I missed the train on Still Alice, so I am glad to get the chance to pick up Every Note Played by Lisa Genova. Once again, Genova tackles a disease and builds a compelling story around it in an effort to educate as well as entertain. Also, it promises to look closely not only at what the patient is going through, but those closest to them as well.
The Situation: Richard is a world renowned pianist. People pay to witness him play the revered classics. He admits it to everybody, including himself, that classic piano is the love of his life. He can easily do it for hours in a day and not know what happened to the time. Morning can move to night, and to Richard it will only feel as if minutes have passed if he has spent the time playing piano. He knows his dedication to it ruined his marriage - or it is at least one of the main reasons - and has also served to estrange him from his daughter. He refuses to accept all of the blame though, as he knows his ex-wife Karina played her own part. Despite the relative loneliness of his life, he is happy as long as he can play piano. But then the worst thing imaginable happens, and Richard is diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gherig's disease. His right hand betrays him first, and then his left, and this is only the beginning.
The Problem: No longer being able to play the piano has broken Richard's heart, but the worst is far from over. As ALS slowly but surely takes over Richard's body, he is also slow to accept the truth of what is happening to him. At first he believes he will be able to stay in his building, which does not have an elevator, much less enough room to let a powered wheelchair through. When living alone is no longer an option, both desperation and an embarrassing incident lead Richard to move back into the house of his marriage, where Karina still lives. Her ex-husband's presence and constant need for assistance add to Karina's already long list of grievances against him: reasons she has always held onto for why it did not work out, and how he derailed her life by trading in her musical aspirations for his own. With or without the bitterness, resentment, regret, and anger, the ALS is still progressing throughout Richard's body, claiming every muscle along the way.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a fiction book that chronicles the experience of someone who is diagnosed with ALS. Set in the present day and placed in the city of Boston, the reader follows Richard as he attempts to live his life following his shocking diagnosis. As a piano player, someone who has made his fame and fortune with his hands, the disease hits especially hard by first claiming Richard's right hand, and then his entire right arm, and then moves onto his left hand, before finally progressing throughout the rest of his body. While Richard is the primary focus, there is also his ex-wife Karina, who put up with Richard's many infidelities, as well as the demanding touring schedule that more or less made her a single mother to their daughter. Against her better judgment, she takes Richard back into what was their shared home before their divorce, and becomes a more involved part of his life that she was in the last years of their marriage. Looking at both sides, and switching between the two of them with the use of a third person narrator, Genova gives a picture on how ALS can take its toll on more than just the person who was diagnosed. And even though the disease does not have a cure, healing that is not necessarily medical can still take place.
My Verdict: Naturally, one question that is often asked in relation to this book is if it is safe to read in public for fear of crying around strangers. Watching ALS take over someone's body, even in a fictional setting, is incredibly distressing. Some may be comforted by the fact that Richard was an arrogant man, a terrible husband, and a lacking father, but really, what he goes through is still horrible. And while Karina has her own issues, as well as her own real reasons for taking Richard in, watching her take on the role of a caretaker is also stressful. With just enough medical details to explain what is happening without getting too bogged down in the technical stuff, Genova portrays the devastating effects of ALS, and whether or not the reader likes Richard and/or Karina may be besides the point. As for the emotional aspect of it, you may be fine for the first 350 pages, but I recommend reading it in the privacy of your own home towards the end.
Favorite Moment: When Richard makes an attempt to see what Karina could possibly love about jazz, though it pains him to do so.
Favorite Character: Bill is one of the home health aids that assists Richard once he can no longer fully care for himself. He genuinely cares about Richard, shamelessly belts out show tunes, and is not afraid to give Karina the hard truth.
Recommended Reading: I recommend Sheltered by Jung Yun, which also involves characters taking care of people who were not the kindest to them in the past.
The Way of Beauty is Camille Di Maio's third book in as many years. Continuing in the vein of historical fiction, much like The Memory of Us with prewar Liverpool, and Before the Rain Falls with 1940s south Texas, The Way of Beauty explores New York City in a time when trains were the preferred way to travel, and the World Wars were gearing up to claim the lives of millions.
The Situation: It is the early 1900s in New York City, and Vera Keller has received the shock of her life. Angelo Bellavia, the son of Italian immigrants and the man Vera had convinced herself she was destined to be with, has just introduced her to his new fiancee. To make matters even worse, Pearl Pilkington is not only beautiful and rich, but also gracious, driven, sweet, and committed to getting women in the US the right to vote. Despite being in love with a man she cannot have, Vera agrees to being employed by Pearl to take care of her son from a previous marriage. Fast forwards half a century later, and Vera's daughter Alice is now able to reap the benefits of what women like Pearl fought for. While already attending college classes, Alice has dreams of seeing the world, while her mother is content to not go far beyond the Hudson River. For both women, New York's Penn Station seems to remain at the center of their lives and is the scene of so many of their own crucial moments.
The Problem: Even though Vera is insistent on holding her feelings for Angelo at bay, she finds it nearly impossible not to envision what it would be like if she were his wife. Making things harder is Pearl's near-constant absence as she works with her fellow suffragettes, and Vera absolutely adores William, Pearl's son. And it would seem that Angelo may be finally seeing Vera as the woman she has become. A generation later, and it appears that Alice is caught in her own romantic predicament as she has fallen for two men. One is passionate, but a mystery. And the other is safe and warm, but comes from an entirely different world from the one Alice is used to. While she believes she loves both men, the futures they would each provide could not be more different. What is immediately obvious is that she must make a decision before she loses them both.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a historical fiction novel set in New York City, mostly in and around the old Penn Station before it was demolished and became what is now Madison Square Garden. Beginning in 1900, the story starts with Vera Keller, daughter of German immigrants struggling to make it in the land of opportunity. As her story progresses, her relationship with Angelo becomes more complicated, while her friendship with Pearl only gets stronger (further complicating the issue with Angelo). As her father is one of the many men who worked to build Penn Station and the train tunnels that run through it, Vera has a certain amount of love and awe and pride for the old structure, as well as the train system as a whole. Alice adores her grandfather and knows how hard he worked, and what he suffered as a consequence, to make Penn Station possible, so she shares her mother's love for the building. But as Alice gets older, it becomes clear that cars and planes are becoming the way of the future, and trains are quickly declining in popularity. Ending with the destruction of the old Penn Station, it is the story of two women who make decisions, have regrets, and see the times change in amazing ways, all against the backdrop of New York City.
My Verdict: Though New York City is a common enough setting, the focus on Penn Station specifically was actually quite lovely. YA author John Green once said that something about trains makes you naturally feel nostalgic, and that is absolutely true, and I was not even alive to experience them at the height of their popularity in this country. I connected with Di Maio's choice of background and point in history, but I had a difficult time connecting with the character's and their stories. Honestly, I found them to be boring as well as tiresome, and the chemistry between all intended romantic partners was hard to believe. I can appreciate the early focus on the Women's Suffrage Movement, but even that at times did not seem to fit. It is clear that DiMaio has a love of history, and in this book, the old Penn Station shines as the focus. Given the setting and subject, I really hoped for more from this book, but all the parts just did not come together for me.
Favorite Moment: When Pearl unexpectedly comes to Vera's aid during a difficult moment with the latter's ailing father.
Favorite Character: William was a lovely boy who grew up to be a lovely man. As a boy he was naturally attached to Vera, the woman who took care of him the most. And even though he was taken from her at a fairly young age, he uses his incredible resources to track her down when he gets older.
Recommended Reading: The Memory of Us still remains as my favorite of Di Maio's novels.
I always get excited when I see the familiar black and white sketches and artwork that signify a creation by Sarah Andersen. Usually I am on Facebook when a new comic comes across my news feed, but thankfully, Andersen also publishes her work in collections. Herding Cats is the third publication in Andersen's "Sarah Scribbles" series, and I knew I was in for hilarious insights into the mind of an anxious artist.
Genre, Themes, History: I always put Andersen's collections under the graphic novel heading even though, for the most part, there is not one continuous story to follow. Like her previous collections, Andersen explores what it is like to be an introverted artist, as well as a cat lover, dog lover, procrastinator, night owl, chronic over thinker, and much much more. Once again she is joined by her practical rabbit friend, as well as her adorable black cat. Also, much like Andersen's second collection, Big Mushy Happy Lump, the last 20% or so of the book actually follows one theme and includes narration from Andersen herself. This time, she decided to give advice to other young creatives regarding making art in modern society, and more specifically, posting it online for what can feel like the entire world to see. While Andersen points out that the Internet has made it easier than ever before for creative types to share their work and how awesome that is, she also concedes that it has made it easier than ever before for people to criticize said artists beyond helpful feedback. While some will offer thoughtful critique that will help make the artists better, many will simply harass and demean with no helpful insight. Andersen's advice: Share your work anyway, even if you are scared, and I could not agree more.
My Verdict: Once again, Andersen delights readers with her often painfully true observations about life as we know it today. With wit and good humor, Andersen addresses the beauty and pain of being a modern woman; the truth behind retail therapy; the differences for actors and musicians before and after fame as opposed to an artist; what our cats are really thinking; and even just how effective a self-deprecating sense of humor can be in defending against life in general. What makes Andersen so effective is her comedic timing, which I imagine can be pretty hard to pull off in comic format, but she manages it every time. Her reveals are always on point, with a few causing me to laugh out loud. I hope she continues with this collection.
Favorite Comics: Two comics in particular resonated with me. The first was a brief explanation on how being introverted can have little to do with how people handle actual social interaction, and more about what they do after said interaction (answer: curl up under a blanket and stare into space for hours). The second one deals with overthinkers and our inability to often ignore the simplest solution to a problem due to, well, over thinking. I'm working on it, I promise.
Recommended Reading: All three "Sarah Scribbles" collection books have been delightful, and don't have to be read in order, so I recommend both Adulthood Is a Myth and Big Mushy Happy Lump.
It seems that Chris Soule's The Oracle Year was everywhere. It was a pick for the Book of the Month Club, and also on every other piece of advertisement that flashed across my computer screen whenever I was on either Goodreads or Facebook. Add an interesting premise to its near constant presence, and I was ultimately convinced to give it a go. Plus, there is my ever present need for accessible science fiction to include on this blog.
The Situation: Will Dando is a struggling musician living in Manhattan, and for reasons unknown to him, he has been given 108 predictions about the world. Coming to him in his sleep, the predictions range from the seemingly mundane to downright world-altering. After looking into a few of them and seeing that they did indeed come true, Will decides to trust his best friend, Hamza, and tell him everything. With a great talent for money and numbers, Hamza helps Will in selling some of the predictions to the highest bidder, while making sure no one can trace Will or where the money has gone. But the Site is what gets the public's attention: a website where Will occasionally posts a few chosen predictions. It is the thing that gains him the nickname of the Oracle, and causes a worldwide interest in who the Oracle is and where he or she got their information.
The Problem: Being the Oracle has gained Will some incredibly powerful enemies, even though they do not know his real identity or even where to start looking for him. Among those who wish to find the Oracle are an incredibly powerful televangelist, and the President of the United States. The former has all but painted the Oracle as the Antichrist, and the latter wishes to bring in the person who clearly has some information that would be useful to the United States government, and can potentially alter world events. But beyond this, being the Oracle and having access to this kind of information may be more than Will can handle. Even with Hamza's ability to make them both very rich, Will cannot handle the negative consequences brought on by what he has put out onto the site, and Hamza's constant insistence that the predictions should mostly be used to make them even richer aren't helping. But before he can figure out what he should do or what is ultimately going on, things begin spiraling out of control at an alarming rate, and Will's attempt to stay ahead of things only serves to show him that he is almost always behind.
Genre, Theme, History: I have chosen the heading of science fiction for this book if only because it is set in the near future and includes an unknown force that not only knows what will happen, but can clearly communicate minute details about it to seemingly anyone. There is nothing special or unique about Will Dando. He does not have a special power, is a fairly talented bass player, does not have great connections, and does not have a whole lot to recommend himself to anyone with real influence, certainly not a power that knows the future. But this power chose him, and more than that, this power is also able to manipulate seemingly the smallest actions to do what it wants, including make sure the predictions it gave Will come true. It does not take too long for Will to begin to wonder if his life is his own, or has his free will been hijacked. And of course, being someone who knows the future gains Will his fair share of followers, and enemies. With a third-person omniscient narrator, Soule lets the reader see the situation from multiple perspectives, and everyone has their own reason for wanting access to the Oracle. Most want money or power, many want safety and assurance of the future, but quite a few want to be able to keep hold of the power they have managed to grab. It is a narrative that challenges the reasons we hold onto things and what we think we get out of them.
My Verdict: The book's description promised a story that would not be predictable, and on that front, it most certainly delivered. It was impossible to know where the story was going next, even when it seemed incredibly clear that there was only a few directions it could go. While some of the twists and turns did feel somewhat forced and convenient, for the most part, they made sense as part of the bigger story and added to the mysterious element behind the power the provided Will with the predictions. Perhaps my main contention with the book was Will's ability to continually make terrible choices, while other characters continually made selfish ones. And if there was one thing about the story that was predictable it was concerning where most of the characters would end up, even though how they got there was still a riddle without an obvious answer.
Favorite Moment: When the President's Chief of Staff was bested by a semi-retired grandmother known for her ability to carry out the most difficult of missions.
Favorite Character: This is a little bit difficult as most of the characters were hard to like, and not all that complex. The one exception would be Hamza's wife Miko. Where Hamza is greedy, Miko is practical. Where Hamza is quick to ignite, Miko can stay calm while seeing things clearly and acting accordingly.
Recommended Reading: If you want more or a fantasy element to predictions of the future and grabs at power, I recommend The Sea of Ink and Gold series by Traci Chee, which so far includes The Reader and The Speaker, with the third and final book due to be published this fall.
Today I am thrilled to be writing about the third book in The Collector Series by Dot Hutchison. The Summer Children follows the story of three FBI agents that were initially introduced in the first book, The Butterfly Garden. Thankfully, Hutchison decided to continue the story in The Roses of May, and now the book is becoming one of my favorite series to be in the middle of right now.
The Situation: Mercedes Ramirez has been a part of the FBI's Crimes Against Children division for almost ten years now, and she would like to be able to say that she has seen it all, that it nothing surprises her anymore, and that it does get easier, but none of that is true. Using her own past as motivation, Ramirez is fiercely determined to do what she can to protect kids against harm. Fortunately, she has the best and most supportive team she could have ever hoped for, with her longtime mentor and friend, Victor Hanoverian, and the man she sees more as a brother than a work colleague, Brandon Eddison. She has helped many children over her nine years on the job and has no plans of slowing down. And then it seems one of the many she saved has decided they want to help children too, but in a very different way.
The Problem: It begins when Ramirez finds an abused and shaken little boy on the front steps of her house. She does not recognize him, but he knows her, because the person who brought him there told him that Ramirez would keep him safe. He then tells the horrifying story of how the same person who brought him there also killed his parents and made him watch. It soon becomes clear that a vigilante had taken it upon themselves to exact justice against the boy's abusive parents. And when more children show up on Ramirez's porch, it also becomes clear that this person is not done. As more children are "rescued," and the methods get less exact, and the amount of time between murders begins to shorten, Ramirez and her team must race against the clock to find out who is doing this. Using her old case files as a guide along with the files at a local CPS office, the entire team taps into everything they can to stop this murderer in their twisted quest to do what they believe is right.
Genre, Themes, History: This novel is most often placed in the thriller category, but like Hutchison's other two novels, I prefer to give it the heading of "horror." The gruesomeness of what is happening in this book is twofold: first there are the murders of the parents, which are most often committed by a combination of gunshots and stabbing. Then there is why the murderer chose their specific victims. The murderer targets parents who are abusing their children, using complaints and CPS files as guides. Most often, the stories of what the parents had done to the kids is much worse than how they are killed. What Hutchison has done is give us a killer who is doing what many people believe these parents deserve, whether they are the abuser, or knew the abuse was happening and did nothing. And while the first book in the series was more or less told from the point of view of a kidnapping victim, and the second was told from Eddison's, this one is told by Ramirez. Her past as a survivor of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of a family member is what fuels her as an agent. And her history with the bureau is why the mysterious murderer chooses her house as the safe haven to send the rescued children. While rejecting the family she was born into, Ramirez has come to build a new family in her teammates, giving them a closeness than many at the FBI do not understand, with some of them thinking it is downright unprofessional. And just like with The Roses of May, we get to catch up with some of the girls from The Butterfly Garden and see how they are doing in life after captivity.
My Verdict: Switching points of view from one book to the next is always a gamble, but it once again pays off for Hutchison as the new perspective gives a fresh view of life as an FBI agent, especially one that deals with crimes against children. The crime scenes are still horrifying, and the stories of what the children have been through are unsettling, but the details are not given in a way that is meant to only make the reader uncomfortable. It is all told with a frankness that seems to acknowledge that this is the world we live in, and that it is not okay. While it may be hard to believe that the kind of closeness that exists between Ramirez, Hanoverian, and Eddison would ever actually be tolerated in the real FBI, it is nice to have it in this book and know that these are characters that can count on each other. Readers of horror will appreciate the honest details and the fear that comes from not knowing what will happen next, and when. Thriller readers will enjoy the search for the murderer and all of the clues coming together. All in all this made for an excellent third installment in The Collector series.
Favorite Moment: When Ramirez sees the apartment of the newest member of the team, Eliza Sterling, and is incredibly surprised by what she finds.
Favorite Character: Eliza Sterling sacrificed a lot to be a part of the team, and is a great addition. She fits right in with Ramirez, Hanoverian, and Eddison, and is even accepted by Priya, Inara, and Victoria-Bliss.
Recommended Reading: Shelter by Jung Yun explores the question of what obligation we have to help the people in our lives who have caused us harm.
I missed the train on Still Alice, so I am glad to get the chance to pick up Every Note Played by Lisa Genova. Once again, Genova tackles a disease and builds a compelling story around it in an effort to educate as well as entertain. Also, it promises to look closely not only at what the patient is going through, but those closest to them as well.
