Monthly Archives: April 2013

Book Review: Whistling Past The Graveyard

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Whistling Past The Graveyard CoverBook: Whistling Past The Graveyard by Susan Crandall

Expected Publication is July 2, 2013 by Gallery Books

*This is an e-book received through netgalley.com*

Pages: 320

Genre: Adult Fiction: Historical Fiction

Goodreads|Susan Crandall’s Website

Summary: From an award-winning author comes a wise and tender coming-of-age story about a nine-year-old girl who runs away from her Mississippi home in 1963, befriends a lonely woman suffering loss and abuse, and embarks on a life-changing roadtrip. 

The summer of 1963 begins like any other for nine-year-old Starla Claudelle. Born to teenage parents in Mississippi, Starla is being raised by a strict paternal grandmother, Mamie, whose worst fear is that Starla will turn out like her mother. Starla hasn’t seen her momma since she was three, but is convinced that her mother will keep her promise to take Starla and her daddy to Nashville, where her mother hopes to become a famous singer—and that one day her family will be whole and perfect.

When Starla is grounded on the Fourth of July, she sneaks out to see the parade. After getting caught, Starla’s fear that Mamie will make good on her threats and send her to reform school cause her to panic and run away from home. Once out in the country, Starla is offered a ride by a black woman, Eula, who is traveling with a white baby. She happily accepts a ride, with the ultimate goal of reaching her mother in Nashville.

As the two unlikely companions make their long and sometimes dangerous journey, Starla’s eyes are opened to the harsh realities of 1963 southern segregation. Through talks with Eula, reconnecting with her parents, and encountering a series of surprising misadventures, Starla learns to let go of long-held dreams and realizes family is forged from those who will sacrifice all for you, no matter if bound by blood or by the heart.

I liked Whistling Past The Graveyard.  When I initially started reading it, I was reminded of both The Secret Life Of Bees and The Help.  And it was something that stayed with me throughout the entire book.  I think it’s the setting and time period, which makes for an interesting backdrop.  There’s just something about this time period that really piques my interest.

I found Eula’s story so interesting, and found myself connecting Eula a lot more than I ever expected.  My heart broke for her, and I’m so glad she found happiness in the end!

One of my favorite parts of the novel was when Eula and Starla became unlikely companions and started to see the other as family, showing that family can be more than people you’re related to.  I liked that Starla and Eula became friends with someone they never expected to.  There is an interesting contrast between Eula, who’s quiet and broken, and Starla, who seems to be really spunky.  Their characters, like so many of the other characters in the book, were well-rounded and memorable. From Starla’s grandma to her mom to Miss Washington…there’s certainly an assortment of characters who seem to fit into this period so well.   

It is a great coming-of-age story, and I like seeing Starla’s journey to Nashville and realizing that her image of her mother is not who her mother really is.  I really liked seeing her grow and want to make a difference.

I liked the setting and how authentic it felt.  I really felt like Crandall captured everything that was going on.

Final Thoughts:

Whistling Past The Graveyard was an enjoyable read, and I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Eula and Starla.  It’s a nice addition to the coming-of-age stories set in the South in the 1960’s.  I didn’t love it, but I did like it.  Whistling Past The Graveyard gets 3 stars.

Book Review: Requiem

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Requiem CoverBook: Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Published March 2013 by HarperCollins Publishers|432 pages

Source: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Delirium #3

Genre: YA Dystopic

Goodreads|Lauren Oliver’s Website

Summary: They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.

But we are still here.

And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.

Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.

But we have chosen a different road.

And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.

We are even free to choose the wrong thing.

Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

Requiem.

Oh, Requiem.  Where to begin?

Here’s the thing.  I liked Requiem.

Requiem was also a disappointment.

I sort of liked the dual narration.  Multiple narrators can be hit or miss, but Requiem falls somewhere in the middle.  I LOVED Hana’s story, and how it was so very different than Lena’s story.  Their lives took very different paths in Delirium, and I did like how their stories came together.  It didn’t completely work for me, because I found Hana’s story so much more compelling, but I get why Oliver went with 2 narrators.

But…disappointment.  After Pandemonium, I was expecting A LOT more tension.  I was expecting more than what actually happened.  I liked seeing both sides, but I was disappointed that MORE didn’t happen.  I felt like there was very little conflict.  You have the Resistance and are expecting something HUGE to happen and for things to be resolved, and all you get is a glimmer of hope.  A seedling that things may be different one day.  I really was expecting so much more resolution.

And while I know that this is the final book in the trilogy, part of me feels like things are purposefully being left open…because of the lack of resolution I was just talking about.

That being said, the last few paragraphs were SO BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN.  They really were.  Like, teary-eyed beautiful.  I mean, Lena talks about how you don’t know what happens when you break down walls, but living in fear is no way to live.  That taking the chance is worth it.

Maybe it’s all about progress.  These things don’t happen overnight, so maybe a glimmer of hope is all we really need.

Actually, at the end, when people are tearing down the wall around Portland- which I assume is Portland, Maine, because I never got the Portland, Oregon vibe from it- I was totally reminded of the Berlin Wall and its destruction.  I have no idea why, but I was.

In all honesty, I know I liked it.  I loved how beautiful the last few paragraphs were and I loved how Hana’s story was an interesting parallel to Lena’s story.  But other than that, I’m not sure why I liked it.  I just know I did.

Final Thoughts:

I think Requiem was a book that I went into with high expectations, which explains why I was disappointed with it.  OVERALL, I did like it, so it gets 3 stars.

Book Review: Bitter Blood

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Bitter Blood CoverBook: Bitter Blood by Rachel Caine

Published November 2012 by Penguin Group|Pages:416

Source: E-book|Purchased from the Nook Store

Series: Morganville Vampires #13

Genre: YA Paranormal- Vampires

Goodreads|Rachel Caine’s Website

Summary: For years, the human and vampire residents of Morganville, Texas, have managed to co-exist in peace. But now that the threat to the vampires has been defeated, the human residents are learning that the gravest danger they face is the enemy within…

Thanks to the eradication of the parasitic creatures known as the draug, the vampires of Morganville have been freed of their usual constraints. With the vampires indulging their every whim, the town’s human population is determined to hold on to their lives by taking up arms. But college student Claire Danvers isn’t about to take sides, considering she has ties to both the humans and the vampires. 

To make matters worse, a television show comes to Morganville looking for ghosts, just as vampire and human politics collide. Now, Claire and her friends have to figure out how to keep the peace without ending up on the nightly news… or worse.

I just love this series, and being caught up is a little strange to me.  I’m looking forward to Fall Of Night, but I’m actually really glad I was able to read the first 13 in a pretty quick succession.

So…here we go with the usual stuff I talk about anytime I review a Morganville Vampires book.  The characters are pretty consistent, and even when they do things I don’t expect them to, there is a good reason for why their acting wonky.  Like…Shane reacted to a certain…event…in a way that I would expect.  Did Michael do something I didn’t expect him to?  Of course, but there was a really good reason it.   

Things are also really well-paced, and Caine does a great job (as usual) with building on previous books.

Now that the usual is out of the way…Morganville is very different now.  ID cards for all citizens (but very different depending on whether you’re human or a vampire) and Oliver and Amelie hooking up and a new Captain Obvious…which was surprising in a very unsurprising way.  If that makes any sense…and it might not, because I really don’t want to give that away.

Things do go back to normal- at least, as normal as Morganville gets.  I did find the reaction to Eve and Michael’s marriage interesting, and I also liked that Michael refused to divorce Eve, even though he’ll likely face a very public punishment for going against Amelie’s wishes.  I’m really intrigued by this punishment, which is a surprise that isn’t surprising.

That seem to describe the book really well.  Surprises that aren’t surprising…and Caine does it well.  Like, really well.  I can honestly say that certain things didn’t surprise me, but Caine does in a way that does surprise you.  It’s just one of those things that is impressing me more with every one I read.

The multiple perspectives work great, especially with everything going on.  I really love reading the Myrnin chapters, which really cement my love of Myrnin.  There’s a part of me that wishes Miranda narrated a chapter or two, because her story has a lot of potential.

Final Thoughts:

Bitter Blood is another great addition to this series.  You’d think after 13 books (and counting!) this series would feel tired, but it isn’t.  I just love everything about this book, and I can’t wait to see how things play out for everyone!  Bitter Blood gets 5 stars.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Characters I Would Crush On If I Were Also A Fictional Character

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Top 10 Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers from all over share their own lists based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top 10 Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Characters I Would Crush On If I Were Also A Fictional Character

Fictional crushes…it’s not something I usually think about, but I feel like it’s crossed my mind a time or two.  Why do I not think about this more?  Anyway, these are the characters I would totally crush on if I were a fictional character…or the ones I’d crush on if they were, you know, actually REAL.  Maybe I just need to admit I have crushes on fictional characters…

  1. Charlie Weasley.  Charlie is the most mysterious of the Weasley’s, and the one I want to know about.  I really think it’s because we don’t know a lot about him…
  2. Etienne St. Clair from Anna And The French Kiss.  He’s St. Clair.  Enough said.
  3. Ethan From Beautiful Creatures.  Mostly because I actually mentioned that he is totally one of my fictional boyfriends, and that’s not something I normally make a point to mention…
  4. Augustus Waters.  I feel a little weird putting him on this list, because he and Hazel totally belong together.  But I would still have, like, a HUGE crush on him anyway.  Because he’s amazing and funny!
  5. Ash from The Iron Fey.  Any guy who is willing to give up  his immortality to be with someone…  And that makes him totally crush-worthy in my book!
  6. Lend from Paranormalcy.  He’s Lend.  What else do I need to say?  I think he’d be a totally cool, sweet and loyal boyfriend!
  7. Lord Maccon.  I think it’s because he’s a werewolf, and he made them totally cool (amongst other things).
  8. Oliver from Morganville Vampires.  I know Oliver is the weird choice.  I mean, most people would probably go for Shane or Michael, who are also crush-worthy in their own right…but I’m totally going for Oliver this time around.  I think it’s because he owns a coffee shop.  Coffee is one of my favorite things…so yeah.
  9. Tucker from Unearthly.  He is Tucker.  That is all.  Okay, so I’m not the outdoorsy type.  Like, at all.  But Tucker makes it seem like so much fun!
  10. Jace from My Life Next Door.  I love how good he is with his siblings and how sweet he is.
  11. Because I’m feeling a little inspired…Oliver from Harry Potter.  Another character that we see a little but who disappears after PoA.  Ignoring the fact that he’s Quidditch-obsessed, I’ve always found Oliver cool.  Or maybe I just like like the name Oliver.

Gilmore Girls 2×11: Secrets And Loans

Posted in Season Two, The Gilmore Girls Project by

Secrets And Loans originally aired January 22, 2002.  It was written by Linda Loiselle Guzik and was directed by Nicole Holofcener.

Secrets And Loans starts off with Lorelei waiting at Luke’s for Rory.  Rory comes in with her PSAT scores, and isn’t happy that she did better in math, because verbal is her thing.  Lorelei tells her that she did great, and that it’s only her PSAT’s, so it doesn’t matter as much.  They make plans to see Rocky Horror to celebrate.

It is very Rory to worry about doing better with the math section…and that’s all I’m going to say about that.  Also, this is one of those things that dates the show, because the scoring system for the SAT’s has changed since this episode originally aired.

We next see Lorelei on the porch, when her foot goes through the porch.  As it turns out, they have termites that have caused $15,000 in damage.  Lorelei is worried, because she doesn’t have that kind of money.

At Chilton, Paris, Madeleine and Louise are talking about their PSAT scores, and Paris is trying to get Rory to talk about her score.  This scene definitely highlights the competitiveness of Paris, and how she sees Rory as a threat academically.

We next find the Gilmore Girls at home, where Lorelei can’t sleep because she “hears” the termites.  They end up at Sookie’s house, where Jackson is hiding in the closet for 2 reasons.  One, he wears picture pajamas, and two, Sookie didn’t want to turn them away.  Lorelei talks about how her involvement in the community won’t get her a loan at the bank she talked to.

Rory goes to see Lane, who has been AWOL, and Mrs. Kim chases Rory out of the house because Rory is a carrier for termites.  Rory goes home and is telling Lorelei about how Mrs. Kim sprayed her with a water hose because she didn’t want termites to get into her house and eat the antiques.  Lorelei has been turned down by a bunch of banks when Rory suggests talking to Emily.  Lorelei refuses to consider it, and tells Rory not to tell Emily.

At dinner, the termites come up, because Lorelei has a headache, and Rory explains to Emily what is going on, even though Lorelei is giving her a look and tells her not to say anything.  Rory and Lorelei are telling 2 very different stories.  Lorelei isn’t happy with Rory, who had no right to bring it up because Lorelei told her not to.  It really isn’t an option for Lorelei.

Rory telling Emily about the termites even after Lorelei specifically told her not to was really irritating.  You’d think she’d know by now that it’s not an option for Lorelei.  And to do it with no regard for what Lorelei wants just because she thinks they should ask Emily…it’s just irritating.  

We see Dean and Rory talk, and we also Lorelei on the phone with the bank, before Emily calls and tells Lorelei that she set up a meeting at her bank for Lorelei.

Rory sees Lane in a cheerleading uniform, and starts…well…judging Lane for being a cheerleader.  Lane says that Rory isn’t around as much because of school and Dean, and Lane just wanted to try it.  She also doesn’t have to justify it to Rory.

What is going on with Rory in this episode?  She’s also judgy because Lane wanted to try something different…because Lane is now part of the group that they used to make fun of.  I never thought of it before, but this is really an interesting moment in the Lane/Rory friendship.  I mean, Rory’s at Chilton and Lane isn’t, and this moment really shows how different their lives seem because their lives really seem to be going in different directions.

Luke takes a look at the foundation, and offers to loan Lorelei the money, but Lorelei turns it down.  We see Lorelei go to the bank for the meeting, only to get turned down for the loan.  The only way to get is to have someone co-sign the loan, which Emily knew would happen.  Lorelei (begrudgingly) asks Emily to co-sign the loan, and is doubting Emily’s motives for doing it- which is that she just wanted to do something nice for Lorelei.

I do like that Lorelei is trying to take care of it on her own, but also seems to realize that Emily co-signing the loan is the only way to get her back to normal.

We see Rory at the pep rally, and actually see Lane cheering.  Rory apologizes to Lorelei, who tells Rory that she has the right to fix any problems without interference from Richard and Emily, and that Rory needs to respect that.  Mostly because Lorelei has a track record for keeping Rory alive, and because Rory has yet to see Lorelei mess things up.

Lane and Rory make up after the pep rally, and Lane assures Rory that she’s still the same.

At Friday night dinner, things are really quiet.  Lorelei apologizes to Emily, because she’s not used to people- meaning Emily- to do nice things with no strings attached.  Emily accepts Lorelei’s apology before telling her that her DAR meetings will be held at the inn from now on.

Favorite Lines/Scenes:

Nothing from this episode jumped out at me

Pop Culture:

Rocky Horror Picture Show, Coyote Ugly

Final Thoughts:

This is another episode that is meh for me.  Rory is acting kind of bratty in this episode, first with telling Emily about the termites and then with Lane about the cheerleading.  It’s like Rory has no sense of boundaries.  I totally get Lorelei doesn’t want to go to Emily for help again and why it’s not an option for her, but I’d like to think that it would be a last resort for her if nothing else worked out.  This episode gets 2.5 mugs of coffee.