The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Once in a great while, a book comes along that reaches into you. It makes your brain remember your heart and your true desires in life. Although it seems like just a little young adult novel, just a little bit sci-fi, a little bit romance- to me it was a lot more.

All we know at the beginning is that Jenna Fox has awakened to a world she doesn't remember. She doesn't know her parents or the grandmother who seems to hate her. She comes to learn that she has been in an accident, an event that she is not to speak of to anyone. But then who would she tell? She has no friends and her parents are keeping her outside contact to a minimum. So she watches videos of her life, one for every year. Her memories begin to resurface, making her feel like an alien in host body. It is not until she demands to have her own life and is allowed to go to school and venture outside that she begins to put the mystery of her life together. But is it really her life to live?

The writing in this book is so interesting that it drew me in immediately. Told from Jenna's point of view, at first the language is stilted, halted, like a robot delivering some lines in a play. But then it is interspersed with short interludes, a kind of poetry, that lets us into Jenna's thoughts more deeply. By the end of the book, when Jenna finally understands her situation and grows into who she is going to be, the style is more that of a "normal" teenager, albeit a very thoughtful one.

The other thing I love about this book is knowing that there are sequels. BUT this book also could stand alone. The ending, while perhaps a bit different than we hope, is satisfying in itself. If you wanted to only read this one book, it would be fine - still an excellent book on its own. This is how a series should be done. But I know that this will not be the last Jenna Fox book for me. I will soon have to read The Fox Inheritance, book two in the series. But until then, I will not forget this beautiful, emotional book for all ages.

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin

A book club friend donated this book to the library, and then another told me she could not put it down, so I thought I would finally take the time to give it a read. It is the kind of book you can sit and think about long after you're through.

It is the story of William Talmadge who was born to grow the many kinds of fruit trees in his orchard. His mother and father start from nothing, and pass on this reassuring, cultivating work to Talmadge. Talmadge is a common man who struggles with the loss of his sister, who mysteriously disappears into the forest one day. It is this event that shapes him, just as he shapes the trees to bear better, hardier fruit. Then one day he is faced with another struggle when two young girls, both pregnant and running away from he knows not what, enter the orchard to steal his fruit. Instead of chasing them away, he chooses the hard decision of cultivating them also. Their relationship to each other fascinates him, and he can't keep himself from helping them. His life in the orchard makes a shift then, from being all about him, his grief, and the land he is on. It shifts to become about love and the true sacrifice that love takes.

Perhaps it is the beautifully detailed writing, the characters that feel like real people when you're done, or the unique description of life cultivating a fruit orchard. Perhaps it is my own dear connection to my own sisters, or my father's life-long interest in fruit trees and grafting. There are a lot of reasons for me to love this book, and I hope you'll find your own.

Carry the One by Carol Anshaw

When we're young, there is a part of our brain that is sadly undeveloped. This part tells us that we are invincible - that whatever we do, it will all work out. We don't seem to get the fact that one action(or lack of action), one decision can change the lives of many, many others forever. It is this one, defining minute that defines the characters' lives in Anshaw's Carry the One.

A beautiful wedding, an unexpected mingling of lovers, and a celebration to excess - and then the accident. An accident that two sisters, their brother, and their friends have to cope with, remember, and live (or die) with forever. How can they cope with such an event? How do they get over the guilt? The siblings all try their whole lives, not only to escape, but to atone for the accident in their different ways. One dives into chemicals, one into art and love, and one into protest. Time goes on, life goes on, but can they ever outrun their connected story? Can they ever do the victim justice? Do they deserve to just move on and live their lives, striving for their own happiness?

While this sounds like a really depressing, heavy book full of dark emotions, it is so much more than that. It has humor, too, and the beautiful, realistic writing style that brings these unforgettable characters to life. It's a book that makes you think, and a story that carries you forward. Let me know what you think!

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

From the first page of Khaled Hosseini's new novel, the reader is drawn in and held captive by the beautiful writing and enthralling story filled with wonder, sadness, and impossible choices. A book club friend was kind enough to lend me her advance reader's copy, I could not put it down once I started. I think it will take a high spot on my list of favorite books.

In the opening of the book, we are first entranced by the folktale that is told to a young boy and his sister. The tale tells of a much-feared div or ogre who steals a child and whose father is so torn apart by grief that he devotes his life to finding him. But what he finds at the ogre's mountain is a place far better for his son than the poor home he could provide. Is the beautiful home, riches, and education offered by the ogre better for the boy than the simple love of his father and the sureness of family? Can the father stand to leave his son and sacrifice his love? This becomes the real choice that the storyteller must face. This choice, this time involving a daughter and a rich acquaintance, begins the chain reaction that unfolds into a family saga spreading across the world: Kabul, Paris, San Francisco, and Greece.

If you enjoyed Hosseini's The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, then you will not want to miss this one which will be available on May 21, 2013. Please let me know what YOU think!

The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain

The premise behind this novel is mesmerizing: A woman commits a crime and then goes into hiding for virtually the rest of her life, with only a handful of people knowing the truth. Can she keep the secret forever? Can a criminal redeem  his or her life and be happy and "normal" ever again? Are secrets sometimes necessary or will they always be barriers to true happiness?

CeeCee Wilkes, a 16-year-old impressionable girl who has lost her mother at a very young age, finds herself in love with someone who wants her to help him commit a kidnapping. He has his reasons, which seem noble, and she truly just wants someone to love. When the crime goes wrong and all the perpetrators go into hiding, CeeCee has to create a life that she has no clue how to start, and she must keep secrets about her lover while being separated from him forever.

As I said, there are a lot of great questions explored in this light, easy read in a style I would compare to Danielle Steel, Nora Roberts or the like. While this is not my favorite kind of writing style, there are many things I liked about this book. It was fast-paced, had interesting characters, and as I said above, a dynamite plot premise. Its weaknesses lie in the, what I will call, unbelievable stupidity of the characters and their crime. I do realize that there are stupid crimes committed every day, but sometimes in this novel both the dialog and the characters' motivation seemed a bit contrived and very stilted. The characters often used very overused expressions in their speaking, and the descriptions seemed quite cliched, and I would kind of go, "Ugh, really?" But then the plot would move ahead and keep me engaged. I wanted to find out what happened to these idiots. I wanted to know if the remaining victims of the kidnapping were for real, or if they had some evil elements themselves.

So, if you like some light, general women's fiction with a little mystery thrown in, then this is your ticket. Give it a try and come to our book club to discuss it on May 2nd!

The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman

Reading two nonfiction titles in a row in our book club maybe wasn't the wisest choice. And in total ignorance, I actually believed this to be a novel when we picked it for our list. Let's just say it would have made a fabulous historical novel. But it is not a novel.

What it is is the true account of a devoted couple in Warsaw, Poland who own a very successful zoo. They are not only devoted to each other but to their son Rys and to each and every animal held within. There are wonderful stories of pigs, badgers, and birds kept as pets in the villa beside the zoo. There are stories of the owners' love of nature and creatures within the painstakingly created habitats. But then World War II takes all of that away. But it also gives the couple, Jan and Antonina Zabinski, a new and dangerous focus: switching from saving the animals to saving Jews trying to flee Poland or simply trying to stay alive during the war. The Zablinskis put themselves in constant danger, using the zoo they loved as a hiding place, a portal, and a refuge.

This is a unique story with intense detail of the natural world, both things that Ackerman is famous for. For a naturalist, a veterinarian, or a very avid gardener perhaps, this would be a great read. For me, someone who has read many, many World War II stories focusing on the holocaust, the book took a wonderful story and bogged it down in needless detail, leaving it bereft of action and the intense emotion that a reader should feel when reading a book about the holocaust.

But my opinion is just one. There were some in our book club who couldn't get through the book, and there were some who absolutely loved it. So, if you really like good nonfiction, please read The Zoo Keeper's Wife and tell me what you think and why you liked it. We'd love to hear your comments!

Legend and Prodigy by Marie Lu

I may be the only YA enthusiast in America to have missed these two novels, but I'm glad I've finally seen the light. Filled with great characters and an involving dystopian plot, I'm really glad I picked them up right  as Prodigy hit book stores everywhere.

The main characters, June and Day, are seemingly as opposite as can be. June is a born prodigy: smart, cunning, and completely loyal to the Republic created in the wake of a war that separated the United States into regions which constantly fight each other. Day is a rebel with street-smart skills and daring, living almost alone on the streets, trying to steal enough to save his mother and brother who suffer now from one of the "plagues" that are killing hundreds in the Republic. When June is assigned to find Day and stop his covert hijinks, she is surprised by what she finds. And Day, only focused on his family and using his Robin Hood type skills for good and not evil, is shocked to find himself in the company of a Republic prodigy.

So, can the two work together for the common good? What is that good? Will there be love? Will there be war? While all these questions may seem like you've seen them all before in other books and movies of late, Lu has created her own world and this world poses unique, interesting questions about the role of government and the polarization of our beliefs. While not quite as engaging, in my opinion, as Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth(see my earlier posts on these), they are action-packed, YA fantasy of the highest quality.Give them a try if you haven't already, and tell me your opinions!

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Everyone who reads this true-life account of a courageous World War II prisoner of war brings it to me at the library and says, "Have you read this? You should read this! It's incredible!" But, when our Valley book club picked it, I was wary. After all, this was the author of Seabiscuit, a book lauded by critics and readers everywhere, and one that is cemented in my top ten most boring books ever written. I know, I know. I need a little nonfiction in my life, right? Or do I really? Was this one going to be a huge snooze like most of the nonfiction I'd read in the past few years?

The answer is: Mostly no. It is the harrowing story of Lieutenant Louis Zamperini, a former world-class runner, and an airman whose bomber crashes into the Pacific in 1943. But that is just the beginning of this tale of survival. And one would think that being stranded in the middle of the ocean, miles from anything but circling sharks, would be the worst thing that could happen in one man's story. But it's certainly not. In fact, this part of Zamperini's journey seems almost like luxury when compared to the rest of his horrifying experience in the Japanese war camps. 

Zamperini's life is truly a testament to the strength of the human spirit and of the human body. It was well worth the read and I did find it inspiring despite the almost unbelievable details that at times were, like Seabiscuit, quite repetitive. But if you can skim or sift through the repetition and focus on the story and the wonderful characterization of Zamperini himself, it's a fast, rewarding read. But I have to say, after the harsh realities of this nonfiction, I'm ready for a little fantasy. Let me know what you think!

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis

I am one of those crazy women who used to read every Oprah Book Club pick there was. I have to say I loved most of them. So, when Oprah started her 2.0 club, I had to pick this one up. As per most of Oprah's choices, it is the story of a strong woman with a hard life, in this case Hattie Shepherd. It is also the story of her twelve children.

Each chapter is devoted to the life of one of Hattie's "tribe." They are quite a mix of struggling, searching kids who all resent their mother for some reason or the other, even while she gives up everything in her own life to raise them with next to nothing and a cheating, womanizing husband. Their lives encompass the issues of race, religion, wealth, social status, sexual orientation, and psychological issues. The reader wants to love and hate them in all their splendid glory. But it is Hattie who saves them all, in her way. While not a very "loving" or demonstrative person, she nevertheless gives them the spirit to survive despite what life throws at them, and in the end, she is still their savior.

Hattie's life is the quintessential question mark in most middle-aged women's lives. Is it ever going to be enough? Can I give up all of myself for them, my children and my family? Or must I save a piece of me for me? You'll love finding out what Hattie decides for herself. Don't shy away from the power of Oprah. :) Take a look at this one. You'll be glad.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Since my introduction to British television in the forms of "Downton Abbey," "Upstairs Downstairs", and "Being Human", I was really looking forward to this English story of love, prejudice, family disputes, and middle age. The novel, however, is really not like any of these.

Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired) has lost his wife, and now he has also lost his beloved brother. But more pressingly, he may lose his brother's hunting rifle, which is one half of the matched pair that Pettigrew's father bequeathed the brothers. The father's wish was to have the pair, more valuable when together, be reunited at some point. But when the Major tries to bring them together, his sister-in-law and son are more interested in the money that could be had from their sale than an old man's dying wish and family tradition.

Through a series of events and the Major's interesting friendship with the neighboring shop keeper, Mrs. Ali, Major Pettigrew and his family must come to terms with their relationships, their circumstances, and their sense of what's important in life. It is the woman and outsider in this case, Mrs. Ali, who is the only one who really seems to understand who she is and what's important. It's not race, or religion, or possessions that make life worth living. It is only our love of others that really matters. When put to the test, what would you be willing to give up for the ones you love? This is what Major Pettigrew learns about himself. It, in the end, is not a very hard decision after all.

The characters in this novel are wonderful and the descriptions vivid. And while some of the plot is very interesting and brings up all kinds of thought-provoking issues, there really just wasn't a lot happening in there. The pace of the whole novel is so slow, that I had to really commit to moving on with it. I am glad I did, as the ending is very satisfying, but it was difficult at times. Give it a try, and tell me what you think.