Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously

By: Julie Powell

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Cooking

Julie Powell is a twenty-nine year old secretary in New York. She is married to her high school sweetheart, working at a job she hates, and being urged by her doctors to get pregnant as soon as possible. But Julie isn’t sure she’s ready for parenthood, in fact, she’s not sure what she wants at all; only knowing that she is not happy where she is. Then, one day, while visiting her parents in Texas, she discovers her mother’s copy of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and embarks on a yearlong blog project where she will cook every single recipe in the book. With the help of her husband, friends and “bleaders” she works her way through the novel one or two recipes at a time.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. I’ve seen previews for the movie and swore to myself that I would read the book first. Well, now I have, and I hope the film adaptation has more to offer than the book does.

My biggest issue with the book is the writing style. Powell doesn’t seem to understand writing in a chronological order. I often found myself confused as she had jumped from talking about one thing to some anecdote from her past that somehow relates to it – and sometimes there was no spacing in between these to indicate that the subject is changing. For instance, in the chapter where she is discussing lobsters, she is in the middle of talking about the lobster recipes and then the chapter turns into her holiday vacation with her family. It eventually wraps back around to her cooking the lobsters in her apartment, but it takes a while. Also, I found many of her anecdotes unnecessary.

I found it strange how she would gloss over the more important details that happen dealing with her blog, in favor of telling the readers about her friends and family. She barely gives any details about being interviewed for newspapers, magazines and television news, but tells us all about the sexual antics of her friends. I don’t care about your friends’ sex lives¸ or that one friend is leaving her husband for a man she met on the internet¸ I want to know about how your blog became so successful. I want to read about how you gained recognition – what it was like to be interviewed, to have not just the attention of a few devoted readers, but also the attention of news media. You gained what many bloggers dream about, lady! We want to hear about your success!

Powell also passes over in-depth discussion of the recipes in favor of talking about her life overall. I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to reading about the cooking aspect, but it does play a major role in the blog and got her name out there, so it seems like it would be important. Usually when the food is discussed, it is done so through Julie’s anxieties and frustrations with recipes. She will tell us the name of a recipe, but often not what it actually is. So, you’re making Oeufs a la Bourguignonne? Great! What is that?

Julie, herself, gets on my nerves a lot. She got off to a bad start with me when she condescendingly referred to the homeless woman in the subway as a “loon” and rushed away from her. The woman did seem to have a mental illness, yes, a lot of homeless people suffer from one form or another, but she is more than just some “loon” on the street, she’s a person too, Julie. She is constantly putting down the Republican Party, and even though I don’t support the conservative belief system, that got irritating too. Her jibes had no basis and there were many of them littered throughout the book. I don’t understand what the Republican Party has to do with cooking blogs. I get it that she works for a government agency with republicans, but they aren’t important to the progress of this memoir, are they?

I didn’t feel like I could relate well to Julie at all. The most we have in common is our love for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I think I may be a bigger fan than she is. She drinks a lot, smokes regularly, and envies the sex lives of her friends. There are times where she puts down her husband, Eric, even though he’s been nothing but supportive and even gave her the idea to start the blog in the first place. She encourages her friend to get involved with a married man, which is terrible advice. She also allows cooking to take over her life to the point where she doesn’t clean up properly and discovers maggots growing under her dish strainer. How can someone let that happen?

Lastly, she complains all the time about her crappy job, crappy apartment, and the lack of support from her family and friends – even though many followed her blog and would take part in the dinners she cooked. 

They were supportive, but they also worried about her because she became so obsessed.

The only parts of the book that I really liked were the parts based on Julia Child. We learn about her relationship with her husband and how she got into cooking. Her parts are styled in italics and often short, but she seemed like a much more interesting woman – strong, witty, and intelligent, she captures Paul’s love and follows him to Paris where she discovers her true passion in the art of cooking. I can see why she inspires Julie, I just wish Julie were a bit more inspiring.

Overall, this was an okay read at best. I wasn’t a fan of Julie or her writing style, and I felt there could have been more on the blog, Julie’s success/interviews, the actual recipes, and Julia Child, herself.

4/10

The Oak Knoll Mystery Series: Books 1 - 3

Deeper Than the Dead (2010)
Book #1

By: Tami Hoag

Genre: Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Mystery

It is 1985. Behavior analysis and profiling are a fairly new addition to the FBI. Computers are still very expensive and not owned by many small town sheriff’s offices. DNA has barely been discovered and there is little technology to test it. Forensic technology is in the stone age, yet Oak Knoll has a serial killer on the prowl, and they must find out who it is the old fashioned way.

It’s a sunny afternoon when four fifth grade students running through the park woods stumble upon the body of a murder victim. She is the latest in a string of three bodies and a missing person. Detective Tony Mendez has a hunch that this is the work of a serial killer, and calls an old friend, Vince Leone, FBI profiler extraordinaire, to consult. It is as he fears, and he can only hope that he and Vince can find the killer before he or she strikes again.

I really liked the creepiness of the killer. I thought the signature of depriving the victims of sight, speech and hearing was original and scary. I really liked the way a child’s letter of hero worship about his father is interspersed with segments of the killer going through the routine with his latest victim. It is a great way to show that the killer could be anyone, even a devoted family man, and that’s always the scariest thing of all.

I love the character of Anne Navarre. She is fun, witty, and fiercely protective of her students. When she feels one of her students is being abused at home, she steps in. She is there for all of the students who found the body and refuses to allow anyone to push them around or scare them in any way. She’s not afraid to stand up to anyone, especially a misogynistic bully like Frank Farman, and I love that about her.  It is also what attracts Vince toward her. There is a bit of insta-love between the two, as well as a good fifteen to twenty year age difference, but they at least love each other for the right reasons. I read the third book before this one, so I knew where their romance would lead, and I enjoyed watching the slow beginnings.

I felt bad for the kids who found the body. Tommy Crane is a sweet, smart little boy who is often picked on and rarely stands up for himself. He and his friend Wendy were being tormented by Dennis Farman, the class bully, and his little sidekick, Cody. None of these kids have the happiest of home situations, especially Dennis and Tommy. I even felt bad for Dennis when his downward spiral commenced, due to everything he went through at home. Honestly, it was bound to happen, considering what that kid witnessed and dealt with on a daily basis.

I swear, there must be something in the water in Oak Knoll that produces awful parents. Other than Sara, Wendy’s mother, everyone has at least one crappy parental figure. Tommy’s mother is a raging, narcissistic control freak, who cares more that he missed his piano lesson than that he just stumbled upon a dead body in the park. She drugs him to make him sleep, screams at anyone who crosses her, and goes into spastic rages for little to no reason. Dennis’s father, Frank, is an abusive, misogynistic jerk who happens to work for the Sherriff’s department. He thinks all women are whores that are meant to serve men, and that’s exactly how he treats his wife. He beats her and berates her in front of Dennis, who, in turn, begins to believe that all women are stupid useless cows, only good for cooking food and having sex. Even Anne’s father is a complete prick, picking her apart constantly.

While I find the character of Franny amusing, I do feel he screams “GAY CLICHÉ!” He’s well-dressed, loves kids, is effeminate, loves fashion, etc. Every time I read a line of his dialogue, the cliché “gay lisp” would run through my head. I feel he’s a little too out there and obnoxiously flamboyant, hitting every gay cliché character trait out there. I think he would have been a better character if he was more subtle, not constantly reminding the reader that he is gay. We know, but there should be more to a character than clichés surrounding their sexuality.

I did like the overall story. I found the characters likable and the crime interesting. Hoag knows how to create suspense, ending each chapter just so, making me want to keep reading. If I hadn’t read Down the Darkest Road before this, I think I would have been fairly surprised when the killer’s identity was revealed. Hoag peppered in enough red herrings to make it harder to zero in on the actual villain.

Overall, it was a fun, suspenseful read. Aside from the cliché gay character and everyone’s parents being despicable, the mystery is solid and the villain is creepy.

7/10

Secrets to the Grave (2011)

Book #2

By: Tami Hoag

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

A year after the See No Evil murders, a young mother is found brutally murdered in her own home. The only witness to the crime is the victim’s small daughter, Haley – who also suffered injuries in the attack and remains traumatized. Enter Anne Leone (previously Anne Navarre) to help Haley through her trauma and identify the killer. Someone killed Marissa Fordham, but who and why? The investigation digs up many secrets along the way, secrets that give many motive for murder.

I found this mystery to be just as intriguing as the last one – maybe even more so because I didn’t know the identity of the killer before reading it. I really wanted to learn who killed Marissa, who seemed like such a great person – loving and friendly, a great mother. I also felt for Haley, the daughter left behind by the tragedy, and hoped that she would find happiness with a family that would love her.

I liked how Hoag, once again, led me down a road of twists and turns, introducing suspects here and there, making it hard to decide who the real villain was. Marissa’s best friend is also attacked – but is her attack related to Marissa’s death or based on something else altogether? There is also a subplot including Dennis Farman, his life in the psychiatric hospital and his visits with Anne.

The returning characters are as great as always. Anne Navarre married Vince Leone between Book #1 and this one, and she has left teaching to finish her schooling in psychology and work with children.  She is still as strong willed and feisty as ever, standing her ground to protect herself and any child in her care. Vince has fully retired as an FBI profiler, but still entertains speaking engagements and consults on murder cases. The two are ready to create a family together.

Tony begins to fall for Sara Morgan, Wendy’s mother, who is finally on the verge of divorcing her cheating husband. However, while I love Tony as a detective, he did annoy me a lot in his obsession with pinning the murder on Sara’s soon-to-be ex husband, Steve, and harassing the man. As much as the guy was a jerk and a bad husband, and as much as he deserved to be punched in the face, Tony went out of his way to make this guy’s life uncomfortable with no substantial evidence. That was not okay with me. Tony, you’re better than that!  

As for new characters, I found Gina to be annoying at first, but she proves her strength when she is abducted and left for dead. Haley is just adorable, and despite my knowing where she ends up due to reading Book #3 before hand, I was still incredibly anxious for her during custody meetings. I absolutely hated Milo Bordain, the older woman of wealth who claims to be Marissa’s benefactor and substitute mother-figure. Mrs. Bordain is self-righteous and self-centered, the entire world has to stop when she commands it. She always gets what she wants, and she wants Haley even though she doesn’t know the first thing about child development. She throws her weight around or temper tantrums when she cannot get her way. I wanted to jump in the book and throttle her!

The story was paced perfectly and, once again, Hoag demonstrates her talent for leaving a cliffhanger at the end of the chapter and forcing you to read on. The only thing that bothered me was the repeated detail of the bullet lodged in Vince’s brain. We know it’s there, it doesn’t need to be shoved down our throats. Otherwise, it is another fast-paced, interesting mystery story.

Overall, the story is gripping, fast-paced and keeps the reader hooked until the final pages. Other than a few minor annoyances, the book was well-written and enjoyable.

7/10

Down the Darkest Road (2011)
Book #3

By: Tami Hoag

Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

It has been four years since Leslie Lawton vanished on her way home from a softball game. Four years and not a trace of her has been found. Her mother, Lauren, while still not giving up hope that her daughter’s disappearance will one day be solved, has packed up younger daughter, Leah, and moved to Oak Knoll, California. Unfortunately, the man Lauren suspects abducted Leslie has also recently moved to town, and his sights might be set on Leah.

I really wanted to like Lauren but I just couldn’t bring myself to do so. I understand that she’s grieving both the loss of her eldest daughter and her husband, but she does have a young daughter to parent, and she’s not doing the greatest job. She doesn’t take care of herself, doesn’t eat, and drinks all the time. She’s paranoid and doesn’t let Leah go hardly anywhere – which is understandable, but hey, Leah is a teenager, let her have some time to be a kid. Also, the twist revelation about Lauren’s intentions in Oak Knoll really angered me, they could have left that part out and I would have been able to like her character a little.

I felt I could relate a bit to Leah, the youngest daughter. I know what it’s like growing up and being the good child, the one who follows all the rules and tries not to make waves; the one who tries not to burden other people with her problems because they’re suffering from the same things. I’ve been there, and it’s rough. It made me so angry that Lauren was so wrapped up in herself and her own pain that she didn’t even notice that her daughter was suffering too. Leah was living in the shadow of an older sibling who wasn’t even around anymore.

I did like the characters that are part of the ongoing series – Tony Mendez and Anne Leone. Both provided as much support and aid to Lauren as they could, especially when the creep who took Leslie begins harassing her at her home in Oak Knoll. With no proof that he was on her property, there’s nothing the police can do to help her, but Mendez looks into her case anyway, and winds up working with Detective Danni Tanner – my favorite female character out of the whole book. She’s confident, tough, quick with the wit, and has a healthy appetite. I enjoyed her immensely and hope to see her in future entries in the Oak Knoll series.

This novel does differ from Hoag’s usual style slightly because we know the identity of the killer/creep the entire time. Normally, Hoag will have the reader see a little bit of the story through the villain’s eyes, but we never know who that villain is until he or she reveals him/herself. Here, we know his identity, and we see the disgusting things he does and thinks about. He’s also incredibly frustrating because he knows that both Lauren and the police are onto him, and he plays cat-and-mouse games with them, hiding behind his rights when they try to retaliate. I wanted to reach into the book and kill him myself.

The twist toward the end caught me a little by surprise, but not entirely. The events of the climax are pretty action packed, and I’ve got to say, Hoag doesn’t let her heroines go down without a fight. These girls are fierce, even when backed into a corner, and there seems to be no way out, they still give it everything they’ve got.

Overall, this is a fun, simple read. If you don’t want the first two books in the Oak Knoll series ruined for you, I would read the series in order. This one gives away the endings to the prior two. While Lauren was a frustrating character, the rest of the colorful cast made up for it. Worth a look if you’re into mystery/thrillers with interesting plot lines and characters who won’t take things laying down.

6/10

The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls (1997)

By: Joan Jacobs Brumberg

Genre: Non-Fiction, Women and Gender Studies, Social Commentary, History

In this book, Brumberg examines the one hundred years of history between 1895 and 1995, and how society’s attitude has changed toward young women. She asks the question, even though we are now free of corsets and have more rights, do we really have it any better than our Victorian ancestors? To answer this, she cites passages from diaries of teenage girls dating back to the 1800s, research, and anecdotes from her own experiences as a teen and a professor.

One of her first claims is that girls didn’t focus on their body image until the 1920s. Before that, during the Victorian era, they focused mostly on being a good person and less upon their looks. “They almost always focused on the internal character and how it was reflected in outward behavior.” (p. xxi) Brumberg cites this as one of the major differences between girls of that era and girls of today – who believe the shape of their bodies and their appearance is what primarily reflects their individuality. Brumberg believes that this is due to changes in attitudes toward the developing female body, both medically and socially, it being especially influenced by media, advertising and fashion.

In some instances I’m sure this is very true, and the evidence she gives supporting her claims as to the medical attitudes seems to hold up well. However, she also blames the commercialization of sanitary napkins and tampons of ushering young girls into consumer culture too quickly. She says this is because when girls begin to menstruate, their mothers introduce them to a specific brand, and henceforth, they continue to buy that brand. I don’t see the logic in that. When I first went through menarche I grabbed what was handy. I may have since developed a brand loyalty, because certain products work better for me, but none were ever pushed on me as a developing teen.

Another issue Brumberg has that I don’t understand is the commercial treatment of acne. Maybe this is because I still live in an era where acne is considered gross and unattractive, but if it can be treated, I don’t see the problem with doing so. I had terrible acne as a teen, and I still battle it in my mid-twenties. It’s not fun, and I use both a commercial face-wash (that happens to work very well, thank you) and a prescribed cream from my doctor. I get that she feels the ads are are hurting their self-esteem by telling young teens that acne makes them less desirable. Having acne in general hurts the self-esteem, especially when you get picked on for it by your school mates. As Brumberg proved in her history of acne, it has always been an undesirable thing, linked to syphilis and being dirty, and a negative attitude about it still exists today. Maybe she could suggest a way to change attitudes toward acne?

As other reviewers have stated, it is problematic that Brumberg only really focused on the white, middle class population of young women during her research. There is one small mention of a black girl, and very little exploration into the differences in attitude between African American culture and White culture on the topic of young female bodies. There is no mention of Hispanic or Asian views on the topic either, just straight white middle class culture.

I also didn’t like how she worded her beginning to her chapter on sexuality. She makes it seem like homosexuality/lesbianism is a choice – which wasn’t apparent in the rest of the chapter, but still irked me. I don’t think she meant it to come off as it did, but I’ve never met a gay person who “chose” to be that way, and I found it an offensive implication. She also linked homosexuality with the practice of S&M – which is something that many heterosexual couples also practice.

Lastly, she blames the over-sexualization of little girls for a rise in pedophilia. I don’t necessarily buy that. I’m sure it doesn’t help the issue, don’t get me wrong, I’m not for the sexualizing of young girls. I just feel like pedophilia didn’t seem to exist to Brumberg until relatively recently, when it has been around for ages, just not as fully looked into as it is today. Child abuse wasn’t even really considered a serious crime until the 1960s, and before that, sex of any kind was considered shameful to talk about. Children could have been abused physically, sexually, or emotionally and felt it wasn’t something they could talk about – and if they did, no one else would think it was wrong. They may not have even had the words to describe it, as Victorian girls didn’t have the vocabulary to discuss their own bodies. Also, if sexualization of little girls is solely to blame for pedophilia, what about the ones that prefer little boys? I don’t mean to be disturbing or dwell on a nasty topic, but the fact is that some like little girls and some like little boys, and I don’t feel that young boys are as sexualized as girls are.

I did like the historical aspects of the book, however. I find history in general very interesting, but women’s history is even more so. I learned from this book that having excessive acne in the Victorian era made people think you had a lot of sex or masturbated frequently. I also learned that gynecology was developed in the late 1800s, but its first major use was checking to see if a girl was still a virgin. Also, doctors felt that rectal exams were less invasive than vaginal ones. Another interesting thing I learned was that when tampons were invented, the general public believed them to be little more than dildos that women would use to masturbate. There is much more, but these four things are what I remember most.

I also like Brumberg’s thought of bringing back the Victorian idea of girl’s groups, where young ladies could meet each other and be mentored by older girls/women. I think I benefitted greatly by having strong female role models in my life, and now, especially when we live in such a fast-paced society, girls probably need the guidance more than ever. We live in a time where some parents have to work really long hours and don’t always have as much time to spend with their children – many kids end up being raised by a television set, and the media definitely does have a poisonous effect on body image. Being able to talk about these concerns with someone older who has dealt with the same issues would greatly help young girls develop healthier attitudes toward their bodies.

Overall, while the book is worth the read, it is a bit outdated, and some of Brumberg’s opinions didn’t make a lot of sense to me. The best aspects of the book to me were the parts that dealt solely with the historic beliefs, facts and laws. I also liked the diary excerpts, even if the sampling was only from one small portion of our society. Brumberg does have some good ideas, but some of her beliefs are a little far-fetched for me, making them hard to follow and/or agree with. I think the book could have been researched and edited a little more, based on more evidence and less conjecture from the author, but it is still an informative read. 

5/10

The Diviners (2012)

Book #1 in “The Diviners Series”

By: Libba Bray

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Seventeen-year-old Evie O’Neill has been sent away to Manhattan to spend a few months with her uncle Will. Her parents consider this a punishment for her antics in town, but Evie couldn’t be more excited. She sees this as an opportunity to let loose and find herself, hoping she’ll find more people like her. She’s a free spirit, a flapper, and she has no intentions of being responsible. Yet, she soon discovers there is a killer on the loose in her city, one that has the police baffled. Aiding her uncle in his investigation of the paranormal symbols left behind by the killer, Evie realizes that she has the power to catch this villain through supernatural means – a power that could put her in more danger than the killer alone.

I really enjoyed this novel. I loved the setting – the 1920s is one of my favorite decades to read about, and Bray really brought it to life in this story. There are speakeasies, flappers and chorus girls. Prohibition is in full swing, racism is rampant, and homosexuals have to keep their sexuality a secret – only revealing themselves in underground clubs. She also gives us a glance at the butchery young, desperate women went through back then when they had abortions. (That is actually probably one of the scariest images in the novel.) She also discusses churches that supported the KKK and a movement to purify the genetics within the United States, both of which, scarily enough, actually existed.

I thought the characters were great as well. I did have a hard time dealing with Evie on occasion. Many of her decisions are selfish and can lead to trouble for others around her. (Ex: when Mabel gets arrested during a raid at a club, which could have been avoided if Evie had agreed to leave when Mabel wanted to.) As much as she claims to adore Mabel, she never really bothers to understand her, only try and change her to make her fit in. I know she means well, but it does get irritating. I also hated how much she drinks alcohol and how frequently she wants it or emphasizes how great it is. However, I loved Evie’s strength and sass. I found her very witty and enjoyed her sarcastic exchanges with Sam, Jericho and Will.

Mabel is the character I most related to, despite the fact that she never really had much of the story focused on her. She’s an introvert, a reader, shy but kind, and holds strong in her beliefs for the rights of others. She was raised to fight for workers’ rights and takes part in that movement – headed by her parents. I understood her irritation with Evie – who, in her own way, meant well in her attempts to bring Mabel out of her shell – because I know how it feels to have someone you care about try to change you.

Memphis is also a strong character. A boy who once had the power to heal, he spends his time running illegal gambling numbers, writing poetry, reading, and looking after his younger brother, Isaiah. His back story is tragic, and all he seems to have left is his little brother who he’d do anything for. It is through Memphis that Bray also explores the way interracial relationships were received back in the 1920s. His best friend warns him against the relationship – citing it as dangerous when the woman gets sick of him. She could lose her job if her boss discovered she was dating an African American. I hope this continues to be explored in future entries of the series.

Theta and Henry are also interesting characters. I liked that Theta was similarly sassy to Evie and knew how to work a crowd. She’s a free spirit, a dancer, an entertainer, but she is also running from a dark past. Henry is sweet and kind, a man that took her in when she was starving on the streets. He has a great sense of humor, and he’s also gay – which was a dangerous thing in that era. As with the interracial component, I hope this theme is also explored more in the books to come.

Lastly, we have Sam and Jericho – one a petty theif, the other a ward of the state, taken in by Evie’s uncle. Sam comes off as charming but snaky when Evie first encounters him at the train station – he picks her pocket and thus begins a battle of wits between the two. Eventually he comes to work for Evie’s uncle, becoming a perpetual pain to Evie, but also a great source of aid in the case. I am also very interested in his past and his quest to crack open “Operation Buffalo.” I want to know what happened to his mother just as badly as he does. Jericho is interesting just because of his history. He is the strong silent type, only speaking when he feels it is important, but still offering much insight on the case at hand.

I also found the villain to be intriguing. I liked that, similar to Freddy Krueger,  he had a creepy rhyme that followed his legend. I also found the mythology surrounding him creepy but believable. A supernatural killer, sacrifices, and the apocalypse? That kind of story is right up my alley! The fact that he had a crazed cult following only aided in the creep-factor for me. I’m wondering if the Brethren will reappear in later entries. They are an interesting group – I would like to see more of them.

The novel was both very suspenseful and a fast read. When I had the time to read, I’d run through four or five chapters at a time. Despite the fact that I didn’t always agree with Evie’s decisions, I did worry for her when she began investigating on her own. I did worry about who might be next, and there were many twists and turns I didn’t see coming.

There was only one other thing, aside from some of Evie’s characteristics, that I didn’t like about the novel. I didn’t like that Bray was descriptive about animal sacrifices, especially when she avoided describing the death scenes of the murder victims at all. If one could be avoided, why not the other? If one is graphic, why must we cover up the other? It didn’t make sense to me. I don’t like animal deaths in general, but I can understand them being described if the human deaths are also done that way. If not, I don’t see why we have to read such details. It just doesn’t seem necessary to me.

Overall, this was a fun, suspenseful read with realistic, interesting characters who may not always be likable, but do develop as the story progresses. The villain and his followers are creepy and the story is very engaging. Recommended.

8/10

In the Deep Woods (1989)

By: Nicholas Conde

Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense

Children’s book author and illustrator, Carol Warren, never expected something like this could happen to her. She’d lived a normal life filled with good friends and family as well as success as an author. Everything changes when her best friend is found brutally murdered and Carol becomes involved in the investigation. At first she just wants answers about who killed her friend, but once she realizes someone she loves is a suspect, she will do whatever it takes to prove his innocence, even if it risks her own life.

The first thing I liked about this book is the heroine, Carol. Most books in this vein are focused on getting the heroine to fall for some hunky man working with her on the case and spawning an erotic romance as a side story, but that isn’t the case here. In fact, while Carol may date a few men in the novel, she’s not in the market for romance, and, actually, finds it very hard to get in the mood for it due to the dreadful crimes committed in the case. That is something that makes a lot more sense to me. Carol is also successful and independent, only relying on herself, and she has a great deal of self-respect and loyalty to her friends and family. However, this loyalty could also blind her to what is going on around her.

I also liked the fact that she had her own worries outside of the mystery, such as her father’s failing health and the fact that she’ll probably have to put him in a nursing home. She and her brother discuss it and wonder if it’s the right thing to do – and it’s very hard for Carol to imagine being ripped from her home in her final years. She has a very kind heart, loving deeply and honestly those who are close to her, and I felt for her in making that decision.

I thought the story was very suspenseful, and I whipped right through the novel because I needed to know what happened next. Is the killer who the police believe it to be, or is it an elaborate frame job? Was Carol really in danger of becoming the killer’s next target?

I also liked the scenes from the killer’s point of view and how he was styled. He is definitely creepy, especially in the point-of-view scene where he has his victim tied up in the woods and prepares to torture her. He reminds me a lot of Ted Bundy – how he uses the ruse of being somehow handicapped in order to gain the sympathy and trust of a would-be victim, and then gets the better of them. Also, his final act of murder as he begins to lose control toward the end of the novel is an obvious nod to the murders of nursing students committed by Richard Speck in the 1960s. The Green River Killer is mentioned in comparison to the killer in this novel, but I feel that there aren’t many similarities, aside from where the bodies are found.

I liked how the book dealt with the idea that a family member or friend that you’ve known your entire life could turn out to be a serial killer. Carol has to deal with the fact that the police believe her brother is the Deep Woods Killer, and another character reveals that they have a family member guilty of such atrocities. Even having someone in your family suspected of such crimes can do a number on the rest of the family, and of course, the suspect themselves – as despite the saying, “innocent until proven guilty,” in the public eye, it’s often guilty until proven innocent.

I’m not sure how I feel about the character of Paul Miller. He goes to elaborate lengths to disguise his true self and true intentions from Carol, despite asking her to trust and help him in his investigation. I can’t describe such over-the-top instances of this without giving away spoilers, but I can say that it is hard to accept that someone would go that far to keep up a façade. These actions felt like they belonged in some espionage thriller, not a murder mystery. Also, it was because of his constant lies that I couldn’t bring myself to like him by the end of the novel. I found myself falling for his lies along with Carol, so I felt equally betrayed when I would find out he was just spinning another web of deception.

The other thing I didn’t really like was the ending – I found it rather anti-climactic. I wanted a dramatic show-down between Carol and the killer, and instead it is over in an instant. I felt a bit let down after all of that built-up tension and hours of reading.

Overall, it’s definitely a great read and I recommend it for mystery buffs. It’s very suspenseful and keeps you guessing until the final few chapters, and even then, I was hoping there would be some twist and it would turn out to be someone else. Still, it was a well-written mystery that kept my attention, and I would probably read it again.

7.5/10

The Caster Chronicles (2009-2012)

Beautiful Creatures (2009)
Book #1

By: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Genre: Young Adult, Supernatural Romance, Drama

Sixteen-year-old Ethan Wate thinks nothing would ever change in the small town of Gatlin, South Carolina. That is until Lena Duchannes moves into town, and Ethan’s world is flipped upside down. He finds himself instantly connected to this mysterious beauty, and as the two grow closer, he learns more than he bargained for: about her, about Gatlin, and even his own family. I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did. I only looked into it after finding out that one of my favorite actors is playing Larkin in the film adaptation. I thought it seemed a little Twilight-ish, and while there are some similarities, I found this book far more enjoyable.

As far as the similarities with Twilight are concerned, it’s a supernatural romance, only this time it’s the new girl in town who has the supernatural abilities, rather than the boy. Like Edward in Twilight, Lena tries to avoid a relationship with Ethan because she fears for his safety. Also like Edward, she is a part of a family where each member has a distinct ability different from the rest. However that’s where the similarities end.

This book isn’t just about the romance between the two leads, it’s also about friendship, bullying, and bigotry. Lena is tortured by the kids at school because she is different and labeled as dangerous by the locals. Ethan loses most of his friends in defending and loving her – making him a strong and endearing character in my eyes. He has a sense of himself and sticks to his beliefs of right and wrong despite what the people around him say and do. I’m glad the authors chose to tell the story from his perspective.

It took a while for Lena to grow on me because she was so closed off. We get to know her as Ethan does, and despite her early reservations we see her fall as much for him as he has for her. Their relationship is sweet and above all else, healthy. Neither one tries to control the other, and they work together to help solve the mysteries surrounding their connection and to keep her safe from what she ultimately fears – being claimed by the darkness.

Link is a true best friend to Ethan, never abandoning him, even when all of his other friends do. He accepts Lena as a friend and aids Ethan in defending her against the bullying students of their high school. Ridley, Lena’s cousin, is lovable despite the fact that she’s dark. She still seems to have feelings, at least for her cousin, despite the fact that once she was claimed by the darkness she wasn’t supposed to feel anything for anyone. She takes matters into her own hands when Lena wont, and her actions against the snotty popular girls are hilarious.

While the writing isn’t phenomenal, it’s decent. There were a few repeated details that weren’t necessary, like constantly telling the reader that Lena has green eyes, black curly hair that twists in a nonexistent wind, and is beautiful. The writers also had a way of making characters seemingly disappear in a scene, such as Larkin at the climax of the novel. There is so much focus on the main villain of the story that Larkin isn’t heard from for at least three pages even though he is also in the scene. I began to wonder where he was for a while. I did, however, like the homages to To Kill a Mockingbird and Carrie, both modern classics in my opinion.

The story was cute and a fun read. The characters all have distinct personalities and, if I didn’t love them right away, they grew on me as the story progressed – with the exception of the bullies and bigots in town, of course. Despite my reservations about reading this book, I enjoyed it, and am looking forward to getting my hands on the next entry in the series.

6.5/10

Beautiful Darkness (2010)
Book #2

By: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Genre: Young Adult, Supernatural Romance, Drama

Ethan thought everything would get back to normal after Lena’s sixteenth birthday, but all is not well in Gatlin. Lena is grieving over the loss of a loved one and has begun pushing Ethan away from her, getting dangerously close to turning Dark. When she runs off with Ridley and an incubus/caster hybrid named John, Ethan decides to go after her. She’s in danger, he can feel it, and it is up to him to save her, whether she wants to be saved or not.

I didn’t like this book as well as the first, mostly because of Lena. She was so mean to Ethan, a sweet, loving boy, utterly devoted to her, for most of the novel. She is nice to him one day, mean the next, she leaves him in the dust as she rides off on the back of John’s motorcycle, but throws a psychotic fit when he is tempted by the new girl in town, Liv. So it’s okay for her to dump him and run off with a strange guy, but he can’t be friends with Liv without her freaking out? The parts of the book that didn’t involve Lena, aside from the climax and everything following it, were the best scenes in the story.

I was a little irritated that Ethan was so strung out over Lena too. A lot of guys would have said, “Screw you, if you’re going to treat me like that!” He did feel that way at first, but he still wanted to try and save her, regardless of whether she was even still capable of loving him anymore. Lena was being so awful, I really wanted him to end up with Liv, who seems like a genuinely awesome character and who likes Ethan for who he is. I love Liv, and I hope she plays a big role in the following books of the series. Link is, as always, the loyal, goofy best friend, willing to do anything for Ethan, and still hoping he can find the good side of Ridley. Ridley, herself, goes through a bit of a transformation in this installment, so the future books of the series should be quite interesting.

I really liked that this book explored the underground Caster tunnels and revealed many secrets about Ethan’s family as well as Macon Ravenwood. The tunnels seem endless and you can make great time using them to get around, as time passes differently in the tunnels than the mortal realm. I found this exploration fun, and liked the events that happen along the way. Plenty of juicy secrets come to light and transitions made, lives forever changed with one journey.

The climactic scene could have been a little better. I was expecting quite a fight, but it was pretty uneventful. Also, Liv seems to disappear once the climax begins, because the authors no longer mention her, though I assume she was there the entire time. I know this is the story of Ethan and Lena’s romance, but don’t let your secondary characters fade away, especially one as sweet and fun as Liv. We get a brief mention of her current activities toward the end of the novel, so we can assume she made it through the fight okay, but otherwise, no Liv.

I don’t really understand why Larkin is even in this book. He is used so little, I don’t see his role necessary to the plot. He’s a powerful illusionist and very underused considering what he is capable of. I hope this isn’t his last hurrah. If so, his character has been cheated. Also, I wanted to see a bit more of Ethan’s relationship with his father and see how that is mending. Still, the end also left quite the cliffhanger, so I’ll be getting my hands on the next installment to find out what happens.

Overall, it’s decent, but not as good as the first entry due to aforementioned reasons. I hope these things are cleared up in the next two books in the series.

5.5/10

Beautiful Chaos (2011)
Book #3

By: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Genre: Young Adult, Supernatural Romance, Drama

Nothing in Gatlin has been the same since the events of the Seventeenth Moon. Lena Duchannes made a decision that changed the order of both the mortal and caster worlds and knocked everything off balance. Now the town is experiencing intense heat waves, insect infestation, and the evaporation of major water sources. It appears an apocalypse is near, and it is up to Ethan and Lena to stop it.

I think this entry is the most dramatic in the series thus-far. All the characters experience changes and have to grow in one way or another. Lena is no longer acting like an entitled little brat, learning to deal with the fact that Liv will always be a part of Ethan’s life, in one way or another. Liv has gone underground, spending most of her days in a study Macon set up for her in the tunnels, researching the supernatural events happening all over town. Ridley is trying to cope with life as a teenage girl at Jackson High and Link finds his newfound powers are good for more than just being a great basketball player and wooing the ladies. Ethan is just happy to have Lena back, but he is faced with much loss and many hard decisions.

I really liked the fact that we got to see Sarafine’s back story. As with the other novels, this one also contains flash backs, and Lena and Ethan witness Sarafine’s previous life, from her claiming until the day Lena’s father died. These scenes almost make the reader feel sympathy for Sarafine, but not enough to forgive her for the evil she has done, ultimately feeling the conflicting emotions that Lena, herself, is experiencing.

Amma has become more secretive and withdrawn. Her cooking isn’t as amazing as it used to be, she has been keeping things from Ethan that he should know, hiding out in her room, and delving into the darker side of voodoo. She has seen something in the cards that she will do anything to prevent from happening – including black magic.

John Breed actually gets a personality in this entry. He is no longer the annoying, girlfriend stealing, half-incubus. He actually seems to have a good heart and a desire to do the right thing – despite being raised by two evil incubi that want to destroy all mortals and casters alike. Ethan may hold a grudge, but Lena was equally as guilty, and there’s clearly more to John than there originally seemed.

I did have a good idea about the identity of “The One Who Is Two,” so that “twist” wasn’t much of a surprise to me. Also, I felt that the final fourth of the novel was a little inspired by the second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It has an evil character named Angelus and requires a sacrifice to stop an impending apocalypse. I’m not saying it’s a rip-off, just that both things also existed in that season, and I found it amusing. Could Garcia and Stohl be fellow Buffy fans?

While this novel doesn’t have any scenes that really stand out in my mind, I am actually fine with that. I really liked that it dealt more with the relationships between the characters and less on major events, like fairs and dances. These relationships are the core of this story – Ethan’s love for Lena, for Amma, for his aunts and his friends – it all leads to an ending that makes me exclaim, “You can’t end it there!”

6/10

Beautiful Redemption (2012)
Book #4

By: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Genre: Young Adult, Supernatural Romance, Drama

It’s been months since Ethan took the plunge to correct the Order of Things and save his friends and loved ones from an impending apocalypse. He wakes up in the “Otherworld” where he has breakfast with his mother and can visit with Aunt Prue whenever he likes. However, he can’t shake the feeling that he is not supposed to be in the “Otherworld,” and he misses Lena terribly. He will do anything to find his way home again, and Lena will do anything to make that happen. They reach across the barriers in an attempt to bring him back to the world of the living.

This final entry in the Caster Chronicles series is mostly based around Ethan’s adventures in the “Otherworld,” and despite how interesting that sounds, the book falls into competition with Book Two as being the weakest in the series. I just couldn’t get behind his quest. Maybe it’s because I’ve been away from the series for too long, but I don’t find Ethan’s romance with Lena as engaging as I once did. I felt he disregarded his mother’s feelings when he decided he needed to go back to Lena – and it was all about Lena – not his father who has been living under a spell so he doesn’t realize Ethan has died, not even Amma who has raised him and saved him from trouble countless times. He does eventually admit that he is torn about leaving his mother and that he does want to be with his father and Amma again, but for the most part Lena is all he sees and all he thinks about.

Lena, back in the mortal world, isn’t much better. As Ethan communicates to her through the barrier between worlds, she becomes consumed in aiding his quest to come home. She is willing to trade John to Abraham in order to get her hands on an object Ethan needs. She also freaks out on Macon for “spying on her” and on John for leaving Liv a note about what he was about to do (give himself to Abraham in trade), when it ended up saving her butt in the end. Abraham would have killed her had Macon not shown up when he had, yet she pouts and whines when she should be thankful. Really, Lena, if you want your uncle to take you seriously, you need to stop acting like such a child and use some common sense!

Truthfully, I was more entertained by the romances between Link and Ridley and Liv and John. Liv and John are just adorable together, and probably the most normal couple out of the three in their group. Even though he is half caster/half incubus, he genuinely cares about her and would do anything to make her happy. Then there’s the volatile love/hate relationship that is Ridley and Link – who communicate in a series of half-hearted insults and can’t seem to get over each other. It also helped their relationship that Link proved himself to be quite the hero during the showdown with Abraham – taking him on mortal style and winning.

Two interesting characters were introduced in this entry – Obidias and Xavier. Both men had angered the Far Keep and had been severely punished – Obidias given snakes for a hand that routinely bite into his flesh, and Xavier turned into a monster and forced to guard the gates of the Great Keep. Both men greatly aid Ethan on his journey – Obidias telling him what he has to do to get home and Xavier aiding him in the final battle. I really liked Xavier and I was glad that I got to see a flashback into his life and how he became the way he did. I wish I could have learned more about Obidias – but he is only in the novel for one chapter.

The one character that was just plain irritating to me was Angelus – one of the Keepers. He is evil, yes, but he’s also whiney and prideful – hateful of the very race he sprung from. He is, after all, a mortal, yet he refuses to believe that is so when he has modified himself so much he no longer resembles one. Despite his evil experimentations and his enslavement of dark casters for his own amusement, he still comes off more pathetic than villainous in his final confrontation with Ethan. I, for one, couldn’t wait for his character to be killed off, because he was more annoying than anything. Abraham Ravenwood was a legitimate villain; this guy was a prideful weakling riding on Abraham’s coattails.

I didn’t feel any real suspense. I knew that Ethan was most likely going to return to Lena, but I also didn’t really care that much if he did. I wanted to spend more time with his mother and get to know her character, as she has played a very pivotal role in the series despite being dead. It was also nice to finally meet the Greats that Amma always communicates with, but they also only get a chapter where they help Ethan and send him on his way – I still never really got to know any of them and I would have liked to. They have also served a large role in the series, and I felt they could have been given a little more face time.

The story in this one didn’t pull me in like the rest did. There was a cool new world to explore, but it wasn’t really plotted out very well – unlike the numerous tunnels in Books Two and Three. It is all about Ethan and Lena, and getting them back together again. Beyond that, nothing seems to matter, and that made it rather mundane to me. So much more could have been explored in dealing with the afterlife, yet so little was done, and I found myself rather bored and wishing the plot would just move along already. Characters with promise are underused, Ethan and Lena are both rather whiney and ungrateful, and the main villain is just irritating. I was hoping for a better finale.

5/10

The Series Overall: This is a cute supernatural romance series, but it does have its weak points – mostly Books Two and Four. Book One, Beautiful Creatures, introduces us to the characters and places them in regular high school situations that all readers can identify with. Many female readers can sympathize with Lena – most girls have been targets of girl-on-girl bullying at one time or another, and I know I would have loved to have my own personal Ridley by my side in Middle School. That sympathy for her and the fact that Ethan seems like such a great guy make the supernatural elements easier to digest. Book Three, Beautiful Chaos, is focused more on the development of these characters. Books Two and Four portray them at their most selfish and annoying – and that gets old quickly, but at least Book Two, Beautiful Darkness, explored the caster world in depth and revealed more about Ethan’s family that was completely unexpected.

My final ranking for the Series: 6/10

Battle Royale (1999)

By: Koushun Takami

Genre: Action/Adventure, Foreign, Thriller, Japanese, Survival, Dystopia

Forty-two students are taken to an island where, as part of a special government Program, they are pitted against each other in a battle to the death. There is no way to escape, no point in fighting back, the only way to win is to be the last student left standing at the end of the three day gaming period. But maybe this class will be different – there are a few clever students, driven by rage, revenge and the drive to survive, that just might shake this game up a little.

At a length of 576 pages, this novel flew by rather quickly for me. The one thing that caught my attention and created suspense for me was the characterization in this story Takami has a knack for writing strong, lovable characters, and I had to keep reading to find out what happened to each of them. Of course, in a story like this, the reader has to be careful which characters they fall for because no one is truly safe. I would meet a character in one chapter, begin to care about him or her, and by the end of the chapter, watch them die in some brutal fashion. Among my favorites were Shuya Nanahara (protagonist, guitar player, rock music lover, and loyal friend), Yoshitoki Kuninobu (Shuya’s best friend), Hiroki Sugimura (loving, loyal, romantic, good friend of Shuya’s)¸Shinji Mimura (basketball star, talented hacker, smart, good friend of Shuya’s), and Shogo Kawada (quiet, badass, loyal and clever). Very few of the girls impressed me much, although I thought Mitsuko Souma was as intriguing as she was evil, Takako Chigusa was awesome for fighting until the very end, and Yukie Utsumi was a sweetheart. I thought Noriko Nakagawa was a nice girl, but her character really didn’t wow me – and since she is one of the leads, I felt she should have been a bit more interesting.

There were times when the book was hard to read because I knew most of my favorite characters weren’t going to make it out alive, if any did at all. I had hopes that a good sized group would make it out alive, but knew that was very unlikely to happen. All I could do was read through the chapters and hope for the best. None of these kids deserved to be thrown into such a perverse game, and I wanted as many to survive as possible.

The game is a government program conducted by the fascist Dictatorship of the Republic of Greater East Asia. What was once Japan has been replaced with this new “republic” and a government who will kill anyone who dares speak out against it. The students’ teacher fought the decision for their class to be selected and he was killed, any parent who objected faced the same fate. It is up to the kids themselves to figure out a way to survive, and many have a few tricks up their sleeves. Shinji and Shogo both had excellent ideas, if only their two groups could have united, the game wouldn’t have stood a chance.

The book packs a lot of social commentary on the impact of fear. It discusses how the game is used to scare the public and keep the citizens docile, and also the effect fear has on those trying to survive in a life or death situation. It shows the paranoia that envelops all of those involved and the fear of trusting anyone – for letting your guard down to the wrong person could cost you your life. It also shows the repercussions of such fear, such as an attempted poisoning of one character leading to the death of another, and a violent chain-reaction of death following suit.

While the characterization is excellent, the writing itself isn’t always good. This could be due to things being lost in translation, as this was originally a Japanese text. The twist revelation about Shogo was predictable, there were a few dangling modifiers and grammatical errors, and Kazuo is harder to kill than Jason Voorhees. At first I found this believable because the kid has a vast amount of martial arts training, but after a while, it got ridiculous. He was too smart, too quick, and too irritating. After a while, it seemed like the guy was everywhere, preying upon my beloved characters. I was begging someone to kill him already.

The ending is very satisfying, despite not all of my favorite characters surviving. Many died heroes or having completed what they set out to do before time ran out. I only wish there were a certain answer for the survivors – will they ever be at peace, or will they always be running from their government?

Overall, a great, suspenseful novel with very likable characters – ones you can’t help but love even though you know you’re probably going to lose them. It’s definitely a brutal, but interesting and worthwhile read.

7.5/10

Make Love! *The Bruce Campbell Way (2005)

By: Bruce Campbell

Genre: Fiction, Humor, Satire

In this novel, author Bruce Campbell uses himself as his main character, navigating the reader through a fictitious film shoot. Bruce has just landed a minor role in the film, Let’s Make Love! starring Hollywood A-listers Richard Gere and Renee Zellweger, and, pretty much from the start, everything is a disaster. All of his research leads him into sticky and often ridiculous situations – everything from wrestling a thief for a pickled penis (yes, you did read that correctly) and chasing down environmental terrorists in an exaggeratedly oversized Dodge pickup, to landing himself on the National Security Watch List. Also, he seems to be bringing a little too much B-movie technique to an A-list film. Is he leaking the “B-Movie Virus” or is someone on the inside out to sabotage his career?

I’m not really even sure how to describe this novel. It is definitely comedic, oozing a sense of humor distinctly recognizable as Bruce’s by any loyal fan (myself included). I loved that I could hear his voice running through my brain, telling the increasingly outrageous scenarios. At the same time, those scenarios are what kept me from truly getting into the book. Maybe it’s because I’m not used to reading books of a satirical nature, but the more ludicrous the character’s actions became, the less I enjoyed the story.  

I felt that all of his travels for “research” were kind of tossed together, and each chapter was a different research session in a different part of the country. I found myself often asking, “When the hell did he get to Washington DC? Wait, he’s in California now, what? Nope, back in New York.” As laughable as these research sessions became, the jarring jumps between them confused me. The chapters didn’t really begin to flow together until the final eight appear and a real story gets rolling.

Bruce, the main character, gets rather annoying. He has the tendency to pull innocent people into the line of fire. He often has others go down for his mistakes, or drags them along on his crazy adventures, only for them to get into serious trouble for aiding him in some way. By the end I was like, “Dammit, Bruce, quit getting people into trouble!” Also, he’s arrogant, and even though it’s in a self-deprecating way, it does get a little irritating in places. I do love this side to him normally – both in his acting and on his twitter account, but in the book, it did tend to get on my nerves.

I’m not saying this is a bad book. It’s very funny – Bruce has a unique sense of humor that has been an obvious part of him since his early acting days. It also moves rapidly once you begin reading it, but it lacks substance to me. I could put it down for days and not feel the urge to pick it back up again because, personally, the story didn’t do anything for me. It was good for a one-time read, but nothing I’d visit again.

Overall – this is a humorous little jaunt through the making of a fictitious movie. It’s good mindless fun, best if read with Bruce’s voice narrating in your head, but overall, nothing spectacular. Still, I love Bruce, and I will seek out his memoir, If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor in the future.

6/10

Speak (1999)

By: Laurie Halse Anderson

Genre: Young Adult, Drama, Finding yourself

Melinda Sordino used to have a pretty good life. She got good grades, had a tight-knit group of friends, and was often invited to fun events. All of that changed the summer between middle school and high school, and now she enters ninth grade with no friends, a bad case of depression and a secret she can’t tell anyone. Her friends think she’s a narc, her parents think she’s grasping for attention, but no one asks her why she’s become this way. Melinda finds herself slipping into silence, and only her art can help her find her voice.

Melinda is a great character – I loved her sarcastic, cynical wit when describing things around her. Her quips are intelligent and funny, even if they come from a depressed mind. She has lost interest in school, except in the one subject that she can use as her outlet – art. I could feel her helplessness – she wants to tell her secret but doesn’t feel like anyone will believe her. Her friends won’t give her the time of day and her parents are never around – and when they are, it only seems to be to yell at her or each other.

I honestly couldn’t stand Melinda’s parents. The only time her father seemed to talk to her was to bellow about her poor grades. Occasionally he does something nice like get doughnuts on Thanksgiving or invite her to the hardware store with him, but for the most part he ignores her. Her mother isn’t much better – working long hours as a retail store manager, she doesn’t seem to have time for Melinda’s “cries for attention.” That is literally what she calls it when she sees that Melinda has self-cut, and promptly ignores her again. Excuse me, you’re not a bit concerned about why your daughter is cutting? Do neither of you see this downward spiral as something out of character for Melinda, someone who only months before was a solid student with a decent social life?  No friends, bad grades, sleeping all the time, cutting – these are signs she needs help, not to be yelled at by two half-wits who only seem to worry about how she’s making them look.

Her only friend for the first half of the book is Heather, a bubbly new girl full of school spirit and longing to belong somewhere. She tries to get Melinda involved, but mostly just uses her until she finds a better group of friends. Also, the girl has some anger management issues. However, I don’t think Melinda should have written off Ivy and Nicole so quickly. While neither of them hung around her specifically, they were never mean to her the way Rachel and other students were. I’m glad she and Ivy began to bond toward the end of the novel, and I think that Nicole would have talked to Melinda if Melinda had approached her. It is, of course, understandable why she was afraid to do so.

As far as the rest of the characters go, few stand out. David Petrakis is her nerdy lab partner who isn’t afraid to stand up to their bigoted history teacher, Mr. Neck (Melinda’s nickname for the teacher, real last name unknown.) Mr. Neck is one of those people who never should have ended up in charge of students. He’s a control freak douche bag who loves to push his weight around. Yet the school board allows him to get away with his antics (probably because he’s a coach for one of the sports teams) but harasses Mr. Freeman for using too much of the budget on art supplies. Mr. Freeman is the only teacher that seems to respect his students and encourage them to grow and find themselves. All the others – Mr. Neck and Hairwoman (English) especially – seem to try and squish the creativity right out of these kids, turning them into mindless drones like everyone else. It is Mr. Freeman who believes in Melinda and encourages her transformation as the book wears on. Her struggles with her art mirror her struggles with herself and the need to find her voice.

Melinda’s secret is revealed about halfway through the novel, but I had already seen the film, so I knew what it was. Anderson holds the suspense for a while, but I don’t think it’s hard to figure out with the hints dropped by Melinda. What happened to her is awful, and the fact that she had no one to confide in makes this novel heartbreaking in places.

My only real problem with the novel is the ending. We never find out if her parents learn what really happened to her that summer. I’m sure they did, but I would have liked to see how that happened and if they felt guilty at all for not realizing something was very wrong. We never find out if Andy is punished, and we never really find out if Melinda regains her friends and a happy social life. I would have liked to know how things ended up for her.

Overall, it was a quick, interesting read with a strong heroine and a compelling story. I just wish the ending had been expanded upon.

7/10

Admission (2009)

By: Jean Hanff Korelitz

Genre: Fiction, Drama, Romance, Self-Acceptance

“Admissions…Admission…Aren’t there two sides to the word? And two opposing sides…It’s what we let in, but it’s also what we let out.”

The above quote sums up the plot of this story nicely. The story follows Portia Nathan as she struggles with the changes in her life and confronts her past. Portia is an admissions officer for Princeton University, and as part of her job, she travels throughout New England, visiting many schools to recruit applicants. Upon visiting Quest, an experimental alternative education high school, she comes face to face with John Halsey, a man from her college years. The two spend an evening together, and upon returning home, her world seems to fall apart. Portia is forced on a journey of admission – admitting that her life may not be what she wants, admitting her past exists, and admitting the right people into her life.

Portia is a realistic heroine, but I often found it hard to understand her motivations. There are occasions where I can relate to her, such as her tendency to hold onto relationships when they are no longer working and a career she doesn't really enjoy. These things are safety nets and we all have one thing we can't release, even when it's long past time to do so. However, I can't understand why she refuses to let anyone in - not her mother, who may be a bit overbearing in her radical feminism; and not her friend Rachel, who is there for her, trying to get Portia to talk to her. Portia can only seem to open up to men - to John and to Mark - never the women in her life that care so much for her.

I don't really understand why Portia and her mother have such a strained relationship. Susannah may be a bit eccentric, but her heart is in the right place, and she managed to raise Portia single-handedly. She may have some radical ideas and stick to her opinions no matter the evidence against them, but she loves Portia and wants a relationship with her - something Portia doesn't seem capable of giving to her. The two may not see eye to eye, but it's obvious that Susannah would do anything to ensure Portia's happiness. It aggravated me that Portia, at thirty-eight, was treating her mother with the disdain of a teenager.

Some of this treatment is slightly explained in Part III of the novel, when Portia admits the long-harbored secret from her past. She took care of her issue all on her own, never telling anyone because she didn't want to accept this change in her life. Even though she knew her mother would help her, she didn't want it. She gives no explanation for why, and I found it hard to understand her reasoning.

She makes a lot of decisions I do not understand - not involving her mother when her past issue arose, and the decision she made towards the end of the novel that put her career in jeopardy. Was it really worth it? I suppose, but I could never do what she did.

She also tends to go catatonic whenever a man leaves her. It's like she's in shock and doesn't know how to handle this abandonment, It happens both with her college boyfriend, Tom, as well as her live-in boyfriend of sixteen years, Mark. Her pain is certainly understandable, but she just drags herself away from the world, avoiding everyone who could help. It proves how little self-esteem she truly has and sometimes a character like that is hard to read about. I would have liked to see that she got some help for what is clearly a form of clinical depression, but sadly, that does not occur. Being so down that you let your laundry pile up, rarely bathe, hardly eat, and immerse yourself in work is terribly unhealthy, and while I was glad she was able to gradually work herself out of it, I still feel that she needs to seek professional help for it.

I do like that the book promotes a healthy romance. When she is with John their interactions are cute and respectful of one another. They laugh and tease each other, have intellectual and meaningful conversations, and don't flip out on one another for stupid reasons. She is able to be herself around him and he loves her for exactly who she is - he always has. For once, the man is waiting for the woman to decide she wants the relationship, silently pining, but not letting it consume him. Also, I like that the romance is not the central focus of the novel - Portia's character growth is. Both she and John continue their normal lives, even though something is clearly developing between them. It is a relationship I found myself rooting for because I knew that John would be good for her.

I do feel that the book suffers a lot from extensive exposition. There are many times that I found myself getting lost in thought and losing my place. Not everything needs to be given so much explanation. Let it unfold naturally. I don't need to know every last detail. There are also points of redundancy, such as in mid-conversation: "He laughed. He said, 'I'm on my way.'" Couldn't it have just been, "He laughed, 'I'm on my way.'"? I think most readers get that he is responding to her with that alone. I don't think the "he said" is necessary. Lastly, there are a few name mix-ups in the final fourth of the novel - something an editor should have caught. The rest of the novel is pristine and error free, but those name mix-ups are jarring.

Overall, it is a decent read, but I probably won't revisit it. Portia is a very real character, even if she isn't always relatable or likable. The romance is cute and understated; a simple factor in Portia's journey to self-acceptance - something she desperately needs.

6.5/10

Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches From the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture (2011)

By: Peggy Orenstein

Genre: Nonfiction, Social Commentary, Women & Gender Studies

Ever since giving birth to her daughter, Daisy, Peggy Orenstein has wondered how to raise her into a healthy, confident young woman. Orenstein worries about how the world around her is affecting her daughter, and how much influence she has on her daughter’s healthy development, especially when young girls are exposed to media everywhere they go. Here, Orenstein inspects different elements of media – advertising, toys marketed to children – especially girls, the emphasis on the color pink, the Disney Princesses, young female idols (Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez), beauty pageants, the internet, books and films. The reader joins her on her journey of finding the happy medium of raising a well-adjusted girl in a world that has so many expectations.

Most of the book focuses heavily on the Disney Princesses – specifically Cinderella. It’s clear that Orenstein doesn’t want her daughter to idolize these characters, and I can understand why. All of these stories push the happily-ever-after ending with the prince who saves the day, and the girl becoming the fairest of them all, as well as a princess. Orenstein discusses the fact that while Mulan and Pocahontas are considered “princesses” there is hardly any merchandizing of them, yet they have the strongest characters. Meanwhile, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Ariel, and occasionally¸ Jasmine, steal the show. Orenstein points out that while these princesses often appear together in a group, they never make eye-contact with each other – this is because Roy Disney didn’t like the idea of mixing storylines – but Orenstein feels it exemplifies the fact that all of these princesses never had any real girlfriends. (That is a rather troubling thought when you think about it; they only ever have their prince to guide them.) 

To counteract the Disney version of these Fairy Tales, she read the Brothers Grimm stories to her five-year-old daughter. She was a little worried about how the gore and violence would affect Daisy, but the little girl didn’t seem to mind it. Orenstein found that the original tales had a lot more to offer than the Disney versions, and continues to read them - along with stories of mythology, legends and biblical tales with strong female characters – to her daughter frequently.

One thing I did take issue with in her book section is her take on Robert Munsch’s The Paper Bag Princess. The part Orenstein finds fault with is at the end, where, after the princess has gone through all the trouble of trying to rescue her prince, he tells her to go away and return when she looks like a “REAL Princess.” The princess rightfully dumps him, and goes on her merry way, leaving him behind. Orenstein claims that this reaffirms the cultural necessity to be pretty and feminine. She says, “Step out of line and you end up solo.” (p.101) So, would you rather this princess decided to stick by a man who obviously would treat her poorly? As a child, this book was one of my absolute favorites, and I never thought the princess ended up alone, the thought never crossed my innocent little mind. I was too busy rooting her on for drop kicking that conceited prince and moving on – which is what all people should do to a partner like him. Besides, even if she did end up alone, it’s better than being with someone who would treat her like dirt! I honestly don’t see the problem with this story at all. 

Orenstein also tackles a book entitled Princess Smarty-Pants whose heroine is uninterested in marriage. A prince wins her hand in a contest, the girl kisses him and he turns into a frog. She then goes happily about her life, living with her pets and enjoying herself. Orenstein claims, “…That’s not progress; it’s payback.” (p. 101) How so? For what? If a male character can live out his life contentedly without a female partner, why can’t a female character? I thought we, as feminists, didn’t want every story to end in marriage, pushing the idea that it’s something all girls must do? I don’t see anything wrong with a female character who prefers the company of animals to that of a man, and I think it’s a refreshing story for young girls to read. Not every woman or man wants to get married, why can’t we have literature out there telling them that that decision is okay? Again, I don’t really see a valid complaint here. 

When she gets into the toys, she discusses Barbie, Bratz, Monster High, etc. She argues that these fashion dolls get our daughters wrapped up in materialism and consumerism, as well as dressing provocatively and wearing makeup. I have my arguments, but I’ll leave those aside in favor of the ones against her next claims. 

On the one hand, she introduces the American Girl line as the anti-fashion doll. These dolls are well-made and each has her own series of books that take place during a certain time period. These girls all have distinct personalities, are often very strong, and they all have an interesting development over their six book span. She mentions that they are great for girls, but then lays into them for a couple reasons:

                1.) They only have one African-American girl, Addy, in the group. True. Prior to the writing of this book, there was only one. Now there are two. Also, Orenstein barely mentions the Native-American girl, Kaya, except to say that her doll is boring and hard to accessorize; and doesn’t mention the Hispanic girl, Josephina, at all.
                2.) While the books teach traditional values, the dolls lead little girls into the downward spiral of consumerism – and these dolls are expensive ($110 a piece, but they last for a very long time) and so are their accessories. Here’s where I draw the line – it is the company’s job to market their product, it is the parents’ job to tell their daughters ‘no.’ I grew up when American Girl became incredibly popular. I devoured the books, had two of the dolls, and a few of the expensive accessories. These items I collected over about three to five years – I could pick one or two major items from the catalog and I would receive them for Christmas/my birthday, and that was perfectly fine with me. I thought I was spoiled and the luckiest girl in the world. Orenstein cites this as a problem, using her friend as an example. This friend shelled out $500 at the American Girl Place (their major store in New York) – that is not the fault of the store or the company – that is the fault of a mother who can’t say ‘no.’ Bad example. 

Of all the toys Orenstein discusses, I would have my future daughter playing with American Girl dolls. Not to provide an unsolicited advertisement, but these dolls are both fun and educational. I learned a lot about history reading those books, and they introduced me to one of my favorite genres: historical fiction. I even chose my dolls based on my favorite characters. I enjoyed them very much as a child, and still revisit the books on occasion.

The topic of child beauty pageants is also explored, and I have to say I was a little surprised in how Orenstein handled it. Considering how she is often blatant in her opinions, I wasn’t expecting her to be able to be objective in that situation. She describes the gaudy clothing and the hours of hair and makeup, as well as the constant coaching of the pageant moms, without judgment, actually giving the reader some details on two of the families involved. While she does worry about the affect of the pageant scene on these girls and the appearance-centric ideals it promotes, she also finds a way to understand the parents involved and listens to their stories. She states that the shows like Toddlers & Tiaras focus too much on the negative aspects, and not enough on the people they are filming. The viewers at home lap it up as they sit in judgment, when they really don’t know anything about the people onscreen. That is a fair argument, and television is known for its sensationalism, but the chapter still didn’t answer whether beauty pageants have a positive or negative effect on the young contestants. If Toddlers & Tiaras only depicts the negative side, show me more positive – show me former contestants who fall on either side of the argument. Don’t just say there are good people with understandable motives involved in the scene and leave it at that. That doesn’t give us any answers.

I wasn’t a big fan of her “Wholesome to Whoresome” chapter either. She focused on all the Child-Stars-Gone-Bad/Crazy and neglected to mention that many turn out fine. [Paraphrasing]: Britney Spears started out innocent(ish) but when she started embracing her sexuality, her fans turned on her. As one of Britney’s early devoted fans, I didn’t abandon her because of her sexuality – nor did any girl I knew. A lot of us just grew up and discovered different forms of music – I discovered pop-punk and alternative rock, leaving my Britney days behind me for quite some time. Did I think she was pretty? Yes. Did I like her style? Yes. Did I start to call her a whore after I’d moved on? No, and no other former fans did either. The only people who attacked her were people that never liked her in the first place – at least that’s how it was in my school. I’m not saying Orenstein is wrong, but it wasn’t my particular experience.

Orenstein then goes on to discuss the Disney girls: Hilary Duff, Miley Cyrus, Lindsay Lohan, and Selena Gomez. Hilary is apparently a “whore” because she posed in Maxim – does anyone but the males who have that issue hidden under their mattress even remember that? Same with Melissa Joan Hart – she’s gone on with her career. While some people find it sad, a lot of female child stars do this to prove they’re adults now and a few have done so to break their contracts with networks binding them to child-like roles (i.e. Jessica Biel). It happens; child stars grow up and embrace their sexuality – usually when they are of legal age, and parents often find that to be a hard concept to grasp.

Miley Cyrus is the exception – getting an early start at the age of fifteen with the racy Vanity Fair photo shoot and not long after, her “pole-dancing” at the Kid’s Choice Awards. Also she has a music video where she’s dancing provocatively in a cage – apparently. Orenstein describes the Miley concert she attended, its overt sexuality, and how upset the young girls in attendance were. These girls weren’t upset by the sexuality, they were upset because it was strictly a Miley show – it had nothing to do with Hannah Montana – the character they know her as. While Miley has made some bad choices – and continues to make them, she lost her fan base because she outgrew the show/character that created it, not because she has become a sexual being.

After the lengthy discussion about Britney and Miley’s troubled roads, Orenstein predicts that the same thing will happen to Disney’s latest “It-Girl” Selena Gomez. I find it a little offensive that she can just write Gomez off like that, without really paying attention to the girl that she is. From what I’ve seen of Selena, it’s looking good – she’s involved with charity and politics, she has done some more grown-up films and has appeared, tastefully dressed, on the cover of Cosmo. She keeps her personal life quiet. I’m not throwing the towel in on her just yet, and I don’t think it’s fair for the author to either. Not every young actress/starlet acts out – there are quite a few girls who have made it through just fine – like Mandy Moore, Danica McKellar, Mila Kunis, and, though she is still very young, Dakota Fanning. Not to mention Shirley Temple, the most famous child star and a figure referenced quite frequently in this book. Sure, Temple aged out of her cute child acting gigs, but she also went on to have a prolific career in politics – being a Representative to the UN, an Ambassador to Ghana, and the first female Chief of Protocol. Orenstein doesn’t bother to mention anything after Shirley left the film industry, and that’s a shame, because she is definitely a star worth idolizing.  

Orenstein discusses lightly the affect the internet on young girls – but she doesn’t go into much detail. She interviews three teenage girls, all friends from the same school, who have weird definitions of what is and isn’t slutty online. She glosses over sexting and cyberbullying, without really offering parents any aid in keeping their children safe online. Also, there is really no discussion about internet predators which is still very much a problem. I felt she could have gone a lot further into this material than she did, this chapter alone could have easily been a book itself with the right research.

She does share some interesting facts, such as the age groups “Toddler” and “Tween” were first created by marketing teams before becoming actual developmental stages examined by psychologists. There are a few books she mentioned that I will be looking into - especially The Body Project by Joan Jacobs Brumberg, where the author compares and contrasts New Year’s Resolutions from girls of the nineteenth century and girls of today. I think Orenstein’s suggestion of not talking down your own appearance in front of your daughter is a good one, and I loved that she suggested introducing young girls to the films of Hayao Miyazaki – which have great female leads and strong story lines. Also, watching/listening/reading the same media your daughter does and discussing it with her is another great idea. Not only will you have a conversation that provides the girl with a better understanding of what she is consuming, you’re also connecting with her via something she enjoys, which can strengthen the bond between the two of you.

Overall, the book wasn’t bad, but I felt she was reaching in a lot of areas. I also felt that she found fault where there was none to be had. Nothing is perfect, but there are products that are better than others. I would rather have my daughter idolize The Paper Bag Princess than grow up to moon over trash like Twilight. I think Orenstein offers some great insight and interesting facts, but there are places where she could have gone further in her thesis and places where she could have backed off a little bit. I did like what few suggestions she had for raising healthy – minded girls, but, ultimately, at the end of the book, I felt just as confused as when I started it. There’s no easy answer, that’s a fact, but it made the whole endeavor feel almost pointless. I feel Orenstein came out of this project with as few answers as she went in with, and that isn’t very helpful to the reader.  

5/10