Book Reviews

Autumn Book Reviews


Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

I don't usually read post-apocalyptic books. They always make me feel uneasy and uncomfortable. Not my favorite reads. This one, however, has gotten some good reviews and some excellent recommendations from friends. So I put it on my "to read" list. Then when I was at the library one day, the librarian told me that Emily St. John Mandel was coming to Spokane to discuss her book, and I was sold. She comes next week and I am excited to hear her discuss her novel.

From Goodreads:

An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization's collapse, Station Eleven tells the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

One snowy night Arthur Leander, a famous actor, has a heart attack onstage during a production of King Lear. Jeevan Chaudhary, a paparazzo-turned-EMT, is in the audience and leaps to his aid. A child actress named Kirsten Raymonde watches in horror as Jeevan performs CPR, pumping Arthur's chest as the curtain drops, but Arthur is dead. That same night, as Jeevan walks home from the theater, a terrible flu begins to spread. Hospitals are flooded and Jeevan and his brother barricade themselves inside an apartment, watching out the window as cars clog the highways, gunshots ring out, and life disintegrates around them...Spanning decades, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, this suspenseful, elegiac novel is rife with beauty...A novel of art, memory, and ambition, Station Eleven tells a story about the relationships that sustain us, the ephemeral nature of fame, and the beauty of the world as we know it.

Yep, this book made me feel just as uneasy as all the rest. But the word I would use to describe it is...interesting. Did I absolutely love it? No, but I did find the premise of actors and musicians roaming the land with a traveling orchestra interesting.  I also like thinking about how the arts help make us human and feel human even in the worst conditions. I enjoyed the layered and non-linear storytelling. The author did a fantastic job of weaving in and out of time, place, and the lives of  the various characters.The problem, for me, was that with so many characters each telling their own story we don't get to know any of them very well. I was left wanting more. I wanted to know Kirsten, Arthur, Jeevan, Clark, and Miranda better. I wanted more depth. I guess I also wanted more conflict. I felt like there was a big build up and then it petered out.

For example, I was so excited for Kirsten to come face to face with Clark and realize who he is and how he relates to Arthur. They meet and then Clark says something like, "Come talk to me tomorrow." and then NOTHING. We are never privy to their conversation; even though Kirsten has spent her whole life collecting information and articles about Arthur Leander and I have spent the entire novel waiting for all the pieces to come together. To my dismay, the story just picks up several months later when the traveling orchestra is moving on and the reader never knows what Clark says to Kirsten.  I felt like there were several instances like that in the book. I also wanted to learn more about Station Eleven and it's symbolism. (Maybe I am the only one that didn't really get it.)  So while interesting, the novel left me wanting more. I am looking forward to hearing the author speak and maybe I will get what I was missing. We shall see.

My Rating: Interesting but I was left wanting more. (Tyler read the book too and he felt the same way.) I also feel like I should read King Lear now. :)


Paris Time Capsule by Ella Carey

A girl inherits a Parisian apartment from a stranger. Girl opens the door and finds that it has been untouched for 70 years. A true time capsule of the early 1900s during the Belle Epoque and full of vintage treasures, priceless paintings, love letters, and even more exciting to me...loosely based on an actual place and events. Sold!  Of course I wanted to read this book!! Hand it over!!

From Goodreads: 

New York–based photographer Cat Jordan is ready to begin a new life with her successful, button-down boyfriend. But when she learns that she’s inherited the estate of a complete stranger—a woman named Isabelle de Florian—her life is turned upside down. Cat arrives in Paris to find that she is now the owner of a perfectly preserved Belle Époque apartment in the ninth arrondissement, and that the Frenchwoman’s family knew nothing about this secret estate. Amid these strange developments, Cat is left with burning questions: Who was Isabelle de Florian? And why did she leave the inheritance to Cat instead of her own family?

Yes, I liked it. How could I not? It was full of everything I love. I was hooked by the details and descriptions of the apartment and it's contents. When I was a little girl and my family would go on terribly long 12 hour road trips to visit my grandparents. I would spend most of the entire trip staring out the window searching for old abandoned houses and wondering what was inside of them. I couldn't imagine anything better than stumbling upon an old abandoned house full of old furniture, clothing, books, letters, and journals. I still can't!!

 In the town where I used to live when I was ten, there was a house kind of like this...we called it Baby Blue Eyes' House. This house was an old Victorian looking farmhouse that had been partially burned. Legend had it that it was the home of the most darling baby...called by her parents...baby blue eyes... and who tragically died in a house fire there. Legend had it that she haunted the place. (I have no idea if we made up that "legend"...a very real possibility... or if we heard that from someone else.) Anyway,  of course I wanted to go and check that house out. I recall many summer days when my sisters and I, and our awesome neighbors the Ropers, would ride our bikes to that infamous house and go exploring...which we were forbidden to do... but did anyway. (All our parents worked full time and so we spent our summers largely unsupervised. It was AWESOME!!)  I can still see that house so clearly in my mind. The burned area, the peeling vintage wall paper, broken furniture, the old stove in the kitchen, and old Life magazines littering the floor. We would roamed around looking for treasures and constantly asking each other "Do you hear a baby crying?" and would then run screaming from the house. One day our daring neighbor, Brad, climbed the old burned out stairs to find out what was upstairs and came down pale, wide-eyed, and holding a glass baby bottle. We nearly died!! We had to ride our bikes immediately to the candy store as fast as we could and stuff our faces with as many pudding pops as possible until we could calm down.

ANYWAY... all that to say that I loved the premise and the story. Sure, the characters are slightly cheesy and one dimensional. Sure,the dialogue is lame at times. Big whoop...the apartment and it's contents were awesome. Plus, there is some mystery and romance. Ergo, I overlooked the rest. (You don't even want to know the amount of time I have spent pouring over the pictures from the real Paris time capsule apartment.) It's heavenly. 

Check it out: HERE

My Rating: Pure fun. Pure fluff. Cool apartment. (The stuffed ostrich...DYING!!)


Wreckage by Emily Bleeker

I thought this book looked intriguing and it was. I think this would be a fun book to discuss for a book club. It had me thinking for weeks after I was done reading it. It's always fun to wonder, "What would I have done?" This novel does just that.

From Goodreads:

Lillian Linden is a liar. On the surface, she looks like a brave survivor of a plane crash. But she’s been lying to her family, her friends, and the whole world since rescue helicopters scooped her and her fellow survivor, Dave Hall, off a deserted island in the South Pacific. Missing for almost two years, the castaways are thrust into the spotlight after their rescue, becoming media darlings overnight. But they can’t tell the real story—so they lie. The public is fascinated by the castaways’ saga, but Lillian and Dave must return to their lives and their spouses. Genevieve Randall—a hard-nosed journalist and host of a news program—isn’t buying it. She suspects Lillian’s and Dave’s explanations about the other crash survivors aren’t true. And now, Genevieve’s determined to get the real story, no matter how many lives it destroys.

I liked it!! I flew through it. The ending though...meh. I'll go ahead and say it. It was ridiculous.  The book needed a big messy wrenching finish. There needed to be some emotional and relationship carnage. Still, I enjoyed it. I found it quite thought-provoking. I liked the back and forth storytelling and hearing what happened from both Lily and Dave's perspectives. Yes, some of the dialogue is cheesy and some characters are more like caricatures...especially the villain. But, I still found it entertaining and engaging.

My Rating: Entertaining and though-provoking except for the ending which is ridiculous. But a month later I am still thinking about the story. So, that says something. I think it would be a fun book for a book club to discuss.

Island Refuge by Kimberly Rose Johnson

This book was free on my Kindle and I was desperate for something to read. Enough said right there. This book has five star ratings after five star ratings. I am baffled.

From Goodreads:

Her engagement off, Zoe Griffin retreats to tiny Wildflower Island in the Puget Sound. Hiding out as a cook and maid at a shabby bed-and-breakfast seems crazy for a chef who’s used to running her own five-star kitchen. And just as she starts to feel at home, her klutzy mishaps make Zoe fear her handsome new boss will fire her. Dr. Nick Jackson is done with medicine, and owning a B&B is as far from doctoring as he can get. He needs help, but his only employee’s mistakes give him doubts. As Zoe lets her defenses down, Nick begins to see a competent and caring woman. One whose wounds are as deep as his own. But as they fall for each other, Nick and Zoe must learn the hardest lesson of all—to forgive. Only then can they heal the past and embrace the future . . . together. 

It's Christian fiction. I didn't know that before reading. I don't have a problem with that as I am a Christian who loves to read.. But Christian fiction is always terrible. This book just didn't do anything for me. It was so juvenile...in dialogue, in character development or the lack there of, and in plot. Yeah...not a fan. But keep trying Christian fiction writers and I will keep hoping for the best.

My Rating: Skip it.

Frederica by Georgette Heyer

From Goodreads:

Frederica Merriville and her three siblings have come to London for the glittering social season, in order to give young and beautiful Charis a chance to make a good marriage. Frederica herself, a witty charmer, believes herself happily beyond marriageable age -- she is twenty-four, after all. But when they are introduced to London society by their distant "cousin" Lord Alverstoke, Frederica is amazed to find herself, unknowingly, falling in love. Likewise, Alverstoke, a cold aristocrat, finds himself thoroughly beguiled by Frederica and her young rascal brothers.

I loved it!! It is a completely charming Regency romance and a perfect autumnal read. It was fun and heart-warming. I couldn't put it down.  I was laughing out loud at the the antics of the Merriville family and swooning away at gruff Lord Alverstoke. I wish there was a sequel!! Perfection with a cozy blanket and cup of hot chocolate.

My Rating: Delightful!!

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

I love Mindy Kaling!! Let me just say that right now. I also love her show The Mindy Project. It is my favorite guilty pleasure TV. I also loved her first book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? I found it HILARIOUS. This book is more of the same fun. It did not disappoint. It was awesome. I listened to it rather than read it because I wanted to hear her voice and inflection. I highly recommend doing that. I was laughing my head off while I painted. I love her outrageous humor.

From Goodreads: 

In Why Not Me?, Kaling shares her ongoing journey to find contentment and excitement in her adult life, whether it’s falling in love at work, seeking new friendships in lonely places, attempting to be the first person in history to lose weight without any behavior modification whatsoever, or most important, believing that you have a place in Hollywood when you’re constantly reminded that no one looks like you...Mindy turns the anxieties, the glamour, and the celebrations of her second coming-of-age into a laugh-out-loud funny collection of essays that anyone who’s ever been at a turning point in their life or career can relate to...

Every time I read a celebrity memoir I always end up disliking them. Sometimes it is just a little bit but usually I end up disliking them a lot. Not so with Mindy Kaling. I like her even more...and that is after two memoirs!!

Like I said I laughed out loud with great regularity while listening. Her Harvard Law School speech was a highlight!! Her relationship with BJ Novak another one. I thought that she gave great advice to  young girls about having confidence... here is just one quote:

“People get scared when you try to do something, especially when it looks like you're succeeding. People do not get scared when you're failing. It calms them. But when you're winning, it makes them feel like they're losing or, worse yet, that maybe they should've tried to do something too, but now it's too late. And since they didn't, they want to stop you. You can't let them.”

I loved this book even more than her last one. I definitely recommend it.

My Rating: Fantastic!! I will read anything that she writes.