Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Mia is a girl with a choice. After being seriously injured in a car accident she is in a coma, but she is actually still hanging around outside her body. She feels somehow that she has the choice to die or to come back into her injured body. As she reflects on her decision, she looks back at her life with her family, friends and boyfriend.

I don't know exactly how to feel about this. I give the author high marks for writing about an interesting concept and I liked that I couldn't tell what was going to happen until the last page. I loved Mia's family - I enjoyed their banter and love for each other. It was also neat that the setting is in Portland, OR and I have been to the same places that Mia has! My main issue was with Mia sleeping with her boyfriend and him often spending the night and her parents being totally fine with it. I know this happens in real life but I just don't want to think about it.



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Review: Open by Andre Agassi

Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Wow. I love this book. I can't believe all the physical and emotional pain that Agassi has gone through to get where he is. I was outraged at the insensitivity of his father and his domineering attitude - forcing little 7-year-old Andre to hit over 2000 tennis balls a day - but in a weird way all the heartache he caused Andre has gotten him where he is now - with a beautiful family and resources to do a lot of good.

The book is filled with anecdotes about his father, his friends, his coaches, his trainers and other tennis players. These are fun to read and offer amusing inside information. One of my favorites is when he finds out that Pete Sampras leaves a valet $1 for a tip - this after Sampras has made tens of millions in his career. "Here's a buck kid, bring the car around."

Agassi hasn't held anything back in this autobiography - painting himself with brutal honesty. The bone-crushing despair of losing, his sometimes bad behavior and the elation after winning. I like seeing him evolve as a person - slowly realizing that in helping others, he gains the most satisfaction in life. This leads to the creation and funding of a successful inner city charter school where college is the ultimate goal. I rejoice over the happiness he has found with fellow tennis legend Stefanie Graff and the joy he takes in his two children.

A book that tennis and non-tennis players will enjoy.


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Review: The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman

The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


An interesting look at a world where weather (and everything else in life) is strictly controlled. The Earth Mother and her Corporation have "enclosed" the sky, protecting inhabitants from all kinds of scary natural weather. They also control the food, the schools, jobs, what people think about anything, etc. Honor is a ten-year-old girl who dares to question the Corporation and what is on the infamous "other side of the island."

I liked this creative and creepy book and the characters that the author created.



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Review: Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


WOW! That is a HUMDINGER of an ending! Where does Patrick Ness come up with this stuff? This is a wild and troubled ride with bits of cruelty and bits of beauty and humanity thrown in. There is nothing to say and everything to say. Suffice it to say that you won't be sorry you read this one. It gets a little slow in parts and the lengthy battle at the beginning is a bit of a snoozer, but the book is still amazing. The way that the author weaves this story is so impressive and original. I could spend a bunch of time analyzing this book, making comparisons with world leaders, with religion with the struggle between good and evil if I wanted to. It would be a splendid read for a book club. Loved it, shocked by it and changed by the ideas in it. Extremely impressed by this author, I will be looking forward to what he does next.



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Review: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book switches back and forth between the story of Andi, a privileged and musically talented teenager who is about to get kicked out of her prestigious Brooklyn high school and Alexandrine, a young girl living in the midst of the French Revolution 200 years ago. Andi is grieving the death of her brother two years earlier, living in a fog of sadness. Her father takes her away to Paris for the Christmas holidays in hopes of resurrecting her school career and upcoming graduation.



I had high hopes for this book and I was let down a bit. I know that it is the norm, but I just didn't enjoy Andi's foul mouth and down-in-the-dumps attitude. I know she was devastated by her brother's death and feels responsibility, but it was a drag to read. I guess I am more in the mood for something happy that takes me away. There was also one part of the book that was just too out there for me, and I had a hard time suspending my disbelief. I did like the voice of the character, Alexandrine, she had beautiful prose in telling her part of the French Revolution. I liked reading about the French Revolution and I was impressed with the extensive bibliography in the back of the book.



All in all, I was underwhelmed but there were enough parts that I did like that I gave it three instead of two stars.



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Review: Courting Trouble by Deeanne Gist

Courting Trouble by Deeanne Gist

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


So this is really more like a 3.5 star for me. I thought the story was delightful. Reading it was just like settling down with a really yummy bit of candy. I loved the main character, Essie. She has spunk, style, intelligence and kindness to boot. Unfortunately she also likes to ride bikes, fish, hunt and gallivant around unlike a lady in the 1890s is expected to do. Essie's antics have earned her the reputation as the town spinster at the crumbling age of 30 (gasp). She decides to secure herself a husband and makes a list of the pros and cons of the eligible bachelors in town. Things don't go quite as planned and finding a husband turns out to be more difficult than Essie bargained for.

This religious historical fiction had more religion in it than some of the other novels this author has written, but it was still ok for me. The ending was a little different than what I was hoping for, but I can still appreciate where the author was going. This is a great light read with entertaining characters and setting.





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Review: The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas

The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Set in rural Kansas during the 30s, this story is about a group of women who have formed a quilting group, the Persian Pickle Club. Not only for quilting, these women rely on each other for compassion and friendship during the best and worst of times. A new girl moves to town and joins the Pickles. She is a little different from the typical farm wife; bent on becoming an investigative journalist, Rita threatens to overturn a secret that the group has sworn to keep.

At first, I really didn't like this book. I don't care for all the small town idiosyncracies and odd names and fussy old ladies, but as the story unfolded, I enjoyed it more. I could understand the characters for who they are and where they are coming from. I'm probably not going to run out to get another book by this author, but it was a pleasant, simple read.



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