Book Review

Sneak Peek Review: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes

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aaaaa***This novel will be released in the USA May 27, 2014***

This was a stellar first novel. Hayes did a superb job. I gave this my highest rating, but after thinking about it for a day or two I have to knock it down just a bit….I will get the messy parts of what I didn’t like out-of-the-way first….

This is a story about a “retired” government agency director…well we all realise that there is no such thing as retirement when it comes to this type of thing….So “The Pilgrim” is born…and must go into Turkey to try to stop a “clean skin”, someone who has no history in any of the databases of the world….The “clean skin” or “The Saracen” has set out to commit biological warfare on American soil and Pilgrim has very little time or information to stop him.

Okay, the problems….The novel felt disjointed at times…as Pilgrim is telling the story, I was not sure if he was talking about the present or current events. He would be investigating a murder in current time and jump back to previous events….but because the entire story was told after the fact, you weren’t sure if his musings were at the present time period, the past or at a near future time. The other thing that flummoxed me was the fact that a murder investigation that started in NYC, totally unrelated to the Saracen’s evil plan to destroy America, is related to a murder in the exact same location that Pilgrim has to go track the Saracen. It was just too convenient and far-fetched. Somehow, Hayes expected us to believe that all of the unrelated events and characters meet up and interact within a small Turkey city….

I haven’t figured out how Hayes could have avoided this…but it lays within my mind that just a few simple changes or additions to the novel could have cleaned all of this up. I blame it all on the author’s previous television experience. Seriously….stop laughing at me! Telly viewers seem able to suspend disbelief and logic for short periods of times. Readers expect the author to have thought out all of the logic and have it laid out just right for their readers. If the author is unable to do so, at the very least his fine editor should be able to correct it…..

Having said this, I still really enjoyed this novel. There are plot twists that seem outrageous after the fact, but they seem perfectly logical as the story is being told. This is a hard book to review, because some of the twists are so outrageous. It will be hard to explain to someone why it’s such a great novel, without them looking at you and saying….”riiiighhhtttt”…..but they are the best parts of the book! They don’t *read* outrageous. I think any reader would be hard pressed to figure out all of the clues and timing. Yet, as I sometimes do, I did not feel cheated or that the writer was pushing too hard. This didn’t read like a modern-day thriller that is a best seller because it was written by a famous author that is relying on his name and not his skill to sell a book….This is a book that should sell and make a bestseller simply because it’s written with a plot that is scary and very real. It’s hard to put down…not because you want to hurry up and finish it….but because you’re gripped in fear and your heart is racing and you have very little choice but to carry on…scared or not, you must not let go….Like a roller coaster ride, you are secretly thrilled by your terror…..This book is real….this type of thing is what any Country needs to be looking out for….not nuclear war heads…but little glass vials….I just hope that there are many “Pilgrims” out there in the real world. There is little doubt that “I Am Pilgrim” is the start of a great new series….Since it is Terry Hayes first book, I have great hopes that the series and the author both grow and mature over time…I look forward to seeing if Pilgrim is able to accept that he is deserving of the things he wants in life. That he, too, is entitled to a little bit of happiness….Terry Hayes has a great opportunity to take a very conflicted hero and grow him into a household name…

Until next time….

Urania xx

Buy it now I Am Pilgrim

Review: Hitch-22 by Christopher Hitchens

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Hitch-22Okay, so I will be the first to admit, I’m not an expert on Christopher Hitchens. I’ve read “Morality” and that’s it. I didn’t watch him on television or read his reviews or articles or anything. So basically, I am unbiased. I am not a fan. I am not a hater. I am just me 🙂

First of all…there is no doubting that this man was touched with brilliance. However, there is no doubting that he is a bit condescending as well. *However* taking it a step further, he seems well aware of both these traits and does not apologise for them. To be honest, that’s quite refreshing. At least he was not playing to the masses, nor was he in denial.

I think a lot of people expect this book to be an autobiography it is, in fact, a memoir. After I finished it, I read some reviews and it was a common complaint. There isn’t a lot of his life story here. It’s mostly about events that happened to him and his viewpoints. It’s exactly what a memoir should be and it’s somewhat annoying to see people down-rating the book because there wasn’t enough talk about how he was brought up and his family life.

This was interesting in so many ways. One of the things I find most interesting about Hitchens is that he can see both sides of an issue very clearly. He could and does argue each side, at times making it hard to choose, yet he makes no holds about where he stands. I don’t think he straddled very many fences. Having said that, he also has no problems admitting he isn’t dead set in his viewpoints and had no issue admitting that perhaps he got it wrong. If he started to see that something he believed in the past wasn’t working any longer, but the opposing side was, well hey ho, he had no problem saying so and joining their ranks. So often people, especially famous people, once they declare an alliance with something, refuse to budge from their viewpoints. Especially when it comes to politics. Hitchens seemed to have no problem saying, okay, this worked in the past, but it’s not working now…what can? His loyalty seemed to be in what he found to work at that moment. Now I realise that some might see this as a bad thing. I don’t. I wish more people were able to open their minds to other viewpoints and think about what might work instead of just being loyal to the idea of the past. So often we only look at an opposing viewpoint to point out what is wrong about it. It is rarely that one is confident enough to look at one and see what is right.

I especially liked when Hitchens talked about his religious beliefs and his Jewish history (he was an adult when he found out he was Jewish) near the end of this book. He seemed very open to the fact that although he was an atheist he was waiting for someone to prove him wrong. His talk of his Jewish background (or lack of, I suppose) and the culture really fascinated me. So much so that I plan on reading more about it.

The thing about his book is…well, I didn’t really like it. I listened to the audio and there is no doubt that Hitchens was an arrogant sod. If I had ever met him, I am quite sure I would have disliked him. But there is much to enjoy reading this book. Hitchens might not have been my ideal person, but he had a great mind and was very precise on presenting multiple viewpoints on different, important subjects. I would have hated to meet this man in a debate. But my oh my…I would have loved to watch him in one….

Until next time…

Urania xx

Buy it now Catch-22 by Christopher Hitchens

Review: Always on My Mind by Bella Andre

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20140424-153424.jpg Always on My Mind is such a fun read! Totally unrealistic, a bit far-fetched, and full of too-convenient resolutions… but so, so fun.

Lori is a dancer who was betrayed by her dancer boyfriend. Grayson is a widower avoiding his grief. The meet-cute is on Grayson’s farm with Lori in her sequined dance costume.

Their relationship starts off as lusty hate, moves through predictable mishaps, misunderstandings and forgiveness, and ends up a happily ever after. Reeeeealllllly straightforward, but the sparks between Lori and Grayson are so hot that you’re really not so concerned with the depth of the plot. Chemistry and sexual tension abound. Lori and Grayson love it and I did too. 😉

Although the story is devoid of subplots, Andre gives Lori’s Sullivan siblings plenty of appearance time. It’s always fun to remember which Sullivan just got married or had a baby or bought a home. Most of the story is really about Lori and Grayson, but the love of family is ever-present, and the Sullivans all come together at the end.

–Calliope

Buy ALWAYS ON MY MIND

Review: In The Mirror by Kaira Rouda

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in the mirrorThis review is dedicated to my father, Donald O Epp, Jr who lost his battle to lung cancer last week. RIP, Pops and fly high….I love you…always…xx

So here we have a book about a young woman with cancer. There’s no secret that this is a book designed to tug on your heart strings. And it does exactly that. Despite that, I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was well written. The main character does some really questionable things. She makes some unwise decisions, almost to the point of being over the top. As a reader, I was starting to question what was going on. The author reins it all in and handles it beautifully. A layman in the story provides answers to any misunderstandings or wrong feelings the reader might feel as well by explaining some of the feelings and thought processes a cancer patient might feel.

At the end there is one small part that I feel could have been left out entirely from the book, and in my case, it would have made the book even better. Having said that, I understand that not everyone in the world can handle story-lines that don’t have a solid wrapped up finish to them. I *do* understand why the author threw this little bit in, but again, I wish she hadn’t. It did take a bit away from the story from me instead of adding to it like it probably did for others. Overall I still really enjoyed this book. I found myself seeking it out and in a hurry to return to it when I did set it aside. If I had started this book on a weekday instead of a weekend, I’m pretty sure I would have finished it all in one day. I enjoyed it that much.

On a more personal note, I might have been moved so much with this book because I recently was told my father has stage 4 cancer. That’s a tough thing to hear as a family member. Let alone for the patient. It’s also awful because I just happen to be on a totally different continent and can’t be near him. It’s hard to even write that….let alone acknowledge it.

I enjoyed this book so much because just as all of us must ask questions and wonder, “why me…why us”, these characters do as well. They struggle with feelings of inadequacy. Of guilt. Selfishness. Resentment. Thankfulness. The list goes on and on. It never ends and day in and day out they struggle with the roller-coaster ride that is cancer and the emotions that they have to struggle with. Seeking answers where some may never be found. Of what it means to be sick. Of what it means to want to go back to happier times. Of wishing it was someone else instead. Of seeing others enjoying life as if nothing has happened. Of survivor’s guilt…Wishing that a loved one did not have to go through this, but so thankful that you’re not the one that has it…of feeling guilty that you’re healthy and happy and someone you love is not…I appreciated this. I think everyone, regardless of where they are in life can do the same if they read this book. Something such as this will always be felt most by the patient. That goes without saying. But cancer is horrible enough that it doesn’t just scar the victim. It effects those all around them as well. Who doesn’t want to save the world? Let alone their child, or their lover, or a parent, or their best friend…..yet, somethings are not ours to decide…they are just ours to deal with….

That’s a tough pill to swallow…..

Until next time…

Urania xx

ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review

Review: The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri

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thelowlandWhen I first read “Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri, I was amazed at her ability to tell a story. It was a collection of short stories and I felt as if I was there in every story. The characters came to life for me. I was amazed at her ability to make me feel as if was right there….I not only clearly heard the characters voices, I also felt what they were feeling, I touched what they touched….as someone that doesn’t really enjoy shorts that much, it was a totally new experience for me. I couldn’t believe the depth that she gave to the characters….This is my first novel by Lahiri for me. I have a much different reaction.

I loved this story. I thought the novel was made up of great characters as well. Here we have two very close brothers that grow up in Calcutta. One stays. One moves to America. They both get married. They both have a daughter. Seems simple enough, right? Wrong. This is a complicated story. It is filled with revolutionary ideas. With rebellion. With lies. With resentment. With misplaced loyalties. With guilt. With desertion. With helplessness. With secrets. However, it also has deep love. It has redemption. It has acceptance. It has hope. It has new beginnings.

This is the type of story I absolutely love. Rooted deep in culture. Blending of new cultures. Complicated family dynamics. Self sacrifice. However…it just fell flat for me.

I can’t explain how frustrated I am with this novel. I mean, Lahiri has this amazing ability to make me feel so much in the collection of short stories, and yet, here, we have a full length novel and a chance for me to really connect with a great group of characters and….well….it just doesn’t happen.

In Maladies, I felt that I was part of the story…that’s how wonderful Lahiri’s story-telling abilities were….In The Lowland I felt as if I was reading this novel through several layers of barbed-wire. That I was forced to remain apart from the characters. As much as I truly desired to be drawn it…well…It just never happened. I was made to keep my distance.

I know what Lahiri is capable of. I know I should have loved this book….ever single thing needed was there….but for some reason it just didn’t happen….I just couldn’t connect with any of them. It’s like that one tiny piece I needed to connect and to see inside the characters was missing…or misplaced….and I just didn’t feel as if the characters were whole….I didn’t just feel this way with one character…I honestly felt that way about every single one of them….

I am so disappointed…..

Until next time….

Urania xx

Buy it now The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri

Review: How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love by Ken Baker

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20131130-204119.jpgThere is an unnatural, unhealthy obsession with being perfect in today’s world. We are constantly bombarded with images of celebrities who have been airbrushed within an inch of their lives. Young girls especially are being inundated with the message that who and what they are is never good enough. Spray tans, teeth whitening, diet pills, fiendish workouts, liposuction, eating disorders, plastic surgery…you name it and it must be done in the name of beauty.

Sixteen year old Emery has always presented herself to the world as a happy, funny, self-deprecating person despite being an extremely overweight teenager. On the inside, how, she is an emotional mess. Her life is far from perfect. Dad Jasper is an ex-NBA player now obsessed with working out and presenting the right image to the public. He is also an absent, uninvolved parent. Mom Brandi is the ultimate trophy wife determined to stay thin and young. And sister Angel is an aspiring model/reality show star who also happens to be shallow and self-absorbed. Is it any wonder Emery has issues with food and body image? She copes with these feelings by binge eating. Her boyfriend Ben, who is also overweight, professes to love her just the way she is. When her family is approached by a famous reality show producer with a tempting offer, Emery and her family can’t resist. For the promise of a million dollar payday, she agrees to subject herself to the scrutiny of the viewing public as she attempts to lose 50 pounds in 50 days. The dark side of the reality show world is revealed as she attempts to reach this goal. She also must face some hard truths about her family and especially herself if she hopes to ever be healthy both physically and emotionally.

I loved this book and read it in one day. It was that hard to put down. Emery’s sharp wit, sarcasm, and sense of humor carried the story. You can clearly tell that she’s using humor to cover up a much deeper pain. I was pulling for her from the very beginning to succeed in spite of her callous, narcissistic family. At first glance it might seem as if this book is an endorsement for the “Hollywood business” of being perfect. Emery does spend a great deal of time trying to achieve the unattainable goal of being perfect. But the story goes deeper than that. It’s a message that what we see on TV and in magazines is in fact NOT reality. Emery does want to be skinny and pretty. What young woman doesn’t? But she also struggles with doing what she knows is the right, healthy thing to do. This book is categorized as a young adult book, and I do think older, more mature teens, girls especially, would appreciate and benefit from the story. Use caution, however, with younger teens as the language is a bit harsh and sex is mentioned on more than one occasion. A humorous, fun to read story with a great message!

~Thalia

Buy it Now: How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love

Review: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

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attachmentsWhat a totally nerdy book that I think just about anyone can love. Here you have two people destined to meet and fall in love…..or are they destined to fall in love and then meet? Of course the road that they have traveled to get there all part of the fun…..You know what the characters are doing are kinda sorta wrong on more than a few levels, but damn it all….you just don’t care. You hope they continue and yea, your secret inner nerd is mad because it’s not happening to you.

This is my ideal romantic love story. The players aren’t in each other’s pants within the first 5 chapters of the book….This book isn’t about sexual contact at all…..You totally feel like a voyeur in a non sexual way….and you LOVE it….you laugh out loud throughout the book…..your heart gets all mushy (yes, I said mushy) at times…..you’re rooting for everyone throughout the story….and you totally don’t want to put the book down at any point….

This novel was a prime example of a “just one more chapter” novel….as a matter of fact, I went through most of the book that way….and I was so reading it when I should have been doing something else more productive….say like….oh eating meals….or maybe sleeping….or….well….just about anything that didn’t involve me lounging on the couch reading and giggling to myself….

And did I mention this book was funny? Snarky funny….heartstring funny….romantic funny….inappropriate funny….bittersweet funny….and just sad funny….and let’s not forget funny funny…yep….funny in any way you could possibly want it…..

Still not sure? Okay…..let me pull all of you fellow geeks off to one side then…..if the funny part doesn’t get you….if the romance doesn’t get you…..well…..can I say there is enough fandom in here to keep any geek happy…..Sandman….Discman….Dungeons and Dragons…..Star Wars…..The Lord of The Rings….and so many more….it’s fun just to read the book so you can find the little hidden references and random names throughout the novel…

Oh…..and you have great family interactions……oh oh…..and great friendships……oh oh oh…..I can’t forget the co-workers…..oh my…oh….let’s not forget romantic relationships as well…silly me….I’m just so excited after finishing this one…I can’t even think straight….

okay….I’m tired just trying to think of all the reasons you should read this book….so I’m just gonna go hush it for now…..I’m gonna go sit in a quiet place and smile and think about all the great characters in this novel….I’m gonna be a little sad because it’s over…and a lot of sad because I’m not one of them….but mostly I’m just going to be happy that I read this one….

Until next time….

Urania xx

Reading copy provided by NetGalley for an honest review

Buy it now Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Review: The Swiss Affair by Emylia Hall

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20140403-223359.jpg I have such a list of books to read and review that sometimes I gingerly open a book expecting – but hoping not – that it will be drudgery. And so it was with The Swiss Affair. I had prolonged it so many weeks that I created false bias in my mind: probably historical fiction, I know nothing about Switzerland, there better not be spousal cheating going on, etc, etc, etc.

I was in for the surprise of my life. The Swiss Affair is so many things, wrapped up in beautiful language, distinct and varying characters, and set upon wintery white Lausanne, Switzerland.

While reading, I felt like I WAS Hadley, young British innocent. I was brought back to my university days, with eyes wide and bright, seeing more in people than may have truly been there…. A time and place where anything was possible, adventure abounded, and I lived for luxuriating in every moment.

“There’s a phrase in French, you know … Il faut profiter. It means ‘make the most of it’ … But it’s more than that. It’s about… luxuriating in a moment.”

So there’s the coming of age bit.

Then, the affair. The forbidden romance. The love story. It’s not perfect, but I love it all the more because it isn’t. And really there are three affairs – Hadley’s, Hadley’s friend Kristina’s, and the love affair with Lausanne – all worthwhile, and all bittersweet.

And there’s a murder mystery woven in The Swiss Affair. Lucky for Hadley she befriends a former detective novelist who wants to help her solve it. It’s well done with a few twists and turns, but nothing you can’t guess if you put your mind to it.

There’s skiing. There’s cognac and whiskey and beer. Hugs. Friends. And lots of snow. Walks amongst snowflakes — alone or together or in a large party. Wonder. Awe. And sadness. Guilty, heart-wrenching, lonely sadness.

I don’t remember reading anything that comes close to the well-roundedness of The Swiss Affair. It’s romance, tragedy, mystery, drama, chick lit, new adult, adventure, and literary fiction all rolled into one. It’s dark and it’s bright. And it’s dark again. And even though I’d always tell you I prefer a happily ever after, I appreciate that this ending isn’t. This ending is teary for the reader but full of new beginnings for Hadley and Henri.

–Calliope

Buy THE SWISS AFFAIR

Review: After I’m Gone by Laura Lippman

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after i'm goneThis is my first Laura Lippman book. I can safely say it won’t be my last!

Here we have one man who leaves behind 3 children, a wife, a mistress, a few close friends, a business, and a prison sentence….in a word…he leaves his entire life behind…..

What we have in the real novel is the aftermath of his leaving. We get to watch his daughters grow up. We listen in on the thoughts and feelings that his wife and his mistress have. We see the sacrifices that have to be made by the people left behind….Where his story ends, the real story just begins….

This is the type of book that makes me enjoy reading so much. I read books like this and I get excited. They re-awaken my passion for reading. They get me excited to try new (to me) authors. Along the way we also meet a cold case consultant and find that this is a wonderful murder mystery. We can perhaps figure out what happened, but the *why* is the real meat of this book….The twists and turns make this a thrilling and pleasing ride. Because of these reasons *why* you can’t help but to feel compassion for characters. You can’t help but to feel resentment for their circumstances, although they are no fault of your own. You wish them well…and then you realise that this is….after all….just a book…..

but no doubt…it won’t be my last book from Lippman….and I am excited that I found another fantastic author to follow…..books like this make it easier for me to forgive every crummy book I’ve read in search of a new favourite….It’s gems like this that keep real book lovers sane….and searching….

Until next time….

Urania xx

Review copy provided by NetGalley for an honest review

Buy it now After I’m Gone by Laura Lippman