Okay For Now – Gary D. Schmidt

Okay for Now is a perfect middle-grade novel.  The characters are multi-layered, memorable and endearing, the story is engaging and when you close the book you are glad you read it.

The book is set in the late 1960s and narrated by Doug, a seventh grader who moves to a small town in upstate New York when his abusive father gets a new job.  And while he has a horrible home life it is the small town characters that show up and show him just a little bit of kindness that make this book great.  Each chapter starts with an Audubon painting that Doug is learning to sketch and while that might seem weird while reading my post, it actually works brilliantly.  It is through the Audubon paintings that Doug starts to form a connection with a few people in town, in particular Lil Spicer who is the definition of a spitfire and a perfect complement to Doug.

My only complaint is the cover.  It’s not great and I think people might pass over it because it isn’t quite eye-catching or noteworthy.  And that is unfortunate given the story that awaits them!

Okay for Now has already popped up on mock-Newbery lists and if the library gods are smiling I hoping the (possibly new?) jacket will be sporting medal in January.

 

Joy for Beginners – Erica Bauermeister

This was such a pleasant and easy read.  When Kate’s friends gather for dinner to celebrate her beating cancer, Kate raises a glass and says she’ll undertake something she finds frightening – a white-water rafting trip with her daughter.  The catch is that all her girlfriends must also confront something that terrifies them and Kate gets to pick their challenges.

I found myself looking forward to each chapter and discovering what each woman needed to accomplish.  It is clear that each woman agrees to the plan them solely for Kate.  Beating cancer is no small feat, so they will indulge her.  But what they don’t recognize at the onset is that Kate will a challenge that is well-thought out and completely tailored to them.  These challenges aren’t something like skydiving, singing in front of a group of strangers.  In fact, one is as simple as “learn to bake bread.”  But what Kate does is have her friends confront something that is holding them back…fear, grief, guilt, etc.

If you enjoy well-written women’s fiction then you’ll enjoy Joy for Beginners.

The History of Love – Nicole Krauss

Rather than give a typical review of this title I just want to list a few quotes from the book.  I’m hoping that the beautiful prose will entice you to pick up the book.  I love when I read a book and I come across a sentence and I’ll need to re-read because it was THAT amazing.  The History of Love caused me to to do this multiple times. Here are just a few of them:

• “Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering.”
• “One day she marched around the side of the house and confronted me. “I’ve seen you out there every day for the past week, and everyone knows you stare at me all day in school, if you have something you want to say to me why don’t you just say it to my face instead of sneaking around like a crook?” I considered my options. Either I could run away and never go back to school again, maybe even leave the country as a stowaway on a ship bound for Australia. Or I could risk everything and confess to her. The answer was obvious: I was going to Australia. I opened my mouth to say goodbye forever. And yet. What I said was: I want to know if you’ll marry me.”
• “At the end, all that’s left of you are your possessions. Perhaps that’s why I’ve never been able to throw anything away. Perhaps that’s why I hoarded the world: with the hope that when I died, the sum total of my things would suggest a life larger than the one I lived.”

I started and finished this on a plane ride to California and gave it to my seatmate for her flight to Hawaii.  Here’s hoping she enjoyed it just as much as I did.

What’s new in stores this week

Here are a few books on-sale this week that I’m excited about.  Happy Reading!

The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan (hardcover) – I’ve been hearing LOTS about this book.  Jake Marlowe is a 201-year-old werewolf and the last of his species.  Deeply depressed he contemplates suicide even though that means extinction. But there are people out there who will do whatever it takes to keep him alive.  The book has been called thrilling and sexy. Needless to say…I’m intrigued. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9532302-the-last-werewolf

The Widower’s Tale by Julia Glass (paperback) – After living a solitary life for decades, Percy Darling reexamines his life when he lets a local preschool set up shop in his barn.  Julia Glass is an amazing writer, her characters are so well-drawn.  I’m looking forward to The Widower’s Tale.  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9905347-the-widower-s-tale

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton (paperback) – I really enjoyed Kate Morton’s The Forgotten Garden so I”m excited to see this in paperback.  It’s easy to get lost in her story and the characters so I can’t wait to see what is in store for me with The Distant Hours.  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10429790-the-distant-hours

Room – Emma Donoghue

Wow. We read Room for my book club and I think it is a perfect choice for book clubs.  There are so many discussion topics.  Room is the story of Jack, a precocious child who spends his days in room with his mother.  Through his eyes we see their world and through his stories we discover that his mother is the victim of a kidnapping and is now being held captive by Old Nick.  When she was taken it was just her, Jack came later.

Though it takes a few pages to get into the rhythm of Donoghue’s writing, it is an impressive feat to tell an adult novel from a 5-year-old’s perspective and keep it a compelling read for 300 pages.  Donoghue does an amazing job capturing the mentality of a 5-year-old.  A few times, I had to remind myself that the narrator was a child and was limited to what he could do and what he could understand.  I wanted him to care about getting out of room and understand that where he lived was terrible, not wonderful.  But that is only because I bring an adult perspective to Room.  When your whole world is a confined space it is almost impossible to navigate the “real” world.  I couldn’t expect him to easily rescue his mother when he had never been outside, had never been in the sun, didn’t know how to climb stairs,never met his extended family, and countless other things that we experience on a daily basis (and take for granted).

I don’t want to say too much more about the book as I think you need to read and experience it for yourself.  It is by no means an “easy” read but it is worthwhile.  I wholeheartedly agree with the praise and accolades bestowed on this book.

Reading this weekend? It’s a Shore Thing

It’s July 4th weekend and that means I’ll be making my trek to the Jersey Shore to visit my Grandma for the long weekend.  Don’t get too excited…my weekend activities are a far cry from the antics seen on TV.  When I visit the shore it usually includes the activities of sleeping in, laying out by the pool, picking up clams for pre-dinner snacks and of course copious amounts of reading.   Besides seeing family I am most excited about the reading…the shelves in my apartment and office are overflowing with good books.  I’m always complaining about how I will never have time to get to all of them so hopefully my lazy summer weekend will let me tackle a few of them.  Now I just need to narrow down what to bring.  Here is what I am thinking:

• The Barbarian Nurseries by Hector Tobar – this book won’t be out until October 2011 but I’ve been hearing good things and I can’t wait to dive in and read it.  (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10898140-the-barbarian-nurseries)
• The American Heiress by Daisy Godwin  (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9999107-the-american-heiress)
• The Anthropology of an American Girl by Hilary Thayer Hamann – this has been on my shelf forever.  This had great buzz before it published and I’m sure it will be great.  It is published by Spiegal & Grau (an imprint at Random House) and I don’t think I’ve ever read a book from them that I haven’t liked.  (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6393809-anthropology-of-an-american-girl)

I think that is enough for now…it adds up to over 1500 pages so I probably won’t finish all 3 books.  But I can’t go anywhere without bringing more books than I need.

Happy 4th! and Happy Reading!