Tag: 2018 book challenge

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books and reading

The Calling

The Calling is the first book in the Endgame series co-authored by James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton. For the 2018 book challenge, I needed a book by two authors, so I scrolled through to read books on my Kindle and this was the only one I already owned, so my selection was simple.

At first, I didn’t realize James Frey was the same James Frey from A Million Little Pieces fame. Here’s a link to the book and controversy, in case you are unfamiliar. I read Pieces and was really disturbed by it, not because of the “it was a memoir, but not really” aspect. The book had long been out by the time I got it at the dollar bin of my local Half Price Books. But there is a scene in there where Frey (or his character, whatever) undergoes a dental procedure with no Novocain. I could barely stomach that section and its vivid descriptions of pain, and I think of this every time I go to the dentist.

I must have bought The Calling because it was along the same lines as The Hunger Games. I have found very few books that are anywhere near as good. And, to be honest, this was not that great of a book. It was much more Battle Royale than anything else.  Battle Royale is fantastic. Absolutely one of the best books I’ve read in the genre. But The Calling just is ridiculous. Twelve “players” from around the world are called to save the end of the world. However, one one player will live and that player’s lineage will be the only one spared from death. Whaaaattt??? The players meet at the beginning of the book and meet their creator/game master/being in charge. And of course, OF COURSE, it is some sort of supernatural being. Ugh. Literally, my least favorite trope in literature.

The players have been training their entire lives for Endgame and will kill at will. They also have seemingly endless amounts of cash, resources, and connections. They are each on a mission to find a key. Whoever finds the keys first wins. But what the book never does is address the problem of one person finding one key, a different person finding another key, etc.

The one cool thing about this book is that it is interactive. I read this on a paperwhite, so the Internet interface isn’t great, but the book has links to Google maps, YouTube videos, book excerpts, etc. I like the fact that the book was written to include technology, which is creative and, honestly, how books will be written in the future. But, I doubt I will finish this series. It was just so implausible. Not like The Hunger Games is realistic, but it seemed much more grounded in some kind of truth. The Calling was too far-fetched for my liking.

 

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books and reading

The Art Forger

This book was recommended to me by a friend, and when it went on sale for the Kindle, I went ahead and bought it. For the 2018 book challenge, I needed a book involving a heist, and this one is kinda sorta along those lines, so I counted it anyway. And I’m the first to admit that I have a very limited knowledge of art. I am not an artist. I can’t draw a stick figure. I appreciate art, and I know what Impressionism is and who Degas is, so I guess that was enough, because I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The premise is that Claire (sorry if I spelled it wrong…I listened to this one) Roth is an expert forger. She does it legally through a reproduction website, but she is approached by an art dealer friend to copy an original Degas. The problem is that this Degas was stolen from a museum twenty some years ago and no one has seen it since. Claire can’t resist, so she begins her reproduction, however, as she looks closer at the painting, she begins to realize this might not actually be a Degas. Down the rabbit hole she goes, digging for the truth.

The story is told from Claire’s perspective and you really learn a lot about how to forge a painting. Honestly, I have no idea if it is all true, but it certainly sounds plausible. And while the Degas in question throughout the novel is fictitious, the process of recreating it was still fascinating. The story shifts from present day, to three years ago, to letters from an art collector from the 1800s. And although the source of the letters is never revealed so you never really know why they are in the book, they do let the reader into a part of the story that would never have been uncovered.

Don’t be intimidated by this book if you aren’t an art person. You really don’t have to know much about it to still enjoy the book. I was able to follow along just fine. The story is just as much of a mystery as it is about art, and well worth the time to read it.

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books and reading

The Silkworm

I read the first Cormoran Strike book last year The Cuckoo’s Calling and really enjoyed it. Of course, I’ve read all the Harry Potter books multiple times, trudged by way through The Casual Vacancy, but I was really excited about the Strike books, not just because JK Rowling wrote them, but because I love a good mystery series. I’m very picky about mystery books as well. The genre is jam packed full of options, but the writing can be so mediocre and predictable. I expected these to be better than most. And while Cuckoo was better, I was a bit disappointed with this one. This book fits as my “next book in a series you started” category in the 2018 book challenge.

As much as I like Cormoran as a character and the the plot itself, I was a bit bummed by the writing this time around. One thing I have noticed in mysteries is the need to make certain things happen, but the author has no idea how to get to that point. For example, in this book, Cormoran is being followed by a mystery person. And Rowling needs to get Cormoran to notice that he’s being followed, so he inexplicably looks into a window to see the mystery person’s reflection. I know it sounds picky of me, but it just felt like having him look into the window with zero explanation was a forced situation to get him to see the reflection. It didn’t seem like a natural flow of plot. I see this all the time and now that I notice it, it just drives me bonkers.

The picky writing stuff aside, I thought the book was great. Cormoran and his partner-in-training, Robin make a great team and the plot is always creative. This one had a few too many characters in it, and I admit that because I read so quickly, I didn’t keep all the characters straight, but that’s my own failing. I would still recommend these books (reading the third one later this year) for anyone who enjoys mystery books.

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books and reading

The Whizbang Machine

I saw a post on my local city’s Facebook page a few months ago about an author and fellow resident who was having a book signing at our local Half-Price Books. I was really excited to meet her because supporting local authors is a great way to expand my reading horizons and also to give them support and help get the word out about their writing. When I met Danielle A Vann, I was immediately taken with how friendly she was. She was dressed professionally, had her family with her, and chatted with me for a bit. After purchasing two of her books, I wanted to read them, but I decided to get other copies, since she had signed mine. I wanted to leave them up on the shelf in perfect condition. Thankfully, her first book in the series, The Whizbang Machine, was available on the Kindle for a pretty reasonable price, so I bought that one. For the 2018 book challenge, I have to read a book by a local author, so, of course, I chose  The Whizbang Machine.

When we first enter teenage Elizabeth’s world, her grandfather, Jack, is returning to NYC after being on an eight year world hopping adventure. He returns with hugs and packages and surprises. He gives Elizabeth a typewriter, but it isn’t just any typewriter. It doesn’t make the usual clicks and whirs, but rather bangs and whizzes, hence the name. It also sparks and electrocutes people, so there’s that. Needless to say, the mystery behind this machine is one Jack and Elizabeth vow to uncover.

Their search for answers takes them locally to the NY Public Library, then across the ocean to The Netherlands. I don’t want to say much about the plot because it unravels with one mystery answered, yet another one springs up just as quickly behind it. Jack and Elizabeth have to do some breaking and entering, plenty of lying, and more research and critical thinking than you can imagine. This book was just layer upon layer of mystery and intrigue. And just go ahead and get the second book, because you won’t want to be left hanging at the end of the first one 😉

I’m so glad I stumbled upon that Facebook post months ago, because it brought me to this ridiculously fun read. Sure it’s a young adult book, but Elizabeth isn’t an annoying whiny teenager (okay, she has her moments, as do all teens, but overall she is a great character) and Jack is just as mischievous as a good grandfather with a twinkle in his eye should be. I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick, well-written mystery.

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books and reading

Everything I Never Told You

For the 2018 book challenge, I need a book that is set in the decade I was born. I scrolled through a vast list of every book set in the 1970s and stumbled upon this one. I had it on my Kindle already and had heard so many great things about it. So I was really excited to get to this one, even though I had no idea what it was about.

And here we are with another family drama. The very first line in the book is Lydia is dead. Lydia being the teenage and middle child of James and Marilyn. James is Chinese, Marilyn is not. But they fall in love, get married, and have a family. Back in school, Marilyn dreamed of being a doctor, but when she gets pregnant, her dream is put on hold. Then comes another child (Lydia) and the dream gets further pushed away. Marilyn’s mother was a home economics teacher who preached day in and day out about keeping a good home, a good family, and a good husband, none of which Marilyn wants. So when she marries outside her race, her mother is so appalled that they never speak again.

Through a variety of situations, Marilyn decides to push Lydia the direction she, herself, was never allowed to go- to medicine. Marilyn makes sure Lydia has books, knowledge, and support to become the doctor she wants. Marilyn never stops to check what Lydia wants though. Such is being a parent. Parents want their child to be happy and successful, but not all are willing to let their child find his or her own path. How many parents push their kids into sports, or music, or drama, etc just because it is what they think is best, rather than what the child wants. Lydia is a victim of this very thing. So when she ends up dead, her parents are left wondering what happened and why.

This book broke my heart, in the best way possible, because it was so true. The microaggressions against Asians depicted in the book are still occurring today. The need for parents to push their children hasn’t changed. My kids are still young and want to be marine biologists, zookeepers, race car drivers, etc and that’s just fine with me.  But one of the most important things we can do is support, guide, and love our children without pushing them in the wrong direction. It’s a fine line, but one that must be negotiated carefully.