Review : Over the Holidays

Over the Holidays by Sandra Harper
Pages : 325
Genre : Fiction, Holidays
My Rating :

From the back of the book :

It’s only December 1, and Vanessa Clayton has been dreading Christmas since she spotted tinseled trees at her local mall in September. Thankfully, she and her husband, JT, can’t afford to drag their twin boys across the country to New England for the annual celebration at her stuffy sister-in-law Patience’s home. Not that Vanessa has prepared a proper Christmas for her family in years, and she has less time than ever since she agreed to consult on the script of a local play. Her older sister, Thea, is no help — she’d rather make art and flirt with surfers than babysit her nine-year-old nephews. Then Patience drops a holiday stress bomb: Her family will come to California instead.

In between “baking” cinnamon rolls for the school potluck and overbearing Patience testing her patience, Vanessa can’t stop thinking about the difficult but charming playwright at work. Meanwhile, Patience’s teenage daughter, Libby, obsesses over a college boy she has met by the pool, and Thea searches desperately for the meaning of Christmas — for her latest installation, of course. As their holiday plans go comically awry, these four women discover the true spirit of the season is hidden in every festive surprise.

With its cast of interesting characters and a good dose of chicklit-meets-the-holidays humor, Over the Holidays was the perfect book to get into the Christmas spirit!

First, I’ll start with the negative, but I’ll be quick about it. If I had to find a fault to the book, I would say it’s the number of point of views the author chose to write from. I liked most of the characters for different reasons, but 325 is a small amount of pages to tell a story from so many different point of views : Vanessa, Patience, Thea, Libby… even one chapter from Neil’s, if I remember correctly. It felt like too many books put into one, and I think the novel could have used less p.o.v. or 50 more pages.

That being said, I did enjoy the novel and it was a great way to begin the holidays madness! It’s light and fun, while giving you a realistic enough portrait of this stressful time of the year. I thought Vanessa was easy to relate to and Thea was interesting, but I’ll admit that my favorite one was Patience. I really got how perfect she wanted her holidays to be and how important Christmas was to her! She was depicted a little as Christmas-overachiever and an annoying perfectionist, but we learn to know her and love her. And let’s not forget Libby, who was acting like a typical teenager but still likable.

I also enjoyed Harper’s writing. It flowed with lightness and simplicity from page to page, making the read quick and enjoyable. There was some language, but not too much of it for me, and even though it was a third-person narration, I felt I understood the characters.

In short, I recommend Over the Holidays to those of you looking for a simple, fun and filled with humor Christmas novel. There are many characters you can relate too, all with different views of the Holidays. Visit the author’s website to learn more about her. I have already put her previous novel, High Tea, on my TBR list! (what can I say, I can’t resist such a cute puppy face!)

Review : In a Perfect World

In a Perfect World by Laura Kasischke
Pages : 309
Genre : Fiction
My Rating :

From the back of the book :

This is the way the world ends…

It was a fairy tale come true when Mark Dorn—handsome pilot, widower, tragic father of three—chose Jiselle to be his wife. The other flight attendants were jealous: She could quit now, leaving behind the million daily irritations of the job. (Since the outbreak of the Phoenix flu, passengers had become even more difficult and nervous, and a life of constant travel had grown harder.) She could move into Mark Dorn’s precious log cabin and help him raise his three beautiful children.

But fairy tales aren’t like marriage. Or motherhood. With Mark almost always gone, Jiselle finds herself alone, and lonely. She suspects that Mark’s daughters hate her. And the Phoenix flu, which Jiselle had thought of as a passing hysteria (when she had thought of it at all), well . . . it turns out that the Phoenix flu will change everything for Jiselle, for her new family, and for the life she thought she had chosen.

In short, In a Perfect World was better than I expected, but not as good as I wanted it to be.

My biggest problem with the book was the lack of information. I got that the author was trying to write more of a character-centered story than a tale of survival, but I had a hard time figuring what exactly was going on. The progression felt unclear, and rather than portraying the characters’ feeling of uncertainty, it felt more like a lack of details.

For instance, take the Swine Pheonix Flu. We never know what it really is, until the end – and then again, we don’t really know. Like in real life, there are a lot of rumors about where it comes from and what it is, but we have so little information on what it does that I had a hard time feeling the scare (as I did, for instance, with Life as We Knew it). The fact that we don’t know what caused it didn’t bug me as much as the fact that we don’t know what the characters know. It all felt very vague.

My second problem was Paul. He had enough background to be developed into an interesting character. Sadly, Paul had about one line of dialogue thorough the book, which was : “During the Black Death, _______”. Paul is a history buff who likes to share his knowledge, and I get that; but I thought the author used him to explain what was going on, doing a lot of telling and not enough “showing”. In fact, the author does some “showing”, describing what is going on and how people are reacting, but then Paul arrives and explains it by comparing it to the Black Death… you know, just in case the reader didn’t understand by him/herself.

But it would be unfair to point out only what I didn’t enjoy : I had a good enough time reading the book and went through it in a couple of days. Apart from the mentioned before lack of information, I thought the author did a great job of describing how the world was changing, slowly, little thing by little thing. I liked that it was subtle.

Jiselle was an interesting character, too. At first a little naive, she became a strong and resourceful woman. I didn’t agree with all of her decisions (really? You’re taking in your neighbor’s wife after he just died of the flu? In a house full of kids? Really?) But she did well for herself and the kids, even when many other people would have been gone before long. In the end, I surprised myself liking her enough to care.

The kids were interesting, too. A little cliché at times, but their attitude felt true enough.The reacted like I would have expected them to in the circumstances, and I was curious to see how they would adapt to the situation. I felt really sad for them, though; I would have gladly kick their father to the far end of the universe.

I think having read Life as We Knew it before had set a very high level of comparison for me, and so it’s possible my review isn’t as objective as I would have wanted it to be. Still, I’m sure plenty of you could enjoy it, and it offers a lot to discuss, too. If you are interested in apocalyptic books, In a Perfect World should interest you; after that, I highly recommend that you try Pfeffer’s novel too.

Sunday Salon : So this is (temporarily) goodbye!

Hello again everyone!

For many of you, the turkey has come and gone, and some of you even took some time to read this weekend. What a great idea! I would have loved to join – although I did read a lot this week, considering the craziness that is school. With all the stress and insomnia that the end of the semester brings, I consider reading like a necessity of the mind: after some time, all those art philosophers’ big words don’t fit into my brain!

Which brings me to this post title : So this is (temporarily) goodbye!

This is my last Sunday Salon until the end of December. There will also be a lot less posting in general. I know I’ll miss it, but I don’t want to repeat what happened in my mid-terms (which was : me posting everyday, but having no time to visit other bloggers). So in the next weeks, I’ll use my procrastination seconds to go around the blogs a little. So, I guess this is kind of the apologetic post of “sorry I wasn’t there recently!”, except that I’m writing it in advance – and I promise not to apologize again!

So, back to the books. Like I said, Stress+Insomnia=Reading time, and I can’t read essays for university since those bring back the stress and then the insomnia. (By the way, if you have any tips for those issues, I’ll take them!) The irony is that I read a lot this week, but I read a lot of not-so-good things. Not bad, just, blah.

Books Read this Week :

• The Guinea Pig Daries, by A.J. Jacobs (this was good : review)
• Soulless, by Gail Carriger (didn’t like – almost did not finish)
• Over the Holidays, by Sandra Harper (was okay-good)
• In a Perfect World, by Laura Kasischke (was okayish-with-some-issues)

Now it’s back to work – see you all around!

Review : The Guinea Pig Diaries

The Guinea Pig Diaries by A. J. Jacobs
Pages : 230
Genre : Non Fiction, Humor
My Rating :

What it’s about :

You may have heard of Jacobs previous books, The Know-It-All and The Year of Living Biblically, where he respectively read the Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z and followed the Bible’s rules for exactly a year.

With his third book, Jacobs shares a new collection of shorter experiments. Outsourcing everything in his life (from email to the Sunday call to his parents), trying Radical Honesty for a month or even obeying his wife for an entire month, Jacobs tries a little of everything and narrates it all with humor.

Even though I hadn’t read Jacobs two previous books, I had read some articles of his on the internet – among others, the one on his “Radical Honesty” experiment. I enjoyed his writing and really was looking forward to reading one of his books.

Luckily, I wasn’t disappointed! It was pretty much what I was expecting. Jacobs write with humor and authenticity without loosing focus from his goals. Obviously, his experiments are not hard science, but his style is extremely readable and I had some good laughs. Plus, there is something very entertaining about reading from the guinea pig’s point of view rather than from someone exterior to the experiment. He also points out various articles and books that have maybe more scientific credibility, if I may say so, and I took note of some titles I might want to read in the future.

Some of my favorite chapters were the one on outsourcing  and the one about Radical Honesty. Like I said, I had already read this one previously, but I enjoyed reading it a second time. It was funny, yes, but it also give us something to think about : how much honesty do we really need in our lives? And how should this honesty be applied? In other words, nice food for thoughts. There were a few chapters that felt a little more flat for me. “What would George Washington do?” was one of those; it had some good moments, but it felt too long for what it was.

If you’re looking for some entertaining non-fiction that won’t require too much of your brain, The Guinea Pig Diaries could be a book you’ll enjoy. It’s also perfect if you don’t want something that you will have to read in one block : since each chapter is a different experiment, you can pick it up and read a small slice at a time.

The Beauty of Reading

A Young Girl Reading, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, 1776

American Girl Reading, George Cochran Lambdin, 1872

Girl Reading, Franz Eybl, 1850

Girl Reading or In the Orangery, by Charles Perugini

Reading by Lamplight, Delphin Enjolras

Young Woman Reading By A Window, Delphin Enjolras

Those are only a handful of some beautiful paintings featuring women reading. The reading is pictured as a quiet, intimate act; hands reach for the neck and the chest, shoulders are denuded. They sit by the window or by the lamp, the light playing beautifully with the textures and lighting the softness of the skin. There is something beautiful about their concentration, but also something very personal, as if we were witnessing something we shouldn’t be.

I love paintings featuring reading and writing – not only because I love both art and books, but mainly for this intimate feeling. Vermeer also painted some beautiful scenes of women writing and reading letters, and those are among my favorite paintings. Hopefully you enjoy this too.

Review : Jinx

Jinx by Meg Cabot
Pages : 262
Genre : YA, Magic
My Rating :

What it’s about :

Jean – also known as Jinx – has always had bad luck. Moving to New York city, even this close to the end of the school year, seems like the perfect way to start her life again. Plus, she can’t wait to spend some more time with her cousin Tory : they used to have so much fun together!

But “used to” is the key word, and Tory is not so happy to have her cousin Jinx meddling with her friends and family. As Jean discovers her cousin’s secrets, she starts wondering if, maybe, she won’t be able to turn her luck the other way around, after all…

If you’ve read Meg Cabot before, then you pretty know what’s waiting for you in this book : it’s cute, fun, short and absolutely entertaining, with a touch of magic! Jinx is as likable and entertaining as Tory is annoying and dark, and their opposition is just enough to move along the story. There’s also a cute romance, all innocent and sweet, that completed the story perfectly.

If one thing kept me from enjoying it completely, it was that I found the plot to be a little too predictable. It didn’t stop me from enjoying the ride though. It’s just the kind of book you read when you want to take your mind off things and relax – and I mean that in the best of ways!

I really liked Jinx, although I found the book a little short to really get to know her. I thought Cabot did a great job of creating the characters and their stories, and I would have easily read more about them. At the same time though, I really liked how complete it was : there’s definitely not enough stand alone books any more  (and that’s coming from a reader who loves her series), and it felt great to have all the answers in one single volume!

So this is a short review, but I have only good words for this book. I think if you usually enjoy Meg Cabot’s books, you’ll be pleased with this one.

Filling the Shelf – 12 – Holiday Edition!

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week, and is hosted by the Printed Page!

So, this week’s mailbox is filled with Christmas-y goods! For the Holiday Reading Challenge, yes, but mainly just for fun! I’ve always loved reading holiday-related books in November and mostly December, so I was really excited about all these coming into my home! There were a couple more, but I’m keeping it in the holiday spirit for this week. Here are my picks, in their (mostly) beautiful red colors :

  

Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle

Over the Holidays by Sandra Harper

 

The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore

Ex-Mas by Katre Brian

As you can see, I put links to Goodreads so you can read the summaries. Basically, we have here two YA Christmas books (Let it Snow and Ex-Mas), one chicklit-fiction (Over the Holidays) and one funny Christmas with zombies (The Stupidest Angel). The last one is probably the one I’m looking forward to the most, so I’ll keep it for my trip to my hometown on Christmas.

What came into your mailbox this week?

Sunday Salon :

Hello fellow readers and bloggers!

Hopefully you had a great week! Time really is spinning and, in barely over a month, Christmas will be here. I know we’re supposed to start decorating our place for the holidays this weekend, and I can’t wait! I find Christmas Trees to be one of the prettiest things.

How many of you are Christmas freaks too? Have you start decorating your house?

As for reading :

Books read this week :

• Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
• Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Books reviewed this week :

• Too Good to be True by Kristan Higgins
• Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
• Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

I have to admit that after reading The Chosen One, Thirteen Reasons Why and Wintergirls all in the space of two weeks, I felt emotionally emptied. They were good though, but a little intense. I was ready for some humor and romance and silliness, anything that doesn’t involve psychological violence. The Guinae Pig Diaries was a good relief after these, it’s non fiction but not too serious, and really interesting. I’m almost done with this one too, and I have no idea what I’ll finish next. Soulless? Iron Kissed?

So, my reading week has been a little slower this time, with no read-a-thon included and more work for school. I guess it will slowly slow down as we near the end of the semester, and I can’t wait for December 21st, at 4pm, when I’ll be done with my last test! I already made reading plans for the holidays (which will probably change once I’m there, but we can dream, can’t we?). Other than the holiday books for the holiday challenge (see my selection here), here’s what I planned :

• Under the Dome by Stephen King : Because this book is huge. Over 1000 pages, to be precise, so not something I can carry around at school, but perfect for sitting on a snowy day with a hot chocolate cup (or many!). I have a love/hate relationship with Stephen King, so I’m really curious to see where I’ll stand with this one.
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen : I started the book months ago, but haven’t read any of it in weeks now. Which is sad, since I’m actually getting used to the language. But I really enjoyed what I read so far, and want to finish it. Then maybe start another one.
• The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson : I have read book one too long ago already, and it was excellent. I really need to get into book two now!
• Graceling and Fire by Kristin Cashore : Because I feel like everyone has read those but me! They do look good, too, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll enjoy them as most people seem to do.

What about you? Do you have special reading plans for the holiday season? Books you haven’t had the chance to read during the year, or maybe books that feel more “christmas-y”?

Review : Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Pages : 288
Genre : YA, Fiction
My Rating :

What it’s about :

When Hannah took her own life, no one understood why she did – certainly not Clay, who used to work with her and kissed her once at a party.

Two weeks later, Clay comes back from school to a strange box filled with tapes waiting for him. 7 tapes, 13 stories, 1 map explaining why Hannah decided to commit suicide.  Clay is in for the most intense night of his life, following Hannah’s story though the city, with her voice in his ears as company…

Thirteen Reasons Why is a complex novel on a complex subject. It is intense and  a page-turner, with an intriguing idea that, I’m sure, would work perfectly as an audio book. Suicide is a subject that is really close to my heart, and I couldn’t write my review just after reading it. I am still struggling to put my conflicted thoughts in words – and this will be a review as much as a personal statement. So let’s go with it.

First, I loved Asher’s writing. The narration was paced by Hannah and Clay’s voices alternating, and Clay’s interruptions were welcomed. He paused the story just enough to let the reader breathe, but not too much that it would make it difficult to keep up with the story. His reactions also offer a second perception on events that both he and Hannah were part of. We can see how things that affected her really looked trivial to those around her – and, sometimes, to the reader.

Don’t get me wrong – I do not take the subject lightly, nor would I dare judging someone’s motivation to commit suicide. In this case, I wouldn’t want to diminish what Hannah went through, but I did expect some more dramatic or violent event. So that should be something to know if that’s something you expect too. However, because of that, I thought the author wrote a very realistic portrait of the events and their consequences, without adding drama only for effect. It was gripping and I had a hard time putting the book down.

It’s also the kind of book where the author’s intentions aren’t clear. Are we supposed to feel bad for Hannah? Or for Clay? Are the people who Hannah “blames” really guilty? Are their acts enough to justify Hannah taking her own life, or can we suppose there was something more that pushed her over the edge? There is no clear answer to those questions – not in the book, at least, and it’s completely up to the reader to make his/her own opinion. I spent a lot of time weighting all sides of the situation; a part of me felt like Hannah’s tapes were less of an explanation than a vengeance, putting the guilt on other people’s shoulders. And I’m not saying they weren’t bad to her, but many of the things that she denounces were simple acts of high school life. For this reason, I can see why some people found it difficult to sympathize for her. Honestly.

And that’s where I’m having a more difficult time with things, because I also think that despite Hannah’s tapes, there are a lot more things we don’t know than things we do know. I have read a few reviews saying “I know people who went through worst and got over it without killing themselves” and that she was “selfish”. People, I agree : I personally think I went through worst, and I’m still here.

BUT (and that’s a major but, as you can see), not everyone is the same : while I respect these other opinions immensely, I cannot pass this under silence. There’s a reason those we commit suicide are often those we did not suspect, and that’s because they don’t carry their pain on their skin. Small things can play a very big part. Also considering some disorders like depression are caused by biochemical imbalances (which means that someone could be depressed without any huge traumatic event in their life), how can we judge what is “enough” for someone to take their own life? Again, I am not trying to point the finger at other people’s opinion, but I had to get this off my chest. In a way, we could say that there is nothing to understand about someone who commits suicide : there is no reason, small or big, that would make enough sense to the outside world.

So I guess what I’m saying is: that’s fine if you didn’t enjoy the book, and that’s also obviously fine to say so! Just because a book touched a difficult theme doesn’t mean it should be spared by critiques. But just be careful on how you express your thoughts on Hannah’s motivations, because you could be at the same time judging someone who is actually reading your words; and I find that thought scary. Judging a Twilight fan really isn’t the same as judging someone’s “degree” of sadness, and while everyone is entitled to their opinion, there are some things that are better left unsaid (or at least, said differently).**

You’re also free to disagree with what I just said, of course. (and to say so in the comments section; I’ll be happy to discuss it!)

In conclusion (“Finally!”, you’ll say) : Personally I loved it. I still believe that Hannah’s act of sending the tape wasn’t an innocent one, but the book does give you a strong perspective of both sides : the one who commits the act, and the ones who are left behind. In a way, it does leave you with more question than answers, but it also opens your mind on the subject, giving you a lot to think about.

** EDITED to add : I probably could have done shorter and said : if you don’t find Hannah’s justifications enough, blame it on the author rather than on the girl; again, it’s fine to think an author did a poor job with the story, but to say so of the girl who took her life might hurt. The reason I say this is that I heard similar things in real life, too, and I believe there is a big difference between judging an author’s work (which is fair) and a person’s life (even a fictional one, in this case, because, as this book very well showed, you never know who will read your words and what effect those will have.)

Artsy Shelf – 13 – Butterfly Wings

Here are some covers with wings.

As you’ll notice, Fate and The Ice Queen are more than look-alikes! The same picture, with different details : the torn wing on Fate, the shadow of a hand, the tank top… I think I prefer The Ice Queen though, for its simplicity and softness.

Even though I didn’t like either of these books, I have to admit that Wings and Tithe’s covers are very nice looking. They also fit really well the story, Tithe being very dark and Wings being softer. I like how Wings’s wings are in fact petals.

That being said, I think my two favorites are the last two ones, The Sister and The Heart Specialist. I would be drawn to both these covers if I saw them in the store. In fact, I almost got The Sister the other day, but then I stopped myself (I already have enough books for now, sadly!)

Do any of these work for you? Which one(s) would make you pick up the book?