On Sal Mal Lane

On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman
3.5/5 stars
Graywolf Press, 2013
385 pages
Adult Historical

Source: Received an ARC from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

After seeing this book receive such warm praise from Christina T at Reading Extensively, I knew I wanted to check it out. I was terrified though when I opened the book and had trouble focusing. It's told in omniscient third person from the perspective of the street following a huge crowd of people with particular focus on the four children of the Herath family: Suren, Rashmi, Nihil, and beloved youngest Devi.

Once I had a handle on who everyone was, I really enjoyed this story. I loved the huge cast of characters and the way their lives intersected, how the mistreatment of one person led to cruelty of another or the kindness of people unfamiliar with each other brightened the whole place. The book takes place over five years (from 1979-1983) and we get to see a lot of changes in the lives of the people on this lane. It's very rich from the descriptions of colors to the amazing sounding food and I think it will definitely appeal to fans of literary fiction and book clubs.

However, for me there were also a lot of stylistic and writing decisions that made it difficult to become fully immersed. First was the writing. The best way I can describe it is that there are a lot of commas, connecting phrases for longer sentences and it was not a writing style that clicked with me. Second, as mentioned above, there are a lot of characters. I loved that there was a glossary of the slang and such used throughout the book. There is a map showing where each family lived as well as a list of characters; I would have appreciated if that list identified who was Tamil, Sinhalese, Burgher, etc. This connects to my third point, which is my almost nonexistent knowledge of Sri Lankan history. I did know vaguely about the Tamil Tigers and I could guess some things about colonialism based on my knowledge of British imperialism in India but a lot of the complexities were over my head. I feel like Freeman may have assumed more familiarity with the history on the part of her audience than I possessed. An author's note with additional references might have been helpful. Obviously these are all pretty particular to me but may apply to others as well.

My big advice would be to brush up on the Sri Lankan Civil War and check out a sample chapter if you're able, to see if you can handle this. It is definitely worth it!

January-June 2013 Faves

I've been trying to get this post ready for ages so here it finally is...my favorite reads of 2013 so far! I have broken it down into 6 categories (it's a bit long but definitely make sure to read the end to find my most favorite and recommended books of the year.) I have included links to my reviews where appropriate.

First up is Books I Thought I'd Like...and I Was Right! These are books that came from imprints I tend to love, had authors I've enjoyed before and/or had concepts that seemed right up my alley.

Cinders and Sapphires by Leila Rasheed
Also Known As by Robin Benway
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter

Second category is Books I Wasn't Sure I'd Like...But Ended Up Loving This is a really exciting category where I hoped to like the book (that's why I decided to read it) but there was maybe something about the concept or other reviews that left me unsure. Thankfully I did read them and I loved them.

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
Dancing in the Dark by Robyn Bavati
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
The Fire Horse Girl by Kay Honeyman
Pivot Point by Kasie West

Third category is Kickass Sequels. These are books where I enjoyed the first book but wasn't sure if the its sequel would suffer second-book syndrome. Luckily that didn't happen here and I am on tenterhooks waiting for the next installment in this exciting worlds. This is a huge category and I'm so glad there are so many books on it.

Prodigy by Marie Lu
Everbound by Brodi Ashton
Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers
The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa
Confederates Don't Wear Couture by Stephanie Kate Strohm
Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend by Louise Rozett (check back on Sunday for a chance to win this!)

Fourth category is Outstanding Middle-Grade Titles. I don't read a lot of MG so this only has one title but it's one I highly recommend for a fun time.

Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff by Paul Weston

Fifth category is Adult Books. I'm obviously mainly a YA reader/blogger but earlier this year I had an itch for some other categories. Pretty much everything I read during that time was fantastic and I just wanted to share the titles with you in case you find yourself in a similar situation.

Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
The Sword Dancer by Jeannie Lin
The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan 

The sixth and last category is devoted to one author, being the Revelation category. This is an author I read for the first time this year, devouring both of her books and becoming an enthusiastic fangirl, both thrilled and anxious that I still have a third book by her to read (what will I read when I finish that?) I am, of course, talking about Rainbow Rowell and her books Eleanor and Park and Attachments. I cannot recommend these books enough!

So that is what I've been loving so far this year. Are any of these titles on your list? What other books do I need to check out?

The Secret Ingredient

The Secret Ingredient by Stewart Lewis
4/5 stars
Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2013
256 pages
YA Contemporary

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

I feel like this is another YA contemporary about which I hadn't heard much. Luckily that tends to work in my favor as I don't enter the book with expectations, instead being prepared to just enjoy whatever comes. What I did know was that this book would feature its protagonist cooking a lot, something that really pleased me. Unfortunately I kept wanting recipes and this book did not provide any. I feel like I am encouraged to give cooking (and baking, my first love) more of a shot but I'd like a bit more guidance before attempting.

Anyway the plot for this one is less focused than your typical dystopia or fantasy. Basically we have Olivia going through the summer before senior year: she's getting her first real job in a casting agent's office, her adoptive gay dads are having money struggles, and she's starting to wonder about her birth mother in addition to creating a plan to pursue her love of cooking and first romance troubles.

One of my big concluding impressions of this book is that it is light. Yes, it does look at some more serious topics but the writing and plotting is very smooth and flows well. It's on the shorter side and I read it pretty quickly. Although I am thinking about it now, a few days after finishing, it didn't have anything substantial that will continue to resonate with me for the rest of the year like my favorite books did.

I pretty much liked everything but didn't love anything. It was great to see Olivia as a child of adoption and the easy acceptance of her dads for what they were (although as is shown, sadly not everyone is cool with it). I liked the cooking aspect, which plays a huge role. I liked Olivia's best friend and her support of Olivia at multiple key points. I wasn't too thrilled with how the romance plays out but if you're someone who doesn't want too much romance, you might be pleased with its representation here (I sometimes wish for more casual relationships in YA but really I do want the one true love intensity that we most often get.)

Overall: A perfectly pleasant read-fine for the beach or other summer locales. It just didn't knock my socks off :(

Other Opinions:
Always Be a First Rate Version of Yourself...
I Eat Words 
In Libris Veritas
Rainy Day Ramblings
The Compulsive Reader

The Symptoms of My Insanity

The Symptoms of My Insanity by Mindy Raf
4/5 stars
Dial Books, 2013
374 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Library

I hadn't seen much about this book around the blogosphere but I read a really funny interview with the author at Badass Bookie, which made me think this might be a good book for me as I'm always up for comedy especially over the drama and serious books that sometimes seem to get coverage around the blogosphere. That impression was right as this book definitely had its humorous moments albeit balanced against serious moments as well.

The basic plot centers on Izzy whose life is chaos-she's a hypochondriac, her mother is recovering from a rare cancer, her best friend seems to have changed personalities, her ex-best friend is all of a sudden friendly again, and her long-time crush actually seems to be interested in her. Not too mention her older sister's nitpicking, her best friend's suddenly cute older brother, and her extracurricular commitments like an art portfolio for a trip to Italy. Not so basic after all, I guess and that was my big complaint about this book. There's just so much stuffed in here and I wish a few subplots had been taken out as I felt overwhelmed. I know it's fitting for the book because that's what Izzy comes to realize but I don't think it's the best feeling for a reader to have.

However within that multitude of subplots are some real winners. Of particular interest to me were two. One was the relationships between women. Izzy has many important women in her life: her mother, her older sister, her best friend, her ex-best friend, her mom's best friend, and her art teacher being some of the most important. These relationships have their ups and downs but they do show the wonderful world of female friendship and family that I feel is sometimes missing from YA. Nobody is perfect or always right, mistakes are sadly made that fray the bonds, but in the end, they are there for each other. Relatedly is my second point of interest: a bit of an "I am Spartacus" moment when the girls at school bond together to protect Izzy against a potential punishment. Now I'm a bit upset that the boy who is actually responsible received no explicit punishment; rather it is implied that the poor company he keeps and the bad decisions he makes will earn him his just reward.

Overall: A pretty funny and moving story-I hope it starts to get more attention among contemporary fans! It just felt very smart and down to earth, real and touching in the best ways.

Other Opinions:
Badass Bookie
Cuddlebuggery Book Blog
Ex Libris
Paper Riot

Burning

Burning by Elana K. Arnold
4/5 stars
Delacorte Press, 2013
320 pages
YA Contemporary

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

My review is a little spoilery but not explicitly spoilery.

When I first saw this book, I liked that it was contemporary and featuring Gypsies, a group I've never read a book about, but it wasn't a must-have. Now that I've completed the book, I really admire the writing and thought it was pretty well-plotted but for some reason it still didn't click enough to earn a perfect five star rating from me. I guess what I was feeling and wanting to read didn't gel with this book.

We have two main characters. First is Ben Stanley, resident of Gypsum, Nevada, a town based on a mine that is closing and subsequently disbanding. He is one of the lucky ones; while his family and some of his friends are going to Reno, he has a full scholarship to UC-San Diego. Still his fortune leaves him uneasy and he's not sure if he's ready to leave. His path collides with Lala White and her Gypsy family. When Lala reads Ben's cards, it sets off a string of events neither could protect.

There are so many great parts to this book though I will only talk about a few right now. One is the dual perspective with very distinct voices. Lala has a much more formal way of speaking and often seems to talk with bemusement. Ben is a pretty typical American guy albeit with a slightly cleaner vocabulary than I imagine. There are some beautiful passages in here that I'm sure other more sensitive readers will appreciate more.

But my most favorite part was Lala's journey. The Gypsy have pretty strict gender roles and long-held traditions such as the one that will see Lala married to a man of her family's choosing shortly after her eighteenth birthday. However Lala does not just blindly follow tradition. She is a reader, she questions, she sees a whole world out there. When she makes an unforgivable choice in her family's eyes, she gains new experiences with Ben but faces being as trapped with him as she would have been with her family; needless to say she makes the brave choice earning her a feminist fist pump from me.

Cover: I wish her skirt was just a teeny bit longer as that more accurately reflects Lala's attire.

Other Opinions:
Ladybug Storytime 
Some Like It Paranormal
The Book Babe's Reads 
Writer Grrl Reads
Young Adult Book Haven

Two Girls of Gettysburg

Two Girls of Gettysburg by Lisa Klein
4/5 stars
Bloomsbury, 2008
390 pages
YA Historical

Source: Won in 2011 from The Maiden's Court

I won this book years ago but never gave it a read. When I realized that it was the 150th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg though, I knew exactly what book I wanted to pick up to commemorate that occasion. As someone who grew up in Pennsylvania, I actually had a class trip to Gettysburg one year; sadly my big memory is that my bus broke down and we didn't spend much time there. I'd love to go back and visit now as an adult with a greater appreciation for the history.

This book actually begins in 1861 with main character Lizzie summarizing her life in quiet Gettysburg, Pennsylvania so far and soon jumping in to the war with her father and brother enlisting, prepared to do their duty. Their enlisting leaves Lizzie to help her mother and younger brother take care of the family's butcher shop and endure the privations of war. The other point of view is beautiful flighty Rosanna, cousin to Lizzie and born of the South with the feelings you might expect. As the years pass, the cousins are separated until a fateful chain of events brings them back together in Gettysburg.

One big surprise for me was the alternating POVs. Lizzie narrates for about the first 100 pages-the chapter headings always shared who was speaking and I was starting to wonder if Rosanna would ever get a chance to redeem herself as the picture presented by Lizzie made me dislike her though Lizzie's innocent love kept her connection to Rosanna strong. Thankfully Rosanna becomes a bit more sympathetic as two years of war push her to grow up and mature. Similarly Lizzie experiences great character development, becoming less selfish and discovering her inner strength.

This book reminded me a bit of Ann Rinaldi's In My Father's House, which follows a family who has the Civil War erupt in their back yard (the Battle of Bull Run) and then end in their home when they move to Appomattox. No one thinks the war is going to last long and certainly not that it will come up north. It shows war invading every part of the country, even the sleepy small places that might otherwise just ride out the storm. I also really appreciated getting more of northern presence; the only other Civil War book set in the North that I know is Little Women and the war parts aren't what is most memorable to me (and most others, I think.)

My favorite part of this book is near the end when Klein chronicles Lincoln's visit and the delivery of his famous Gettysburg Address. First the most famous orator in the country declaims for two hours. Then Lincoln steps up and delivers those simple words, which I've shared below in honor of the anniversary and because it's honestly that short.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

<Text copied from wikipedia; written by Abraham Lincoln; delivered November 19, 1863>

War and Peace Volume II, Part 5

Hosted by My Friend Amy

I really struggled with this section as I kind of left it to the last minute to read but I squeezed it in! I was pleased to discover that it was another section set during "peace" following the changing relationships such as Natasha's engagement to Prince Andrei. Unfortunately it's a pretty depressing section with Natasha breaking that engagement and attempting to elope with another (already married) man. Of course, she didn't know he was already married but a lot of other people did considering it was a secret marriage to a Polish woman who has now been abandoned.

The big point of interest for me was Pierre's interest in Natasha. I did read a full plot summary of the book before starting and I *think* they might end up together after more years have passed. I could totally be wrong but I hope I remembered correctly because I really like that relationship and I want good things for Natasha. At this point she's still pretty young and she needs to do some maturing.

Other than that, not really much happened as this section was only about 70 pages (in my translation, which is the Pevear and Volokhonsky version.) I was surprised by the shortness but also very thankful as I had a lot of other reading on my plate. Amy mentioned that the next section returns to "war" so I will need to make sure to leave lots of time for reading that-it takes me so much longer to read the battle scenes as I have trouble picturing what's going on.

(Note: I had originally planned to post my fave reads of 2013 so far later today but I ran out of time so that will be posted later this week, ideally tomorrow.)