A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra

I have never read a book that at times I was laughing and horrified on the same page. The ugliness of war set the stage for this story even as it is the story of love and survival. The thread that binds the stories of the people who live in the 379 pages is the mystery of Natasha that means everything to Sonja. 

If you could look at life from above as it unfolds and could see the way people weave into and out of each others lives, see the invisible threads that connect people in ways they may never know you would have Marra's story. 

The words on the page are beautiful even as they describe brutality and ugliness. I know this sounds like it isn't possible, but trust me it is. 

I found this read a slow burn...I am not sure when it happened but at some point during my reading I because invested and emotionally stricken. I didn't want to put it down but I had to so I could breathe and believe for a few minutes that everyone and everything would be ok. 

The story of Haava and Sonja takes places over 5 days but the chapters jump back and forth in time and woven into the story are little pieces of where the future takes the people in the story. None of them are like abrupt breaks in the story but are subtle images of life yet to come. 

(finished December 28, 2015)

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

I read Eleanor & Park and Fan Girl and really enjoyed them so when Carry On was published I figured it for a sure bet. Carry On is the story of Simon Snow and crew which was the story in Fangirl that Cath was a fangirl of.

There are some things that bothered me from the beginning

The opening reeks of Harry Potter
A young person who at age 11 finds out about being magical
A secret school kids go to so they can learn magic
A super smart female best friend
A friendship with a school staff member that takes care of animals
A powerful headmaster who at times is withdrawn and distant
A fellow student set up to be the enemy of the main character
Being the chosen one

But the more I read the more I was able to not get past but put up with the similarities to the Harry Potter universe.

Simon and Baz are roommates who it seems can't stand each other. Simon is the chosen one according to The Mage. There is a brewing war between the old families and The Mage. When the truth about Simon is revealed there are more than magical repercussions. Carry On is also a story about friendship and accepting yourself and your friends for who they are.

(Finished Dec 24, 2015)

Mrs. Roosevelt’s Confidante (Maggie Hope Mystery #5) by Susan Elia MacNeal

Mrs. Roosevelt’s Confidante is the 5th book in the Maggie Hope Mystery series.
This time around Maggie is back in the U.S.A with Mr. Churchill just after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Churchill has come to work out war details with F.D.R. as the U.S. enters the war. While there Maggie is pulled into the mystery surrounding the death of a woman, Blanche, who was working for The First Lady. The death of Blanche, the upcoming execution of a sharecropper, and the entrance of America into the war are all somehow connected. Can Maggie figure it out? And what about rebuilding her relationship with John?

There is a little bit of a back story involving Maggie's parents that feel extra to this story and more like setup for book 6, which is fine with me. More Maggie can only be thought of as a good thing. These are pretty easy, fast reads that are enjoyable but don't require a lot of time or effort, just good ol' escapism.

(Finished December 14, 2015)






Meet Maggie in Mr. Churchill's Secretary
More Maggie Mysteries:
Princess Elizabeth's Spy 
His Majesty's Hope
The Prime Minister's Secret Agent 

The Last of the President's Men by Bob Woodward

Bob Woodward writes about the man who outed the existence of Nixon's White House tapes in The Las of the President's Men

Alex Butterfield shares his unpublished memoir as well as many documents from his time serving at the pleasure of the president. It is fascinating to read these memos and letters. Woodward's telling of Butterfield's place in the Watergate era feels like coming full circle from the work done with Bernstein on the original articles they wrote for The Washington Post when the story originally broke.

The memories Butterfield shares with Woodward are truly fascinating and this is book is not at all dry and boring history. Woodward's writing style is that of an expert journalist, interesting, concise, and engaging.

If you have any interest in politics, history, or just like a good bit of story telling this is a safe bet.


(finished 12/4/15)

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (The Tales of Dunk and Egg #1-3) by George R.R. Martin

The stories here take place many, many years before the story told in the Song of Ice and Fire series.

In the days when Targaryens still sit on The Iron Throne a new hedge knight named Dunk finds himself with a little bald squire named Egg. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is made up of three stories, The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight. All three tales are interesting and spin out some of the history of Westeros and you can feel the changes coming that lead into the current set of stories. Don't worry, you won't get 6 pages about every damn meal here, but you will find the expected adventure, intrigue, treacherous acts, and excitement.

As enjoyable as the stories were, the illustrations by Gary Gianni are worth mentioning. They are a wonderful compliment to the words on the page with them.

If you are a fan of Game of Thrones you will I think enjoy this trip into the past of the world we fans love, if you have yet to jump into the stories this can be a good introduction to the world of Stark, Targaryen, Baratheon, and Lannister.



(Finished November 14, 2005)

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Curiosity got the better of me because the reviews of this book mention a comparison to The Fault In Our Stars. This book is nothing like that book other than the fact that both have a female character with cancer.


Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a dark, sarcastic, often uncomfortable story written by Greg. Greg, an overweight, very awkward, high school senior, is friends but not friends with Earl and they make shitty movies together. Earl is a foul mouthed bad tempered kid from a very dysfunctional family. Rachel is a girl who Greg is forced to be friends with by his mother when Rachel is diagnosed with Leukemia. They used to be almost friends but Greg messed that up and would have rather not be friends with her now, but how do you say no to being friends with a girl who is dying? She is the only one who likes Greg & Earl's films.

There are parts of this story that are awful, both in writing and in content but that is intentional since the story is told by Greg as a book is writing. He knows he isn't a writer any more than he is a film maker. He doesn't think anyone will even read his story so admits he says things because of the feeling of having no audience. And it works. You get the feeling that high school is filled with land mines and booby traps just waiting to blow you to bits that will take the entirety of your adulthood to fix.


There are no warm fuzzier to be found here, it is grit and gross and sad and funny.

(Finished October 12, 2015)

Day Four (The Three #2) by Sarah Lotz

While this is a sequel to The Three don't expect to pick up with the same characters.

The first 3 days of a cruise on the ship The Beautiful Dreamer are uneventful and average. But something happens on Day 4 and spiral downward over the next few days. There is a small fire in the engine room, eventually the power goes out, the bathrooms stop working, and no way to contact anyone for help. Oh and there is a murderer on board. And the ship might be playing host to some restless spirits. Day Four has the taste of conspiracy theory story, paranormal mystery, and a bit of Lord of the Flies thrown in for good measure.

There isn't much more to be said without giving away the story. I liked The Three better but this was a creepy twisty story that is worth the read.

(Finished August 2, 2015)