The Friday 56: Dead Iron by Devon Monk

The Friday 56 is a fun weekly meme hosted by Freda of Freda's Voice. I'm currently reading a novel by Devon Monk, "Dead Iron". This book is action thriller steampunk novel. I rarely read something from this genre however this book caught my attention. "Dead Iron" is the first book of "Age of Steam" series. 

 "For good reason. Jeb Lindson felt the ground give way as he was pulled by the tickers over the cliff's edge, and down to his death." -Dead Iron, 56%

Music Box #1: Mirrors by Justin Timberlake

I've been listening to a few covers of this song on youtube.com i.e Boyce Avenue ft. 5th Harmony and Cimorelli's covers before I listen to the original. It melodiously and lyrically great and I loved it. I know that this song will stick in my head for quite sometime.

It's like you're my mirror
 My mirror staring back at me
I couldn't get any bigger
With anyone else beside of me
And now it's clear as this promise
That we're making two reflections into one
 'Cause it's like you're my mirror
My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me..

Book Review: Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin

Title: Golden Boy | Author: Abigail Tarttelin

Series: Stand Alone

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Family, Sexuality

Format: Kindle e-Book

Date Finished: June 1, 2013

CoffeeNCrackers Rating: 4 Cups of Coffee

The Walkers are hiding something, you see. Max is special. Max is different. Max is intersex. When an enigmatic childhood friend named Hunter steps out of his past and abuses his trust in the worst possible way, Max is forced to consider the nature of his well-kept secret. Why won't his parents talk about it? What else are they hiding from Max about his condition and from each other? The deeper Max goes, the more questions emerge about where it all leaves him and what his future holds, especially now that he's starting to fall head over heels for someone for the first time in his life. Will his friends accept him if he is no longer the Golden Boy? Will anyone ever want him — desire him — once they know? And the biggest one of all, the question he has to look inside himself to answer: Who is Max Walker, really? - Goodreads

My Review

  

What will I do if I am in Max Walker's shoes? That is the question I ask myself once I finished reading this book. Little did I know about intersexuality, however Abigail Tartttelin, with her incredible writing talent, surprised me with "Golden Boy". This is definitely a gripping novel of gender and identity, which plays with the readers emotion and at the same time gives the readers a new perception of gender conflicts exist in the society. 

Max Walker is an intersex, but it was not a big issue for him. He was all athletic, brilliant, handsome, a perfect child to his parents, an idol to his brother, and a charming boyfriend to the schoolgirls. He was a "Golden Boy" .But, in one terrible night he was raped by his childhood friend, Hunter. The rape scene was the hardest part to read, it was awful that I even closed my eyes, as if I can feel the pain myself. 

"He's too big. The stretching snaps, stops, and turn to splitting. I can feel skin tearing down there" 

To make things worst, Max even got pregnant. This accident rocks his world so hard and everything around him crumbled apart. His parents argued a lot and his relationship with Sylvie was broken up. He was forced to make one hardest decision after another and it was really heartbreaking. 

At the beginning of the story, Daniel, Max's little brother mentioned that he wanted to write a story about his brother. So I was a bit skeptical as I thought "Oh, no! Will this be a story told from a seven year old POV?" However, I am glad that Abigail chose to tell the story from multiple points of view. For this kind of story, I really think that a multiple narration is brilliant because readers can understand the conflicts highlighted from different perspectives. For example, from Max's eyes I think that his mother's decisions were mostly wrong, especially when Max asked her to stop the abortion and give him more time to think over but she just ignored it. But when reading from Karen's perspective I kind of understand what made her to come into such a decision. Well, being a parents is not easy.

Some people may not like Karen and Steve, Max's parents, because most of the decisions they made seems wrong and selfish, but all they did is just to keep their children and family safe. When Steve runs for the election, he put his family away from the limelight. I thought that all he cares is his reputation and his chance to be elected will be effected if Max's secret becomes public, but actually Steve is doing the right thing because if the secret leaks out, it will do more damages to Max's life. I liked Max's girlfriend, Sylvie. She's so understanding, and matured. Definitely, not an average girl. And they look so cute together! But the reason I give this book four stars instead of five is because there are several characters which supposed to give more impact to the story are underdeveloped. For example Archie, one of Max's doctors, and of course Hunter. I wish that I could get to know him more. 

"We thought we understood gender - the idea of men and women as finite concepts with boundaries between each other, but lately I have come to understand that we are only just beginning to comprehend what 'gender' is, what it means to be allocated a certain gender, how much that informs the person a child becomes.." - Dr. Archie

All in all, I really enjoyed "Golden Boy". One of my favorite reads this year. This book gives me a new perception of gender issues. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, all these I considered as a spectrum of mental disorders. But, intersex is just a totally different issue. Totally recommended for teenagers and adults alike. 

FOOTNOTE: This review is linked up to Saturday Situation hosted by Candace of Candace's Book Blog and Lori of Pure Imagination.

Book Review: The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

Title: The Storyteller | Author: Jodi Picoult

Series: Stand Alone

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction

Format: Kindle e-Book

Date Finished: May 27, 2013

CoffeeNCrackers Rating: 5 Cups of Coffee

Sage Singer befriends an old man who's particularly beloved in her community. Josef Weber is everyone's favorite retired teacher and Little League coach. They strike up a friendship at the bakery where Sage works. One day he asks Sage for a favor: to kill him. Shocked, Sage refuses…and then he confesses his darkest secret - he deserves to die, because he was a Nazi SS guard. Complicating the matter? Sage's grandmother is a Holocaust survivor. What do you do when evil lives next door? Can someone who's committed a truly heinous act ever atone for it with subsequent good behavior? Should you offer forgiveness to someone if you aren't the party who was wronged? And most of all - if Sage even considers his request - is it murder, or justice? - Goodreads

My Review   
  

I was blown away. That impression alone is enough to describe how great this book is. I am never disappointed by Jodi Picoult's novels and there is no exception for this one as well. It draws me to get lost in the story, brings me high and low, become engrossed with the narration, getting attached to the characters, breaks my heart to pieces, and in the end leaves me in a deep thinking. 

"The Storyteller" is a story about "forgiveness" interwoven with the dark and traumatic secrets of the pasts. Basically, this book is written in three parts: Part I: Sage befriended Josef, an ex-Nazi SS guard, Part II: The story of Minka during the darkest time of her life, the Holocaust, and Part III: Sage's final decision and Josef's atonement. The second part of the book is the hardest part for me to get through, it is awful, mentally exhausting, and too tragic. However, it is my favorite part as well as Picoult plays with my emotion and at the same time enlighten me with the events happened during the Nazi era and the Holocaust through the eyes of Minka, a survivor. I was also intrigued with this book because there's also a spooky story within. I was scared, I was angry, I was happy, I was broken-hearten, throughout the story.

Not only the story is brilliantly executed, but the characters also are well developed. Sage, Minka, and Josef are three strong characters. Throughout the story I can see how Sage's evolved from a self-contained, isolated girl into a confident and beautiful person, Minka's willpower and courage to survive, and Josef's atonement of his sins. They are powerful and inspiring characters brought together by Picoult to make this story irresistible. Once the story ended, lots of "I wish.." things pop out in my mind. I wish Sage realized the truth sooner. I wish she did not kill Josef (spoiler), I wish Minka could meet Josef before she died, I wish Josef told sage everything, the real story, who he really was. But, things haven't always happened in the ways that we wish it should happen. Life is more complicated than that. That is what  I have learned from "The Storyteller".

To forgive is not easy, and to forget is even harder. An amazing book is a book that we can take and learn something from it. Grab and read "The Storyteller" and your life will change. I truly recommended it to all readers out there. 

FOOTNOTE: This review is linked up to Saturday Situation hosted by Candace of Candace's Book Blog and Lori of Pure Imagination.

The Friday 56: The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann

 

The Friday 56 is a fun weekly meme hosted by Freda of Freda's Voice. I'm currently reading a middle-grade novel by Stefan Bachmann called The Peculiar. It's a fay novel, with clockwork devices, and mysterious creatures. I think this is a good book for it's target group, middle-graders or maybe for adult as well. 

He manage to get out into the hall and would have lain there had not the floorboards begun flipping up, slamming him in the back, in the arm. - The Peculiar, 56%

Book Blogger Hop + Feature & Follow

Feature & Follow  is hosted by two awesome book bloggers Parajunkee @ Parajunkee.com and Alison @ Alison Can Read. while Book Blogger Hop is a fun meme hosted by Billy Burgess of Coffeaddictedwriter.com. These are media for us blogger to discover new blogs and to get people to know about our own. It makes our circle of friends even bigger. Happy Friday!!

F&F's Question:

Have you broken up with a series? If so which one and why?

It was Septimus Heap series. But to say that I've broken with this series is not totally true because I just read the first book, Magyk, and found out that it was just an OK book, I'm not impressed. So, I decided to not to continue with the series. Moreover, this series got so many books like seven or eight, I don't know. So I just gave up on this series.

BBH's Question: 

What is your favorite trilogy (series)? 

I've read The Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Caster Chronicles, and a few other series and trilogies, however The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter remaine as my all time favorite trilogy and series. They're phenomenal and it's like you want to read them again and again.

WWW Wednesdays {June 5, 2013}

WWW Wednesdays: A fun weekly meme hosted by MizB @ Should Be Reading. This meme gives opportunity to  readers to share our current reading, books we recently finished and books we're going to read next.

What are you currently reading?

I'm currently reading a middle-grade book "The Peculiar" by Stefan Bachmann. I am intrigued with the idea of fay story combined with some mysteries and clockwork devices. I am halfway through the story and it is enjoyable thus far.

What did you recently finished reading?

The last book I read was a thought-provoking story of intersexuality, "Golden Boy" by Abigail Tarttelin. It was an eye-opening and I really liked the way the author tackles such a complicated issue in a beautifully written story of Max Walker. Recommended!

What do you think you'll read next?

Picking the next read is quite hard since I have several books that I really want to read soon. So, I've made a list of TBR books. Next books I'd read would be "Lost and Found", a romantic novel by Nicole Williams, and a mystery book by John Gaspard called "The Ambitious Card" (received from Netgalley)

Exclusive Author Interview: Susan Crandall

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan grew up in a small Indiana town. Her younger sister admitted that she'd be writing secretly. This admission leads to her being her sister's editor. They co-authored four novels, none of which were published. Her sister stopped after the four, but Susan was totally addicted and continue. She is married to a guy from the same town she grew up and they have two grown children. 

Webpage | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Hi, readers! Today Coffee& Crackers are so excited to welcome Susan Crandall, the author of a to-be-released novel, Whistling Past the Graveyard to the blog and have a fun interview session talking about her previous profession, favorite writing spot, running away from home, racism, her novel: Whistling Past the Graveyard and the exclusive sneak peek of her future project! Give a big applause to my guest, Susan Crandall, everybody!

*****

C&C: You were a dental hygienist before right? So, how did you become a writer and what are the differences between these two professions

Susan Crandall:   

Yes, I was a dental hygienist.  As that profession required a science degree, there isn’t any education overlap.  However, being a good writer often comes from being a good observer of people. I think my previous profession provided a good opportunity to study all kinds of people. 

I’ve always been an avid reader and love playing with words, but never considered trying my had at writing a novel until my younger sister decided to write something and asked me to help.  Once I got started collaborating with her, I was totally hooked.  She has since gone on to a career in real estate, but I’m still writing.

C&C:  What inspires your writing and where you spend  most of your time writing? some writers prefer to write on the beach or beautiful places. Do you have any favorite place?

Susan Crandall:  

Everything around me fuels my writing; people, relationships, current events, history.  There is never a shortage of ideas and inspiration when you open your eyes and your mind to what’s happening around you. I love to write outdoors.  I have a balcony off my office that’s my favorite place.  My main requirement is absolute solitude.  I can’t write with other people around me.  I know some folks like writing at cafes and such, but I’m far too distracted in a place like that.

C&C:  In your latest novel, Whistling Past the Graveyard, the story is narrated from a nine year old, Starla's point of view. Why you choose a little girl character? And how you put yourself in a little girl's mind? Is it difficult?

Susan Crandall:  

I always put a lot of thought into my characters and how they’ll interact with my plot before I begin writing any book.  For this coming-of-age story I wanted to give a perspective of the world seen directly through the eyes of a child—not as an adult reminiscing about an event that happened to her when she was a child.  I chose her age carefully, old enough to be beginning to look at the world outside of her own experience, old enough to be able to take care of her own basic needs, and yet young enough that this awakening to the wider world is just beginning and her impetuousness isn’t curbed.  I chose the time period and setting carefully as well.  Foremost among my reasons for these choices was the need for a time before an organized network that immediately begins searching for a missing child.  In the early 1960s small towns, kids Starla’s age regularly went out to play all day long and no one knew exactly where they were.  Also, I wanted it to be a time of change in our society; giving me a lot of fuel for conflict and drama. 

I really enjoy writing youthful characters and had a great time working on Starla’s story.  It did take a few chapters before I found the true rhythm of Starla’s voice, but once I found it, she was a joy to write.  And yes, it did take some discipline to keep my adult perceptions and voice out of it.  Using this unfiltered child’s point of view gave this story it’s flavor, but occasionally I struggled with how to present certain views so the reader understood that Starla was misunderstanding.  When you only have a nine-year-old’s words, a nine-year-9-old’s understanding, you have to figure out ways to convey deeper meaning to the reader.

C&C:  Just wondering, have you ever run away from home? 

Susan Crandall:

No!  Starla is much braver (and more impulsive) than I was as a child.

C&C:  About the racial segregation you highlighted in the book, did you do any special research on it? In this modern world, I believe racism still exist, what say you about this? 

Susan Crandall: 

I did a great deal of research.  Fortunately, the sixties was a time period of mass media, so I found a lot of first-hand accounts, film footage and the like to draw from.  I have to say, the film footage was the most compelling—I was able to see actual events as they were happening. As for racism in modern day, I feel we have made progress, but are far from the idyll of perfect equality, perfect harmony.  And of course, it varies widely around the world.

C&C: For me, Whistling Past the Graveyard will be a huge success. So, what will come next? Any new project in progress?

Susan Crandall:

Thank you! I do have another project brewing.  It takes place during another pivotal era in U.S. history, the 1920s.  It will have a youthful narrator, but one much nearer adulthood than Starla.  Sixteen-year-old Henry is the son of a German immigrant who suffered a great deal of anti-German sentiment during WWI.  Henry is falsely accused of a crime and goes on the run with a WWI veteran barnstorming pilot.  This story is still in the very early stages, but is beginning to take shape nicely.

C&C: Thank you Susan!

Susan Crandall:    

Thank you so much for this interview and your kind words about Whistling Past the Graveyard.

*****

ABOUT THE BOOK

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

FOOTNOTE: Whistling Past the Graveyard will be published on July 2nd, 2013 by Gallery Books. Pre-order this book : Amazon | Barnes&Noble | IndieBound. I received the e-ARC copy from Netgalley.com  for review [Read MY REVIEW]