The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff

Amy    

historical fiction

The Orphan’s Tale was a heartwarming and heartbreaking story about how two women survived WWII.  Noa and Astrid came from different backgrounds and faced different challenges but came together by chance at a German traveling circus, each with their own secrets.  Together, they spent several months during which they came to respect and care for one another despite the tense and dangerous situation in which they found themselves.  As the title indicated, it was a story about orphans yet it was not about only one orphan as the title implied.  So many people have lost parents during wars and WWII was particularly guilty of separating families.

The characters in this novel were well-drawn and easy to imagine and love.  The descriptions were clear, although the trapeze education was a bit too long-winded.  I’ve enjoyed reading about circus performers in previous novels and this one too.  It’s a rich topic of unusual people and circumstances. Learning of good people sheltering Jews during WWII is also intriguing.  Pam Jenoff used the two women’s points of view effectively but, if I had been editing, I would have recommended that she needn’t use as much overlap as she did.  I enjoyed the few unexpected surprises in the story.

As a letterboxer, I was intrigued by the idea of belly boxes (not sure about the spelling since I listened to the audiobook) underneath the train. I tried to find out more about them on Google but came up empty. I wonder if Jenoff invented this concept?

The audiobook narrators were very good using several accents and with terrific voice acting.  My complaints are mostly with the general audiobook directing or, perhaps, with the narrator choices.  One woman is supposed to be Dutch and the other is German. However, the woman performing as the German (I believe this was Jennifer Wydra) spoke with an American accent when doing straight narration but would switch to German when her character was speaking and other accents as necessary during dialogues.  Why would she fall back to American? To me, if she was going to voice the German woman with a German accent when she spoke, she should have used the accent throughout the narration.  The other voice actor (Kyla Garcia) spoke with a vague European accent all of the time, switching to other accents for various characters as necessary.  This made the American voice seem even more inappropriate.  The inconsistency between the two bugged me. There was also one chapter in the middle where Jennifer Wydra sounded so different for her character that I wondered if another narrator had stepped in for some reason.  So, while the voice acting overall was good for the novel, these issues were distracting so I give Jennifer Wydra a B+ and Kyla Garcia an A.

The Peacock Emporium by Jojo Moyes

Amy   

fiction

The Peacock Emporium is a story about a wealthy British family living on an farm estate in a small town.  A hidden family secret is unveiled. 

This is the first Jojo Moyes book that I did not enjoy.  There is one mystery that pulled me through the novel but it wasn’t worth the effort.  First of all, there was no humor and one of the best things about Moyes’ books is usually the humor. Secondly, the point of view changes frequently without any hint regarding whose view is being expressed, losing me for a page or two.  Thirdly, the characters were mostly selfish, unhappy, and unlikeable, unlike all the other Moyes books I’ve read. Fourth, the story was boring.  I thought it would never end.   And, last but not least, the most interesting character is killed off.

Graphic Novels

I read comic books and graphic novels pretty regularly but haven't blogged about them often (ever?); I'll try to be better about that in the future.  Here are some recent ones I've read to get the ball rolling.  -Lynnie 

The Umbrella Academy, Vol. 1: The Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way (writer), Gabriel Bá (artist), and Dave Stewart (colorist)

I originally read this shortly after it was released and to be honest, I did not remember loving it. However, I do love the Netflix adaptation so I wanted to revisit the source material and decide if my initial impression had been wrong. Sadly it was not, I still don't love this series. The things I love about the adaptation- the diversity of the characters and the connections between them- are noticeably missing from this volume. The characters are generally one-dimensional, barely tolerate one another and there is little development of their personalities, abilities, or relationships with one another.

However, I love the cover artwork throughout by James Jean whose work I recognized immediately (and love) from Fables... his work is always stunning and really captures the mood of a story.


Deadly Class, Vol. 1 by Rick Remender (writer), Wes Craig (illustrator), Lee Loughridge (colorist)

This book has been on my radar for a while, but after watching the first episode of the SyFy series I wanted to check it out for myself. It starts out really interesting and looks like it’s going to be a real ride and then... it takes a seriously bizarre turn about midway through that left me scratching my head. I’m still trying to figure out if I’m interested or not, which probably doesn’t bode well for my reading the next volume. We’ll see though, never say never.

However, if you’re reading this because of the SyFy series you’re going to be disappointed I think. As with most comics turned movie/tv show, the series shines up the kids and the story to make them more pleasing to a wider audience. I suspect that after a few episodes it will barely resemble the comic. 


Saga, Vol. 8 by Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Fiona Staples (illustrator)

A fantasy series, Saga is about a married couple, Marco and Alana, who have fallen in love despite being from enemy planets engaged in a long-standing war.  Wanted by both planets (and others along the way), the couple must fight for their very existence with a cast of fascinating and unique characters who are friends, foes, and sometimes both. 

I continue to enjoy this series. Staples' artwork is consistently stunning and really, if you’re reading volume 8, you already know what you’re in for; you don’t need me to tell you. Brian K. Vaughn never disappoints (his Y: The Last Man is my favorite series of all time) and this series is no exception. 


Invincible, Vol. 25: The End of All Things by Robert Kirkman (writer), Ryan Ottley (illustrator), Cory Walker (illustrator), Nathan Fairbairn (colorist), Rus Wooten (letterer)      

Invincible is about Mark Grayson, an average teenage boy who just happens to be half extraterrestrial superhero.  As he grows into his abilities and into a man over the course of the series, he learns to cope with and accept who he is.  It's a series about family, acceptance, and yes, a lot of superhero space fights.  

My rating is for the entire series- 144 issues- which I have enjoyed immensely over the years. It has been my favorite active comic series for many years now and I am both sad and happy to see it end. I’ll rate this is as my second favorite complete series, behind Vaughn’s Y: The Last Man.

Robert Kirkman may be best known for The Walking Dead, but fans should not pass the opportunity to read his work here.  Thanks for the story Kirkman. I’ll miss your imagination and Ryan Ottley’s amazing art.


 

The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal

Amy   

women's fiction

A mother dies and leaves written instructions for her three daughters to travel together to their Indian homeland in order to enrich their lives.

I was looking forward to reading The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters because I had read and loved Balli Kaur Jaswal’s previous novel, Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows.  Sadly, this one did not meet my expectations.  It’s basically a love letter to India and holds value as a source to learn more about India and get travel suggestions. But, while the story ends up being predictably heartwarming, most of the novel has the excitement level of a travel guide instead of a story-driven narrative with forward motion.  It just stagnates.  Bottom line, you meet the three sisters who each have their own concerns and secrets, they travel to India where most of their trip is an exhausting struggle, and they finally end up trusting and caring about each other at the end.  The build-up to the ending was a slog. The sisters are each so self-consumed that I did not care about any of them and their secrets all that much. I almost put the novel aside at the halfway mark but it was a library book so I pushed through.  

Lock In by John Scalzi

Lynnie

science fiction, fantasy

This book was not really what I expected.

Part sci-fi, part mystery, Scalzi creates a very unique world for Lock In. In a future in which a disease (Hadens) has affected a large percentage of humanity causing them to be trapped within themselves with a body that does not function, but a mind that works perfectly, they are locked in to their bodies. Technology has evolved so that people suffering from Hadens can live virtually out in the world, have friends, jobs, even families by using robots which act as their avatar in the real world or, in certain circumstances, by taking over the consciousness of other people who had the disease but not its most extreme form.

There are some parts of this book that are laughable if you think too hard about them but it all works in context and generally held my interest. I was interested in the mystery and how Chris, Vann, and the rest of the characters were going to save the day. The technology that Scalzi imagines is definitely fascinating to think about as are the circumstances of the characters.

Goodreads indicates that this is a series but there's no cliffhanger here. You can read this book and be satisfied that the story is complete. I think Lock In will appeal more to sci-fi readers than mystery ones as the mystery was not terribly difficult to unravel, though I did enjoy how Scalzi brought it all together at the end.

Magic Bites (Kate Daniels #1) by Ilona Andrews

Amy    

fantasy

In Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews (which is, interestingly, a pseudonym for a husband and wife writing duo), Kate, a mercenary who solves magical problems, is driven to find the killer of her father figure. 

This paranormal urban fantasy had some fun elements but was overall average.  I always love reading a novel set in Atlanta. However, this magical future for the city I know so intimately seemed harder to swallow than if it were set in a less specific (or familiar) city.  Once I allowed myself to go with the setting, a future where magic is prevalent and evident to all citizens, I was interested to see how Kate would solve the murder.  I liked Kate’s personality and strong sense of self which was never serious enough for the risky job she was performing. A couple of the other characters were interesting too. However, Kate and her world didn’t grab me enough to encourage more reading in this series.  I was frustrated a few times when the author would introduce characters so briefly and then bring them back after so long that I’d forgotten who they were. 

The audiobook was narrated by Renee Raudman and I enjoyed her storytelling. Her accent is similar to Ellen DeGeneres’ but more of a worldly tone. She did a good job with different voices and a marvelous job with her voice acting.  I do believe I liked Kate as much as I did thanks to Raudman’s interpretation. I’ll give her an A.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Lynnie 

historical fiction

Apologies... I’m about to get really unpopular here, but The Tattooist of Auschwitz was... not good.  I know that I am in the minority here as most people seem to have loved this story, but I was not one of them.

There is so much to learn about the Holocaust and I believe that personal stories of survival are crucial to our understanding. This book, the story of Lale and Gita, their meeting in Auschwitz-Birkenau, and  their survival often felt disingenuous. This is “historical fiction” and I often wondered exactly how many liberties the author Morris took with their story because it just seemed unrealistic; it felt like Morris was trying to find a story that would make the events of Holocaust be okay. Ewww.

Do I believe that Lale had special privileges as the camp tattooist? Absolutely. But I do not, for an instant, believe that he had the freedom portrayed in this book- I just don’t. And honestly, it churned my stomach to read his character talk about enjoying himself and having happy days because it’s just so antithetical to every single other account from survivors I have ever read or listened to. There were a few times where I was utterly disgusted by his cavalier attitude.

Most of the characters were one-dimensional, as was the story, while the writing was often awkward and primitive. In a world where there is some truly outstanding, heartbreaking, and uplifting historical fiction and non-fiction about the Holocaust, I can’t recommend this book. If this were the only book you ever read about Auschwitz-Birkenau you might get the impression that things weren’t really that bad. I certainly believe that people met, created bonds, and even fell in love in the camps, but this kind of bizarre focus on a love story felt revisionist, dishonest, and gross.