The Time in Between ~ Maria Duenas

The Time in Between by María Dueñas
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have discovered that I primarily give 3 star ratings when I review novels. I blame Goodreads for not having a 1/2 star rating system, in which case I would give The Time in Between 2 1/2 stars. I am forced to drop this down to 2 stars though.

The blurb on the back of the book is promising enough. Sira Quiroga is a young seamstress growing up in Madrid. Spain is facing a civil war, the citizens are beginning to suffer. She follows a lover to Morocco where she is abandoned and left with debt incurred looming over her head. Slowly she pulls herself out of the gutter and lifts herself up into a more promising position. In the description, as WWII commences and Spain finds itself caught between the Allies and the Third Reich, Sira begins a harrowing stint as a spy.

First off, the novel is 600+ pages and 69 chapters long. Divided into three parts, the novel felt like it was never going to end. Sira doesn't even begin her delving into the spy world until chapter 36. 36. Imagine, 35 chapters of her backstory that is interminably dull.

The character of Sira herself is as interesting as a shoe or doorknob. She survives through many horrible situations, but yet I found myself barely able to keep myself interested in her saga. There was minimal dialogue, mostly just long paragraphs about what Sira was thinking, which incidentally, was dull as dishwater. For someone who supposedly triumphed even though odds were against her, it was awfully tepid.

Her supposed romance with a character isn't even delved into or truly fleshed out. She claims to have missed this person dreadfully during their separation, at which I went, "Eh, did she even truly and deeply care about him?" As a protagonist, Sira's character is shockingly lacking in being fleshed out or in any way dimensional.

Part three (from chapter 36 on) was much more interesting than the beginning stages of the novel. I did manage to read through that section at a much quicker pace. That being said, was it worth struggling through an huge portion of the novel in order to enjoy the last little bit of it?

There are other much more compelling novels about Spain in the civil war and their involvement in WWII. If you want to read a novel about spies, check into anything written by Ken Follett.

Pass by this novel though, unless you are into a long boring read with little pay off.

2/5 stars.

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The Shadow of the Wind ~ Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I first read this novel a couple years ago on the emphatic suggestion of a worker at the local Chapters. I gave it 4/5 stars initially. I managed to snag a used copy of another Carlos Ruiz Zafón novel and decided I would re-read The Shadow of the Wind before starting this next novel.

Upon completion, I have decided to bump the rating up to 5/5, because I finished it with no complaint and I would not have changed anything about the novel. Although I had read it once, I couldn't put it down...again.

The novel is a story within a story. Daniel Sempere, our young protagonist, finds a novel called "The Shadow of the Wind" by a Julian Carax within a book cemetery, deep in the heart of war torn Barcelona. I have read very few books on the civil war within the Spanish borders and the ensuing chaos, so it was refreshing to read about a period of history in a country other than the usual England/France/etc.

It becomes clear to Daniel that there is something strange about the author and his novels. He discovers that someone has been systematically finding and destroying all of Carax' novels with fire.

The story is complex but easy to read. It would be impossible for me to explain the novel in a book review; I would not do it justice. Suffice to say, the novel is well written. The characters grasp you and the dialogue is not stilted or boring. Even though the story is fantastical, it never struck me as reaching. There are many twists and turns that will leave you guessing and wondering, right up until the last chapter.

My favourite quote in the book was as follows:

Bea says that the art of reading is slowly dying, that it's an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside of us, that when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day.

Honestly, from that quote itself, doesn't the book sound magical?

5/5 for one of my favourite books. I cannot wait to read his next novel!

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Any Known Blood ~ Lawrence Hill

Any Known Blood by Lawrence Hill

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


After reading The Book of Negroes and more recently The Illegal, I decided to give Lawrence Hill's older novel Any Known Blood a try.

Truly, Hill does not disappoint. I found Book of Negroes engrossing and just the right amount of uncomfortable to read. The Illegal was a completely different pace (a slow burn) but I also enjoyed it. Once again, Any Known Blood keeps the bar high.

The novel's protagonist Langston Cane the Fifth decides he is not tethered in this world because he knows nothing of his family's background. He travels from Oakville, ON to Baltimore, Maryland in an effort to dig into his family's past. He leaves behind a father who he feels is constantly disappointed in him.

Jumping through all the Langston Canes from 1 to 5, there isn't any predictability to the book in terms of form. Hill does not opt to write about the Canes down the family tree from senior to junior, but rather dances from one character to the next. We slowly discover all the choices that the Cane's have made that have bound them together and created their future.

To be honest, the novel isn't full a huge climax. There isn't one big AHA moment that is revealed. Rather, we watched as Langston Cane V slowly finds his way in the world as he unveils the secrets his family has hidden over time.

Hill writes about many deep rooted issues that African-Americans are facing today in a way that includes white people in the dialogue but in a non-accusatory manner. I assume this is partially Hill speaking from his own experience of being a mixed race. Either way, it was enlightening to read and understand why or how people feel a certain way.

4/5 for more excellent work from Hill and holding my breath for more.

(Incidentally, he lives in the same city I do and I once saw him shopping at our local grocery store. Must...not...stalk him.)





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Career of Evil ~ Robert Galbraith

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Career of Evil is the third book in the Cormoran Strike trilogy by Robert Galbraith aka J.K. Rawling...and sadly also my least favourite. I wanted to love it, I wanted to give it four or even FIVE stars, but on finishing it I was left dissatisfied.

First off, there will be mild general spoilers in this review, so please stop reading NOW if you haven't read this novel and plan to. STOP NOW.

You've been warned.

Last warning.

ONWARD.

In the first novel of the series The Cuckoo's Calling, we are introduced to Strike and Robin, his loyal secretary cum partner. Strike runs a detective agency, having a background in the SIB. Obviously the novel is written in a manner where we know Strike has undisclosed issues and secrets that we will probably learn as the series goes on.

The second novel The Silkworm seems to focus a bit more on the actual case rather than the intricacies of the characters and the relationships they are in. There is an unspoken interest between Strike and Robin, but it isn't acted on at all and rarely referred too. Galbraith does a good job keeping their relationship on a quiet boil. Clearly it's going to be a slow burn.

Finally, Career of Evil. I was so excited to read this book. Strike and Robin are both likeable characters. The language and quality of writing is good. Galbraith-Rawling certainly knows how to write a gripping detective story. The Silkworm has truly creepy and strange parts to it and I was hoping Career of Evil would be the same.

The premise is: a package is mailed to Strike's office addressed to Robin. It's a dismembered leg. This sends Strike down a path of trying to find who the psychopath was that sent this leg. He is convinced it is one of three bad apples from his past. Meanwhile, interspersed with Strike and Robin's narrative is the narrative of the killer that actually *is* quite creepy.

We learn A LOT about Strike's history. We learn A LOT about Robin's history. It seems as though all the character's secrets are spilled out in this book. Robin and Strike's connection go. More time in spent on the tiny possibility of a relationship. The thought lingers in the back of Strike's mind. Sizzle sizzle, the slow burn.

UNFORTUNATELY, even though it was admittedly interesting to learn more about the background of these two characters and what motivated them, at the end of the book I was left disappointed with regards to the mystery.

You see, I kept thinking in my head, 'No, she wouldn't use on of Strike's suspects...that would be too predictable and an easy route...maybe it will be someone related to the suspects or a complete snake in the grass'.

NO. There is no bloody snake in the grass!!! It simply ends up being who Strike suspected and honestly, the characteristics and mannerisms of the narrative of the killer did not in my head jive with who the killer turned out to be. I thought the narrative and the description of the antagonist was that of a much much younger person.

I did like this book, I was simply let down with the lack of effort that seemed to be put in to creating a truly shocking ending. Galbraith could learn a lot from Agatha Christie and her unparalleled writing.

3/5 and hopefully the next in the series will have a little more punch to it.

What do you think?

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The Boundless ~ Kenneth Oppel

The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel was a delightful read.

I've been attempting to be more selective with my book reads due to have much less free time--babies cause that strange phenomenon of loss of leisure time.

Regardless, I grabbed this book during a book outlet sale, drawn to it by it's artistic cover...and my instincts proved correct.

If I was going to pick a book that I could compare The Boundless to, it would be The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern--which I also greatly enjoyed.

After finishing the book (in one evening, no less), I went onto Goodreads to get an idea of what other readers thought of it. I was quite surprised to read reviews criticizing how "slow" and "boring" the beginning of this novel was. Someone even commented that it didn't pick up speed at all.

Clearly none of these reviewers have ever read any Russian literature. They would still be on the first page of War and Peace, bogged down in the multiple names of Constantin Levin.

To be clear--I did not find this novel boring or slow *at all*. It was delightful for a few reasons.

I loved that it was set in Canada. I find Canadian literature to be so boring sometimes. This was an interesting combination of fantasy and historical fiction.

The premise of the novel is set on a massive train called, you got it, the Boundless. The protagonist is a teenage boy called Will who is got up in a plot to....well, I can't go into detail because it would spoil the novel for any possible readers.

With the speed and ease that I was read it, I would think that it should be classified as a teen or young adult novel.

Definitely give this novel a chance if you're interested in a simple read that has small elements of fantasy.

4/5 stars and I'll have to check out other book by Oppel.

EDIT: Just checked the novel is in the category of children's literature. Very appropriate.

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The Perfume Garden ~ Kate Lord Brown

The Perfume Garden: A Novel by Kate Lord Brown
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was tricked into reading this book by it's enticing cover and deceiving description. It promised to be a riveting read about survival, life and death in Spain during the revolution. Not having read many novels about the Spanish revolution (other than The Shadow of the Wind which was exemplary), I was excited to enjoy some historical fiction that hopefully had some facts sprinkled in.

Unfortunately, the dialogue was childish and the characters undeveloped. The protagonist Emma was annoying and boring. It almost seemed as those the author read a Wikipedia article about the Spanish revolution and then worked those facts into random parts of the dialogue. There was no seamless weaving of fact and fiction to be had.

Some of the cringe worthy writing included:

A woman with a dark veil turned and pursed her lips "Shh". Emma's reverie broke, and she met his gave for the first time. She felt like she had come to the end of a long journey.


and


"(...)Don't bother dressing on our account, Luca," he said, raising his eyebrows at Emma. "Not bad for an old man, eh?"
"Who are you calling an old man?" Luca laughed.
"What do you think, Emma?" Guillermo leaned toward her.
Luca glanced back at her as he walked away. "Are you two checking out my ass?" He smiled as he stepped into the cool shadows of the apartment.



Much of the dialogue did not match the tone of the novel, or rather, the tone that the writer was attempting to convey. Even the descriptions of the atrocities that the Republicans suffered through post-war were boring and bland, characters reciting terrible things that had happened. It seemed as though true emotions were never plumbed or even slightly conveyed in any manner.

Emma ended up seeming vapid and boring. Her anger over being cheated on felt fake and insincere. All of her emotions seemed to be a bit robotic and there was no encompassing sensation of love or anger or hatred that seemed to have any PASSION.

If this novel hadn't been about the Spanish war and the consequences that followed...If it had been a simple romance without any promising back story, it would perhaps have been more palatable. Instead, I was left feel cheated by a novel that seemed to lack any genuine emotion.


2/5 and don't bother.

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The Piano Tuner ~ Daniel Mason

The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

If I had to describe this novel in one sentence:

A swift sharp drop kick to the genital area.

This is a story of a shy, gentle, educated piano tuner who specializes in tuning Erard pianos. Set in the 1800s, the British empire is struggling to maintain control of their rule in Asia and Edgar Drake is summoned by the war office on a mission…to go to the far east, past Mandalay, to a remote village where an eccentric Englishman Dr. Anthony Carroll maintains the local peace by playing his Erard piano.

The book has some wonderful descriptions of Drake’s journey but it wears thin quickly. I found some of the details of the villages and the Burmese culture interesting, but I also had to read very intentionally in order to avoid dialogue that the author worked into the paragraphs without using quotations or different paragraphs.

Dialogue compressed into one paragraph throughout the novel is very frustrating to read and I found it rather pointless. Why have actual formatted dialogue at certain times and then have random giant amount of conversation squished down into one paragraph?

Then there’s the…entire plot. Drake leaves his wife of many years to travel east because of a hole he feels inside, an emptiness he wants filled. As the novel continues, it never truly addresses what the hole is and ultimately whether it is ever filled. We get the sense that he is falling in love with a young Burmese girl who is somewhat Carroll’s partner, although we are never enlightened as to what exactly those two are to each other.
Much of the book focuses on the politics and military movements of the time, which is pretty dry and boring. I’ve read GOOD historical fiction novels that include actual history in them without being boring. (Ken Follett is a good example of such writing.) This novel is not one of those books, unfortunately.

In the end,

SPOILERS BELOW

Edgar discovers the English gentleman he has been spending time with may or may not be a spy and the woman is his accomplice. He runs back to Mae Lwin (remote village) to find them and hears a noise, falls to the ground and feels a warmth spreading out beneath.
Well…

Did he pee himself? Was he shot? Was the warmth his life blood?
Did he learn anything? Was the hole filled? Why did he leave his “beloved” wife and almost cheat on her with a random somewhat partner or a military man who tries his hand at botany?

The whole novel is ridiculous. The premise is great, the story seemed intriguing, but it fell flat in so many way. Many of the reviews I have read on Goodreads talk about how poetic and moving this novel was. I do not see that AT ALL. This book was tripe and fluff. It felt pretentious and clunky, the characters not particularly likeable or enthralling, and the description bloated and confusing.

I do not recommend this book to anyone. They will end up being a disappointed as I was.

1/5 stars.



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The Signature of All Things ~ Elizabeth Gilbert

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have never read a book written by Elizabeth Gilbert before so the reviews I have read comparing this book to, say, Eat, Pray, Love are meaningless to me. In this way, I feel I had a very open mind to her works with being unable to compare The Signature of All Things to other novels she has written.

This is a story of a girl, then woman named Alma who finds her way in the world. It begins with the back story of Alma's father Henry Whittaker and his path as he travels from poverty to wealth. To me, this was the most interesting portion of the book...which isn't good considering that it is only the beginning chapter. We learn about Alma's parents and how they have arrived at their current situation in life when Alma is born. The story of her parents is integral to the novel as it explains how Alma is brought up.

She is taught multiple languages at a young age. Her parents believe all children should be thoroughly educated so she is encouraged to explore and ask questions. She rides her pony at five years of age into the forest to forage for botany samples. It is intriguing to read and compare the learning differences from the 1800s to how our children in this day and age are educated. (Obviously her education was atypical of that time period for a female.)

When she is nine her family adopts a little girl named Prudence and she struggles to relate to the girl as a true sibling. There is always a wall between them that Alma cannot break through. This becomes a repeated theme throughout the novel, with Alma trying to understand Prudence her entire life. My hope was that there would be something dark or scandalous involved with Prudence, but in the end *SPOILERS* it is boringly revealed that Prudence is as altruistic of character and as sacrificial as she seems.

In one sentence the book fast-forwards twenty something years and Alma is in her forties. Nothing in between is truly elaborated on. We learn she is still living on the family plantation and is still working on botany studies. But aha! A charming man comes to visit the plantation and she finds herself falling in love with him at the grim spinster age of forty-eight.

(At this point we have already been subjected to awkward descriptions of Alma's personal sexual awakening, which is expressed later in her sexual interest in this visitor, an Ambrose Pike.)

Alma develops feelings for him, he is interested in heavenly things believing he once communicated with God and the plants etc, she believes they are of like mind, they marry, they never have sex, she is devastated, she sends him away.

From there on it's just disappointment after disappointment. Imagine reading that her biggest desire was to "take a man's member in her mouth". This from an educated well-read woman who is apparently satisfied with her life? It's ridiculous and so incongruous in the setting of the novel.

Finally, Ambrose Pike, who she weeps over (after discovering his homosexual proclivities) is nowhere near worthy of tears or expenses or complete life changes (travelling to Tahiti to find his lover). All the characters seem boring. The most intriguing person, Henry Whittaker, is not nearly elaborated on enough.

I feel I was tricked by this novel. It seems to be an interesting read on a woman who discover secrets of life, but in the end she just wanted to have oral sex. Even more insulting, she didn't seem interested in receiving any in return.

My rating is 2.5/5, but I bumped it up to 3 because I felt that the descriptions were good and I did find it to be a somewhat educational read. Will I pursue other books by Elizabeth Gilbert? Probably not, unless someone promises me that life's culmination is not found in a blow job.

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A Bookish Bridal Shower

I've been meaning to post about my literature themed bridal shower thrown by my lovely family and friends...but life has been crazy!  For all you single people:  if a married person talks to you about the chaotic last few weeks of engagement, listen up!  They are not lying.  Even though Matt and I are having a fairly simple and casual wedding, we are still swamped with all sorts of things.

(To be fair, it's not just wedding things.  Taking on a second job a couple months before a wedding and dealing with a fiance being laid off from work does make one a bit...cuckoo.)

But back to the subject on hand:

A book themed shower! I've loved books since I was a young child and most of my friends (and blog readers) know that I often get caught up in the fictional world.  I even had mastered a talent of speed reading aka skipping over boring descriptive parts.  I believe my dad taught me that gift after a painful reading of Lord of the Rings out loud to us as children.

Reading is just the thing our family does and we do it well. 

My maid-of-honour/sister pulled it together really well.  It ended up being a beautiful event with lots of delicious food and even a book swap!

I was personally very proud of this decorative wreath I slaved over for the wall.  

Yeah, I made that beauty.

My mom came up with this neat idea of creating a vase with old book pages and dried flowers.

She also whimsically twined together some books for more decorations.  You can see them in other pictures.

My dearest Matt put his skills to work the week before and painted a picture as a prize for the crossword game.

And I put together the crossword using an online generator and basing it on historical and fictional couples.

My sisters and my mom created a couple neat table runners made out of book pages.

I had the crafty idea of buying little jars at the dollar store and using a strip of paper and our heart-shaped hole punches, we created little book themed tea light candle holders.

We used little jars for favours full of candy.

Below is the invitations we sent out for the shower.  Kind of a neat book themed twist as well.

My biggest regret was not not taking more pictures of what we put up.  I had such a fantastic time connecting with friends & family though and I was so blessed by the thoughtful cards and gifts that people gave me.

The shower was so perfect for me and I loved it!

The Hour I First Believed ~ Wally Lamb

The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I thank my good sense for only paying $4 for this book from Value Village. Thank heavens for discounted used books.

I had high expectations for The Hour I First Believed simply because I had heard so much about the author Wally Lamb. Many people had recommended She's Come Undone (probably won't read it now) to me and I mistakenly thought that he was a solid writer.

No, no, no. This is one the most depressing books I have read, thus added to my "Books to Never Read Again" shelf.

The premise: the main character Caelum Quirk works as a teacher at Columbine High School along with his wife Maureen who is the school nurse. Simple enough. One of his family members dies and he travels alone to be present at the funeral. Meanwhile, Maureen goes in to work on the fateful day that Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris rampage through the school killing several teenagers, leaving many injured and suffering.

Maureen survives through the shooting (barely) and begins an inevitable and slow spiral downward. Caelum finds himself at his wit's end and decides to move to the family farm in Connecticut to begin over.

Clearly any reasonable person could have told him that you bring all your pain and suffering with you, the burden of memories that you are consigned to carry. Maureen never fully recovers and ends abusing narcotics and eventually goes to jail.

Meanwhile Caelum rents out some rooms in the house for extra money and begins looking into his family history, which turns out to be surprising and much more than he anticipated.

Here's the biggest problem: there was too much going on. This is a MASSIVE novel at 768 pages and the entire second half focuses on his family history, which let's get real, no one cares about! The main story of Caelum suffers from lack of attention. No one wants to read the narrator's POV at the young age of 8, least of all me who suffers from a severe lack of patience when it comes to poorly edited books.

In the end there is no redemption. Lamb throws in the statement "and this was the hour I first believed" in the last chapter, but the I was left asking, "believed what???". The book fails to pull itself together and leaves the reader A) wondering what they just read and B) contemplating the hours they just lost of their life for a book that never came through.

Pass.

2/5 stars.

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A Year of Reading...Done!

In January 2013 I entered the Goodreads reading challenge setting myself at 100 books to be read in 2013.

I can very proudly say, I met my challenge!!! 

I read 101 books in the year.  I will admit that a few of them were re-reads, but I still count them towards the goal!

Toward the end of the year I suffered through some very frantic reading.  I had let myself fall behind and wasn't sure I would make the goal.  However, after a couple "light" reads, I found myself back on track.

Below is the list of books I read in 2013 and I have arranged them but my star ratings.

  

ONE STAR (books I really hated)


Message In A Bottle - Nicholas Sparks - predictable romantic tragedy

Disgrace - J.M. Coetzee - depressing & dark

The Pact - Jodi Picouolt - everything wrong with Generation X

Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf - self indulgent tripe

Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn - sadistic, boring, predictable

The Things We Cherished - Pam Jenoff - disappointing 

Midnight in Austenland - Shannon Hale - a disgrace to all things Austen

The Choice - Robert Whitlow - proving again how banal Christian lit can be

Me Before You - Jojo Moyes - a quad intent on euthanasia? how thrilling.

The Dinner - Herman Koch - pretentious useless crap

TWO STARS (books I didn't mind/tolerated)

[series]
Mud City - Deborah Ellis - the third book of a trilogy that betrayed me

Heaven's Wager - Ted Dekker - Dekker takes a wrong turn with a horrible attempt to write like Frank Peretti

Death of a Kingfisher - M.C. Beaton - Hamish needs to make some serious life changes

[fiction]

On the Island - Tracey Garvis-Graves - twisted weird romance between student & teacher, vomit

Glazed Murder - Jessica Beck - painfull dull, boring characters

A Soft Place to Land - Susan White - can barely remember it. exactly.
Death Comes to Pemberley - P.D. James - leave Austen alone

The Pilot's Wife - Anita Shreve - a hot mess of a book. minus the hot.

The Hour I First Believed - Wally Lamb - deserves a one just for the sheer size and rambling. I felt charitable.

Rescue - Anita Shreve - so much predictability and boringness. ugh.
After You - Julie Buxbaum - someone dies, family is sad, time heals. blah blah blah.

Love Anthony - Lisa Genova - disappointing compared to author's previous novels

Love the One You're With - Emily Griffin - staple PMS novel, not good for much else

The Distant Hours - Kate Morton - gothic romantic tragedy that left me dying inside

Next to Love - Ellen Feldman - another silly insipid romance

[non-fiction]
Beyond Belief - Jenna Miscavige Hill - a look into Scientology that leaves a lot of questions

THREE STARS (books I liked)

[series]

The Breadwinner - Deborah Ellis - 1st book of trilogy, solid start

Parvana's Journey - Deborah Ellis - 2nd book of trilogy, great continuation

Forever in Blue: 4th Summer of the Sisterhood - Ann Brashares - the usual goodness

Sisterhood Everlasting - Ann Brashares - disappointing end to a great series

The Passing Bells - Phillip Rock - 1st book, meet characters

Circles of Time - Phillip Rock - 2nd book, follow characters through trials and tribulations

The Future Arrived - Phillip Rock - 3rd book, decent ending, anti-climatic

[fiction]

The Secret Keeper - Kate Morton - typical Kate Morton with creepy romance

The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd - loved this book! would have given it more stars if it had moved a bit faster

The Outcast - Sadie Jones - gripping read but also dissatisfying

The Winter Palace - Eva Stachniak - long long, dragging, but enlightening

The Kitchen House - Kathleen Grissom - I enjoyed this quite a bit but didn't find the characters well fleshed out.

What Alice Forgot - Liana Moriarty - I should have given this book a two.  It was okay, minus the ending.

The Rosie Project - Graeme Simsion - not as compelling and hilarious as I was assured, but still good

My Sister's Keeper - Jodie Picoult - the only Picoult I can slightly stand

The Fault in our Stars - John Green - again, over-hyped, but decent for what it was--a story of doomed teenagers

Sycamore Row - John Grisham - not Grisham's strongest, but not his worst. acceptable.  

The Midwife of Venice - Roberta Rich - I liked this book quite a bit, but the narrative was lacking and the ending was TOO SOON.  

A Kingdom Far and Clear - Mark Helprin - kids book, creepy like Grimms Tales. I enjoyed.

The Other Typist - Suzanne Rindell - mind games galore in this novel.  bit of a frustrating read

State of Wonder - Ann Patchett - could have given this 4 star rating had it not been for annoying characters

The Summer We Read Gatsby - Danielle Ganek - this probably deserves a 2 star. usual easy summer read. nothing memorable.

Jackdaws - Ken Follett - solid Follett. enjoyed this while camping. 

Alice Bliss - Laura Harrington - don't remember what this was about. enough said.

22 Britannia Road - Amanda Hodgkinson - okay. too much going on IMHO.

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald - no review needed.

North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell - dragged on a bit. mini-series much more enjoyable thanks to Richard Armitage

The Shoemaker's Wife - Adriana Trigiani - epic sweeping novel with very little pay off. 

The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman - deserves a 4 but creeped me out a bit too much

Joyland - Stephen King - lacking the creeptastic King factor, sadly.

How To Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You - Matthew Inman - I laughed

The English Patient - Michael Ondaatje - very poetic, very confusing, lots of teeth gnashing

[non-fiction]

The Nuremberg Trials - Paul Roland - enlightening

Growing Up Amish: A Memoir - Ira Wagler - totally depressing

My Story - Elizabeth Smart - triumph! go Elizabeth, go!
Stolen Innocence - Elissa Wall - sad sad sad.  sad. 


FOUR STARS (book I really liked)

[series]
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - Alan Bradley
The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag - Alan Bradley
A Red Herring Without Mustard - Alan Bradley
I Am Half Sick of Shadows - Alan Bradley
Speaking from Among the Bones - Alan Bradley
I loved all these books.  A series well worth the read.

A Game of Thrones - George Martin - the book that started the GOT craze. I'm still sad about Ned Stark.
A Clash of Kings - George Martin - easily as good as the first book in the series, ACOK brings it all back, although some complain that this book has too much military strategy clogging it up
A Storm of Swords - George Martin - better than two and four, although slow at the ending
A Feast for Crows - George Martin - seriously, the worst book of the series. thank God Martin gets it together in the next novel.
A Dance with Dragons - George Martin - after a horrible fourth book, ADWD brings back the typical Martin craziness. 

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - Ann Brashares - the first novel that started it all, this is the best one of the entire series
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood - Ann Brashares - ditto, as above
Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood - Ann Brashares - typical sisterhood novel

[fiction]
Cutting for Stone - Abraham Verghese - rich description, grand story, historical fiction, eye popping, very much enjoyed this story
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand - Helen Simonson - easy quick sweet read
Why Grizzly Bears Should Wear Underpants - The Oatmeal - comic relief. I guffawed out loud while reading.
The Good Dream - Donna VanLiere - I loved this book.  It's about tied for my favourite for 2013 reads.  A story of love and redemption.
Jericho Season 3 - Dan Shotz - A bit of cheat read, but a great graphic novel continuance on the cancelled show
Shelter Me - Juliette Fay - a young mother learning how to deal with immense loss. I love this book, probably more than it deserves.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford - very enjoyable. the main character was so endearing.
The Scarlet Pimpernel - Emmuska Orczy - A classic must read
Banker - Dick Francis - I love all of Francis's books and wish they were movies or tv shows. This one is particularly tragic.
N or M? - Agatha Christie - the queen of mystery, a quick read, like meeting an old friend for a chat.
Evil Under the Sun - Agatha Christie - she's back with a classic Poirot. I enjoyed this re-read.
Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman - a master at his craft, I'm so glad I discovered Gaiman this year
Mrs. Mike - Benedict Freedman - Perfect for Canadians, a romance growing in the darkness of the truth north
The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon - gothic, dark, creepy, historic fiction...absolute must read!
The Soldier's Wife - Margaret Leroy - probably too highly rated, but I loved the descriptions in this novel
The Lost Wife - Alyson Richman - my favourite novel of 2013, I believe. so wonderful and heart-breaking.
Those Who Save Us - Jenna Blum - I read many historical fiction novels this year about WWII. this one was a good one.
The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak - As with above, historical fiction about WWII but written in the strangest format I have ever seen...highly recommend. Plunge through the confusion.

Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier - this novel puts Kate Morton's work in her place. the start of gothic romance, this is a creepy novel in which we never learn the main character's name!

[non-fiction]
Escape from Camp 14 - Blaine Harden - shocking memoir of life in the work camps of North Korea
A House in the Sky - Amanda Lindhout - best non-fiction book I read this year. shocking memoir of a Canadian woman taken by Somalians and held for 460 days.  gut wrenching. 


FIVE STARS (books I LOVED)

Goodnight Mister Tom - Michelle Magorian - a novel for kids, a must read, disturbing elements but sweet at the end
Fall of Giants - Ken Follett - best historical fiction novel I have ever read. highly recommend.
Winter of the World - Ken Follett - a follow up to Fall of Giants, this novel was also amazing and a very gripping read. I learned so much from both of his books.
A Dog's Purpose - W. Bruce Cameron - the sweetest book I have read about a dog. I loved it.  I can't say more for fear of spoiling it, but do read it if you have a dog or love dogs. 



And there you have it!  All of my book in a list. I realize it's probably very overwhelming to read the entire list, but I hope you at least peruse the four or five star categories as many of those novels are must reads!  

This year I won't be setting such a high challenge as I will be busy...GETTING MARRIED!

What are your New Year's reading challenges?