depression

Review: The Girl with the Wrong Name by Barnabas Miller

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51E6IyEo21L._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_Want an intriguing book with more twists and turns than you can keep track of? Before you’re even halfway through? This latest offering from Barnabas Miller is that and more.

Theo has secrets, and some of them even she doesn’t know. It all goes back to “The Night in Question.” She has a scar, but not much else to pull her memories from. And to make things more difficult, she finds herself pulling away from those she’s always been closest to. So she loses herself in her documentaries as she becomes immersed in the lives of strangers, traveling the streets of New York.

And this is where the story becomes really confusing. You’ll second guess yourself and wonder if it’s all going to make sense at some point. And it will. But not easily.

If you like your stories neatly mapped out for you, then this one isn’t for you. It’s not logical, it’s not sequential, it doesn’t even make sense sometimes. But still, it’s mysterious and compelling enough to keep you reading if for no other reason than to find out just how exactly that scar came to be?!?

~Thalia

Buy It Now: The Girl with the Wrong Name

Review: After You by Jojo Moyes

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Want to know what Louisa does after she loses Will in ME BEFORE YOU? I did too. I fell in love with Lou (CLARK!!!!) and I couldn’t let her go. 

AFTER YOU shows us Lou’s grief, her attempt at supporting the Traynors, her meandering spirit as she tries to find her way back in life, and her maternal side. 

I liked the meandering the best. I mean, when we lose someone, we don’t just jump back into reality. We look for supports and crutches and strongholds… And we are picky, because we don’t want to choose one that will cause more loss. 

Thanks Jojo Moyes for giving us more Louisa. It was enough that we lost Will. 

-calliope

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Review (Revisited): Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum

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IMG_3330Okay….so now I need to figure out how to review a book that I didn’t even read….

So yes, this isn’t really a review, but it does contain some of my thoughts about this book….

I was very excited to start this book….I’ve recently moved from the only country I’ve ever known to another country to be with my (now) husband. So I thought in many ways that this book would speak to me. That there would be parts that I could relate to. Also it’s has such a beautiful cover. I try not to judge a book based upon it’s cover, but I admit to being a sucker for one that is as beautiful as this one. Plus, when I glanced over the description (I try not to read full descriptions) it looked like exactly the type of book I enjoy….

So I started it….I will say I finally gave up at 25%…I did scan a few later chapters and I did read the last chapter….with the ending, it’s really a shame that I couldn’t get into this novel…because endings like this book don’t put me off….they don’t make me angry….they enrich my enjoyment of a novel because they are more real to life than some neatly wrapped up pretty package of an ending….

But back to why I just couldn’t read more of this novel…I just couldn’t relate to Anna at all. It’s not that I didn’t like her….or couldn’t understand her….she was just….errrr…lifeless….perhaps that was intentional, I don’t know…I’ve met people who were lifeless I suppose….I guess it would even make sense if it was intentional…as if Anna was only existing, and not actually living….hell, I said I looked forward to this book because I could relate….it wasn’t just moving to another country I spoke of….I’ve merely existed as well….but….I don’t know….Anna just felt flat to me….

I will say that from what I read this wasn’t a marriage/family thing…this is how Anna was long before she moved to another country….before she got married…and before she had children….and I understand to some extent what the author was trying to do here….Perhaps she is trying to paint the world that I was reading to mimic the world that Anna was actually in….

But on a personal level…I’ve been there…..and I have no desire to revisit that bleakness again….so maybe I am wrong in saying that I could not connect with Anna…perhaps I did…and wanted no part of it….

The way that the book was written was very confusing to me as well….I’ve read a few books that jumped from current time, to future conversations, to past conversations without warning and not had issues with it. It suited the book….I didn’t feel it suited this novel though..the more the jumps happened…well the more and more I felt that it was just another factor that was determined to prevent me from relating to Anna and her story….It was just another barrier that I couldn’t overcome….let’s be clear….It’s not that I didn’t like Anna….or that I hated Anna….heck, I confess to loving some books that I absolutely hated ALL the characters. I will even admit that some books have annoyed me to no end by the behaviours of the main character….but the writing and all the *stuff* going on in the novel….well….there was nothing to do but to read on and marvel at the writing…the feelings this novel inspired (which were few) did not inspire me to read on…I wanted to give up much earlier than I did, but I hate to give up on a book!

Again….this novel…it just fell flat for me 😦 I hate that it did. I really wanted to fall in love….but sometimes we just have to make due with the fact that not every book speaks to us…and we can’t love every one we read…..

Until next time…

Urania xx

Review copy provided by Netgalley for an honest review

and please….don’t bother committing on this review and telling me I shouldn’t rate it if I didn’t finish it…I can take a bite from a sandwich and know it’s not for me…I shouldn’t be forced to eat the whole thing before I’m allowed my opinion….I know after 25% that this writing style would never be for me….and I’m entitled to my opinion and yes, I’m allowed to rate it based on my feelings…don’t like it? Well…..get over it….oh….and have a nice day….x

Buy it now Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum

Review: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

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18460392I’ve read many “Wow” books in my lifetime, a great number of them in the past year alone. So it’s common for me to read a new book that makes me want to recommend it to people, to push it on others even. But when a story still has me thinking about it weeks later, and ALMOST makes me cry, well that’s a pretty big deal.

So where to start with this amazing book? At its very heart, it’s a love story, the story of Theodore Finch and Violet Markey. But love is never easy, and each is dealing with their own issues. Theodore is obsessed with death, and he spends his days thinking of ways to die. Each time, however, life interferes and gives him a reason for living. That “reason”, one day, comes in the form of Violet. She’s grieving the death of her sister. With Theodore’s help, she begins to move on and to actually think of the future. As she’s moving forward, though, Theodore is spiraling downward. Will love be enough to save them both?

This book jumps right in to a very real, very “taboo” subject. Suicide and mental illness in young people are a far too common occurrence, one that is often swept under the rug out of shame or denial. We cannot continue to file it under the category of “normal teenage angst” hoping it will go away by itself. Normal teenage issues do tend to resolve themselves while mental illness does not, often with very real and very tragic consequences.

I still think about this book several weeks after finishing it. It was that good. It’s a story of grief, of hope and resilience. It’s the story of young love and how far it can carry you as well as its limitations. Pick this one up and settle in with a box of Kleenex close by (maybe!).

~Thalia

Buy It Now:All the Bright Places

Review: Nest by Esther Ehrlich

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I generally don’t read children’s fiction, but I wanted to read Nest to get an idea of the usefulness of a book about children grieving. I can report with confidence this: I believe Nest would be helpful for 10-14 year olds with a mentally unstable or absent parent. They would see they are not alone, people grieve and cope in myriad ways, and anger is natural. Young readers could see that maintaining connections — family ties, friendships, or even looser relationships — help distract as well as move a person through his or her bucketful of emotions. Moving forward is key.

That’s my opinion as a mother and a former schoolteacher.

My emotional response to Nest was pretty much bawling my eyes out. A child without two loving parents just kills me… though I know it is so, so common. I felt for Chirp and her sister, for Chirp’s friends Dawn and Joey… Why did they have to suffer? Why did their lives have to be upended?

Yet they found ways to cope. They found ways to hope. They found ways to stick together to fill up a little bit of what was missing.

Nest is well-written, from the sentence structure to the easy flow to the authentic characters. The only niggling detail was about prayer: the author had Chirp uncomfortable saying grace before a meal, or saying the name Jesus. But I’m pretty sure Jewish people say grace (to G-d, not Jesus) and they believe Jesus existed, just that he wasn’t the Messiah. Besides that, Nest was wonderful. The 1970s were portrayed just as I remember them, without being contrived or hokey. And though the ending was sad, I finished the book with the thought that those children were going to make it. They had hope, they had strength, and they had each other.

-Calliope
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Review: Bittersweet by Colleen McCullough

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This is the first novel I’ve read by Colleen McCullough, and I am quite impressed with the breadth of information she is able to weave into Bittersweet. It’s a family drama, but it’s also social and political commentary… It’s where romance and feminism meet, and where the power of money makes a difference (for once) in local and regional healthcare.

The history McCullough wrote in — not just dates and places, but people and culture and anthropology – was wonderful. I gleaned as much about Australian politics, economics and society as I did about people’s need for love and acceptance. And McCullough didn’t just stick in facts where she could; she made them part and parcel of the dramatic story.

And dramatic it was. Four sisters, each with wants and needs and quirks… grating on, supporting, loving, misunderstanding, and even betraying one another.

The women rise to meet their fates, and two sisters face life with acceptance… after a few tweaks. The other sisters slap fate in the face, turn around and walk the other direction until they find something better, something real, something they are proud to own.

I really loved the family part of this story. Though no one was perfect, they did love each other immensely, and the author was able to make me feel it and believe it. I liked the Latimer family – flaws and all – because their flaws made them real to me.

The men in the story were less relatable to me, but they had a purpose. Each character, male or female, was more than just him or herself; they represented “Everyman” in their realm. Think of a stereotype, and McCullough represented it via a flawed but likeable character. A widow, a clergyman, a politician, a salesman, a smart (oooooh!) woman, a shrew, a rich man… and so many more. Though it took a bit for me to get through the political descriptions, the cleverly written characters sold me on this solid 4-star read.

-Calliope
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Blog Tour and Giveaway: Therapy, by Kathryn Perez

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“It’s amazing and sad what we have to do to survive sometimes.”

Description
I’m needy.

I’m broken.

Cutting breaks through my numbness, but only opens more wounds.

Depression, self-harm, bullying….that’s my reality.

Sex and guys….that’s my escape.

The space between the truth and lies is blurred leaving me torn, lost and confused. And while the monsters that live in my head try to beat me– the two men that I love try to save me.

This is my story of friendship, heartache, and the grueling journey that is mental-illness.

Sometimes you have to get lost in order to be found…

This book was quite difficult for me to read. It was a very real look into the world of depression and self harm. It made me uncomfortable and sad, but it also made me think. I may not have a diagnosed illness, I can understand some of the feelings that Jess was having. The bullying, in the beginning was very real to me. While I may not have had the self harm, I understand the reasons behind it. The pain needs to come out somehow.

My heart was hurting, while watching Jess destroy herself piece by piece. I was so hoping she would find someone to help her and love her. There were parts of her story that broke my heart and some that made me want to reach in and hold her. While the her journey is long and filled with roadblocks, the destination was worth all of it.

Excerpt
Married. Thinking about Jace being married to someone else puts a crack in my armor. It hurts; it burns my throat as I try to swallow the acidic thought of it down.

“Well then, in four weeks you should get married. Buy a big fancy house and go to charity dinners with your mother and wife. You can have the white picket fence and everything. It sounds like a perfect happily ever after, Jace. Don’t give it up for some broken girl you slept with once.” I bite out. I’m doing my best to keep it together, but I’m slowly unraveling. I love him; I hate him. I want him to stay; I need him to go. My contradicting thoughts circle my mind like vultures.

“Jessica, falling in love can’t always be a happily ever after or a once in a lifetime kind of story. Those happen in books, in movies. This is life and it’s real. Life has no script, no outline. We broke the rules of love long ago. All I know for sure is that with you, the rules will never apply.”

Before dejectedly walking out, he stops to look at me once more.
“And you weren’t just a girl I slept with once. You’re a girl I’ve loved—always.” And then he’s gone.

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Review: Eleven Kinds of Loneliness by Richard Yates.

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114475I’m not a fan of short stories. Not a fan at all. I generally think that they can always include more, and I’m never satisfied with the outcome. I held this opinion upon opening up the first pages of Eleven Kinds of Loneliness, but was soon proved that this collection would defy my firmly held stances on the genre of short stories.
This collection by Richard Yates (perhaps most famous for his debut novel Revolutionary Road) contains 11 stories that each deal with the theme of loneliness and the different ways in which it manifests. Yates is an author that really understands the intricacies of human nature. He has the ability to write a story in which the circumstances you may never have experienced in your life, but somehow, you completely understand where the character is coming from, and you can actually feel what they are feeling. In a lesser author’s hand, these stories could easily be turned into sentimental sob stories that possess a real “I’m a victim” type attitude. However, Yates understands that no one is perfect, and that human emotion is raw and gritty.
The only other author that I can think of that even comes to close to representing the complexities of human behaviour, is Jody Picoult. Imagine Picoult’s style of realism, but take away the occasional romance and sentimentality, and you have Yates. The controversial elements of Picoult’s stories are also present in the stories of Yates. However, Yates was writing in the 1960’s, not 2013 where we have the benefit of contemporary psychological analysis and the freedom to write what we want. This is why the reader can really connect with Yates’ stories; the true definition of a timeless author.
If you really like stories that reflect real life, stories that you can connect to, and you don’t mind being depressed for the next few hours, then give Yates a go. If you are looking for escapism and feel good stories, then Yates is most definitely for you! ~ Pegasus.

You can buy this collection here (along with his famous debut novel): Revolutionary Road, The Easter Parade, Eleven Kinds of Loneliness (Everyman’s Library (Cloth))

Review: This Holey Life by Sophie Duffy

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20131030-090623.jpg This Holey Life is ostensibly about an ordinary British family making their way through the mountains and valleys of life. But it’s actually about the holes … the missing pieces that are carved out of us by disappointments and pain and death of our loved ones. And it’s about the love that fills those holes, the love that comes in the form of a loyal husband, a baby’s chubby fingers, a child’s craft all sticky with too much glue, and a hug or a smile from a teenager.

Even though this novel isn’t about clinical depression, and even though I stay far away from books about depression, Duffy gives us Vicky — a mom, a preacher’s wife, a sister, a daughter — who has so much responsibility in life that she cannot push through the mud of depression due to her son’s death. And vice-versa. Vicky is so mired in sadness over her son’s death that she cannot appreciate the blessings in her responsibilities as a mom, wife, sister and daughter.

I feel for Vicky. I know what it’s like to lose someone you love, and then still be expected to carry on, as if that hole shouldn’t affect your ability to love others and take care of them with a joyful heart. I felt Vicky’s need to be alone or cry or scream — a need that went unmet because she had to fulfill her responsibilities. I empathized with Vicky the numerous times she thought she might break because she had nothing left to give — and then her brother Martin would come strolling in, taking, taking, taking more. Martin was the perfect symbol of “the last straw” in anyone’s life.

The book was just as much about Vicky’s husband Steve: his burdens, his turning point from depression to joyful living, and the steadfast love he has for his family.

This Holey Life had its light and happy moments, and I smiled often while reading. But just as often, I cried. I cried for Steve who was so loving in all the right ways, for Vicky who was so strong even though she felt her head was barely above water, for the parents and sisters and brothers and cousins, who all found their place, filling Vicky’s holes, filling her heart.

–Calliope

Buy it now This Holey Life