Novels Now

You are browsing the archives of 2009 November.

The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa, translated by Lauren Na
The Story of Life on the Golden Fields Vol. 1
Pages: 319 pgs.
Ages: 16+
First Published: (Apr. 2009 Eng. trans) (2003 orig. Korean)
Genre: YA, realistic fiction, manga
Rating: 4.5/5
First sentence:
“Golly! Them beetles are matin’.”
Reason for Reading: Cybils nominee.
Summary: This is the story of two women, one a [...]

The Photographer: Into War-Torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders by Didier Lefevre & Emmanuel Guilbert. illustrated by Frederic Lemercier, introduction and translated by Alexis Siegel
Pages: 267 pgs.
First Published: May, 2009 (English translation) (2003-2006 orig. French)
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
“I say good-bye to everyone.”
Reason for Reading: Cybils nominee
Summary: Photographer Didier Lefevre was offered to accompany the MSF (the [...]

Philosophical nothings. Yet somehow, exchanging the small terrors and joys of parenthood with Dr. Peter Kendrick did not seem like nothing. Maybe it was the gulf between their lives which, perversely, made connection seem possible. Maybe it was something else: just Peter. Either way, she had no sensible basis for believing he might phone. But [...]

I don’t know, maybe we’re all chaos theorists. Lovers of pattern and predictability, we’re scared shitless of explosive change. But we’re fascinated by it, too. Drawn to it. Travelers tap their brakes to ogle the mutilation and mangled metal on the side of the interstate, and the traffic backs up for miles. Hijacked planes crash [...]

Marriages break up, I wanted to shout. Fathers can abandon their children, children can be left alone. There is  nothing in the vow that is sacred. There is no security – we are each of us alone. – from Looking After Pigeon, page 180 -
Pigeon is five years old – the youngest of three children [...]

The Taken by Inger Ash Wolfe
Hazel Micallef Mystery (Book 2)
Pages: 415pgs.
First Published: Oct. 27, 2009 (Canada), Jul. 15, 2010 (US)
Genre: mystery, crime
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
What always broke his heart was the way they dressed themselves.
Reason for Reading: Next in series.
Summary: Reports of a body found at the edge of a nearby lake have Detective Inspector Micallef [...]

Bang Goes a Troll by David Sinden, Matthew Morgan & Guy Macdonald. illustrated by Jonny Duddle
An Awfully Beastly Business, Book 3
Pages: 202 pgs.
Ages: 8+
First Published: Sep. 15, 2009
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
High on a snowy mountaintop, a blizzard was howling.
Reason for Reading: Next in the series. Read aloud to the 9yo.
Summary: The RSPCA receive a messenger bat [...]

Another Faust by Daniel & Dina Nayeri
Pages: 387 pgs.
Ages: 14+
First Published: Aug. 25, 2009
Genre: YA, paranormal
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
Victoria didn’t have time to play.
Reason for Reading: The plot drove me to choosing this one. Plus, I’ll admit the cover also attracted me.
Summary: Five children disappear from their homes, all ten years old. Five years later they [...]

High on Arrival by Mackenzie Phillips with Hilary Liftin
Pages: 292 pgs.
First Published: Sept. 23, 2009
Genre: non-fiction, memoir
Rating: 4.5/5
First sentence:
In the mid eighties, when I was on tour with the New Mamas & Papas, a porter brought two packages up to my hotel room.
Reason for Reading: I enjoy reading celebrity memoirs and was a big fan [...]

Swallow Me Whole by Nate Powell
Pages: 216 pgs.
Ages: 16+
First Published: Sept. 2008
Rating: 3.5/5
First sentence:
Mom?
Reason for Reading: Cybils nominee.
Received the book through ILL.
Comments: This book is deep and difficult for me to write about as I’m not sure I “got” the whole thing. I’ll make an attempt at my impressions. Two siblings both have psychological problems. [...]

The Calling by Inger Ash Wolfe
Hazel Micallef Mystery, book 1
Pages: 419 pgs.
First Published: Mar. 4, 2008
Genre: crime, thriller
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
He was precisely on time.
Reason for Reading: My sister brought the book to my attention and I saw that Mo Hayder had put a blurb on it so I definitely was intrigued by this new author.
Summary: [...]

Hoodoo Sea by Rolf Hitzer
Pages: 243
First Published: Jun. 2, 2009
Genre: science fiction
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
White. The room was a sterile, monotonous white.
Reason for Reading: I was asked to participate in the Blog Tour but I had never participated in one before. I decided I would this time as the plot involving the Bermuda Triangle was just [...]

Katman by Kevin C. Pyle
Pages: 144 pgs.
Ages: 15+
First Published: Sept. 1, 2009
Genre: YA, graphic novel, realistic fiction, manga
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
Yeah…This is where I live.
Reason for Reading: Cybils nominee.
Summary: Kit is an inner-city kid. Everybody around him is someone, they all have labels. Hi brother is ‘talented and gifted’, his mom is the ’single mom’ even [...]

So Brave, Young and Handsome
By Leif Enger
Completed November 8, 2009

Leif Enger’s So Brave, Young and Handsome, like its predessor Peace Like A River, was one of those thoughtful books – full of interesting characters, beautiful prose, and journeys both physical and emotional. Like a river, the plot flowed steadily – sometimes tumbling forth in a [...]

I’ve always felt almost human. I’ve always known that there’s something about me that’s different than other dogs. Sure, I’m stuffed into a dog’s body, but that’s just the shell. It’s what’s inside that’s important. The soul. And my soul is very human. – from The Art of Racing in the Rain, page 3 -
Enzo [...]

The young Canadian, who could not have been more than fifteen, had hesitated too long. For a frozen moment, his feet had stopped moving on the floating logs in the basin above the river bend; he’d slipped entirely underwater before anyone could grab his outstretched hand. One of the loggers had reached for the youth’s [...]

The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade
Pages: 275
Ages: 10+
First Published: Sep.8, 2009 (Can)/ Sept.22 (US)
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
Six hunting hounds had perished in previous experiments.
Reason for Reading: Arthur Slade had a new book out and I was thrilled to find out it was the start of a series. I had been wanting him to venture out [...]