Muse of Nightmares (Strange the Dreamer #2) by Laini Taylor

Amy     

Lynnie  

young adult, fantasy

Muse of Nightmares begins exactly where Strange the Dreamer left off.  From Goodreads: "In the wake of tragedy, neither Lazlo nor Sarai are who they were before. One a god, the other a ghost, they struggle to grasp the new boundaries of their selves as dark-minded Minya holds them hostage, intent on vengeance against Weep."

Amy's Review

WOW! WOW! WOW!  I LOVED this novel! And I’m thrilled that there isn’t a third novel in this series.  Thank you, Laini Taylor, for not forcefully inflating the story arc in order to squeeze a third novel out of this series as many other authors would have done.  Of course, you did leave the door open for another sequel (which I would gladly read!) but you satisfactorily closed this one so perfectly!

Did I mention that I loved it?  I gave the first novel, Strange the Dreamer, four stars. I’m giving this one five stars.  Taylor’s creativity is simply the best—she wins!  Her ability to weave an engaging tale full of lovable characters in a dream world that is both scary and spectacular has been proven over and over with her novels. She’s magical. This novel was like the most delicious dessert you could ever read!  I had to know what was happening next. The story-crafting was superb.  I cannot wait to read whatever she writes next. 

Adding to the beauty of the novel, Steve West does the narration of the audio book with his velvet voice. I adore him.  Laini Taylor’s books + Steve West’s voice = pure awesomeness!  I will be missing these characters and Steve’s voice in my ear for a while.  West Withdrawal is a real thing for me!  And, of course, I give him an A+ for his fabulous voice acting.

Lynnie's Review

This sequel to Strange the Dreamer picks up right where that book leaves off; I found myself thrilled to send my imagination back to the Citadel and the Weep and all of the residents of both. It’s hard to say too much without spoiling the plot, but I can tell you that once you get to the 70% mark in the book, only read it if you have time to stay awake and finish. I kept thinking I would put the book down after the next chapter but it was so full of action and excitement I couldn’t drag myself away.

I am firmly in the Laini Taylor fan club. The worlds she creates are so engaging and while completely magical and unrealistic they also seem somehow plausible. Her world-building continues to blow me away. There is a nice reference within the story to Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, making it very clear that these worlds are related. I would not be surprised if her next book brings the two worlds together.

If you enjoyed Strange the Dreamer, this sequel will not disappoint you.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Amy   

fiction

Bel Canto tells the tale of a group of people in a hostage situation.  A large group of people remain in a house for an extended period of time, both terrorists and hostages, and learn to live in their new reality while ongoing negotiations take place.

What a joy this novel was! I really was captured by this story and it caught me by surprise. I did not know the story line before I read it. I just knew it was a beloved novel and that a movie had been made about it. I knew there was an opera singer but that’s all. This is the first Ann Patchett book I’ve read. I really cannot think of a single reason to withhold any stars so I’m giving it 5 stars—a rarity for me, as you know if you follow my reviews!

The atmosphere in the house is almost like a situation where a group of strangers are stranded on an island. They are separated from their normal lives suddenly and unexpectedly and must attempt to make the best of the situation in order to carry on. It was a fascinating study of people, psychology, sociology, and the kidnapper/victim dynamic. I adored getting to know all of the characters and seeing how relationships changed over time. The language barrier aspect was intriguing. The anticipation about how this would end was fantastic. Yes, perhaps some of the situations were pushing reality and just a little too convenient at times, but it was all plausible and Patchett’s writing made it believable and kept pulling me back for more. The only major flaw I could find was that one of the characters develops conjunctivitis yet no one else in the house catches this very contagious condition—even the characters who played chess with him!  But that is not worth withholding a star.

I enjoyed the ride and I’m surprised how much I enjoyed this moderately-paced tale that included no real adventure or suspense. It just had such lovable characters with interesting motivations and backgrounds and it was those personalities and interactions that kept me engaged.

The narrator of the audio book, Anna Fields, was delightful. I loved her voice, her accents (of which many were required in this story full of global characters), her voice acting, and her clarity of tone. I give her an A+! She definitely added to my enjoyment of the story. Sadly, I found out that she died tragically a few years ago in a freak flood.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

Lynnie

contemporary fiction

Like most people, I knew of Hank Green because of the vlog that he and his brother John share. For a debut novel, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing was a lot of fun but unfortunately I didn't really love it. Also be warned, it's entirely possible there will be a sequel because the ending is...not quite an ending.

Anyway, the story was interesting and fast-moving; I thought the Carls were a fascinating idea and was eager to see what would happen. Most of the characters were quite charming EXCEPT for the main character who, I'm sad to say, I hated. The more I read about her, the more I disliked her, which really made it difficult to enjoy the book. I don't think the writing style did her any favors and the nonstop pop culture references reminded me of reading a P.C. Cast novel, which didn't help endear me to the book. I found myself often wondering how this book will hold up in 5 or 10 years when all of those references become outdated.

That said, it is a fun story. I think it will be hit or miss with most people though.

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

Amy          Unfinished = no rating        

Lynnie    

fiction

This is the story of a family with five boys--the individual histories, the interactions, the heartbreaks, and the injustices.

Amy's Review

I am quitting Bridge of Clay after making it 65% of the way through. I REALLY was looking forward to Markus Zusak’s long-awaited new novel. But it’s so boring and frustrating to read. Zusak has written the entire novel in a roundabout style full of poetry, metaphors, allusions, and innuendo. I’m sure there are some English Lit majors out there who will eat this up. I do appreciate the artistry. I do. But the story line is simply not interesting enough for me to keep making the effort to get through all the artistry. When the writing itself is such a hurdle for the reading process, that is not fun for me. To say something positive, I did like all the short chapters. It allowed me to read in little chunks and take lots of breaks. The problem was that it was then hard for me to get motivated to pick up the book again.

The story itself was sometimes too vague and directionless. Unusual things and behaviors were stated as givens but no background was provided as to why those things had to be the way they were. I chalked it up to a family of quirky people who danced to the beat of their own family drum. And some of it was made clear later in the book. But, it added to the frustration on my part and did not pull me in.

There was no suspense, no big mystery (except for wondering whether the story would ever get interesting), and we were not made to feel close enough to any of the characters to understand who they were or develop any love for them. They were all just odd or ill-behaved.

I’m really sad to give up on this novel by the same author as the incredible novel The Book Thief. But, I suffered through The CasualVacancy by JK Rowling after figuring it HAD to get better because of the author. I won’t do that again. Authors cannot write amazing hits every time.

Lynnie's Review

This is a tough review for me because I love Markus Zusak’s writing. I have read all of his books—The Book Thief, I Am the Messenger, and his Wolfe Brothers series.

But, here’s the thing—Bridge of Clay is essentially the Wolfe Brothers if it was narrated by The Book Thief’s Death. Sure, the number of brothers is different and obviously the story is not exact, but there are enough similarities that Bridge of Clay always felt like something I’d read before. In fact, looking back at my old review of Fighting Ruben Wolfe (the second Wolfe Brothers book), I wrote, “The Wolfes are messed up, unemployed, delinquent, and loyal to the core.” Exchange “Wolfes” for “Dunbars” in that quote and you have Bridge of Clay. The difference is the style of narration, the poetry of which worked beautifully in The Book Thief but just annoyed me to no end in Bridge of Clay. Several times I thought about not finishing it but I plowed through. You might have more patience for it if you have not read the Wolfe Brothers books (which most people haven’t from what I can tell), but for me there was too much déjà vu.

The most interesting parts of the book for me were when it focused in on the Dunbar parents—because those parts felt new—but there wasn’t enough of them to make me enjoy the story.

So, it breaks my heart to do this, but I have to say 2-1/2 stars.

Ten Beach Road (Ten Beach Road #1) by Wendy Wax

Amy    

women's fiction

Ten Beach Road told the story of three very different women pulled together when a Bernie Madoff-like character ran away with all of their money and they found themselves with no income or savings on which to live.  A Florida mansion's ownership, one of very few assets the federal government had been able to acquire, was passed to the three of them as partial compensation for their losses.  However, the mansion had been vacant and neglected for years and was not worth much money if they sold it in its condition. Therefore, the three co-owners decided to renovate the mansion, which sat on a prime stretch of beach, in an effort to realize a larger sale price. In the process, they formed binding friendships as each struggled to overcome their own issues and situations.

I read this novel because I wanted to experience a novel by the Atlanta-based author, Wendy Wax. I enjoyed it!  The largest flaw to me was that one of the characters, Madeline, an empty nester with some marital issues, seemed unrealistic.  She seemed unbelievably "hands off" and non-urgent regarding her family issues.  Aside from that, and the fact that you could tell where romantic interests were going to end up from the very beginning, the story engaged me and made me want to keep listening to the audio book.  It made me think about how Madoff's victims have managed carrying on with their lives.  I liked watching the relationships build as the house was likewise improved. I will read the next one in the series to follow the characters in their journeys.

The audio book was read by Amy Rubinate. Her voice is clear but often robotic.  In fact, I believe it made me enjoy the novel less than I would have if I'd read it. She didn't have a lot of different voices in her repertoire--just subtle changes between them--and when not speaking as a character was very monotone. Therefore, I give her a B-.

Atlanta Rising: The Invention of an International City 1946-1996 by Frederick Allen

Amy    

history, non-fiction

Much of Atlanta Rising was extremely interesting to me as a long-time metropolitan Atlanta resident.  It was fascinating to learn how the building and skyline came to be, how the superior airport (which basically gets the credit for making Atlanta the biggest, richest southern city) was almost solely due to an Atlanta mayor with extreme foresight, how race relations developed differently in Atlanta than most other southern US cities, about the few, powerful financial giants and how much they had to do with development, and the history of many people whose names I know because there are buildings or streets named after them. I already knew some of the city's history but only the parts I lived through and was old enough to care about.  Frederick Allen did a good job portraying the whole picture of 1946-1996 chronologically.  I was surprised that the Save the Fox campaign was not included.  But, overall, I appreciated the topics included.  I loved learning more about the history of the city where I've lived for almost 40 years. However, it was a history book, after all, and I'm not a history buff.  So, it was sometimes painstaking for me to read through and put me to sleep a few times.  A good bit was about political backstabbing and underhandedness with turned me off and dirtied my opinion of some things.  If you enjoy history and are interested in the city of Atlanta, I recommend it.  It met my expectations of teaching me Atlanta history.