Book Review: Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall

Title: Whistling Past the Graveyard | Author: Susan Crandall

Series: Stand Alone

Genre: Family, Literary Fiction, Historical

Format: ARC e-Book 

Date Finished: May 19, 2013

CoffeeNCrackers Rating: 5 Cups of Coffee

When Starla is grounded on the Fourth of July, she sneaks out to see the parade. After getting caught, Starla's fear that her grandmother, Mamie, will make good on her threats and send her to reform school cause her to panic and run away from home. Once out in the country, Starla is offered a ride by a black woman, Eula, who is traveling with a white baby. She happily accepts a ride,with the ultimate goal of reaching her mother in Nashville. As the two unlikely companions make their long and sometimes dangerous journey, Starla's eyes are opened to the harsh realities of 1963 southern segregation. Through talks with Eula, reconnecting with her parents, and encountering a series of surprising misadventures, Starla learns to let go of long-held dreams and realizes family is forged from those who will sacrifice all for you, no matter if bound by blood or by the heart. - NetGalley

My Review

A nine year old, Starla Claudelle, a hot-headed girl thinks that her strict paternal grandmother, Momie, didn't want her. Afraid of being punished after breaking the rules set by her grandmother, Starla takes a short-minded decision to run away from home. She's going to Nashville to her mother who walked out from her life since she's a little baby. So, this book is about Starla's journey to find her mother and to live a happy life with her. Being told from a 9-year old girl's point of view, the story is narrated in a very honest and straightforward language. Though it is simple and predictable, I really enjoyed the story as the author did a very brilliant job to bring the readers to see things through the eyes of an innocent young girl. 

Starla is a very adorable character. To have such a dangerous and challenging adventures, I almost can't believe that she is 9-year old. When Starla meets the black woman, Eula, and a white baby she called James, the story gets more interesting as the three of them go on journey together. Along the ride to Nashville, lots of things happened and most them put me at the edge of my sit. Throughout the story, the readers can see these two characters connect with a special relationship, protecting each other, and both of them growing to be more matured. Not only the main characters are well developed, the other peripheral characters also makes the story more fluid and believable.

I like the fact that instead of using a modern setting, Crandall highlights the southern Mississippi during the 60's and she did a brilliant job playing with the setting which I feel like I myself is experiencing the era and would love to be part of the story. At the same time Crandall highlights the southern racial segregation during the 60's through Eula's life story. It is very eye-opening, and like Starla, I also keep on questing why the thick wall is build between the races when everyone should be live together in harmony? But still, racism is a very sensitive subject even in my country, Malaysia, as we are living in a multi-racial country.

All in all, this book is a very inspiring one. Being told with honesty, readers will be seeing the big world through the eyes of a little girl who has the courage and determination the act based on what she believes the "best" for her. I recommend this book to everyone.

*FOOTNOTE: I received and ARC e-book copy from Netgalley but it doesn't affect what I think about this book as this is an honest review. 

*FOOTNOTE 2: This review is linked up to Book Reviews Wednesday party hosted by Cym Lowell.

Library Time: Wally Lamb's Books

Hey guys! Today I went to my campus's library to return a few reference books on Forensic Psychology and Forensic Medicine as well as two Phillippa Gregory's novels, The Constant Princess and  The Other Queen (I haven't read this one).Since I already completed my 4 years of study in Forensic Science, I don't have to borrow reference books any more. So, today I looked through the fiction shelves looking for something good to read during the remaining ten, eleven days of my campus's life. And hey, look what I found! Two books by Wally Lamb, "The Hour I First Believed" and "I Know This Much is True". Heard lots of great things about both so, I hope that I'll enjoy these two novels. 

*****

About Wally Lamb: Lamb is the recipient of the 1998 Governor’s Arts Award, State of Connecticut, a past recipient of the NEA grant for fiction and is a Missouri Review William Peden fiction prize winner.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Finished Reading on December 23, 2010

Family Drama, Paperback, 407 Pages, Personal Collection

The Story: Kate is suffering from Acute Premylotic Leukemia. The only person who can save her is her sister, Anna whose genetic make-up was specifically designed to be a compatible donor for Kate. Now, 13 years old Anna is sick of being a lab rat and decides to file a lawsuit for medical emancipation from her parents and to stop helping Kate to live. Stuck between love to her sister and the fate of her own future, Anna now is confused and everything she does seems to be wrong. And what choice does she has?

My Thought: "My Sister's Keeper" is a novel that I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, the characters, and Picoult's writing is very stylish and heart wrenching. Same as "House Rules", Picoult writes the story from the view of a few different characters. I love this style of writing because by understanding the feeling of each of the characters involve in the conflict, I can get a well rounded look to the story. Reading from Anna's POV make me keep asking myself, what will I do if I'm in her shoes? How far that I'll go to sacrifice myself to save my beloved one? And same as Anna, I also don't know the answer to these questions.This is such an emotional torture to a girl as young as Anna. Sara is another character who gives a huge impact to me. As a mother to a child whose life can be taken any second, she is willing to do anything to help her beloved Kate .Though I reject (from religious and humanity perspectives), her decision to design a baby just for the purpose to save her daughter's life, and her lack of motherly attitude towards her other children Jesse and Anna, deep inside, my heart's saying "She's great. An Iron-Mother indeed."  As a whole, I loved this story as it exposes what are the dilemmas experienced by family members, when crisis arises in the family organization. I just wish that I can read from Kate's perspective also, but none is there except for a few pages in the after story. Recommend to all.

CoffeeNCracker's Meter: 5 Cups of Coffee

Teaser Tuesdays Dec. 21, 2010

Teaser Tuesdays: A fun weekly meme Hosted by MizB @ Should Be Reading where readers share the teasers sentences from their current reads. This week, I'm reading two books, "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova and "My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult.

The Historian: Propelled by the discovery of an ancient book and letters, a young woman plunges into a labyrinth where the secrets of her family's past connect to an inconceivable evil Vlad the Impaler.

He had a large family impaled and many of his people buried naked up to the navel and shot at. Some he had roasted and then flayed. The Historian, pg. 46

My Sister's Keeper: a novel by Jodi Picoult. Creating another baby, specifically design to save her sister. But the baby, now 13 yo, is suing her parents for the rights to her own body.

"What are you saying Brian? That some man in a suit whom you've never met would be able to explain Anna better than her own mother?" Sara, My Sister's Keeper, pg. 178

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

Date Finished: November 19, 2010

PDF Format, 395 Pages, Stand Alone, Family

The Story: Jacob's an Aspie and a complete hopeless at reading social cues and expressing himself to others. He's brilliant in many ways and an analytical forensic freak. One day, his tutor is terribly murdered and the evidences are all pointing to him. This hopeless Aspie has to face the Justice System and prove himself not guilty. With his AS behaviors, it is going to be difficult for him, his mother, Emma and his lawyer, Oliver.

My Thought: "House Rules" is my first read from Jodi Picoult and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. The story is narrated by multiple characters such as Jacob, Emma, Theo and Oliver as well as several other characters. This style of telling the story is brilliant because I could grasp the feeling of each of every character in this book Though there are multiple characters telling the story, Jodi Picoult have a very impressive skill to knit together the characters into a fluid and enjoyable storyline. There are lots of forensic science terminologies and concepts are used in this book and also the information regarding Asperger's Syndrome and what  the people  with Asperger behave (as she shows through Jacob). Jodi sure did a very thorough research on both aspects and to relate it with the court procedures and how  the Justice System functions and all is truly magnificent. But the way how she ended it is weak and ineffectual because the twist is pretty lame. Recommended.

CoffeeNCrackers' Meter: 5 Cups of Coffee

Tree Huggers by Judy Nichols

Title: Tree Huggers
Author: Judy Nichols
Publisher: Zumaya Enigma
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Suspense, Thriller, Family, Environmental
Details: PDF, 272 Pages
Source: From Author

The Story

Single mom Kate Dennison finds her new reporting job at a local paper is not at all what she expected. On her first day, two men die in a fire apparently set by a militant environmentalist group called The Forces of Nature. Kate is assigned to cover the story, including the trial of the young man charged with the crime. As she works to unearth the truth, she begins to fear for her own safety and is faced with the loss of her daughter, her freedom and even her life.

 

My Thought

I'm always read about crime stories in the newspapers and as a forensic science student I always look at the cases from the eyes of an investigator or the criminals and victims. However, Judi Nichols brought me into a new perspective which I never even thought before. Investigate the crime scene from the point of view of a journalist. Do you ever wonder how the crime reporters could come out with all the crime stories? They also do their own investigations. That is what the protagonist of "Tree Huggers", Kate Dennison, a single mother and a reporter of Beacon does. She gets an assignment to cover the story about an arson case with two people getting killed. Her coverage of the story makes her as the next target for the criminals. Her office is bombed, a treat letter is sent to her, and she even gets the gun barrel pointed to her head. 

 

I loved the way Judy Nichols write the story. She not only focuses on journalism and the crime, but she also makes a really good job in discussing about the family matters, environmental crisis, as well as the society issues. Kate is divorced with a daughter, Molly in her custody. I kind of understand what it feels to be a child like Molly because I also came from a broken family. She yearns for love from her parents and wish that her father and mother will reconcile but when her father remarried with another woman, she has to adjust herself to get together with her steps. I have to admit that it's not an easy thing to do and it sometimes gives a lot of pressure to the children. Nichols also pointed out about the environmental crisis. How the development may cause a great damage to the environment if it is not properly planned and this may cause a conflict between the environmentalists and the the developers. The crime in Tree Huggers is a result from that conflict. The development is good for human civilization, but when human become greedy, they tend to act beyond their right mind and cause very regretful damages to nature. 

Judy Nichols' writing style is quite intelligent and fruitful. I'm not only enjoyed the story but at the same time she makes me realized about some important issues in our life. However, there are several things that can be improved in her writing. First is the development of the characters. The main characters developed very well but the others are just superficial and sometimes very dull. The second thing is, for a thriller novel, straightforwardness is not good. A thriller supposed to be unpredictable, full of surprises and also twisted all over so that the readers can feel the suspense and the thrill. 

As a whole, Tree Huggers is a good book as it discussed a couple of critical issues such as family relationship, environmental crisis, as well as the problems arise in our society with a bit of thrills and ends exactly the way I like. 

Favourite Quotes

Don’t burden your child with your worries. Children are not little adults, they can’t help you with your problems at work, and telling them about how much you hate your job will only make them anxious and upset.

Remember, most children of divorced parents cling to the hope their parents will reconcile. A remarriage means giving up this dream.

CoffeeNCracker's Meter

4 Cups of Coffee: Though this is not a great thriller novel, "Tree Huggers" still have lots of strong points which makes the book such an enjoyable one. Recommended to all of you, readers.

 

Disclaimer: I received a review copy courtesy of Judy Nichols in exchange for a fair review. Receiving a copy in no way will ever reflected my review and these are my honest review.

Teaser Tuesdays: The Wedding

Title: The Wedding
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Publisher: Warner Vision
Details:  Paperback, 289 Pages
Genre: Love, Family, Romance

The first date that Jane and I went on didn't go exactly as I'd planned. - Wilson, pg. 75

Back then, I used to love how you look in the mornings, right after you put on your suit. You were tall and trim, a young go-getter out to make a good life for us. You were very attractive. - Jane, pg. 164

........

Teaser Tuesdays' Rules

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser Tuesdays: The Choice

Title: The Choice
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Details: Hardcover, 272 pages
Genre: Drama, Family, Love

"This. Today. Yesterday. Last night. All of it. Don't ruin it." -160

"Because," she said, "you have to show them that no matter what horrible things happen in life, you still have to go on. That's your responsibility. Who else is going to teach them that?" - 242

 ........

Teaser Tuesdays' Rules

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Library Time: Cry Silent Tears

Howdy readers, I'm not in a good mood today. Really. I woke up early in the morning today and went to collect several forms for my class activity and then headed to library to return a couple of books, borrowed a few weeks ago. Most of 'em are overdue already. So, I've to pay for penalty. Never mind. There's assignment that I haven't finish yet, so, I need to borrow another reference book in order to make it done! Huh....tired already with all these assignment thingy. No choice...

Since I was in library, so I took a peek at the story books' shelf. I found this book called Cry Silent Tear by Joe Peters. I think this would be a good reading so I just borrow it. Already reading a few pages of the book, and I just knew it!! It is a very heartbreaking start. A child badly injured and abused by his own biological mother.? How sad? She's so heartless....OK. This book is not too thick but I'm sure that, I'll have a very, very hard time to finish it cause it is just a very heartbreaking story. Yeah. If you don't believe me. Here's a snippet:

Cry Silent Tears: A True Story of the Horrific Childhood of a Mute Little Boy

As soon as we got in the door of Mum's house, she punched me full in the face, sending me hurtling to the floor. She grab me by the hair to pull me up again then started beating me round my face and body in a fury. I was screaming at the top of my lungs, twisting away from her but unable to protect myself from the blows that were raining down. -page 4

She grabbed my hand and yanked me across the the room, then pressed my palm tightly against the scalding metal until my flesh sizzled. I screamed uncontrollably with the shock of this unbelievable new level of pain.-page 5

Cruel. That's the only word I can say right now. I'll post the review when I finish reading this book. Gotta go guys!! Have a nice day....n I'm trying to make my day nicer too. Ciao....

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

Hello everyone! CJ's here again. Hmm....it has been awhile since I post something on this blog. It's not that I stop writing, but lots of works need to be done. So, it can't be help. Well, today I would like to write a review of The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards. I picked up this book weeks ago from the library shelf because I thought that the storyline of the books is interesting.

........

In the middle of blizzard in 1964, Dr. David Henry help his wife Norah to deliver their first baby with the help of his nurse Caroline. His first born is a boy, a perfect little boy but then shockingly, the blessing doubles: there's another baby. A girl. But, before he can even rejoice, David knows that something is wrong with the baby girl. An extra copy of 21st chromosome, "Down Syndrome". Haunted by his past, David believes that this lil' girl will bring sadness to the family. Her future offers nothing but grief. Then, without his wife notice, Henry asks the nurse to take away the baby to an institution and he declares death of his baby girl.

Caroline, the nurse who secretly in love with David, takes the baby away. But, she can't just put the baby in the institution since it's not a better place for the baby. Thus, she takes the baby in as her own and lives far away from David. Since the incident, the world around David start s crumbling apart. Lies after lies, and his marriage is doomed. His boy is foreign to him. His family become colder and smaller. Caroline, in the other hand work so hard to give her everything to make sure that Phoebe will get a better place in society.

Despite being a profoundly moving novel, The Memory Keeper's Daughter have a few obvious flaw. The most obvious flaw is the characters are not well developed and sometimes, they are out of characters. Next flaw is the time-line of the story. In order to cover the 25 years timespan of the story, Edwards begin to gloss over thing. Years in the lives of her characters are summed up in only a few big ticket events. This makes me really unsatisfied. I also think that Edwards is trying to much with the languages where she uses too much beautiful words and metaphors that make it difficult for me to catch the meanings. I also don't like the ending of the story which I think it's a boring conclusion with little emotion. I expect the ending will be a nice and heart-warming ending. Maybe a lil' bit tear-jerking ending would be nice. Haha! So..3 stars for this book and that's all for now. Till next time!! Ciao....

Ghosh and Edwards

Hey guys! Check 'em out what I got from the library shelf this time. The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh and The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards. I hope that, after two thriller books that I borrow last time, these will calm me a little bit. Family relationship, nature, humanity and a bit of history. I think, this week might be a good week for these kind of books.

The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh

Who's Amitav Ghosh ?: He was born in Culcutta in 1956. He studied at The Doon School, St. Stephens College, delhi University, Oxford University, and the faculty of Arts at the University of Alexadria (Wow...he sure loves study, isn't he?). Began his first job at Indian express newspaper in New Delhi, Ghosh was then earned his doctorate at Oxford before he wrote his first novel, The Circle of Reason in 1986.

The Hungry Tide:

(from the book cover) Between the sea and the plains of Bengal lies an immense archipelago of islands. Here, for hundreds of years, only the truly dispossessed braved man-eating tigers and crocodiles that rule there, to eke out a precarious existence from the mud.

The settlers of the Sundarbans believe that anyone without a pure heart who ventures into the watery labyrinth will never return. it is the arrival of Piya Roy, of Indian parentage but stubbornly American, and Kanai Dutt, a sophisticated delhi businessman, that disturbs the delicate balance of settlement life. from this moment, the tide begins to turn.

Praise for this book:

"An intricate book, tinged with a melancholic and fragile beauty....it is a sense of place that dominates this novel - and what an extraordinary place it is." - Economist

. . . . . . .

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Who's Kim Edwards ?: She grew up in Skaneateles, New York. She graduated from Colgate University and the University of Iowa, where she received an MFA in Fiction and an MA in Linguistics. After completing her graduate work, she went with her Husband to Asia, where they spent the next 5 years teaching, first on the rural east coast of Malaysia, then in a small city an hour south of Tokyo and finally in Phnom penh, Cambodia. The Memory Keeper's Daughter , was selected for Barnes and Noble Discovery Award and won the Kentucky Literary Award for fiction in 2005.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter:

(from the cover) This stunning novel begins on a winter night in 1964, when a blizzard forces Dr. David Henry to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy, but the doctor immediately recognizes that his daughter has Down Syndrome.

For motives he tells himself are good, he makes a split-second decision that will haunt all their lives forever. He asks his nurse, Caroline. to take the baby away to an institution. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child as her own. Compulsively readable and deeply moving, The Memory Keeper's Daughter is a brilliantly crafted story parallel lives, familial secrets and the redemptive power of love.

Praise for this book:

"In the Memory Keeper's Daughter, Kim Edwards has created a tale of regret and redemption.. of characters haunted by their past. crafted with language so lovely you have to re-read the passages just to be captivated all over again....simply a beautiful book" - Jodi Picoult

. . . . . . .

OK guys! those are all for now...Have a nice day, and share with me your story and books. Until next time, Ciao....

Man and Boy

Hey everyone! It took me so long to update this blog. Haha! Loads of thing to handle, but never mind. I'm here now! Between your pop and your mom, which one is closer to you? which one do you prefer to share all your dirty little secretes with? your mom? your dad? Haha.....just answer it silently OK. This book by Tony Parson is a story about the relationship between the father and son and I really love this book and the story told! Some part it makes me wanna cry but I didn't. And most of the times it just makes me laugh! Haha...what a beautiful story it is.

Man and Boy, is a story about Harry Silver. Harry, approaching his 30, has it all. A beautiful wife, Gina, a young and beautiful child Patrick and a good work in the media. But, approaching the big 30 figures make he feel likes he's bringing extra luggage. No more fun, but all responsibilities. Until one night, he's having one night stand with Soubhan, his colleague and throw everything he own. Harry thinks that he can get away with that, but he's dead wrong. Gina finds out about that and make a strict decision. She can't forgive this stupid man! She feels like cheated and of course she is. Gina leaves harry and bring along little Pat with her to her father's. Harry's alone right now. Yes, he's alone.

Then,the story continues with Gina going to Japan to claim her ambition that she gave up long ago because of Harry. Leaving her beloved Patrick behind, Gina comes into an agreement that Harry will look after little Pat, the things that she thinks that she's done alone before. One after another, harry is then lost his job whilst he's struggling to take care of Pat by his own. But this is the turning point of his life. The new episode I would say. Most of the time this unemployed Harry spends the time with his son, and they become very close to each other. He try to be a best parent to his son. With the full support from both his parents, Harry is standing up on his feet again. Life becomes much better for him. Get to know his son better, re-unite with his parents and getting a new job. But not until Gina comes back and wants to bring Pat with her. Harry can't accept it. He loves Pat so much. He wants to fight for custody but he stop. He realize that " to love someone is to be able to let him go". He knows, Pat is happier with Gina.

My opinion: I think the story is just an average. Nicely written but a bit predictable and sometimes the story become flat at some parts. I wonder why. This is not an awesome book and it's not a bad book either. It's just good because the story is easy and too straightforward. It's supposed to be about the relationship between Harry and Pat but Mr. Parsons more focus about other plot such as the relationship between Harry and his old man and Harry with his new girlfriend Cyd. But to tell you the truth I love the cover more than I love the story. Haha!! That's all guys..Ciao...