating: 4.7 of 5 stars

This was a strong 4.7 stars. If you want to "go to Russia" then read this book. I was in Phoenix in August and felt cold from reading this book. This book is about an English lawyer, Nick, in contemporary Russia who's moral compass get's tilted off kilter. In his retelling of how things came about, you can feel for how it happened so gradually with the condoned Russian corruption pushing him along the slippery slope. None of the characters were likable, but I loved them all. It is easy to see why this was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. It is beautifully written with phrases that you want to read and reread and yet you can't wait to turn the page to have the story unfold. An amazing debut and I can't wait to read more by this author.

Sister by Rosamund Lupton

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My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Bee flies to London when her mother tells her that her younger sister Tess has gone missing. Initially with this book, I was thinking what a phenomenal writer this woman was and that was going to be a great book. Then the story became so full of false clues/red herrings and was drawn out, boring and extremely annoying. 98% of the way through, things suddenly changed and took a total left turn. It was so annoying that I wanted to throw my kindle against the wall. Such a promising beginning to go nowhere.

Island Beneath The Sea by Isabel Allende

Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Set in the late 18th century, this is an epic historical novel about a slave Zarite (Tete). The characters were compelling and the history fascinating. This takes place in Haiti and New Orleans and captures life of the and treatment of the slaves and masters. Very well written.

The Easter Parade by Richard Yates

The Easter Parade by Richard Yates
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I must be on a dark dysfunctional streak with having just finished Sharp Objects and now to read The Easter Parade. This is the story of the Grime sisters Emma and Sarah, who live out their lives in very different ways.

 IMO, this is not Yates best work (check out Revolutionary Road) as the characters felt flat and had no heart. He does however capture that period in his masterful way. The middle portion seems weak but he finishes much stronger. Still, Yates can write and is so enjoyable, even with it being dark.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
My rating: 3.8 of 5 stars

I recently finished “Gone Girl” and enjoyed it so much that I was compelled to check out another book by Gillian Flynn. I have never found an author who captures dysfunctional like Flynn. Wow. Uncomfortable, haunting, addictive. This story is of Chicago reporter, Camille Preaker being sent on assignment to her small home town of Wind Gap Missouri to cover the second murder of a young girl. Camille is a self-mutilating cutter, has a very rocky relationship with her family, is an alcoholic and her own sister died at a young age. This gives you a hint of how dark this novel is and yet, very entertaining. I found the ending a little too “neat of a package” but still, love her writing style and will be checking out her other novel.

A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash

A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash
My rating: 3.6 of 5 stars

This is told in a "Southern" voice which I normally don't care for but, this book took me in. I loved all the voices - Adelaide; the town midwife, Jess;the 9 yo boy who wants to protect his older mute brother and, most particularly Clem; the town sheriff. The ending was a bit predictable but it was so well told that I stayed engaged right until the end. Excellent writing makes it hard to believe that this a debut novel.

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

My rating:  1 out of 5

I wanted to like this book but didn't.  Whether it is the unbelievable characters, the tedious foreshadowing that really was boring rather than titillating or the horrid plot line (they didn't have any plans of what to do when they got there?  Seriously?!)  Even the "witty" dialogue seemed exaggerated and like something out of a comic book.

Matt Reynolds review said it best: Her characters are all little more than caricatures, with the sort of exaggerated easily identifiable physical features that you’d expect of characters in a comic book or role-playing game. The physicist is 6’6” and scarecrow thin. The mathematician is a petite and impossibly beautiful ex-prostitute. The pilot is impossibly ugly and speaks such an exaggerated Texan slang that the portrayal is embarrassingly close to racism. The main character Emilio is a roguishly charming and impossibly handsome Jesuit priest. He’s essentially an agnostic that wants to believe, who hubristically seizes on the mission to another world as a way to reconcile his own lack of faith in his God. His chief sounding board, and seemingly the author’s chief voice, is Anne – a 64 year old silver haired but still sexually precocious doctor and hostess who is always ready with wit and wine. Both characters seem to be someone’s fantasy rather than real people, and tellingly Anne’s husband George is the least well drawn and least independent of the central characters.

 This had a lot of promise in the beginning but, for me, it just fell apart.

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

The Pearl by John Steinbeck
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

While I love Steinbeck's writing style and the voice of this novel, I didn't care much for this story. It is a parable of a poor Mexican family who finds a pearl and the consequences. Overall, it was just ok.

Taft by Ann Patchett

Taft by Ann Patchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ann Patchett is my "go to author" when I am in book limbo and she didn't fail with this book. The story of Nickel's relationship with Marion, their son Franklin and Nickel's bar and the people there was enjoyable. I love Patchett's writing style and how she brings so much life to her characters in so few pages. Definitely not Patchett's best, which I consider to be Bel Canto, but still glad that I read it.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
My rating: 4.8 of 5 stars

On Nick & Amy’s fifth wedding anniversary, Amy goes missing. Don’t read too much more about this book or it will spoil it for you. Suffice it to say that Gone Girl is a wickedly witty and fun psychological mind bender. Like watching a car accident – you will be a voyeur on their marriage. Just when you think you have it figured out, it will twist and turn…along with your emotions and who you favor. It may not be for everyone but, if this is your cup of tea, it is thoroughly enjoyable. Not only is the writing witty and edgy but, the whole plot will keep you licking every page for the next crumb of the story. I will definitely be reading more by Flynn.

To toast or not to toast?

It used to bother me when a friend who has recommended GREAT books in the past, recommended a book that I didn’t care for.  What was wrong with me?  I know they have good taste, why don’t I like it?  This was especially true with a book that it seemed ‘the whole world’ loved and I didn’t.  Am I a heathen?  What am I missing?  Surely if I just read a few more pages, I too will be drawn in and claim this book as my favorite!  Not so.  I found that the more that I would force myself to continue with the book, the more I struggled with it.

Now, I try to “toast a book” fairly quickly.  I have come to realize that even if I share a lot of similar books with a friend, we will always have some books we have a divergence on, and that is ok.

Remember that life is too short for bad books and, that bad books are 100% personal.  It is like desserts - you may share common taste with someone but you will find the occasional "favorite" they can't appreciate and vice versa.  So, move on as, your next great sweet book is out there waiting for you!

Heft by Liz Moore

My rating: 4.8 of 5 stars

I do understand how some reviewers say this book was maudlin but for me, I fell in love with it. This story is told through the voices of 58 yo Arthur Opp, who is 500 lbs and hasn’t left his Brooklyn home in 10+years, and 17 yo Kel Keller who has reluctantly just made the difficult switch from a school in Yonkers to attend elite Pells Landing. The tie between these dissimilar characters is Charlene – Kel’s mother and Arthur’s former student and penpal. The common thread is that all of these characters have is a lot of dysfunction – sad, lonely and in desperate need of help - and yet, instead of feeling revulsion or even depression, the author makes you feel so much empathy for each of them. These characters are complex and complete.

I listened to the audio version and the narrators are wonderful. I quickly fell under the spell of the intellectual voice of Arthur Opp. So much so, that it was hard for me to make the transition to the introduction of Kel’s voice (always a sign that I have subtly been drawn in to the previous character much deeper than I realized, until I miss them). Soon, I had almost as much enjoyment, or at least compassion, for Kel. Both characters have many flaws but, somehow, Moore does an impeccable job of making you empathize with their plights/choices. She captures the characters flaws and insecurities and makes you cheer for them and want more. If that wasn’t enough, I loved the peripheral character of Yolanda (“I’m pregnant you asshole!” LOL!)

I love an ending that doesn’t wrap everything up in a too perfect bow and Moore didn’t disappoint.

A quote from People magazine “The single word of the title is obviously a reference to Arthur’s morbid obesity, but it also alludes to the weight of true feelings and the courage needed to confront them. Heft leads to hope.”

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While an illness keeps her bedridden, Bailey watches a wild snail that has taken up residence on her nightstand. Watching the snail (her tai chi master) helps her to overcome the frustration she feels at her plight and to take hope in her future.

It takes a pretty good author to make reading about snails interesting and she pulls it off! I never knew there was so much to know about snails.

The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ann Patchett weaves a wonderful story capturing so much history of her husband, his gay lover and her husband's relationship with his family that she thought was dead. Her characters come alive - even Phan and Parsifal/Guy who are dead. I loved Dot and her mid-western warm attitude.

This story unfolds and captures so much. This is not the same caliber as Bel Canto but, thoroughly readable and enjoyable.

Canada by Richard Ford

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The opening lines of the book are "First, I'll tell about the robbery our parents committed. Then about the murders, which happened later." I didn't have to read too far beyond this to instantly sense that, despite it being dark, this was going to be on my "Best of 2012" list.

15 year old Dell, narrates dramatic, life-changing events that happened to him and his twin sister, Berner, in a very sparse but powerful tone to capture this coming of age story. This is not an 'action' book but all through this book, I had a sense of foreboding.

The prose is reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy's The Road and Yates (if you didn't like Revolutionary Road, I doubt you would enjoy this). It is obvious that Ford was taught by Oakley Hall and E.L. Doctorow. I love his phrasing and nuance of language. I will be seeking out his other works. This is the best book I have read in a while. Perfection.