TV Tuesday: Transparent

I just started watching Amazon's original series Transparent last week, and I've been so excited to write about it here. It's an amazing show, which all the critics have been saying for over a year (it was just nominated for 3 Golden Globes) - I'm not sure why it took me so long to discover it.

As you may have heard or noticed from its promos, Transparent is about a transgender person, transitioning from man to woman and coming out to her family. But the show is so much more than that. It is a family drama that is both poignant and often laugh-out-loud funny. Jeffrey Tambor stars as Mort, now known as Maura, who has known his whole life that he is really a woman but who just got up the courage to live as one, at the age of 77.

But Maura's not the only one in the family with long-buried secrets. The show is just as much about her three adult children who is each dealing with his or own issues. Oldest daughter Sarah, played by Amy Landecker, seems normal on the outside - married with two children - but she has her own secrets from her past which soon come bubbling into the present. Brother Josh, played by Jay Duplass, is in the music business, but both his career and his love life are in danger of falling apart when he falls in love with the latest of his many female conquests. Youngest sibling Ali, played by Gaby Hoffman (who was on Girls), is at loose ends, unemployed and unsure what to do with her life. The siblings' mother (played hilariously by Judith Light), long divorced from their father, is now married to Ed, a man with fairly advanced dementia.

Into this mix of oddball, dysfunctional family members comes Mort, now Maura, gradually telling each family member that, at age 77, she is actually a woman. Maura actually seems the most stable of the family members, as each deals with their father's news plus their own rapidly unraveling lives.

I have watched 6 episodes from the first season so far (season 3 just started), and I am totally hooked. All of the characters are interesting, their problems and issues are complex (and often somewhat extreme), and I often find myself laughing out loud at the absurdity of the situations they find themselves in. One warning, in case this sort of thing offends you: there is quite a bit of explicit sex in this show.  It is not, as you might expect, on the part of Maura - her sexual preferences haven't come into play yet - but the three siblings each find themselves in some pretty wild and varied sexual situations. Seriously, the transgender person on the show probably has the least turmoil in her life!

If you like funny, warm dysfunctional family dramas, this is the show for you! I am thoroughly enjoying every episode and can't wait to see more. From its continued award nominations, I am guess that season 2 was just as good as season 1.

Since this is an Amazon original program, it is available exclusively through Amazon, free to Prime members and $1.99 an episode (or $16.99 per season) - you can use the link below to access it.

Improve Your Life with Books in 2016!

(This is my monthly book column, reprinted from the January 2016 issue of Vital! magazine. You can also see it online at their website, along with some of my other book columns. I've reprinted it here with links to my reviews, when available.)

It’s that time of year when people make resolutions, set goals, and start the new year with a fresh perspective. Whether your goals focus on organization, your home, or your self, here are some books to inspire you!

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: the Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo – This little book has spent many months on the New York Times Bestseller List. Clear out your stuff and change your life!

How To Wake Up: A Buddhist-Inspired Guide to Navigating Joy and Sorrow by Toni Bernhard – Applies the tenets of Buddhism to everyday life in order to be more peaceful, deal with challenges, and have more joy in your life.

Time Management from the Inside Out: The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule – andYour Life by Julie Morgenstern – Covers organization, clutter, setting goals, and more. I liked it so much after reading a library copy that I bought my own, now filled with dog-eared pages!

Better Than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits – to Sleep More, Quit Sugar, Procrastinate Less, and Generally Build a Happier Life by Gretchen Rubin – The renowned author of The Happiness Project is back with a book about habits: how we make the good ones and break the bad ones.

If the Oceans Were Ink: An Unlikely Friendship and a Journey to the Heart of the Quran by Carla Power – To understand real Muslims – instead of the terrorists in the news – join Carla on her enlightening journey to learn about the Quran. Timely and perfect for book groups.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen Covey – A classic that changed my life – not just about effectiveness but about being a better person, with chapters like Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood and Be Kind to Those Not in Your Presence.

The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness by Dr. Jerome Groopman – Another book that changed my life, all about what real hope is and its power. Many examples are about cancer patients, but it is equally applicable to any health issues.

The Year of Yes: How To Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes – The famed creator of TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal shares her inspiring year-long journey to come out of her shell and say yes to things that made her uncomfortable.

168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam – We all have plenty of time – we just need to use it wisely. She explains how to analyze your time, set goals, and learn to use your time to meet those goals.

Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist by Michael J. Fox –Inspiring and heartwarming – and often hilariously funny, Fox expresses universal truths about family, marriage, being a parent, losing someone, and chronic illness. Especially good on audio, read by the author.

Suzan Jackson is a freelance writer who lives in Delaware with her husband and two sons. She writes a blog about books, featuring reviews, book news, and more at www.bookbybook.blogspot.com. You can find reviews of most of the books listed here on the blog.

Movie Monday 11/11: The Intern

My husband and I watched the recently released The Intern this weekend and enjoyed the light, funny movie with a fantastic cast.

Robert De Niro stars as Ben Whittaker, a 70-year old retired widower. Ben is happy with his life and tries to keep busy, but he's a bit bored and misses the feeling of purpose he got from working. He sees a sign for a "Senior Intern" program and decides to sign up. The company running the program is About the Fit, a fast-rising internet start-up selling clothes online that was founded and is run by Jules Ostin, played by Anne Hathaway. Jules is used to doing everything herself and isn't too thrilled when her second-in-command, Cameron, assigns Ben to be her intern.

In fact, at first, she just ignores him. But Ben quickly becomes popular among the company's very young staff - he's polite, friendly, and has a lot of experience in business. He finds plenty of ways to make himself useful, until Jules finally recognizes him and begins to let him help her. Jules needs help. Her company has grown lightning-fast, and she tries to do everything herself, so she is seriously overwhelmed and hardly sleeps. She is also trying to juggle her marriage to stay-at-home dad, Matt, and being a mom to her adorable little girl, Paige.

Besides De Niro and Hathaway, the movie has a fabulous supporting cast, too. Rene Russo and Linda Lavin both appear as potential love interests for Ben. Adam Devine - one of our favorites from Modern Family (where he plays the "manny" Andy) plays Jason, another employee at the company. Cameron is played beautifully by Andrew Rannelis, who I enjoyed briefly in last year's sitcom The New Normal. And JoJo Kushner is just achingly adorable as Jules' daughter. While De Niro is a bit low-key in this movie, Hathaway's character faces some serious problems and the actress does a great job with the wide range of emotions.

The Intern has the tone and feel of a typical romantic comedy, without the romance (at least not between the leading actors). It is light, enjoyable, and often very funny, with plenty of jokes comparing Ben's generation to the hipster youth he works with. There are some serious issues at play here, too, but the film never gets bogged down in them. Overall, it's a warm, fun journey that we both enjoyed.

Warner Brothers

Blu-ray Combo Pack available on January 19.

Currently available to buy on Amazon. It will be available on Demand through cable companies January 19, on Netflix January 26, and through Redbox February 16.

NOTE: I received a copy of the DVD from Warner Brothers for the purpose of review. The opinions expressed here are mine alone.

Trailer: 

Newberry, Caldecott & Printz Honors Announced!

This morning, the American Library Association announced winner's of the Newberry, Caldecott, and Printz Honors, as well as other awards for childrens' and teen/YA books.

You can read the full list of winners on Publisher's Weekly. Here are a few of the winners that I have reviewed here on the blog:

Laura Ruby won the 2016 Michael L. Printz Award for Bone Gap, a teen/YA novel that I listened to on audio and reviewed this summer.

One of three Newberry Honor books named was Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan, a wonderful middle-grade novel that I just recently listened to on audio and reviewed. Fittingly, Echo also won the Odyssey Honor for Excellence in Audiobook production. Both awards were very well-deserved!

George by Alex Gino, another wonderful middle-grade novel that I listened to on audio recently, won the Stonewall Book Award, for children’s and YA books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience. I will be posting my review of George later this week.

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt won a Schneider Family Book Award, for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience (it's about a young girl with undiagnosed dyslexia). I also listened to that middle-grade novel on audio - here's my review.

I'm glad that I've already read a few of the winners, but there are many more outstanding books that won awards that I still need to get to!

Have you read any of the award winners? Which ones did you particularly like?

It's Monday 1/11! What Are You Reading?

I had a good first week of the year - my chronic illness was mildly flared up, but it was a relief to be home and back in my normal routine. I didn't get to all the 2015 left-over urgent to-do's I meant to (yet), but I did finish my look back at 2015 and setting goals for 2016, a process that I find very satisfying and inspiring each year! Now I need to find the time to catch up on my blogs...

We all enjoyed our books last week:

• I am still reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt, a highly acclaimed novel that I've been meaning to read for ages. It is an odd but intriguing novel, and I'm finding it more and more compelling the longer I read. It's a long one, but I am enjoying it.
• I am still listening to Solitaire by Alice Oseman, a teen/YA novel about a high school girl named Tori who's a loner and a blogger and gets caught up in a mysterious website/blog called Solitaire. Like the best YA novels, Tori is struggling to deal with some very serious issues in her life, but there is also a sense of humor to the story...and I love the British accent of the narrator.
• My husband, Ken, finished Dean Koontz's Prodigal Son, Book One in his Frankenstein series, one of many Koontz books we inherited from my dad. He said it was good.
• Now, Ken is reading Broken Harbor, the fourth book in Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series. Once again, he says he is blown away but what an amazing writer French is!
• Jamie, 21, is back at school for winter session, but I believe he is still reading The Brethren Prince: Piracy, Revenge, and the Culture Clash of the Old Caribbean by Ira Smith. It is historical fiction about real-life pirates in the mid-17th century Caribbean - he started it for our trip to Jamaica last week! He also mentioned that the new TV in his apartment bedroom (a birthday present from us) is proving a huge distraction, and he's playing a lot of video games!

 I got back into the blogging routine last week!

TV Tuesday: Legends, a suspenseful show about a deep undercover agent that we enjoy

Middle-Grade Review: Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan, especially wonderful on audio!

Fiction Review: Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult, compelling, suspenseful, and full of surprises

Saturday Snapshot 1/9: Surf, sky, and sunsets in Jamaica

What are you and your family reading this week?    

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.  

Saturday Snapshot 1/9 - Jamaica

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. 

My mother treated our family to a vacation at a resort in Jamaica last week. Here are a few photos of the beautiful beach & water there:

Our sons in that gorgeous turquoise water

Sunset from the beach

My husband and I kayaking

A sunset family photo

A boat offshore at sunset

Sunset from the resort on New Year's Eve

Hope you enjoyed a lovely holiday season and your new year is off to a good start! We have to get moving and take down the tree and lights today.

Fiction Review: Leaving Time

I have read nine of prolific author Jodi Picoult’s 22 novels, but I have missed her half-dozen or so most recent ones. Just before Christmas, I read her latest, Leaving Time (a gift from last Christmas!), and remembered why I have always loved her books. Like the others, this novel was incredibly compelling, with real-feeling characters, an intense storyline about an important topic, and Picoult’s signature surprise that you will never see coming (I normally don’t even mention plot twists in reviews, for fear of giving away spoilers, but even knowing this author is famous for them, I was still surprised).

Thirteen year-old Jenna Metcalf can’t remember much of her mother, since she disappeared when Jenna was only three years old, but she has never stopped thinking about her. Jenna lives a quiet life with her grandmother and reads her mother’s old journals compulsively, looking for clues to explain why she disappeared and where she went a decade ago. One thing Jenna is certain of: her mother wouldn’t have left her unless there was a very good reason. Now that she is thirteen, Jenna decides to launch a serious investigation to finally find her mother and bring her back home.

Ten years ago, Jenna’s mother, Alice, and her father, Thomas, were elephant researchers, working at an elephant sanctuary that Thomas created in New Hampshire. Alice’s specialty was studying grief among elephants. Jenna has limited – but vivid – memories of her brief childhood at the elephant sanctuary, living among her parents, the few other dedicated employees, and the elephants themselves. Ten years ago, there was a violent incident at the sanctuary, resulting in one death and Alice’s disappearance from the hospital later that night.

In addition to searching the internet and poring over Alice’s journals, Jenna decides to enlist some adult help. She seeks out Virgil Stanhope, one of the police officers who originally (and poorly) investigated events that night. Despite her doubts, Jenna also turns to Serenity Jones, a psychic who was once famous for finding missing persons. Jenna figures that if her mother is still alive, someone like Serenity will know. The unlikely (and grudging) team of three begins to go back over the decade-old case, re-investigating all of the strange happenings of that fateful night and following the clues they find.

This unique novel works on so many levels, as chapters alternate between Jenna’s current perspective and Alice’s old journals. It is a captivating mystery, with an admittedly odd investigative team who are searching for answers in a very cold case. Through Alice’s chapters, the reader also learns a lot about elephants – how they live in the wild, how they are often abused in captivity, how they live at the sanctuary, and the amazing ways that they grieve. I didn’t think I was necessarily interested in elephants, but the information is woven into the narrative with the characters’ stories and is absolutely fascinating. Finally, this is the story of the love and the unbreakable bond between a mother and a daughter.

As with most Picoult novels that I’ve read, I was completely absorbed in this unusual story right from the first pages and couldn’t wait to get back to my book whenever daily life forced me to set it down. Jenna, Alice, and all the rest of the characters felt entirely real to me, and I cared about what happened to them and worried about what Jenna would discover. I also came to care about the elephants, who are just as distinct and real-feeling as the human characters in this novel. The mystery at the heart of the novel kept me guessing right until the last pages, with one surprise after another gradually revealed, and despite all of my predictions about the conclusion, Jodi Picoult surprised me once again. I won’t wait so long this time to read another of her unique and compelling novels.

398 pages, Ballantine Books

NOTE: Thought the New England Elephant Sanctuary described in the novel is fictional, The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee mentioned is real. You can learn more about elephants, make donations to help them, and view live webcams of the elephants in the sanctuary at their website.

And for a real-life glimpse into the research on elephants and grief that Alice did in the novel, check out this amazing story from the real-life Elephant Sanctuary:

Middle-Grade Review: Echo

Echo, a middle-grade novel by Pam Muñoz Ryan, languished in my virtual “pile” of to-listen-to audiobook downloads for almost a year. I finally listened to it in December and was entranced by this magical, musical story that is even more enchanting on audio.

This unusual novel opens with the story of Otto, a young boy playing hide and seek with his friends who gets lost in the Black Forest and reads a book he brought along. He chose the book because his name, Otto, is on the cover, and it tells a fable-like story of three sisters, princesses who have been banished to the woods with a spell because their father wants a male heir. The bookseller insisted that Otto also take a harmonica when he gave him the book. Otto looks up from his fable to find the three sisters, in real life, in front of him. He reads them their story, and they are amazed by it. They tell him that he must take the harmonica and pass it along to someone else “when the time is right,” and in that way, he will help to eventually break the spell that holds them captive.

Next, the book jumps to the story of Friedrich, a young boy in Germany at the brink of World War II. Friedrich dreams of becoming a conductor when he grows up, but he is teased ruthlessly in school for conducting his imaginary orchestras. His loving father brings him to the harmonica factory where he and Friedrich’s uncle work, and Friedrich helps out there in return for private tutoring. However, when Friedrich’s and his father’s lives are in danger due to Hitler’s rise (Friedrich has a disfiguring birthmark and his father has Jewish friends), they must flee their beloved home and town.

The next portion of the novel focuses on Mike, an orphan in Pennsylvania, whose greatest goal is to protect his younger brother, Frankie. The boys hope to get adopted together, but both of them are in danger when the greedy orphanage director looks to sell Mike out as hired help and ship Frankie off to an orphanage with a terrible reputation. The brothers come up with a plan to try out for the Philadelphia Harmonica Band, to save them from these dire fates.

Out in California, young Ivy is a Mexican-American whose family has worked and lived as migrant workers. Her father gets a better job, watching over the farm of a Japanese-American family who have been taken to an internment camp, but it means Ivy has to leave her best friend and give up her upcoming harmonica solo that was going to be broadcast on the radio. In her new town, she faces prejudice but has a new friend and her music. Ivy’s beloved older brother has gone off to fight in the war, causing the rest of the family to worry for his safety.

Each of these individual stories is interesting and compelling in its own right, with nothing but a harmonica linking them. They each end with a bit of a cliffhanger, which I found frustrating at first, but the stories – and the beginning fable – all link up beautifully in the end. Each of the main characters is endearing and real-feeling, and I was completely engrossed in each story and couldn’t wait to see how they would come together finally.

Music is the glue that binds these very different stories together, and the audio book is a joy to listen to, with music woven through the narrative. From Friedrich’s traditional classical music on harmonica and cello, played with his father, to Mike and Frankie’s American tunes played on the piano and harmonica to Ivy’s patriotic songs, the music complements the story beautifully throughout the book. In addition, multiple narrators bring the characters to life.

This is a wonderful audio experience for the whole family to enjoy together, with likable characters each facing challenges. The thread of history also winds through the narrative, with multiple perspectives on a war that affected the whole world. And, of course, the music brings it all together, with a very satisfying ending.

Scholastic

You can listen to a free audio sample of this unique novel at the Amazon link below (click on the audio version) or at the author’s website (this sample includes music within the narrative).

Tv Tuesday 1/5: Legends

I am back home after some time off and trying to get back into the blogging routine. This is kind of a dead period on TV, in between fall and winter seasons and with most shows taking a break for the holidays, but we are thoroughly enjoying a show that came back for its second season (and was completely revamped) in late fall:

Legends stars Sean Bean, an actor my husband and I both like very much, as Martin Odum, a CIA agent who has lost himself. The title refers to a term for deep-cover operatives - a "legend" is the persona they take on while undercover - their character's full story, life details, etc. The best undercover agents, like Martin, can pull on their legend like a second skin, living in an alternate universe. The agency guards their operatives' legends and true lives from everyone, even other agencies. In Martin's case, this has worked too well - he was so good at becoming someone else that he's forgotten who he really is.

My husband and I enjoyed season 1 of Legends last year, but in an odd twist, TNT kept the series and its basic concept but completely revamped it and started over with a fresh story for season 2. So, I'll start with season 2, the current season. As it opens, Martin is stumbling around London and very confused. He is wanted by the FBI for murdering a top U.S. official - a crime he didn't commit - and has completely lost his memory prior to an accident and head injury. His only contacts are a couple of old friends in the CIA, who are trying to help him covertly.

It comes to light in the first episode of season 2 that one of Martin's past legends was Dimitry, a Russian gangster who is still being sought by the FBI and the Czech police for crimes he committed while in that persona over a decade ago. The CIA never gave up Martin's cover as Dimtry, so those who still seek him have no idea that the criminal they are after was actually a CIA agent. The action moves back and forth from Czechoslovakia in 2001 to the present day in London, as Martin desperately tries to find someone from his past who knew him, and an FBI agent named Curtis Ballard relentlessly searches for Dimitry, both then and now.

It's a fast-paced and action-packed story but with plenty of emotional depth, as Martin struggles to find out who he is and has to face some of what he did in the past as Dimitry, including the mother and daughter whom he adopted as his family - and loved - back then. Sean Bean is excellent in it. We really love this intricate, compelling story, as does our 21-year old son.

Since TNT restarted the story fresh this season, you can start with season 2, episode 1 and not miss a thing. All 10 of the season 2 episodes are currently available for free On Demand or on the TNT website (though you have to log in with your cable ID and password). Legends is also available for $1.99 an episode or $14.99 for the season on Amazon Prime.

Oh, no! In looking to see if Legends was available elsewhere online, I just discovered that it was canceled two weeks ago! So, I guess it won't be back for a third season, but it is still well-worth watching season 2, which provides a complete story.

What TV shows have you been enjoying this past month?

It's Monday 1/4! What Are You Reading?

Happy New Year!!

I love the start of a new year - fresh start, new goals, new possibilities.

We had a very busy holiday season and just returned from a week-long vacation in Jamaica, compliments of my mother. It was a lovely resort and we had fun, though my chronic illness was flared up pretty badly all week, so I spent a lot of time reading! Here's what we've all been reading the past two weeks:

• I finished Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult and remembered why she is one of my favorite authors. This novel about an elephant researcher who disappears and leaves her daughter behind was totally engrossing and the information about elephants was fascinating. Once again, Picoult got me with her trademark twist at the end - even though I was expecting some sort of surprise, I was still blown away! Great book.
• With the hectic Christmas week, I enjoyed a super-quick graphic novel for middle-grade readers, Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, a sister and brother team. The novel is about a young girl named Sunny whose older brother is struggling with some serious issues, so Sunny is sent to visit her grandfather in Florida for the summer. It was very good - both fun and thoughtful with great illustrations, in the tradition of Raina Telgemeier.
• Next, I started The Secret History by Donna Tartt, a highly acclaimed novel that I've been meaning to read for ages. I thought that would be my last book of the year, but I slipped in another...
• I had read about 100 pages of The Secret History and just needed something lighter. We were in Jamaica, I wasn't feeling well, and I was a bit depressed (it's a biochemical thing that sometimes accompanies a bad flare-up)...and that novel is dark and foreboding and wasn't helping my mood. Luckily, I'd also brought a well-stocked Kindle, so I chose another book I'd been meaning to read for over a year: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. This was the perfect choice to lift my spirits! It's a fun, sweet, original romantic comedy about a genetics professor who has Asperger's (but doesn't know it) who sets out to find himself a wife in a very scientific manner. It was hilarious, and I loved every moment! When I finished it, I was in a better frame of mind to go back to The Secret History.
• On audio, I slid one more audio book in for 2015 and finished listening to George by Alex Gino, a middle-grade audio book that has been getting a lot of attention. It's about a 9-year old boy who knows that she's really a girl inside and how she struggles with her secret. I enjoyed it very much.
• On the way home from Jamaica Saturday, I started a new audio book, Solitaire by Alice Oseman, a teen/YA novel about a high school girl named Tori who's a loner and a blogger and gets caught up in a mysterious website/blog called Solitaire. I'm not too far into it yet, but I'm liking the characters, the story, and the audio narrator so far.
• My husband, Ken, wanted to finish his reading goals for 2015, so he tackled a classic: A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, a book he and I bought at a bookstore this spring. He enjoyed it - now I need to read it next (having never read a single Hemingway before!).
• Next, Ken chose a light, fun (and lightweight) paperback for our trip: Dean Koontz's Prodigal Son, Book One in his Frankenstein series. My dad's wife gave us his entire collection of Dean Koontz books after my dad died this summer, so we have a LOT of new books to read! Books and a love of reading were something my husband and I shared with my dad.
• Jamie, 21, was very active last week but managed to fit in a fair amount of reading on planes and when he occasionally slowed down to relax on the beach. He read A Dance of Cloaks and A Dance of Blades by David Dalglish, Books 1 and 2 in the Shadowdance series. He loves this kind of epic fantasy.
• Next, Jamie chose a book with our tropical vacation in mind: The Brethren Prince: Piracy, Revenge, and the Culture Clash of the Old Caribbean by Ira Smith. It is historical fiction about real-life pirates in the mid-17th century Caribbean - very appropriate for our trip! That's my boy - I also enjoy reading about places we travel to.

Whew, lots of reading in two weeks - we all like to take advantage of vacation time to read. Between the holidays and the trip, I wasn't online much, but I did write a couple of blog posts before Christmas:

Movie Monday: Scrooged and Other Holiday Movies

Fiction Review: Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian, another excellent novel from one of my favorite authors

What are you and your family reading this week?    

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.  

Our whole family on a snorkeling trip (I'm in the stripes in front)

 

Fiction Review: Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands

I am a big fan of Chris Bohjalian’s novels – each has such unique plots and characters and no two are alike. I have read and enjoyed The Night Strangers, Midwives, Skeletons at the Feast, and The Double Bind. So, it’s about time that I finally got to read his 2014 release, Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands. My husband gave it to me for Christmas last year! It was worth the wait, a compelling novel about an orphaned teen trying to survive after the disaster that took her parents.

Emily was a normal teen girl living in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, going to school, hanging out with her best friend, and occasionally fighting with her parents. Then her world shattered. The local nuclear power plant, where both of her parents work, melted down. At first, Emily evacuates with the rest of her class to a college a safe distance away. When she hears talk, though, that perhaps her father was at fault (and perhaps he was drunk), Emily fears that she will be questioned. Overwhelmed, with her parents both dead at the disaster scene and the entire region closed down, Emily feels that she has no option but to run.

She heads to Burlington, Vermont’s largest city, where she hopes she can remain anonymous. She tries a teen shelter but soon worries when one of her fellow residents figures out who she is. Homeless and orphaned, Emily bounces from one bad situation to another. At one point, during the cold Vermont winter, she lives in an igloo made of frozen trash bags filled with leaves (and that’s one of her better situations). She finds a young boy named Cameron who is also alone and takes care of him, protecting him and feeding him as best as she can. Through all of this, Emily’s spirit perseveres, as she tries to emulate her favorite poet, Emily Dickenson.

The novel has an unusual narrative approach; it is written as Emily’s journals. As such, it jumps around a lot in time, sort of a stream of consciousness, as Emily tries to make sense of all that has happened to her. So, the novel opens with Emily talking about the trash bag igloo that helped her survive the winter, then flashes back to reminiscing about her childhood, then onto the nuclear meltdown that happened in June. In this way, the reader pieces Emily’s story together bit by bit, getting glimpses of her home life and relationship with her parents, her best friend at home, and the horrible experiences she survived while homeless. Throughout, she tries to come to terms with her losses, grieve, and figure out how to survive, not daring to think about the future.

With its teen narrator and unusual circumstances, I was hooked right from the beginning by this compelling story. There is some suspense, both in piecing together the past and seeing how Emily will survive, as well as plenty of emotional depth. The novel is not only about loss and survival but also about healing, family, and friendship and finding or making a family for yourself. Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands is one of those novels that utterly envelops you while you are reading it so that you feel you are living in that world and feeling what its characters feel – another unique and moving novel by Bohjalian.

266 pages, Doubleday

Move Monday 12/21: Scrooged and Other Holiday Movies

All four of us came down with a stomach virus last week (actually 12 extended family members in total got it!), so we spent last Monday sprawled all over the family room in couches, recliners, and the floor, sipping water, nibbling crackers, and watching mindless TV. This was a good movie for that state of mind!

We watched Scrooged, a 1988 version of A Christmas Carol, starring Bill Murray. You probably already know the general storyline! In this adaptation, Murray plays Frank Cross, a television executive willing to sacrifice anything to get good ratings. Christmas is coming and besides holiday specials like The Night the Reindeer Died starring Lee Majors, Cross has ordered his staff to put on a live version of A Christmas Carol, requiring everyone to work Christmas Eve. Of course, on that fateful night, Cross himself is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future (with the Christmas Present ghost a small fairy played by Carol Kane). You know how the story goes. Karen Allen co-stars as Cross's ex-girlfriend, who remembers him when he was a good guy and not so corrupted by greed. There are some fun cameos here, like Mary Lou Retton playing Little Tim in their live version of the story! The movie was nothing spectacular, just a fun little bit of holiday fluff, with classic 80's SNL Bill Murray. Perfect for a day when we were wracked by fever and looking for some distraction that required no thought!

Some of our other favorite holiday movies include Love, Actually (one of the best!), The Holiday, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (more pure silly fun), Miracle on 34th Street (the original, naturally), and, of course, It's a Wonderful Life. My kids love Home Alone, of course, and I really loved The Family Stone.

We are more likely to watch old Christmas TV specials than movies this season - we have a large collection on DVD and, yes, many on VHS: shows like Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and various Muppet Christmas Specials (our favorite is the 1998 A Muppet Family Christmas - cracks us up every time!). The Snowman is a beautiful video to watch during the holiday season, adapted from a picture book and featuring gorgeous colored pencil drawings and beautiful music.

What are your favorite holiday movies and/or Christmas specials?

It's Monday 12/21! What Are You Reading?

Whew, what a crazy time of year! I haven't been on the blog much this month and even missed last week's What Are You Reading Monday...all four of us (plus another 8 extended family members!) were flat on our backs with a stomach virus. We spent last Monday lying on couches, recliners, and floor, watching mindless TV and movies, sipping water and nibbling on crackers. I am happy to report that we are all recovered now, but I lost several days in the critical pre-holiday celebration period! At the end of last week, I finished my last writing assignment for the year, so now I can focus just on holiday stuff - I still need to wrap all our gifts and send out 120 cards!


Anyway, despite all this craziness, we always have time to read - here's what we've read in the past two weeks:

• I finished a new review book for Publisher's Weekly, Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave (and wrote the review last week). I was excited to be offered this one because I really liked Cleave's novel Little Bee. This novel is set during World War II in London, and it was excellent - moving, insightful, compelling - but it won't be released until May 3!
• Now, I am back to trying to finish last year's Christmas gifts before Christmas! I am reading Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult and remembering why she is one of my favorite authors. This novel about an elephant researcher who disappears and leaves her daughter behind is totally engrossing - and the information about elephants is fascinating.
• I finished listening to Echo, a middle-grade novel by Pam Munoz Ryan about a magical harmonica that links its young users through time. It was amazing on audio, with lots of music integrated into the story, and I loved the way all the threads of the different stories came together at the end.
• Now, I am listening to George by Alex Gino, another middle-grade audio book that has been getting a lot of attention. It's about a 9-year old boy who knows that she's really a girl inside and how she struggles with her secret. It's great so far.
• My husband, Ken, finished A Dance with Dragons, Book 5 in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series.  At 1150 pages, this was a hefty one! He really enjoyed it.
• Next, with a lot of stress at work, he wanted to read something light, so he read The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick, a novel I'd read last year and absolutely loved. He'd already seen the movie (we watched it together), but he enjoyed the book...though he said he liked the movie better! I have to admit, the dance scene at the end of the movie is unbeatable, and Cooper and Lawrence were both excellent in their roles, but I thought the book was even funnier.
• Now, Ken is doing what I am - trying to finish up his TBRs from 2015! He is reading A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, a classic he and I bought at a bookstore this spring. I haven't gotten to this one yet, but he's enjoying it.
• Jamie, 21, finished Demonsouled by Jonathan Moeller, a fantasy of the type he loves.
• I think Jamie next read The Mage's Grave by Timothy L. Cerepaka, Book 1 in The Mages of Matir.  He's finished with the semester at college now but is very busy running around with his friends - they are enjoying the holiday season in NYC today.

Whew, I think that catches you up! As you can see, lots of great books at the end of the year. I have read some amazing books so far this month.

As I said, I haven't had a lot of time for blogging, but here are some posts from the past two weeks:

Movie Monday: The Age of Adaline, a time-bending romance that I loved

TV Tuesday: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - total fun & fluff, like an R-rated Glee - perfect for a stressful season!

Teen/YA Review: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz - just as good as everyone said!

Saturday Snapshot - photos of a warm December walk

Summary of Books Read in November - I read 5 very good books last month!

What are you and your family reading this week?    

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.  

Books Read in November

So much for my plan not to get so far behind again! Between holiday prep, lots of travel to see family, and a stomach virus that went through the whole family, my blogging time has been very limited! Maybe I'll stay on top of things in 2016...


So, here, finally, is my summary of the books I finished in November:

• Song Yet Sung by James McBride, historical fiction (MD)
• The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls, novel (VA)
• Challenger Deep by Neal Schusterman, teen/YA audiobook

• The Dogs of Littlefield by Suzanne Berne, novel reviewed for Publisher's Weekly (MA)
• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz, teen/YA novel (TX)

I finished 5 books last month, all fiction, with 2 teen/YA books and 3 grown-up novels. One was an audio. Best book of the month? Tough one - I enjoyed all of these. I guess I would pick Challenger Deep not only because I enjoyed it but because it was so deeply moving and unique. Apparently, the National Book Award agreed with me because it won in the teen/YA category last month!


Update on 2015 Reading Challenges:
For my 2015 Where Are You Reading Challenge, I added just one new state, Maryland - it gets tough at the end of the year! I read just 1 more book from my own shelves for my Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2015. I listened to one more audio books for my 2015 Audio Book Challenge. Nothing new for my 2015 Nonfiction Reading Challenge, my Back to the Classics Challenge, or my Travel the World in Books Challenge.

What was your favorite book(s) read in November? 

Saturday Snapshot 12/19

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. 

Sorry I haven;t been around much on the blog lately. Between  holiday preparations, traveling to see family, and a stomach virus that struck 12 of my 13 family members this week, I haven't had much time or energy for blogging! Everyone seems to be back to normal - now I just need to catch up!

So, I just a few quick photos before I get started (yes, just getting started) on my Christmas cards!

I took a walk at our local nature center on December 10th...and it felt like spring! We are enjoying unseasonably warm temperatures here:

Light and shadows on the trail

Trees reflected in the creek

Close-up on the boardwalk marsh trail

Covered bridge over the creek

A rare top-down day in December!

Hope you are enjoying the weekend and the holiday season!

Teen/YA Review: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

The cover of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz is covered with awards, and I’ve been hearing rave reviews of this novel ever since it was published in 2012. I finally had a chance to read this coming-of-age novel about friendship, sexual identity, and figuring out who you are.

Aristotle and Dante are both teen Mexican-American boys living in El Paso, Texas, in 1987, both named after long-dead philosophers and both sort of loners without any close friends. That’s where the similarities end, though. They meet one day at the local pool, when Dante, an accomplished swimmer, offers to teach Aristotle – who can only float – how to swim.

Dante is lightness and mirth, always laughing and happy, while Aristotle is often dark and moody. But the boys hit it off from their first conversation, immediately starting to laugh together over their shared strange names. Aristotle meets Dante’s parents and adores them, especially his father, who is open and talkative, welcoming Aristotle warmly. His own father hasn’t been the same since he returned from Vietnam, rarely speaking and often angry, and neither of his parents will talk about his older brother, who is in prison.

The two boys spend an idyllic summer together, swimming, making up silly games, and experiencing what it means to have a best friend for the first time in their lives. Dante is the one person who can bring Ari out of his dark moods, who can get him to talk, who can make him laugh. Their friendship even helps Ari to begin to open up with his family. Before the summer ends, though, tragedy strikes, and their friendship hits some serious obstacles that complicate their easy relationship.

This warm, moving, often funny novel is compulsively readable, as the easy-going, funny banter between the two friends turns into a deep bond. Although it delves deep into the mysteries of friendship, it also explores family, in all of its difficult and dysfunctional guises. Together, though in different ways, the two boys try to figure out who they are and what they want out of life, in a classic coming-of-age story, as they each encounter significant challenges. Aren’t such struggles always easier with a best friend by your side?

359 pages, Simon & Schuster