Aberrations by Penelope Przekop

Date of Publication: 2008, Emerald Book Company

Number of Pages: 241

Synopsis (from back cover): Twenty-one-year-old narcoleptic Angel Duet knows her father harbors secrets. he loves and protects her, but his suspicious refusal to discuss her mother’s death drives Angel to worship as image created from the little history she does have: her father’s sketchy stories and her mother’s treasured photography, studies of clouds that have hung in their foyer for more than twenty years.

When her father’s girlfriend moves in, the photographs come down, and Angel’s search for truth becomes an obsession. As she struggles to uncover the past and gain control over the narcolepsy that often fogs her world, Angel descends into a dizzying realm of drugs, adultery, and confused desire that further obscures reality.

When Angel exposes a history that she could never have imagined, she discovers her entire life has been anchored in lies. Accepting the truth, once found, is the key to understanding herself, her family, and her life. To truly awaken, Angel must realize that sometimes the gifts we receive are not what we want – and only with time do we see the truth.

Review: I have read quite a few books this year already, but this has to be the best to date. I was immediately pulled into the story, from the very first page, and was completely engaged until the end. The characters are fully developed and quite original, as is the idea behind the story. Not knowing much about narcolepsy, I found the treatment of this condition in the story very satisfying. There’s no medical jargon to deal with, and everything is dealt with on an emotional level. Angel seems to channel Sylvia Plath’s Esther Greenwood in her torment and she is surrounded by friends who either aid her or hamper her in her quest to find the truth about her mother.

Przekop manages to seamlessly weave two stories together: her relationship with her father as she searches for her mother, and her relationships with others as she struggles to deal with her narcolepsy. As a bridge between these two stories, Carla, Angel’s father’s girlfriend, is the great mover of the story as she forces Angel to see truths about herself which motivate her to keep going. Although their relationship is strained, Angel and Carla are really the two seekers.

In the end, I found this book to be extremely satisfying. Przekop is an immensely talented storyteller with the ability to create unforgettable characters. As a first book, Aberrations is an amazing accomplishment, and I can’t wait to see more from Przekop.

Rating: 10/10

Reviewed by Sarah

Mr. Fooster Traveling on a Whim by Tom Corwin, illustrated by Craig Frazier

 

In this slim volume you will find the eye opening story of Mr. Fooster’s travels. He goes for walks with seemingly no purpose but to see what he will see. Along the way he has interesting and surprising encounters and makes good use of his old bottle of bubble soap.

 

The author has written a lovely tale that encourages adults to think outside the box and try to remember the wonder and imagination that we had as children. As we grow up we forget to stop and really look at things and we forget to ask questions. In so doing, we miss opportunities that we might have had, were we more open-minded.

 

The lyric prose is accompanied by Craig Frazier’s lovely sepia toned pen and ink illustrations that enhance the story. You can see the Mr. Fooster brought to life at the website !

All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown

From Amazon ~

In Brown’s withering Silicon Valley satire, a family wakes up on a June day to realize that patriarch Paul’s company has hit the big time with a phenomenal IPO. But instead of rejoicing about being newly rich, the family’s three women each find themselves in the throes of a major crisis. Paul has fled with his new amour, who happens to be wife Janice’s tennis partner. Desperate housewife Janice discovers the soothing power of the pool boy’s drug stash and sinks into addiction and denial. Meanwhile, 20-something daughter Margaret learns the price of living a Hollywood lifestyle on an artsy hipster’s budget—gargantuan credit card debt. Finally, 14-year-old Lizzie wades deeper and deeper into a sea of adolescent trouble without an adult to confide in. From the ashes of their California dreams, the three must learn to talk to each other instead of past each other, and build a new, slightly more realistic existence—but not without doses of revenge and hilarity

A beautiful tale of 3 women from the same family struggling with the changes in their lives. Mom Janice has just be left by her husband of 29 years – as soon as it makes it RICH. Twenty-eight year old daughter Margaret comes home to support her mother as well as to escape her own problems in LA. And 14 year old Lizzie become the talk of the school and is left to figure things out on her own. Each of them must struggle to come to terms with what is happening in their lives, and find a way to come together as a family to communicate with and support one another. A wonderfully entertaining book filled with laughter and tears. An insightful look at what happens when families fall apart and how they can be put back together. A

Sweeetheart by Chelsea Cain

From Amazon ~

With Heartsick, Chelsea Cain took the crime world by storm, introducing two of the most compelling characters in decades: serial killer Gretchen Lowell and her obsessed pursuer Portland Detective Archie Sheridan. The book spent four weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and garnered rave reviews around the world. But the riveting story of Archie and Gretchen was left unfinished, and now Chelsea Cain picks up the tale again.

When the body of a young woman is discovered in Portland’s Forest Park, Archie is reminded of the last time they found a body there, more than a decade ago: it turned out to be the Beauty Killer’s first victim, and Archie’s first case. This body can’t be one of Gretchen’s—she’s in prison—but after help from reporter Susan Ward uncovers the dead woman’s identity, it turns into another big case. Trouble is, Archie can’t focus on the new investigation because the Beauty Killer case has exploded: Gretchen Lowell has escaped from prison.

Archie hadn’t seen her in two months; he’d moved back in with his family and sworn off visiting her. Though it should feel like progress, he actually feels worse. The news of her escape spreads like wildfire, but secretly, he’s relieved. He knows he’s the only one who can catch her, and in fact, he has a plan to get out from under her thumb once and for all.

Chelsea Cain has topped her own bestselling debut thriller with this unputdownable, unpredictable, edge-of-your-seat read.  

Heartsick was so amazing, I never thought anything could top it! But Chelsea Cain has done it again and then some. Archie, Henry and Gretchen are back for another game of cat and mouse. While fighting is addiction to both Gretchen and Vicodin Archie, Henry and news reporter Susan are trying to solve the murder of three bodies found in the woods as well as the death of a friend of Susan’s and a Senator. You would think that Archie’s sick obsession and need for Gretchen has abated because he hasn’t seen her in months, but it’s only gotten worse. And one trip back to the prison is all it takes to throw him deeper into her clutches. For some reason she has this sick hold over him – and when she escapes from prison, he thinks he is the only one who can bring her in. Not caring if he lives or dies, Archie will go to any length to end this game with Gretchen once and for all. But will Archie take it too far? Will Gretchen finally be out of his life and more importantly his head for good??? You will not be able to put this book down. I started it at 7pm and finished it just before 11. Way past my bedtime – but well worth staying up for.

Worldwide Adventures in Love by Louise Wener

Synopsis:

“Edith’s house interested us from the beginning”

Mysterious and inviting, Jessie and Margaret are drawn to their reclusive

neighbour’s house. It offers an escape from the dreary summer of 1977 and

their fragile family life, into a world they can only dream about. When the house

suddenly burns down at the same time as their mother moves out to live with

her new boyfriend, and their father develops an unhealthy crush on a woman in

their street, life seems bleak for the girls.
 
Escaping the claustrophobia of family life isn’t easy, until the story of an

eccentric and beautiful female explorer from the 1930s unfolds in a series of

letters. In these letters she tells stories of far-flung places, secrets, doomed love

and adventure.  Her determination to live life to the full, risking everything cares

about, holds untold consequences for all of them.

Review:

A wonderful, wonderful book

This is the tale of a teenage girl growing up in the 70′s who is dealing with all

that that brings plus the break up of her parent’s marriage.  It is a brilliant and

perceptive portrayal of family life and also the difficulties of growing up. 

Alongside this is the story – told through letters – of a young female explorer in

the 1930′s.  At times the two lives parallel each other.  I love the way the two

stories are woven together – Louise Wener’s writing flows from one story to the

other.  I was totally engrossed and consumed by this book and consequently it

was a quick, yet thought provoking read.

LibraryThing rating: 4 ½ / 5

Other books I’ve read written by this writer:  None but will be reading more.

Second Chance – Jane Green

Blurb from the back cover;

Holly Macintosh is sitting round her kitchen table  with her oldest friends – friends she hasn’t seen since school – now reunited by an unexpected tragedy and catching up on the past twenty years.

On the surface, they are all successful and happy. But scratch a little deeper after that extra glass of wine and it’s not quite so straightforward: Paul and Anna are struggling to have a baby, Saffron the actress is still waiting for that really big break that – at thirty-nine is looking less  and less likely, and Olivia, always the wallflower of the group, is newly single and mourning her lost love.

And what about Holly Mac? Can she and her husband Marcus get their marriage back on track for the sake of the children? Or has someone just come back into her life who will change everything forever?

I really wanted to like this book because I have so enjoyed others by Jane Green. Her books are Chick-Lit genre but usually a good engrossing, entertaining read. Unfortunately I just could not get to like the main characters in Second Chance. There are plenty of them, Holly being the main one but all are covered in some depth. They are all linked by the death of an almost mythically saint like male school friend whom they haven’t seen for twenty years but are all devastated by, especially Holly Mac who was the closest to him. I think this is the crux of the problem for me, that we are supposed to believe that the main characters are so deeply affected by this tragic death. It came across as a bit contrived and implausible. However it is a good ploy to bring them all back together and explore what has happened to them all. It just felt as though I had come across these predictable characters before in other books and I couldn’t identify with them and maybe that is just saying something about me. Maybe I just need to stop reading Chick-Lit for a while.

It’s a great beach read keeping your attention just enough to want to carry on reading to the end. Hopefully better to come from Jane Green.

 

Handbags & Homicide by Dorothy Howell

From Amazon

Witty, smart, and always chic-to-die despite a less than glam checking account balance, Haley Randolph has it all–Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Coach, Burberry–and she’d kill for the newest Louis Vuitton handbag. It seems she’s not the only one. When someone’s passion for designer purses leads to murder, Haley goes shopping for a killer to clear her name…
According to Haley Randolph, you can never have enough handbags. She has one for every occasion, but that doesn’t mean she won’t go to any lengths to get the latest Louis Vuitton. Unfortunately for Haley, her life goes from glam to grim when her passion for fashion outlasts her credit cards, and she’s forced to work during the holiday season at Holt’s–a mid-market department store that doesn’t even stock designer labels much to her horror.
Looking for a bit of shopping inspiration, Haley abandons the sales floor and sneaks into the stock room to get a first glimpse of Holt’s ultra-fab holiday promotion–a one-of-a-kind selection of handbag styles. But instead of the newest Vuitton, Haley discovers her boss is the ultimate fashion victim. He’s face-down in lingerie–stone-cold dead.
According to the security tapes, Haley was the only person in the stockroom before, during, and after the murder. With everyone in the store eyeing her like last season’s Marc Jacobs, Haley turns to the hunky Ty Cameron, who heads up the store’s loss prevention unit, to help her investigate the murder.
In a race to clear her rep, Haley’s knowledge of hot trends will take her from the sales floor to the boardroom to the gritty streets of L.A.’s Garment District. Now, Haley must find a killer with impeccable fashion taste…and get her hands on that perfectly checkered Louis Vuitton bag before time runs out…

For a second I thought this book was being written about me and my love for all things Louis & Prada Minus taking a second job to feed my obsession of course. Poor Haley has an addiction to the finer things in life – namely designer handbags. And in order to feed her obsession (and to help pay for it) she takes a second job working at a department store – in gasp – retail! One night Haley stumbles across the body of her boss in the stockroom. As well as being the prime suspect in this murder, she’s also put on leave from her “real” job in a law firm – accused of embezzling money. While working to clear her name in both cases, Haley is determined to solve both murders. Not to mention dealing with her boss – who is very cute and available??? A true cozy mystery. Filled with fun and enough hints to keep you guessing until the end. A great start to a new series.

Those Faraday Girls by Monica McInerney

Synopsis (from back page)

Sometimes the memories that bind us together can also keep us apart…

As a child, Maggie Faraday grew up in a lively, unconventional household with her young mother, four very different aunts and eccentric grandfather. With her mother often away, all four aunts took turns looking after her – until, just weeks before Maggie’s sixth birthday, a shocking event changed everything.

Twenty years on, Maggie is living alone in New York City when a surprise visit from her grandfather brings a revelation and a proposition to reunite the family. As the Faraday’s gather in Ireland, Maggie begins to realise that the women she thought she knew so intimately all have something to hide…

Review

Those Faraday Girls is split into two parts, the first of which starts off in 1979 on the day that the youngest member of the Faraday clan announces she is pregnant at the age of just 17. The story then follows the family over the course of the next 6 years as the new addition arrives and turns all of their lives upside down before culminating in a shocking event that tears the family apart. The second part jumps ahead to 2006, where Leo, the head of the family is on a quest to track down and reunite the family for one last family Christmas together and it’s here where the story really gets going.

Although set between Australia, the US and Ireland this is a real family orientated saga.

From the outset you are drawn into the lives of each member of the Faraday family and as a result you come to know and care about them as if they were one of your own. All of the characters are extremely different and although some of their traits are not altogether likable, you can’t help but like them and as such you find yourself rooting for them – hoping that all of their hopes and dreams come true along the way.

The plotline is well thought out and the story itself extremely well written. The words flow from the page in a way where you feel you are experiencing events as they happen rather than just reading about it from the outside.

Those Faraday Girls is a tale full of warmth, love and humour that will captivate you from the outset.

Reviewed by Karen.

The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly

From Amazon ~~

Things are finally looking up for defense attorney Mickey Haller. After two years of wrong turns, Haller is back in the courtroom. When Hollywood lawyer Jerry Vincent is murdered, Haller inherits his biggest case yet: the defense of Walter Elliott, a prominent studio executive accused of murdering his wife and her lover. But as Haller prepares for the case that could launch him into the big time, he learns that Vincent’s killer may be coming for him next.Enter Harry Bosch. Determined to find Vincent’s killer, he is not opposed to using Haller as bait. But as danger mounts and the stakes rise, these two loners realize their only choice is to work together.Bringing together Michael Connelly’s two most popular characters, The Brass Verdict is sure to be his biggest book yet.

Wow! Michael Connelly does it again! While this is touted as the 14th in the Harry Bosch series, it focuses more on Mickey Haller (The Lincoln Lawyer) and his return to practicing law. Mickey’s friend Vincent is murdered. And since the two would often help each other out with cases, Vincent leaves his practice to Mickey along with all of his open cases. One of these happens to be the high profile case of a studio executive accused of killing his wife and her lover. There are too many secrets for Mickey to think this is a straight up murder case and does his best to find the “magic bullet” to crack things wide open. Harry Bosch is the detective assigned to investigate Victor’s death and for the first time we get a sense there could be more to the Mickey/Harry relationship. This is an action packed legal thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. There are so many twists and turns in this book, you’ll be quickly turning the pages just to keep up – dying to know what happens next. One of his best to date! A+

A Place of Safety: A Chief Inspector Barnaby Mystery by Caroline Graham

Date of Publication: 1999, St. Martin’s/Minotaur

Number of Pages: 275

Synopsis (from back cover): When sour Charlie Leathers and his dog disappear into thin air, his neighbors in the small, sleepy English village of Ferne Basset are more concerned about the dog than they are about Charlie. Everyone assumes that Charlie will show up…sooner or later. But nobody expects it when he shows up dead.

With one mad dead and a mysterious young woman missing, Chief Inspector Barnaby must race to uncover the secrets of love and greed hidden beneath a cozy village veneer. Now it seems that this safe little town is anything but – and that one if its quirky inhabitants possesses the motive and the means to murder…

Review: I was a little disappointed with some aspects of this book, namely the way the mystery was solved. I don’t want to give too much away, but the perpetrator of the crimes involved felt way too obvious. On the other hand, there was a very satisfying ending with a wodnerful twist, something that, in my opinion, is essential for a good mystery. Another thing I liked about this book was the characters. I found myself wishing I had a neighbor like Evadne Pleat, with her eccentric outfits and many dogs. Also, the two main female characters, Louise Fainlight and Ann Lawrence, are beautifully developed and wonderfully complex. In the end, the book is an entertaining read, but based upon other books in this series, is nothing very special. However, I would still recommend it to any fan of mysteries and thrillers.

Rating: 8/10

Reviewed by Sarah