I had pretty high hopes for the 2nd installment in the Divergent Trilogy.  I was a bit let down, but alas, I still finished the book.  I will give Veronica Roth credit with the fact she knows how to end a book and make the reader yearn for more.  This book picks up exactly where book one ended, which means that our main hero, Tris, is in really bad shape after being shot, killing one of her best friends, and witnessing the murder of both her parents.  I really don’t know how to describe this book other than saying “Well, it’s about a bunch of teenagers in a Dystopian society with guns that just act insane by jumping off trains and buildings while breaking into computer systems in a high-tech compound to find the secret of their existence.”  Does that make sense?  Didn’t think so.  It’s a pretty wacky concept that has a strange execution.  I shouldn’t compare this to The Hunger Games, but I can’t help it.  I have no idea how this is made for teenagers because it is all about murder and killing.  Seriously.  Half the characters die.  The guy who had his eye poked out with a fork comes back.  No, I’m not making this up.  The Hunger Games instilled this new genre of “murder is ok to market to teenagers,” which I just don’t understand.  The main focus of this book is lost among a lot of teenage melodrama.  Basically, it is revealed that there is a secret that only the Abnegation faction knew about.  The members had planned to show this secret to all factions, but in the earlier book, the attack against the Abnegation resulted in that entire faction destroyed and murdered other than a handful of people.  Anyway, on top of the already weird concept of five factions and a gigantic new faction introduced (simply known as The Factionless, so witty), we have teenage love between Tris and her Abnegation cum Dauntless Romeo, Tobias.  I am so over this high school love drama.  I’d imagine that if you were in a life-and-death situation, you really wouldn’t be thinking about a guy and if he truly loves you or not.  AmIRight?  I think my problem with this book is that my favorite character is one of the bad guys.  I really enjoy Tobias’ father, Marcus, who is a complete asshole who used to abuse his son.  I shouldn’t even like him, but he is the only character that seems to make any sense to me.  Marcus is the only living Abnegation leader, and he wants to make sure that the secret is not destroyed.  Tris has to make a decision on who she will side with and what she will do for her friends and Tobias.  Tris is to busy being strange and biting her lip (which inadvertently reminded me of the shit-show 50 Shades of Grey… ugh)

Overall, I was pretty bored.  I think this book is a typical 2nd book in a trilogy, but it is no The Empire Strikes Back.  Last week, Veronica Roth introduced the 3rd book and finale of the series, which will come out in the Fall.  It is called Allegiant.  I will say, I was happy that the “secret” was, in fact, revealed, and I am looking forward to the third book.  Hopefully, this doesn’t follow in The Hunger Games footsteps of a lackluster and terrible ending.

Jen’s Rating: **

I absolutely loved this book.  My friend, Emily, loaned it to me a few weeks ago and only said, “This book is so you that it’s scary.”  I really didn’t know how to take that, but I started reading right away and was engrossed with Judd Foxman and his crazy family.  The plot does not sound funny, but man, there were so many laugh out loud moments for me as I read this gem.  We follow Judd Foxman, who is in the midst of a mid-life crisis.  After the death of their unborn child, Judd and his wife, Jen, have gone through a rough patch only to be exacerbated by the fact Judd catches her cheating on him with his radio shock-jock boss.  Judd’s life goes into ruin and to cap it off, his father dies after a prolonged battle with cancer.  Judd goes home for a week-long sit-shiva to spend the time with his dysfunctional family.  It doesn’t sound like a funny book because there is a lot of anger and resentment in these passages, but the book is real and deals with typical family problems (on a completely heightened scale).  We see Judd’s mother, a famed author with gigantic breast implants and a new secret try to set up Judd with single ladies from his past; Judd’s eldest brother, Paul, who is running the family business and still has anger issues from a past event involving Judd; Judd’s only sister, Wendy, who is raising three children and married to a real jerk; and then Phillip, the baby of the family who has never gotten his life together but comes home with an older woman on his arm and a Porsche in the driveway.  We meet other characters from the past who come to pay respect to Judd’s father and visit with the family as well that really round out the story.  Overall, it is a great book.  I can’t say it enough.  Love, marriage, sex, death, surprise …. all the good stuff.

Jen’s Rating: *****

I don’t really understand Young Adult books anymore.  I always expect a goofy teenage love affair with no sex but with FEELING.  I read The Hunger Games a few years ago and liked Book#1, and that was it.  I was in the library a few weeks ago when I saw Divergent prominently posted everywhere.  Apparently, it’s the next Hunger Games showcasing another dystopian society where teenagers make a difference.  A movie is about to start shooting in Chicago.  My interest was piqued, and I needed a new audio book.  I didn’t know anything about the book, but I will say I did like most of the writing and flow.  (Minus all the “I was about to be sick” or “Whatever, stiff” jabber).  In this world, we don’t know what is really happening outside of the small area that the story takes place which is a futuristic and destroyed Chicago.  In this world, there are five factions where every person has to pick a faction.  You are born into a faction, but when you turn 16, you will have to take a test, and based on the test and your wishes, you can move to a new faction.  What are the factions?  Each faction is dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue–Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent).  Our narrator is Beatrice Prior, a sixteen year old living in a closed world of abnegation meaning she really has no say in anything she does.  She isn’t allowed to have a mirror in her room, talk about ANYTHING with her parents, ask questions, and so on.  At the beginning, you really root for this skinny child to go out and become something.  Well, she sure as heck does become something I’d say.  I’ll also say this, Beatrice Prior is no Katniss Everdeen, and I like that so far.  Beatrice is more bold, cruel, and blunt (just like me in a dystopian way I suppose).  I won’t ruin the book, but it is a fun read, which keeps you interested.

Here is what bothers me about Young Adult books – the crazy violence and weird situations.  Sure, this is pure fantasy, but can you imagine a world where 16-year-old kids are running around with guns while being trained to kill on sight?  I also can’t fathom how the rules and regulations work in this world where everything is black and white.  The middle of the book did drag a bit as Beatrice goes through training in her faction, but I did enjoy the little fluttering of young love talk.  The ending picks up and goes bananas, and then we are left with Beatrice in a truly uncertain future after insane events.  Again, I don’t want to spoil anything, and this book does go bananas.

I love reading books with strong female protagonists, and I enjoyed reading about Beatrice.  She is described as a mousy child that looks younger than 16, and she has no physical strength.  All odds are against her in anything, and yet, she still uses her mind and her strengths to beat both boys and girls.  She is adventurous, wild, and hard.  Also, she shows signs of cruelty, maliciousness, and pure evil in some points.  I enjoyed how Roth made this character into a weak character into a strong bad-ass.  I can imagine that some people would be turned off by Beatrice’s cruelty as she goes through training, but again, this is a dystopian future where everything is falling apart.  Sometimes you gotta be bad to be good, right?  I will read the second installment once it arrives at the library.

Jen’s Rating; ***

I don’t know why I keep coming back to Hector, but he is just a wayward, little French psychiatrist I want to shake around.  On this adventure, Hector has returned home from China to be with his lady-love, Clara, and regain ground on his life and enjoy the happiness and love that he has searched the world for.  Unfortunately, Hector is disturbed by all his patients and Clara about their quest for their own happiness and love while time keeps ticking by.  He has been with Clara for a long time and now she wants a baby.  Is he ready for a baby?  Hector is the most un-sure psychiatrist ever in my opinion.  The man is in his 40′s with graying hair, and he can’t make a decision about anything.  Personally, I liked this book the best of the three since time is a better topic than the subjectivity of  love or happiness.  Hector interviews his patients to ask them how they cope with time and growing older.  A few of the anecdotes made me chuckle, especially the character who judges the time he has left by how many more dogs he can own in his lifetime.  (So far in my lifetime, I’m at 5 dogs at age 31, so I’ve got some time left).  We visit with the same characters from the other books and meet new ones, (that totally want to sleep with Hector per usual, I don’t get it!) In this book, Hector must find his favorite old monk who has supposedly mastered time and aging well.  The minor characters are amusing but not Earth-shattering.  Will Hector go 3-for-3 and cheat on Clara in this book too?  A quick and easy read.  I’m sure I’ll give my copy to Mina when she gets back from China since she likes these books too.  Even though I am somewhat bashing this book, I did find it somewhat amusing.

Jen’s Rating: **

This is the second book that I’ve read from Isabel Wolff, and I didn’t like it as much as the earlier book. I was looking for something fluffy and easy, but this book had a lot of weird subplots and interesting characters. Ella Graham is a thirty-five year old portrait painter in London who is extremely boring and unremarkable. Her main story is that her mother was once a talented ballerina, and her father had abandoned them when she was a young child. Ella has a half-sister, Chloe, who is now getting married to a man named Nate that Ella does not like at all. In a weird move, Chloe commissions Ella to paint a portrait of her fiancée, and then the book goes from there. Wolff is good at creating many subplots and tying all the loose ends together at the end. Overall, the book was entertaining yet predictable. Ella’s father tries to re-connect with her, Ella becomes infatuated with her sister’s fiancée, and her mother becomes a meddling wedding planner. Overall, the best part of the book was learning about portraiture. I have always been interested in getting a portrait done, so that was the best part for me. Actually, when Matt and I first got together, he would always joke that he wanted a portrait done of him dressed as an Admiral in a funny wig to place over our fireplace if we ever got married. If I ever find a money tree, I think this could be a possibility.

Jen’s Rating: ***

Before reading Madame Bovary, I had a bit of a “dip” into her story.  I had just finished reading the novel Little Children which playfully juxtaposes the classic novel with the actions of its two protagonists.  Had I ever known anything about Emma Bovary before that moment?  Nope.  Not a bit at all.  I actually had a copy with a new translation from one of the book sales, so I thought now would be a good time to cross this classic off my list.  I really don’t know how to classify how I feel about this book.  It made me feel sympathetic and somewhat emphatic of Emma’s troubles during the novel.  The characters are truly human and very, very real.  I was entertained by knowing the same themes that follow women in today’s society were the same in 1850′s France.  Most of all, I was extremely impressed with Flaubert’s writing.  I can imagine the original French text as a marvelous creature.  It is very hard to describe how beautiful the text is with every word so perfect and fitting.  I actually read this book in a new and interesting way for myself.  I had the book, but was a bit confused with the French words (is it a person or a place?) and figured it wouldn’t hurt if I listened to the Audio Book on Tape as I read the text.  The book chronicles the life of Charles Bovary, a young doctor who is the type of man who doesn’t really need to work hard to do anything.  Things happen to him or his mother meddles in his affairs and fixes his problems.  Charles meets Emma through her father, who happens to be a patient of Charles.  Recently widowed, Charles becomes engaged to the beautiful Emma, and their life begins.  Emma seems like a normal woman with whimsical wishes and desires.  She had spent time in a convent, so you believe her to be pious and virginal.  On the contrary, Emma begins to resent her husband and their lackluster marriage with simple things and becomes interested in other men who can give her a luxurious life.  Basically, Emma Bovary becomes the popular and classical wanton woman like Moll Flanders and Hester Prynne before her.  Emma delves into not one, but two, illicit affairs and starts living beyond her means with credit against her home and husband.  Oh Emma, Emma, Emma.  I want to root for you for following your heart and desires, but gurl, you’re doing it all wrong!

What really amazed me about this book was that it was written by a man.  I really felt as if Flaubert knew how women feel when they are trapped in a loveless marriage and cannot escape.  Even though I rated the book at a 3, I would really say it was a 3.5 star book.  This book was revolutionary for the time, but today, a story with these themes can be seen on any reality TV show.

My favorite quote from this book had to be:

“An infinity of passion can be contained in one minute, like a crowd in a small space.”  I mean, how beautiful is that?

Jen’s Rating: ***

First of all, this book really infuriated me.  I actually had heard about it years ago after reading this article online.  I saw the book at my annual book sale and had to pick it up.  Every once in a while, I like to read scientific-y books to expand my brain.  Personally, I have never liked Psychology, and it looks like I never will.  First of all, one of the authors was deceased before the publication of this book.  Some of the examples were dated with pop culture references, so it made me wonder how long the authors tried working on this book before it was able to be published.  The book began strong with the first two chapters talking about Evolutionary Psychology.  Eventually the book branched out into different sections discussing sex and mating, economic inequalities, and then crime and violence (while exploring other topics as well).  I became infuriated with this book once sex and mating came to play.  Sure, we all believe in human nature and wonder why things are the way they are.  Why do men love women with big breasts?  The book goes further to say that not only do men love women with big breasts, but they love them when they are blonde with blue eyes.  I mean, really?  The “evidence” is ridiculous and generalized, so, I would think it would not be ascertainable that ALL men love “blonde bombshells.”  Also, it should be known that older men will always reach a point where they will want to upgrade to a more youthful mate.  So many generalizations!  My favorite sexist part of the book delved into how men’s penis shape has evolved over centuries.  Why did men’s wangers change?  Oh because women have been extremely promiscuous for generations and men’s penises then became a “semen displacement device.”  Yes, you read it right here, men’s penises today are like vacuum pipe cleaners that are shaped the way they are because women are whores.  (Semen Displacement Device?  Really?  Wow).  So apparently dogs with red rockets don’t have the pipe cleaner effect but yet their nature will let them mate with anything.  I was interested in reading some of the topics, but I was deterred constantly since the author kept mentioning that men behave the way they do since they fear their women were unfaithful to them and they are raising bastard children.  Wow, what a book.  I am still surprised that this got published in this day in age.

Jen’s Rating: *

I’ve had this book for a few years and kind of forgot about it.  Sure, I saw the movie years ago, and I really liked it.  However, I do like reading books after watching the movie adaptation.  After my whirlwind trip to California, a book with a few fish on the cover was calling my name.  First of all, I felt like I could really relate to this book because I am the same age as the main characters in their early 30′s.  The difference is I don’t have children, and this book focuses on the trials of suburban parents raising small children while a child molester (never convicted of a murder that he is possibly responsible for) is thrust back into their society and town.  I didn’t know I would enjoy this book as much as I did.  We focus on Sarah, a somewhat described ugly duckling ex-lesbian now married to an older man.  Sarah focuses on raising her young daughter, Lucy, while her husband gets into some really bizarre stuff on the internet.  Sarah is the type of mom who wishes she didn’t waste her Master’s degree as she watches her kid play at the playground.  One day as she is surrounded by other intense stay-at-home mothers, Sarah is cosmically met by every woman’s dream man.  Enter the Prom King, aka Todd, who is a stay-at-home father to a boy.  Todd embodies the ideal man to most women: handsome, athletic, good in bed, and willing to stay at home with the children while the wife goes out and is the breadwinner.  He’s the true Holy Grail of manhood.   The book is actually a lot more funny that I anticipated.  When the sex offender gets back into town, you see the two worlds clash (the liberal folks who think the child molester is reformed and must not have committed the murder since he was never convicted versus the conservatives who want him to burn on a stake in his front yard).

The one point that I identified the most with this book was the explanation of why people cheat.  Once a couple goes through the motion of dating and eventually getting married and starting a family – most of the time there is nothing new to experience romantically with your partner.  You’ve already seen it and done it all.  Why do people cheat?  They want that one little spark that gives you butterflies in your stomach and makes your rational mind jump ship.  Yet again, this book can add to my “hmmm children?” pile in my head.  A great read.  The characters are well-thought of, familiar, and relatable.

Jen’s Rating: *****

I picked this book up on a whim at LAX for my return back to civilization, i.e. Indianapolis.  I actually recognized the author’s name since long ago I read her debut Having Our Say about the Delaney sisters.  It’s 1962 in Naples, Florida during the tumultuous Civil Rights Era and fear of nuclear war.  President Kennedy and his family represent Camelot, and the United States is about to face their most harrowing period up to that point.  Dora is a thirty year old divorcee, working part-time at the post office.  One day while Dora is actually reading someone’s Vogue magazine, Jacqueline Hart waltzes into the post office and begins a friendship with Dora.  Jackie is from Boston and a new transplant into town and wants to start The Collier County Women’s Literary Society.  At first, I didn’t know how this book would go since it would be about women reading in a salon type atmosphere, which seems pretty boring.  Sure, the book was a bit on the boring side, but it was a great read.  The group consists of outsiders, which made great characters to see different points of views:  Jackie, the new Yankee in town; Dora, the Turtle Lady divorcee; an elderly woman out on parole for murdering her husband; Plain Jane, a mysterious woman with no visible means of support; the town’s only known homosexual; Miss Lansbury. the town  librarian, and an African-American maid.

During their reading endeavors, Jackie becomes a hidden radio sensation, and the town becomes obsessed with finding out who Miss Dreamsville is.  The book delves into topics like segregation, racial violence, feminism, and interracial relationships.

Overall, I liked the book even though it was a bit boring to me.  I never lived during the 1960s, so I have no frame of reference.  My life as an 1980′s child has been completely different from those who struggled before me. 

Jen’s Rating: ***

True story: I have never watched a Marilyn Monroe movie.  GASP?  Wah?  It’s true.  I’ve only seen Some Like It Hot once when I was sitting in a gay bar in Chicago a few years ago.  Considering I was drunk, I will not count this.  I picked this book up at our annual book sale, and I was intrigued.  I had never once thought of the pickle this book put me in, mainly, am I a Jackie or a Marilyn?  Hmmm.  This book was a fun and light read for an airplane ride to Los Angeles, the home of Marilyn culture.  The book was a bit heavy on Marilyn culture, which totally makes sense since Marilyn gave multiple interviews and was in the spotlight.  Jackie, however, was a private citizen even if she was the Queen of America as a former first lady.  Mostly, women can be classified as classy, elegant, and rich WASPs or women who rise like a phoenix from poverty into becoming the most glamorous woman in the world.  I enjoyed the quotes from this book the most since I have heard most of Marilyn’s quotes before but never knew they came from her.  What is the most famous Marilyn quote?  Most likely the quote “If you can’t handle my worst, you ain’t getting my best.” 

My one complaint about the book is that it was a tad bit repetitive and Marilyn focused.  Jackie was a fascinating woman who went through a lot in her long life.  I think most women would rather be Jackie than Marilyn anyway.  Money, sex, power.  As I said, a fun and easy read.

Jen’s Rating: ***

I will never forget when Hercules: The Legendary Journeys movies came out on the WB! on Saturday afternoons.  Back in middle school, I was obsessed with Greek Mythology, and I was enthralled with the Action pack hour.  Eventually, I became completely obsessed with Hercules’ spin-off, Xena: Warrior Princess, but I still loved watching Kevin Sorbo as the son of Zeus demigod.  I was lucky enough to receive this book from my sister-in-law for Christmas.  Since I am going to the Xena Convention this weekend (yes!  Can’t wait) I knew I had to read this before hanging out with characters from both shows.  I really love memoirs, and this was a fantastic read.  Sure, Kevin Sorbo isn’t the best writer in the world, but his easy prose and direct language is fine for me.  In this autobiography, Kevin Sorbo briefly details his early days growing up in Minnesota and then eventually getting the modeling and acting bug and heading out to Hollywood.  Eventually his hard work pays off and he gets the role of a lifetime as Hercules.  (Did you know that Kevin Sorbo was originally tapped to play Superman in Lois & Clark instead of Dean Cain?)

As an avid Hercules and Xena fan, I found a lot of joy about reading about the making of the TV show and Kevin’s relationship with the actors on the show.  (I was a bit disheartened to read how he doesn’t get along with Rob Tapert, the executive producer of Xena and Hercules and Lucy Lawless’ husband).  I also enjoyed reading about his relationship with Kevin Smith who played Ares on both shows, who unfortunately passed away in 2002.

As the book progressed, Sorbo detailed his debilitating aneurysm which lead to three strokes at the age of 38.  As someone who also was stricken by a bizarre illness (eye issues at 23 when I was completely healthy like Sorbo) I felt that Sorbo’s story was cathartic.  It sucks being sick with something that nobody can explain to you.  To this day, he is still dealing with problems as a result of his stroke as do I.

I also liked reading about his relationship with his wife, who once played his wife on the TV show.  It’s just a sweet book, and I wish nothing but the best for him and his family.  Also, I will say that I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard at a beginning with Sorbo describing a meeting with Joe Pesci.  Classic.

EDIT: I forgot to mention one of my favorite connections while reading this book.  After his stroke, Kevin Sorbo is supposed to star in the movie Black Dog, which is being produced by the De Laurentiis family.  That’s right for anyone who watches Giada at Home and her occasional guest star and favorite Aunt Raffy (whom I love!).  Apparently, she was a producer on Black Dog and gave Kevin Sorbo some great advice.  Kind of funny.

Jen Rating: ****

I grabbed this book at our Annual Book Sale, and the only reason why I read it was because it was small enough to fit in my purse for my airport jaunts.  Basically, this book is mindless and pointless.  In the fashion of Plum Skyes or Bergdorf Blondes (both terrible) this book is about New York socialites and their meaningless circles and deceptions.  The book begins with a dinner party which sets up the plethora of characters.  One thing I couldn’t stand about this book was that the first chapter’s voice was only around for one chapter.  The main character is a woman named Ponce (yes, she was named after Ponce de Leon.  This is totally tragic yet interesting) who is a Southern beauty who married up like Anna Nicole Smith and found her place among many “important” people.  She’s a widow and is called “The Spare Wife” since she is able to be friends with both people in a couple.  She can direct any wait staff at a dinner party yet talk politics and sports with any man in the room.  Everybody trusts her with their man.  Well, this is where the book makes no sense whatsoever.  A blonde beauty who seems to have it all with no man in her life is just a ridiculous plot point.  That’s like imagining Cindy Crawford as Mother Theresa.  It just doesn’t make sense.

The book has too many characters, and it is hard to keep everyone straight.  Also, Ponce isn’t so good after all since she is carrying on with an affair with a well-known fertility doctor that has miraculously impregnated every dried up woman in New York.  Overall, I’d say skip this one.  I am glad I had the book while I was playing airport standby roulette, but it is just pointless.

Jen’s Rating: *

 I absolutely love Cleopatra VII.  I’ve meant to read this book for a year now, and I was thrilled when I saw it as a book on tape at the library (which happens to be one of my new things).  I didn’t really learn many new things in this book since I’ve read so many Cleopatra books (My favorite being Margaret George’s “The Memoirs of Cleopatra”).  It was a great book for the car, and I have perused the actual text.  The chapters were a bit long, so I’m glad I got it on tape.  The book is about Cleopatra’s life in Egypt along with her many loves and manipulations.  As expected, the book veers into the lives of the important characters of the time like Pompeii, Julius Caesar, Cicero, and Marc Antony.  Schiff does a good job of stating what is known without putting her opinion into past events.  (One exception is about Cleopatra’s death. Though ancient evidence suggests otherwise, Schiff doesn’t believe Cleopatra died by the snake. There is a lot of back and forth about Octavian’s role in her death.  Did he kill her or did he let her kill herself?  One of history’s greatest mysteries.)

As I mentioned before, I didn’t really learn anything new about Cleopatra’s life, but it was a good refresher for if I ever make it to Jeopardy and an entire category is designated to Cleopatra.

Jen’s Rating: ****

I picked this book up at our annual book sale.  I had no idea that it was a Young Adult book (which I couldn’t believe since half the book was cussing and what not, but whatever).  I think the cover intrigued me the most.  (Apparently this book was a finalist for Michal L. Printz award.  Also, there was a cover contest, and I guess that makes sense since it drew me in).  Colin Singleton is a child prodigy who is looking to become a great genius in the world.  The story begins the summer before college as Colin just graduated high school.  His only claim to fame (other than bein a child prodigy) is that he won a child cable game show.   I’ll say that Colin is not very likeable, and I wanted to punch him in the face throughout most of the book.  Colin only wants to date women named Katherine.  (No different spellings or changes)  Ironically, he has dated 19 Katherines, so he decides his great Theorm of Katherine’s will make his mark.  Also, Colin doesn’t seem to have much game since he keeps getting dumped.  Colin decides to take a road trip with his best friend (and only decent character) named Hassan.  He and Hassan take off for South and make it to Gutshot, Tennessee (which is fictional since I actually looked it up.  It has a cool name after all) where a roadside sign states that Archduke Franz Ferdinand is buried there.  At this point, I almost stopped reading since the book seemed so ridiculous, but I kept going.

Hassan was the comedic foil, and he really helped the story.  The duo meet Lindsey, a sweet Southern belle whose mother is the owner of the largest plant in town (which makes tampon strings of all things).  Throughout the summer, Colin and Hassan go around town with Lindsey and meet all the townspeople for a history lesson.  As most young adult novels go, this one was pretty predictable.

Jen’s Rating: **

I adore Kate Quinn’s writing, and I have been looking forward to reading this book for over a year now.  This is a sequel to 2010′s Mistress of Rome, so I was thrilled to get back into this story.  (Quinn wrote a prequel that came out last year).  Quinn has a real talent on transporting the reader to Ancient Rome while creating characters so fun and diabolical.  There are many previous characters from Mistress of Rome and Daughters of Rome with a few new characters as well.  The story follows the life of Vix, a young buck who is obsessed with women, Rome, and becoming a great warrior and lady-love, Sabina, the daughter of Marcus Norbanus who wants fun and adventure.  Vix is a rough and tumble kind of guy, and Sabina is an aristocrat with a heart of gold.  She is able to soften Vix through the story, which was nice to read about.  Their relationship is not sugar plums and rainbows but instead hard life and truth.  They both still care for each other throughout the span of the novel.  Quinn also details two other major characters, Empress Plotina and Titus, the son of a nobleman.  Titus and Vix become friends (even though Titus is trying to ask for Sabina’s hand in marriage).  Plotina is in a loveless marriage to Emperor Trajan with no children.  Her ward, Hadrian, is a cold and calculating man who eventually marries Sabina.  Plotina is the obvious antagonist who wants her ward to follow in her husband’s footsteps as Emperor of Rome.  She is a calm, respectable, and sensible woman, but she uses her intelligence to outsmart everyone.  As much as I hated her, I respected her cause.  It is a bit of a long book, but a truly enjoyable one if you’ve invested so much time in the series.  I am excited for the next installment, which will unfortunately come out most likely Spring 2013.  I highly recommend this series if you love gladiators, ancient Rome, war, and treachery!

Jen’s Rating: *****

This book fascinated me.  I have read half of Lehrer’s first book How We Decide which mostly focused on decision-making patterns.  (Well, at least I thought so.  I never finished it, but I need to).  Sure, the author came under major fire a few months back for falsifying quotes from this book while talking about Bob Dylan.  You can read that scandal here.  I knew all that before reading this book.  To be honest, this book wasn’t deleted from my shelf because I really did want to see what point Lehrer would have with imagination and creativity.  Also, I really didn’t care about the part with Bob Dylan.  (Yes, I think authors should have journalistic integrity and so forth, but it’s Bob Dylan.  I got the point about including his story in this book).  Movies have been made to think of the “inception” of an idea, and I was very interested to hear more.  Within the book, Lehrer details different companies and people who have had Eureka! moments.  I was most interested in the chapter about 3M since my husband just got a job there recently.  (Hopefully we can work out free Post-It’s and Scotch Tape for the holiday season, just hoping, ha!)  The book is a good mix of real-life examples (the invention of the Swiffer) to the neuroscience of brains.  As a person, I feel that I am a bit bonkers, so of course I feel like I am a creative person.  I can’t play an instrument or draw, but I feel like I think differently than most people and take a different route when thinking of ideas.  Lehrer details the creative culture in companies like Pixar and 3M and then delves into life in Elizabethan England where creativity (or stealing ideas) was running amok amongst Shakespeare, Marlowe, etc.  I was highly entertained and really enjoyed this book.  Lehrer even reminded me about the fact most people in the past used to think a creative idea was a gift from the Gods.  Mere humans couldn’t possibly conjure a plausible idea without God-intervention.  I really recommend this book even with all the controversy surrounding it.

Jen’s Rating: ****

What exactly is a beautiful ruin?  My first thought was that of a decrepit or ancient building that still holds majesty over us and our imagination.  Secondly, I thought of people as being beautiful ruins:  you know the type, the ones who have so much promise or splendor but become disillusioned with problems and are shells of their potential.  This book delivers on so many levels that it is hard to even classify how good it is.  I must be in a mood to read books with connectivity through time, because this is my second book of late with this theme.  Beautiful Ruins is the story of a relationship between Pasquale Tursi, an Italian innkeeper in a small town off the coast of Italy (Porto Vergogna which translates into The Whore’s Crack) and Dee Moray, an American actress working on the infamous film Cleopatra in 1962.  We follow their story in the 60′s along with a multitude of other characters that are all connected to each other over time.  Sure the story is about love, but it also about the fate of life with unexpected decisions shaping everything.  Pasquale is a simple man with dreams of having the finest hotel with a lovely tennis court overlooking the sea.  The moment he meets Dee Moray, his entire life changes because he is intrigued by her strange beauty, but also the fact that an American movie star is staying at his modest hotel. Little does he know that poor Dee Moray is entwined in one of the most famous love stories of all time, that’s right, the modern-day Cleopatra and Marc Antony of the time, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.  Told in a non-linear style, the book juxtaposes Pasquale and Dee in 1962 with the present state of Hollywood, and even early 2000′s London.  This book isn’t only beautiful scenery and celebrity, but it is also a story of sadness, war, and the ability to make gut-wrenching decisions.  I was very impressed with Jess Walter’s writing and imagination.  I love reading an interesting book that makes me think, “wow, this could have happened because it seems so logical even though it is complete fiction.”  I definitely recommend this one for a fun and fast page turner. 

Jen’s Rating: *****

This book has been on my “to-Read” list for quite some time.  What sent me over the edge to buy it?  Michael Fassbender.  Yup, I read an interview with him and that was the book he was reading at the time.  Then, I saw the new trailer for the Cloud Atlas movie starring Tom Hanks and Halle Berry and knew I needed to read the book before going to see it.  I had a lot of emotions when reading this novel.  I truly had no idea what to expect from it.  Cloud Atlas is a spectacular epic that spans from the last 1800′s to a post-Apocalyptic future.  Mitchell writes 6 novellas and intertwines them perfectly to fit together from beginning to end.  Each story has its own voice and language, and it is quite incredible how well-written this novel truly is.  It is so well-written that I almost gave up during the “Huck Finn Meets Post-Apocalyptic Future” section because it was very difficult to read.  Each story forms the Cloud Atlas Sextet, a movement that really makes you think days after finishing the book.  Even the layout of the text fascinated me.  Matt actually read the book first and got so upset after the first section because the story just ENDS on page 46.  Each story is broken up into two parts other than the sixth story which is told in full.  Then after #6, the earlier stories are concluded in descending order.  As I mentioned before, each section ties in with the section before it, and you learn many things about characters in different sections told in the past/future.  Are you confused yet?

1. THE PACIFIC JOURNAL OF ADAM EWING

It helped that the beginning of the book starts on my wedding date, November 7th.  This is a journal about Adam Ewing’s trip from the South Pacific back home to America.  He is an American on a ship with an interesting crew of characters that experience a Maori camp, a new Bethlehem, and an interesting parasite.  I didn’t really understand this one very much until the ending.  This story is a lot like Moby Dick in how it is written.

2. LETTERS FROM ZEDELGHEM

A disenchanted musician, Robert Frobisher, writes about his interesting life and tribulations of Belgium to a man named Sixsmith.  Frobisher, who is in major money trouble and is escaping from his family decides to seek out a well-known musician, Vyvyan Ayrs, and become his protegé.  Ayrs, an elderly gentleman married to a beautiful wife, suffers from syphilis and overall crankiness.  Frobisher cuckolds ole Ayrs while living under his roof.  The main focus of this story is on Frobisher’s music as he writes his own Cloud Atlas Sextet.  Frobisher finds Adam Ewing’s Journal, which is ripped in half.

3. HALF-LIVES, THE FIRST LUISA REY MYSTERY 

Out of all the novels, this was my favorite.  Written like a true-crime story/thriller/mystery, we follow heroine Luisa Rey on the case of a major nuclear meltdown in America.  Luisa is the daughter of a famous cop, but she works as a reporter at a lackluster magazine in California during 1975.  One day, she meets Rufus Sixsmith (the man addressed in Part II) in an elevator during a blackout, and her life is drastically changed after this moment.  Sixsmith is on the run since he has evidence that the company he works for is hurting the environment and lying to the world.  I love short and concise paragraph and chapters, so I really got into this part.  I felt as if Luisa’s character development was more flushed out than others in this story.  Also, I am a sucker for true female heroines.  I also really loved Sixsmith.

4. THE GHASTLY ORDEAL OF TIMOTHY CAVENDISH

Timothy Cavendish is a sixty-something publishing agent running for his life.  After making too many bad decisions and accruing bad debt, thugs are after him since they have not been paid royalties on previous published books.  Since I work in the publishing industry, I got a little kick out of the publishing terms thrown around.  I actually nodded my head a few times since the author (in 2004?) seemed to know the direction of publishing in the future, so I felt a little weird reading about that.  Before he tries to escape his publishing house, a novel is sent to him entitled “HALF-LIVES, THE FIRST LUISA REY MYSTERY.“ After a few bizarre twists and turns, Timothy Cavendish finds himself an occupant of a nursing home led by an evil Nurse Ratched type character.  I kept thinking this was One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, and I kept waiting for the Indian to come out of nowhere.  (Too bad he turned out to be Scottish).

5. AN ORISON OF SONMI~451 

Welcome to a dystopian Korea where regular people are called purebloods and fabricants (manufactured people in tubes) are the ones making the world go round.  These fabricants look the same and are the worker bees in society.  Sonmi-451 is telling her Archivist the story of her life which is told in a Q&A type format.  I kept thinking about Bladerunner during this section.  In this time, typical words are replaces with name brands (car = ford, coffee = starbuck, movie = disney, sony = iPad like device?) Sonmi- 451 is a fabricant (I seriously typed replicant, see I told you Bladerunner and hello “451″ from Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheir 451) that gains consciousness and becomes sentient that she is a slave.  Meanwhile, her favorite disney is The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish.

6. SLOOSHA’S CROSSIN’ AN’ EV’RYTHIN’ AFTER 

This shall be called THE HARDEST SECTION EVER.  The last section details Zachry the goat herder’s life in a post-Apocalyptic Hawaii.  Zachry is a simple man trying to survive, but soon a woman named Meronym comes to learn about his ways.  Zachry is a Valleyman who is uncivilized and believes in the God known only as Sonmi.  Meronym is a Prescient, which is a civilized person with a scientific background.  They explore an abandoned space observatory in Hawaii and search for the meaning of life in a way.  It took me WEEKS to read this since Mitchell created his own language in some ways.

Overall, this book has many reoccurring themes like slavery, civilized meeting uncivilized, human nature, the power of man, how the world should be run like a business, and of course mankind’s obsession with domination.  This book will make you think about it days later, and that makes a very interesting and wonderous book.  I truly recommend this one, but definitely take a lot of time out to think.

Jen’s Rating: **** (It would have been 5, but that damn section 6!)

Sidenote: I am really excited to see the movie, but I am really wondering how it will look!  See the trailer here.

I am in love with this book!  I know I could have finished it in a few days, but I really wanted to read it slowly and enjoy it.  I picked this book up at our book sale last year, and I was in the mood for something honest and ripe.  Wow, did I find it in this novel.  Nidali Ammar is born to an Egyptian mother and Palestinian father in the great city of Boston in the 1970s.  The first chapter was hilarious as Nidali’s father is convinced he has sired a son and decides to name the baby “My Struggle,” which is a terrible name for a girl as the mother screams in Arabic throughout the halls of the hospital.  Nidali coming from two worlds considers herself ”half-and-half,” which I definitely related to.  At an early age, her parents move to Kuwait where Nidali eventually gets a baby brother and experiences the harsh reality of the Gulf War, which begins on her thirteenth birthday.  With Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi army invading, Nidali’s family must flee to Egypt where Nidali is now looking for a home within her mother’s country. Nidali’s family eventually makes their last move to Texas once she is in high school, and all hell breaks loose with her want to grow up and be her own woman or live the life her overbearing father has planned for her.  Let me just say, I lived a completely different life from Nidali, but I resonated with her very much as a character.  The story is told as a first-person narrative, so you really grow and love her from the beginning because of her quirks and charm.  As mentioned above, I consider myself “half-and-half” although I am half white and half-Asian.  I do know what it is like living with an overbearing father who knows everything and a very eccentric mother.  In essence, this book could easily be about my family (other than the parts where her Baba (aka father) gets abusive with her).  I truly loved her mother’s character because she reminded me so much of my own crazy mother.  My favorite parts involve Nidali writing a letter to Saddam Hussein and the story of the wasp while losing her virginity. 

A Map of Home is an unusual yet highly entertaining book.  I’ve never read anything like it before, and I loved it.  I’ve never read a book that takes place in the Middle East, so I really didn’t know what to expect.  Nidali’s struggles through childhood to adulthood with forthright language and beautiful imagery make it a book not to miss.  I’m not in a book club, but I highly recommend this one.  The characters are delightful and real, which make the book a gem.

Also, I learned something that I must share with the world.  Nidali talks about Jay-Z’s song “Big Pimpin,” and her father tells her that the song is from a famous Egyptian musician.  I always wonder where they stole the hook.  Gotta give props to Abdel Haleem.  You can hear the original music here. 

Jen’s Rating: *****

I love Michelle Moran’s work since she blends an interesting story with significant historical events.  I was lucky enough to win an ARC copy/First Reads giveaway of Moran’s second novel involving the French Revolution.  “The Second Empress” focuses on Napoleon’s second wife, the Austrian princess Marie-Louise. I just finished “Madame Tussaud” so I was ready to get into this story.  One complaint I have about this book is that Moran condensed quite a bit for this time period to the last six years of Napoleon’s reign. Marie-Louise’s story is told in first-person by three different characters: Marie-Louise herself, Napoleon’s sister, Pauline Bonaparte (Princess Borghese), and Pauline’s chamberlain, a former Haitian named Paul Moreau. Personally, I get a little annoyed when there are so many points of views, and I think Paul Moreau’s narrative was unnecessary.  I didn’t find him very interesting.  Realistically, I knew very little about the French Revolution and then Napoleon.  To be honest, my only knowledge of Napoleon comes from The Count of Monte Christo with him being exiled to Elba and then escaping to create a new army.  Marie-Louise is from the Hapsburg line and a niece of Marie Antoinette (who unhappily lost her head fifteen years earlier).  She is very kind with smarts that only a Royal can have.  Her father molded her to be the ruler of Austria, so you really enjoy her as a character.  Marie-Louise does not like the fact she must marry Napoleon since she is already in love with someone else, but she knows she must do her duty for her country. 

Since I tend to like villains, I really enjoyed the chapters narrated by Pauline, Napoleon’s sister.  Since Moran has written many books about ancient Egypt, I thought it was interesting Pauline wanted to rule as the Ptolemy’s did with her brother as ruler and husband.  Poor Pauline was a whore and had the clap to prove it.  She was very over the top, but again, I always like a sexy villain.  Her love and need for her chamberlain, Paul, seemed out of character for this bourgeois character who felt entitled to be the most beautiful and perfect woman in all of France. 

Jen’s Rating: ****