REVIEW: On Gold Mountain by Lisa See

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If you read my blog, you know I love, love, love Lisa See’s writing (“Snow Flower and the Secret Fan”, “Shanghai Girls”, etc.). Last month I was trolling around on my Kindle, looking for something new to buy, when I came across “On Gold Mountain”. I knew this was a memoir of Ms. See’s family, but that’s all I knew about it. The price was inexpensive, so I purchased it. I was so glad I did!

“On Gold Mountain” tells the history of Lisa See’s Chinese relatives in America, starting with her great-great grandfather, who came to work on the Transcontinental Railroad, and focusing on her great-grandfather, Fong See, a Chinese peasant who grew to become a respected and wealthy businessman and leader of Los Angeles’ Chinatown, while marrying a Caucasian woman (which was against the law at the time). See tells her family’s story of hard work, love, loss, racism, and the immigrant experience through her unique and flawless writing style, often causing this reader to step back to remind herself that this was not historical fiction, but a memoir. Truly real life can give us the best stories!

I saw that “On Gold Mountain” is releasing this week in what appears to be a new edition, so my reading couldn’t have been timelier!

Quick Review: Pauline Kael – A Life in the Dark by Brian Kellow

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I was thrilled to get this book as a freebie from Net Galley, as I’ve always admired, though not always understood, Pauline Kael. Kellow brings us through Pauline’s life, from her early humble years to her tumultuous years at The New Yorker magazine. I found this book so interesting and easy to read, as I came to better understand Pauline – one of the harshest critics of film that I have ever come across. Years ago, in the 1980’s, when I started reading The New Yorker, I would often ponder: “Why is it that Pauline Kael never likes the movies I like? What does she like??” and I was often taken aback by her blunt attacks, particularly on films that were popular. Reading this book helped me to better understand and respect her. One thing is for certain: Pauline Kael’s impact on the field of film criticism was far-reaching and continues today.

Thanks, Net Galley and Viking Adult Publishers for my copy!


Review: At Season’s End by Eric Hendershot (coming out in May!)

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I got a preview copy of “At Season’s End” by Eric Hendershot through Net Galley. This story, releasing from Sweetwater Publishers in May, tells the story of the an itinerant family of farm workers, trying to survive during the Depression. Sal, a teen, and her brother Tim and their parents travel throughout the US, looking for work as fruit pickers. Sal and Tim befriend the children of other workers and Sal falls in love with a young boy whose life her father saves. However, tragedy strikes and Sal and Tim must use their wits to survive, while Sal worries that she’ll never see her beloved Ben again.

I really enjoyed reading this novel, which seems geared towards YA but is billed for “all ages”. The family at the heart of this story is so committed to each other. Their faith is obvious as well (this book has a strong Christian bent). What I found so interesting was how much they enjoyed their migratory existence and how they pretty much went from month to month, not always knowing where money would come from, yet happy nonetheless.

Hendershot’s resume lists several family-friendly books and movies, and I would consider this novel to be among his family-friendly works. It has an emphasis on strong morals and values, and, as noted, an emphasis on Christianity.

It will be coming out in May. Thank you to Net Galley for my copy!

Review: The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson

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Through Net Galley I got a copy of “The Underside of Joy” to review. This is the debut novel of Sere Prince Halverson and I enjoyed it a lot.

When Ella Beene’s husband Joe dies tragically, Ella plans to continue her life with the family store and as stepmother to Joe’s two young children. But soon their absent biological mother shows up, and she wants to be part of their lives. Ella is torn between holding on to the children she has called her own, while trying to reconcile the presence of their biological mother, who she was told had abandoned them. Ella soon learns that Joe did not share everything with her, and she struggles to find the truth and make the right choices for her and her family.

This was a fascinating book as the main moral dilemma was just that: a dilemma. Paige, the biological mother, was not evil incarnate. Ella, the protagonist, was not perfect. I found myself often asking: what would I do in this situation? While the story concluded quickly, I felt it was well-written and compelling. Additionally, there was interesting information on postpartum extreme depression (actually psychosis I believe it would qualify as) and also internment camps for Italian-Americans during WWII (I’m IA and this was new to me).

This book came out this month – I recommend it!

Thanks to Net Galley and Dutton Publishers for my copy!

Review: I am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley

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Love, love, love.

I just love the character of young chemistry wiz Flavia deLuce in this series of books by Alan Bradley. I know they are often billed as YA, but I think they are fine for adults. If you follow me, you know I just adored “The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie” and while I continued to love the characters and writing in the next two books, I was disappointed in the plot lines.

This time, however, I was thrilled. In this installment, it is Christmas time, and Flavia is determined to “trap” Father Christmas up on the roof to prove his existence to her two unfeeling and scornful sisters. Meanwhile, her father has rented their home estate to be used for a movie featuring a famous actress. In all the excitement of filming and house guests, along with Christmas and snowstorms, a murder occurs, and Flavia is determined to figure out who the murderer is (while they are all snowed in!).

If you’ve read the other books, or even if you haven’t, I highly recommend this one!

(and thanks to Father Christmas who brought me mine!)

Quick Children’s Review: Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski

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I recently got this book through Net Galley to review, and let me say right off: it was not what I was expecting. I figured a Lois Lenski book from the 1940’s would be pretty happy and light, telling the story of a little girl who loves/eats/picks strawberries. Instead this book was a fascinating (at least to me) look at life a hundred years ago in Florida, centering on two very different farming families who are trying to survive. The Boyers have just moved to Florida and are trying to make a living farming, including growing strawberries. The Slaters have lived there for generations and are rough and tough. The two families clash and come together throughout the book. Birdie Boyer, the ten-year-old narrator, tells most of the story through her voice. We come to sympathize with Birdie and her family, but grow a sympathy for the Slaters as well.

I can imagine this book being used in the classroom, but, as an educator, I would strongly suggest that teachers be very familiar with it in advance. There are lots of teachable moments in this book; however, there are also some disturbing scenes, too (drunken neighbor, slaughtered animals, beaten schoolteacher, etc.). It reminded me a bit of the Little House books, where you might be reading along and then strangely fascinated by something horrifyingly true, but in my opinion  it was harsher. Some of the book is written in dialect which can be challenging for young readers, too.  I would recommend this book for those in 4th grade and up. I’d be curious about others’ thoughts on it, too.

Thanks, Net Galley, for my preview copy!

Quick Review: V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton

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Hey, Folks — I’ve been MIA due to some family stuff going on. But I’ve kept reading! Coming up in the next week or so will be several short reviews on what I’ve been reading.

For Christmas I got the new Sue Grafton mystery: V is for Vengeance. I was quite excited as I’ve read all the other books in this series and really like them. This one was a bit complicated in terms of plot – I tend to read these books quickly and there were many characters and several subplots to keep straight. Long story short: our heroine Kinsey witnesses a shoplifting incident, and the thief ends up dead a short time later, which pulls her into a complicated series of events involving the Mob among other things.

I enjoyed this book a lot. As I said, it has a lot to keep straight in it, but overall, I found the pacing and plot excellent. I couldn’t stop reading! I managed to purchase a signed copy for my husband for Xmas through Ms. Grafton’s website, too – so now we have two copies.

REVIEW: The Baker’s Daughter by Sarah McCoy (coming out in January!)

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Through Net Galley I received a pre-release version of “The Baker’s Daughter” to review. This novel is the story of Elsie Schmidt, a teenage daughter of bakers in WWII Germany (now grown), and Reba Adams, a modern-day, disgruntled newspaper reporter. Their lives intertwine when Reba does a story on Elsie’s Texas bakery. The story is told through a back and forth narrative: Elsie’s story from WWII and Reba’s and Elsie’s story now.

I loved this book! As a lover of historical fiction, I really enjoyed Elsie’s story, (SPOILER ALERT!) her struggle with the beliefs of the Nazi regime, and her hiding of a young Jewish boy in the walls of her bedroom. Reba’s struggles with her life and knowing what she wants in life is indicative of what many people go through. Both main characters are engaging and as a reader I felt sympathy towards them. This was a book I didn’t want to put down!

Sarah McCoy was a new writer for me and I just loved her. This is her second book, so I will seek out her first one.

Highly recommended if you like historical fiction of the WWII period.

Thanks, Net Galley and Crown Publishers for my copy!

Quick YA Review: New Girl by Paige Harbison

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I received “New Girl” through Net Galley last week. It was a quick YA read with a plot to entice your average teen: our heroine, Callie, is admitted to the prestigious “Manderly Academy” in NH where she takes the place (literally) of missing student “Becca Normandy”, struggling to make new friends and dealing with major romance issues are secondary to the overall anxiety of Becca possibly returning (alive or from the dead).

Here’s the thing: I would have LOVED this book as a teenager. Ghosts? Dead roommates? Social issues? Teen sex? Attractive rich students off at boarding school with few if any adults in sight? I would have lapped this up, similar to my obsession in middle school with the “Flowers in the Attic” series.

As an adult, though, I had some major issues. Having worked in independent schools for over 20 years I found the fact that the main character’s parents “got her in” unbeknownst to her as incredulous. I found the amount of time the students were off partying and unattended, etc., incredulous. I found the fact that this poor girl was moved in mid-year to the same dorm room where the missing girl lived and the missing girl’s personal belongings were still all there and in place incredulous. I was also bothered by the Manderly/Becca/Rebecca association, which was intentional as a “retelling”, but wondered if most teens would recognize the DuMaurier reference or if I was just dating myself. Finally, I felt that I was reading the writing of a young person. I had no idea who this author was, besides assuming it was a woman, and felt this could be her first novel (it is not) or that she was young and still developing as a writer (she was 20 when she wrote it). Don’t get me wrong, the writing is fine. I just have read a lot of writing in my years as a teacher and college professor and it felt along the same lines. But the bottom line is I read it, and kept reading until the end.

So – I’d be interested in feedback when this comes out (it can be pre-ordered at the moment). I’d like to look forward to more from Paige Harbison, too. Due to the drugs/sex/rape/murder references, in my opinion it’s for older YA readers.

thanks Net Galley and Harlequin Teen for my freebie!

REVIEW: Ghost on Black Mountain by Ann Hite

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Back in October I read a great book that I found at the local BJ’s – “Ghost on Black Mountain”. This novel tells the story of Black Mountain and its ghosts through the voices of five depression era women.

Nellie Clay comes to Black Mountain as a young bride – not realizing her husband is pretty much evil incarnate. Nellie’s story is intertwined with her mother’s, her housekeeper’s, her daughter’s, and more as we see the lives of these people and the community in which they live. Set in Depression-era North Carolina, the story centers around a murder and the ghosts that it conjures – and set free.

I just loved this book. I loved the voices, the story, the peek into mountain culture of that time. Ann Hite is a great writer and this story goes on my unforgettable list!