NOVEMBER 2017 books

One Year After: A John Matherson Novel by William Forstchen / A / *** / Kindle
Among my friends it is a well-known fact that I love dystopian fiction.  Some consider this a little strange, but then I find those that love bodice ripping romances a bit strange, too.  There is such an appeal to this type of book as you question yourself, "What would I do?".  (SIDE NOTE: From reading books like this, I have determined that the best thing to do is just die in the first wave of the disaster. I'm totally okay with this as long as my kids die, too. But if they don't, I want to be alive to help.  I have fleshed out our 72 hour kits, added medical supplies to our food storage, and encouraged Darren to buy ammunition). This book, "One Year After" is actually a sequel to the book "One Second After".  It tells the story of a small community in North Carolina in the days following a nationwide loss of all power due to an EMP strike (yes this is a real thing that could actually happen). With no technology, no electricity, no vehicles, no communication, and no deliveries society disintegrated.  The book was fascinating - full of exactly the type of situation that makes me like this type of book - I think I would have liked it even more if I didn't find the voice of the main character so terribly annoying. 

I wasn't aware there was a sequel until a co-worker asked me if I had read this book.... the funny thing is that she wasn't aware that this was book TWO. So I made her aware of the first book and she made me aware of the second.

I didn't find the main character as annoying this time, maybe because I read it rather than listening to it.  The story wasn't as engaging, either, but that is to be expected.  There was a really dramatic crisis in the middle that did leave me sobbing.

It sounds like there will be more books coming.

The Widow by Fiona Barton / A / **1/2 / Kindle
This mystery book is touted as the next "Girl on the Train" or "Gone Girl".  Maybe because of this I had too high of expectations.   If anything I was prepared for a twist.  

It is the story of a young girl that goes missing.  Even though it is titled "The Widow" it is told from not only her point of view but also her spouse, the mother of the missing child, one of the reporters trying to get the story, and a policeman.  It was dark and seedy without being graphic, which I appreciated. I didn't find it mesmerizing or engrossing or suspenseful.  Just kinda yucky.  I had a hard time even finishing it.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas / YA / **** / Hard Back
This book was recommended by John Green, who really seems to have his finger on the pulse of of the teen world.

This book covers all the current hot topics - police violence / institutional racism / black lives matter / drug abuse / gangs.  I've been trying to read more books to gain some understanding into a world that is foreign to me.

The main character and narrator, Starr, moves between two unique worlds of her own.  She lives in a black neighborhood with an awesome extended family of aunts and uncles, cousins,grandparents, and step siblings.  Her dad was a gang member that left that life after spending years in jail and missing much of Starr's early childhood.  He owns a neighborhood grocery store and is dedicated to improving the community he lives in.  That being said, he also wants the best for his kids which means Starr attends a predominantly white prep school complete with the stereotypical rich kids.  The has a group of good friends and a white boyfriend.

Starr has had both of her childhood best friends killed due to gun violence.  Her friend, Khalil, was unarmed when a policeman shot him during a routine traffic stop.

His death becomes a national headline. Protesters are tearing apart their neighborhood, hurting the very people that knew and loved Khalil.  The local police and the neighborhood drug lord are making things difficult for Starr's family.  Friends are making decisions that will have live-long consequences.  In the meantime, Starr is trying to decide how to share her voice.

The book deals with heavy and serious subjects, but the overwhelming message of the story to me was just love. Love of family. Love of neighborhood. Love of community. Love of people in general.  It was a fantastic book that felt really authentic to the issues.


The Bird and the Sword by Amy Harmon / YA / *** / Hard Back
I could tell as I was reading this book that it was probably either self published or published by a small company. It ends up I was right - the author is from teensy little Levan, Utah.  

The story line was fascinating - the main character, Lark, is unable to speak due to a spell put on her by her dying mother to protect her. Lark enjoys little freedom, as her mother also cursed her father (the Lord of Corwyn) indicating that if Lark died, he would likewise die.  

Lark has great power, and she does find some ways to use it even though she cannot speak the required words.   She falls in with the King, and helps him work to save this kingdom from a magical threat.  Of course there is a nice romantic element to the whole thing as they fall in love.  The author does a nice job making the story sensuous without being overly sexual. She grows in her power and her confidence

I didn't give a lot of stars on this one even though I found the story-line very promising.  I know this is a terrible thing to say but I found myself desperately wishing someone better had written it. This story in the hands of Leah Bardugo would have been FANTASTIC.  Lark was sometimes deliberately obtuse without any good reason or about things that mattered. The King was sometimes a real jerk.  The story had conflicting information. The world building could have been better.  It is all just so SAD as this story really had the chance to be epic. 

That being said, am I going to read the next one? Oh you betcha....

The Passenger by Lisa Lutz / A / **** / Kindle
It wasn't until I was finished with this book and was reading the author bio at the end that I realized this was the author of a series I got such a kick out of, "The Spellman Files".  I should have recognized the writing style.  Lisa Lutz writes such real and nuanced and FUNNY characters - especially female characters. 
This story had a very "Thelma and Louise" type feel to it.  The main character, Nora, is running from the law. Her original "crime" is not revealed until later, but a series of events has led her to take further actions she regrets.  It tells how she gets by living off the grid, trying to make a life for herself, and trying to escape her past demons.  Intertwined with her current story is the story of her past life, artfully interwoven into the current story through a series of emails between Nora and the one man she loved the most in her life.  It was an engaging story and I really enjoyed it.


The Queen and the Cure by Amy Harmon / YA / ***1/2 / Hard back
This book is the sequel to "The Bird and the Sword" I mentioned above.  This tells the story of the kings brother, Kjell, in the years after the end of the previous novel.  He had dedicated his life to his brother the King, acting as he closest friend and ally.  He served as head of the King's guard and worked to eradicate the gifted.  Now, he is gifted himself and the King no longer needs him to serve in the role and capacity he did before.  Kjell is coming to grips with his new reality. He saves the life of a slave girl, with the unintended consequence that she considers herself bound to him.  It is a really beautiful story full of nuanced emotions and characters.  I really enjoyed this one, even though the way it was wrapped up was a little trite. I am willing to forgive it as I love a good, happy ending.

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe / YA / *** / Hard back
Another dystopian book.  The narrator, Kaelyn, lives on an island off thecoast of Canad. When an unexplained virus starts sweeping through the community, the island is eventually quarantined.  I like this type of story as it goes through what people would do if something like this happened in their community. Kaelyn gives equal time to the good (people looking out for each other / delivering food to homebound people / working at the hospital) and the bad (gangs looting stores and stealing the government drops of food and medicine).  

I liked the relationship between Kaelyn and her family. I liked her as a person and her desire to help. And while I'm all for problem-solving and positive role models it is hard for me to believe that Kaelyn came up with a scientific solution when her father, a trained genetic researcher, failed.  I also hated that the last two paragraphs of the book totally decimated this really wonderful journey of personal growth that the author had Kaelyn experience all for a lame attempt at teenage romance. I actually threw the book I was so annoyed.