Category: book club

book club

BOOK HUNGRY: kiss of snow

abby mumford

who says you have to be crowded into the living room, kitchen, and/or dining room to hold a book club? we are ladies of the 21st century. we don’t need no stinkin’ couches. so pull up a blog and join in the conversation.

the members of the BOOK HUNGRY are (alphabetically): patty blount, kelly breakey, karla nellenbach, vanessa noble, alyson peterson, cynthia reese, elizabeth ryann, and myself. here’s the deal. we pick a book to read. we discuss via email. we post a review on our individual blogs on the same day (3rd thursday of the month). we link to each other. done. i know, genius. click on each one of their names (above) and it’ll take you to their review. browse. enjoy.

this month’s BOOK HUNGRY selection is:

KISS OF SNOW by Nalini Singh


what it’s about from amazon: Since the moment of her defection from the PsyNet and into the SnowDancer wolf pack, Sienna Lauren has had one weakness. Hawke. Alpha and dangerous, he compels her to madness.

Hawke is used to walking alone, having lost the woman who would’ve been his mate long ago. But Sienna fascinates the primal heart of him, even as he tells himself she is far too young to handle the wild fury of the wolf.

Then Sienna changes the rules-and suddenly, there is no more distance, only the most intimate of battles between two people who were never meant to meet. Yet as they strip away each other’s secrets in a storm of raw emotion, they must also ready themselves for a far more vicious fight…

A deadly enemy is out to destroy SnowDancer, striking at everything they hold dear, but it is Sienna’s darkest secret that may yet savage the pack that is her home-and the alpha who is its heartbeat.

my opinion: uh, yeah. you can judge this book by its cover. HOT. it’s a shame i was too far down the waiting list at the library and so had to order it on my kindle app on my phone and thus, didn’t get to see the cover. the things i do for BOOK HUNGRY.

anyways, this story was pretty great. i thought singh handled the main relationship with a finesse you don’t see very often, (i say boldly because i’m not widely read in the romance area.) sienna is young in age (and in love), but has lived an extraordinarily difficult life up til now and so is mature beyond her years. when faced with the grand, but sometimes daunting, romance with the leader of the changeling wolf pack, she embraces it, but doesn’t discredit her occasional fear. it rang very true for me that she’d have a bit of hesitation when faced with an all consuming love with a man who is a powerful, dedicated, and busy leader. she took the time to figure out how she’d fit into hist heart and his life. it was a more practical approach than i’d seen before, and i liked it! it was a lot of fun to see their relationship unfold.

in other areas of discussion, this book is a later one is a series, of which i haven’t read any. it made for a great study in sequels because i know it’s always a challenge for an author to decide how much information s/he should incorporate from the previous novels. for dedicated readers of the series, too much information is boring, but there needs to be enough backstory so that readers who are new to the series won’t get lost. as for this specific book? singh did a decent job, but i do think i would have enjoyed the story a bit more had i read and truly understood all of the political undertones, as well as recognized the multitude of characters who appear throughout. there are a lot of characters (!) and while i did get a vivid sense of who they are and how they fit together (tee hee), i probably would have been more thrilled to see them on the page had i met them in earlier books.

and, as for the ending, no no, don’t worry, i’m not going to spoil it, but i do think it tied up a little too neatly AND she left it open for this world to continue on into another novel. she’s got to bring home the bacon somehow.

verdict: this author is well-trained and as Elizabeth said, just because it’s a romance novel doesn’t mean the characters and world building aren’t fascinating, innovative, and well rounded. i’ll definitely be checking out some more of her works, you know, when my current TBR pile diminishes a bit.

join us next month as we tackle THE BEYONDERS by Brandon Mull.

//

book club

BOOK HUNGRY: scent of the missing

abby mumford

who says you have to be crowded into the living room, kitchen, and/or dining room to hold a book club? we are ladies of the 21st century. we don’t need no stinkin’ couches. so pull up a blog and join in the conversation.

the members of the BOOK HUNGRY are (alphabetically): patty blount, kelly breakey, karla nellenbach, vanessa noble, alyson peterson, cynthia reese, elizabeth ryann, and myself. here’s the deal. we pick a book to read. we discuss via email. we post a review on our individual blogs on the same day (3rd thursday of the month). we link to each other. done. i know, genius. click on each one of their names (above) and it’ll take you to their review. browse. enjoy.

this month’s BOOK HUNGRY selection is:

SCENT OF THE MISSING by susannah charleson


what it’s about from amazon: In the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, Susannah Charleson clipped a photo from the newspaper: an exhausted canine handler, face buried in the fur of his search-and-rescue dog. A dog lover and pilot with search experience herself, Susannah was so moved by the image that she decided to volunteer with a local canine team and soon discovered firsthand the long hours, nonexistent pay, and often heart-wrenching results they face.

Still she felt the call, and once she qualified to train a dog of her own, she adopted Puzzle, a strong, bright Golden Retriever puppy who exhibited unique aptitudes as a working dog but who was less interested in the role of compliant house pet. Puzzle’s willfulness and high drive, both assets in the field, challenged even Susannah, who had raised dogs for years.

Scent of the Missing is the story of Susannah and Puzzle’s adventures together and of the close relationship they forge as they search for the lost–a teen gone missing, an Alzheimer’s patient wandering in the cold, signs of the crew amid the debris of the space shuttle Columbia disaster. From the earliest air-scent lessons to her final mastery of whole-body dialog, Puzzle emerges as a fully collaborative partner in a noble enterprise that unfolds across the forests, plains, and cityscapes of the Southwest. Along the way Susannah and Puzzle learn to read the clues in the field, and in each other, to accomplish together the critical work neither could do alone and to unravel the mystery of the human/canine bond.

my opinion: okay, so some of you know this, some of you may not. *opens closet door, lets skeleton out* i’m not a big fan of animals. i said as much during the november book hungry post, and i feel the need to state it again not for attention, but because it shows you how lovely this book was since i’m here to report that I LIKED THIS BOOK. and now i find myself watching dogs with a more sensitive eye wondering what they’re thinking, smelling, feeling. i owe that to this book. charleson’s descriptions of the search and rescue dogs are fascinating and they made the dogs seem slightly human, and hey, i like humans! which means i liked these dogs!

i repeat, i liked these dogs!

the only gripe i have with this book is the pacing. it was a bit slow for my taste. i mean charleson leads a really interesting life. she’s a flight instructor as well as a volunteer search and rescuer. that’s some juicy stuff right there, but the story got a bit bogged down with the details and scents and sights of every single training session and every single search. if it had been pared down to just the training + the big missions, i think the story would have flowed a bit more smoothly.

but, as it was, overall — i liked the story. and now, instead of just instantly wrinkling my nose when my friends’ dogs come around, i may even pat them. as unconventional of a review as that is, i think that’s the sign of a successful book.

for next month, we read elizabeth’s pick: KISS OF SNOW by nalini singh.

//

book club

BOOK HUNGRY: the sky is everywhere

abby mumford

who says you have to be crowded into the living room, kitchen, and/or dining room to hold a book club? we are ladies of the 21st century. we don’t need no stinkin’ couches. so pull up a blog and join in the conversation.

the members of the BOOK HUNGRY are (alphabetically): patty blount, kelly breakey, karla nellenbach, vanessa noble, alyson peterson, cynthia reese, elizabeth ryann, and myself. here’s the deal. we pick a book to read. we discuss via email. we post a review on our individual blogs on the same day (3rd thursday of the month). we link to each other. done. i know, genius. click on each one of their names (above) and it’ll take you to their review. browse. enjoy.

this month’s BOOK HUNGRY selection is:

THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by jandy nelson

what it’s about from amazon: When her older sister dies from an arrhythmia, 17-year-old Lennie finds that people are awkward around her, including her best friend. While dealing with her conflicted feelings toward her sister’s boyfriend, her anguish over Bailey’s unexpected death, and her sudden curiosity about sex, Lennie must also cope with her unresolved feelings about her mother, who left when Lennie was an infant. Debut author Nelson expertly and movingly chronicles the myriad, roller-coaster emotions that follow a tragedy, including Lennie’s reluctance to box up her sister’s belongings and her guilt over bursts of happiness. The portrayal of the teen’s state of mind is believable, as are the romanticizing of her absent mother and the brief scenes of underage drinking and sexual exploration. Chapters are typically anchored by brief snippets of Lennie’s writings. This is a heartfelt and appealing tale. Girls who gobble up romantic and/or weep-over fiction will undoubtedly flock to this realistic, sometimes funny, and heartbreaking story.

my opinion:

*KERPLUNK* that’s the sound of my jaw hitting the floor.

this book? oh my, this book. it is one of the MOST GORGEOUS books i’ve ever read. ever. ever. the prose is luscious, the poems are divine, the images are vivid, and throughout it all, the emotions, the love, the anger, the betrayal, the giddiness, the pain, the love! but most especially the grief, are tangible. plain and simple, the story and the characters are flat out orange.*

jandy doesn’t use big words. she doesn’t try to show off her intelligence or confuse you with deeper meanings. she simply picks the very best word for the story at hand and lets it radiate, and let me tell you, you’re going to need sunglasses. she is a master of both prose and poetry. it’s not fair really, i mean, there are these bits of poetry at the beginning of some chapters and OMG! if they’re not the most stunning poems i’ve ever read. they make emotion accessible. in fact, the poems wring out so much emotion, the pages drip with it and you’re doused with the excess. AND YOU WILL LIKE IT.

i haven’t even mentioned any of the relationships or specific characters because my words are pale and meager and, you guys, seriously, just pick up this book and read it. proceed with caution, but PROCEED. and quickly! you can thank me (and jandy) later.

* “orange is…the color of extraordinary.” pg.32

p.s. as an added bonus, HERE’S an interview (done by gayle forman) with jandy nelson. the authors of my two favorite books that were released in 2010. so much goodness is going on in there!

//

book club

WHERE SHE WENT (to japan)

abby mumford

first, there was THIS. and i was blown away.

next, THIS was written. and i couldn’t wait.

then the earthquake and tsunami happened and we all joined together for japan. including this contest by @gayleforman:

RT @gayleforman 10 signed #WhereSheWent. I give $1 to Japan Red Cross for every tweet. You tell me what selflessness is.

for those who don’t speak twitter-ese, let me decode for you. there are two parts. (1) gayle had 10 signed copies of the sequel WHERE SHE WENT and she was going to give them away to those who told her what selflessness was. (2) for every tweet TO her and ABOUT the contest, she would donate $1 to the red cross to help the japanese relief efforts.

the tweets were flying! it was quite cool to read all the other entries. some were serious. some were funny. ALL were helping the red cross. i did my part to spread the word about the contest and then i entered. twice. because selflessness is such a big word, it needed two entries. here were my entries:

@gayleforman selflessness is you donating to the red cross just because we pushed a RT button. #whereshewent

@gayleforman selflessness is my mom. any mom. all moms. well, most moms. #whereshewent

then, i went back to work because well, that’s what i do. plus, they say the good stuff happens when  you least expect it/you aren’t looking. i  checked back into twitter around 5 and found out this:

RT@gayleforman: @abbymumford You get one. For general awesomeness. And specific. [and then she put in some technical information.]

did one of my favorite authors really just pick me? AND call me generally and specifically awesome? heck yeah she did. my winning streak sure is thriving! and NOW, i’m forwarding on the good will and good cheer in two different ways.

(1) gayle has inspired me not only to be a better writer, but to be better, in general, in life, so i’ve donated to shelterbox, the harvard square bake sale, and to the american red cross to benefit japan. it wasn’t much, but i’m happy to add what little i can.

(2) by staging my own contest. that’s right. i’m giving away a brand new (not signed, sorry) copy of WHERE SHE WENT. all YOU have to do, dear readers, is comment below and tell me WHERE SHE WENT.

(you can answer any way BUT seriously because i do not approve of spoilers. the book was just released today, so if you have finished it already, power to you!)

and, GO.

oh wait, i should mention you have until THURSDAY APRIL 7 at 5pm EST to enter. the winner will be announced during my next post on FRIDAY APRIL 8.

now, GO.

book club

sean griswold’s head

abby mumford

you’ve recently heard me waxing pretty things about one lindsey leavitt, specifically about how i want my writing to be like hers. how do i know this?

i’ve read this:

and this:

the latter of which was released just this month and is the subject of this GUSHY post (you’ve been warned).

the first time i remember hearing about lindsey was when she posted this video about stephanie perkins’ ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS:

her sense of humor was right up my alley, so i figured i’d take a look at her books. at the time, only PRINCESS FOR HIRE was out, so that’s what i picked up. that book is a lot like LEGALLY BLONDE in the sense that you’re expecting a light chick flick, but are pleasantly surprised to discover it’s got a lot of heart, charm, and intelligence waiting for you. this book could get into harvard law school. it’s a middle grade series, which i’d recommend for any girl aged 9-13. yeah, ok, i certainly don’t fall into that age bracket, so heck, i’d recommend it for any girl, any age.

needless to say, i was won over and anxiously awaited her next offering, SEAN GRISWOLD’S HEAD, a YA title. it got a lot of early buzz, so i was even more impatient for it to be released.

the gist (from amazon): “According to her guidance counselor, fifteen-year-old Payton Gritas needs a focus object-an item to concentrate her emotions on. It’s supposed to be something inanimate, but Payton decides to use the thing she stares at during class: Sean Griswold’s head. They’ve been linked since third grade (Griswold-Gritas-it’s an alphabetical order thing), but she’s never really known him.

The focus object is intended to help Payton deal with her father’s newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis. And it’s working. With the help of her boy-crazy best friend Jac, Payton starts stalking-er, focusing on-Sean Griswold . . . all of him! He’s cute, he shares her Seinfeld obsession (nobody else gets it!) and he may have a secret or two of his own.

In this sweet story of first love, Lindsey Leavitt seamlessly balances heartfelt family moments, spot-on sarcastic humor, and a budding young romance.”

you know how i am with expectations…so i was a wee bit nervous to be so excited about a book’s release. but i’m here to tell you the wait was worth it, folks. this book is practically perfect. i don’t even know what to say about it except i laughed A LOT, i cried (a little, just at the end), i swooned, i dog-eared pages because i wanted to remember particular passages, i cheered, i winced, i sighed, i loved. the characters jumped (or should i say, rode) off the page and straight into my heart, flaws and all.

i may be 30 and payton may be half that, but i can admit i really related to her. the way she communicates (or not), her fears, her dreams, her actions in real life. she’s flawed and stubborn and confused and all around fantastic. it takes a lot of talent to make a character that well rounded. and sean?! sean! oh sean. he’s ADORABLE. and he’s a good guy! not a mean-baddy-mc-I’m-so-hot-and-unattainable-and-I-brood-a-lot-so-you-must-fall-in-love-with-me-immediately-though-i-shall-play-hard-to-get guy. payton never fears for her life, well, not in the way she would if he was a vampire or werewolf or zombie. to have the boy be steady and caring and awesome and a real boy in real life (you know what i mean, contemporary), what a refreshing change of pace that was.

the other thing i loved about this book was every single scene and action and decision and moment was true to the story. i never felt or even thought about the author. it was like i was sitting in the classroom with these kids listening to them talk to me directly. the voices and personalities were spot on. it’s an incredibly difficult thing to do — to write a story so clearly defined by your characters that the author herself becomes invisible. i’m beginning to think lindsey could have gotten into harvard law if she’d wanted to…

and you know another thing that got me? lindsey’s admitted her husband was a bit like sean in that he’s the guy that was always there, in class, in school, but she was distracted by other, shinier boys so she overlooked him. until she didn’t. but that’s a story for another time and place (so she says…it’s also one i don’t know considering i’m just a fangirl and not in her inner circle. minor details, people.) i love knowing this small detail about the leavitts because, let’s face it, i have a feeling i’m a bit like sean in that sense. i’m the girl who’s overlooked, who’s just the friend, until the day i’m not*.

ok, i’ve rambled on long enough — you see the effect her writing has on me? she gets ME to RAMBLE. that doesn’t happen often. let’s hope i’m not MUMBLING while i’m doing so.  read the book, kids. you won’t regret it.

*let’s not hold our breath, people.

//