Rescue (Anita Shreve)

I just finished reading my first Anita Shreve book.  My mom had read Rescue recently and when I was searching for my next book through our baskets and bookcases full of novels, she suggested that I read it.

Peter Webster is a paramedic.  On one of his first shifts, he first encounters Sheila, who had been in a DUI accident.  He is particularly curious about her and so he makes a point of visiting her in the hospital.  The medic/patient relationship eventually turns into a bit more.  Eighteen years later, Webster is a single father raising his daughter, Rowan.  When things with his daughter start to go off track, he thinks that maybe he can't be everything that his daughter needs.  With the possibility of Sheila back in the picture, Webster tries to decide if this really is the best thing for his daughter. 

I motored through the novel in a few days because it was an easy read.  The novel is told from the point of view of Webster.  One half of the novel was a bit of a love story that allowed you to see into the relationship between Sheila and Webster.  It contained enough details about Webster's job as a paramedic that would keep some readers interested in the novel if they aren't as interested the relationship story.  The other half of the book was less about the love story and more about the father/daughter relationship in the Webster household. 

"Do you love her?" his mother asked.
Finally, an easy question.  "I do," he said.  "Very much."  But even as he said it, and as sure as he was that he did, he wondered if he really knew what love, in these circumstances, meant.
(Rescue, Anita Shreve, p. 67)

I liked the story.  It was a little bit predictable, but there were still some aspects that came as a surprise to the reader.  I found that it was a fairly realistic story...  Many households are just like the Webster home, with single parents, broken families, and secrets.  I thought it was neat that Webster was telling stories from his medic calls, although many of these calls had little to do with the storyline itself. 

If you're looking for a light and easy read, Rescue may be the one for you!  I think a few more Anita Shreve books may be on my reading list in the future.

Go slowly and be careful.  (Rescue, Anita Shreve, p. 282)

P.S. I am a person who often does judge a book based on its cover (although this isn't the only way I choose my books!).  I don't know exactly what I was expecting from this cover, but I liked the look of it.  Somehow, though, I didn't think the story really matched the cover.  Sure, there's a mother and a daughter, but things aren't quite like this in the novel... 

Sarah's Key (Tatiana de Rosnay)

The novel Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay goes back and forth between two different time periods. 

July 1942 in Paris:  A young girl, Sarah, is arrested alongside her family in the Vel d'Hiv roundup.  When they show up at her door, Sarah locks her younger brother in a closet, promising to return to get him.

May 2002 in Paris: Julia, a journalist, is writing an article about the Vel d'Hiv roundup.  As she's doing her research, she finds out that her family history is more connected with the roundup (and more specifically, Sarah) than she previously thought.  She continues to dig deeper into Sarah's story, trying to find out what happened to this girl, her brother, and her family.

I loved how this book went back and forth each chapter between the different time periods - you were reading two different stories that you knew were somehow connected.  You find out more and more information about what happened to Sarah and her family and, as you're reading the novel, really want to know what happened to her in the end.  Where did she end up and what is she doing?  Is she still alive?  What about her family?

Not being a huge history fan, I wasn't sure at first of how I would like the book, but I did enjoy it.  Recently, I also went to see the movie.  It reminded me a lot of the book and the stories that were told in it.  I did find that it was a little harder to handle than the novel was.  It makes it all that much tougher when you visually and graphically see some of the conditions that these people were forced to live in.  It was a good movie that represented the book accurately and definitely shed some light on a not-so-happy part of history. 

I would definitely read another novel by Tatiana de Rosnay and would recommend Sarah's Key.

lullabies for little criminals (Heather O'Neill)

I'm not exactly sure what made me choose lullabies for little criminals by Heather O'Neill.  It could have been the bright green, happy-looking cover or it could have been the "Canada Reads 2007 Winner" sticker on the front.  

"Some guardian angels did a terrible job.  They were given work in the poor neighborhoods where none of the others wanted to go.  Every delinquent kid had one of these miserable angels who made sure that they made the worst of every situation.  These angels loved when people did the wrong thing or took risks.  You can't have that many bad things happen to you without some sort of heavenly design."  (lullabies for little criminals, Heather O'Neill, p. 285)

The story is told from the point of view of a twelve-year-old girl named Baby (who turns thirteen in the book).  Her parents had her when they were in their teens and her mother passed away when Baby was a year old.  She's living with her father in Montreal, moving from apartment to apartment trying to survive.  Her father is a drug addict and seems to go from highs to lows, and from nice dad to mean dad, on a daily basis.  You get a chance to see their relationship when it's at its best and when it's at its worst.  Baby has all the freedom that a twelve-year-old shouldn't have.  Throughout the novel, she gets sent to a detention center, gains a friend in a local pimp, and experiments with drugs and prostitution.

Maybe I just wasn't in the right mindset for this novel, but it wasn't my favourite and I found that it was a lot to handle.  You find yourself getting attached to Baby because she's such a young girl.  It makes your heart hurt when you hear about how she's doing drugs, selling her body, and basically living alone in the street.  At times, the content and descriptions in the novel almost made me feel uncomfortable.  (I feel like you could open to book to almost any page, read a random paragraph, and understand that she is leading a rough life.)  No young child should ever have to go through this, but the reality is that some children do have to deal with these types of obstacles.  This book made me thankful for my family, the environment that I grew up in and the experiences that I was able to have as a child. 

"I don't know why I was upset about not being an adult.  It was right around the corner.  Becoming a child again is what is impossible.  That's what you have legitimate reason to be upset over.  Childhood is the most valuable thing that's taken away from you in life, if you think about it."  (lullabies for little criminals, Heather O'Neill, p. 77)

Play Dead (Harlan Coben)

This book did not disappoint.  I was looking for another good mystery novel and that's exactly what I got.  I have always been impressed with Harlan Coben's novels and his ability to make me a) carry his book around everywhere I go, b) sit down for hours at a time and continuously flip the pages of his novel, and c) stay up late until it's finished. 

After reading those few non fiction books and some light summer reads, I thought it was about time that I got lost in another Harlan Coben novel.  This time, I chose one of the few novels that I haven't read by him, Play Dead.  Like I mentioned, I have loved every book that I've read by him in the past and this one was no exception.  (I may even have to go back and re-read a few that I remember really loving!)

At first I was hesitant to read it.  At the beginning of his book, Harlan Coben writes a short note to his readers.  He tells us, "Okay, if this is the first book of mine you're going to try, stop now.  Return it.  Grab another.  It's okay.  I'll wait."  He wrote this book when he was in his early twenties, and it was released for print in 1990.  He explains that he is not the same writer now as he was back then.  But that's okay - I liked the book anyway and I'm glad I kept reading. (Some other people who have written online reviews were very disappointed... I, however, thought it was still good and it kept me reading.)

Now onto the challenge of reviewing this book without giving too much away!  The book is about a Hollywood couple, Laura Ayars and David Baskin.  They were on their secret honeymoon in Australia when Laura went out for a quick business meeting.  When she returned, she was left with a note from her husband saying he had gone out for a swim.  He never returned.  Despite the coroner reports that say David drowned, Laura suspects some foul play and takes it upon herself to start finding answers.  Some secrets, as much as 30 years old, start to surface and prove that this is all a little deeper than we ever imagined it could be. 

As I was reading this book, I was starting to think that I had many things figured out.  There was a lot of foreshadowing and most people are able to put two and two together.  (I mean, come on, you can read the title of the book and figure out something!)  Half way through the book, I was even wondering why Harlan Coben needed another 200 pages to tie up the ends that I had already figured out.  Oh, how wrong was I.  Despite what I thought was happening, there were new facts that kept arising, changing the story entirely.

I would recommend this novel (as I would any Harlan Coben novel!).  If you're looking for a book that will keep you in suspense until the very last page, consider this one.  And consider his other novels, too!

The Help (Kathryn Stockett)

I read The Help by Kathryn Stockett during the summer and LOVED it! It had me laughing at many points and also had me in tears today as I was sitting outside enjoying the sunshine. I loved the rollercoaster of emotions I felt as I was reading this book.

For those of you who haven't heard about the book (which, I guess, is probably a low percentage considering the amount of publicity the new movie "The Help" was getting), it's a book about a town in Mississippi, where the coloured maids, alongside a friendly white lady, secretly write a book about their experiences working in white households. I loved how the chapters in the book were written from different points of view - it reminded me of how Jodi Picoult's "My Sister's Keeper" was written.

Here are some of my favourite (and most memorable) quotes from the book:

"Wasn't that the point of the book? For women to realize, 'We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought.'" (The Help, Kathryn Stockett, p. 492)

"'I guess I got to go,' I say, even though I'd rather spend the rest of my life right here in Aibileen's cozy little kitchen, having her explain the world to me. That's what I love about Aibileen, she can take the most complicated things in life and wrap them up so small and simple, they'll fit right in your pocket." (The Help, Kathryn Stockett, p. 369)

"Skeeter look away from me, try to smile. 'I don't care about any of that ole stuff, anyway.' She kind a laugh and it hurts my heart. Cause everybody care. Black, white, deep down we all do." (The Help, Kathryn Stockett, p. 346)

I highly recommend this book. I loved it so much that I rushed out to see the movie. While the movie was decent, in this case I definitely thought that the details provided in the book provided for an even better story than what was shown on the big screen...

Open (Andre Agassi)

I am on a roll with my non fiction books lately.  The most recent one being Open by Andre Agassi.  I'm a tennis fan, so I read this book despite the fact that he was starting to quiet down his tennis career just as I was starting to regain interest in (watching) the sport. 

On the book, Time described the book as "One of the best sports autobiographies of all time.... One of the better memoirs out there, period."  Can't go wrong by reading this, right?

The story is about Andre Agassi. He struggled in school, hated the sport that was forced upon him by his father, and worked hard trying to find out who he was as a person.  He discusses everything from his lowest points to his highest points in the game, specific points in a match (really), his changing relationships with coaches, trainers, and girlfriends, and his struggles with his physical self and injuries.

It surprised me how much you really learn about Agassi in this book.  As fans, we cheer on our favourite athletes, sometimes thinking how lucky they are to be able to play hockey, tennis, basketball, whatever, for a living.  Never do we think that they don't want to be doing what they're doing.  Based on Agassi's interviews with the press at the time, you assume that he's being honest... wrong.  He's human, and when times are hard sometimes it's easier to just let people think what they want to think.  And hopefully you don't let it affect your game, right?  It must be difficult to live a life where your every move, comment, decision and relationship are right out there for the public and media to criticize and comment on.  It was an eye opener.

"If I had time, if I were more self-aware, I would tell journalists that I'm trying to figure out who I am, but in the meantime I have a pretty good idea of who I'm not.  I'm not my clothes.  I'm certainly not my game.  I'm not anything the public thinks I am.  I'm not a showman simply because I come from Vegas and wear loud clothes.  I'm not an enfant terrible, a phrase that appears in every article about me.  (I think you can't be something you can't pronounce.)  And, for heaven's sake, I'm not a punk rocker.  I listen to soft, cheesy pop, like Barry Manilow and Richard Marx." (Open, Andre Agassi, p. 117)

I found the book to be a bit of a rollercoaster.  I found some sections of the book more interesting than others.  He's writing about his career - which is tennis - so it makes sense that a majority of the story will be about just that - tennis.  There were some sections that were very... tennis.  Kudos to the fact checker who made sure that the tournament name, opponent name, round number, and match scores were accurately represented in the book!  I found I kept reading, waiting for the next piece of information about his relationships! 

I think you really need to have an appreciation for tennis or a love for Andre to fully appreciate this book.  If you don't have a love for either, I'm not sure that it would be on the list of your top reads.  I enjoyed reading Open, but I can see how it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. 

There were many quotable moments in his book... I'll leave you with this one.

"It's no accident, I think, that tennis uses the language of life.  Advantage, service, fault, break, love, the basic elements of tennis are those of everyday existence, because every match is a life in miniature.  Even the structure of tennis, the way the pieces fit inside one another like Russian nesting dolls, mimics the structure of our days.  Points become games become sets become tournaments, and it's all so tightly connected that any point can become the turning point.  It reminds me of the way seconds become minutes become hours, and any hour can be our finest.  Or darkest.  It's our choice."  (Open, Andre Agassi, p. 8)

Water for Elephants (Sara Gruen)

In an attempt to catch up on writing about some of the books I read this past year, I shall write this one.  I was inspired last night after finally watching the movie version of Water for Elephants. This past winter, I was encouraged to read the novel Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.  I'm still a believer that 90% of the time, the book is better than the movie.  The movie, in this case, reminded me so much of the story that I read a few short months ago. 

The novel goes back and forth between the nursing home, where a ninety year old Jacob Jankowski is currently residing, and his earlier days, when he is 23 and working for the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. 
Jacob started working for the Benzini Brothers after he finds out that his parents have passed away.  Jacob was due to take his final veterinary exam and begin working with his father, but now decides to leave before he graduates from the program.  Once on the train, he gets hired as their veterinarian.  He becomes wrapped up in a love triangle and is engulfed in the life of the show.

I loved everything about Water for Elephants.  What kid doesn't think about what it would be like to work for a circus?  This gives you a somewhat behind the scenes look at some of the challenges that Jacob faced on the road.  I loved the back and forth of the story between the nursing home and the circus.  I loved the relationships that Jacob created on the train.  I loved the love triangle.  I loved the ending.  I loved that I didn't want to put the book down.

I would definitely recommend the novel, for a few extra stories from the nursing home and for some great opportunities to use your imagination and create your own images of what is being so wonderfully described using words.