Liar & Spy

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead
4/5 stars
Wendy Lamb Books
180 pages
Middle-Grade Contemporary

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the cover and the blurb for this book looked cute so I requested it. I didn't realize this the author of When You Reach Me (it is written in rather small font on the cover photo) and I haven't read that any way so I did not enter this book with any expectations.

Our main character is Georges (named after George Seurat, the painter of the very famous pointillist masterpiece "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jette".) He is undergoing some big changes as his family has moved to a new apartment because his father lost his job. Meanwhile he never sees his mother because she has been at the hospital, picking up every double shift that she can. In this new apartment building, Georges meets Safer, part of an eccentric family (how eccentric? The parents waited until the kids were about two and then named them based on their personalities.) Safer is the resident spy and he recruits Georges to spy on their neighbors. At school Georges deals with bullies and negotiating his way through middle school.

For the most part, this is a pretty quiet contemporary story with not much action (although there are some suspenseful moments when Georges and Safer put their investigative skills to the test). One of my favorite elements was the mention of the reform spelling movement (of which Theodore Roosevelt was a proponent) from one of Georges' classmates in some funny scenes. I also enjoyed seeing Georges navigate the rocky waters of school and implement an excellent plan for handling his problems there.

As I read though, I thought, "This is pleasant enough but how is this book going to wow me?" Well, it turns out that it will have a twist that makes you go back and rethink many of the passages that came before. I can see this twist was included (I don't want to be spoilery about it but for the right reader, it could be very emotional) but I found it to be cheap and manipulative, leaving me with a bad taste in my mouth. I think there could have been a bit more work done to prep the reader.

Overall: A heartwarming story except for the little matter of the aforementioned spoiler.

Cover: I love this cover-I think it's really cute and appropriate for the story.
 

The Age of Desire

The Age of Desire by Jennie Fields
3/5 stars
Pamela Dorman Books, 2012
352 pages
Adult Historical Fiction

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have been discovering that I love historical fiction centered around a real person. In this case the person is acclaimed author Edith Wharton, whose books I adore. But I didn't know much about her real life so I was excited to catch a glimpse through this book.

...I kind of wish I hadn't. About all I knew beforehand was that she was part of New York's upper-class, hence the fact that she wrote acclaimed stories about them like The House of Mirth (haven't read yet) and The Age of Innocence (have read). What I didn't know was that she had an affair with a journalist, learning what passionate love could be about after years living a repressed existence with a man whose intellect was beneath hers. I really really need to get better at reading the synopsis because I'm sure this affair was mentioned and it could have served as a warning to me to steer clear: I don't usually like books featuring infidelity and it tends to render the main character extremely unsympathetic as it did in this case.

More promising was the relationship of Edith and her right-hand woman Anna who began as a governess but now serves as Edith's typist/secretary and early critic. Anna, like me, is horrified by Edith's new "friendship" and that forms the bulk of their conflict which leads to Anna traveling and leaving Edith without her trusty secretary while Anna pines for the old relationship she had with Edith.

Another wrench in their life is managing the swinging moods of Edith's husband Teddy who suffered from acute depression. His highs and lows frighten everyone around him and leave them on pins and needles. Although he is an unpredictable presence, the parts with the husband were some of my favorites. This is mostly because he was more active but also because I didn't feel much for Edith who receives far more page time than Anna as the famous person. I was able to feel much sympathy for him and his devotion to Edith, which made me think of this quote (I've never seen it attributed to anyone in particular): "Just because somebody doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have."  Although not her intellectual equal, the picture painted of Teddy is of a decent man who should not have married Edith and whose mental problems did him in.

Unfortunately there is not as much about Teddy but there is plenty about Edith and her foolish longings for the journalist (who is kind of a gigolo) as well as some depictions of her famous friends like Henry James, a welcome presence.

Overall: Adultery renders main character intolerable to this reader. But the writing is quite good and I was able to read this book fairly quickly.

Cover: I do like this cover (which features a pretty dress in a gorgeous cover-how I love those!)

Discussion Post: On Expectations

I got a little scared about picture rights and uses after reading some stuff this week so I decided to feature a picture that has nothing to do with the topic but a. makes me happy and b. is completely legal for me to use; neither the photographer nor the subject will have anything to say to me about it. This is my cat Aragorn who has lately taken to showing us his stomach, which we all take as an invitation to pet him because petting a cat's stomach is one of the best things ever.

On to the discussion topic, the first of three I have planned for the month!

Lately I have been thinking about how my expectations affect my enjoyment of a book and subsequent review. I think I will usually end up rating a book lower if I was expecting something different from what I feel I ended up getting. There are two main experiences I had recently that influenced this blogpost.

First was seeing a review from Jen Ryland about Auracle, a book I had never heard of. Based on the blurb, she "was expecting paranormal suspense" while the book "was more of a dramedy." As she points out, that's not exactly a bad thing but misleading publisher descriptions are one of the most frustrating instances. If I pick up a book looking for light comedy and end up getting something melodramatic that is trying to pluck my heartstrings, I will be upset. I think this is especially important for those of us who are mood readers. I like surprises as much as the next person but if I'm picking up a book whose cover and blurb suggest one genre, I will be upset to discover it is more like another and that is likely to be reflected in my review.

The second instance was in my experience of reading Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore. After loving Graceling and Fire, I thought Bitterblue would be a slam-dunk read. My review is still to come but it was not to my taste. The expectations set by the previous books of Cashore were not met for me and this book probably received a lower rating than it would have had my expectations not been so high, based on my previous experiences with the author.

One last way I've thought about expectations is how other bloggers influence me. Sometimes bloggers like Jen give us a heads-up on how the publisher blurb is a bit misleading. But sometimes blogger recs lead us astray. Have you ever picked up a book after seeing it get rave reviews from some bloggers, only to end up thinking, "Did we read the same book? Why was this praised? She thought this writing was good?!" This seems to happen to me especially when I see bloggers gush over the latest YA paranormal romance with a drop-dead gorgeous dress on the cover only to find the heroine insipid and the love triangle frustrating.

These are all examples where I would probably end up writing a more negative review than if I had moderated my expectations. What about you? Do those misaligned expectations negatively impact your reading experience and review or are you able to separate the merits of the book from what you expected? What other situations with expectations and the reading experience have you encountered? And please note, I was somewhat focusing on the negative because I have had many times where books exceeded my expectations and led to great times.

Up next week: intertextuality in reviews

Stress Point

Stress Point by Susan Francis Martin
4/5 stars
Thomas Nelson, 2012
267 pages
Adult Christian Non-Fiction

Source: Received a copy for review through Booksneeze in exchange for an honest review.

I was interested in this book because of its subtitle: "Thriving Through Your 20s in a Decade of Drama." I am in my twenties and have found some areas of life difficult, in particular negotiating the job area, which is the very first chapter. So I figured this book would be pretty applicable.

Chapters aim to cover every aspect from work as mentioned above to relationships, money issues, and spiritual maturity over the course of ten chapters. Martin broke down each chapter into five sections, using these three guiding images: "Worshiping at the Throne of the King", "Waiting at the Throne of the King" and "Finding Focus on the King." These are images we can as we aim to conquer the stress points in our lives. Each chapter has multiple journal questions to work through but my personal favorite part was how Martin shared a different name of God with us and how that name has give her inspiration through stressful parts of her life.

Many of the points were familiar to me, which is good as I obviously need to hear some of these things again.  One immediate application for me was when earlier this week I was looking at my closet and hating all my clothes. I caught myself and shook my head to literally shake those thoughts out of my head. Instead I reflected on how lucky I am to have so many choices, closed my eyes, and then picked the first short-sleeves shirt I saw. Another application for me was waking up every morning this week and thinking how lucky I am to get to go to work instead of groaning about getting up. This was something my pastor had preached about earlier this year and I'm happy to have had it repeated because I need to hear these things multiple times to make sure they really sink in and change me.

I did struggle a bit with the beginning of each chapter as Martin shared three case studies; in many of the chapters, I didn't relate to any of the case studies and since they were a jumping-off point, I felt my entry into that section was a bit stymied. But I loved the career section and found that one to be very helpful.

Besides the book chapters, there are also summary pages, additional discussion questions, and online videos at Martin's blog if you're looking for more information about this book. I think this would be a helpful read for many Christian women in their twenties.

Starring Me

Starring Me by Krista McGee
4.5/5 stars
Thomas Nelson, 2012
328 pages
Christian YA Contemporary

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

After loving First Date, I knew I wanted to read McGee's next book. To my surprise, it is actually a companion novel focusing on First Date's heroine Addy's best friend Kara. I was expecting a standalone, although this one can certainly be read on its own.

Kara gets the opportunity of a lifetime when she is asked to try out for a teenage sketch comedy show, that would allow her to demonstrate the multiplicity of her talents. Unbeknownst to her, her famous costar is Chad Beacon, one of the most popular teens on the planet. In order to select the right costar, the finalists will live together for a month and be under the scrutiny of trusted Beacon employee Flora.

In a fun twist, Chad and Kara actually meet outside of the competition through their friends Jonathan and Addy of First Date. Their budding relationship is so cute; though both are interested, they decide to wait on God before making any big moves. This is a great example for Chad and Kara's relationship as well as for any tween/teen who reads about a lot of insta-love that permeates the category. Taking your time and learning more about your potential partner is a good thing!

Another aspect I loved was Flora. I think we would be friends especially due to her love of Austen; she draws from Emma to describe her initial feelings about what girl should be chosen as costar. Additionally Flora just has a big heart-she's a sweetheart and was probably my second-favorite character (after Kara herself).

My one complaint is about Chad's parents, who are sweetly overprotective of their son but who seemed to think that non-Christians are not good enough to be around their son full-time. I was kind of offended by their attitude and am worried that non-Christians would also get this impression and

And while this book is not overly preachy or full of Scripture, at its heart, it is about a girl deciding to commit her life to Christ, which is not a storyline that will appeal to everyone. But if you like books about backstage hijinks and drama, there is a lot to love in this book.

Cover: Love it! Kara's hair is part of her distinctive look and this girl obviously loves the spotlight.

Darth Paper Strikes Back

Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angleberger
4.5/5 stars
Amulet Books, 2011
163 pages
Middle-Grade Contemporary Humor

Source: Picked up for review from library.

After loving the hilarious antics of the kids in The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, I knew I'd be picking up this sequel. How could I resist another Star Wars tinged, epistolary middle-grade humorous novel? Only someone made of much sterner stuff could do so!

The book dives right in to the story, forcing me to remember the characters and their relationships. Honestly I had forgotten main character Tommy's name and there were a few other relationships I had to think about. Luckily I soon got back in the swing of things and sped through the book. This new book introduces a new character, Darth Paper, created by Harvey who serves as an antagonist to Dwight and his Origami Yoda, leading to Dwight being threatened with expulsion from their public school. He would get sent to a reform school with the really bad kids.

Of course Tommy and his classmates do not want that to happen. Although they still think Dwight is a weird kid, his advice in the first book and onwards has been immensely helpful to them time and time again even when they don't always understand it. This is proven over and over again. Fortunately Origami Yoda seems to know all and the ending is happily resolved.

This book also features two origami projects: an emergency 5-fold Origami Yoda as well as the titular Darth Paper. Additionally there is also the introduction of a Star Wars game within the book, giving readers multiple projects to embark upon after finishing reading.

Overall: We have a very funny novel told in alternating perspectives by the different students as they work together to prevent Dwight's fate.

Cover: Works perfectly with the previous book and signals the dark side, which seems to prevail for much of the book.

July Stats

Looking Back at July: I got to host Lindsey Leavitt in support of A Farewell to Charms-check out her interview! It was a very productive month for me, reading 29 books (I had been averaging 25 a month) but alas while I'm in the reading groove, I have fallen out of the habit of writing reviews. It is taking me much longer than I would like to put my thoughts down-there may be some mini-reviews coming your way if I don't get inspired soon!

Looking Forward to August: Another fantastic mix of recent YA along with a few adult books-I like to mix it up! I am also working on some discussion posts about blogging/the process of writing reviews, which is a bit ironic considering my current slump. I'm hoping it will be interesting for bloggers and non-bloggers alike. Along with that, I hope to pull myself out of my reviewing funk because I currently have about seven posts in draft and I would really like to hit publish on them. What do you do to pull yourself out of a reviewing slump?

Monthly Stats:

Books Read This Month: 29
Pages Read This Month: 9466 pages
Average Length of Book: 326 pages
Average Rating of Book: 3.79
Recommended Reads of the Month: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Year Stats:

Total Books Read: 179
Total Pages Read: 56,316 pages
Average Length of Book: 315 pages
Average Rating of Book: 3.79

By Genre:
Mystery/Thriller-2
YA/MG-21
Romance-1
Classics-0
Science Fiction/Fantasy-1
Non-Fiction-2
Historical Fiction-2
Short Stories-0
Other-0

Source:
Home Library-7
Own/Borrowed/Won-0
Netgalley-15
Other ebook source-1
Booksneeze-1
Amazon Vine-5

Stats for Previous Months: January; February; March; April; May; June;

Books Read:
151. Imperfect Bliss by Susan Fales-Hill
152. Size 12 and Ready to Rock by Meg Cabot
153. Nothing Special by Geoff Herbach
154. Mystery at Blackbeard's Cove by Audrey Penn
155. I Am (Not) the Walrus by Ed Briant
156. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
157. The Scorpions of Zahir by Christine Brodien-Jones
158. Through Rushing Water by Catherine Richmond
159. This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
160. Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock
161. Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angleberger
162. Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal
163. First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky
164. Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard
165. What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor
166. Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton
167. Circle of Silence by Carol M Tanzman
168. Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
169. Starring Me by Krista McGee
170. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
171. Prince William by Penny Junor
172. The Age of Desire by Jennie Fields
173. Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead
174. Narc by Crissa-Jean Chappell
175. Dreamless by Josephine Angelini
176. Keeping the Castle by Patricia Kindl
177. For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund
178. Burn by Heath Gibson
179. Stress Point by Sarah Francis Martin