EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL BEGAN AFTER by Simon Van Booy

synopsis from the publisher:

Rebecca is young, lost, and beautiful. A gifted artist, she seeks solace and inspiration in the Mediterranean heat of Athens—trying to understand who she is and how she can love without fear.
George has come to Athens to learn ancient languages after growing up in New England boarding schools and Ivy League colleges. He has no close relationships with anyone and spends his days hunched over books or wandering the city in a drunken stupor.
Henry is in Athens to dig. An accomplished young archaeologist, he devotedly uncovers the city’s past as a way to escape his own, which holds a secret that not even his doting parents can talk about.
...And then, with a series of chance meetings, Rebecca, George, and Henry are suddenly in flight, their lives brighter and clearer than ever, as they fall headlong into a summer that will forever define them in the decades to come. 

This is a difficult book to review because 1- I don't want to spoil anything and 2- it is an unusually written book.
I loved this book, the prose was beautiful but it was also very sad throughout a large portion of the novel. While  I thought it was beautiful and moving, I can see someone else hating it for the same reason I loved it. But to tell you why, would ruin the plot.

So if you like your books to be traditional, this might not be for you. But if you have an open mind, you could possibly love this book.

my rating 4/5

DEATH OF A VALENTINE by M.C. Beaton

Police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth is happy working on his own in the Highlands of Scotland, in Lochdubh. He is not thrilled when his superior informs him that he'll be getting a partner and less thrilled that it is a woman, Josie McSween. Josie asked to be transferred to work with Hamish as she has had a crush on him for a long time. Hamish doesn't think much of her police work and sends her off to do menial work. But things become messy when a local girl is killed by a letter bomb. It turns out she wasn't the sweet, innocent girl people thought she was. Every time Hamish gets close to a suspect, there is another murder, too many suspects and Josie keeps getting in his way. While he is determined to solve this case, Josie is determined to make Hamish fall in love with her, no matter what it takes.

This was a fun, cozy mystery. Hamish is a great character, a gruff sought after, handsome bachelor determined to stay that way. But he takes his police work seriously. The people of the village make for some interesting characters and I enjoyed the setting. The author gives the characters a Scottish brogue that adds to the atmosphere.




This is my first Hamish Macbeth mystery and I very much enjoyed it. I don't know if the author usually has a second plot but I enjoyed the crazy Josie story even if it was a bit over the top. There are 25 other Macbeth mysteries and this was the 24th, so I think I might go back to the beginning and enjoy this series.

my rating 4/5

THE GOOD MUSLIM by Tahmima Anam

The Good Muslim is a continuation of Anam's first book, The Golden Age. It continues to look at Bangladesh after it's war for independence through the Haque family. This novel picks up about ten years after the first one, in 1984. Maya had left home to work as a country doctor because she can not accept that her brother Sohail has returned from the war to become a devout Muslim.
Now Maya has returned home after the death of her brother's wife. She discovers she has a young nephew, Zaid whom she wants to enroll in school and her brother, now a religious leader wants him to instead attend a madrassa on a remote river island. (This last part I got from the back cover).

The reason I had to get some of the info from the book synapses is 1- I did not read the first book. 2- I did not finish this novel.
I usually give a book about 50 pages before DNF'ing it. Because this was a review copy from Amazon Vine and the author has won awards, I gave it 100 pages. Then I DNF'd it.

There wasn't anything really wrong with the book, I just was bored. Maybe if I had read the first one I would better understand the dynamics which cause Maya to be so upset at her brother becoming Muslim. But I hadn't connected with any characters, I didn't know enough about Bangladesh to pick up on the subtle issues that seemed to upset Maya. For instance, there is a scene where she is buying vegetables from the vegetable vendor. But there is some issue with the greeting that causes him to give Maya her money back and ask her not to return. This isn't translated into English nor is it explained, so how can I empathize with her?

It's possible that trying to show the issues the country is facing using only one family as an example is too small. Maybe the rest of the book was very good and will also win awards. I just know I have too many books I want to read and am not likely to pick this back up and try to finish.
It just may have been me. I suggest keeping this book on your radar and check out other reviews.

IT'S MONDAY, WHAT ARE YOU READING?

What are you reading Monday is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey

LAST WEEK: I didn't have a great reading week as I was under the weather and slept a lot.
I did finish Sylvester by Georgette Heyer and Everything Beautiful Began After by Simon Van Booy. I started rereading Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods as a pick me up. He always makes me laugh. And one night when I couldn't sleep, I read a Nancy Drew book.

I started The Book of Lies by Mary Horlock and Practical Jean by Trevor Cole.

THIS WEEK: finish The Book of Lies and Practical Jean and start The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer.

Happy Reading!

TO NETFLIX OR NOT TO NETFLIX

Many people are livid over the announcement made earlier this week that Netflix will no longer combine prices for streaming and DVDs. You can pay one price for unlimited streaming and another for a DVD package, where as now unlimited streaming came with the DVD packages. For some this will be a big percentage price hike. Many have stated they will cancel their accounts once this goes into effect September 1st.
I will not be one of those people. I currently have the 3 DVDs unlimited package. It will go up a few dollars, but it is still worth it to me. Sometimes I watch 6 DVDs a week and watch stuff on instant. That comes out to much less than a dollar a DVD with free streaming. It will still come out to less than a dollar with the new pricing. That is not a bad deal. Before I discovered Netflix, I was renting movies from Blockbuster for $3.99 a movie!

There are other options. Amazon has free streaming for it's Prime Members. I have that. But it does not have as much available streaming as Netflix. I checked out Hulu Plus. I wasn't really that impressed. I watch a lot of tv on DVD or instant. Hulu seems to have only the most recent episodes of series that are still on tv. But if you go to any network's website, you can watch the latest episodes there on most of them. If you have cable, you can watch recent tv episodes on demand. Redbox seems to be popular with $1 rentals but I think they only have movies. Plus, it requires travel. There are new movies available to watch on demand if you have cable. But they are $3.99 for 24 hours. I know that Netflix has that 28 day wait for many new releases, but this was the deal they were given by the movie studios in exchange for more titles available on instant. Fine with me. I think there is so much crap coming out of Hollywood, I have no problem with waiting to see it.

So for me, Netflix is something that has gone from being an amazing deal to a great deal. I can live with that. Plus, getting movies in the mail makes me happy. I am that lazy.
It may not be the same for others, depending how often you watch DVDs or instant. But I still think it is probably the best out there.
What are your thoughts?

THE VIOLETS OF MARCH by Sarah Jio

Emily Wilson has just signed her divorce papers and received an invite to the ex's wedding. She is devastated and on top of that, her once successful writing career has been defunct for years as she deals with writer's block. Her best friend encourages her to go visit her favorite great-aunt, Bee, who lives on Bainbridge Island in Washington State. Emily has not been back there for years though it was a favorite summer haunt. She hopes she can heal and resurrect her writing career.
When Emily gets to Bainbridge, she finds a diary from the 1940's in the room Bee puts her in. It tells the story of Esther and Elliot. They were once engaged but she broke it off when she thought he was cheating on her. She goes on to marry another man but remains in love with Elliot. Emily is fascinated and wants to know more, but finds her aunt and other residents of the island are all very secretive. In the meantime, there is handsome Jack who invites her on a date but for some reason Bee disapproves of him though won't tell Emily why.

I really wanted to love this book, it had great elements: a mysterious diary, island secrets, romance. And the prose was beautiful. Sarah Jio can write beautifully. What she can't do however, is put together a realistic plot.
The first half of the book was pretty good but then it all falls apart. The diary story and how it fits into the present expects the reader to suspend all belief that there could be so many coincidences in one book. There were enough coincidences to fill four books. And really, Esther is not some tragic figure. She is a selfish spoiled brat who does something so incredibly selfish at the end of her story. Was I supposed to like her and feel bad for a tragic love affair? I think not.
And Emily started to grate on me. I'm a bit of a cynic in the love department but I'm not sure how even a non-cynic could believe in the relationship between her and Jack.

Spoiler alert: Her husband cheats on her and she still falls for Jack even though he is secretive and she thinks he's lying to her. And within a month, they have fallen in love and gotten engaged though they really only went on a few dates. I don't think so. Why does that have to be the happy ending? Can't she be alone to rediscover herself for a minute. It was just too unrealistic especially when you add in the million coincidences in this book. And surprise- ex-hubby dumps new fiance and wants Emily back. How trite. How many times have we seen that one?
End spoiler.

I had such high hopes but the book left a bad taste in my mouth. Was it the author or the editor who decided to treat the readers like morons? I can appreciate a light beach read, but this just didn't even measure up to that.
I wish Jio better luck with her next novel. There is talent but that was not enough for this story.

It does appear from other reviews that my feelings are in the minority but I believe a lot of readers let the bad plot slide because of the prose and potential of this author. Not me. I want my $9.99 back.

my generous rating- 2.5/5. Had I written this review yesterday after I finished, it would have been lower. I do not recommend.

IT'S MONDAY, WHAT ARE YOU READING?

I swear this is the only meme I do- usually.

What are you reading Monday is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey

Last Week: I was on quite a reading binge last week-
The Girl in the Garden by Kamala Nair In Search of the Rose Notes by Emily Arsenault
The Twisted Thread by Charlotte Bacon
The Craigslist Murders by Brenda Cullerton
Sweet Jiminy by Kristen Gore
The Violets of March by Sarah Jio (review pending)

In progress: Sylvester by Georgette Heyer
Everything Beautiful Began After by Simon Van Booy

This Week: finish those in progress, The Good Muslim by Tahmima Anam, The Woodcutter by Reginald Hill, maybe start The Book of Lies by Mary Horlock

Happy Reading!

MEMES- when are they too much?

I usually tend to visit blogs from my blog roll, not always having time to go through Google Reader. This week I decided to go visit all the blogs I'm following and comment on as many as I could. I found some blogs were no longer active, some had changed into niche blogs that no longer interested me and so I did some unfollowing.

Then there are the memes. Memes can be fun, a way to supplement your blog with something bookish besides reviews. But when is it too much. There isn't any meme in particular that I have a problem with though I'm not a fan of the mailbox ones. But they can become repetitive. For instance, Waiting on Wednesday is a meme about a book that you are waiting for. Fine. But then you mention that book again in the mailbox one when you receive it. Then you mention it again on Teaser Tuesday. This may happen in a two week period and then I am SICK of hearing about this book, I never make it to the review and might be missing out on a great book. I also think if you are going to do more then one a day, which personally drives me crazy, make them separate posts. Long reviews are one thing but a War and Peace length post that covers two or more memes? Too much!
I'm sad to say that I unfollowed some blogs simply because the majority of the content was memes.

And while I am bitching, I know lots of blogs do giveaways. But two things annoy me. A giveaway of a book you haven't reviewed. That makes me think you didn't like it but are pandering to the publisher or author by not posting a review of a book you didn't like. The second thing- posting a review and Q and A with the author and then the giveaway in the same post. It makes it harder to comment and makes the post too long.

Now I know everyone has the right to do what they want on their own blog. These are just my own pet peeves that may make me decide to unfollow your blog. People unfollow me and I don't why and wish I did. I'm just letting you know why I stopped following your blog.

* full disclosure- I do sometimes participate in What Are You Reading Monday.

IN SEARCH OF THE ROSE NOTES by Emily Arsenault

Nora and Charlotte were eleven year old best friends when their sixteen year-old babysitter, Rose disappears. They girls have been fascinated with Time Life paranormal books passed down from Charlotte's older brother. Rose used look through the books with the girls and after she disappears, Charlotte decides they should use these psychic methods to find her. Nora eventually gets frustrated and thinks Charlotte is just not able to accept that Rose is dead and they drift apart.
Seventeen years later, Nora is married and working as an artist and living  far from Waverly, where she grew up. Charlotte calls her out of the blue to tell her that the bones of Rose have been found and invites Nora to come for a visit. Charlotte still lives in Waverly, an English teacher at the high school. Nora starts to remember things, pushed by Charlotte, who is convinced Nora knows something as she was the last to see Rose alive. Nora thinks Charlotte is hiding things and begins to do some of her own investigating.
The story alternates between now and when the girls were eleven, giving clues but also focusing on young  Nora's inner turmoil as she sees and hears grown-up things that she doesn't understand.

This is not a fast-moving mystery and it isn't meant to be. It focuses on characters and how things change and how things are not always what they seem. It is almost a coming of age novel though Nora is an adult when she starts to really understand herself.  I really liked Nora but found Charlotte to be irritating. Adult Nora is regretting her visit to Charlotte but only stays because she starts to find information and wants to get to the truth.

I really enjoyed this book. I think Arsenault is a great writer, understated but captivating. I read her first novel, The Broken Teaglass, which I almost didn't finish and then ended up adoring. I definitely recommend this novel.
my rating 4.5/5

SWEET JIMINY by Kristen Gore

Jiminy Davis is in law school in Chicago, feeling overwhelmed and out of her element. She gets knocked flat by a bike courier and his T-shirt logo reminds her of her Grandma Willa and Fayeville, Mississippi. So Jiminy drops out of school and goes to live with Willa. Jiminy is shy and naive. She becomes friends with Bo Waters, the nephew of Willa's part-time help, Lyn. They start a romance but Jiminy has no idea of the implications of an interracial romance in this small Southern town.
Jiminy also finds her late grandfather's diary and discovers there was another Jiminy long before she was born, the daughter of Lyn's who was murdered along with her father, Edward in the 1960's. Jiminy is not able to find out much about this because the murder of two blacks was not something that would have been in the local paper. But Jiminy plows forward and seeks help from a lawyer who specializes in solving and bringing to justice racially-motivated murders that have long since been forgotten.

I enjoyed this book but it was not without its flaws. The story is good and Jiminy becomes a very likeable character once you get past her naivete. But the writing is a bit off, too many narrators and choppy transitions between scenes. The novel felt rushed and I realized there isn't a lot of interactions between the characters, interesting though they are. Just when something happens that you think would be discussed, the scene changes, time has passed and I felt like I missed something.
It was unfortunate as this book had tons of potential.I think it was too short to really flesh it out. I liked it in spite of it's flaws but it could have been a great novel instead of a decent read. I would still recommend this but I won't be gushing about it.
my rating 3.5/5

THE CRAIGSLIST MURDERS by Brenda Cullerton

Charlotte Wolfe is a successful decorator to the very rich of NYC's Upper East Side. She helps them spend millions on redecorating thing their various expensive properties, while they treat her like an on-call therapist, whining about dealing with BBS- Birkin Bag Syndrome, like carpal tunnel from carrying those heavy expensive handbags, their cheating husbands, and ungrateful children. They buy and buy and are never happy. Charlotte hates them. One day while meeting one of these types of women who was selling something expensive on Craigslist, Charlotte snaps and kills her with a fireplace poker. It made her feel so good, that she becomes addicted to perusing Craigslist for items being sold by Upper East Siders, finding more women to kill. But with each kill, she comes closer to being caught.

This novel is satirical in nature but also goes further than that. Charlotte has a lot of pent up rage (obviously) and we learn about her childhood, growing up wealthy until her father made some bad investments. But Charlotte's mother was cruel and sadistic as she tried to make her daughter into the perfect little girl. Charlotte has few friends and is quite lonely. She has constant nightmares about her childhood.

Cullerton does a great job of describing all of the shallow, rich, elitists who go through money the way most of us go through water. Sadly, these people are all too real in life. I found myself rooting for Charlotte. One of her clients destroys a $15,000 toilet after catching one of the workers using it. Another is devastated over her husband cheating on her until he takes her on a very expensive and exclusive safari in Botswana. I almost wished Charlotte could kill her clients!

This was a quick, enjoyable read with a little more depth than I expected. Unless you are one of those Upper East Siders, I think you will find this book a good summer read.
my rating 4/5

THE TWISTED THREAD by Charlotte Bacon

Armitage Academy is the most exclusive school in Massachusetts. But when the popular and beautiful Claire Harkness is found dead, everything changes, especially when it is discovered that she had recently given birth to a baby boy, who is nowhere to be found. Some of Claire's close friends knew she was pregnant but not who the father is or why Claire was insistent upon giving birth at the school. But none of the teachers or staff knew anything. Madeline Christopher is an intern teacher in the English department and resided in the same dorm as Claire. Madeline starts getting information from the other girls and tries to discover who killed Claire. She discovers many secrets and traditions of this school and how things work for the wealthy and privileged.

This story is told alternately by three narrators; Madeline, Matt, a former Armitage alum now working as a local cop, and Jim, one of the maintenance men.

This had a lot of potential but did not live up to it. I don't mind different narrators but Jim and his story was fairly irrelevant and took up too much of the story. Though this was a mystery, Claire's murder seemed to be secondary all of the different characters that overcrowded this novel. There was another small mystery added that was used to develop one of the characters but was again not relevant to the plot. The author seemed to want to focus on those that run and work at the Academy and only sporadically giving clues to the murder.

It was an easy and quick read though it could have been edited better. The lack of focus really affected my enjoyment of the book. There were good parts and I liked Madeline and Matt but I just could not engage with the story as I would have liked. Some editing could have helped but still would not have saved this book.
Some reviews have compared this novel to Donna Tartt's The Secret History but I saw almost no resemblance except the setting.

my rating 2/5

THE GIRL IN THE GARDEN by Kamala Nair

In the middle of the night, Rakhee Singh leaves her engagement ring and a note to her fiance stating that she can't marry him until she resolves something from her past in India. We are then taken back to Rakhee, when she is a child living in Minnesota with her parents whom she calls Aba (father) and Amma (mother). Her home life is fairly normal until her mother starts getting letters from India. Amma decides to take Rakhee to visit her family in India the summer Rakhee is eleven. At first Rakhee is miserable and homesick but begins to enjoy spending time with her cousins and exploring. She discovers that there is a garden that the children are forbidden to go into. Her Amma acts differently, cries a lot and seems very close to a man named Prem. Rakhee realizes there are many family secrets and she wants to know what they are.

This is a brilliant coming of age story that kept me captivated until the end. Nair is an amazing writer and storyteller. The writing was beautiful, lyrical, poetic, the story poignant, mysterious, and mystical. It has overtones of a fairy tale and mystery, with a hidden garden and a secret girl that lives there.
But Rahkee learns that life is not a fairy tale and there are real adult decisions and secrets behind everything.

I loved Rakhee and seeing things from her point of view. The novel was beautifully descriptive, but not overly so, and made India come alive for me. Nair creates interesting characters; her aunts and uncle, all trying to do what they think is best for the family and it's reputation. The fact that this is her first novel makes it all the more amazing and this is one of the best novels I have read this year. Don't miss out on the fantastic novel. I can't recommend or gush about it enough.

my rating 5/5