Miss. Peregrine's Home Part 3: Library of Souls

Well my fellow bibliophiles,

Some days tea just isn't enough. I think you know what I mean. Some days you just have to have a little bit more.......like a milkshake. What do you mean that isn't where you thought I was going with that? What did you think I would say? Well I made myself quite a treat, an Oreo milkshake. Oh boy! It was delightful, I highly recommend that you make yourself one. Milk, vanilla ice cream and Oreos, then top it off with whipped cream. OH YEAH!!! You know what else I recommend? The Library of Souls (did you like that segue?) This is book three of the Miss. Peregrine's series and I suggest you read the other two before reading this review. (I have reviewed them on the blog here and here) There my butt is covered in case I give too much away.

Library of Souls
By Ransom Riggs
Quirk Books 2015
Part of the Miss Peregrine's Series
Genre: Adventure, Action, Thriller, Series, Photography

Jacob and Emma have been parted from there friends in the London underground. They are being chased by a hollowghast and are running for their lives. It's up to Jacob to save them, he has to use his peculiar talent and speak to the hollow and get it to stop. They are searching for where the wights are holding there friends and their ymbrynes. They make their way to the docks where they find a peculiar man who seems to know more than he is letting on. He agrees to take them to the devils acre. where he says they may find information on their friends. Once a banishment loop for peculiars who turned their back on the rest of peculiardom, the devil's acre is a terrible place. Will Emma and Jacob find their friends and the Ymbrynes? Will they be able to survive this battle? Will this be the final book?

The answers are: I can't tell you, I can't tell you, and read the book and find out - I can't do all the work for you guys. We need to have a serious chat here people. Sit down. Put all other distractions away. Hear me out. I've told you that this is a YA series. Now, that being said, it's AWESOME, and you HAVE to read it. The movie is coming out in March, so you have some time to get reading.

This was an excellent set of novels. It wasn't too childish to me, it was realistic. In the end just when you think, man this is a little bit dark for YA, it gets a little bit lighter. I loved that the characters were so interesting all on their own. They were young kids, but they were hundreds of years old, and really aren't kids at all. So for me it really worked out. They had to make mature adult decisions, but clung to their hopes, wishes and faith the way a child would.

The world Ransom Riggs has created here, is phenomenal. I can't believe these haven't caught on like wildfire. It brings to mind Harry Potter. A world within our own world, right under our very noses. CALM DOWN!!!! I am not drawing an exact parallel here. They are VERY different and I feel differently about Harry Potter than I do about these books. But the WORLD created was very magical and interesting with it's own history and tales. Similar to another muggle filled world....

Do I have to talk again about the fact that the story is told through pictures? I know what you're thinking - "Elyse, I am too old for picture books"..... well then you my friend, would be WRONG! These pictures are fantastic and so interesting. Not only do I look at them and how they apply to the story but then I look at them and wonder about what was going on here? Why did they feel the need to take that picture?" Some of the pictures would appear to just be odd or strange, but when the author puts his spin on the picture, it could haunt you for eternity! (perhaps I am being a tad melodramatic there) Some of the pictures turn exceptionally creepy when he puts his twist on it and I really enjoyed that. It added another level to the reading. Plus sometimes when you are reading it's nice to get the exact picture the author has in their mind.

I highly recommend you read this series. Everything is better with a milkshake in your hand. So, make yourself an Oreo milkshake and get reading the Miss. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children series. You will thank me for it.

My Verdict: Read the whole series before the movie comes out!

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What did you think of the series? Who was your faviorite peculiar? Do you think that will be that last one?
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While Beauty Slept

While Beauty Slept
By Elizabeth Blackwell
Putnam 2014
Genre: Historical fiction, adventure

We all know the tale of sleeping beauty. This isn't the fairy tale, this is what really happened. Elise is now an old woman, and she listens to her great grandchild telling the tale of the princess awoken by the valiant prince. She is transported to when she was young. Elise grew up on a farm, but felt much more at home in the castle. She moved there and found a job as a maid. She quickly moved up in the ranks of the staff. She always put the royal families needs above her own. She ached for the Queen who couldn't seem to have a child. She learned as much as she could and grew to be the Queen's lady. Finally, the King and Queen had a baby girl who Elise loved dearly. But evil Aunt Maleficent seems to be working against the King and Queen. Elise wants desperately to find out who she really is, and along the way to find love too.

I absolutely loved this book. It was like when I was little and engrossed in a fairy tale. I was transported back there. When I was young there was a book I read over and over again that took place in a castle. I just LOVED it. I was swept back to childhood to the majesty of the castle and the hustle and bustle of the medieval world. It felt very fresh and a completely new way to look at the story.

This was a real page turner for me, purely because I was so swept up in the story. I felt I had jumped on the sleeping beauty band wagon. Not long after this book came out, the movie Maleficent came out. Another side of the story and another fresh look at this well loved fairy tale classic. I read an article about how the author developed this story and it was from watching an interview with an artist from the Disney movie Sleeping Beauty. I really loved her writing style I felt as though I was there with Elise running around the castle. OK, and how many characters are named Elise? It's both jarring and exciting. I was glad that she was a good character and not some horrible evil one.

I find that I either love a rehash of a well loved story or I HATE it, loath it entirely. There is no in between. I don't know if that is good or bad. How do you feel about retelling of old stories? For me this really hit its mark. I thought it was familiar and yet totally new. There were new characters and new points of view. I suppose that is why it was such a hit for me.

This was a fairly easy read. But take that with a grain of salt, I was sucked in very quickly and read this book everywhere! So it seemed to go by almost too quickly for me. I don't think I can really express why I thought this was such a good book. It felt magical, tragic, and happy all at the same time. So I guess you will have to just try it yourself.

We went out for high tea a few weeks ago. And afterward I had a very large craving for scones to go with my tea. So I made some scones. I used some lavender sugar I purchased while on holiday in the summer. I sprinkled it on top of the scones, I didn't use very much because I didn't want the lavender to over power the scone. I could have used a bit more.

I made buttermilk scones. If you are searching for recipes for a good scone, like I was (and you are getting mixed messages) look no further. I can tell you that the buttermilk traditional scones are the best way to go. The recipe suggested making a double batch and then freezing them. That is what I did, and it was so worth it! I suggest you do the same.

I served my scones with cream and jam. It was delightful. I suggest you curl up with "While Beauty Slept" this week and have a nice cup of tea and a scone. Enjoy!

On a non book related note, I hope that you all have a wonderful Holiday and you are filled with seasonal love and joy! Happy Holidays!


My Verdict: Give it a try (both the book and whatever holiday suits your fancy)

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Are you all done with sleeping beauty or is it still fresh for you? Are you tired of new takes on good tried and true stories? Did you like Elise or did you feel she formed shallow bonds too busy with the royal family to form any real connections?
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If you liked this, try:
The Thirteenth Tale
The Museum of Extraordinary Things
Storied life of AJ Fikry

The Storied Life of AJ Fikry

The Storied Life of AJ Fikry

By Gabrille Zevin

Published 2014

Genre: Fiction, mystery

AJ Fikry owns a bookstore, and lately it has not been doing well. The bookstore is on a fairly isolated island that gets tourists mainly in the summer months. AJ lost his wife over two years ago. He can’t be bothered to try anymore. He gets drunk, doesn’t clean and is turning into a cranky old man before his time. He owns a rare book that is his most prized possession. He keeps in his home locked away. One night he finds that it has been stolen. This pushes him further into depression, and he is spiraling out of control. One night in his shop, he stumbles down and he finds a little girl reading.

I have to give you some history on this one. The hubby and I took a trip to Oregon and he gave me 1 hour in Powell's Books. If you've never heard of it, look it up. It is massive and my heaven. He was very clear, 1 hour only. BUT WHAT AN HOUR!!! In his defense I can do A LOT of damage in an hour in a bookstore, and he knows it. I needed a time limit, I can get a tad carried away when it comes to books. I know that is news to you! Anyway, it was fantastic. If you are ever in Oregon and you're not at Powell's, then you're wasting your time as far as I'm concerned. I bought this book at Powell's. I fell in love with the title - GASP SHOCK SCANDAL. The title alone, how could she? is what you are asking yourself. Well the joke is on you because it was an amazing book, and my snap title judgment worked out. It was "storied life" that caught me. I just fell for it right then and there. I truly loved the title and I was right, it was beautiful.

I loved AJ as a character, this man so bitter and cynical beyond his years. It endeared him to me. I wanted him to be a person in my life. I felt as though he was someone I could warm up to, and slowly but surely my irritating positivity and chipper-ness would wear him down. (do you like how I just made up a word there, that would irritate him to death!) He wasn't always a bitter person, and I love when the young man who loved life and literature shines through. That is the other thing about him that I love. He loves books too, and has some very definite opinions on books. I like that about him!

I really enjoyed how well the author knew books. As a whole rounded picture, not just reading, writing or buying or selling. But the whole world of books. She showed it to you honestly. At the heart of it, was what books really mean to us. Why and how we keep the stories that we love and how they shape us from a young age.

OK I know what you are thinking... "Elyse, the crotchety man has a child thrown into his life and takes her in which thaws his frosty heart and he can then fall in love and life is good again... what a cliché" Well you are WRONG! It seems to be that way, but it isn't. It is a very nice story told in a new and fresh way. So if that is what you were thinking you should get your hands on a copy and read it. I would read this book again. It was too easy of a read for the magnitude of affection I felt for this book. I think it could easily be a weekend read.

My Verdict: Read it!

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What did you think of this book? Did you like AJ or was he too opinionated for you? Did you feel the story was a tired cliché?

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If you liked this, try:

The Book Thief

The Light Between Oceans

Me Before You

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

All the Light We Cannot See

All The Light We Cannot See
By Anthony Doerr
Scribner 2014
Genre: Historical Fiction, Thriller

This is a tale of two very different children growing up at the same time in very different places. Marie-Laure lives in France with her father. He works at the Museum of Natural History as the master of the locks. When Marie-Laure is six, she goes blind. Her father builds her a perfect miniature model of their neighbourhood so she can walk with her fingers and by doing so, learn to walk around on her own. When Marie-Laure turns twelve the Nazis are moving into Paris. The museum director calls several staff, including Marie-Laure’s father, to his office and request they flee Paris. He asks that they bring with them a very important museum treasure, the sea of flames. They have made three replicas and one real one. None will know who has the real one. But they cannot let it fall into the hands of the Nazis.

Werner grows up in Germany at an orphanage with his sister Jutta. Werner is very intelligent and can manage to fix, or make just about anything. The Hitler youth take notice of Werner and send him to a very special school to train him for the army where he works to locate the hiding places of the resistance. The unfolding story brings these two characters to the same place at the same time, at the end of a war when everything seems to fall apart.

This book was lovely to read. It casted a spell that I was gladly caught in it. I found the words conjured an image so easily that you were transported to Saint-Malo so you could practically smell the ocean. The characters were so well developed they were almost real. Each of them were dear to me, and I hated to see any of them go through such atrocities. Once thing that I loved was that many character seemed to have a trial that they went through, and Doerr writes such brave characters they face their challenges head on. Including the characters we don’t love. This made me really connect with each character, we can see their flaws and they accept them and do their best to move forward. However, the language is very vivid almost to a fault. It was very descriptive, feeling overwritten and it made the book unnecessarily long.

I found Werner’s struggle to be very realistic. It felt like that is what would have happened to most people. Caught between what they should do, and what was right. Being a good person versus being what your superiors wanted you to be. I can’t tell you which side of Werner won out, that would ruin it!

In the end I did really enjoy this book. I thought that it was VERY hyped up. Yes, it was good but it felt long and dawn out. However, it was a good read and I really did like it. There were times when things were getting very suspenseful in the book and I was very engrossed and that it what was most memorable about this book. As well as the very memorable characters.

We went to a little tea place where I live, we go every year for their Christmas high tea. We normally have some left overs because there is just too much! This year we came hungry and there were none. So I bought a few extra scones and lemon tarts and enjoyed them at home. 

My Verdict: Read it!

If you liked this then try:
Sarah’s Key
The Light Between Oceans
The Book Thief

Crafty - Mermaid Blanket

Well hello there book lovers!

Did you know that your life is incomplete? Why you ask, because you don't have a mermaid blanket.

I hope that you have been liking the blog and have been reading some of the books. As I have told you before I have a big pinterest problem, and I love to sew too. So naturally when I saw crocheted and knitted mermaid blankets I was all about it. Search online, search pinterest, you will see them too and they are so cute. I do try my hand at crocheting and knitting now and then. But I am NOT fast, and I am NOT very good. We all have our strengths. So I decided to sew one instead. Now I couldn't find any patterns or tutorials online that I liked so I did make this one all by myself. But it was based on ones I saw on pinterest. You too can make one of these. They are just too amazing!

You will need fabric, 1/4 inch foam, matching thread, and your standard sewing supplies. I had to make a pattern for the tail, now I am not good at drawing anything. I just can't seem to make any sense of it. My husband however, he is amazing! If you will let me brag, one of his drawings was selected by a local museum to be on display. I know! He is so talented. I had him draw half of a mermaid tail based on my vague descriptions on what I felt would be an ideal mermaid tail. This is what he came up with for me. 

Isn't it so cute? I placed the straight edge of the tail pattern on the fold line of the fabric and cut 1 side, and then cut another tail out for the back. So you would have a front and back of the tail. I sewed all around the edge leaving it open at the top and then turned it inside out. I cut out the tail shape in the foam, and put the foam inside the mermaid tail. I used "minky" fabric for the tail and then a nice soft fuzzy material for the blanket part. I found it with the "minky" in the fabric store.

There the tail is with the foam in it. Below is what the tail looks like all ready for the blanket part to be attached. I put the tail aside and got the blanket part ready. I am going to take this moment to say that in the end I thought of some better ways to assemble this blanket and probably would do it differently. But this is what I did this time around and it worked just fine.

I laid down on the fabric and had my very helpful husband cut out around me to get the right shape. Then I surged around the edges. If I make a normal seam all the way around I thought it was going to be too thick. So I just surged the raw edges and then folded them over to make a 1 inch seam around the sides and the top. 

Once the edges and seams were done I looped the blanket around so the seam was at the back. I sewed about 8 inches at the bottom to tuck my feet into. Then I placed the bottom of the blanket into the top of the tail. Made a seam, and sewed it together. I did a lot of back stitching to make sure that it all stayed together.

Here is is all done and me snuggling and watching some Netflix. I hope that you all get crafty too and make your very own mermaid blanket.

Once again. I found these ideas on pinterest, I just made them based on what I saw. If you do some searching too, you will find some amazing ideas out there. Make yourself a mermaid blanket and your life will be complete too!

Love
Elyse

The Rise and Fall of Great Powers

The Rise and Fall of Great Powers

By Tom Rachman

Doubleday Canada 2014

Genre: Fiction

The story follows the life of Tooly who was stolen from her parents at a young age. We flash back and forth from her as a child to her in her early twenties, to the “present”. Tooly owns a bookshop, when she gets a call from an old friend. He tells her that her father is quite sick, and she needs to come back to New York to help him. This leads us on a journey to understanding what happened to her in her formative years.

Ok, can I just say that I thought that this book was going to be so great! It sounded like it was full of intrigue and mystery. I was very disappointed, and I was really bored. I really didn’t like Tooly. I feel like she was naïve and that irritated me. I questioned the entire time reading how she couldn’t see what was happening to her? How can you not see that what is going on is illegal? I wondered why she wasn’t inquisitive at all? I had a LOT of questions when I was a child. I know that ALL the people she was with wouldn’t really tell her, but some of them would. That is what irritated me. I felt really bad for Humphrey. He was a good man, who took care of her despite what she seems to think. I liked him and feel he deserved better than Tooly.

I did not feel like this was a big mystery it seemed pretty obvious to me what was happening through her life. So the whole novel felt a little bit pointless. I kept waiting for things to get exciting or mysterious but it fell flat for me. I was very frustrated with this one, I was huffing and puffing and putting it down because I felt it was so ridiculous how annoying Tooly was. Or I was rushing through it so it would just be over already!

What I did like was the writing style and I didn’t mind how we were flicked from childhood to adulthood I liked the important occurrences being revealed to me slowly. I think that it all worked very nicely. I don’t feel like flitting back and forth was choppy, it made sense and the sequence was still logical.

My Verdict: Pass on this one

This picture is a clue to next week's blog post. I hope you guys are excited!

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What did you think of this book? Were you charmed by Tooly or irritated by her?

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Finders Keepers

Finders Keepers

By Stephen King

Scribner 2015

Book 2 of the Bill Hodges Trilogy

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Crime, Action, Adventure

Writer John Rothstein wakes to three men in his home trying to rob him. One of these men is Morris Bellamy, he has been obsessed with Rothstein’s Jimmy Gold novels his whole life. Rothstein doesn’t care if they take all the money in his safe, his main concern are his notebooks. He doesn't want these men to steal them. There are quite a lot in there and they are very important to him. Bellamy knows that Rothstein has these books, and he has a hunch they contain more about Jimmy Gold. Bellamy hates what Rothstein has done with his favorite character, Jimmy Gold. He feels Rothstein made Jimmy a sell out and lose that rebellious passion he had. But old Rothstein’s temper rises and he gets angry, so Bellamy shoots Rothstein during the altercation and takes the notebooks. Bellamy’s cohorts don’t make it long into the night either. Bellamy knows these books have to be hidden, so he buries them in the forested area behind his childhood home. Once completed, he gets black out drunk and when he wakes up, it’s behind bars and it’s for life. Fast forward to young Pete Saubers, he and his family now live in the house Morris Bellamy grew up in. This story is set during the recent recession and Pete’s family is struggling financially. His father was injured by the maniac that ran everyone over at the job fair (see Mr. Mercedes). His parents are always fighting and he worries they will divorce. One day Pete comes across a buried treasure…

I really enjoyed this one. It wasn’t one of King’s usual scary supernatural type of books. It was a look into the reader and writer relationship. It felt a little Misery-esque. What with the crazy obsessed reader. But that was only at the beginning. I found it a little hard to believe that young Pete got in as deep as he did. But I still really liked it! If you are a Stephen King fan, you will like the little nods here and there to his other works and some of his other funny little references. I found that I was eager to reach the end and know what was going to happen to Pete and how he was going to get out of that mess.

Morris Bellamy was a great villain, someone you can really hate. I was so surprised at how much I resented that he just took loving a book too far. It was an affront to me as a book lover. We all have stories that we love, but I can’t imagine anything ever pushing me that far! I loved Pete Saubers and that he was the opposite of Bellamy. He felt the same passion but it was healthy and what I feel when I read a great book.

If I had to give this book one criticism it would be that it dragged in the beginning. There was a lot of background information on Morris’ life and his time in prison. But that didn’t really bother me too much. I do love King’s character development, his stories always feel like these are real people that you know. I think that this is due to his elaborate backgrounds. Also, I was horribly upset at the end that left me going “NOOOOOO!” I wanted to know what was going to happen. But I guess we will all have to wait to find out what happens…. CLACK! (Read the book and you will be in on that one)

I didn’t read these in order. I read Finders Keepers first and then I read Mr. Mercedes. You don’t have to read them in order. But what happens in Mr. Mercedes is obviously ruined in Finders Keepers.

My Verdict: READ IT!

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Are you reading the series? What are your thoughts? How do you feel it fits in with Stephen King's repertoire? Did you like this book?

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If you Liked Finders keepers try:

Cuckoos calling

The silkworm

Mr. Mercedes

Mr. Mercedes

Mr. Mercedes

By Stephen King

Scribner 2014

Book 1 of the Bill Hodges Trilogy

Genre: Crime, Mystery, Adventure, Thriller

I hope you all had a fabulous Hallowe’en. In the spirit of this fantastic holiday (hallmark Holiday – or whatever you want to call it you Grinch!) we are going to delve into some of the newest releases of the horror master himself. One of my favorite writers of all time Stephen King. These books I think, will be a trilogy surrounding Bill Hodges a retired detective. These are standalone books you don’t have to read them in order. I hope you are tantalized and want to read them too.

Mr. Mercedes is set during the recent recession, when people were hit hardest and were lining up jobless at a local job fair. They were waiting all night hoping to get in, and find some work to help support their families. Brady Hartsfield, a lunatic, brutally runs down these poor people with a Mercedes he stole. Flash forward months later to newly retired detective Bill Hodges. One of his last cases was the Mercedes killer. It still haunts him, as he sits in his lay-z-boy pondering suicide. This is when Bill receives a letter from Mr. Mercedes taunting him and attempting to push the retired detective into suicide. Hodges finds this letter makes him get back into this case rather than kill himself. He is wondering if he worked all the angles the first time around. We follow these two men in a cat and mouse chase. We are introduced to Holly and Jerome who complete the unlikely trio of detectives. We watch them in a gripping race against time to stop Mr. Mercedes before he strikes again.

I read Finders Keepers first, and I kept telling myself towards the end that I knew what happens. It didn’t matter, I was still enthralled while reading this. In the end, I was racing to find out if everything was going to be ok. BUT I ALREADY KNEW!!!! Isn’t that sad?

I loved the character development. I feel like I understand Hodges better now. Some of his reactions in Finders Keepers I questioned and now they make more sense. Once again we have a villain that I HATE! I kept thinking NO ONE can be that messed up. Alas we live in a world with many a Brady Hartsfield. I loved watching Hodges “wind him up” and then have Brady lose his mind over it. It was very satisfying watching him get so angry. I was my vindictive self “YES DIG THE KNIFE IN DEEPER HODGES! MAKE HIM SQUIRM!”

I love that King’s writing is deliberate. He writes in a way that we all do. His style is very informal and has many pop culture references that we all get (Ok fine, I get them and it makes me happy!). I think that his is a style we all understand and he does it to make his readers feel connected. I consider myself one his devoted readers, and I feel like if you’ve read his books you are in on it with him. Perhaps I am the crazy reader? – Thoughts?

I think that if you are looking for a bit of King, nothing too gory you’re looking in the right place for this one. It was very exciting, and I enjoyed every minute.

My verdict: Read it!

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Are you reading these ones? Did you like Mr. Mercedes? Did you like it more than Finders Keepers?

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If you liked this try:

Finders Keepers

Cuckoos calling

The Silkworm

Doctor Sleep

Crafty - Autumn Wreath

Hello my reading enthusiasts!

Today we are not going to talk about a book. I know! I am just as shocked as you are! But it's Ok, don't panic, change is good. Today I am going to show you this awesome craft I did. It was very easy I think anyone can do it. It did NOT cost very much.

 I am going to tell you something. It's not a secret, everyone knows this, but I will tell you anyway. I have an unhealthy obsession with Pinterest! It's true, even if I'm not pinning, I'm on there browsing day and night. I love it, I can't help it. I have all these boards with these awesome ideas. The problem for most people seems to be they never do anything with these pins. NOT ME! I do them! I love it, it's so much fun. All these great crafts or ideas for cake decorations, and recipes! Oh the joy that is Pinterest.

What I have been seeing a lot of is burlap fall wreaths. Now I love to have something on our door. I have a little sign or wreath for most holidays. But I didn't have one for fall. So I decided to make one. Check it out!

Here are all the items I was using, a wire wreath form, rolls of burlap, flower wire, some pretty ribbon, a letter for our name and some lovely fall looking flowers. 

I attached the burlap to the wreath form with the wire. Then it is a matter of twisting the burlap and pulling it through each gap in the wire frame. 

Every point where there is a break you just have to wire the burlap to the frame. This keeps it nice and tight. 

It's starting to look pretty good! Surprisingly, once you get going it really didn't take me long at all. The only time I had to slow down a bit is when the roll of burlap ended in the middle of a wire section. But even then it didn't take me long. 

Here it is all finished. I attached both ends together and to then frame as well, to make sure that nothing came loose. 

I just had to cut the flowers I wanted and some of the leaves. I sort of arranged everything on the wreath first to see if I liked it. I also made my bow. I had to do this a couple times just to make sure that I liked the size. I attached the flowers with both wire and hot glue just to make sure it all stuck. I attached the bow to the letter with hot glue, and then attached the bow to the wreath with wire. Then it was just a matter of doing some final fluffing. 

Here it is all done and attached to our door. I think it looks pretty dang good if I do say so myself. THANKS PINTEREST!

Happy Fall everyone! Before we know it, it will be my favourite holiday HALLOWEEN! As you will soon learn, all of the Holidays are my favourite! I hope you get crafty this week. Enjoy.

SURPRISE! Here is my Halloween wreath that I made, which many of you have already seen. Also inspired by what I saw on Pinterest.

Love
Elyse

Vacation reads book #5: The Goldfinch

The Goldfinch

Donna Tartt

Little, Brown and Company 2013

Genre: Adventure, Fiction, Action, Drama

Theo Decker sits in a hotel room in Amsterdam. He searches through the Dutch papers and looks for his name amongst the headlines featuring pictures of police cars and murder. He reflects on how is life is in total and complete ruins. He thinks back to when it all started. Theo is a teenager he and his mother live in New York, they are both off for the day. Theo has been suspended from school, he and his mother have a meeting with the principal. On their way they are caught in a rainstorm and decide to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. On the way there Theo wishes they were going for breakfast, he is hungry and is feeling daggers toward anything and everything. His mother’s favourite painting The Goldfinch by Carel Fabritius is on display and she is eager to see it. While walking around the museum, Theo notices a young girl about his age with red hair walking with an older gentleman. He doesn’t think she is beautiful in the traditional sense. But he can’t help but notice her to him, she is lovely. He wants to talk to her so badly, he is thinking about it, as his mom explains she will be back. That is when there is a huge white hot explosion. When Theo wakes he tries to walk out. There is debris everywhere, and bodies he picks items up along the way. He sees the old man that was walking with the red head girl. He tries to help him, he gives him some of the water he found and tries to make him comfortable. The old man, Welty, is rambling not making much sense. The old man urges Theo to take The Goldfinch, and his ring to an address. Theo doesn’t want the painting to be ruined, it is his mother’s favorite. So he does. The old man passes away and Theo tries to get out of the museum. He doesn’t see anyone else alive. Theo makes his way out of the museum in the back, and goes home. That is where they agreed they would always meet. Only, she never comes home. Theo is alone with the painting.

(Picture courtesy of Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goldfinch_(painting))

I can go on and on about the painting. It evokes a lot in me. The sadness, the colours, the hopefulness. I love it. Take a moment and look at it. Really stare. What do you feel? But this isn’t about the painting. It’s about the book. I have no idea how I feel about this book. Honestly. I didn’t write this review right away. I was waiting, thinking about it, and pondering this book. How did it make me feel? Why did I feel that way? Why did I react this way? And I STILL have no clue. In the end, all I can say is, it is a good book because of that. It made me feel, and I had to think about it. I am still thinking about it now. Can I pick a theme? Yes (Loss, pain, obsession, unrequited love), but does it matter? No. There was so much. I started this one on vacation and finished it at home, which was best, as I needed the time to absorb.

This is purely how I am as a reader and as a person, but I have very little tolerance for drug and alcohol abuse. I understand that Theo had severe PTSD, and abandonment issues. But he had a strong mother, who would have been so very disappointed in him. Throughout the whole book I kept thinking what if your mother could see you right now? What would she say about that? Do you think this would make your mother happy? There was a point in the book, and if you’ve read it you’ll know when I mean. When it was all still so new, that had he pushed and stayed where he was he would have had a different life. Everything would have been ok for him. Had he not been pushed to leave, had he stood up for himself it would have been fine. As a reader I was disappointed. I kept waiting for him to redeem himself. I wanted that reconciliation, that happy ending. The irony in the novel was painful at times. Theo puts himself through so much and yet, if he hadn’t then he would have had a different life.

In that same light, there were times when reading the book it all seemed so ridiculous that anyone could be so stupid I thought Theo would wake up in his bed, the morning before the museum, and change his life. But that doesn’t happen. I was waiting for maturity to hit, for him to realize that you have to live with your actions forever. For him to stop acting like life was a hustle. That discord made me uncomfortable and edgy. Everything he did made me edgy. I know what you are thinking “Elyse you’re such a lame-o, lighten up” I can’t! It’s how I am!!! Theo moves from vice to vice. Everything can be an addiction to him people, drugs, even work. It drove me NUTS.

BUT, this is a beautiful novel. The words, and the images they evoke are gorgeous. I loved her words, how she put things. It was simply magnificent. There was a lot of buzz about the length. How the book was too long, how there was parts that should have been cut out . When I read that, I asked myself “what could she have cut?” Despite the fact that it was uncomfortable. Despite that I didn’t like Theo. Despite that it was dark. What was unnecessary? It was all important story development. If you are going to pick this book up, you are in for a long haul. But it is beautiful. The characters are all important too. They all evoke something in Theo. Their actions, their personality, or what they mean to him. Even their quirks are important. I found that it was so complex, as I evaluate the themes I found that I was surprised at how complex it was. When you look at other characters and think about them, they are going through similar situations in there own way. It was so lovely. In the end, this book makes me think, and evaluate why I thought or felt that way. And it was beautiful to read.

This is my last vacation read post. As you can see I finished it at home with a nice cup of tea. I really hoped you liked all the vacation recommendations. Next week, I have something a little different. I hope you like that too!

My Verdict: Give it a try

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Did you feel for Theo? Or were you done with him? What did you think of Boris? What did you think of this book? Were you as confused by your emotions as I was?

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If you liked this, try:

All the Light We Cannot See

Life After Life

Vacation reads book #4: Omens

Omens

Kelley Armstrong

Random House August 2013

Part of the Cainsville Series

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Adventure

Olivia Taylor Jones is a beautiful young socialite. She has everything a girl could ever want. She volunteers and is engaged to a young man with political ambitions. After a dinner out with her fiancé James Morgan she heads home to her mother who asked her to come home right away. When she arrives she finds the family lawyer there with her mother. Olivia learns that she was adopted. This should be enough to shake the girl to the core, but worse than that, he explains that her real parents are the infamous serial killers Todd and Pamela Larsen. She is really Eden Larsen, and this information has been leaked to the media. Soon enough they are banging down the door, her mother flees to Europe and she is on her own. Olivia thinks the only thing she can do is run away. Eventually she finds herself in Cainsville Illinois, working as a waitress. Where she meets Gabriel Walsh, Pamela Larsen’s appeal lawyer. Olivia and Gabriel begin to investigate the Larsen’s crimes, Olivia is trying to find out if her birth parents really are as evil as everyone says they are.

Woah guys, woah! I was sucked into this book so quickly. I couldn’t put it down! It turned a little bit windy on our vacation and it was too cold for me outside. So, I was bundled up inside with my tea reading this book. Everyone was wondering “where is Elyse?” and I was like “IN CAINSVILLE!!!!!!” It was a real page turner, I read late into the night and fell asleep holding it in my hands with the lights on!

The author Kelley Armstrong has written LOTS of series, and I have never read one before. In the Author’s note she had a little blurb about how she has left clues throughout the book and she hopes that the readers are patient enough to wait until the end for it all to be put together. But if they weren’t they could look up the clues and their meaning online. I was shocked. I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know what it meant. I was stunned. I am NEVER PATIENT. I can NEVER wait. Ask my husband, he will tell you. Here is the Author telling me that she has given it all away. Then what is the point of reading this book I asked myself. I know you are sitting there going “what did you do”???? Obviously I read the book for heaven’s sake. I said to myself “Read it, and then if you have to, look up the clues”. Of course I didn’t look them up because I love books and I love the experience. If you read the series and you looked at the clues you have to tell me what you thought of that. I may look them all up in the end to see if my hunches were right.

The point of view really works for this story. You know there is something so much bigger going on because you see so many different perspectives. But you still have no idea what it is. It’s just enough mystery to get you to keep going. I found that I really wanted to know what the heck was going on. Are these people aliens? Witches? Montsters? Daemons?

Clearly, I loved the mystery here. It was well paced I didn’t find myself pushing the characters to hurry up. What I felt at the end was a little bit frustrated. It felt like nothing was cleared up. There was so many more problems than when we started. I like resolve, and it felt like there wasn’t enough. Gabriel really grew on me, and I think he will continue to do so. He is struggling along with the reader and with Olivia and I liked him for it. He is confidant on the outside but I am not convinced he is so confidant on the inside.

I hope you guys are liking the vacation reads series on the blog. Next week is the last vacation book. It was a very popular Pulitzer winner, written about a painting. Let's see if you can guess before it comes out. See you next week.

My verdict: READ IT!!

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Have you read any of her other series? What did you think of this one? Do you think the Larsen’s are innocent?

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If you liked this, try:
Lynburn legacy

All souls trilogy

Vacation reads book #3: The Dinner

The Dinner
Herman Koch
Originally published by Ambo Anthos, 2009
Published USA Hogarth, 2013
Genre: Drama, Ficton, Mystery

Paul Lohman is getting ready for dinner; he and his wife Claire are meeting his brother Serge and his wife Babette. He isn’t going to tell you where they are going, he can’t let you know that. Paul is a very negative man, everything is an issue and he will tell you about each and every one in turn. But this is only to give you context, and maybe even distract himself from the truth. He and his wife have to go to this dinner, even though neither really wants to. They have to talk to Serge and Babette about the horrible thing their boys have done. They have to decide what they are going to do...

I took this along on vacation. Yes, yes I know. It wasn’t in the picture, it wasn’t in the post. Blah blah. May I remind you, that in the post I did mention that I enjoy variety while I am away? I grabbed this book at the last minute out of the read pile because it seemed different. It was very different.

This book was not about liking the characters, or a happy story. It was darker. I found it very interesting though. To me the darkness sort of crept in. The books I normally read start out a bit dark, but they seem to get lighter as you move along. This one was like moving from twilight (the time of day… not the book!) to midnight, on a moonless night. Did I get too artsy there for ya? I liked it! I might even do it again someday, so there. The whole time while reading this book I kept thinking “This is crazy! Why would you ever do that? What is the matter with you?” What was very interesting was this book was set over the course of one meal. The book is broken up into courses (appetizer, main etc.).

Even though this book took place during one meal, everything was scrutinized down to the tiniest detail. The descriptions were a little bit tedious. I don’t need to know where the bloody olives came from! But then again, perhaps that was the point. The pretension of the meal versus such a horrible discussion to have during it.

I really didn’t like Paul, he was very negative. I just couldn’t understand why the little things irritated him so much. Why he resented his brother the way he did. I could not wrap my head around it all. I kept thinking that Claire was a saint for putting up with him, but then again she isn't all she seems either. I do understand that we aren’t supposed to like him but I feel that for the purposes of the blog I need to point out that you will not like Paul. In the end you do sort of understand why he is the way he is, however it doesn't change how I felt about him.

Once I had finished this book I had to just sit there for a minute and absorb it. This book feels like it was created to make you uncomfortable. It did just that, it made me wonder what I would do in the same situation. All I really do know is that I sure as heck won’t do what they did!

My Verdict: Read it only if you’re looking for something different and a bit dark

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How would you handle the same situation? Did you like this book? What did you think of Serge?

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If you liked this, try:
We Need to Talk About Kevin (NY Times recommended, and I agree)

Vacation reads book #2 - Me Before You

Me Before You: A Novel
By JoJo Moyes
Penguin Publishing, 2012
Genre: Fiction

Will Traynor loved his life and lived it to the fullest. He climbed mountains, traveled, and sky dived. He worked hard, loved his job and reveled in making huge deals. He had “leggy” girlfriends and loved to spend time with them. Everything was going great for him, until one day while crossing the street on the way into the office Will was hit by a motorcycle. Two years later, Louisa (Lou) Clark lives with her whole family. She sleeps in the smallest room with no windows, so her sister can have the larger room for her and her son. She has just been fired from a job she loved at a nearby café. She has been trying to find a new job and cannot do another minute at the chicken processing plant. While at the Career Centre, they offer her a position as a companion for a quadriplegic. She has never worked in this capacity and is quite nervous at the interview. Carmilla Traynor interviews Lou, to be with her son Will during the day. Her job is to make sure he isn’t alone and that he has someone to drive him around, or give him anything he needs. Carmilla hires Lou, and the next day she meets Will; He is angry and in constant pain. As time passes Lou learns she has to make Will love life again, and Will learns he needs to help Lou have a life.

This was one of my vacation books. It was such an easy read, and I got sucked in pretty quickly. It was well written, and the language is easy, as if it was just unfolding before you. As I worked my way through this one, I knew it was going to be a crying book. But in the end I didn’t cry as much as I thought I would. It felt inevitable, what else would happen? This was realistic, and even though it feels a little black you knew it was coming. But let me tell you that I wasn’t fully prepared because in the VERY END I was crying hard, like put the book down and get the tissues. Not one graceful tear, but the whole waterworks. But I couldn’t put this one down. I had to know what was going to happen to these two, and it didn’t disappoint.

This story was real to me, there was no glossing over the difficult parts of Will's various problems. There were some folks on the internet that Lou turns to for advice and they were real. There were two sides, the ones that were getting on and doing what they could to have a good life. Then there was the darker side, the anger and the pain. I liked that Moyes didn’t shy away from any of that. I also loved that she including the errors that anyone would make (trying to shake Will’s hand). Nor does Moyes shy away from Will’s pain, it is honest and so heartbreaking. Which is why all together it felt so much more realistic to me.

I really wanted to smack Lou’s family sometimes. It was just like “why do you make fun of her when she works to keep you all happy? WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?” I really didn’t like that they picked on her so much. It made me angry, because she seemed like a good person. Perhaps a little lost, but still a good person and she didn’t deserve that. But then there is a part with her birthday and her parents redeem themselves. Later on in the book I grew fonder of her sister because she could cut through all of Lou’s crap and see the truth. It was also hard to like Carmilla, until there was a chapter from entirely her perspective, it made me understand her better. Sometimes I really hate when there are chapters from another point of view, but this one was essential.

In the end this was a story of two people, both stuck. One in a wheelchair and the other stuck in her own fears. In the end it just affirms my belief that we really should live to the fullest. Do what you can to not put anything off, and live. It was a beautiful story and I really loved reading it, in fact I would read it again!

My verdict: READ IT!

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What did you think of this book? Did you cry too? Did you find the end inevitable?

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If you liked this, then try:

The Night Circus

My Name is Memory

All the Light we Cannot See