Going too far by Jennifer Echols

Title: Going Too Far
Author: Jennifer Echols
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: MTV (March 17, 2009)
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

About the book:
All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far…and almost doesn’t make it back.

John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won’t soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won’t be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge — and over….

My Review:
Going too far is such a sweet book. On the surface it’s a love story but that’s not all it is.

Meg is a 17 year old girl with blue hair and an attitude that has put her in trouble many times. John is a cop. Because of an incident at the unsafe town bridge, Meg and her friends are arrested and she has to spend a week patrolling with John as a substitute to being put in jail.

The week they spend together is an eye-opener for both John and Meg. As they struggle to cope with the situation and as the blurb says ‘drive each other over the edge’, they realize that they both have some growing up to do. And it’s not sudden or magical.

John and Meg are such likable characters. And the best part is you can sympathize and understand both even if they are on different sides of the fence. If I did have my doubts about how 2 people so different could fall in love convincingly, they were baseless. It was fantastic to see them falling for each other.

As I said before, this book is much more than a teenage love story. It’s also about coming to terms with your fear and insecurities. It’s about broadening your horizons and cutting ties with things and emotions that pull you down.

But…it’s still a light read. It’s fun and hot and exciting. Jennifer Echols has done a wonderful job with Going too Far.

Obviously recommended. Read it if you like light hearted stories or just want to have some good time. Don’t get me wrong, this story is complex, but fun anyway. I have to read other books Jennifer Echols has written.

BTT: funniest book you’ve read recently?

What’s the funniest book you’ve read recently?

Oh well, I don’t read many funny books. As in I don’t go out of the way to pick “only” funny. I have Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris which I thought was funny enough.

Otherwise I have read books recently which had a lot of humor in them. Vamped and And then everything Unraveled come to my mind.

Somehow I feel I’m not too much into funny books or comedy for that matter. I am planning to read more David Sedaris and Nick Hornby but I’m no hurry.

One book I do remember reading and laughing out loud is Inscrutable Americans by Anurag Mathur. It’s a story about an Indian Village boy who goes to America for studies and how his friends make plans for him so that he looses his virginity. Well, something like that. I think it’s also been made into a movie but I haven’t seen it yet.

But this book was real funny. I think Indians would understand it better because a lot of jokes would be tangent to other people. But it’s still fun. Do read it if you ever get the chance.

What’s the funniest book you have read recently? Please do give me any suggestions…

The Secret Garden-Was it racist?

My younger sis started reading The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and she came across a few sentences in Chapter 1 in the first paragraph itself.

Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another. Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself…

She was offended by Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another. part. She said it meant that all people from India are always ill. Whereas I think the author meant ‘Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India‘ and ‘had always been ill in one way or another‘ are meant to be 2 statements not really related to each other. But I could be wrong.

The next sentence ‘Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself‘ kind of contradicts my understanding.

But my sister was really offended. She said the author should have taken the sentiments of all readers in mind before making a carpet statement like that.

And besides Indians don’t have yellow hair, neither do we have yellow faces.

I would have read this book sometime later but I’m really not keen to read it anymore. My sister is still reading it but she is reading it to find if there are more references like that in the book.

I told my sister I will ask my blog readers about it. So what do you think? Was it racist? Would you read a book that criticizes your nationality or race?

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

Title : The House at Riverton
Author: Kate Morton
Hardcover: 480 pages
Publisher: Atria (April 2008)
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

About the book:
Within its four walls lay a secret that would last a lifetime.

Summer 1924: On the night of a glittering Society party, by the lake of a grand English country house, a young poet takes his life. The only witnesses, sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford, will never speak to each other again.

Winter 1999: Grace Bradley, 98, onetime housemaid of Riverton Manor, is visited by a young director making a film about the poet’s suicide. Ghosts awaken and memories, long-consigned to the dark reaches of Grace’s mind, begin to sneak back through the cracks. A shocking secret threatens to emerge; something history has forgotten but Grace never could.

Set as the war-shattered Edwardian summer surrenders to the decadent twenties, The House at Riverton is a thrilling mystery and a compelling love story.

My Review: Ursula, a film Director writes to Grace requesting her to take a look at the sets of Riverton house, a centuries old house where Grace worked as a maid and where the film is going to be shot. This brings back a lot of memories that Grace had blocked. It was a secret that would have destroyed lives, a secret and a guilt that Grace carried for many years.

When Grace was 14, she was sent to work as a maid at Riverton by her mother. The first half mostly revolves around Grace and her duties as a maid. There is a clear divide between the masters and the working staff where they have a world of their own in the confines of the kitchen. Grace observes the children of the house, Hannah, Emmeline and David from a distance. As a reader we see them through Grace’s eyes too. Grace knows her place and she strives to do her duties well.

I did not like the first half of the book much because I couldn’t relate to or understand Grace and there was nothing much to keep me interested. Hannah, Emmeline and David were mostly on the periphery, so were the other members of the house. I was worried that the entire 500 pages book was going to revolve around Grace alone. But thankfully that was not the case. Things started to get interesting in the third part, which is the second half of the book.

The First World War brought a lot of changes in the household. Hannah and Emmiline’s lives were no longer on the periphery. I could relate to Hannah really well and I could understand her frustrations and the decisions she took because of it, affecting Grace’s and Emmiline’s lives in the process. I was hooked till the end.

I was most disappointed with the character of Grace. As I said before I just couldn’t relate to her and a major decision she took in the second half of the book was the last blow. I wished I was there to talk to her and bring her to her senses. It was obvious I didn’t like her even more after that. And I guessed her secret right from the start but I kind of have a feeling that the author wanted the reader to.

I loved The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton and I was really looking forward to this one. Although I’m not sorry I read it, I do wish the first half was cut short a little. The book as a whole flowed very smoothly. In spite of not liking the book as much as The Forgotten Garden, and in spite of my complaints, I think Kate Morton has done a very good job of interweaving history and fiction together and there are many things to like in this book. The House at Riverton is a good Gothic tale fit for a slow summer afternoon.

WG: Best movie adaptations

So what are some of your favorite movie adaptations of books?

The first adaptation that comes to my mind is The Memoirs of a Geisha. I read the book first and I loved it. The best part about the book, I thought, was the plot and the characters. I remember walking down the street from the company bus to my house with the book in my hand. I just couldn’t stop reading it. It was that engrossing. When I got a CD of the movie, I wasn’t really keen on watching it. And the funny part is I learnt about the book after learning about the movie. Wasn’t it nominated for the Oscars or something?

But I needn’t have worried. I loved the movie as well. It had preserved the essence of the book. The best part about the movie was the background music I know, I know. I also loved watching Japan and the sets and it was even prettier than what I had imagined while reading the book. And the main character, Sayuri, was so pretty, both the young girl and the adult. Just the way it was described in the book. Read the book and watch the movie. Both will be worth your time.

How about Anne of Green Gables starring Megan Follows? When I read the book I thought no one can play Anne well. Absolutely no body. I saw the movie poster with Megan Flower and I thought, ‘This isn’t how I imagined her’. I was sure I was going to be disappointed. But I was wrong. There is no one who could have played Anne Shirley so well. You can actually see her grow and change throughout the movie. I haven’t seen the other adaptations, but I loved this one.

Ummm…what else? Pride and Prejudice? Starring Kiera Knightly. Although I loved the book more, I like the movie too. It was very well done. I and my younger sis have watched the movie many times and she wants to read the book after watching the movie. Not bad huh?

I can say Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia but I haven’t read the books yet, so I really can’t say. Another movie I’m looking forward to is The Time Traveler’s Wife. I love Rachel McAdams and I’m so glad she’s playing Claire.

Oh and by the way, I hated Twilight. It was well made and all but it lacked something. It did not capture the essence of the book. And I don’t like their choice of Edward. Sorry Robert, nothing against you.

What according to you are the best or even the worst movie adaptations? Are you looking forward to any?

BTT: What do you prefer?

I forgot its Thursday and I already posted something else. As a rule I don’t do two posts a day. But anyway. Do visit the other post and let me know what you think of Reader’s Digest Condensed editions.

Onto BTT.

Today’s questions is (are)
Which do you prefer? (Quick answers–we’ll do more detail at some later date)

Reading something frivolous? Or something serious?
Both, depending on my mood. Alternately perhaps.
Paperbacks? Or hardcovers?
Both, preferably paperbacks.
Fiction? Or Nonfiction?
Fiction, sometimes non-fiction, mainly memoirs
Poetry? Or Prose?
Prose. I don’t read poetry.
Biographies? Or Autobiographies?
Any. No, I think autobiographies.
History? Or Historical Fiction?
Historical Fiction
Series? Or Stand-alones?
Stand-alones. But sometimes series have their own charm.
Classics? Or best-sellers?
Both.
Lurid, fruity prose? Or straight-forward, basic prose?
Again both
Plots? Or Stream-of-Consciousness?
Plots, I think.
Long books? Or Short?
Short or medium for that matter
Illustrated? Or Non-illustrated?
Both
Borrowed? Or Owned?
Owned
New? Or Used?
Both, preferably old.
(Yes, I know, some of these we’ve touched on before, and some of these we might address in-depth in the future, but for today–just quick answers!)

Considering how much I love to ramble on I had a hard time giving the answers. I had to curb my urge to elaborate many times

What about you?

Reader’s Digest Condensed Editions?

I just had these questions in my mind for some time now. How many of you read Reader’s Digest Condensed Editions? Do you think they deteriorate the value of a book? Or that condensing a book could take away the essence of it?

Some time back I bought a condensed version because it was cheap. Four novels at the price of one was a huge enticement. And that too novels by famous authors. Moreover, it was hardcover and beautifully bound. It was pretty inside too, colorful with beautiful font and all.

I own 2 Reader’s Digest condensed novels, that’s 8 novels, but so far I have read only one novel from them. I’m not scared by Niccolo Ammaniti, which I loved. It was the kind of book I wouldn’t have spent money on, never having heard his name before. But I loved it. I found a new favorite author. I now look forward to reading another novel by him, preferably not condensed.
I think Condensed novels are a great way of getting introduced to new authors without spending too much. I would never buy a James Patterson novel because I can find his books second hand or in a library. Or maybe on an author whom you have heard a lot about but again don’t want to spend too much in case you don’t like him/her.

As conclusion to my ranting I feel Reader’s digest Condensed editions are cheap, a good way to get introduced to new authors and they are hardcover’s, hence long lasting.

There is an entire list on Wikipedia with more than 100 Reader’s Digest Condensed Editions, and all good novels and famous authors too. You can also sign up for a free trial of the book here. (This link is for US, but I’m sure there are links for all parts of the world)

I would love to know your thoughts on this. Would you even give it a try?

A Hundred and One Days: A Baghdad Journal

A Hundred And One Days by Asne Seierstad

Genre: Non-Fiction

Iraq’s deterioration as a nation started in 1980 because of the 8 year Iran-Iraq war started by Saddam Hussein and then the disastrous invasion of Kuwait 2 years after the war. And then there was the 12 years UN sanction.

Asne Seierstad goes on a 10 day visa as a reporter in Baghdad for Scandinavian, German, and the Dutch media. She is there to cover a possible war between Iraq and America. But Iraq is in the clutches of Saddam Hussein and the journalists are not allowed to go anywhere without a minder and without getting written permission from the Ministry of Information, which is like keeping watch on the foreign journalists and what they could possibly leak to the outside world. Saddam Hussein wanted the entire world to know that his people love and respect him and that Iraq has prospered under his regime.

Asne is caught between wanting to write something of value and fearing the wrath of the Iraqi Ministry and being kicked out of the country. And she wants to be there for the scoop and the major stories when war hits.

I am here to find dissidents, a secret uprising, gagged intellectuals, Saddam’s opponents. I am here to point out human rights violations, expose oppression. And I’m reduced to being a tourist.

This book is divided into 3 sections -Before, during and after.
When Asne came to Iraq, she had only 10 days visa and like other journalists she wanted to extend her stay as long as possible. The things she did to extend her visa and also to come back after leaving Iraq once after her Visa expired, was very interesting. You can’t help but admire her persistence.

Iraq’s citizens are preparing for war, some are leaving the country, and some are stocking food and other essential things in case the war lasts longer. As Asne slowly and steadily goes into the heart of the city, she gets snippets of what exactly is beneath the surface. And then one day, the inevitable happens.

At four in the morning Bush’s ultimatum expires. At five-thirty the first bang is heard. I am wide awake, my heart thumping. I sneak out onto the balcony, first crouching in case of missiles, then standing up. Powerful impacts, air-craft noise and vigorous shooting from the Iraqi anti-aircraft missiles can be heard. From the balconies above I hear a Babelesque confusion of voices-Spanish, Arabic, English, French. We all stand staring out into the half-light and see the dim outline of the Presidential palace on the opposite side of the Tigris.

Most of the Iraqi’s secretly want to get rid of Saddam Hussein so in a way they are waiting for the Americans to start a war. Bush had promised to bomb only military sites. So they think they are safe. But once the war starts, things start to get ugly. Hundreds of innocent citizens are killed. The destruction, the mayhem caused is unbelievable. And so is the Bush bashing.

It’s very difficult to stop because I don’t want to give away everything. Can you tell I loved A Hundred and One Days? It read like a thriller. I got insights into how journalists report in war zones. It was fascinating and scary. Asne Seierstad is one brave woman.

Reading this book was like lifting a cloud of doubt and confusion that had settled itself in my mind after watching tons of conflicting news and documentaries over the years about the American Invasion of Iraq and the Saddam Hussein regime.

Its not that I know everything now, but I believe I know every side of the situation and can now watch or read one side of it without being confused or without getting anything else I read about it in the way. Why did some Iraqi’s rejoice and some mourn the defeat of Saddam Hussein? Why were Iraqi’s so against the Americans when they liberated them from a tyrant? You’ll understand all this and more when you read this book. Finally, my heart goes out to thousands of Iraqi people who suffered for years under Saddam Hussein and are still suffering in one way or the other. I really hope peace prevails soon.

4.5 out of 5. Highly Recommended.

Oh by the way, Asne Seierstad is also the author of Bookseller of Kabul.

I am adding this to Orbis Terrarum Challenge. The author is from Norway

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Guest Post: Peter Jobes-Author of The Volga Ruby

Title: The Volga Ruby
Author: Peter Jobes
Publisher: Lulu.com; 2nd edition (11 April 2009)

About the book:
As the European Powers indulge in an arms race that will eventually lead to war the rival empires court the favour of Russia, seeking to secure an alliance that will bring Russia into any war on their side. On the domestic front The Tsar is trying to consolidate power after the failed revolution of 1905 and the creation of the Duma, Russia’s first step towards parliamentary democracy. Into this scene enters James Fitzhugh, a British Military Attach‚, sent to Russia to work with the Russian military and help smooth the way to a firm treaty. Soon, however, thanks to a few words overheard by a friend, James is plunged into the middle of a world of plot and intrigue while the future of Russia and her treaty with the British hangs in the balance. Set against the grand architecture of early twentieth century St Petersburg The Volga Ruby is an adventure in the old tradition of adventure stories…

Ever wondered how authors do their research? I certainly do. Today I have the privilege to invite Peter Jobes, the author of The Volga Ruby, a book set in the Romanov era in St. Petersburg. Do read the post if you are interested to know how he did the research without ever visiting the place. Also to find out how Mark Twains ‘Write what you know’ does not hold true in this case.

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There is an old adage, often attributed to Mark Twain, that says you should write about what you know. I must say, it seemed to work for Mark. It also seemed to work with Fitzgerald writing about the Jazz Age, Hemingway writing about the Spanish Civil War, Ian Fleming writing about spies, etc; the list of authors to have written about what they know is long and distinguished. It’s all well and good to write about what you know when you’re a spy, or living life large in the Jazz age, or on the front lines in a conflict, but what about when you’re just living an average daily life in a singularly bland town? What about the rest of us who never get to do those amazing things that people want to read about? Well, for the rest of us there is but one option: Research.

Before I explain how I did my research for The Volga Ruby I should perhaps at first tell you how I think I should have done the research. As the book is set in Russia I should naturally have flown out there to familiarise myself with St. Petersburg and do in-situ research into the locality. Lots of the buildings from the era my book is set in are still standing and I could have soaked in plenty of period architecture. I should have visited the British Embassy and discussed how it was managed and what procedures were followed in 1907. I would have spoken to old people who may remember hearing first hand from parents or grandparents what life was like in the Romanov era. I should have buried myself in books in the great libraries and absorbed as much information on the subject matter as possible before I even started to type. Needless to say, that is not exactly how things went.

Given the fact that I was limited both in time and in finances to dedicate to research I had to take the other option and use the internet. It’s quite amazing the volume of information that is available to you if you’re willing to search for it. The most valuable tools for location research were Google maps and Google earth. While there is no way to get the atmosphere of a place merely through looking at it on a screen these tools do have valuable uses. You can familiarise yourself with the layout of a city and use it to look into routes but more importantly it is hyperlinked so you can view plenty of photos and read about areas all across the city until they weave together to form a good overview of the places you want to write about.

Historical facts and details were also often researched online but there is one vital thing to remember when researching anything on the internet – check your sources. It’s all well and good that wikipedia tells you something but it can’t be classed as a reliable source unless you can cross reference that with another more trusted source. Luckily even if a point is not referenced on the site you read it, you can often find by a detailed search other sites that can be used for verification. I found that, even if something was not covered in adequate detail online, it’s far easier to research from books when you have a focussed idea on exactly the facts you need to study.

When not using the computer I used a number of books, from travel guides to history books. It was not until after I had written my first draft that I read Robert K. Massie’s exceptional joint biography, titled Nicholas and Alexandra, but reading it made me feel I had a better grasp on behavioural traits of the Romanov characters and I did go back to edit certain areas in the hope of making them truer to the real thing.
In the end I think that the most important thing when writing is not knowledge but passion; while it is an advantage to know your subject first hand, knowledge can be learned, facts can be checked and research can be done. The more effort you put into that the better the results will be but passion for a subject is something that can not be faked, if you do not feel passionately about your plot, your stories, and your characters, then it will be very hard for a reader to feel passionate about them. I think, therefore, a better adage than Twain’s would be to “write about what you love“.
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Thank you so much Peter for the guest post.

Let me know your thoughts on this. Do you agree with him? Also, I’ll hopefully be able to review this book next month. So be on a lookout for that.

Behind Every Illusion by Christina Harner

Title: Behind Every Illusion
Author: Christina Harner
Publisher: Two Trees Publishing (May 6, 2009)
Softcover: 500 pages
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5

About the book:
“All creatures born of human parents must be human and therefore must be ordinary.”
Even the soft-spoken eighteen-year-old Tatiana Lewis wholeheartedly accepts this logic. So when she begins to experience unusual changes, she has no clue where to turn and instead keeps her new abilities a secret. But her best friend and brother, Isaac, sees past her illusions and together they explore the significance of her differences and search out the meaning behind them.
Amidst tragedy, unimaginable transformations and an unexpected friendship, Tatiana has to learn to reveal the girl hidden behind her illusions and what it means to face the world in order to preserve not only the forest but her very existence.
Behind Every Illusion is the first book in an exciting series about the extraordinary ways the earth has evolved in a desperate attempt to save itself from the destruction caused by humankind.

My Review:

Preface:
This story is not a fairy tale. A fairy tale begins with “once upon a time” or with a little old lady visiting a barren woman and blessing her with a miraculous baby. On the contrary, this story is about a girl who was born to ordinary parents in a land and time where people no longer believed in magic, myths, or – least of all – fairies. Perhaps there had been times when some people had actually witnessed the extraordinary taking place on earth, but that was many centuries ago.

Behind Every Illusion is the first book in the GreenEarth series. This book has fantasy and it has magical creatures but nowhere does it divert from its main goal. The story revolves around making the earth a better place and stop all the destruction man is causing.

This book has the most apt title and book cover. I found myself looking at the girl with the wings many times when I was reading.

After her eighteenth birthday, Tatiana notices some changes in her, physical and otherwise. She is confused, overwhelmed and in denial. Tatiana has a very close knit family which consists of her younger brother Isaac, her elder sister Bethany and her aunt Ruth. Her parents died in a car accident when she was 11 years old.

Isaac, her younger brother who is interested in Mythology and is also very active on mythology forums, knows that there is something different about her. He helps Tatiana understand and accept her powers and changes. I really don’t think I should tell you more otherwise it would spoil the book for you.

Behind Every Illusion is not a very plot driven book. In fact, considering its fantasy, it hardly has any action in it. It focuses more on Tatiana and her growth as a person and the new creature that she is changing into. It’s the most understated fantasy book I have read. Its the kind of book that starts slowly, in fact is pretty slow in pace throughout, but that worked for me as it let me sink into the story. And in spite of it, I found it very difficult to put down.

Moreover this book has a message. Considering it’s a GreenEarth series, it’s obvious what the message is. But the point that the book makes here is whether the Earth will evolve to combat the environmentally hard conditions that man has created.

I did have a couple of problems with the book though. I felt it was too descriptive at times. You get to read every thought that comes into Tatiana’s mind. There is nothing left for the reader to assume. But its something that I got used to. I would also have liked a little action at the end. But then considering how Tatiana is, that would have been a little unbelievable. But still. (This review was based on an ARC, the author has informed me that the final book is cut down by 20,000 words and it might be possible that my complaints are no longer valid )

Behind Every Illusion has a very fresh take on mythology and fantasy. We should have more books like that. I’m definitely looking forward to the Sequel.

Please do have a look at the site. Its one of the prettiest sites I have EVER seen.

About the author:
Christina Harner spent years studying the complexities of culture for her B.A. A lover of all things fantasy and creating imaginary beings and stories in her head, she is thrilled to finally blend her passions for anthropology, nature and the unknown realm of fairies together in her debut book. She wrote the book while living in Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband and two children. [close] Christina Harner spent years studying the complexities of culture for her B.A. A lover of all things fantasy and creating imaginary beings and stories in her head, she is thrilled to finally blend her passions for anthropology, nature and the unknown realm of fairies together in her debut book. She wrote the book while living in Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband and two children.