St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves

by Karen Russell

I was gifted this book by an absolutely fabulous friend of mine, when I went to visit her last October. Technically, I have been reading this book since she handed it to me... but since it's a collection of short stories, that doesn't make me feel bad. Russell was widely recognized for this work, and has since written a full length novel based on one of the ten short stories featured within these pages. Most of the stories take place in an island community, but she introduces bizarre, and sometimes creepy, characters (ghosts, minotaurs, wolf girls... you know, the usual). While I was expecting something unusual in Russell's writing, I was surprised by the haunting endings of almost every single story. Almost every story in this collection left me feeling unsettled (and slightly awkward) at the end. My favorite stories include "Haunting Olivia" (where 2 brothers search the ocean for the ghost of their little sister who washed out to sea in a clamshell), and "Out to Sea" (about a retired man living in a houseboat community & his young kleptomaniac "buddy"). St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves is not a collection the reader can simply rush through, but should be read slowly, so as to appreciate the full impact of each individual story (and not all of them simply strung together).

Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy

by Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt, David Weaver-Zercher

Have you noticed how many books I'm given by my sisters? Well, I have another one for you! Amish Grace is a non-fiction work that illustrates the incredible grace & forgiveness practiced by the Amish people. The authors begin with a concrete demonstration of Amish forgiveness in the school shooting that occurred in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. A man burst into a one-room Amish schoolhouse, and shot many of the small girls there before killing himself as well. What truly amazed the nation, however, was the uncommon forgiveness offered by the victims and general Amish population to the family of the offender.

Kraybill, Nolt & Weaver-Zercher go further in depth to demonstrate that this was not a one time incident of forgiveness, but rather the expression of a culture built on a foundation of forgiveness. Where many Christian faiths practice that humans should forgive because we have been forgiven by God first, the Amish teach that God's forgiveness is dependent on our first forgiving others. While it may appear that forgiveness comes easily to them, these people struggle with anger & pain in the process of forgiveness. Research demonstrates that the Amish believe forgiveness to be beneficial to both the offender and the victim, and necessary for the victim to heal. The authors also make the important distinction between forgiveness & reconciliation, which is often overlooked. For example, in the Amish tradition of "shunning" members of the community may be forgiven; but continue to be excluded in certain matters until they express regret for their actions and can be reconciled to the church. While they may have their shortcomings, these communities approach forgiveness with a practical mindset and open hearts. The Amish have customs that may seem bizarre to many in our modern world (forsaking many of the comforts & conveniences we so love... e.g. my blog), but I think we could all learn something from the demonstration of their "Amish grace".

Matched

by Ally Condie

As you know, I'm a fan of young adult fiction... The authors build entire fantasy worlds with boundless imagination that is often lacking in adult writing. Matched begins in a future world, where everything is controlled by the Society in order to build a better society - your job, your activities, your choice of mate... Our story opens when Cassia learns that her match is her lifelong friend (and all around good guy), Xander. But she is shown another possible match when the face of Ky appears on the screen. Although she's told it is simply a mistake, this event calls into question everything that she accepts about the Society and her life. As she gets to know Ky more, this questioning turns into rebellion.

While Matched is an entertaining read for fans of the genre, it falls short of other popular, current dystopian novels (The Hunger Games, Divergent) for one reason: lack of character complexity. The characters in this first book of the series are underdeveloped, and while I have hope for stronger character building in the upcoming sequels - it is sadly missing here. For the majority of the book, Xander is portrayed as a bland, good, obedient guy that everyone likes. Ky is the rebel boy who learned too much at an early age. Xander is simply too likable for the reader to support the relationship that begins between Cassia & Ky. Instead, you just feel sorry for Xander, and Cassia appears cruel in her dismissal of him at times. The ending is intriguing, as Cassia begins her search for the truth of what is truly going on in the Society and leaves behind the City that she has known her entire life. The mysterious ending of this story and the excerpt from the sequel (Crossed - narrated by both Cassia & Ky) kept me interested enough that I will continue to read the series. Future reviews to come.

Ready Player One

by Ernest Cline

This book was voted one of the top books of 2011 on Goodreads, so I've been on the hunt for a copy for months now. I raided five different bookstores, without finding a single copy before giving in and finally ordering it off of Amazon. Miraculously, a mere two days later it appeared on my porch. 

I'm almost afraid to say that I like this book a lot... because it's a total "geek-fest". Almost. But I'm just geeky enough to say that I lost myself in this video game/80's throwback world created by Cline. In the future, the United States has fallen to pieces, and civilization has turned to the virtual reality world called the Oasis for their escape. Before his death, the creator of the Oasis left behind a 1980's based scavenger hunt for the entire world to participate in, with the winner taking his entire fortune & control of the Oasis. This is when we find our hero Wade (AKA Parzival) stumbling across the first key in the hunt and jump starting the competition.  Along the way, he faces many 80's based challenges (arcade games, movie quotes, etc.) and builds a strong network within the Oasis (which he lacks in the real world).

Cline's book was entertaining, and even though I was NOT able to place many of the references (Who has recently played any Atari games?? D&D? Obscure robots from Japanese comics?), there were enough pop culture references to keep me engaged (Monty Python! Ferris Bueller! PacMan!). Despite this incredible 3-D world he builds in the mind of the reader, Cline emphasizes that we also need to keep our feet grounded in reality. His characters learn that avoiding the problems of the decaying world around them by immersing themselves in the Oasis simply encourages the destruction of their real lives. Even though this story takes place over 30 years in the future, it is applicable to us today. As technology increases and we find ourselves with cell phone programs that talk back to us, 3-D computer games, simulators, and video game systems that track our movements - it may be easy for us to fall into the same trap of avoiding reality. Cline calls his readers to participate in the real world, while still letting us have fun in the imaginary one he has created.

Bossypants

by Tina Fey

Who doesn't love Tina Fey? SNL.... Mean Girls... Date Night... I mean, 30 Rock! But seriously, Tina Fey is hilarious. And if possible, I love her even more after reading her book. Why? Because she seems like someone that I could be friends with. In other words, she is a normal person despite all the Hollywood hoopla. Sure, she has lots of strange little quirks; but isn't that what makes someone interesting? Through her writing you are introduced to the self-deprecating humor that she brings to every enterprise in her life. She gives some advice on working in the "industry", but the majority of Bossypants is about her life history, women in comedy, building her career and family, and some entertaining anecdotes. At times she's extreme and paranoid in her reactions to certain events (e.g. being called to her lifeboat on a cruise = Titanic), which makes for a great fun read (although her sense of humor would be understandable to even the most stable person on the planet). I often found myself laughing out loud, and I think you will too.

The American Plague

by Molly Caldwell Crosby

I am fascinated by the science of diseases, and have been for as long as I can remember. When I was still a little girl, I became convinced that I was destined to die of ebola thanks to a news report covering outbreaks (Thank you, NBC 7 for scarring a child for life). Now I work in the medical field, so my interest in diseases is believably justified. My sister, who also shares this interest, gave me The American Plague to read after our trip to New Orleans (which was ravaged by the "Yellow Jack"). This is a historical look at yellow fever: how it shaped the history of the United States, the study of the disease, and the development of a vaccine. The book begins by focusing on Memphis, Tennessee at a time when the city was in the middle of a yellow fever epidemic. What was once a burgeoning new city, being compared to Chicago in the North, became a destroyed and socially divided area thanks to "Yellow Jack". As someone who just recently visited Memphis, it was interesting to read more about the history of the city, and the martyrs who stayed behind to fight this illness. Caldwell then progresses into the study of how yellow fever was spread, Walter Reed's work with mosquitoes, and how a vaccine was finally developed. Yellow fever was a truly violent disease, that ended wars and destroyed entire cities. In modern times, where any single case of yellow fever must be reported to the CDC and WHO, it is easy to lose sight of the horror of this disease. We live in a country where we no longer get routinely vaccinated due to proper sanitation, which hinders the spread of mosquitoes in populated areas, and the significant reduction of the specific mosquitoes that carry the virus. However, we owe much to the scientists and volunteers who risked, and lost, their lives to get us to this point. Caldwell's work, although factual, is engaging and informs the reader about an important part of our history that is all too often overlooked.

If You Give a Girl a Viscount

by Kieran Kramer

Kramer's fourth and final book in the Impossible Bachelors series restored my faith in men... and in her writing. Her last book left me with a sour taste in my mouth, as any story involving a romance developing while being unfaithful to a current marriage does. But If You Give a Girl a Viscount marks the return to the humorous, joyful romance writing that readers enjoyed in When Harry Met Molly. In this story, a twist on the classic Cinderella tale (complete with an evil stepmother, benevolent godmother, and "glass" slippers) we follow Viscount Lumley on his adventure to help his grandmother's goddaughter Daisy save her home. While life has always been incredibly easy for Lumley (since he typically throws money at every problem he encounters) he has sworn to his bachelor friends that he will not use ANY money while off on his quest. Daisy challenges him to become the man that he should be; requiring him to use his intelligence, perseverance and charm to help her save Castle Vandemere. This is a charming love story, where two people who have never been encouraged to trust others or be themselves find their soul mates in each other... all while playing host to a range of well developed secondary characters.