The Book of Bright Ideas Review

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The Book of Bright Ideas ReviewI have been reading a plethora of genres for 40+ years, and every once in a wonderful while I stumble across a masterpiece that fortifies my love of prose. "The Book of Bright Ideas" is a precious gem among the junk jewelry of average reads. Button, narrator, gifts a summer to remember as her new best friend, Winnalee, blows into town in a beat-up pick-up driven by her sister, Freeda. Fierce, fearless, and opinionated, 10 year old Winnalee is bound to stir up Button's quietly sad childhood. Through their myriad of adventures, planned and NOT SO PLANNED, life lessons are earned. So many life lessons that Winnalee and Button strive to savor them in "A Book of Bright Ideas," which will quarentee their happiness in the future. Oh, that it could be true!Kring has a gift of vivid description, rich dialogue, nearly ethereal insight and flavorful charm. Like Harper Lee, Sue Kidd Monk, Kaye Gibbons, and other greats, her work demands and receives your full attention and your deepest respect.
This is brilliant writing at it's finest....read this book and remember why you ever started reading in the first place.The Book of Bright Ideas Overview

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Split Review

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Split ReviewWhen his abusive father kicks him out for having the audacity to fight back, 16-year-old Jace Witherspoon has only one place to go--his older brother Christian in New Mexico. From Chicago to Albuquerque is not an easy trip, particularly if you have only recently gotten your license and don't have money, but Jace goes with the faith that his brother will take him in.
You see, Christian ran away several years ago and has found a new life for himself. Having lived through their father's abuse, Christian knows exactly what Jace is going through.
Unfortunately, two abused kids do not necessarily make the best roommates. They've got a lot of trauma, secrets, and bitterness to live through. They do have help from Christian's English teacher girlfriend, Mirriam, and Jace's co-worker, Dakota.
Can they ever feel safe from their Dad? And can they get their Mom, who they both fear is going to be killed by their father away?
"Split" is a compelling read from the first line to the breathless end. While the story's not a thriller per se, this relationship novel definitely had me on the edge of my seat all the way til three AM. This is an excellent book for older young adults and even adult readers will enjoy the finely-drawn characterization and heart-pounding pacing.
Rebecca Kyle, January 2010Split Overview

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Unbillable Hours: A True Story Review

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Unbillable Hours: A True Story ReviewIan Graham's "Unbillable Hours" weaves the true narrative of a young lawyer stumbling into counsel for the murder conviction appeal of Mario Rocha. Mario -- a young man who by all accounts appeared innocent -- was the on the wrong end of systemic oversight and miscarried justice that led to nearly a decade of imprisonment (see the documentary of his case, Mario's Story). Graham, whose privileged upbringing couldn't be any farther apart from Mario's, is drawn through a series of biographical twists and turns after moving to California to join an esteemed firm. Graham's navigation of the big law firm is the classic storyline of an overworked but well-paid greenhorn slowly getting trapped in a legal job by status and compensation. His life at the firm caves in from the booze-driven recruiting process that has him hopping LA hotspots to the realistic and joyless grind of combing legal minutiae. Once the gloss wears off, fate sets Graham on a crash course with Rocha's case through a chance assignment from a senior partner and a relentless nun whose faith in her instincts about Mario is unshakeable. Of course, the case is a Hail Mary, and the events that take place only stack up the odds even further, leaving life and death matters in the hands of a kid under 30 who isn't even sure he should be a lawyer. This thing reads like a novel.
At first the writing seemed quite ordinary, but the superb structure draws you into the web of legal hurdles and personal frustrations. The first chapter has a hook to it that pulled me into reading the book in one sitting. Graham eventually tightens up his prose into an extended, detailed Vanity Fair-type exposition of the case and how dedication to Mario's cause kept him going. One important thing to me as the reader was that the author never tried to redeem his own frailties through Mario or make any demonstration of guilt for the opportunistic upbringing he had. When visiting Mario in prison or finding himself arm-in-arm in an impromptu prayer circle in a barrio home, Graham simply went with the situation, leaving behind the typical upper class tendency to revel in a sort of authentic ghetto adventure that they can later tell their gringo friends about over cocktails.
For the prospective law student, this is the perfect complement to Scott Turow's seminal law school experience "One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School." Careful, though, it strips the polish from big firm life and might result in some self-examination. Or worse, it might not. While Graham doesn't have Turow's mastery of detail, his breezy style is still vivid and probably more accessible to the contemporary reader. This is a four-star plus book, but I'm going to give it five as it is a hell of a first book effort.
Unbillable Hours: A True Story Overview

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So Long, See You Tomorrow Review

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So Long, See You Tomorrow ReviewThis is my favorite book, by my favorite author. I could read it again and again have! It is his most cleanly drawn and tightly written work. Not a word more or less would perfect it. The story continues the exploration begun in "They Came Like Swallows", following the life of a sensitive middle child after the death of his mother during the great influenza epidemic of 1918. It questions the meaning of friendship, of love and consequences of passion. The child, who certainly seems to possess something of Maxwell himself, traces even into old age, the true meaning of relationships he formed at this period of his life. The end of the book is truly haunting and will stay with you for years. It speaks volumes about how the words that are unspoken in life are sometimes much more important than those that are spoken. How as we grow old, we remember all the things that we could have, should have said....Maxwell is truly one of our finest writers, underappreciated due in large part to his elegant restraint. His prose is as austere as it is powerful. It is truly an unforgettable novel.So Long, See You Tomorrow Overview

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Going Too Far Review

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Going Too Far ReviewAll Meg has ever wanted is to escape from her backwater hometown. Away from certain memories, away from her parents who seem to want to suffocate her in their dull lives...away from everything. And it looks like she's getting her wish, it's almost spring break and she's going on a trip to Miami and see the beach.
But then, Meg and a few friends end up on a bridge where, a few years ago, some kids died. They're caught by a cop, John After, who's only 19 years old and was one of the top students of his year...Meg can't imagine why he would choose to remain tied down in the tiny town and work as a cop. But John is connected, strangely, to the bridge and Meg and her friends' stunt provokes him to want to teach them a memorable lesson.
Meg is assigned to join John After during his night shifts for a week, to learn about the law and the importance of it.
Only, Meg isn't one to be complacent and she pushes to find out exactly what promoted John to remain bound to the small town that she's so determined to escape from. And he fights back, and stretches her boundaries in an attempt to figure out exactly why Meg refuses to remain in the small Alabama town that has shaped both of their lives so much.
So, this was my second Jennifer Echols novel. I'd always intended to read The Boys Next Door, but for some reason, I never got around to it. I *did* read Major Crush which was a pretty cute ro-com read. But then I read Going Too Far. It blew Major Crush away.
I'd expected Going Too Far to be good. To be great, even. I was sure that when I reviewed it, I'd tackle it like most of the other books I've reviewed. Normal and level-headed. Except this time, I have no CHOICE but to let loose and write a completely fan-girly review of Going Too Far. You've been warned.
Okay. So this book has depth. And I'm not talking the shallow pool that some YA novels are. Going Too Far is a freaking ocean. And I mean it in the best way possible.
The relationships and characters in this novel are so complex and layered. The main characters and secondary characters all seem so real. They all have their dreams, their hobbies and their insecurities. John and Meg's pasts both haunt them, every decision in the now is a reflection of certain events from before. Both have secrets that are hinted at, throughout the novel. But, it is only further in the novel that the secrets are fully revealed to the reader and the other characters. (And, of course, this fuels further conflict and further revelations and conclusions.)
The story is told in Meg's POV, and it couldn't be told any other way. Meg's voice is realistic; everything about her makes sense and stays true to her character.
Along with that, Meg's easy to relate with and feel for, despite her not being like the average teenager. When she hurts, you cringe. When she's happy, you smile. In that aspect, reading Going Too Far is like a (fun) roller coaster.
Similarly, John is well-rounded as well. His secret, his driving motivation in life and everything..really, are questioned by Meg in this novel. The way he handles his life, his job and the way he is, makes it easy to feel for him as well.
And when you put the two characters together? It's completely believable to have them get each other. To have them fall in love, even. There are so many books where relationships are handled shabbily; the girl and the guy meet, think the other is hot and decide, at the end of the book, that they should go out. It's not like this at all in Going Too Far. In the span of the week that the book takes place over, it's easy to see their relationship build as you read page after page.
Overall, Going Too Far is an intense, touching and believable story of love, loss and friendship that will resonate with you for a long time after you've closed the book.
Honestly, this is one that deserves a spot on your bookshelf. Make sure you pick up a copy!
Reader Rabbit
readerrabbit.blogspot.comGoing Too Far Overview

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The Bayou Trilogy: Under the Bright Lights, Muscle for the Wing, and The Ones You Do Review

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The Bayou Trilogy: Under the Bright Lights, Muscle for the Wing, and The Ones You Do Review"This was Frogtown, where the sideburns were longer, the fuses shorter, the skirts higher and expectations lower, and he loved it"
On the steamy and seedy shores of the Louisiana Bayou, Detective Rene Shade walks a fine line between law and loyalty in Saint Bruno where he was born and raised. This trilogy combines three loosely connected stories of crime and justice in the shadows of Frogtown and Pan Fry.
The first story, Under the Bright Lights, has Shade, and his partner How Blanchette, investigating the murder of a city councilman. The Mayor would be happiest if the whole business could be blamed on a trigger happy burglar, but it's not how Shade sees it going. The Councillor's death seems to be linked to a power play in the criminal underbelly that is in danger of triggering a war. Shade chases his suspects right into an armed confrontation in the middle of the Marais du Croche, a swamp beset by lethal cottonmouths and hungry crocodiles.
Muscle of the Wing partners a reluctant Detective Shade with a boyhood friend, Shuggie Zeck, whose business interests are being devalued by a mysterious gang of hold up men. In a town where payback and kickbacks grease the system for politicians and criminals alike, Shade can read between the lines of his Captains orders. This investigation isn't about justice so much as vengeance.
In The Ones You Do (Criminentlies), Detective Shade is brooding over his 90-day suspension when his father, the legendary John X Shade returns to the city with a daughter and annoyed ex associates in tow. This tale features the Shade family, itself a microcosm of the environment they live in. These eccentric characters underscore the themes of loyalty, redemption and belonging that flow through the trilogy.
Daniel Woodrell envelops the reader with his atmospheric depiction of the steaming, soiled bayou and it's unique characters. His style is vividly descriptive, and its a surprising pleasure to immerse yourself in the gritty underbelly of his world. The heat, the sweat, the fear become almost tangible with his eloquent turn of phrase. The language he uses has a cultural lilt, wit and earthiness that defines his characterisation. There is a sense of raw authenticity in Woodrell's examination of the realities of life in Saint Bruno and he captures the indistinct boundaries for those that dwell in the less respectable area's of society masterfully.
Far from being a one dimensional character representing the law, Detective Rene Shade is a skillfully drawn character of principle and personal conflict. Throughout the trilogy, Woodrell reveals the flaws and strengths that define Shade. He is a nuanced character who is engaging and likeable.
Shade is surrounded by family, friends and enemies, the ordinary and the eccentric. Eldest brother Tip, runs a drinking dive named The Catfish while youngest brother, Frankie is a lawyer. Their father, John X Shade is a pool hustling legend who is defined by his absence. Shade has grown up in the town he now polices and his childhood friends are as likely to be his enemies as his informants. Woodrell's characters are all boldly drawn with attention to detail and credibility.
Wonderfully written and an engrossing read, Woodrell has a gift for story and prose. The Bayou Trilogy is an atmospheric, brash and exciting adventure through the nadir of the criminal underbelly in the deep south, and I look forward to reading more by this author.
Shelleyrae @ Book'd OutThe Bayou Trilogy: Under the Bright Lights, Muscle for the Wing, and The Ones You Do Overview

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Fireflies in December Review

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Fireflies in December Review"The summer I turned thirteen, I thought I'd killed a man."
In these first eleven words of Fireflies in December we realize Jessilyn Lassiter's world is pregnant with change. Not only is she walking that tenuous line between childhood and womanhood, but during the summer of 1932 Jessilyn finds herself in the crosshairs of man's hatred for his fellow man.
When her best friend Gemma's parents are tragically killed in a fire, Jessilyn's father takes the girl in. No matter that she's as dark as coffee and sticks out in their white family like a sheep in a cow field. Harley Lassiter sees people for their hearts, not their skin color. If only the rest of Calloway County felt the same way. Soon Jessilyn is ostracized by whites and blacks alike. This racial mingling "just ain't done", and it isn't long before the Lassiter family becomes a target for something much more sinister, and deadly. The Klu Klux Klan.
In Fireflies in December Valent has skillfully dropped us into the middle of southern Virginia during a turbulent time in our country's history. Less than seventy years had passed since the Civil War, and unfortunately not everyone embraced its outcome. The Great Depression's talons still clung to many families. "Things were poor, especially in our parts, and for having a working farm and a good truck, we were fortunate. We even had some conveniences that other people envied, like a fancy icebox and a telephone..."
Fear has a way of bringing out the worst in folks, and perhaps that's why racism was still so prevalent in the south of 1932. As I read this novel, I found myself amazed that such hatred existed. Certainly racism still shows up in today's America, but during the year we've elected our first African-American President it's striking how far we've come.
Valent knows how to involve us in the setting. We feel the oppressive humidity of summer and hear the cicadas buzzing. We lie on our backs in bed all day with Jessilyn and Gemma because moving feels like wading through a furnace. And without bogging us down in pages of narrative we understand the anguish Jessilyn suffers when she thinks she killed a man. In fact, Valent could've used more exposition and it wouldn't have detracted. Perhaps it would've added even more depth to this coming-of-age story.
Fireflies In December brings to mind the themes and characters of To Kill A Mockingbird. Jessilyn is older than Scout, but just as stubborn. Their fathers stand by what they believe is right, even when everyone else is against them. Jessilyn and Scout both find their lives in danger. However, Valent has a voice and nack for description all her own. Her scenes move quickly, and even if you're not a historical fiction fan you'll find yourself drawn in. People are people, whether it be 1932 or 2003. We all feel pain; we're all searching for meaning. And this becomes clearer as you turn the pages.
The spirituality is never heavy-handed, being shown rather than told, for the most part. The Lassiters are practicing Christians, and they talk about that aspect of their lives like they would anything else. But even when Jessilyn's parents do share a spiritual insight with her or talk about Jesus it doesn't feel like a sermon. We're listening, too, and we glean their nuggets of wisdom.
Fireflies in December is a tight, finely crafted novel that challenges us to root out any hint of prejudice in our own hearts, whether we're black or white, male or female, rich or poor. That's a message that'll stand the test of time.
--Reviewed by C.J. Darlington for TitleTrakkFireflies in December Overview

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Townie: A Memoir Review

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Townie: A Memoir ReviewSince receiving my pre-order in the mail weeks before the publishing date, I could not put this book down. I have been a huge Dubus fan since a high school English teacher gave me a copy of the House of Sand and Fog. What makes Dubus such a fascinating writer is his ability to capture the very essence of humanity, be it good or bad. This brilliantly written memoir offers insight into the life of the man behind some masterfully written works of fiction. I am incredibly appreciative of his honesty as a writer and sharing such a personal part of his life. The relationship with his father and the role it played on his life certainly rang true for me, as I could often relate to such similar feelings. The thoughts, ideas, and feelings I experienced while reading this book will certainly resonate for a long time to come. I highly recommend reading this work.Townie: A Memoir Overview

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The Rise of the Ice Wolf (The Ice Wolf Trilogy) Review

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The Rise of the Ice Wolf (The Ice Wolf Trilogy) Review"Rise of the Ice Wolf" is not a terribly original book but it is a very entertaining story that I enjoyed reading very much. Lately, there have not been too many fantasy stories that I have enjoyed just because it was a fun read. Not so here! This book has reminded me of just how much fun a simple story can be when there are characters present that you can care about and become interested in what happens to them.
I have enjoyed the story so much that I found myself wanting to read just one more chapter and, after that, just one more. And that hasn't happened with a fantasy book for me for a long time. You can bet that I will read the next book and I am hoping that the authors will continue with the series.
Read this book for pure enjoyment and for fun....after all isn't that what books were meant to be?The Rise of the Ice Wolf (The Ice Wolf Trilogy) OverviewAt a time when heroes were myths lost in legends, when honor was only a word, a young man rises. Rises because it was foretold, and claims a title long forgotten. Altair, the Ice Wolf of the North, battled the inherently evil Verlena and managed to slay her, sacrificing himself in the process. A thousand years later Melor Helion taps the power of Verlena's soul to overtake every nonconformist in the land. She is the Tael king's puppet master and uses his army to wage war and grab wealth. Alden is searching for his destiny, unaware he is the direct descendant of Altair. An ancient, ageless mystic reveals to him his destiny. He is reluctant to believe the fate of the world rests on his shoulders. The legendary Ice Wolf once saved the world from descending into darkness. Will Alden accept the destiny lying before him, or will he fade from the world, another name forgotten in history? To rise as a hero. To rise as the Ice Wolf. So it was, and so it will be again.

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The Dry Grass of August Review

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The Dry Grass of August Review
I try to read as many first novels as possible. I believe debut writers have a story in their heart-and they need to put on paper. I was not disappointed. I am stingy with my "five star" reviews, I gladly give "The Dry Leaves of August" five stars. Anna Jean Mayhew tells this story of family life in the '50 with just the right pace. This is NOT just another story about race relations in the south. It is a beautiful story about a middle class southern family and the intelligent lovely woman who cooked,cleaned and took care of their four children. The personalities of the children, parents and extended family become real. It's as though you crawl into their brains. Some of the characters you like and others you don't like. The story unwinds slowly but the end comes fast--- maybe a little too fast? I haven't decided yet! I hope there is a second novel in the near future.The Dry Grass of August Overview

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