Little Girl Gone by Drusilla Campbell

Grade:   A
Highly recommended.

Little Girl Gone is a dark, depressing story about a young girl from a messed up family heading nowhere quickly.  We meet Madora, a 17 year old girl who goes to a party with a friend and gets gooped up on something.  She meets a man named Willis who says he can rescue her if she comes with him.  Off Madora goes with Willis to his trailer in the middle of nowhere for five years.  Madora becomes Willis' attendant, taking care of her captor without realizing that he has indeed kidnapped her.  While driving around, Willis spots a pregnant teen and sets his eyes on her.  He must have her and rescue her too, so he takes her and keeps her prisoner in a crappy trailer on his property.  Madora finds solace in a little pit bull puppy, Foo, that she saves from certain death in a box on the side of the road.  Along with Foo, a young boy Django Jones comes along and slowly befriends Madora.  Django helps Madora see Willis for his true self and helps her remember who she really is. 

Little Girl Gone is a fast paced story and reminded me a bit of Joyce Carol Oates.  This is a dark and creepy story about a sick and perverted man kidnapping young girls while telling them that he's saving them from a worse fate.  We get to see Stockholm Syndrome in action without the plot feeling heavy handed or trite.  Sure you can kind of tell where the story is going, but that won't stop you from reading.  This was my first Drusilla Campbell read, and it was the mention of the pit bull that piqued my interest.  Those who know me know I have a big soft spot for pit bulls.  She's an Australian author although you'd never tell.  I really like her writing style and think you guys will too.

Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum

Grade:   A
Recommended for fans of historical fiction. 


This may very well be the hardest book I have ever read.  Not because the book is boring or challenging, but because the subject matter is so unsettling.  This is not a book for the faint of heart.

Those Who Save Us is a World War II story from the German civilian perspective.  It is the story of Anna Schlemmer, a German woman who survived the war.  Anna falls in love with a Jewish man while the war broke out and tried to keep him safe.  We all know the horrible things that the Nazis did during the war, and those disturbing facts are not spared here.  Anna finds herself pregnant and alone doing whatever she can to stay safe.  A Nazi officer meets Anna and takes her for his mistress while providing Anna and her daughter with things that they otherwise could not have afforded or had access to. 

This is also the story of Trudy, Anna's daughter, born during the war and growing up with the Nazi presence around her.  Anna and Trudy find their way to the states and settle in Minnesota.  Anna does not speak of her time in Germany during the war and Trudy has only a photograph of her with her mother and the Nazi.  Trudy is a German History professor working on a research project when the pieces of her mother's past begin to fall into place.

This book is extraordinarily well written and a most impressive debut from Jenna Blum.  The book is emotionally heavy and at times warrants some separation to process what you just read.  The story is also told in alternating viewpoints from present day Trudy to Anna during the war.  Just when things start to get too heavy to bear another page, the viewpoint switches.  It works perfectly.  I highly recommend this book, but if you are going to read it, have a lighter book in mind to read afterwards.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

ISBN:   9781565125605
Grade:   A+
Recommended for:  anyone and everyone

Rarely do I think a book is deserving of all its hype, but Water for Elephants is worthy of the hype and then some.  This is also one of those rare books that is even better the second time around.

Water for Elephants is the story of Jacob Jankowski, a circus veterinarian, told in alternating time frames of present day and back in the 1930s.  We meet the 90 or 93 year old Jacob living in a nursing home and learn about what his younger life was like and what led up to him joining the circus.  Jacob was a veterinary student at Cornell when his parents were killed in an accident.  His parents had spent every cent they had on his education, leaving him less than nothing after their passing.  Not knowing what else to do, Jacob leaves vet school and starts walking until he stumbles upon a circus train.  The circus is second rate at best, full of sleazy characters and less than ideal living standards.  As if a tale of Depression era circus life wasn't enough, there's also a little romance. 

The characters are so well rounded and written that you can easily picture them in your mind as you read.  Sara Gruen did an amazing job researching circus life and her depictions are spot on perfect.  She covers the good, the bad and the downright despicable conditions and abuse the animals and employees went through.  Some people found the abuse to be too much, but it's nothing worse than what you would read in the newspaper.  The romance is not overdone so as to only appeal to women and get the story shelved with the bodice ripper books. 

Don't even think about asking to borrow my copy!  It's so good that you should go out and buy your own copy.  If anyone has read Ape House by Sara Gruen, let me know what you thought of the story. 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

ISBN:   9780385512107
Grade:   A+
Recommended for:  Anyone and everyone, even non-readers.

After being disappointed with too many books from last year, and thus the absence of posting, I have decided that 2012 will be a year of only good books.  Not to mention the fact that I have boxes of books that I've purchased over the years and still have not read.  Fair warning for those who have not read this book, if you're even slightly OCD this book will give you a complex, albeit temporary, and make you feel like you could be autistic.  In no way am I making light of autism or Asperger's, so put away your pitchforks and torches.  What I am saying is that once you read Christopher's do and don't list, you will likely be saying "oh my god I do that too".      

Shame on me for taking this long to read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time!  This was absolutely fantastic and one that I could not put down.  It is a story about Christopher Boone, an autistic teenager who has trouble reading people's emotions.  Late one night he discovers his neighbor's dog Wellington dead after being stabbed with a garden fork.  Christopher sets out to determine who killed Wellington and write a mystery book about the investigation.  Christopher knows each prime number up through nearly 8000, cannot have his food touching other food on his plate and despises the color yellow, knows all the capitals of the world, and relates well with animals.  He also hates being touched and is a huge Sherlock Holmes fan.

This book could have easily been terrible had anyone else written it.  Mark Haddon writes perfectly from the point of view of an autisic teen.  Nothing in the story felt unbelievable.  Other authors night have come across as having pulled out every stereotype that ever existed for autism.  It can be a struggle at times to find books that appeal to me and Mr. Shelley (don't tell him that I just called him that).  Mr. Shelley still has yet to read this, as he's too engrossed with his Mad magazines and Astronomy magazines.  This is one of those rare books that I just want to shove into the hands of everyone I talk to.  Highly recommended!   

Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante

ISBN:   9780802119773
Release date:   July 5, 2011
Grade:   B+
Recommended for mystery fans, thriller fans, fans of Lisa Genova's Still Alice, those dealing with Alzheimer's.

Turn of Mind is one heck of a story and an impressive debut from Alice LaPlante.  Dr. Jennifer White is a 64 year old retired orthopedic surgeon who stands accused of murdering her best friend and neighbor Amanda.  Not only was Amanda murdered but four of her fingers were expertly amputated.  The only problem is that Dr. White has early onset dementia and doesn't remember what happened.  Her memories come from the brief snippets of time that she can remember and what has been written down in a master notebook.  This notebook is where her caregiver Magdalena, son Mark and daughter Fiona write down their conversations with Jennifer.  The story is told from the once sharp and now deteriorating mind of Dr. White and takes us along one family's journey through dementia.

At times this book was a bit unsettling as it rings so true for what a patient with dementia goes through.  The fits of anger, rage and aggression are spot on as are the moments of lucidity.  Writing this well about dementia requires medical training, personal experience or supernatural powers.  Dr. White reminded me of some of my patients in nursing school on the Alzheimer's floor.  The only thing missing was being cussed at in Polish and German which I am thoroughly grateful for.  This book is also a stellar example of how to effectively illustrate the setting without inundating the reader with frivolous details (pointing my finger at Audrey Niffenegger).  What was expertly captured was the family dynamics with having a sick parent.  The stress placed on Dr. White's children felt real as did that of Magdalena.  The suspense keeps building until the end that will surely shock.  I highly recommend this for nearly everyone.  If you loved Lisa Genova's Still Alice, then Turn of Mind will definitely be as appealing a read.  If this is Alice LaPlante's debut novel, the next books should be equally as compelling.

Thank you NetGalley and Grove/Atlantic for my advanced copy!

The Upright Piano Player by David Abbott

ISBN:   9780385534420
Grade:   C-
Release date:   June 7, 2011 (already available in England)

The Upright Piano Player is the first novel from David Abbott which makes it's US debut early this summer.  The book opens with a gruesome day in the life of Henry Cage and then we get to read in reverse about his life prior.  He is retiring from a white collar executive job, finds out his ex-wife is terminally ill with cancer and his relationship with his son barely exists.  While he is out for a New Years holiday, he becomes the victim of a violent attack.  His attacker then turns into his stalker while we get to read about a whole slew of side characters.  The side characters at times were confusing as they seemed to be inserted randomly into the story and had me flipping back to remember what was happening.
 

What a strange little book this was.  The beginning chapter was excellent, the middle was a challenge to care about and the ending was just meh.  I think there could have been quiet a few passages omitted as they didn't add anything to the story and I kept wondering why they were included.  Not to mention a rather disgusting event involving a dog and a masonry nail that almost had me pulling the bookmark in disgust.  That scene was even more gruesome than the beginning and very nearly turned my stomach which is saying a lot since I've read tons of Joyce Carol Oates and she doesn't write happy stories about kittens, rainbows and fields of poppies.  David Abbott can write rather well and his descriptions are excellent.  Some of my favorite parts were the mentions of various landscaping.  There's something about living vicariously through someone else's garden that just warms my soul.  The storyline on the other hand just didn’t tickle me, or maybe I should say didn't grab me.  I felt no attachment to any of the characters which is likely the author's intention, but still there should be something to keep my interest besides just wondering how in the world and when is David Abbott going to wrap up this story.   

The cover is without a doubt near perfection.  It reminds me of a Rockefeller work of art, this time reinterpreted by a watercolor artist.  Hopefully this is the final cover.

Queens of All the Earth by Hannah Sternberg

ISBN:   97816108801900
Grade:   C+
Release Date:   June 15, 2011

Thanks NetGalley for my advanced read of this book!

Queens of All the Earth is the debut novel from Hannah Sternburg that takes its title from a gorgeous E.E. Cummings poem.  This is a story about a Cornell freshman named Olivia who has a complete mental breakdown upon starting college and finds herself in a catatonic state for some time.  Once Olivia starts to come around, her older sister Miranda thinks that a vacation is in order to help ease Olivia back into reality.  The two sisters take off on a European vacation to Spain to see Barcelona.  Once they arrive Miranda realizes that there has been a mistake with their reservation at a hostel and a hodgepodge of characters enter the story like a Baptist minister and his lost soul son.  This book is a pretty portrait of Barcelona scenery and gives a good look into what one might experience traveling abroad and especially staying in a hostel.  Queens of All the Earth is a coming of age story with a touch of mental illness thrown in and set in the lovely background of Barcelona.

I wanted to love this book from the NetGalley description and the GoodReads description but ended up just liking the story.  My issue was that I wanted more of an ending and felt that the one we are given was a bit too brief.  I wanted more closure between certain characters.  What I did really love about the story is the prose and the descriptions of various places in Barcelona that made me feel as if I were seeing these sights myself.  The book is rather short, clocking in at under 200 pages and likely will be finished in one sitting.  Once this book is released in June I will definitely give this a second read to see if the second time around is better.  Hannah Sternberg is an author that I will most definitely read again as I enjoy her style of writing.  Overall this book is escapism at its finest and perfect for those who want to go to Spain via a novel for a few hours.  

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

ISBN:  9780778328797

Grade:   A

Recommended for:  mainly women, although some guys would enjoy this book, anyone dealing with infertility and adoption, and most definitely book clubs.    

Well 2011 is off to a bang in terms of some really fantastic books.  These Things Hidden is a fine sophomore effort from Heather Gudenkauf.  I've been itching to read this since seeing an ad banner for it some time ago and thanks to NetGalley, I got my hands on an e-version.  Anyone thinking that their family has secrets has nothing on the Glenn family of this book.  

The story here starts with a girl named Allison who at age 16 commits a horrifying crime and finds herself imprisoned and sent to a halfway house for women.  The story is set in small town Iowa, yet it's a story that could happen anywhere.  It might be easier to break these women down to help explain the storyline and not give away any spoilers.  The story is told from four alternating viewpoints, the women listed below and their connection to each other via a little boy named Joshua.

Allison Glenn was the perfect teenager, smart and athletic, never got into trouble, a good soldier if you will.  Allison meets an older guy and quickly falls in love with him.  She finds herself in a situation that happens in every high school, except her actions lead her to serving 5 years in prison and then a halfway house. 

Brynn is Allison's younger sister who went from a near twin-like relationship to living in the shadows of Allison.  Brynn and her sister could not be more opposite with Brynn being the meek one to Allison's outgoing All American Girl type.  After Allison is sent to prison, Brynn becomes a pariah, being whispered about and stared at by classmates.  Brynn tries to lead as normal of a life as possible, quickly realizes its impossibility and leaves town to live with a relative.  As a result of all the trauma Brynn finds solace in animals and devotes herself to her newly adopted pets and schoolwork.

Next up is Claire Kelby, a bookstore owner and adoptive mother to Joshua.  We learn about her struggles to have children of her own and the experience she and her husband had as foster parents.

Charm Tullia is a girl Brynn's age who is taking care of her cancer stricken stepfather while distancing herself from her lousy mother and estranged brother.  We meet Charm as a nursing student when she frequents Claire's bookstore and hides in the self help section.

These Things Hidden takes a little while for the connection between the four women, and Allison's crime to be revealed, but well worth the wait.  Told in alternating viewpoints, each woman has her own chapter so we get the building blocks of who they are and where they fit into the story.  When the crime is finally revealed it hits you like a stab in the gut.  It is a crime so horrifying and disgusting it's almost too much.  Then the connection between these four women and Joshua is revealed and I found myself shocked again.  Without realizing it I was holding my breath in certain sections bracing myself for what was to come because there are quite a few sections that almost knock the wind out of the reader.

The ending was neatly wrapped up in a way that could not have been more fitting and without pulling any fast ones or usurping reader's emotions.  Heather Gudenkauf tackles a subject matter so dark and harrowing and writes with grace.  She has written quite the gripping page turner, one that could easily be finished in a sitting or two.  For those who read The Weight of Silence I'm sure you will like this book too, and possibly even more than her debut.  This book comes highly recommended, so read it and pass along your thoughts and opinions.

Rape A Love Story by Joyce Carol Oates

ISBN:    0786712945

Grade:   A+

Don't let the title freak you out and think this is a book for pervs.  Only JCO could get away with titling a book Rape A Love Story.  This is one of the best efforts from JCO that I have read full of damaged characters.  Some of the best JCO are books and short stories about truly damaged and imperfect characters, likable or not.  We Were the Mulvaneys and Missing Mom are two others that have been A+ reads with characters not only damaged, but dealt a crappy hand of life.  While I am an evangelist for JCO, there are enough people who think her writing atrocious in its peculiarity.  Her writing style is definitely unique, short choppy sentences are common as are long descriptive sentences.  In this novella, short and choppy sentences are the norm and they work perfectly with the story.

Not a particularly uplifting book, this is the story of a brutal gang rape and its after effects.  Teena Maguire and her 12 year old daughter Bethie are walking home from a 4th of July party when Teena decides to take a more scenic route home.  Teena and her daughter are viciously attacked by a pack of methed up low life hoodlums in the park mere minutes from their home.  Teena is beaten and raped repeatedly and left near death in a boathouse while her daughter, also beaten, hides for her life and listens to the sounds of her mother's sexual assault.  After Bethie thinks that the attackers have left, she crawls out of her hiding spot and stumbles around outside until she finds a police officer to tell him to please help her mom.

We get to read about Teena's long painful recovery and the legal process surrounding the sexual assault.  We get to know her daughter see her strength in a situation that would have most people pulling the blankets over their heads and checking out.  We also get to know the police officer who Bethie flagged down the night of the attack, who goes on to be an unsung hero of the story.

I won't say too much more other than the title will make complete sense by the end of the book.  If you're not a JCO fan after reading this, we are on totally different wavelengths.  This novella is 150 pages of near literary perfection that no other author is capable of writing.    

The Fates Will Find Their Way by Hannah Pittard

ISBN:  9780061996054

Grade:  A+

Eternal thank yous to the good people at HarperCollins and Ecco Books!  Thank you a million times for sharing Hannah Pittard with us and introducing us to this gem of a novel.  This is my honest opinion, enthusiasm like this cannot be faked.

So after finishing The Fates Will Find Their Way, I have realized that this is likely to be the best book of 2011 and should be a huge hit.  The book cover will catch your attention with its colorful nature and once inside the pages you will not be disappointed.  This is a book that can be finished in one sitting, but I chose to savor each page not wanting this story to end.  The last 20 pages had me holding my breath at times.

So what is the book about?  It's a story about a girl named Nora who at 16 goes missing on Halloween.  It is not just a story about a missing girl, but a story of a missing girl and the impact on the community.  The story is told from a very unique point of view, first person plural from a local group of boys Nora attended school with.  The narrator is never named and never needs to be, which is much of the charm of this book.  The boys tell the story of Nora and their fantasies of her.  What happened to Nora is never fully defined, and that works like perfection.  The reader is allowed to imagine what happened to Nora.  Did she voluntarily get into someone's car and go to the airport?  Was she abducted and killed?  Did she escape from her abductor and die alone in the cold woods?  Was she pregnant and fled to start a new life in Arizona?  Did she live happily ever after?  What happened to Nora is unique to each an every one of us readers, and might be different each time the book is read and re-read.  What also needs to be mentioned is that Pittard writes from the point of view of adolescent boys effortlessly.  Some authors struggle with writing from the perspective of the opposite gender.  Hannah Pittard writes so well that at no point does the reader ever think that teen boys would have done something differently.  

Equally important to the story is Nora's sister Sissy.  Sissy was cared for by the boys and even loved by one in particular.  She was lusted after however inappropriate it may be to lust for the sister of a missing girl.  These feelings of desire ultimately led to Sissy going away to school and not returning for quite some time.

Another reason why this book gets such an enthusiastic response from me is that there is no hook to reel you in on the first page.  The whole book is the hook, compelling the reader to keep on going.  There are no lulls in the story and at no time could I predict what was going to happen in the next chapter.  All true signs of a great novel.

The characters were so well written that I could really picture them in my mind, quirks and all.  No two characters were alike.  Each character was artfully placed into the story, not one feeling unnecessary.  There was not one awkward word or any word that did not belong.  The story is also realistic and down to earth, although no one could ever wish for this to happen to their own community.  The dynamics between the boys felt like what real 16 year old guys behaved like, different maturity levels but all banded together in a brotherhood of sorts.    

We got to imagine what Nora would or could have been, and we also got to see the evolution of a group of high school boys as they grew into adults never quite forgetting about Nora.  We also got a look inside the inner workings of the families from a Russian vixen mom, a suicidal mom, and equally dysfunctional dads.

Suffice it to say, anyone will be a Hannah Pittard believer after reading this book.  This book will also renew anyone's faith in great literature.  All of us at some point have been let down and disappointed by a book or books.  The Fates Will Find Their Way soothes that, it soothes the soul.  This book can easily stand next to a Joyce Carol Oates with utmost confidence.  

Right now I just can't shut up about this book.  I talk about it to everyone I know, and will be discussing it with the book club this month.  If there is a Hannah Pittard bandwagon or a cheerleader squad, I'm all aboard.  Everyone should read this superb novel as it is perfection.

Missing Mom by Joyce Carol Oates

ISBN: 0060816228
ISBN-13: 9780060816223

Grade: A+

This book like We Were the Mulvaneys should come with a box or three of tissues as the crying risk is rather high.  I was in tears on the first page.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

A little background on my relationship with Joyce Carol Oates.  To say that I am a little biased towards JCO is an understatement.  I fell in love with her writing ten years ago in high school during a creative writing class.  We got to pick stories to read and discuss in class, and a short story called Shopping caught my attention.  The love affair grew uncontrollably since then (thanks Mr. Jones, I owe you one).  She is one of my favorite authors and all but one book of hers so far has been incredible.  This latest book, Missing Mom, is no exception.  JCO has such a gift of pulling people in to her characters and storylines so that you almost feel like a fly on the wall in her books.

Missing Mom is definitely one that I would take with me to a deserted island.  It's not the lightest of reads, nor is it a particularly uplifting book, but it is one of honesty and one young woman's journey through grief.  It is the story of Nikki Eaton as she deals with the horrific murder of her mother Gwen.  It follows Nikki and her sister through the agony of losing their mother and the resulting trial.  This book is so much more than a mother-daughter and sister-sister relationship.  While Nikki may not be a likable character, she's real...flaws and everything.  Same said for Clare, yet I didn't like her anywhere near as much as Nikki, probably because Nikki was a such a glorious misfit.  



Missing Mom is shelved next to We Were the Mulvaneys as they are both perfection.  This is JCO at her finest, a masterpiece of grief.