South of Broad - TLC Book Tour

South of Broad by Pat Conroy

Publisher: Nan A. Talese/Doubleday
Publication date: August 11, 2009
ISBN: 9780385413053
Pages: 514
Price: $29.95

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The last time I was at the dentist, my hygienist told me that I really needed to read this book. So when TLC emailed and asked me to participate in the tour, I was very happy to! I have never read a Pat Conroy before, and since Charleston is one of my favorite cities in the world, it was high time we get introduced.

In a nutshell, if you took a 20-year span of a group of mismatched friends from Charleston, throw in every possible life disturbance and social issue you can think of, and you've pretty much got this one covered. Of course, it is much, much more than that. Our narrator is Leo King, the son of an ex-nun-turned-high-school-principal and her devoted husband. It's 1969, and as loner Leo approaches his senior year of high school, his mother asks him to befriend some incoming students--three orphans, two flamboyent new neighbors, three kids from upper-echelon Charleston society who have just been busted for drug possession and kicked out of their swanky private school, and the son of the new football coach, who happens to be Black when racial integration was in its early days. Together these friends whether the storms of life including AIDS, extramarital affairs, suicide, mental illness, abuse in many forms, parental disapproval, stalking by a psycho murderer, fame and fortune, as well as one literal storm named Hurricane Hugo.

In some ways, this book is a love letter to Charleston. And for that, it earns major kudos. The lush descriptions of the sights, sounds, smells, food, and architecture were so spot on. There is a section of the book set in 1989 in San Francisco that definitely provides a much different picture. It's one of the Tenderloin district as homosexual men lay dying by a ravaging disease that we had not yet figured out how to treat.

I think this book was very ambitious in its scope and that frustrated me at times. I didn't like flipping back and forth between the two time periods and I thought some events were highly implausible. While I was certainly drawn into the plot, the language, violence and rough sexuality were hard for me to get through.  Some of the characters were a little too cliched, but I really did gain a fondness for Leo and his snarky dialogue. I've never seen sarcasm written so well. Despite being over 500 pages, I did finish this in less than two days and I think I would like to try more works by this author.

Other tour stops:

• Jen's Book Thoughts
• Lit and Life
• Rundpinne
• Meanderings and Muses
• The Brain Lair
• Luxury Reading
• Books and Cooks
• Po(sey) Sessions
• Raging Bibliomania
• Life in the Thumb
• Sherri's Jubilee
• The Literate Housewife
• Lakeside Musing
• A Circle of Books

Book 38 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge, Book 24 of 50 for the New Author Challenge 
Source: I received this book from the publisher as part of the TLC Book Tour.

Promises to Keep: Diane's Story

Promises to Keep: Diane's Story by Dean Hughes

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In 1997, LDS fiction author Dean Hughes began a series of five books (Children of the Promise) set during WWII about the Thomas family. In 2001, he started another 5-book series (Hearts of the Children) about the next generation of Thomases set during the 1960s. While I'm not big on LDS fiction generally, I really enjoyed all 10 of these books, especially the first five, and would recommend them. Since the Hearts of the Children series wrapped in 2005, Dean Hughes has been inundated with questions about what happened to Diane. So this is her story.

In some ways, this book was more about Jenny, Diane's daughter. Set in the mid-1980s, Jenny is a teenager struggling to come to terms with the way her father drops in and out of her life, while trying to get a shred of independence from her over-protective mother. Meanwhile, Diane realizes that Jenny is pulling away and she's desperate to make sure she doesn't make the same mistakes she did. Diane also realizes that Jenny will be on her own soon and Diane really needs to figure out how to feel good about herself without having Jenny to worry and fret over all the time.

This book was a good comfort read on a Sunday afternoon. I think it is a must-read for fans of these series. (But I have to admit there are so many family members to keep track of and it has been awhile since I read the books!) It definitely wasn't as good as the others in my opinion, but this was a nice read and I enjoyed my time with it.

Also reviewed by: Gamila's Review

Book 37 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge
Book 18 of 50 for the RYOB Challenge 

Source: Purchased

Everyone Is Beautiful

Everyone Is Beautiful: A Novel by Katherine Center

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Lainie Coates has just moved to Boston from Houston with her husband and three boys so her musician husband can attend grad school. Her kids are ages 4 and under and Lainie feels like she's drowning in her own life. They  live in a small apartment with no yard and a cranky witch lives downstairs.

Lonely, and with little financial resources, Lainie quickly realizes she needs to make some changes in her life to be happier. She joins a gym to help what she views as problems on the outside, and she also enrolls in a photography class at the Harvard Extension to help her develop an artistic passion outside of the home. But she doesn't necessarily think about how those changes will affect those she loves most.

This is definitely a solid mommy lit book. There seemed to be a couple of structural glitches (at one point she took two showers in the morning, but I don't think it was intended to be written that way) and the first person narrative didn't quite work for some of the insights the author wanted the reader to have. But there were some very funny parts dealing with the mischief the boys could get into and some poignant moments between husband and wife that I found very moving. I think book clubs would probably enjoy discussing this one.

Also reviewed by:

• Lisa's Book Nook
• The Bluestocking Society
• Caribousmom
• Diary of an Eccentric
• write meg!
• Peeking Between the Pages
• Book Addiction
• Maw Books
• Wendi's Book Corner
• The Book Connection
• Jenn's Bookshelf

Did I miss yours? 

Book 36 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge, Book 23 of 50 for the New Author Challenge, Book 17 of 50 for the RYOB Challenge 

Source: BookMooch

My Father's Dragon

My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

Awards: Newbery Honor (1949); Book Sense Book of the Year Award/Honorees
Series: 1 of 3

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was hanging out in Borders on Friday morning with my husband and I noticed this book in the $3.99 pile. My husband was taking his sweet time, so I sat down and started to read this one, not realizing I might actually finish it.

Elmer Elevator is a small boy who yearns to fly. A stray cat tells him that he could fly if he went to the Wild Island to rescue a baby dragon. No explorer has ever returned alive from Wild Island, but Elmer uses lollipops, hair bows, and rubber bands to escape the threatening boars, crocodiles, and lions in order to save the dragon.

This is a cute fable-type story that kids would enjoy with fun illustrations.  I'm not really sure what age to recommend it for. It's actually written on a 5th grade (Accelerated Reader) level, but the story is way too young for that. It seems like it would work best as a read-aloud, but it's definitely dated. In the end, I have to say that while I liked it in a quirky kind of way, I didn't end up thinking it was worth owning.

Also reviewed by:

• The Book Nest
• Becky's Book Reviews

Yours?

Book 35 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge, Book 20 of 25 for the MG Reading Challenge, Book 22 of 50 for the New Author Challenge

Source: Read it while waiting for my husband in the bookstore

The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Series: Book 1 of 3

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thomas wakes up in a box. He can't remember anything except his name. He seems to be about 16 years old, and he's been sent to a place inhabited solely by boys.

The boys don't know why they are there, but they do know that they live in the middle of a maze. And each day, they send runners out into the maze, trying to piece it all together while avoiding the deadly Grievers. Each day continues much the same, until one day when a girl shows up in the box.

This book is a good, solid, fast-paced dystopian YA sci-fi thriller. (How many adjectives was that?) It had elements of Ender's Game and The Hunger Games, to be sure, but not annoyingly so. I made the huge mistake of reading this before bed at night, which got me really worked up and made for very odd dreams. It is creepy and pretty violent, but what I loved about this book is that it was a thinking book. I enjoyed trying to figure things out along with the characters. Sometimes I was right, but sometimes there were twists thrown in that kept me up turning pages far too late. 

I would recommend this one at about age 12 and up. Violence is the main issue, although there are some made-up swear words that are an awful lot like real swear words. I can't wait until the next book comes out in October. You can follow James at The Dashner Dude.

Also reviewed by:

• Devourer of Books
• Rhapsody in Books
• Presenting Lenore
• My Friend Amy
• What Was I Reading?
• Tales of a Capricious Reader
• Haiku Amy
• Reading Extravaganza
• At Home With Books
• Teen Lit Review
• There is always something to read!
• Emily's Reading Room
• It's All About Books
• The Book Nest
• Ticket to Anywhere
• There's a Book

Did I miss yours?

Book 34 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge, Book 16 of 50 for the RYOB Challenge, Book 20 of 50 for the YA Reading Challenge, Book 19 of 25 for the MG Reading Challenge

Source: Purchased

Beastly

Beastly by Alex Flinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I decided I wasn't quite finished with Beauty and the Beast. This re-telling is told from the perspective of the Beast. But, as an added twist, it set in modern-day New York City.

Kyle Kingsbury has everything. His dad is a network news anchor, he goes to an exclusive private school, and he is incredibly good-looking. He's also a total jerk. When he meets Kendra and stands her up at the dance so he can get a laugh from all of his friends, Kendra exacts her revenge. Kyle ends up in a huge brownstone in Brooklyn, abandoned by his father and his so-called friends. His only support is a blind tutor, a housekeeper, and his dad's Amex. And he's only got two years to find true love.

I thought this book was clever and I was thoroughly entertained. I like that I got to see the progression of the Beast as a character and the author did a few fun things with the plot in this book that I wasn't expecting. I would recommend this book for high school readers and up. I didn't realize that the movie version of this book is slated to be released this summer. You can catch the trailer here.

Also reviewed by:

• The Book Nest
• Book Nut
• It's All About Books
• TV and Book Addict
• Emily's Reading Room
• There is always something to read!
• Fuzzy Cricket
• Tiny Little Reading Room
• Silly Little Mischief
  

Have I missed yours?

Book 33 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge, Book 15 of 50 for the RYOB Challenge, Book 19 of 50 for the YA Reading Challenge, Book 4 for the Once Upon a Time Challenge, Book 21 of 50 for the New Author Challenge, Book 31 of 50 for the Countdown Challenge (2007)

Source: BookMooch

Beauty

Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley

Awards: Phoenix Award/Honor; ALA Notable/Best Books

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The only other Robin McKinley I've read is Rose Daughter.  Everyone told me this one was better, but I think this was a case where high expectations worked against me. I liked this book--I even liked it a lot--but after Rose Daughter I wasn't expecting quite so much of the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast. I think my favorite character in this book was Ger, probably because he was someone new to me and I had no preconceived expectations for him.

Overall, the first half of the book was too slow and the last half went by way too fast. I wanted a lot more castle time, getting to know the Beast. But I'm glad I finally read this one! It's very enjoyable and I'm only sorry that I didn't read it earlier.

Also reviewed by:

• Reading is my Superpower
• Medieval Bookworm
• Bookworm Burrow
• things mean a lot
• Emily's Reading Room

Did I miss yours? 

Book 32 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge, Book 14 of 50 for the RYOB Challenge, Book 18 of 50 for the YA Reading Challenge, Book 3 for the Once Upon a Time Challenge, Book 18 of 25 for the MG Reading Challenge

Source: BookMooch

The Luxe

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen 

Series: Book 1 of 4

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Luxe is set in high society New York. The year is 1899 and, as the book opens, New York is mourning the untimely death of Elizabeth Holland. In a strange twist of fate, her funeral is occurring on the very day she was to be married.

The book then takes the reader back to three weeks before the funeral so that we can see how the events unfolded that led to the somber gathering. There are elaborate parties, shopping trips to Lord & Taylor, a ride in Central Park, and forbidden late night visits with love triangles galore.

Reading this is just like eating candy. It's of absolutely no value, and even though I found it predictable, it was still great fun to read. It's a little racy, meaning sexual encounters are alluded to, but it is in no way explicit. And as much as I needed this mindless escapism, I won't continue with the series. It fit the bill for me now, but I don't have the patience to carry on. (Don't worry. Wikipedia filled me in on how it all turns out!)

Also reviewed by:

• Book Nut
• Becky's Book Reviews
• Gimme More Books!
• Devourer of Books
• The Novel World
• Alaine - Queen of Happy Endings
• J'adorehappyendings  
• There is always something to read!
• Tales of a Capricious Reader
• Tiny Little Reading Room
• Jackets & Covers
• Beth Fish Reads

Yours?

Book 31 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge, Book 13 of 50 for the RYOB Challenge, Book 20 of 50 for the New Author Challenge, Book 30 of 50 for the Countdown Challenge (2007), Book 17 of 50 for the YA Reading Challenge

Source: Purchased

The Good Thief

The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti

Awards: Alex Award; John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm not sure what I expected going into this book, but it wasn't what I expected. First of all, it's an adult novel, but I think it would work well for high school readers. The protagonist is a twelve-year old orphan named Ren. He lives in an orphanage run by Catholic priests in 19th century New England. Ren in missing a hand, so it's unlikely that anyone would ever want to adopt him. But one day Benjamin Nab shows up, claiming to be Ren's brother. And then the adventure begins...

There's the drunk schoolteacher. The giant. The dwarf. The deaf woman. The twins. The con man. The Harelip. The phrenologist. The nun. The evil mousetrap factory owner and his sidekicks.

You name it, they're in there.

For some reason, this book reminded me of works by Leif Enger. Tinti's story is amazingly well written. I wanted to love it, but I just didn't love the story. It started out well-paced, but it seemed to slow down and the conclusion was more involved and took longer than it needed to. It was also a little too dark and violent for my taste. I adored Ren and I wish I could adopt him myself. But the other characters were harder for me to get into. That said, if you think you might like Dickensian/Gothic adventure stories, I would certainly give this one a try.

Also reviewed by:

• Books on the Brain
• caribousmom
• Adventures in Reading
• Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic
• Bending Bookshelf

Did I miss yours? 

Book 19 of 50 for the New Author Challenge, Book 12 of 50 for the RYOB Challenge, Book 30 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge, Book 10 of 10 for the Book Awards IV Reading Challenge 

Source: BookMooch

Captivate

Captivate by Carrie Jones

Series: Need #2

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book picks up right where Need left off. Zara and her friends think they have some control over the pixies. But it is short-lived. The pixies loss of power brings a power struggle of the fae world right to their small Maine town.

Likes/Dislikes
I like Zara's internal conflicts as she tries to reconcile her humanity with what seems to be her destiny. The love triangle kept the romance angle entertaining in this one. The cover is much better than Need's cover. We had a few new characters introduced in this book. Some I liked (Astley) and some I could have lived without (Cassidy). The book moved slow in the first half, but then the action picked up and the book seemed to end mid-chapter.

This series is a guaranteed winner for those who like paranormal YA romance. Overall I liked this one a little more than the first one. I'll read the next one if it is this series if just going to be a trilogy. But if it is going to drag on for books on end, this will probably be the end for me.

Also reviewed by:

• One Librarian's Book Reviews
• Under a Blood Red Sky
• So Many Books, So Little Time

Yours?

Book 29 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge, Book 29 of 50 for the Countdown Challenge (2010), Book 2 for the Once Upon a Time Challenge, Book 16 of 50 for the YA Reading Challenge

Source: Publicist - Thank you Lauren from SpruceTV!

Developing Library and Information Center Collections

Developing Library and Information Center Collections by G. Edward Evans

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Trust me, this was not leisure reading.

Back in 2008, I finished my Masters in Library and Information Science (MLIS) from Rutgers University. I live in North Carolina, however, and this state requires that a collection development class must be taken in order to become a licensed public librarian. So, I enrolled at East Carolina this semester to finish this one class.

I can't believe I finally read a college textbook all the way through. I'm not sure if I have ever done that before. This book has seriously dense text, not a lot of white space, and I couldn't read it tired. But, as things things normally go, there is useful stuff in here and it is a book I will likely keep around for the day when I might actually go to work. 

Book 28 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge
Book 18 of 50 for the New Author Challenge 
Book 28 of 50 for the Countdown Challenge (2005)

Source: Purchased