Watered Down and Dull

Alphabet Weekend
By: Elizabeth Noble

My pile of birthday books still is not completed. Catcher in the Rye sits unfinished among my props for the show I ended weeks ago. But I hadn't picked up a book since I finished reading about those former Queens of England, and last Friday I realized why. I was in the mood for something light and easy, a romantic comedy of fiction. The next two books that I had are further historical fiction, not counting the handful of classics still waiting for me to give them a go. My brain needed a break, and my heartstrings needed a little bit of a tugging.

Well, with Alphabet Weekend, my brain certainly got a bit of a break. The characters were under developed, leaving me with an apathetic feeling toward our romantic lead. I spent the majority of the book wondering why I was supposed to root for these two, other than the fact that every other character said that they belonged together. Also, a personal pet peeve of mine, the other male in the potential triangle was so horrid, that there was no way any reader could expect them to end up together. Many of the secondary characters also blurred together, not quite having distinct personalities of their own. There were subplots, involving two other relationships. One, which was the parents of our heroine was pushed to the back burner, despite being potentially very interesting. The other, which featured our romantic interest's brother and his wife, did hold my interest, though it wasn't explored nearly as much as I would have liked.

And I wonder, is it the darkness of those two subplots that appeals to me? In one, the wife is diagnosed with depression and later the husband has severe health issues. In the other, the husband loses his job and shuts out his wife, who in turn is suffering from extreme attraction to a close friend's husband. Has this project taken away my not-so guilty pleasure of romantic comedy books?

I hope not, that would make me very sad. I have one more, purchased at the same time, by an author I quite enjoy.

In the meantime, if you're looking to read a fun, flighty romantic comedy (I believe the current term is beach reading) contact me for a thorough listing of books I've enjoyed over the years, before picking up this weak story.

What happened after Anne Boleyn?

The Boleyn Inheritance
By: Phillipa Gregory

After devouring The Other Boleyn Girl earlier this year, I made a mental note to try some of the author's other works. This one arrived on my doorstep for my birthday, and I must say that I'm glad this was the book I ended up with. Years have passed since Anne Boleyn was executed and this book follows the lives of three women whose lives were forever changed as a result. Anne of Cleves - the fourth Queen of England. Katherine Howard - the fifth Queen of England. Jane Boleyn - Anne Boleyn's former sister-in-law who offered damning evidence against the former queen.

Each woman tells their unique story, each one with a very distinct voice. I must say that one of the biggest issues that I faced with this book was that of the three characters, Anne was by far my favorite. After her, it was easily Katherine, who while annoying, had a certain little girl charm about her. Jane, however, I spent most of the book yelling at, hating her for my previous knowledge of the character, both in history as well as in Gregory's other works. Luckily, as I continued with my reading, I realized the author was initially highlighting Jane's delusional flaws, rather than retconning her character to gain the reader's sympathy.

Read The Other Boleyn Girl first, but when you're ready to learn more about what happened later and see how far the title of Queen of England fell, check out The Boleyn Inheritance.

And if you're in the mood for a drinking game, drink whenever you read the phrase "the Boleyn inheritance." You'll be tipsy before you even know it.

An amazing journey

Come Back: a mother and daughter's journey through hell and back
By: Claire Fontaine and Mia Fontaine

Once again, I find myself reading a true tale about the love that parents and children feel for one another. Once again, I find myself sucked in, closing the pages with tears in my eyes. This time though, there were so many ways in which I could identify, that at times it was hard to tell where the pages stopped and my own memories began.

Well no, it was easy on a logical level to tell the difference - I was not by any stretch of the imagination a teenage runaway who was sent away to an alternative boarding school. Really, it was reading the interactions between Claire and Mia, acting the way that only mothers and daughters act toward one another. Also, on a more personal level, Mia's boarding school included some self help lessons that were all too familiar to me.

In these pages, you read the two characters grow substantially, see Mia go from an angry, hurt teenager to a innocent and wondrous adult. Claire turns from a mother whose life is her daughter, to a strong woman who loves herself as she loves her child.

I went into the book expecting to read about a mother and daughter as they dealt with each other, and while I did, more importantly it was reading these two characters as they learn to deal with themselves.

Couldn't Put it Down

The Host
By: Stephanie Meyer

I cannot remember the last time a book has held my interest in this way when it wasn't about a young wizard with a scar on his forehead. The Host followed me everywhere, I read it in restaurants, in the bar by the theatre, before work, before bed. In a weekend's time, the book was finished, sitting next to me, my mind begging for more story (even though I feel the story stopped at a respectable place).

To make a reference that few of you will understand, to me, The Host is to Stephanie Meyer what Firefly was to Joss Whedon. Whedon created the successful Buffy the Vampire series which saw fairly decent success. With that under his belt, the networks allowed him to create his baby, the odd, yet brilliant science fiction series Firefly. Meyer also created a world of vampires that saw some success, but to me The Host reads as an odd yet brilliant novel that her publishers may not have taken a chance on if not for the success of the Twilight series.

Imagine a world where humans have been taken over by an alien species. They take over human bodies and live their lives. Imagine that you are one of these aliens, and you're placed in a body full of emotions and heartache that you don't understand. Imagine that the original human's mind is still there with you.

Don't imagine - read the book. I would not have picked this up on premise alone and I would have missed out on a beautiful story of friendship, love and what it truly means to be human.

Throw Yourself in Another World

The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel
By: Jasper Fforde

Lesson one - don't read a new book during tech week!

That said, let me tell you a bit about The Eyre Affair. During the rehearsal process, a friend of mine handed me this book, saying that she thought I'd enjoy it. Based on the reviews (I've since stopped reading descriptions for most books), I agreed and decided to put Catcher in the Rye on hold yet again, with the plan to tear through the new book and be back to my classic soon enough. Well, that plan failed, though due to no fault of the book.

The Eyre Affair drops you into an alternate reality with barely a warning. In fact, early in my reading, I had to stop to make sure that I was in fact reading the first book in a series. I was. But once my mind was able to accept this new world for what it was, I was able to be sucked in.

I faded in and out of the book. Some days reading chapters at a time greedily, others reading a chapter before bed then placing it down to be continued. The last fifty pages though, I did in a single sitting, refusing to place the book down for a moment.

And I suppose that's the biggest flaw that this book held - it was an origin story (which is odd, as usually I'm a fan of a good old fashion origin story). Origin stories, while necessary, occasionally have those tedious moments. However, the well written nature, fun concept and over all cleverness of this book lead me to believe that the Thursday Next books will be an entertaining and intelligent read.

A chilling page turner

Nineteen Minutes

By: Jodi Picoult

I knew that I wanted to read this book, when I read her interview in The Tenth Circle stating what her next topic would be, but I was unaware when my aunt placed this book into my hands that this was the book I'd been coveting the most.

School shootings.

The topic has always fascinated me. More often than not, weeks before the event, I would have found the shooter to be a sympathetic character. The victims are people that days before, I would have rolled my eyes at while reading about them. This book was no exception. Told in a spectacular non linear fashion, we witness the shooting, the investigations and the trial, all the while reading flashbacks spanning back seventeen years. All the while, the book was causing me to examine my own beliefs and wonder how I would react in such a situation.

I often forget, how different a time it is for the teenagers of today and my age group, despite the short age gap. School shootings existed when I was in high school, but it was only in my senior year that Columbine occurred and this tragedy really came to the public's eyes.

The characters, as always, fascinated me. The mother of the shooter. The man defending the shooter, because everyone deserved a fair trial. The popular girl who was found passed out at the scene of the crime. And her mother, the town's judge. Each character struggles with their own fears, opinions and demons and as the reader, you struggle with them.

It's not perfect, but I will say it is perhaps my favourite of hers that I have read yet.

February/March

For two days now, I've been attempting to fill out my recap of the past two months. Unfortunately, I have found it nearly impossible to rank these books. So, in no particular order, some thoughts.

Without You - What can I really say about this book? Those who know me well, know that anything that ties into Rent already has my heart, and this book had me from the first page (in which Anthony is going to audition for the workshop of that show). Furthermore, those who know me, also know that I'm a sucker for parent/child relationships, so a book about Rent and a sick mother really won me over from the premise. The fact that this book happened to be a touchingly well written tale was the chocolate on the cake. So to speak.

Emma - Again, what can I say? Emma is a funny and charming main character who I adored reading about for a months time. And, while I was annoyed that it took me so long to get through the book, how many other books on this list would I have had such patience with? Furthermore, how many books have I never gotten through, because I couldn't put them down for a few days and get back into them? (Interview with a Vampire, I'm looking at you). No, I'm glad this was my Jane Austin novel, as it was a perfect way to dip my toes into her world.

Shopaholic & Baby - As much as I loved it, I do wonder, how much is that love based on this actual book, and how much is based on the other four works that I've read? The first two Becky Bloomwood novels are by far the best, but the other three definitely live up to the standard they've set for each other. Going into the book, I expected to be bothered by the silly plot twists, but they worked well and I enjoyed myself. A worthy addition to the series.

Picture Perfect and The Tenth Circle - I list these two novels together, because they both had similar effects on me. For days after reading, thoughts of them circled through my mind. The questions that were raised, and a sincere desire to discuss the issues presented within these books with others who have read them. I know that I have been made a fan of Jodi Picoult and have decided each month to read another of her books. Spousal abuse and Rape. What will I read about next?

The Notebook - I wonder, how many of my thoughts on this book are coloured by how great the movie was. The movie really did to fix flaws that I wasn't even aware of within the novel. Would a second read solve the issues I had? It was good, but I'm starting to get the feeling that Nicholas Sparks isn't for me.

Water for Elephants - This book was fun. It made me very curious about the circus, and wishing for a movie adaptation of this novel. I'm not sure if I'm ready to give the author's other works a try, but I would recommend this book for anyone in the mood for a depression era fairy tale. Without actual fairies.


Currently Reading: Catcher in the Rye. One friend of mine said that by the time he read it, he was a bit too old to really enjoy it. Let's see if my love of the young adult novel and flighty teenagers makes up for my 10 years on our main character.