A Lot Like Love by Julie James

Book Description:
The FBI wants her cooperation. As the daughter of a billionaire and the owner of the city's top wine store, Jordan Rhodes is invited to the most exclusive parties in Chicago. But there's only one party the FBI wants to crash: the charity fundraiser of a famous restaurateur, who also happens to launder money for the mob. In exchange for her brother's release from prison, Jordan is going to be there—with a date supplied by the Bureau. Agent McCall just wants her. As the top undercover agent in Chicago, Nick McCall has one rule: never get personal. This “date” with Jordan Rhodes is merely an assignment—one they're both determined to pull off even if they can't be together for five minutes before the sarcasm and sparks begin to fly. But when Nick's investigation is compromised, he and Jordan have no choice but to pretend they're a couple, and what starts out as a simple assignment begins to feel a lot like something more. . .

Another winner by Julie James! 

Julie's books, hands down, are my favorite contemporaries.  A Lot Like Love picks up after Something About You, her previous romantic suspense novel.  In A Lot Like Love, can a beautiful and wealthy wine store owner socialite (who also happens to be the heiress to a billion dollar fortune) mix it up and fall for a sexy, hard core FBI agent assigned to a case where he has to pose as her boyfriend?

Yes, of course! 

Naturally, there are many bumps in the road to love and Nick McCall - the sexy FBI agent - is not "easy."  He's rugged, ruthless and an old school former NYPD cop.  Nick is the kind of guy that's more at home posing as a Mafia hit man than attending lah-dee-dah wine tastings where Chicago's rich and famous mingle over $100+ bottles of wine.  That is until he meets his most recent assignment - Jordan Rhodes.  Such sacrifices one must make for the sake of law and order!  You see, Jordan has something that Nick (and the FBI) wants.  Jordan happens to be friends with a local restaurateur that has mob connections and the FBI is dying to take him down for money laundering and to help capture a mafia kingpin.  Jordan can help with the sting to trap him.  Jordan also happens to have a brother that is in jail (for hacking into Twitter of all things!) and the FBI is willing to spring her brother with Jordan's cooperation in the sting of the restaurateur.    A natural combination. 

As you can imagine, Nick and Jordan come from different worlds yet that doesn't stop them from being attracted to one another.  I loved this story.  Jordan is likable (despite being beautiful and rich) with a vulnerable side to her.  She loves her twin (a dead ringer for a certain handsome rogue on the TV show Lost) and is willing to do anything to shorten his jail time.  Even though she's an heiress, she's her own person.  Normal, responsible, strong and smart.  She is nothing like Paris Hilton!  I really liked her and loved the way she handled herself around Nick who was determined to make her feel uncomfortable at first.  Upon first meeting, he had her pegged as the usual spoiled prima donna rich bitch, but how wrong he was!  Before long he realizes she's special and the sparks fly.  A fake kiss turns into something more and before long he's jealous of any man that hangs out with her - one particularly funny part was when he spies her having a private tete a tete with a man with a scarf in her wine shop after hours.  Nick dispatches him handily!  I love tough, jealous FBI guys, especially when they're marking their territory and Nick does it so well! 

There's plenty of intrigue, danger and lots of canoodling - a business trip to the wine country in Napa Valley turns into something more than just wine tastings.  It was one of my favorite parts of the book.  Yet, afterwards I could have screamed!  I'd fallen in love with these two as a couple.  Jordan and Nick are playing a dangerous game posing as lovers, but what's real and what's play-acting?  Grr!  Neither one of them wants to pull the trigger and say how they feel about the other - I was going crazy reading about these two idiots and how neither one would speak up as they say good-bye after their magical trip to Napa!  I felt like slapping both of them!  Luckily all ends well after handsome Nick saves the day after a nail biting finale while rescuing Jordan.  Nothing like a little danger and a near death experience to put things in perspective.  Afterwards, I loved the moment when he meets Jordan's father and brother!   *grin*

Sorry about the all over the place review, but I always feel kind of "wobbly" after reading one of Julie's books.  I love her characters so much - I almost feel "unworthy" writing about them!  I always feel like I wish they really existed - I want to meet them and hang out with them!  They're real to me!

Do yourself a favor, if you've never read a Julie James book - read one.  Every one of them is great.  Just trust me - A Lot Like Love is no exception.  This is a fun contemporary romance with enough danger in it to keep you riveted, but enough sexual chemistry between the hero and heroine to keep you... interested.  Plus, we see some of our old friends from Something About You (I have a major crush on FBI man Jack Pallas - I was simply giddy at getting to see him again!)  Although this is a sequel to it, it is not necessary to read it before A Lot Like Love.  Julie's books have it all:  humor, fast paced action and dialogue loaded with snappy come backs and sizzling romance.  You simply can't go wrong with her.  A quick, fun read!

4.5/5

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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (audio)

Book Description:
Harriet Vanger, member of one of Sweden's wealthiest families, disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.

An international publishing sensation, Stieg Larsson's Girl with the Dragon Tattoo combines murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue into one satisfyingly complex and entertainingly atmospheric novel.

This was a great book. Listening to it on audio enhanced it, I was swept away with this mystery and looked forward to listening to it every day on my daily commute. Plus, I love Simon Vance's narration - he's one of my favorites! He did all the accents and pronunciations perfectly - he's an amazing narrator! Towards the end, I listened to it as much as possible, whether I was driving, doing needlepoint, emptying the dishwasher, folding laundry, you name it. The story centers on Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist specializing in business reporting who is hired to find out what happened to a missing girl forty years earlier. He has lost a libel suit against a large corrupt Swedish industrialist and is now somewhat disgraced in the industry. We are sympathetic towards Mikael, he was set up. As we get to know his world a little better, I was interested in his life and his part time lover and business partner, Erika Berger. Mikael is honest and upright, but he's not perfect. He has his problems. Now divorced, he sleeps with a married woman openly and even admits himself he's not the best father to his seventeen year old daughter.

Mikael is hired by the legendary Swedish business magnate, Henrik Vanger. Now an octogenarian, retired and reclusive Vanger has been consumed with the disappearance of his beloved niece Harriet, who vanished into thin air one day in 1966. Henrik hires Mikael to solve the mystery of what happened to her, using his skills as an investigative journalist. Mikael has nothing better to do at the moment and is being offered a small fortune to do it, but he must move up to Henrik's family home for a year - where all the other Vanger's live on Hedeby Island. It's quite a family, and Henrik detests most of them, certain one of them was responsible for Harriet's disappearance. As Mikael delves into the files and police records and thousands of photographs of the day Harriet disappeared the same day as a parade and a huge oil tanker accident on the bridge to Hedeby Island, he unearths some startling and macabre truths of this reclusive family. It nearly kills him.

The plot thickens with plenty of twists and turns. On the other side of the coin is the story of Lisbeth Salander. Lisbeth works for a top notch exclusive private investigative company. She is hired by Vanger's lawyer to do a background check on Mikael before Vanger hired him. She is an odd girl. She's had a hard life, but she is a survivor and a genius on computers, one of the greatest hackers in Sweden. But, she has loads of social issues, I suspect she has Asperger's Syndrome. Her story is fascinating and riveting, I loved her character. Always dressed and styled in the "goth" way, her plight with the system makes you truly sympathetic towards her.

Before long, she and Mikael join up to solve the case of Harriet. Together they unravel the truth, but it's quite a journey to get there.

There is so much to this book that I haven't gone into for I don't want to post any spoilers, but it's a great story and I'm eager to get to the next two books in the trilogy. Alas, I had no idea that the author died, I don't even know the circumstances of whether all the books were published posthumously, but they are great, and I loved the locale and got a real flavor for Sweden - I want to go there now! I don't usually read mysteries or thrillers, but this is a combination of both and I simply loved it. Lisbeth is so interesting and amazing, though introverted and vulnerable, she and Mikael complement each other wonderfully. He's so normal - and she's so not! I love it how she starts out as a victim and learns to defend herself, you'll know what I mean when you read it.

Read the book if this is your genre - it's one of my favorites of the year! It has some really creepy moments not for the faint of heart, but in my opinion, it only made the book that much better and kept me on the edge of my seat. Once I finish the entire series, I'll see the movie, I hear it's very good and faithful to the book, but I'm avoiding it for now, for I like to keep the characters in my head as I've imagined them.

4.5/5

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The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (audio)

Book Description:
In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world's most popular thriller writer. The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling -- a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths... all under the watchful eye of Brown's most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale.

As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object -- artfully encoded with five symbols -- is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation... one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom. When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon -- a prominent Mason and philanthropist -- is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him.

Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations -- all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth. As the world discovered in The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, Dan Brown's novels are brilliant tapestries of veiled histories, arcane symbols, and enigmatic codes. In this new novel, he again challenges readers with an intelligent, lightning-paced story that offers surprises at every turn. The Lost Symbol is exactly what Brown's fans have been waiting for... his most thrilling novel yet.

Having read the Da Vinci Code, I had high hopes for this book. I really enjoyed Da Vinci and as this book got started, I noticed right off the bat several formulaic similarities. Once again, we're with Robert Langdon, brilliant symbologist in his tweed sport coat, running through the Capitol Building in Washington and stumbling upon a gruesome scene in the Capitol's Rotunda - a la Da Vinci's Louvre.

From there we go on a twisty wild night in which Langdon must solve the puzzle of what the "magic word" is from a Masonic pyramid that he's had part of in his possession and holds the answer to great and infinite wisdom. Something that will change the world if revealed. This opens up all sorts of suggestions of a Pandora's Box. Still, Robert must cooperate with a crazed, tatooed lunatic that has kidnapped his good friend, millionaire philanthropist and Mason of the 33rd Degree, Peter Solomon. The novel's villain, Mal'akh is convinced that if he learns the secret of the Masonic pyramid he will transform into a God. He has personal reasons for wanting to do this and has prepared for this night for over ten years. It's convoluted, but I found this creepy lunatic, Mal'akh, one of the best parts of the book. On audio, he had this whispery voice and a suitably skin crawling fascination about him that made his parts of the book the most riveting.

Other characters were just plain annoying, including Langdon, who came across too much of a know-it-all and not much charm. To showcase his knowlege, the author had top CIA director, Inoue Sato, question Langdon on every imaginable detail of symbolism (it seemed) so that it became tedious listening to his long drawn out answers and explanantions on every point. I'm all for background to help the story, but this really went overboard. His friend, Peter Solomon, and his sister, Katherine were other know-it-alls as well who were borderline zealots in regard to their individual fascinations with science and the wisdom of the what the Masons believed. More explanations and mini-lectures on the science of noetics and physics. Uggh. Frankly, I'd had enough.

I rolled my eyes over and over again every time Langdon, when posed with some new and startling revelation, would start off his answer by saying "as any symbologist would know, this is one of the most common symbols used in the world today!" There was a certain amount of smugness I detected in him that I found irritating. The book began to sound like one big long lecture on Masonic history and symbolism, including the history of the United States' forefathers and their spiritual and Masonic leanings. All the background fodder made me feel like I was in a lecture hall. Yes, Mr. Brown, we have no doubt, you did a lot of research for this book, but you don't have to beat us over the head with it. We get it! Have you ever heard of a Mary Sue, an author's wish fulfillment? I think Langdon is Dan Brown's Gary Stu. I think someone needs an editor that is not afraid to use a red pen and cut, cut, cut.

Don't get me wrong, the exciting twisty blind alley moments were good, and there were a few big surprises I wasn't expecting, but for the most part, this book was awash with unnecessary wordy philosophical and historical explanations. It would have been so much better if it kept mostly to the action. Having once lived in D.C., I know the Capitol well. I enjoyed the locale and racing around the city and the Capitol and monuments, but by the time we get to the big finale - the big secret - OMG! What a let down! And then the last 50 pages of the book (or in my case, the last hour of the audiobook) was dull, dull, dull, just one big lecture and philosophical discussion. After the villain gets his, the book should have ended there. What a mistake.

The narrator of the audiobook, Paul Michael, did a good job, but I wasn't crazy about his women's voices, but then I find most male narrators can't do justice to the female characters. The one woman character he does a good job with is Inoue Sato who sounds like a man due to her destroyed raspy voice described as the voice of a dying man with strep throat. One of the best lines in the book, comes from Sato who berates Langden upon first meeting him, after he asks her what she wants him to do, "For starters, you can stop calling me 'sir'" One of the few humorous moments in the entire book. But often the narrator's thinking inner voices, for both the men and women characters, sounded like the voiceover from the guy in the old Taster's Choice coffee commercials who borrows his friend's cabin for the weekend and finds he has no milk for his coffee! Remember those?

Anyway, back to the book. For the most part it was a mystery thriller on the trail of the crazy tatooed Mal'akh. I saw through most of the red herrings in the book (except for the one real BIG one) and much of it was predictable, I guessed early on where the whole thing would end up, it wasn't hard to figure that out. I did learn some interesting stuff about the Masons and next time I'm in the Capitol Rotunda, I'll be sure to check out that painting of George Washington on the ceiling!

Not a bad novel, but it was far too wordy and I think the author could have edited it back quite a bit. Plus, the big revelation at the end, the thing we've been waiting to find out about through the whole book was a colossal let down. I would have laughed if I hadn't been so disappointed. I felt like I'd invested all this time into listening to the book and then it had this tedious philosophical drawn out ending that is supposed to amaze us and make us think. Unbelievable.

3.5/5

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Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger (audio)

Book Description:
When Elspeth Noblin dies of cancer, she leaves her London apartment to her twin nieces, Julia and Valentina. These two American girls never met their English aunt, only knew that their mother, too, was a twin, and Elspeth her sister. Julia and Valentina are semi-normal American teenagers -- with seemingly little interest in college, finding jobs, or anything outside their cozy home in the suburbs of Chicago, and with an abnormally intense attachment to one another. The girls move to Elspeth's flat, which borders Highgate Cemetery in London. They come to know the building's other residents.

There is Martin, a brilliant and charming crossword puzzle setter suffering from crippling Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Marjike, Martin's devoted but trapped wife; and Robert, Elspeth's elusive lover, a scholar of the cemetery. As the girls become embroiled in the fraying lives of their aunt's neighbors, they also discover that much is still alive in Highgate, including -- perhaps -- their aunt, who can't seem to leave her old apartment and life behind.

Niffenegger weaves a captivating story in Her Fearful Symmetry about love and identity, about secrets and sisterhood, and about the tenacity of life -- even after death.

Symmetry. Cemetery. Symmetry. Cemetery. Highgate Cemetery in London is the backdrop of this disturbing yet compelling drama involving life after death and the spiritual bonds between twins. In addition, it brings up the question of resurrection - is it possible? And that age old adage - "be careful for what you wish for, you just might get it."

The above synopsis is pretty accurate of the plotline. I liked the book, but if you're thinking this is going to be like The Time Traveler's Wife - the author's previous book, forget it - it's not even remotely similar. The writing and characterizations are well done, but this is not a love story, it's more of a cautionary tale. Most of the characters in this book experience the sense of being trapped, whether it's self imposed or involuntary. The common thread throughout the book is getting oneself out of the trap and to what lengths must one go, to do it.

The story revolves around the death of Elspeth Noblin. Her lover, Robert is devastated and mourns her passing. Before she died, she told him that she was leaving her flat in London to her two nieces - twins from Chicago. The twins come to London and they are strange girls. They have flaxen blonde hair, dress the same way (though they are 21 years old), sleep together in the same bed, eat the same things and look like they're about 12 years old - they're odd. Plus, I just didn't like them very much because of their oddity. Nothing about them was appealing to me. It's like they were joined at the hip and their voices were flat and they sounded like annoying teenagers. While living in the apartment, which happens to look over Highgate Cemetery where Elspeth is buried in the family crypt, they get to know Elspeth's neighbors, primarily Martin who lives upstairs and has OCD, he cannot leave his flat due to his disease. Robert, their neighbor below, still suffers from losing his lover, Elspeth.

I can't say I really liked any of the women in this book, with the exception of Martin's wife, Marijka, who leaves her husband, Martin, because she cannot live with him anymore and his OCD behavior. She is Dutch and moves back to her native Amsterdam, escaping from the trap of the apartment and his constant cleaning and counting. She still cares for him, but has given up, she must get out for her peace of mind, she cannot continue this way with her life. She is strong and takes the initiative. They talk on the phone occasionally, one "dinner date" they had was especially poignant. I enjoyed Martin and Marijka's story. It was my favorite part of the book, even though it was a sideline.

The other married couple we meet, Edie and Jack in Chicago, is very different. Their life is portrayed as your typical sort of mundane American existence. Trapped in suburbia. There was one mention of Edie listening to audiobooks while doing her needlepoint while Jack surfs the internet in another room - eek! That's sound just like me! A little too close to home! Little do we know, there is more to their marriage that is part of the big, bad, dark secret beween Edie and Elspeth that led to their falling out 20 years earlier. What was the big secret that involved Jack who we learn dated both of them?

Edie and Elspeth are not likable, plus there is this deep dark secret about them. Twins themselves, you can't help but compare them to the other twins, Valentina and Julia, who are just as unlikable. I kept trying to think, which one was their counterpart. Both sets of twins are similar to each other and both make damning mistakes in their lives that will change them forever.

Robert's story is more complicated and mixed up with the twins. The twins resemble their aunt Elspeth very much. Robert misses Elspeth and avoids meeting the twins at first, he just doesn't think he can handle it - so he follows them around London without their knowing who he is. Robert is lost. He still functions, yet, he's fumbling along, not sure what to do with his life or what he wants. Once they meet, he warms to Valentina and begins to date her. "Mouse", as her sister, Julia (the bossy one) calls her is meek and has let Julia boss her around all her life. She is also sickly and has asthma, she's the weaker of the two - or rather is seems that way at first. She feels trapped and under Julia's thumb. Julia is used to taking care of Valentina and wants to keep it that way.

Then we have Elspeth's point of view in the story. After she dies, she returns to her flat as a ghost. She's stuck there and cannot leave it. She is literally trapped. At first she can barely do anything except float around, but soon she is able to move objects and once the twins move in, she is able to eventually make herself known to them - and Robert. She is friendly, not a scary ghost or anything. She's herself, but just stuck in the flat, bored and dying for conversation. She'd love to get out and about if she could. Robert, naturally is fixated with her ghost at first, using a makeshift OUIJA board and automatic writing to communicate with her. It's an unatural relationship obviously, but neither is willing to end it. Their predicaments are similar, yet Robert has a way of getting out of his rut, but chooses the wrong path. He's trapped due to his own weakness. I wasn't crazy about Robert, at times he was just so malleable he needed to stand up for himself. Another weird thing about Elspeth's ghost was the twins didn't seem to mind the fact that Elspeth could see and hear them in the flat all the time. The twins, being twins, didn't seem to miss their privacy at all. I would have been freaked out! I would have stayed out of the apartment as much as possible! Another reason why I didn't like the portrayal of the twins - so bizarre!

Meanwhile, the twins are having relationship problems. It's as if they are married, and Valentina wants a divorce. She doesn't want to do everything Julia wants to do anymore, she wants her own life and go to design school. After seeing what happened to their pet cat, she gets the crazy idea of "dying" with Elspeth's help and then having Elspeth resurrect her. It's complicated and completely ridiculous and asinine and I thought the book took a turn for the worse with this change in the plotline. Plus, it was just creepy. In addition, the revelation of the big bad dark secret between Elspeth and her sister, Edie also made me doubt whether I liked this book or not. Still, despite the outlandishness of it all, I had to see it out to the end. I needed to finish it up and see how this bizarre story would wind up. I guessed it pretty much, but it did have a touch of irony about it. Let's just say, everyone gets what they deserve at the end, and I wound up appreciating it for it's originality, even though I disliked the majority of the characters in it. If I hadn't read The Time Traveler's Wife, I probably never would have given this book a second look.

I listened to this on audio and really liked the narrator, Bianca Amato. I can recommend it. She did a great job with all the accents - American for the twins and their mother in Chicago, and then the British accents, mostly the men, Martin and Robert, and she was very good at Marijka's Dutch accent. She made me really like Martin, despite his OCD tendencies of the contant washing and fear of leaving his apartment. He was urbane, charming, interesting! Robert was more needy and pliant, completely under the thumb of Elspeth, in real life and in her ghostly form. All the characters had their foibles and were kind of messed up in some way, except for the elderly couple that ran the cemetery that were friends and confidantes of Robert's.

The question of resurrection with Valentina's decision to die, and the outcome of their plan brings up some questions. Is sacrificing a human life worth it, if you can resurrect another? And how do you live with yourself if you're involved in some kind of scheme to carry it out? Is it murder? Is it suicide? What is is? Another issue is the miracle of twins - do twins really have some kind of spiritual bond between them? Can this bond be a trap, or more like a gift? I read over and over in books about this connection - does it really exist? Is anyone out there a twin that can attest to it? To be honest, I'm getting a little tired of these "twins" stories that I've read in the past two years. It's getting old.

But, despite all my questions and criticisms, I recommend this book if you're looking for a well written, different, macabre, thoughtful sort of tale. It's quirky with interesting characters and a well developed storyline. I even learned a little about Highgate Cemetery to boot. Cemeteries - the ultimate trap in the end, isn't it? Give it a try if you're in the mood.

4/5

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The Uncommon Reader: A Novella by Alan Bennett

Book Description:
A deliciously funny novella that celebrates the pleasure of reading. When the Queen in pursuit of her wandering corgis stumbles upon a mobile library she feels duty bound to borrow a book. Aided by Norman, a young man from the palace kitchen who frequents the library, Bennett describes the Queen’s transformation as she discovers the liberating pleasures of the written word. With the poignant and mischievous wit of The History Boys, England’s best loved author revels in the power of literature to change even the most uncommon reader’s life.

This was a fun read, a tiny little book, only 120 pages long, it was easy to read, and the subject matter was delightful! Even though I'm obviously not the Queen of England, I could totally relate to her becoming an avid reader, especially since I've been going through this same thing for the past 2 years myself!

We follow the Queen along as she discovers new authors, old authors, classics and new books. She realizes she'd rather be reading a book than anything else. She learns how convenient paperbacks are for fitting into handbags, she learns that one doesn't mind traveling to and fro as long as one has a book. One doesn't even mind waiting - as long as one has a book! Oh the delights of having a good book. She starts off with easy reading material and then as she becomes more and more of a reader she effortlessly makes her way up to Proust. As she says herself in so many words, reading is like a muscle. The more you do it, the more good you get at it - and the easier those hard to read books suddenly become!

Not only does the Queen's reading enhance her own understanding of life but she takes on a new awareness of those around her. Whereas she never used to notice the small things in those around her, now she does. She's become more human due to reading - or maybe more humanistic. Unfortunately, her staff does not feel the same way and they don't like the way it has changed her. She's putting on a "poor show' for the people. She's not as eager to "perform" her duties, more like just going through the motions because - she wants to get back to her book! Oh, do I know that feeling!

I enjoyed this little book very much and the surprise ending! Such an amusing little tale, and I must admit, seeing the movie "The Queen" only made me appreciate it even more. Give it a try, if you are a reader, you'll love this book!

4/5

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The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

Book Description:
A contemporary retelling of Hamlet of stark and striking brilliance set on a farm in remote northern Wisconsin, where the mute and brilliant Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents Gar and Trudy. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a breed of dog whose thoughtful companionship is epitomised by Almondine, Edgar's lifelong companion. But when his beloved father mysteriously dies, Edgar blames himself, if only because his muteness left him unable to summon help. Grief-stricken and bewildered by his mother's desperate affair with her dead husband's brother, Edgar's world unravels one spring night when, in the falling rain, he sees his father's ghost. After a botched attempt to prove that his uncle orchestrated Gar's death, Edgar flees into the Chequamegon wilderness leading three yearling dogs. Yet his need to face his father's murderer, and his devotion to the Sawtelle dogs, turn Edgar ever homeward. When he returns, nothing is as he expects, and Edgar must choose between revenge or preserving his family legacy!

When I first decided to read this book, I had no idea it was an Oprah selection (I probably would not have read it if I had known, since I tend to avoid her selections.) The other reason was it was a story that involved dogs, and I love dogs having a big Golden Retriever myself. I didn't know much else about the book, but then I began to read it had very mixed reviews. Well, now that I've finished it, I know why.

This book started out very well. In fact, I was so moved by the storyline in the first 40 pages, I was sobbing twice, it tugged at my heartstrings so strongly. I settled into the great storytelling of Edgar's parents and their early trials and tribulations before he is born. Then I was sucked in even further when Edgar is born mute and we learn how his parents deal with it. Their beloved dog, Almondine, becomes Edgar's nursemaid in a way, taking care of him and being his voice from the time they first bring him home from the hospital. All the while, the backdrop of dog breeding and the famous Sawtelle dogs was fascinating to read about. In the majority of the book Edgar is 14 - the same age as my teenaged son. I could so relate! I loved it all - until Claude came into the picture.

Claude is Edgar's uncle, and this is where the whole Hamlet storyline comes in to the book. Claude kills his brother, Gar (Edgar's father) who then comes to him on a rainy night outside in the form of a dripping wet ghost. Edgar, who can only speak by signing, communicates with his father by signing, as does his father's ghost back to him. It was an eerie but moving moment, and so begins Edgar's teenaged quest to avenge his father and get rid of Claude, who also had designs on his mother, Trudy. I was really disappointed in Trudy. She started off well, I admired her and her fortitude through her heartaches, but she just seemed to give up and let Claude into her life (and bed) and after that we never really got into her head much until close to the end of the book. What was she thinking of Edgar the whole time he had run away? Wasn't she going out of her mind? Her character started out so well, but then totally fizzled, and wasn't realistic anymore. We lost her.

Edgar runs away with three of the dogs he's training and for almost 2 months he's on foot, trying to make his way to this Commune in Canada. One of the dogs, Tinder, gets injured (I was so sad for Tinder!) and Edgar finds help and lives with this nice, but melancholy, lonely guy, Henry who has a house in the woods. This interlude was okay, but dragged at parts, but it was Edgar's reawakening that he must return, he can't run away any longer. But, I'm still not really sure of what triggered his reawakening, but it was moving when he leaves with the dogs. The dogs were the best part of this book - and Edgar of course. I really liked Edgar a lot, he's special.

But, by the last part of the book when Edgar returns I was really getting fed up with the storyline and didn't like the way it was going. Too many disappointments. I loved Almondine, and what happens to her was so unfair! I would have cried, if I hadn't been so mad. And then the whole crazy ending (trying not to give away spoilers here) in the barn and the final outcome - I could spit, it was all so drawn out and disappointing! No fair! Yes, I know, I know, he was following the story of Hamlet, but did he have to be so faithful to it? Couldn't he make it a happy ending? I felt like I had invested so much into this story with wonderful, sweet Edgar and the dogs and the training - all to have it pulled out from under me!

This book started out so well, but then in the last 250 pages it changed so and become one disappointment after another. It almost seemed as if it was written by a different person in the 2nd half. What happened?? Read it at your own risk, or just read the first 300 pages and leave it there.

I'm rating this a 3.5, but if it had kept the same tone as the first half, it would have been a 5.

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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Book Description:
Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, Christopher is autistic. Everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. Routine, order and predictability shelter him from the messy, wider world. Then, at fifteen, Christopher's carefully constructed world falls apart when he finds his neighbor's dog, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork, and he is initially blamed for the killing.

Christopher decides that he will track down the real killer and turns to his favorite fictional character, the impeccably logical Sherlock Holmes, for inspiration. But the investigation leads him down some unexpected paths and ultimately brings him face to face with the dissolution of his parents’marriage. As he tries to deal with the crisis within his own family, we are drawn into the workings of Christopher's mind.

And herein lies the key to the brilliance of Mark Haddon’s choice of narrator: The most wrenching of emotional moments are chronicled by a boy who cannot fathom emotion. The effect is dazzling, making for a novel that is deeply funny, poignant, and fascinating in its portrayal of a person whose curse and blessing is a mind that perceives the world literally.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is one of the freshest debuts in years: a comedy, a heartbreaker, a mystery story, a novel of exceptional literary merit that is great fun to read.

I loved this book! I really enjoyed it and thought it was excellent. At times I was really moved by it and got teary-eyed. Such a unique perspective of an autistic boy, his broken family, life's lessons and coping and dealing with them. A short read, but very well done and original. I decided to read it because my 14 year old son had to read it for his summer reading assignment. He only finished it yesterday and now I'm dying to discuss it with him.

I agree with the above description of the author, he takes some really heavy emotional moments and is able to write about them from Christopher's perspective - Christopher who cannot show or feel emotion - and it's amazing. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but a culmination of events that lead to his reading letters from his mother and then a one-sided conversation with his father is very moving. Despite Christopher's handicap, he manages to succeed in what he sets out to do, whether it's taking his maths A-levels or going to London on a train on his own. He manages! You get the sense that Christopher is going to be okay. He has challenges, but he's a smart kid and he'll adjust and be a great scientist or mathematician one day. You can't help but admire him, and at the same time want to hug him - but he doesn't like to be hugged! Having a son so close to his age, who has his own everyday ups and downs and challenges, I really felt for his parents and could relate to them. You love your children so much. Ironically, even though he does a despicable thing, I really felt sorry for his father more than his mother. It all starts with the death of Wellington the dog, but opens up a whole can of worms for Christopher and the relative peace in his world.

If you are at all interested in special needs kids or forms of autism and Asperger's Syndrome, this is a must read. A very short book, it took me less than a day to read. A thoughtful and memorable read.

4.5/5

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Lush Life by Richard Price

From Publishers Weekly Master of the Bronx and Jersey projects, Price (Clockers) turns his unrelenting eye on Manhattan's Lower East Side in this manic crescendo of a novel that explores the repercussions of a seemingly random shooting. When bartender Ike Marcus is shot to death after barhopping with friends, NYPD Det. Matty Clark and his team first focus on restaurant manager and struggling writer Eric Cash, who claims the group was accosted by would-be muggers, despite eyewitnesses saying otherwise. As Matty grills Eric on the still-hazy details of the shooting, Price steps back and follows the lives of the alleged shooters—teenagers Tristan Acevedo and Little Dap Williams, who live in a nearby housing project—as well as Ike's grieving father, Billy, who hounds the police even as leads dwindle. As the intersecting narratives hurtle toward a climax that's both expected and shocking, Price peels back the layers of his characters and the neighborhood until all is laid bare. With its perfect dialogue and attention to the smallest detail, Price's latest reminds readers why he's one of the masters of American urban crime fiction.

"I'm not superstitious or anything, but that thing I pulled this morning? I have a real bad feeling it's going to come back and bite me in the ass."

An understatement. Ike, the victim, has no idea just how prophetic those words really are.

This is a crime story set in the lower East Side of Manhattan, somewhere around the East Village, Katz's Deli, 1 Police Plaza - that general area. This is the only thing I've read of Price and I must say after getting through the initial confusion in the first 25 pages of 'where is this going' I loved it. The street talk, the New York location, the every day life of the cops and detectives on the trail of a murderer, confessions, interrogations, cop slang, and the fact you really feel you're in this book, in it's world, in it's pages, it captures you and you just keep reading until it's over.

The story of a murder at 4:30 AM, the murder of a white guy with his two friends, all drunk, after a night of work and then bar hopping. A supposed mugging gone bad, misinformation, chasing the wrong guy and then the police are on the trail of who really did it. We're introduced to the main characters, Eric, he works in a restaurant, going no where, 35 years old, would be actor/writer, not much of a life going on. Is he telling the truth? Did he kill Ike? Matty, a big beefy Irishman middle-aged detective who's working on the case. He's got his own set of problems. Yolanda, a Latina detective also on the case. She's the queen of interrogators, makes the young kids fall for her and trust her, she can get a confession out of anyone. Then there's 17 year old Tristan, lives in the projects and is enthralled by his .22 pistol, hoping to get in with the brutal cool crowd, but only winds up getting himself in a mess, time is running out for him, he's blown it for himself all from a reckless action in a split second.

The whole story takes place in less than 2 weeks, most of it really in only a few days. We're on the murder trail and soaking up the atmosphere of the lower East Side. The Williamsburg Bridge, the Quality of Life driving by, life in the projects. This is a fast paced book, but at times it slows down and we witness the heartache the victim's father is going through, the media seekers, restaurateurs -and the cops.

In some ways this book reminded me a bit of Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities, only I liked it much more, but there are some similarities. Price has done his research, he knows this world and it's language. A worthwhile read if you're into gritty detective crime type novels or even if you're not, but want to get a small peek into the world of the lower East Side and it's denizens.

4/5

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The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

Book Description:
Look into the lace... When the eyes begin to fill with tears and the patience is long exhausted, there will appear a glimpse of something not quite seen... In this moment, an image will begin to form... in the space between what is real and what is only imagined. Can you read your future in a piece of lace? All of the Whitney women can. But the last time Towner read, it killed her sister and nearly robbed Towner of her own sanity. Vowing never to read lace again, her resolve is tested when faced with the mysterious, unsolvable disappearance of her beloved Great Aunt Eva, Salem's original Lace Reader. Told from opposing and often unreliable perspectives, the story engages the reader's own beliefs. Should we listen to Towner, who may be losing her mind for the second time? Or should we believe John Rafferty, a no nonsense New York detective, who ran away from the city to a simpler place only to find himself inextricably involved in a psychic tug of war with all three generations of Whitney women? Does either have the whole story? Or does the truth lie somewhere in the swirling pattern of the lace?

A good story, thoughtful and well paced, as intricate as the lace is front and center in the book. On the surface it seems simple enough, a mystery of what happens to a woman who is lost, but just when you think you know what is going on in the story, the twisty ending gets you and you find nothing is as it seems. I found it enjoyable to read (in a day, hard to put down). The tales of colonial Salem and it's witch hunts parallel this modern day plotline. In addition, there is the general feeling of ghosts and an otherwordliness plus the themes of family secrets, incest and of the unusual bonds between twins (like The Thirteenth Tale, reviewed previously).

Towner Whitney is the main character, having just had a hysterectomy she is summoned to return home from California, where she has lived for the past 15 years. Her beloved great-aunt Eva has disappeared. We meet the various members of the Whitney family, and learn about how quirky they are, considered by many in Salem to be modern-day witches, though really they are more like "seers" who can tell the future by reading lace. The beginning of each chapter in the book recounts a lesson on lace reading.

Her mother, Mae, lives on a small island near Salem, called Yellow Dog Island (it is overrun by semi-wild Golden Retrievers, of all things - owning one myself, it had to make me smile.) She runs a refuge for battered women and instructs them on how to weave lace which helps with their recovery. By rescuing them, her set up is likened to The Underground Railroad by helping them get away from their former lives, not unlike the way runaway slaves were aided in the 19th century. Towner has grown up on this island most of her life with her sister, Lindley. We learn that Lindley killed herself as a teenager and Towner has many secrets and inner demons trying to cope with her death. She's had a long hard struggle, mentally, to overcome survivor guilt and now must return to Salem and have all those old memories dredged up again.

This was a fascinating read, not only does the setting make you want to go to Salem (if you haven't already) but it is evocative of the New England location, you can easily picture yourself out on the water in the Whaler going back and forth to the Island, or in Aunt Eva's grand house, the setting of her teas and lace readings. Another unique setting is the shop of local resident witch, Ann Chase. Her shop is where she sells herbs and oils and tells fortunes. All the characters are interesting in and of themselves and have their own little histories or crosses to carry. But of all them, Towner has the hardest time of it. She becomes friends with Detective Rafferty who is trying to solve the case of what happened to Eva, and another runaway girl, Angela, who has gotten herself mixed up and pregnant with the local cult that call themselves Calvinists. Coincidentally, the sect is lead by Towner's brutal and horrifying uncle Cal, (Lyndley's father). Cal was married to Towner's aunt Emma, whom he brutalized and beat up repeatedly, until finally blinding her. Now mentally incapable of taking care of herself, she lives with Mae on the Island in in her own world of peace and quiet, never to be able to read lace again - if she ever could.

Still with me here?

Everything expertly comes together by the end, with a heart pounding escape and the opening and healing of old wounds and a satisfying ending, though completely unexpected - at least to me. I must admit, I was confused and had to really re-think things after I finished it. I'm not exactly sure about a few things, one being, "who jumped off the cliff?" I think I know, but I'm not positive. A lot is left up to the reader to figure it out once you know the truth behind the story.

Overall, this was really interesting and a good read, and worth a re-read for me just to get it all straight for my own peace of mind *grin* Completely original to me and a great first effort by this author. I'll be interested in reading what else she writes in the future.

4/5

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Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Book Description:
From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Remains of the Day and When We Were Orphans, comes an unforgettable edge-of-your-seat mystery that is at once heartbreakingly tender and morally courageous about what it means to be human.

Hailsham seems like a pleasant English boarding school, far from the influences of the city. Its students are well tended and supported, trained in art and literature, and become just the sort of people the world wants them to be. But, curiously, they are taught nothing of the outside world and are allowed little contact with it.

Within the grounds of Hailsham, Kathy grows from schoolgirl to young woman, but it's only when she and her friends Ruth and Tommy leave the safe grounds of the school (as they always knew they would) that they realize the full truth of what Hailsham is.

Never Let Me Go breaks through the boundaries of the literary novel. It is a gripping mystery, a beautiful love story, and also a scathing critique of human arrogance and a moral examination of how we treat the vulnerable and different in our society. In exploring the themes of memory and the impact of the past, Ishiguro takes on the idea of a possible future to create his most moving and powerful book to date.

My second Ishiguro novel, this was a fascinating story, set in an alternate England in the late 1990's. In this book, cloning is a fact of life used for medical purposes. Hailsham is where Kathy, Ruth and Tommy grow up and go to school together. They've been there probably since infants and it seems like a regular nice English boarding school in the countryside, except they can't leave the grounds and there are lots of little mysteries surrounding it. It's not until they are in their early teens that they find out the truth - they are all clones to be used eventually as "donors" for medical purposes.

As ghastly as this sounds, it's written so eloquently that you become completely used to the idea and feel compelled to continue reading to see how it all turns out. What happens to Ruth and Tommy? Does Kathy ever become a donor, or does she remain a "carer" . The students start out by helping donors through their donations - a painful business that continues until they "complete." Most never make it past their 4th donation. There is never any graphic detail about what these donations mean, but you know it means they're giving up a vital organ. Yet, they're okay with this, they've been raised to accept it.

But, the flip side of this is the question - does mankind have the right to do this, and do clones have souls like regular human beings? The people we meet in this book have feelings, they have sex drives (though they cannot have babies - we never find out why) and lots of sex, they talk about life as they know it and what comes after Hailsham and becoming a donor.

I can't say enough about what a great writer Ishiguro is. His pacing is perfect, his writing is literary, yet simple and uncluttered - it's easy to read his novels. Again, this was a short book, less than 300 pages. I became engrossed in it from the beginning, for I deliberately did not want to read the dustjacket description. I wanted to come into with no pre-conceived notions, although I knew it had something to do with cloning, so I guessed the truth of what they were cloned for before it was revealed in the story. I had to keep reading to find out what happened with Ruth and Tommy, and of course, gentle and sensitive Kathy. Plus, I was caught up in the world of Hailsham and over and over I was mystified at how Ishiguro so easily wrote about the inner feelings and thoughts of a young girl - whether she was 8 years old and into make believe, or a blossoming young teenager, wondering about sex amidst the mind games that go on with girls her age. How does he know this stuff? I recognized a lot of the same sort of things I experienced as a little girl and young teenager. Who's brain did he pick - how does he do it? He was right on target, startling accurate.

This was a beautifully written haunting tale, one that will stay with me for a long, long time.

4.5/5

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The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Book Description:
When Margaret Lea opened the door to the past, what she confronted was her destiny.

All children mythologize their birth... So begins the prologue of reclusive author Vida Winter's collection of stories, which are as famous for the mystery of the missing thirteenth tale as they are for the delight and enchantment of the twelve that do exist.

The enigmatic Winter has spent six decades creating various outlandish life histories for herself -- all of them inventions that have brought her fame and fortune, but kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, at last she wants to tell the truth about her extraordinary life. She summons biographer Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth, hidden by those who loved her most, remains an ever-present pain. Struck by a curious parallel between Miss Winter's story and her own, Margaret takes on the commission.

As Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good, Margaret is mesmerized. It is a tale of gothic strangeness featuring the Angelfield family including the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire.

Margaret succumbs to the power of Vida's storytelling, but remains suspicious of the author's sincerity. She demands the truth from Vida, and together they confront the ghosts that have haunted them and become, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.

The Thirteenth Tale is a love letter to reading, a book for the feral reader in all of us, a return to that rich vein of storytelling that our parents loved and we loved as children. Diane Setterfield will keep you guessing, make you wonder, move you to tears and laughter, and in the end, deposit you breathless yet satisfied back upon the shore of your everyday life.

I had heard about this book, but didn't really know what to expect, except that it was a mystery and I thought it was going to be sort of scary. It had been praised up and down and compared to Rebecca and Jane Eyre, as kind of a Gothic type of mystery. It wasn't scary, but it was very thoughtful and clever - a literary mystery with themes of twins, unburied ghosts and abandonment.

Often, it had me convinced I knew just what was going on and knew the answer to the puzzle, and then over and over I was surprised by how wrong I was! I'm not usually a big mystery reader, my radar is not as finely tuned as some other readers when it comes to figuring out the answers and picking up on clues; I merely enjoyed reading this book until the end and finding out the answer to Vida Winter's thirteenth tale and Margaret's own demons as well.

The build up was thoughtful and slow, in fact, I had a hard time getting into the first half of the book. I was drawn to it and the theme of twins throughout, but I did not find it overly fascinating or hard to put down. I put it down often, but by the second half of the book, it was hard to put down. I found it memorable, the characters, the plot, the scenery - all very well done. Not overly wordy or melodramatic at all, yet the imagery stayed in my mind, the moors in Yorkshire, Angelfield's woods and gardens, gravel crunching under one's feet, the library, the bookstore, the topiaries - I had a vivid idea of the places and what everyone looked like and sounded like.

One of the best parts of the book for me was how it all unravelled by the end. Like a key unlocking the doors, one by one, until the mystery was out in the open. Towards the end, I was a bit confused as to who was who, and I'm still not absolutely positive (I will have to discuss this book with others who had read it) about who's bones were in the library. There is a ghostly element in this tale as well, which gives it that eerie gothic touch, but I must admit, I never really believed ghosts were the answer, I knew there had to be some reasonable expanation for some strange goings on - and it was a very surprising one! I had no idea!

I'm trying not to give up any spoilers here, but anyone who loves books (like I do) especially Jane Eyre, The Turn of the Screw, and Rebecca will appreciate a lot of the nods to these books, but they're not necessary to reading this book and enjoying it. Even though it's a mystery, I think this would be a good book to re-read, you'll appreciate all the little clues and nuances, especially the little things Miss Winter tells Margaret when they first meet. I found the dual stories about twins interesting, but the story of the Angelfield twins was much more compelling than Margaret's sad story of losing her sister and her mother's abandonment. The very ending of the book and Margaret's hallucination epiphany was a little weird, but I do like the idea of what happens with her and the doctor - although a bit out of the blue and unexpected!

This was not a quick read for me, it took me a little while, but it was worth it, I'm glad I didn't rush through it, for much of it needs to be savored and thought upon. Memorable.

4/5

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Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips

Book Description:
Being a Greek god is not all it once was. Yes, the twelve gods of Olympus are alive and well in the twenty-first century, but they are crammed together in a London townhouse-and none too happy about it. And they've had to get day jobs: Artemis as a dog-walker, Apollo as a TV psychic, Aphrodite as a phone sex operator, Dionysus as a DJ.

Even more disturbingly, their powers are waning, and even turning mortals into trees-a favorite pastime of Apollo's-is sapping their vital reserves of strength.

Soon, what begins as a minor squabble between Aphrodite and Apollo escalates into an epic battle of wills. Two perplexed humans, Alice and Neil, who are caught in the crossfire, must fear not only for their own lives, but for the survival of humankind. Nothing less than a true act of heroism is needed-but can these two decidedly ordinary people replicate the feats of the mythical heroes and save the world?

This was a really fun, delicious, quick read, a brilliant, irreverent, sexy ride. I really liked it! Just a short little book under 300 pages. Was it high brow reading? No, but it was a lot of fun. I can imagine this being made into a movie, it has the British satire of Monty Python (but not too over the top), and the humorous reality of a Nick Hornby novel.

As the description says, all the "big" Gods live together in this crumbling house in London. They have various jobs that are perfect for what kind of God they are and modern conveniences such as cell phones. Aphrodite's is perfect, she's a phone sex girl - so throughout the book she has her Bluetooth in her ear, speaking out loud to her various "clients" - very funny. Her cell phone ringtone is "Venus" by Bananarama - perfect. Aphrodite is someone you don't want to piss off though. Apollo does, and she, being a goddess, seeks revenge upon him (as revenge is in all gods and goddesses DNA).

The story revolves all around Apollo and the turn of events that take place due to Aphrodites revenge. He is the sad sack in this story, despite his movie star good looks and physique, he's a loser. But, being a complete egomaniac, having to be the center of attention, so he is in this book as well! He tries to get a job as some sort of "seer" on his own TV show (cable, of course) and it's a total flop (plus a hilarious bit of him with a god-almighty hard on!) But, in the pilot audience is Alice and Neil, a shy, budding couple. Aphrodite gets her "born again" son, Eros, to make Apollo fall in love with Alice, and then has Hermes help with having Alice show up at their house to become a housekeeper. From there, all hell breaks loose, wrapping up with a big rescue at the ending and a parable on preserving and saving the earth from man.

There are so many very clever things in this book, I just can't list them all. Some sex (but only between the gods and goddesses themselves), it's all so ridiculous and if you are at all familiar with Greek mythology you'll really get a kick out of this book, although it's not a prerequisite to reading it. Ordinary mortals like Alice and Neil are perfect foils to these crazy gods, they're just so normal and down to earth. It's fun to see how their world is shaken up (sad too in some ways) by the gods, but all is resolved eventually.

The things I liked best about it are how the author brings these gods and goddesses to life in the present with their various mundane jobs and personalities. Ares, the god of war is constantly busy with the wars going on in the world, always working away with his maps and stuff, and just his presence in a room can make mortals start to fight with one another. Hermes, the messenger of the gods is the busiest of them all, and is always rushing around, pressed for time in his immaculate suit, and little wings on his ankles and hat-cell phone always at the ready. Aphrodite is perfectly bored and beautiful - she lives for love and looking good, everyone has slept with her, she's the most self centered and selfish of the gods - but everyone accepts this in her - she's Aphrodite after all! Artemis, the huntress is kind of out of her element. Hunting is being banned in England and she as a goddess, doesn't have much of a purpose anymore. She's a dog walker by occupation, since she had to get rid of her own (they couldn't afford to feed them any longer.) She's the moral element in the book and is central to the plot. She's the only one in the house that seems to care about anything. Demeter, goddess of the earth is gradually failing, she is growing old, and she can no longer keep things alive - the parable in the book. Athena is so smart, but can't get her thoughts across to anyone, she's so over their heads - it all just sounds like a bunch of gobbledygook!

I could go on and on, it's all perfectly funny and a great satire. I read this in one day, do yourself a favor and read it, it's a lot of fun!

4/5

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