Book review: Sweet Lamb of Heaven

Pardon the formatting:  If I hadn't already put so much work into Blogger, I'd probably find a different blogging site.  It isn't saving any of my formatting.  

Title: Sweet Lamb of Heaven
Author: Lydia Millett
Rating: 2 stars

Summary:  This novel is a Anna's account of how she escaped her cold and unfaithful husband Ned with her daughter.  Ned comes back in her life when he decides to run for office.  And so begins his manipulation.  Can Anna trust the other guests that are staying at the Maine hotel with her?

Review:  This book started out so promising.  A woman and her daughter escape her sociopath husband to live a quiet life in a Maine motel.  But then s*** got weird and not in a good way.  Here’s a list of my grievances.  *Spoiler alert* The point of this blog is to spare you from bad books, right?  However, be forewarned that this gives things away so don’t say I didn’t warn you.

1. The voice: Anna used to hear a voice but it went away with the birth of her daughter.  This voice spoke in tongues.  She discovers that everybody in the motel has heard a voice/music/sound of some kind at some point (sometimes it’s an animal’s voice?) but it’s never clearly explained where this voice came from and why Anna’s the only one that the voice stopped for.

1. The motel: How did she end up at a place where eveyrbody’s heard the voice?  This wasn’t clearly explained.

1. Ned’s mind control: What?  This part was weird too.  And he was maybe a robot?  Or an image?  By then I had stopped caring.

1. The money: Anna doesn’t work and while she doesn’t live in luxury, she claims she saved enough from her pre-child career to live off of for years?  I never buy this story (pun intended).

 Time to write: 7:05

Book review: City on Fire

Title: City on Fire
Author: Garth Risk Hallberg
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Summary:  Manhattan, 1976.  Regan and William Hamilton-Sweeney are estranged siblings and heirs to one of the city's great fortunes.  Keith and Mercer are the mean who love Regan and William.  Charlie and Samantha are two suburban teenagers enthralled with the up and coming Manhattan punk scene.  Then there's the magazine reporter and his idealistic neighbor. Finally, the detective that's trying to figure out the link between all of them and what they have to do with a shooting on New Year's Eve.  

Review:  This book is too freaking long (944 pages).  This book needed a better editor.  It just too long to develop and get all of the various back stories and everything jumped back and forth in time.  The characters were interesting enough, everything was dragged out too long.  Eventually I was so far in that I had put in the time, I might as well see it through, but save yourself and don't bother.

Time to write: 1:40

Book Review: The Possibilities

Title: The Possibilities
Author: Kaui Hart Hemmings
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Summary: Sarah St. John is dealing with the sudden death of her son.   Nobody--not her dad, best friend or her son's dad can help her with her grief. When a woman appears to link to her son, she has the potential to change Sarah's life forever.

Review:  I could have sworn that I wrote this review ages ago but apparently I didn't.  I happened to read this in the midst of other books about children dying.  It wasn't as sad as I thought it was going to be.  Again, the story was fine, just nothing earth shattering.  Perhaps I'm getting overly critical?  Somebody wow me!

Time to write: 1:21

Book review: After Birth

Title: After Birth
Author: Elisa Albert
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Format: e-book

Summary: Ari had her son Walker a year ago but she still can't find her place back in the world.  When a legendary rocker (who also happens to be pregnant), moves to her town in upstate New York, Ari is cautiously optimistic that she's found a new partner in crime.

Review: I wanted to like this book, I just couldn't get into it.  I got it--the transition of becoming a mom and the isolation that can go along with that.  Also, the feeling that this wasn't necessarily something you always wanted but once it came along it was awesome.  But it just didn't hold my interest--I couldn't remember the various characters and it just seemed to meander along.

Time to write: 1:08

Book review: Everybody Rise

Title: Everybody Rise
Author: Stephanie Clifford
Format: Audio book
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Summary:  Evelyn comes from new money.  Her social-climbing mom is constantly pushing her to connect with Evelyn's prep school alum and find a successful and wealthy man to marry.  When Evelyn gets a job at "Facebook for the elite", she finally gets her in. The problem is that Evelyn makes up lie after lie to keep up appearances until she can't get out of her own way or climb over the huge mountain of debt she's gotten herself into.

Review:  I was on the fence about giving this review three stars, but I couldn't do it.  That being said, the book isn't terrible in the way you think it might be.  I gave this book the rating I did because it was stressful to listen to Evelyn's attempts to horn her way into the world of the extremely wealthy.  Listening to her get herself more and more into debt was tense.  You also knew that it wasn't going to end well for her, so I was constantly waiting for that.  I think there were funny parts to this book but I was so stressed out I didn't notice.  Also, I listened to this book and many of the characters' voices were like nails on a chalkboard. I almost switched to a physical book format but I stayed with the audio version, which lost it another star. Do what you will with this information.

Time to write: 5:10

Book review: I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You

Title: I am having so much fun here without you
Author: Courtney Maum
Rating:  2 out of 5 stars

Summary: British artist Richard Haddon's first solo show in Paris has been a resounding success but he's too broken up over his mistress leaving him to enjoy it.  When he discovers that a painting that he originally gave to his wife was sold, he's jarred back to reality and realizes he wants to stay with his wife. Unfortunately at the same time, Richard's wife founds out the extent of the affair and she kicks him out of the house.  Thus begins a series of attempts of Richard trying to woo back his wife.

Review: Remember the post about a book not being memorable but not terrible?  This is another one of those.  This is another one of those books where I read the reviews when I was getting ready to write this and I thought, "what am I missing?  Is it me?  Am I not a sophisticated enough reader?"  Well, maybe I'm not sophisticated, but if you want sophisticated reviews, I encourage you to check out The New Yorker or The New York Times Book Review.  For regular ol' folk like me, this book wasn't particularly memorable or didn't grab me.  So there.

Time to write: 2:05

Book review: The Secret Place

Title: The Secret Place
Author: Tana French
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Summary:  Stephen Moran is looking for a chance to join Dublin's Murder Squad.  He gets his chance when 16 YO Holly Mackey, a witness from an old case, approaches him about a picture that was posted of  a boy that was murdered a year ago at her boarding school.  Stephen joins the case with Detective Antoinette Conway and they enter the strange and dangerous world of boarding school.

Review:  I really liked the previous two books in the Dublin Murder Squad series, so I was looking forward to this book.  But for some reason, I just couldn't get into this book.  I'm not entirely sure why, I didn't look forward to reading it each night. Maybe it was too long, maybe I was annoyed by the Irish slang, I don't know.  Whatever the reason, this book took forever to read.  The only reason I finished it is because I felt so invested and I'd passed the point where I could give up without feeling like I hadn't invested too much time in it.  Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed.

Time to write: 4:04

Book review: Some Luck

Title: Some Luck
Author: Jane Smiley
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Summary: Owning a farm is hard, no matter what year it is.  And kids have a funny way of having their own personalities.

Rating: I was intrigued by the premise of this book.  It has a One Day-esque feel to it in that it picks a day out of every year (although I realize that One Day is the same day every year), starting with 1920 and ending in the early 1950s.  Each chapter rotates through various family members and what's going in their heads in that particular day.  This book wasn't terrible, it just wasn't one that I really looked forward to picking up at the end of the day. It was pleasant enough, I suppose.  I don't think I've read other works by Smiley, so I can't speak to how this one compares to her other publications.  But all in all, not a lot of depth to the characters.

Time to write review: 4:01

Book Review: See How Small

Title: See How Small
Author: Scott Blackwood
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Summary: Three girls are killed brutally.  Many years later, this story checks in on the people that were involved or affected by their deaths.

Review: In another life perhaps I would have enjoyed this book more.  For some reason it just didn't hold my interest.  Perhaps it was the topic.  It's hard to think about three sisters dying and their mom having to go on without them, although the book switched point of views amongst several characters and didn't necessarily focus on the mom.  There was one interesting character, I think his name was Michael.  Sometimes it can be frustrating to read a book that doesn't tie up loose ends, but I generally like it.  However, I'd start a chapter and have idea who the character was and I'd have to go back.  This is probably more of a reflection on me than on the author, but again, it just didn't hold my interest.

Time to write: 5:01 minutes.

Book review: Young God

Title:  Young God
Author:  Katherine Faw Morris
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Summary:  Nikki is a determined 13-year-old girl who watches her mom die in the first pages of the book.  From that moment on she is on a mission to establish her presence in the world and protect what's hers.

Review:  I'm not sure if I didn't like this book because it was poorly written or because it was about a 13-year-old girl dealing with situations that no 13-year-old girl should have to deal with.  Despite some of the things Nikki did, she's a smart kid.  It was just sad that she felt she had to do some of the things she did.  She's clearly a survivor, it was just sad.  On the plus side, it was a really fast read.

Book review: All Joy and No Fun

Title: All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenting
Author: Jennifer Senior
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Summary: Parenting is tough.  This book outlines in great detail and with a lot of supporting studies how tough parenting is no matter what age your children are. 

Review:  I couldn't finish this book.  It was too stressful.  In hindsight perhaps I thought this book would be funnier.   I think I was looking for confirmation that I'm not the only one that gets overwhelmed with parenthood sometimes.  And I got that confirmation.  Ms. Senior does a fantastic job citing study after study of how parenting has changed.   And there's certainly room for debate on the influences of those changes and if parenting has changed for the better or worse. But it wasn't very reassuring or comforting.

All it did was make me feel more incompetent than I already feel at times and dread adolescence even more than I already am. Not because it's going to be a difficult time, but because that's when they're going to start to distance themselves from me, and that makes me really sad.  Because as much as they drive me crazy sometimes, the best part of my day is when they come running up to me when I get home with big hugs. Well, this has been an uplifting post.  No worries, I have two more to write and post soon.

Book review: We are all completely fine

Book review: We Are All Completely Fine
Author: Daryl Gregory
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Summary: Harrison, Stan, Barbara, Greta and Martin are all damaged in their own way and are brought together for some group therapy.  Monsters are involved.

Review: This book was recommended to me by my husband, Aaron.  Aaron's and my taste in books don't always intersect but Aaron thought I'd like it. I read the description and it seemed promising, and the book was more of a novella than a novel, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt.  What I missed in the description was the reference to monsters was literal.  I thought the monsters were symbolic.

I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi, vampires, alternate worlds, that sort of thing.  Interestingly enough, I seem to be okay with ghosts, because I'm reading a book about ghosts and magic and so far so good on that one.  But I digress--that review will be written later.  Anyway, I gave this two stars because I was turned off by the real monsters.  A bond did develop with the group and that was right up my alley and there was certainly growth among the characters, but I just couldn't get past the monsters.  However, if you like monsters, you might want to check it out.

Book review: The Wives of Los Alamos

Title: The Wives of Los Alamos
Author: TaraShea Nesbit
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Summary: During World War II, scientists were moved to New Mexico for a top secret project to build what was ultimately the atomic bomb.  The scientists' families were moved along with them.  They couldn't tell anybody where they were going or when they were coming back.  The wives knew nothing about what their husbands were working on for years (there were some women scientists there too, but they were the minority).  These families were thrown together with other families and forced to live in fake town of sorts.  Houses were assigned based on family size, things were rationed, and any communication was reviewed and censored.

Rating:  I've never quite read a book like this before.  There were no real characters and everything was written in the plural first person.  It was really frustrating to read a book with no characters. I originally gave this three stars but I downgraded to two because while I finished it, nothing really happened.  The lack of characters didn't provide any depth as to how the families dealt with the realization of what the men had been working on for the past several years and how their wives and children (those who were old enough to understand) felt about it. It was alluded to, but as with everything else in this book, nothing was really explored. 

Book review: Chance

Title: Chance
Author: Kem Nunn
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Summary: Dr. Eldon Chance is a neuropsychiatrist who is on a path of self-destruction.  Recently divorced, he becomes entangled with Jaclyn Blackstone, a woman who appears to have multiple personalities and also happens to be married to an abusive and dirty Oakland detective.  Chance has also recently befriended Carl and D, who refinish furniture, among other talents.

Review:  This book seemed so promising to me but I just couldn't get into it.  Chance is described as an antihero in the book jacket and I would agree wholeheartedly with that description.  He's pathetic.  His affair with Jaclyn is pathetic.  He puts his career at stake.  And you know he's smarter than that, and he knows he's smarter than that, but Jaclyn is his kryptonite.  The climax, a showdown between Carl, the abusive husband, Carl and D is interesting, yet also felt like a cop out.  I kept thinking there was going to be a twist to make it more interesting, like Chance was crazy and imagined the whole thing, but that never happened. 

Book review: Andrew's Brain

Title: Andrew's Brain
Author: E.L. Doctorow
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Summary:  This book is about...I don't have the faintest idea.  This book is a conversation between Andrew and an unknown person about Andrew.  He rambles about his life and wives.  There's a sad story about a little girl that has no resolution.

Review:  This book is like ordering a crisp Sauvignon Blanc and getting a tumbler of scotch.  The scotch is probably good, it's just not what you ordered and what you were in the mood for.  I've never read a book by E.L. Doctorow and I'm not terribly familiar with his work.  And by not terribly familiar, I mean not familiar at all.  I've gotten quite a few comments from you dear readers on the volume of books I read.  Most of them don't require the level of concentration that this book required to read.  And it might be a good book, it's just not the book for me.  That's the main reason I gave it two stars versus one--didn't think my preference for a light summer white wine was Doctorow's total fault.  Still, this book is one that needs concentration and focus.  If you have more of that than me, then you might like this book better than I did.

Book review: Apple Tree Yard

Title: Apple Tree Yard
Author: Louise Doughty
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Summary: Yvonne Carmichael is a renowned geneticist and happily married mother of two.  She meets Mark Costley in the hallway of the House of Parliament and begins an affair (yes, it is that random).  Then Yvonne gets raped and in a random act of chivalry, Mark kills the guy.  Then they get caught and go on trial.

Review:  The inside of this jacket says, "...Apple Tree Yard is a psychological thriller that calls to mind Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl even as it stakes out its own chilling territory."  I know the publisher is trying to sell books, but this melodrama makes me roll my eyes.  I'm usually able to forget these sensational statements, but in this event, it stuck with me.  Also, even though I remember reading that full sentence, I sort of trailed off at the mention of Gone Girl.  I loved Gone Girl and I kept waiting for the twist.  This book is no Gone Girl and the comparison to Gone Girl sort of ruined it for me.

The book was...fine.  Here are some of the issues I had with it:

1. The guy was clearly bad news.  He was vague about his job and all contact was on his terms.  
2. Hiding the affair after the murder was a terrible idea.  See #1.  If the two of you are on trial for murder and he asks you to hide the affair, it doesn't occur to you that he will use this against you?
3. Because of items 1 and 2, it made zero sense that he would kill the guy that raped Yvonne.  
4. I kept waiting for the plot twist.  When was it going to be revealed that Yvonne was actually behind the whole thing? 

Maybe I missed something?  But I don't think so.  Would I have liked it better if I could get around the Gone Girl comparison?  Probably not.

Book review: And the Dark Sacred Night

Title: And the Dark Sacred Night
Author: Julia Glass
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Summary: Kit Noonan has been drifting for awhile.  He's an unpublished PhD who's been job searching for some time. Finally his wife gives him an ultimatum--he needs to find his dad.  In fact, she's kicking him out of the house until he finds his dad.  Kit's mom has always hid his father's identity from him, but Kit explores other avenues to figure out who his dad is.  He finds a new family, but it also makes him realize that his "real" father isn't necessarily sperm-related. 

Review: The other day my husband Aaron told me he was reading my reviews and he commented that I was so nice in my reviews.  My response was, "I'm not trying to be the New York Times Book Review."  I've made the same comment about People magazine--their reviews are very nice as well, and are typically in the 3.5 to 5 star range.  But it did get me thinking--have I been overly nice or have I just been reading good books lately?  Or is it because even if I don't love a book, who am I to say it's bad?  I've never tried to write a book.  I've thought about it, I suppose, but I've never explored the process of writing a book.  It seems hard.  What is this review about?

My conversation with Aaron has at least for the short term led me to take a more critical eye to the books I read.  The first victim of this is And the Dark Sacred Night.  I'd like to think that even before I had the above conversation that I would have given this book three stars at most.  It just wasn't very interesting.  Yet it wasn't boring enough to put down.  It was just...eh.  The story would present a scene, meander to a flashback, and by the time it came back to the present I would have forgotten what was going on.  I also think Kit's biological father's family accepted him far too easily.  There was also more to explore--Kit's stepdad had a son that was an alcoholic, but there wasn't a lot of depth to this.  I'm always perplexed when a character's described with what seems to be important details, but the author never really explores it.  Also, Kit's wife kicks him out, but beyond the first part, there's no further exploration of their relationship.  Everything just felt undeveloped.

What do you think?  A more thorough review than what I usually put together?

Book review: Caught

Title: Caught
Author:  Lisa Moore
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Summary:  David Slaney is 25 years old and has escaped from jail (he was in for marijuana possession).  He's looking to reconnect with his former partner Hearn.  But before he does that, he needs to stay one step ahead of the authorities who are looking for him.  Slaney connects with Hearn and plans to make one last big deal before giving up the drug business for good.  Is he successful?  Or do the cops catch up with him?

Review: I thought this was a suspense novel but it wasn't very...suspenseful.  It wasn't even that eventful.  The book wasn't terrible, it just wasn't terribly interesting.  He's being chased by an undercover cop but there isn't a lot of character development.  Slaney is the main focus and you think you'll get more background on other characters but that doesn't really happen, at least not beyond a superficial level.  I liked the epilogue, but by then it was too little too late. 

Book review: The Enchanted

Title:  The Enchanted
Author: Rene Denfeld
Rating: 2 stars out of 5

Summary: The Lady is a lawyer.  She's a death row's inmate last chance at getting a reprieve for dying.  Her current case is York.  It's never fully explained what York did to get to death row, but does it really matter?  York wants to die and doesn't want the Lady's services.  But York's lawyers are paying for her, not York.  Other stuff happens but it's not that interesting.

Review:  This book was "eh".  I couldn't get into it.  The majority of the characters didn't have real names.  There was another death row inmate that clearly had mental issues.  The Lady was interesting and I liked her exploration of York's past and her revelation that they were both born from women who were mentally retarded (not the same woman in case you were wondering.  At least I don't think so).

Maybe I was too simple for the book.  I don't need a book to be deep, have themes, symbolism or metaphors.  I like books where the characters have names and there aren't  undercurrents of things going on that are unsaid but I should pick up on.