Book Review: The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

Let me preface this review by saying I've read all of Kingsolver's novels.  I absolutely adored PRODIGAL SUMMER and THE POISONWOOD BIBLE, but was kind of meh about the others.  The topic of THE LACUNA - an American boy growing up in Mexico and experiencing Mexican history - sounded at least as ambitious as POISONWOOD and I always enjoy books that can give me a history lesson in an entertaining way (which this one does).

Lacuna is defined as an empty space or a missing part. (It's the name of the company in ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND that erases people's unhappy memories).  And there are lots of lacuna references in this novel.  It's the underwater cave where Harrison goes diving as a teen, and returns to as an adult.  It refers to the missing diaries or "holes" in Harrison's story, and the gap between what is true and what is assumed. And, in my opinion, it also refers to Harrison, who never makes a strong impression or is really very present in the novel even though he is the main character.

In the beginning portion of the novel, it's Harrison's mother Salome who steals the show.  At mass, "Salome walked to the head of the line, accepting the host on her tongue as if this were a bakery line and she had plenty of other errands." (p 23).  Even the kitchen boy Leandro is more memorable than Harrison in this section. In the second third the focus is on Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Lev Trotsky and the third, Harrison's stenographer Violet.  Is it a stylistic choice for Harrison to fade so completely into the background of his own story?  Could be.  But my lack of connection with him made my whole reading experience tend towards the meh end of the Kingsolver spectrum, despite the lush descriptions and the skillful inclusion of history.

THE LACUNA is now available in paperback.  Find out more about it at the author's website.

This review is part of a TLC book tour.  Visit the other stops for more opinions on Kingsolver's work.

Daniel's mini Buffalo Book Tour!

So, I will be in the US soon - yay!  Daniel has a mini book tour to promote IS YOUR BUFFALO READY FOR KINDERGARTEN?

Hope I will see you at one of the following events:

Saturday September 11, 11 am-4 pm

Princeton Children's Book Festival, signing
with author Audrey Vernick
65 Witherspoon Street
Princeton, New Jersey

Tuesday, September 14, 4-5 pm
powerHouse Books, reading and signing
with author Audrey Vernick
37 Main Street
Brooklyn, New York

Sunday, September 19, 1:30 pm
Hooray for Books, reading and signing
with author Audrey Vernick
1555 King Street
Alexandria, Virginia

Tuesday, September 21, 10:30 am
Watermark Books, storytime
4701 East Douglas
Wichita, Kansas

Saturday, September 25, 2 pm
Watermark Books, reading and signing
4701 East Douglas
Wichita, Kansas

You can also see us at the Brooklyn Book Festival on this Sunday.  Just hanging out and attending a few panels.

Book Review: The Whole World by Emily Winslow

Polly and Liv are both Americans studying at Cambridge University. They hit it off and then become involved with Nick, a fellow student. When Nick disappears, it sets off a chain of events that show Polly and Liv how little they really know about each other.


I really enjoyed reading this one. Though it gets off to a bit of slow start, I was soon embroiled in the intrigues and secrets of the characters. The narrative is set up a bit like a puzzle, switching point of views five times through the novel and each time giving us a clearer picture of events. This really worked on a plot level , and held my attention well.

None of the characters comes off as particularly likeable. I did start off liking Polly when she opened the book with her narration, but after seeing her through the others characters eyes, she seemed hard and unforgiving. Debut Author Winslow did a fabulous thing here though – she made me sympathize with her unlikeable characters, and she made me care. And that, of course, is quite a difficult feat to achieve.

THE WHOLE WORLD is out in hardcover now. Find out more about it at the author’s website.

BBAW is coming up...and I am on award shortlists!

You might recall that I registered my blog for Book Blogger Appreciation Week (September 13-17) back in July and put Presenting Lenore up for awards consideration in two categories, Best YA Blog and Best Author Interviews (see which posts I picked here).

Well, I am thrilled to say my blog made the shortlist in both categories - yay!  And alongside such amazing blogs too.  Thank you so much for your support :)

But of course, BBAW is not just about awards. BBAW has their scheldule up already for next week's festivities, so check it out and see how you can get involved. Though I'll be traveling, I am going to try to participate as much as possible!  Hope you will too.

Book Review: Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

I went into this not knowing it is the first book of a planned triology...so when I got close to the end, I was all like "No way this can wrap up everything now...uh...oh...is this a SERIES?!!!?"


Now that I got that out of the way...

Obviously, I HAD to read this novel, what with my name being so associated with Poe and all. I was a bit afraid that it would be too scary for me, but though it was creepy quite a bit, it never felt like horror to me. So ok.

Honestly, I could have done without the "paranormal" part of the plot. The whole "dream world" part was often too fantasy for my taste and the transitions were not as seamless as I would have liked.

What I LOVED was the exploration of a relationship between two people who ordinarily would never have anything to do with each other. Isobel is a peppy cheerleader better at dating the star of the football team than at schoolwork. Varen is a sullen goth type who barely talks and never smiles.

When the two of them are thrown together for a school English project, both are properly horrified. But as they get to know the real person under the sterotype, they warm to each other.

I liked that there were stakes to the plot, and that the characters took them seriously. I also really liked many of the supporting characters such as Isobel's brother and schoolmate Gwen.

Poe is integrated well and the final project presentation is hilarious! One of my favorite scenes.

NEVERMORE is out in hardcover now.  Find out more on the author's very awesome website.

A Kitteh Visit

Last weekend, Daniel and I drove down to Stuttgart to visit the new kittens.

Just look at this kitty pile!

We are pretty much decided on getting 2 more kittens. (Yes, two.  Don't judge. We wanted them all.)

This is Kaia.  She's a blue-tabby point and can come home to us mid-October.

This is Lu.  He's a creme point and we can get him in early November.

Doesn't he bear a striking resemblance to Kiefer Sutherland in the Lost Boys?

This is how Emmy took the news.

That is all.

Where My Last 20 (erm...40) Books Came From (9)

So it's been awhile since I've done this!  Here's where I got my last 40 reviewed books. 1/4 are bought or borrowed! That's pretty impressive :)

Black Hole Sun by David Macinnes Gill - Bought
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - Bought
First Light by Rebecca Stead - Borrowed from a friend
Escape from Furnance: Solitary by Alexander Gordon Smith - Given during tour of MacMillan
The Limit by Kristen Landon - Picked up at BEA
Salvation City by Sigrid Nunez - Picked up at BEA
The Gardener by SA Bodeen - Can't remember!
The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher - Got signed copy at BEA
For the Win by Cory Doctorow - Requested review copy
The Unidentified by Rae Mariz - Requested review copy
The Blending Time by Michael Kinch - Requested review copy
Green Angel by Alice Hoffman - Borrowed from friend
This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer - Amazon Vine program
Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony - Requested review copy
Gone by Michael Grant - Library
Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd - Library
Nomansland by Lesley Hauge - Amazon Vine program
The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan - Bought
Z for Zachariah by Robert C O'Brien - Bought
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi - Requested review copy
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen - Bought
Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin - Accepted review query
The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller - Unsolicited review copy
7 Souls by Barnabas Miller and Jordan Orlando - Requested review copy
A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein - Unsolicited review copy
Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus - Accepted review query
The Cardturner by Louis Sachar - Requested review copy
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell - LT ER program
Borderline by Allan Stratton - Accepted review query
Slept Away by Julie Kraut - Accepted review query
Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready - Got signed copy at BEA
Yes, My Darling Daughter by Margaret Leroy - LT ER program
The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch - Got signed copy at BEA
This Gorgeous Game by Donna Freitas - Accepted review query
Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase - Bought
Alison Dare: The Heart of the Maiden - Accepted review query
Alison Dare: Little Miss Adventures - Accepted review query
Persuasion by Jane Austen - Borrowed from a friend
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson - Accepted review query
Matched by Ally Condie - Got signed copy at BEA

Where are your books coming from?

My Mailman Steals My Books / Guest Post by Ivy Devlin about Low Red Moon

When I was contacted about reading LOW RED MOON for a blog tour, I immediately said yes.  Though I am not a huge paranormal fan, I liked the idea behind this one, and was excited to read it.  Unfortunately...the review copy that was sent to me was one of books that did not make it to me this summer.  Which is why I think the mailman is secretly a book lover and must have quite a stash of my books by now.

Rest assured, I will be reviewing this as soon as I can get my hands on a copy, but for now, I have the summary and a guest post by Ivy on world building.

Summary (via Bloomsbury):

The only thing Avery Hood can remember about the night her parents died is that she saw silver – deadly silver, moving inhumanly fast. As much as she wants to remember who killed her parents, she can’t, and there’s nothing left to do but try to piece her life back together. Then Avery meets the new boy in school – Ben, mysterious and beautiful, with whom she feels a connection like nothing she’s ever experienced before. When Ben reveals he’s a werewolf, Avery still trusts him – at first. Then she sees that sometimes his eyes flash an inhuman silver. And she learns that she’s not the only one who can’t remember the night her parents died. Part murder mystery, part grief narrative and part heart-stopping, headlong romance, LOW RED MOON is a must-read for teen paranormal fans.

And now...here's Ivy!

World Building: LOW RED MOON


I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but what the heck, here goes: Once I got the idea for LOW RED MOON, I sketched out (roughly! very roughly! I'm the world's worst sketcher!) what the layout of Woodlake was like, just so I knew where everything was in my head. I also wanted Ben to have a last name that was appropriate, so I did some research, found something that made me go "hmmmmm......" and knew I'd end up using that.

The rest of it evolved as I was writing, and for me, that was one of the most exciting things about LOW RED MOON--here was this story I wanted to tell and the people and places in it started to fill themselves out (sometimes in ways I didn't see coming!)

I really admire authors who do very detailed charts and create whole character profiles, etc., but I've never been able to do that--for me, the world that comes out--and the people who live in it--are already there. They're just waiting for me to find them and let me let them tell their story, if that makes sense. (I hope it does!)

Thanks Ivy!  Can't wait to read this!

Dystopian August Recap + Penguin Prize Pack/Reader Survey + Contest Winners

What a month! It's was A LOT of work to bring you all this dystopian fun, but it was well worth it!  Thanks for all your comments and support.  Here's a recap of what went on.

REVIEWS
I reviewed 24 dystopian or post-apocalyptic novels and rated them between 1-5 on the Zombie Chicken scale.  Basically, I went into every book expecting a solid, worthwhile read which is 3 Zombie Chickens.  If a book wowed me, it got an extra Zombie Chicken (for 4), and if I fell in love with it, it earned a perfect 5. If I had some reservations about it, I docked it a Zombie Chicken (for 2) and if I really didn't like it, it only got 1 lonely Zombie Chicken.  Here's a recap (links lead to my review):

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

 Razorland by Ann Aguirre
Black Hole Sun by David Macinnes Gill
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
For the Win by Cory Doctorow
The Unidentified by Rae Mariz
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

 

Matched by Ally Condie
The Limit by Kristen Landon
The Gardener by SA Bodeen
The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher
The Blending Time by Michael Kinch
Green Angel by Alice Hoffman
Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony
Gone by Michael Grant
Nomansland by Lesley Hauge
The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

 

First Light by Rebecca Stead
Escape from Furnance: Solitary by Alexander Gordon Smith
Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd
Z for Zachariah by Robert C O'Brien

Salvation City by Sigrid Nunez
This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer


INTERVIEWS
I also had the pleasure of interviewing 5 authors. 3 of the author's books are already out, and 2 are coming up early next year.

Paolo Bacigalupi (Ship Breaker)
Lesley Hague (Nomansland)
Joelle Anthony (Restoring Harmony)
Cameron Stracher  (The Water Wars)
Lauren Oliver  (Delirium)


FEATURES AND PREVIEWS
District 10 Mockingjay Tour with Hunger Games Playlist
Recap of BEA Dystopian Panel
YA Titles coming up in 2011 and 2012
Upcoming Dystopian Sequels
Upcoming debut dystopias from the League of Extraordinary Writers

DYSTOPIAN READER VIEWS
This was a series of discussion posts about different aspects of the dystopian genre. Many thanks to my excellent volunteer panel for their answers!

Some recommendations of more obscure dystopian novels
What would you miss the most?
Mockingjay Predictions
Which dystopian characters would you want on your team?
Discussion: What about plausibility?
Discussion: What fascinates you about the genre?


OPEN CONTESTS
Win 1 copy of Black Hole Sun by David Macinnis Gill

WINNERS!
I used random.org to pick the following winners.  Everyone but the Mockingjay winner needs to e-mail be at lenoreva AT hotmail DOT com to claim your prize.  

8GB iPod Touch engraved with the Mockingjay Symbol = Monica Bailey (will ship to address provided)
1 copy of Matched = Kaya (aka k_anon)
2 copies of The Water Wars = The Witty Librarian, Charlotte's Library
1 copy of The Unidentified = Jill of the O.W.L.
1 set of 3 books from the Gone series = kjovus
3 copies of Ship Breaker = Mrs. DeRaps, Hawkeyegirl, Ladytink_534
6 book Macmillin Prize Pack = Jacqueline C. for her review of Inside Out

MORE DYSTOPIAN FUN
Trish is leading a discussion of the dystopian classic The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood over at The Classic Reads Book Club.  They are currently in the middle of the book, but you can always catch up!

Darren at Bart's Bookshelf is bringing back the popular YA Dystopian Reading Challenge.  Read 1 or more YA dystopian novels between Oct 1 - Dec 19.

Read Diana Peterfreund's essay Team Shay (about the Uglies series) over at Smart Pop for free for a limited time.

Speaking of Diana Peterfreund, she has a story in the upcoming Zombies Vs Unicorns anthology, and in her honor, I got Daniel to draw a unicorn chicken!  Check him out in a fight vs the zombie chicken:

PENGUIN PRIZE PACK CONTEST
Penguin has kindly donated a 4 book prize pack for one lucky winner!  I will open this one internationally - meaning if someone international wins it, I will receive it myself and send it on. Here are the books you can win:

Matched by Ally Condie (ARC)
Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony (Hardcover)
Grace by Elizabeth Scott (Hardcover)
Sapphique by Catherine Fisher (US ARC edition)

All you have to do to enter is fill out my Dystopian August Reader Survey! And even if you don't want to enter, I'd love it if you'd fill out my survey (just enter n/a in the address field).

Stop #10 on the Ten Things You Might Like To Know About Where She Went tour + Giveaway

Of all the YA novels I've read over the past 3 years, IF I STAY is in my top 10.  (Read my gushing review). 

That's why I was super excited to hear there is a sequel told from Adam's POV. If you haven’t read IF I STAY, the mere existence of a sequel is sort of a spoiler, so you really should not pay attention to this teaser tour and should go read IF I STAY first (and you should check the end of the post for a GIVEAWAY). But for the rest of you, who felt the book left you hanging and wondered what would happen after that squeeze of the hand, the wait is almost over:  WHERE SHE WENT comes out April 2011. Still, a long time, I know, but right now Gayle Forman is doing a teaser tour to give IF I STAY fans the scoop on what they can expect from Mia and Adam’s new chapter.

Teaser Number 10:


10. Remember how by page 17 in IF I STAY, Mia’s parents were killed and Mia herself was like a ghost? Well, guess what? Nobody dies in WHERE SHE WENT.


But…I wouldn’t suggest you put away your box of Kleenex just yet. You might still need them.

See the first 9 stops on the tour. (Totally worth it!)

Watch the IF I STAY paperback trailer:

Preorder your copy of WHERE SHE WENT!

So, I have one signed copy of IF I STAY to give away to one lucky reader in the US.  To enter, just tell me in the comments which novel you think needs a sequel that drops in on the characters 3 years later.  Contest closes in one week (Sept 7th 11:59 CST), so spread the word fast.  Hope you love it as much as I do!