2018 Challenge - Book #48 - The 12 Lives of Samuel Hawley

I am on vacation and trying to get in some extra reading time.  But I have been running around as well, so not as much reading as I would like!

Today's review is for:

12 Lives of Samuel Hawley
Author: Hannah Tinti
Pages: 416

Samuel Hawley is a single father of a girl named Loo (Louise).  He has been her sole caregiver since she was less than 1 year old.  Loo has no memories of her mother, and her dad rarely talks about her.  He keeps pictures of her in the house, but hidden from visitors.  Loo and Samuel have spent most of Loo's life on the run.  Moving from town to town.  Samuel's past is always chasing him, so he ties to keep ahead of it.  Now that Loo is a teenager, he wants to give her a more stable life.  So he settles in his late wife's hometown and begins steady work.  Loo becomes more and more curious about the mother she never knew, and meets her grandmother for what she assumes is the first time.  Her grandmother has never approved of Samuel, but she is willing to let him back in her life so she can be a part of Loo's.  Loo begins to piece together her father's past by the scars - all 12 from bullets from his criminal past - he has.  His past has come back for him, and this time Loo is caught in the middle.

This was a good book.  I cannot imagine being shot 12 times and surviving to tell about it.  Hawley's past is a big part of this book - almost each chapter a story of how he received a scar.  But woven in there is the story of Loo and her grandmother, and Loo's mother before Loo was born.  The book did end a bit abruptly - like books sometimes do - but that is never my favorite.  I like a nice clean break, but alas, I didn't get it here.

Check it out. 

Stars: 4

2018 Challenge - Book #47 - Sing Unburied Sing

Today's review is for

Sing Unburied Sing
Author: Jesmyn Ward
Pates: 304

The main character in this story is a 13 year old boy named Jojo.  He is the son of a drug addict mother and his father is in jail.  He is the main caregiver of his little sister Kayla because his mother is inconsistent in their lives.  He does have a grandmother and grandfather that care for him deeply - Pop and Ma - who live with him.  Jojo's mother can't quite put mothering at the top of her list of needs above her drug addiction,  She is also tornmented by the constant presence of her dead brother, Given, who died as a teenager. 

Jojo's dad is released from prison so his mom takes him and his sister to pick him up.  Jojo meets a dead boy named Richie when he is at the prison.  He was 13 when he was an inmate and carries the story of how bad the South was when he was there.  He follows Jojo and his family home, hoping Jojo's grandfather - who knew the boy as an inmate - can help release him from earth.

This was a pretty good story.  Like one reviewer stated "I appreciated it, but I didn't love it" - is how I feel as well.  The writing was fantastic.  And my heart broke for Jojo and Kayla knowing that there are so many kids in their kind of situation.  But other than that - I just didn't connect to the story.  Plots seemed to swirl around each other, and I had trouble connecting the characters to the story.

I am not saying don't read this book.  There are too many things to like about it to pass it up.  Just know that you may feel a little disconnected from the story.  Or....you may not.

Stars: 4

2018 Challenge - Book #46 - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

Two reviews in a row!  That is because I have been working on Kavalier and Clay for a while - reading 50 pages a day on the tram, and reading my other books at home. 

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
Author: Michael Chabon
Pages: 684

This story begins in 1939 in New York City.  Sammy Klayman lives as an only child to a single mother, and one day his cousin from Europe - Joe Kavalier shows up at their doorstop after escaping his war torn country.  He is alone and scared, and Sammy does not like that this kid is not a member of his household.  Quickly, though, Sammy discovers that Joe can draw.  Sammy starts to share his love of comic books, and soon he and Joe are working together making their own comic book series.  They come up with their hero - the Escapist - based on Joe's past of being able to escape like Houdini.  Their comics soon become extremely popular.  They have their own series, their own toys, their own radio show.  Joe stashes all of the money he makes away so that one day he can bring his entire family to America.

Tragedy strikes, and Joe runs away.  For 11 years, Sammy and Joe's girl - Rosa - search for him to no avail.  It isn't until Rosa's son, Thomas, starts to disappear into New York City, skipping school, to visit a mysterious man at a local magic shop.  Soon Joe is back in their lives and everything changes for he and Sammy.

This book was.....okay.  First of all - it was way too long.  Very wordy.  I found myself skimming sometimes just because there wasn't a lot of dialogue and too much explanation.  It is a writing style - I get it - it just isn't for me.  Second of all - I did not like Joe.  His character was frustrating and extreme.  There was a fairly good size chunk of this book during the part that Joe is absent that I felt could have been eliminated all together.  Or at least shortened.  It completely derailed the story, and didn't fit.  The beginning, though, and the ending, when Sammy and Joe were together - was entertaining.  Sammy is a witty character and had some great lines.  He kept the story afloat and moving forward, unlike Joe's character.

This book is definitely for folks who love comic books.  They talk quite a bit about the comic book greats throughout this book and mix true history into the story of these fictional writers.  My husband - who is a total nerd for these types of stories - is going to read it next so I will be anxious to hear his take on it.

Stars: 3

2018 Challenge - Book #45 - We Were Liars

Today's review is for

We Were Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
Pages: 256

This is the story of a wealthy family called the Sinclairs.  The grandfather owns a beautiful island where the family goes each summer to relax and be together as a family.  The main character - Cadence had an accident two summers ago that has caused memory loss and migraine headaches.  She skipped going to the island the year after her accident and went instead with her dad on a trip through Europe.  But now that she is 17, she is back at the island.  Her mother is very over protective of her, and wants everyone to give Cadence some space and not talk to her about the accident.

But that isn't want Cadence wants.  She misses her four friends - two cousins - a boy and a girl around her age, one of her cousin's best friend - Gat.  Cadence had fallen for Gat two summers ago, and she is anxious to see him most of all.

There are many houses on the island - each of the sister (There are three in all) have their own house, plus the Grandfather has his.  The 4 friends spend almost all of their time together holing up together in one house - not leaving even for meals.  Cadences mother doesn't like how much time she is spending away from the rest of the family, and is constantly trying to pull her back into the fold.  But Cadence just wants answers.  She wants to know why she can't remember her accident - wants to know what happened.  Slowly - as the weeks pass, she pieces together what happened, and now knows she will never be the same.

I enjoyed this book.  Once I discovered it was a YA novel, its simplicity made a lot more sense.  It is a quick read - you could easily read it in a few hours.  There is a twist near the end, and honestly - I didn't see it coming.  I could not piece that together based on the beginning of the story, so kudos to the author for that one.

Good for the teenage group.  And if you are looking for a light read.  Worth your time.

Stars: 4

2018 Challenge - Book #44- We Were The Lucky Ones

Today's Review

We Were The Lucky Ones
Author: Georgia Hunter
Pages: 416

This story follows the Kurc family - 3 generations in total - starting in 1939.  WW II is about to being, and this family is Jewish.  They live in the town of Radom, Poland, but soon they are split up.  Some flee, some are forced into exile, and some are sent to concentration camps.  Each person has a story to share, and their struggle to survive is propelled that some day they will see each other again.

This was the first book I have read about WWII where the characters were from Poland.  I have read how bad it was in Poland, but to read the horror on these pages made it that much more forefront in my mind.  The story, over all, was good.  Each chapter dove into the lives of certain members of this family, and told the story of what was happening to them on a personal level.  But each chapter was also connecting those characters to the rest of their family.  All of them working on a common goal to get back to each other no matter what.

If I had to give any criticism about the book is that it was a bit too long.  I found my mind wondering at some points - feeling that things were too drawn out.  This made it a little slow moving, and some chapters were better than others.  Some of the stories were heart wrenching and I couldn't stop reading until the end of the chapter.  Yet others dragged.

Overwall- good book.  I would recommend it with the knowledge that there might be times where you want to skim.

Stars: 4

2018 Challenge - Book #43 - The Book of Lost Things

Today's review is for:

The Book of Lost Things
Author: John Connolly
Pages: 368

Our main character, David, has just lost his mother.  In his grief he is feeling angry and alone.  He keeps to himself, spending most of his time in his room, reading.  The books whisper to him reminding him of how alone he is.

Soon - his dad remarries, and he gets a little brother named Georgie.  David feels more alone than ever.  One day, he is in his backyard and he is suddenly sent into a world that he doesn't recognize.  The world is full of monsters and kings and heroes.  All David wants to do is get home.  All his anger starts to disappear as he realizes he may never see his family again.

This was a good book.  My favorite chapter was when David came across the 7 Dwarfs and we got to see the "real Snow White".  She was a bit of a pistol.  The author intermixed real fairy tales into the story - giving them more of a real life spin instead of the happily ever after we read about in books.

Check it out.  IT is a book for the younger ages (grades 5-7), but I really enjoyed reading it

Stars:  4

2018 Challenge - Book #42 - This is How it Always Is

Today's review is for:

This Is How It Always Is
Author: Laurie Frankel
Pages: 336

This story is about a family with five children.  After having 4 children - all boys - Penn and Rosie decide they want one more.  Secretly hoping for a girl, Rosie tries a lot of superstitious things to make it so.  In the end, Claude - their 5th boy - is born. 

As Claude grows, it becomes clear that he isn't comfortable in his body.  He frequently asks to wear dresses, and play with dolls, and be a princess.  At first the family believes that he is just exploring because he has 4 brothers who like nothing but trucks and tumbling.  But when he parents ask Claude what he wants to be when he grows up - he tells them he wants to be a girl.

By the time Claude is ready for Kindergarten, he has changed his name to Poppy and goes to school every day as a girl.  Then one fated playdate causes the whole family to decide they are in the wrong place to raise a little girl who used to be a boy.  They pick up their family and move to Seattle to start over where no one knows that Poppy used to be Claude.

Years pass until one day the family secret is revealed, and the whole family is upended.  Now they need to decide if keeping Poppy's secret was the best decision they made for her.

This was a good book.  I thought it was well written and a fast read.  The author's small little quips throughout the dialog made a heavy subject a little lighter.  The story is full of valuable lessons, and ways that a family deals with a very tough situation.  Transgender children still struggle in school and in life.  It talks of loving our children no matter what and how we as parents need to love and support our children through all their difficult choices.

Stars: 4 1/2