From the criticisms that I’ve read of the book and a discussion that we had at book club is the fact that the braille text is virtually unreadable as braille.  The raised dots simply are not raised high enough off of the paper.  I’d be curious to know if a blind individual could actually read the book.

But the book isn’t intended for the blind but rather those with sight and it’s very cool.  I enjoyed feeling the raised line art.  I knew what I was feeling for as I could see the image that the line art created but I would often close my eyes to see if I could figure out what I was feeling.

Thomas thinks that without the sun, water, doesn’t amount to much.
It has no color, no taste, no smell.
He says that green tastes like lemon ice cream and smells like grass that’s just been cut.
But black is the king of all the colors.  It is as soft as silk when his mother hugs him and her hair falls in his face.

How does one describe a color?  A very creative book that would be a welcome addition and a different type of reading experience for any children’s library.

Links of interest:  More book blogger reviews.
Genre:  Picture Book, approx ages 4-8.
Publisher: Groundwood Books.   June 28, 2008.
Hardcover, 24 pages. ISBN 0888998732
The Black Book of Colors is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

A family tragedy which is slowly revealed in the story has torn her family apart.  Her father is out on an inopportune extended business trip and calls all the time but when he does Mazzy just hangs up on him.  He has no idea how bad things have gotten at home.  Her mother is severely depressed and lies in bed comatose every day.  This leaves Mazzy very much on her own with neighbors who do try to look out after her.  Social services is also suspicious and Mazzy has to deal with the stress of trying to keep her family together – at least what’s left with it.

Everything is Fine is told in a very sparse prose.  A style which I found refreshing but many might find disconcerting.  It’s also told through the random stream of conscience of Mazzy.

He calls back and I let it ring.
He calls back again and I let it ring.
He calls back again and I finally answer.
He says:  Mazzy, I am going to say one more thing and then you can hang up.nes
I pick my toenail and lie on the couch.
He says: Your mom and I love you very -
But then I hang up again.
A rerun of Judge Judy is on.

Dad and Mom used to dance.
Late at night when we were supposed to be asleep.
Mom would throw back her head and laugh and Dad would pick her up.
“Stop it, Dave,” she’d say.
“What?” And he twirled her around and around.
“You’re going to to hurt your back.”"Well, I guess I should stop, then,” he’d say, and keep twirling and twirling and twirling.
I used to lay on the floor and watch them from the hallway.
Watch them laugh.
I’d lay there until maybe Dad saw me and he’d say, “Well, looks like someone is in big old trouble,” and I’d scream “No!” and he’d put Mom on the couch, and her face.  I can see her face.
All giggly.
I’d start down the hall but he’d catch me.  He always catught me and then it was me laughing and twirling and everything was how it was supposed to be.
My mom  used to love my dad and my dad used to love my mom.
And they both used to love me.
He went for a one-week audition for ESPN 360.  One week became forever.

This book was so odd and so touching.  The whole time, I was reading it I kept thinking, this book is so weird!  But I loved it!  Ellis is an author to look out for.  She’s different.  And I love that.

Back when the book was released (March), I went to hear Ann Dee Ellis (another of our wonderful Utah authors) give a reading at The Kings English Bookshop.

I’m smiling funny but dang, she’s so cute! Can’t wait to see what she has coming up next.

Links of interest: Ann Dee Ellis website, more book blogger reviews, and Maw Books review of  This is What I Did by Ann Dee Ellis.
Genre: Young Adult
Published:  Little Brown Young Readers; March 1, 2009
Hardcover, 160 pages.  ISBN 978-0316013642
Everything is Fine is available from your independent bookstore, Powell’s, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

Girl in the Arena comes out today and I’d love to see people picking it up to read because I think it makes for some great discussion.  The more that I think about the book, the more I like it.  It has some fascinating insight into a culture that has gone mad for violence and touches on some deep issues.

Girl in the Arena is a dystopian novel but man, it felt like the culture was not such a far fetched idea.  There are a lot of references to current culture – Skyping, Wikipedia, watching Crouching Tiger and Stranger than Fiction but wrapped up in all of this is the Gladiator sport.  And it’s actually more than a sport, it’s an entire culture that began first underground at about the time of the Vietnam War.  Gladiators now fight in front of large crowds and a TV audience and can fight anything from animals to other Gladiators to the death.  It’s a blood sport more popular than football or soccer.

Lyn was born into the Gladiator lifestyle and living the rules and bylaws of the association is second nature to her family.  Her mother is a high profile Glad wife who has been married and widowed by seven Gladiators.  Lyn is known as the daughter who had seven fathers.  They are celebrities.  Tommy, her current father has been matched up with Uber, a new gifted young fighter and if there’s a bylaw that Lyn knows all to well it’s – Never leave the stadium when your father is dying. Uber wins Lyn’s dowry which means that she must marry him.  But after watching her mother lose seven husbands, the last thing that Lyn wants to do is become a Glad wife.  But the Association is intent on her celebrity wedding.  To win her freedom, she challenges Uber to a fight in the arena.  It’s a  first for the association and they’ll do anything for publicity.  The only problem is – she might actually like the guy.  And while she considers herself a fighter, she actually doesn’t like violence.

I loved Lyn’s little brother Thad.  Although, it’s not stated specifically, I imagine that he is Autistic.  Everything that Lyn does, she does for Thad.  I loved their relationship.  Lyn’s relationship with her mother was odd in the sense that she seemed to be taking care of her instead of the other way around.  Plus, I always find it odd when children call their parents by their first name.

Stylistically, I found that the choice to not include quotation marks in dialogue to be very interesting.  It took me more than half of the book to be able to see past it.  It was really hard to read this way at first and took me out of the story.  I honestly don’t know why the dialogue was this way.  I was okay with it the second half of the book after I got in the rhythm of the book.  You can get a slight idea of what I’m talking about in the following passage where Lyn recounts the first time she went to her first Glad fight at the age of five.

– Kitten, we’re going to see some funny things today.  Men being a . . . . little silly.

She rubbed my knuckles with her thumbs as she spoke.

– If we see anything that makes us a little sad or upset, we just have to make a game of it.

I said I wanted to play a game.  And she started over.

– The men are going to look like they’re having a big fight.  Your father is a famous fighter, so this is something to be proud of.

– He’s a gladiator, I said.

– Yes, exactly, and we know that gladiators hav weapons.  Like . . . axes and knives and . . .

– And clubs.

[. . . . ]

– Yes, clubs too.  Good girl.  So nothing to be concerned about.  And I brought your coloring book and crayons.  And look, she said, reaching into her bag and pulling out my favorite stuffed animal.  — I brought your dog and her pajamas if she gets tired.

This is also one of those covers that isn’t truly representative of the book’s character.  I personally like the cover but Lyn is actually bald for the entirety of the book.  She’s got a nice set of hair in that cover.

Girl in the Arena explores a world of violence and how the lines between reality and games are blurred.  It’s a story that I won’t forget simply because it is SO disturbing.  How does a culture move from being normal to one where killing each other for sport is celebrated?  I don’t think this book will be for everybody.  It is bloody.  So be warned.  But it’s worth picking up.  A fascinating premise and story line.

And although I think it stands completely on it’s own, yes, its true, for fans of The Hunger Games . . . .

Other bloggers on the Kidz Book Buzz tour:  Abby the Librarian, A Patchwork of Books, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Fireside Musings, Homeschool Book Buzz, KidzBookBuzz.com, Maw Books Blog, My Own Little Corner of the World, Reading is My Superpower, Through a Child’s Eyes.
Links of interest:  Lise Haines website and on twitter.
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Publisher: Bloomsbury. October 13, 2009.
Hardcover, 336 pages. ISBN 1599903725
Girl in the Arena is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Zlata’s diary begins as any other eleven-year-olds diary would:  talk of vacations, friends, school, teachers, MTV, pizza, Michael Jackson, and sleeping in on the weekends.  The first entry in fifth grade begins, “Behind me – a long, hot summer and the happy days of summer holidays; ahead of me – a new school year.”

It is just a short month and a half into her journal that the war enters her life:

There’s a real war going on in Dubrovnik.  It’s being badly shelled.  People are in shelters, they have no water, no electricity, the phone’s aren’t working.  We see horrible pictures on TV.  Mommy and Daddy are worried.  Is it possible that such a beautiful town is being destroyed?

Little does Zlata know but those words echo a prophecy that will soon come true in her own life.  It isn’t long before the war moves to Sarejevo.  She slowly watches the life that she knew crumble all around her.  She readily admits that she doesn’t understand the politics of the war nor why people have to be so cruel as to kill each other.

Zlata’s story is one that is difficult to summarize.  I’ve decided that I will randomly pick some passages from the book in a chronological order from beginning to near end.  No rhyme or reason to the passages picked.  Just opened the page and see where it took me.

I’m watching the American Top 20 on MTV.  I don’t remember a thing, who’s in what place.

I feel great because I’ve just eaten a “Four Seasons” Pizza with ham, cheese, ketchup and mushrooms.  It was yummy.  Daddy brought it for me at Galija’s (the pizzeria around the corner).  Maybe that’s why I didn’t remember who took what place – I was too busy enjoying my pizza.

I’m not going to school.  All the schools in Sarajevo are closed.  There’s danger hiding in these hills above Sarajevo.  But I think things are slowly calming down.  The heavy shelling and explosions have stopped. There’s occasional gunfire, but it quickly falls silent.  Mommy and Daddy aren’t going to work.  They’re buying food in huge quantities.  Just in case, I guess.  God forbid!

Two shells exploded in the street and one in the market.  Mommy was nearby at the time . . .  Daddy and I were besides ourselves because she hand’t come home  . . . We kept going to the window hoping to see Mommy, but she wasn’t back.  They released a list of the dead and wounded.  Daddy and I were tearing our hair out.  We didn’t know what had happened to her.  Was she alive? . . . I looked out the window one more time and  . . . I SAW MOMMY RUNNING ACROSS THE BRIDGE.  As she came into the house she started shaking and crying.  Through her tears she told us how she had seen dismembered bodies . . . Thank God, Mommy is with us.  Thank God.  A HORRIBLE DAY.  UNFORGETTABLE.  HORRIBLE! HORRIBLE!

I have another sad piece of news for you.  A boy from my drama club got KILLED!  A shell fell in fron the community center and a horrible piece of shrapnel killed him.

Today is Alma’s birthday . .  .  We had a super time, but . . . .I looked out the window and saw a flash. . . BOOM!!  Shattered glass, falling plaster . . . The birthday party wasn’t bad, but it would have been better if that shell hadn’t spoiled it.

. . . we are living in fear, we are suffering, we are not enjoying the sun and flowers, we are not enjoying our childhood.  WE ARE CRYING.

Well, I don’t want to write out the whole book for you but suffice it to say that this is a book that I will long remember.  And it’s one that I was constantly questioning what I was doing in my safe, sheltered life while Zlata was living a nightmare.  A nightmare of constant fear, hunger, coldness, hiding, and where getting water is a life or death feat.  I believe that I’m only a year older than Zlata so seeing the dates really put a perspective on the book.  She was even a huge New Kids on the Block fan!  Despite our shared commonality because Zlata lived in another part of the world her childhood was war torn while mine was much different.

Books like this are always worth reading.  Now I’m off to find out where she is now . . .

Genre:  Young Adult, Non-Fiction/Diary
Publisher:  Scholastic.  January 1994
Paperback, 200 pages.  ISBN:  0590487922
Zlata’s Diary, A Child’s Life in Sarajevo is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Set in the 1930’s during the great depression in the dust bowl of Oklahoma, Out of the Dust is told as a diary in free verse form, a style of writing that I love more with every book I read.  Billie Jo is fourteen and loves to both write and play the piano.  She’s also eagerly anticipating the birth of her baby brother.

But that all changes when an accident leaves her hands wounded and her mother and brother die in childbirth.  Billie Jo’s father is emotionally unreachable:

I don’t know my father anymore.
He sits across from me,
he looks like my father,
he chews his food like my father,
he brushes his dusty hair back like my father,
but he is a stranger.

I am awkward with him,
and irritated,
and I want to be alone
but I am terrified of being alone.
We are both changing,
we are shifting to fill in the empty spaces left by Ma.
I keep my raw and stinging hands
behind my back when he comes near
because he
stares
when he seems them.

September 1934.

Dust is just as much of this story as anything else.  It’s everywhere and non-relenting.  It makes for a bleak and harsh environment.  Billie Jo wants to escape it all but when she does she comes to realize that the landscape is more a part of her than she realized.

Out of the Dust is a great historical fiction novel for young readers and I loved the free verse.  Recommended.

Genre:  Historical fiction, ages 9-12.
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks.  October 1, 1997
Paperback, 240 pages. ISBN:  0590371258
Out of the Dust is available from your local independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

“It’s not what I expected.”

That’s the first response I keep hearing from readers of the actor and the housewife. I wondered if the title or jacket was misleading, or the jacket text. Or all. They may be. But as I’ve listened to these readers, I’ve come to realize that, at least in part, it’s something more ephemeral than all that: this book doesn’t have a genre.

This is what Shannon Hale says about her newest book The Actor and the Housewife and this is exactly the response I had when reading it.

Not. What. I. Expected.

I am not sure what I was expecting, but I certainly wasn’t expecting myself to have a bawl fest over this book.  And I never cry! Just look at that cover.   Would you cry over that?

Shannon goes on to say in her blog post:

Some reviews have called it “chick lit,” because there are elements of that, I suppose, and austenland could fit that description. But I think readers who expect chick lit will be surprised, and some might be disappointed.

So if it’s not chick lit, then what? Fantasy? Sorta, but not really. There are no magical elements, no hero’s journey or perilous adventure, no mythical creatures. But if fantasy is a genre that says, “Here’s what’s possible in our world–now let’s add a little more…” then yeah, it is fantasy. Though not in the traditional sense. So again, readers expecting fantasy like my other books will be surprised, and perhaps disappointed.

So is it literary fiction? No. There are elements of that, but some of the plot and the fact that one of the characters is an A-list gorgeous British actor means that this book wouldn’t be allowed in the literary fiction club.

Romance? Sorta…but sorta not.

Wish fulfillment? Sorta…but sorta not.

Comedy? Sometimes.

Drama? Sometimes.

So, no genre. It’s just a novel. For some readers, that’s enough. But for others, that can be confusing and upsetting. This has made me look at genre, what that means, why we like it.

I absolutely love what Shannon has to say about genre being a contract between the author and the reader:

Genre is a kind of a handle to hold, a way to manage the story. Genre does tend to follow a certain formula, though I don’t think it’s fair to say that all genre fiction is formula fiction. But as a reader I can understand the desire to have an idea of what I’m reading before committing to the book. I’ve had a few experiences where I’m reading a book by a fantasy author that doesn’t turn out to be fantasy, and I’m like, Wait! We had a contract here–I read a book and you deliver some magical stuff!

Exactly!  I was expecting to laugh my way through The Actor and the Housewife.  And I did!  I totally did.  But, I was totally blindsided with the touching, sappy, cry like a baby moments.

Now, that I’ve reprinted most of Shannon’s blog post, what exactly is The Actor and the Housewife you ask?  Well, Becky is a Mormon housewife and is seven months pregnant with her fourth child.  Somewhere between keeping house and being a mom, she has managed to write a screenplay which will cause her to travel from her home in Utah down to Los Angeles.  While there, she chance meets the celebrity of her dreams:  Felix Callahan.  Felix is so out of her realm and is Becky’s complete opposite in every way, but they have instant chemistry.

Thinking nothing will come of their meeting, Becky goes back home to her family and loving husband Mike.  So it’s with complete surprise and confusion that Felix shows up on her turf and they fast become best friends.  Not crushing on each other friends.  But best friends.  Call each other all the time, playful banter, joke around best friends.

Felix has brought a whole new dimension to Becky’s life that she didn’t know she was missing.  While both of their spouses are supportive of the odd platonic relationship (because really a rich, good-looking atheist British actor and a frumpy, conservative Mormon housewife?), Becky’s extended family, friends and neighbors are not so sure.  Can Becky and Felix’s relationship really endure?

The Actor and the Housewife is a story of friendship, love, marriage, faith, family, happiness, and sorrow and ultimately a fairy tale of sorts that answers the question:  what happens when your celebrity heart throb crush walks into your life, settles down into the nearest couch?  And don’t we all need a bit of a fairy tale in our life?

I want to say that The Actor and the Housewife is really “cute” because it is, but cute is not a word that seems appropriate here.  I was touched with it’s tender moments.  I also thought it was brave of Shannon Hale to write a novel with a Mormon housewife as her main character.  I thought it was fun to see the type of community I grew up and currently live in portrayed in a mainstream novel.  Although I must admit that I don’t know a single Mormon housewife who bakes three pies a week!  (And let it be noted that there are all kinds of Mormon women just as there are all kinds of different women in different faiths.  Becky is very conservative and while she falls into the Mormon woman stereotype, one cannot judge an entire population from one member.)  Hale is in no way preachy though, Becky is simply living her life and makes no excuses for it.  The same could be said of Felix.

I believe that some people will find fault with the book – most likely along the lines of the “no way is a hot, famous British actor going to see anything in a Mormon housewife” story line, a few character quirks, and the ending not going quite like they hoped.  But really, how likely is it for a married famous actor to hook up as best friends to a married Mormon housewife?  Not likely.  But I certainly wasn’t putting this book down.  It’s not for everyone (which book is?), but it took me completely by surprise and I can’t wait to let all my neighbors borrow it.

I laughed.  I cried.  I loved it.

I was thrilled to attend a reading/party for The Actor and the Housewife at The Kings English Bookshop in Salt Lake City and take some short videos.  In this first video, Shannon talks about where the idea for The Actor and the Housewife came from:

Shannon Hale on writing The Actor and the Housewife:

Shannon Hale reading from The Actor and the Housewife:

Shannon Hale and fan mail (seriously, LOVE this letter!):

There is a karaoke scene in the book, so now way were Shannon and her husband Dean going to pass up a chance to sing:

Oh yes, and the lovely Shannon Hale and I (Shannon had a cutest Apron contest earlier – thus her adorable apron):

Is it bragging to much to say, that when I walked in to the event, Shannon looked up and said, “Hi Natasha!”  Oh yes, that would be Shannon and I on a first name basis.  Sigh . . .  I love this blogging thing  And last, I’ll end this post, with another excerpt from Shannon’s blog post:

I hope that readers can set aside ideas of genre and expectations and go on this reading adventure with me. I really hope so. Because I am terrifically proud of this book. Genre would have sucked the life out of this particular story. Maybe my publisher should put on a label: WARNING: This is notwhat you’re expecting. Contains no genre. Read at your own risk. Maybe. And then again, sometimes, maybe surprise is a good thing.

So spill it.  If you could be best friends with any famous, heart throb of an actor/actress who would it be?  And if your married, would your significant other be okay with that relationship?

Links of interest:  Shannon Hale website.  Maw Books reviews of Book of a Thousand Days, Austenland, Rapunzel’s Revenge, Princess Academy.  Maw Books interview with Shannon.  Shannon’s zuchinni soup, Rapunzel’s Revenge launch party (where I acquire the zuchinni), and Children’s Book Festival .
Genre: Fiction
Publisher:  Bloomsbury. June 9, 2009
Hardcover, 352 pages.  ISBN:  159691288X
The Actor and the Housewife is available from your local independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

But Hollis finally makes a home for herself with the wonderful Regan family and for once she’s thinking of not running.  She is beginning to relax and can see herself finally shedding away her tough exterior.  But when an accident occurs, Hollis feels that she has no choice but to run again.  Her new family begs her to come back but betraying her own wants and desires she moves on.  This time she’s placed with an elderly woman, Josie, who unbeknownst to the foster care system is in the beginning stages of dementia.  Hollis likes  her a lot, because she used to be an art teacher and Hollis loves art more than anything.  When the system finally catches on to her situation and arranges Hollis to be transferred again, she knows that she must make a decision that will affect everybody around her.

The story is told in two alternating time lines, the time with Josie and the one with the Regan family.  We know of her past feelings of living with the family but are gradually given details on why she felt like she had to give it all up.  I loved Hollis.  I particularly enjoyed the thought process that she went through as she deals with the agony of being in the foster care system, feeling unloved, and how she begins to soften only to have it taken away all over again.

She’s the type of character that does frustrate you a little only because as a reader you know more than she does, you want to sit her down and say, “Now look here, what in the world are you doing?!  You can be happy if only you do this and this . . . “  And that’s why Pictures of Hollis Woods is a wonderful story because we want all of Hollis’ dreams to come true and we can’t put the book down until we find out if she has or not.

Pictures of Hollis Woods has been made into a Disney movie.  Here is the first bit of the film:

Has anybody seen the movie?  I think I’ll try to track it down.

Links of interest:  Maw Books review of Lily’s Crossing also by Patrica Reilly Giff.
Genre:  Juvenile Fiction.  Approx. ages 9-12
Published by Wendy Lamb Books.  September 10, 2002
Hardcover, 176 pages.  ISBN: 0385326556.
Pictures of Hollis Woods is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

In The Secret Keeper, Danny Kellerman, a British journalist, four years earlier landed the story of his lifetime when sent to Sierra Leone as a war correspondent to cover the political upheaval and civil war taking place there.  Being on the front lines had always been his dream job, but what he didn’t expect was to fall in love with Maria, an American woman who ran a orphanage for ex-child soldiers.  They have a brief but passionate relationship and when the crisis elevates he has no choice but to board a plane and go back home leaving Maria behind.

Four years later, Danny is living back in London with his girlfriend and is at odds with his father.  Danny receives a letter from Maria which pleads for him to return to Sierra Leone because she’s in trouble and needs his help.  But the letter didn’t arrive in time, and Danny learns that Maria was murdered just days earlier in a roadside robbery.  Danny can’t shake the feeling that there isn’t something right and that there had to be more motive surrounding her death than just a “roadside robbery.”

Against his family and his girlfriend’s wishes, he returns to Sierra Leone to find answers.  While there is a new type of peace in Sierra Leone, it’s not the same country that he left.  Former rebel leaders now hold high offices in government and secrecy and corruption seem rampant.  And asking to many questions about Maria gets Danny further into trouble and he soons finds himself in dangerous and life threatening situations.  As he uncovers more of the mystery surrounding Maria’s death, he finds that she might not be the woman that he thought she was.

What I liked about this book was knowing that the author Paul Harris is a journalist turned novelist and that he spent time as a war correspondent in Africa covering the conflict in Sierra Leone.  I found that completely fascinating and wondered how much of his experience was pulled into the novel.  Thank goodness, I was able to ask Paul directly and you’ll be able to see some of his thoughts in my author interview which I’ll feature tomorrow.  I will be the first to admit that I’m really ignorant on the political climate of Sierra Leone and I appreciate being introduced to new places and new people through fiction.

The Secret Keeper was fast paced with lots of twists and turns that had me unable to guess how the book would end.  I liked the multiple story lines, one told in 2004 as Danny researches Maria’s death and the second in 2000 with Danny’s first trip to Sierra Leone and his falling in love with her.  I enjoyed seeing how the two stories came together and revealed their relationship together as he was uncovering her death.

What I didn’t like about the book?  Long time readers of my blog can probably guess that I am not a fan of lots of foul language.  I can stand some language but when I feel like I’m getting bogged down with it than I get very distracted.  At one point, I almost wish I had kept track of the number of times the “F-word” was used.  When the characters get into a rollicking conversation, it could be as many as 5-6  a page.  Of course, it’s not every page, but it’s just enough to make me a little hesitant to recommend it to those who like cleaner reads.  On a good note, the sex scenes were very tastefully done.  The “leave it to my imagination” kind.

I don’t think The Secret Keeper will make my top ten reads of the year, but overall, I liked it.  It had a great storyline, believable characters, and set against a volatile background of war, greed, murder, and deceit, it makes for an intriguing read.  I can also see it as a great movie.  Plus, you know me and my Africa war books.  I’m always up for anything that covers those type of issues.  Just beware the language.

The Secret Keeper will be on tour the rest of May and into June with TLC Book Tours, so do check out what other bloggers are saying.  As for me, I’m really curious to see what everybody else thinks.  But that’s not all folks!  Come back tomorrow for an interview with Paul Harris. I have to admit that this was one of my most intimidating interviews I’ve ever conducted.  What do you ask a man who has risked his life covering war stories in Africa?  You’ll find out.  And as if that’s not enough, I got my hands on a second copy of The Secret Keeper, so I’ll be doing a giveaway tomorrow as well!

Do you have any other recommendations for books set in Sierra Leone?  This is a topic that I’d love to read more about.

Links of interest:  The Secret Keeper website.  Blog stops with TLC Book Tours.
Genre:  Mystery/thriller.
Publisher:  Dutton Adult.  April 2nd, 2009
Hardcover, 336 pages.  ISBN: 0525951024
The Secret Keeper is available from your independent bookstore, Powell’s, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
.

Thinking back on this book, I really can not remember any of the stories.  I vaguely remember something about a man looking in a mirror while he’s shaving and reminiscing about his body.  Another about two best friends and one who continually pushes the other away.  All the stories are very dark and troubling and dive deep into a psychoanalysis of the characters.  Which given that the author is a psychotherapist isn’t very surprising.  The writing itself was very difficult for me to get into.  Half the time, I kept asking myself, “what did I just read?”

For example, the following paragraph is found in the short story entitled, “I’ll Make It. I Think”

Once, when I was younger, I made up a fable about my life.  It was my own nipple and I sucked it dry.  It’s worth repeating.  Trouble is I still don’t understand it all, but if feels right, true to what I know about me and my destiny (?).

Maybe I’m just not a savvy reader, but I have no idea what any of that means.  And sucking your own nipple dry not only thoroughly confuses me, but scares me a little too.

But there were passages of very poetic writing as well, as seen in this passage in “Echo,”

That feeling of terror, of being lost on a beach on a sea of strange blankets and bare bodies, that dumbstruck horror of feeling very much alone and torn off or away, as if one is dislocated, a fragment in a cruel time or place, a mons pubis disjointedly staring out of an oven in Auschwitz is what it is all about.  It is a ligament tear of the very soul, a lifelong inflammation that no medicine will cure; one dies hobbles.

It’s this type of writing that makes me step back and read really slowly, so I don’t miss anything.  While I do like this particular passage, I have no clue what mons pubis really means but I can probably take a wild guess.  (Just did the Wikipedia thing – who really uses that term in a conversation? AND I had no clue that this book review would go this direction.  What in the world am I doing? I normally don’t talk about nipples and mons pubis’s!)

This wasn’t the book for me.  If you like deep, dark, character driven short stories you may find it worth the read, but personally it’s not a book that I would recommend.  The upside is that it only took about an hour or so to read.

I’m going to go ahead and pass on my copy of Down to a Sunless Sea to somebody else if they’d like to give it a try.  Let me know if interested and I’ll choose a recipient.

Genre:  Short stories
Published: Wheatmark Books, November 2007.
Paperback, 148 pages.  ISBN:  9781587367335
Down to a Sunless Sea is available from independent bookstores, Powells and Amazon.
(Wondering what kind of info you’d like in this space, as I might start doing this.  Consider this my test run.)

Like the title suggests, Lunch with Lenin, is an anthology of ten short stories connected by how the lives of teens are affected directory or indirectly by drugs.  It’s a worldwide problem and as such Ellis takes us from the Philippines, where young Ramon is just trying to take care of his mother and siblings, to Afghanistan, where for Tahmina, harvesting opium is their families only livelihood, to the United States where a babysitter must protect the children from their with out of control alcoholic parents.  The stories are engaging and thought provoking but not preachy.  Ellis just presents the facts as they are and leaves us to ponder upon the choices that each character has made.

Deborah Ellis has proven yet again that she’s a writer for young readers who can always be relied upon to give us stories where are attention is most needed.  Deborah Ellis’ page on the Fitzhenry and Whiteside site.  Other books I’ve reviewed by Deborah Ellis: The Breadwinner, Parvana’s Journey, Mud City (a series), and The Heaven Shop.