Author: ondbookshelf

Title: The Muralist
Author: B. A. Shapiro
Published: November 3, 2015 by Algonquin Books
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher at BEA
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads

Alizée Benoit, an American painter working for the Works Progress Administration (WPA), vanishes in New York City in 1940 amid personal and political turmoil. No one knows what happened to her. Not her Jewish family living in German-occupied France. Not her artistic patron and political compatriot, Eleanor Roosevelt. Not her close-knit group of friends, including Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, and Lee Krasner. And, some seventy years later, not her great-niece, Danielle Abrams, who while working at Christie’s auction house uncovers enigmatic paintings hidden behind recently found works by those now famous Abstract Expressionist artists. Do they hold answers to the questions surrounding her missing aunt?

Entwining the lives of both historical and fictional characters, and moving between the past and the present, The Muralist plunges readers into the divisiveness of prewar politics and the largely forgotten plight of European refugees refused entrance to the United States. It captures both the inner workings of today’s New York art scene and the beginnings of the vibrant and quintessentially American school of Abstract Expressionism.

B.A. Shapiro is a master at telling a gripping story while exploring provocative themes. In Alizée and Danielle she has created two unforgettable women, artists both, who compel us to ask, What happens when luminous talent collides with inexorable historical forces? Does great art have the power to change the world? And to what lengths should a person go to thwart evil?

My review:

This is a wonderfully told story, and a fascinating look into some of the parts of WWII that I don't often read about. A lot of focus on the Works Progress Administration (WPA) highly regarded by Eleanor Roosevelt, the failure of the US to allow immigrants from Europe to enter the country, and the mental state of a lot of the artists of the time. I really appreciated this different perspective on the state of the world at that time. The story is told in alternating chapters by the artist Alizee (in the 40s) and present day Dani (her great niece), an art appraiser. The book has a bit of a mystery to it, as we follow Dani on her journey to find out what happened to her aunt by using some art pieces found taped to the back of Abstract artists paintings. Concurrent with this we have Alizee's story of her art creations, her relationships with other artists of the WPA, and her desperate struggle to free her family from Europe. We get insight into what was going on in Europe just prior to and during the war through letters sent to Alizee from various family members. Very well written, the characters were ones you really cared about finding resolution for.

I love the way this author seamlessly combines historical events with fiction to create a page turning novel. Make sure you also pick up her first book The Art Forger, which is equally as good.

Title: Station Eleven
Author: Emily St. John Mandel
Published: September 9, 2014 by Knopf
Pages: 336
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads

One snowy night Arthur Leander, a famous actor, has a heart attack onstage during a production of King Lear. Jeevan Chaudhary, a paparazzo-turned-EMT, is in the audience and leaps to his aid. A child actress named Kirsten Raymonde watches in horror as Jeevan performs CPR, pumping Arthur's chest as the curtain drops, but Arthur is dead. That same night, as Jeevan walks home from the theater, a terrible flu begins to spread. Hospitals are flooded and Jeevan and his brother barricade themselves inside an apartment, watching out the window as cars clog the highways, gunshots ring out, and life disintegrates around them.

Fifteen years later, Kirsten is an actress with the Traveling Symphony. Together, this small troupe moves between the settlements of an altered world, performing Shakespeare and music for scattered communities of survivors. Written on their caravan, and tattooed on Kirsten's arm is a line from Star Trek: "Because survival is insufficient." But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who digs graves for anyone who dares to leave.

Spanning decades, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, this suspenseful, elegiac novel is rife with beauty. As Arthur falls in and out of love, as Jeevan watches the newscasters say their final good-byes, and as Kirsten finds herself caught in the crosshairs of the prophet, we see the strange twists of fate that connect them all. A novel of art, memory, and ambition, Station Eleven tells a story about the relationships that sustain us, the ephemeral nature of fame, and the beauty of the world as we know it.

My review: I'm very late to the party in reading this one. I've had it on my tbr pile for a while, and when I found out that the author was speaking at the Boston book festival, that was motivation to pull this one off the shelf. Overall I really liked this book. It's not really something that I tend to gravitate to (most of the dystopian novels I've read have been YA), but I was very intrigued by the end of the world concept. So intrigued, that I kind of wish there was more of that storyline, and not so much of the traveling troupe. I really enjoyed reading about the way the characters who were left (both during and after the epidemic flu), coped within their surroundings. Jeevan and his brother, who were holed up in his apartment watching the chaos out the window, and later, those who end up at an abandoned airport. I found the troupe to be rather boring, and particularly didn't care for the violence associated with some of their journey. The story does jump back and forth in time, but it was fairly easy to keep up with. I liked the writing style, there were some beautifully written passages. It's interesting to note that this is the first (and probably the only, from what she said at the book festival) foray into dystopian from Ms. Mandel. I admit to not having read any of her previous work, but I would like to someday.

Fascinating story about the end of the world as we know it, and the few who are left behind. Loved the survivor stories, but the Shakesperean troupe was not my favorite storyline.

Emily St. John Mandel (seen here with Sandra Newman) at the Boston book festival.

Title: The Good Neighbor
Author: A. J. Banner
Published: September 1, 2015 by Lake Union Publishing
Pages: 196
Source: Publisher via BookSparks
Rating: 3/5
Goodreads

Shadow Cove, Washington, is the kind of town everyone dreams about—quaint streets, lush forests, good neighbors. That’s what Sarah thinks as she settles into life with her new husband, Dr. Johnny McDonald. But all too soon she discovers an undercurrent of deception. And one October evening when Johnny is away, sudden tragedy destroys Sarah’s happiness.

Dazed and stricken with grief, she and Johnny begin to rebuild their shattered lives. As she picks up the pieces of her broken home, Sarah discovers a shocking secret that forces her to doubt everything she thought was true—about her neighbors, her friends, and even her marriage. With each stunning revelation, Sarah must ask herself, Can we ever really know the ones we love?

My review:

This book was a quick read. Interesting enough, but may not be one that I will remember much about in the months to come. I liked the storyline, and the pace moved along with a decent enough writing style. The twists and turns were well done, some were predictable, but others were not. There was some suspense that kept me turning pages, and I liked the fact that I had some people pegged wrong 🙂 I just wasn't ever totally invested in the characters, and I'm wondering if this was a function of the length of the book, or if it was the way the characters were written? It's also being touted as yet another psychological thriller, and I wouldn't really call it that. As I mentioned, there was some suspense, but not worthy of that term in my opinion.

Not a bad novel to pick up for a quick read. The plot will keep you moving through until the end, but you may find the characters a bit lacking.

This book is part of the BookSparks fall reading challenge. Click the link to find out more about this program.

Title: White Collar Girl
Author: Renee Rosen
Published: November 3, 2015 by NAL
Pages: 448
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads

Every second of every day, something is happening. There’s a story out there buried in the muck, and Jordan Walsh, coming from a family of esteemed reporters, wants to be the one to dig it up. But it’s 1955, and the men who dominate the city room of the Chicago Tribune have no interest in making room for a female cub reporter. Instead Jordan is relegated to society news, reporting on Marilyn Monroe sightings at the Pump Room and interviewing secretaries for the White Collar Girl column.

Even with her journalistic legacy and connections to luminaries like Mike Royko, Nelson Algren, and Ernest Hemingway, Jordan struggles to be taken seriously. Of course, that all changes the moment she establishes a secret source inside Mayor Daley’s office and gets her hands on some confidential information. Now careers and lives are hanging on Jordan’s every word. But if she succeeds in landing her stories on the front page, there’s no guarantee she’ll remain above the fold.

My review:

I was initially drawn to this book on NetGalley because of the cover. Kudos to the designers, as they made me venture on to find out what the book was about. Synopsis looked interesting so I requested to read it and was approved. I love it when a cover steers me to a stellar book choice! This book was really interesting on so many levels. I loved the time period, it begins before I was born, but continues up until I was a toddler. I loved that it took place in Chicago. So many books take place in NYC, it's nice to learn a bit about the history of some other major US cities. And the fact that it highlights a woman trying to make her way in a "man's world" (we are in the 50's) was excellent fodder for a plot. I also learned a bit about the inner workings of a newspaper back in that time period, and the corruption surrounding Mayor Daley. A subplot about how Jordan's brother was killed added yet another dimension to the story, although this was probably my least favorite part. It was threaded throughout the book, and while it was interesting, I found myself just wanting to get back to the newsroom. Well written, good characterization, and some real-life news items to provide a historical aspect.

Great book choice to learn about Chicago in the 50's, the newspaper business, and the role of a working woman during this time period. I'm so glad this cover caught my eye!

Title: Rooville
Author: Julie Long
Published: September 8, 2015 by SparkPress
Pages: 396
Source: Publisher via BookSparks
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads

Even after thirteen years in Southern California, Owen Martin can feel the corners of his squareness still sharply evident. He’s a TV weatherman bored by the beautiful climate. He wants to coach basketball but all the kids play soccer. And he seems to be the only person who thinks a fruit smoothie is a poor substitute for a vanilla shake. When he’s fired from his job, Owen is relieved to head home to Iowa, to the town his ancestors founded and the simple life he knew before his father died. He can’t predict the atmospheric pressure he's about to encounter, which, as any meteorologist knows, is the key catalyst for change. . . .In his absence, Martinville has become the center of the Transcendental Meditation movement and host to all things alternative. There are golden domes for mass meditations, a vegan café where the burger joint stood, and all the shop doors around Town Square now face east. But far worse than anything is the danger to the Martin family farm. In a town divided between “Regulars” and “Roos” (gurus), Owen is clear where he stands until he falls for a levitator instead of the down-to-earth girl he had in mind. With old customs and open-mindedness clashing like warm and cold fronts, Owen gets caught in a veritable tornado. Can he save the farm, get the girl, and reunite the town? Maybe . . . if he’s willing to embrace a change in the weather.

My review:

Sweet story about whether or not you can truly go home again, and what happens when the home you know is vastly different than it was when you left. It's a tale of the "regulars" vs. the "roos (gurus)", and if there can be a peaceful co-existence. I loved the character of Owen, a lovable guy who just wants to settle down in his old home, in his old hometown, in a place where life should be simpler (and has four seasons). We follow him along his path to achieve his goals, but what a set of adventures he must go through along his way. Well written, well paced, and partly factual (the author grew up in the actual town in Iowa where many of the Roo events actually took place). The tornado section was a bit tedious, but necessary to set up the end. While I was happy with the ending, I'm not sure that I actually believe that Owen's relationship would work out long term, but in the world of this story, I can hope that it does 🙂

Refreshing story about going back to your roots. A great protagonist, with a wonderful collection of community characters, this is one that is worth a read.

This book is part of the BookSparks fall reading challenge. To find out about this program, click the link.

"It's the most wonderful time of the year"........at least for reading! I just love holiday books, and will be participating again this year in the Ho Ho Ho Read-a-thon. This event is hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Bookshelfery.

How adorable is this year's graphic? I can't wait to get in the holiday spirit with my reading choices!

And here are my books! Shown in no particular order, it's quite a stack! I don't know how many I'll get through, I'm not setting any goal, we'll just see how it goes. I will be updating my progress in this post, and will give a final tally once the read-a-thon is complete. SO excited to get in the holiday book spirit!!

A Christmas to Remember by Jenny Hale......PROGRESS as of 11/17/15 60 pages

I Heart Christmas by Lindsey Kelk
A Very Nantucket Christmas by Nancy Thayer......COMPLETED 11/16/15 209 pages

Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand----COMPLETED 11/13/15 272 pages

The Christmas Pearl by Dorothea Benton Frank.......COMPLETED 11/16/15 176 pages

The Christmas Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini
Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lanb......COMPLETED 11/15/15 286 pages

Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews---COMPLETED 11/13/15 194 pages

The Gift by Cecelia Ahern.....COMPLETED 11/14/15 302 pages
TOTAL BOOKS READ: 6 1/4
TOTAL PAGES: 1499

Love this event! Happy holidays everyone! Until next year's event..........

Title: The Admissions
Author: Meg Mitchell Moore
Published: August 18, 2015 by Doubleday
Pages: 320
Source: Publisher via BookSparks
Rating: 5/5
Goodreads

      The Hawthorne family has it all. Great jobs, a beautiful house in one of the most affluent areas of northern California, and three charming kids with perfectly straight teeth. And then comes their eldest daughter's senior year of high school . . .
     Firstborn Angela Hawthorne is a straight-A student and star athlete, with extracurricular activities coming out of her ears and a college application that's not going to write itself. She's set her sights on Harvard, her father's alma mater, and like a dog with a chew toy, Angela won't let up until she's basking in crimson-colored glory. Except her class rank as valedictorian is under attack, she's suddenly losing her edge at cross-country, and she can't help but daydream about the cute baseball player in English class. Of course Angela knows the time put into her schoolgirl crush would be better spent coming up with a subject for her term paper—which, along with her college essay and community service hours has a rapidly approaching deadline. 
     Angela's mother, Nora, is similarly stretched to the limit, juggling parent-teacher meetings, carpool, and a real-estate career where she caters to the mega rich and super-picky buyers and sellers of the Bay Area. The youngest daughter, Maya, still can't read at the age of eight; the middle-child, Cecily, is no longer the happy-go-lucky kid she once was; and the dad, Gabe, seems oblivious to the mounting pressures at home because a devastating secret of his own might be exposed. A few ill-advised moves put the Hawthorne family on a heedless collision course that's equal parts achingly real and delightfully screwball.
     Sharp and topical, The Admissions shows that if you pull at a loose thread, even the sturdiest of lives start to unravel at the seams of high achievement.

My review:

This book could not have come at a better time. My daughter was doing her final submission of her college applications, and I fully embraced the make believe world of The Hawthorne family! The author completely nailed the personalities and voices of the three girls in the family. Having had daughters who have gone through all of these stages, I was in love with her characterizations! There is a lot going on in this book that is not just about getting into college, although that part is written really well. We have the two younger girls with their own issues, the Dad who is obsessed with Harvard, and the Mom who is being stretched way too thin. I found this book to have some humorous parts, mostly poking fun of the Bay Area elite (the section about the yoga class and juice bar had me laughing out loud). There were some serious issues also interspersed to make a well rounded and enjoyable read. It got a little far fetched with Angela at the end, but I was too immersed at that point to care, and the ending was very satisfying.

You don't have to have experience with college admissions to enjoy this novel, it's a darn good family tale that will have you craving more from this author!

This book is part of the BookSparks fall reading challenge, click the link to be directed to their page for more information.

Title: After You
Author: Jojo Moyes
Published: September 29, 2015 by Penguin
Pages: 352
Source: Purchased
Rating: 3.5/5
Goodreads

How do you move on after losing the person you loved? How do you build a life worth living?

Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him. When an extraordinary accident forces Lou to return home to her family, she can’t help but feel she’s right back where she started.

Her body heals, but Lou herself knows that she needs to be kick-started back to life. Which is how she ends up in a church basement with the members of the Moving On support group, who share insights, laughter, frustrations, and terrible cookies. They will also lead her to the strong, capable Sam Fielding—the paramedic, whose business is life and death, and the one man who might be able to understand her. Then a figure from Will’s past appears and hijacks all her plans, propelling her into a very different future. . . .

For Lou Clark, life after Will Traynor means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that brings. But here Jojo Moyes gives us two families, as real as our own, whose joys and sorrows will touch you deeply, and where both changes and surprises await.

My review:

My most anticipated novel of the year! A sequel to one of my all time favorite books Me Before You! Unfortunately, sometimes a buildup to an event can lead to inevitable disappointment, which happened in this case 🙁 I was so interested in finding out what happened to Lou, and I wasn't all that happy with the direction her life took. She spent too much time wallowing in grief (exactly what Will did not want her to do), and I felt that didn't really fit her personality. Sometimes the old Lou would come through, but it was almost as if without the Will dynamic, she just wasn't the same. I wasn't crazy about the parallel story regarding Will's past (no spoilers here), or the kind of off-the-wall antics of Lou's mum. I couldn't connect to Lily at all, it got somewhat better as we find out some key facts about her, but by then it was kind of too late. So.......what did I like? Honestly, if this had been a stand alone novel, I probably would have given it 4 stars. It was well written, had good characterizations, definite plot points, yes.....Jojo Moyes is a great storyteller. I thought the author did an exceptional job with the grief of Will's parents. I was completely drawn in by their parts in the book, I wish we had seen more of a storyline about them. To her credit, Moyes was never planning a sequel to Will and Lou's story until her fans begged for one. Sometimes you don't always like what you asked for 🙂

Bottom line....if you read this as a standalone novel, it is enjoyable. If you have read Me Before You, and were completely moved by the story (seriously the most I've cried over a book, EVER), you may not want to find out what happens.

Title: The Great Christmas Knit-Off
Author: Alexandra Brown
Published: October 13, 2015 by William Morrow Paperbacks
Pages: 400
Source: Edelweiss
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads

Heartbroken after being jilted at the altar, Sybil has been saved from despair by her knitting obsession and now her home is filled to bursting with tea cosies, bobble hats, and jumpers. But, after discovering that she may have perpetrated the cock-up of the century at work, Sybil decides to make a hasty exit and, just weeks before Christmas, runs away to the picturesque village of Tindledale.

There, Sybil discovers Hettie’s House of Haberdashery, an emporium dedicated to the world of knitting and needle craft. But Hettie, the outspoken octogenarian owner, is struggling and now the shop is due for closure. And when Hettie decides that Sybil’s wonderfully wacky Christmas jumpers are just the thing to add a bit of excitement to her window display, something miraculous starts to happen.

My review:

What a wonderful little holiday treasure this one is! Cute storyline about a community coming together to help one of its aging citizens. Great characters, and wonderful descriptions of the little village of Tindledale (even the name evokes warm fuzzy feelings). A bit of a mysterious subplot, but the main focus is on the main character of Sybil, and her relationship with all the townspeople, particularly the lady who owns the knitting shop, and the town doctor (which of course leads exactly the way you know it's going to). My only niggling complaint would be the amount of times we had to dredge up Sybil's past, at the beginning would have sufficed for the million times it is mentioned 🙂 Loved the ending, this is just such a heartwarming holiday story, with a little bit of everything (angst, humor, family, love, crafting, cooking, mystery, friendship, history) thrown in. I hope there is a sequel as I would love to travel back to Tindledale!

I haven't knit for ages, but this book not only made me want to pick up some knitting needles, but travel to a village like Tindledale to spend the holidays.