America For Beginners by Leah Franqui

Lynnie

contemporary fiction

In Leah Franqui's America for Beginners, Pival Sengupta has gone from her parents' home to her husband Ram's home in Kolkata, and has never been able to make a decision for herself. Her son, Rahi, having gone to America to study, was disowned by Ram (and therefore Pival) after coming out to his family as gay. Shortly afterward, Ram gets a phone call and tells Pival that Rahi has died, but Pival has questions, chief among them whether or not her son, Rahi, is actually dead. Thus, after Ram's death, Pival arranges to take a tour of America in the company of her guide Satya and her companion Rebecca. Pival seeks to understand the country that accepted her son and to find the truth, once and for all, about what happened.

This was a sweet story. I enjoyed all the characters and watching how each of them grew throughout the novel in both their own ways but also as a fellowship. There were some parts that made me roll my eyes and the story often repeated itself as if I hadn't understood the character dynamics the first time, but still it was an enjoyable trip to embark upon.  It's a fast read that would be a great choice for a road trip of your own. 

Broken Throne (Red Queen #4.5) by Victoria Aveyard

Amy  

fantasy, young adult

I enjoyed the Red Queen series and was happy to give this compilation novel, Broken Throne by Victoria Aveyard, a try.  It included several goodies for fans of the Red Queen world:
-          Two previously released novellas, both of which I’ve already read and did not re-read (Steel Scars and Queen Song)
-          A summarized history of the world of Red Queen
-          Three new novellas
-          New insights from Maven and Cal

Since I was listening to the audiobook version, I found the summarized history portion tedious and boring. I’m sure those who are big fans appreciate the reference information that was provided. However, I did not need all this background or detail.  Some of it served as a reminder about the events of the series since it had been a while since I’d read about that world.  But, still, I mostly forwarded through it after giving it a lengthy try.

I enjoyed the first new novella, World Behind, which highlighted two new main characters coming from different backgrounds (one red and one silver) and the formation of their friendship.  The story was fun with deceit, adventure, and bravery as well as engaging characters.  It took place during the time of the Red Queen series to give us a view of life for the “regular” people.

The second new novella, Iron Heart, centers around Evangeline’s life after the events of the Red Queen series.  This one didn’t pull me in and I care no more for Evangeline than I did before.

Fire Light is the third new novella and switches between Mare’s and Cal’s viewpoints. It takes place after the events of the Red Queen series and after events in Iron Heart.  I was really happy to learn how things turned out for the two of them since their relationship had been left open-ended after War Storm.

Fare Well is a short “story” with viewpoints from Maven and Cal.  It was alright but did not really move the story forward or provide any insights that were meaningful.

This audiobook was narrated by too many people to list and I have no idea which narrators read which characters' parts.  Most of them did a good job.  I would say the guy who voiced Maven did the best job and the guy who voiced Cal did the worst job.  The rest were sufficient for their short segments.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Lynnie  

Note: Amy read this book before we started blogging our book reviews but she really enjoyed it and gave it 4 stars!

fantasy, young adult 

Soon to be a mini-series, (it was already a movie) I decided it was time to start Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series. The heroine, Lyra, is described in the book blurb as a savage, a schemer, a liar, as well as a fierce and true champion.  She is loyal, curious, and gifted in ways that are not always understood as you read the story.  Vowing to save her friend Roger and to find her uncle, Lord Asriel, Lyra takes a long journey north with a cast of characters who are alternately terrifying, fascinating, and wonderful as she heads toward a destiny she does not fully understand.

This book took me WAY longer to read than I anticipated. I enjoyed the story, and the characters, but also found lots of things to do other than read it, which is unusual for me. I wanted to be captivated but I really never was. Lyra was a wonderful character and the world she lives in was always fascinating and filled with an interesting assortment of characters. Still, it wasn’t a story that compelled me forward. There was never a moment where I was impatient to find out what would happen next and very few things in the story surprised me.


Overall it was good, and maybe at a different time I would have been more enraptured by it, but sadly I wasn’t.

Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson

Amy   

Note: Lynnie read this book before we started blogging our book reviews but she really enjoyed it!

women's fiction

Nonny, the main character in Between, Georgia, is trying to carry through with a divorce and struggling to keep her birth family of the Crabtrees and her adoptive family of the Fretts at peace.  This is a story of quirky families in small-town Georgia.

The beginning is indelicately graphic so it immediately feels gritty and messy. In fact, the descriptions are so unsavory and the majority of characters seemingly so unlovable that, had I not already read and loved two of Joshilyn Jackson's books, I likely would not have finished this one. I persevered but this is my least favorite of her novels.

The tile is apt. The city is named Between, Nonny is stuck between two families, her life is pulled between two places--home and work, and her job is to translate between two parties--the hearing and the deaf. There are also other characters stuck between the two warring families. As with the other Jackson novels I've read, most of the typical recurring themes are there. Again, there is an artist--this time a dollmaker. Again, there are absent parents. Again, there is a woman trying to live the best way she knows how yet facing struggles. Again, this woman has family members--women of three generations--for whom she cares deeply. Missing from this novel, however, was the humor which was present in the other novels I've read of Jackson's. This novel suffered for its absence. I suppose the craziness of some of the characters is supposed to be the funny part but they just seemed sad and angry to me.

After praising Jackson as my favorite author narrator for the last novel I listened to, I have to say that her characters' voices in this one were so small town southern that I almost couldn't take it. She gave the most annoying characters the strongest, most obnoxious accents and tones. It was torture. I give her a B+ on this one because her accent choices caused me to like the book less than I might otherwise.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Amy   

historical fiction, mystery

Sadly, despite the hype, Where the Crawdads Sing did not exceed expectations.  However, I did enjoy this beautifully written, poetic tale about a deserted marsh girl learning to live life on her own terms. Delia Owens’ writing style echoed the melancholy, peaceful setting of the coastal North Carolina marsh on which Kya dwelled.  Kya’s story was one of necessity, passion, and self-sufficiency.  The author echoed Kya’s love of nature through her words and, like Kya, taught the readers of this book to appreciate the natural beauty of marsh life.  However, also like marsh life, the pacing of this novel was slower than I prefer. I enjoyed the mystery within the tale.

The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews

Amy    

women's fiction

Brooke, a lawyer in coastal Georgia, is summoned to a mostly privately-owned island off the coast to help the elderly owner and resident, Josephine, update her will.  Josephine’s requests require some investigative work and gathering multiple people who are relatives of Josephine’s closest childhood friends--members of The High Tide Club.  The more Brooke searches, the more she learns how she is personally involved in the island’s history and that there are some sinister forces at work.

I have never read Mary Kay Andrews although I’ve certainly heard of her since she is very prolific. I needed an audiobook and the cover design screamed “summer beach read” at me. So, I decided to try it.

It was a pleasant surprise and not light and fluffy as I had imagined from the cover.  As I was approaching the halfway point, I couldn’t imagine how there was still another half of the story remaining.  I thought I knew how it would go, for the most part, and that everything should be wrapped up sooner.  But then Andrews added a new wrinkle.  I liked the story, the characters, and the pace.  I sometimes wondered why she was letting her characters yap on about nothing important at times, but I think it was just her way of allowing the reader to get to know the characters since the entire novel is written in third person.  The mysteries were not difficult to figure out but not too obvious either.  I liked the way she uncovered the explanations with flashbacks to the 1940s.

Overall, a very satisfying read!

I listened to the audiobook narrated by KathleenMcInerney.  I’ve enjoyed her narration in the past and this novel’s narration was up to par. She does a terrific job with voice acting and has different voices in her repertoire.  I give her an A.