The Book Review Club (March 2015)

I'm not going to spend much time on an intro this month. Because...we have so many great reviews for you. I know your time is precious, and I don't want to take it up with bits of trivia about March. Not when you can read our reviews and discover new books to add to your TBR pile. Enjoy!

PICTURE ME GONE (young adult)
 by Meg Rosoff


With the exception of her picture books, I've read all Meg Rosoff's books, and the experience is always beyond enjoyable. The woman can write; there's no two ways about it. Each novel is filled with what I call "literary gems." You know, those insights that are so perfectly captured, the sentences echo in your mind after you've closed the book.

In Picture Me Gone, 12 y.o. Mila and her father, Gil, travel from London to upstate NY to find her father's oldest friend, Matthew, who has gone missing. Now, Mila is no ordinary girl. She can "read" people. She senses what others, including a baby and a dog, are thinking or feeling and can suss out a situation like nobody's business. One review described her as a mentalist, and that's as good a description as any.

The characters are quirky, but still very real. The various relationships between them are complicated and interesting. The author is a master at revealing just the right amount of information at just the right time. The banter is pitch perfect between Mila and Catlin, her friend with a messy home life.

The one stumbling block I had is this: Our uncannily perceptive Mila gets tricked. Someone close to her keeps a huge secret from her, and she doesn't suspect it for many, many pages. I don't know that this is an inconsistency. I can just say that it struck me.

Picture Me Gone is beautifully written. On several occasions, it kept me on the treadmill for well past 30 minutes. And this is no mean feat! Highly recommended.

Dear FCC: Bought this book. Listened to it in my car. On the elliptical. On the treadmill. That's all I have to report. Goodbye. 

A warm welcome to Ray Pothoff, a brand new reviewer.  And  welcome back to the fabulous Beth Bonini. We are very happy to have you both with us. Very happy.

And now....onto the rest of our reviews. Please click through. You won't want to miss a single one!

MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG ADULT FICTION BOOK REVIEWS

Ellen Booraem: BROWN GIRL DREAMING by Jacqueline Woodson (MG, in verse)

Alyssa Goodnight: VANGO by Timothy de Frombelle (YA)

Beth Bonini of TRAC: BUFFALO SOLDIER by Tanya Landman (YA, historical)

Lucy Sartain of Ranting and Raving: IN THE BLOOD by Sara Hantz (YA)

Sarah Laurence: I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN by Jandy Nelson (YA contemporary, Printz Winner)

Stacy Nyikos: LIKE WATER ON STONE by Dana Walrath (YA)

Stacy of the Cat's Meow: WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart (YA)


GRAPHIC BOOK REVIEWS

Rob Costello: LOCKE & KEY by Joe Hill, illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez


ADULT FICTION BOOK REVIEWS

Linda McLaughlin: ROMANCING THE DUKE by Tessa Dare (romance)

Prairie Rose: ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE by Anthony Doer (historical)

Ray Potthoff: ONE GOOD DOG by Susan Wilson

Scott Parker: STAR TREK LOG ONE by Alan Dean Foster (SF)


NONFICTION REVIEW

Alyssa Goodnight: THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP: THE JAPANESE ART OF DECLUTTERING AND ORGANIZING by Marie Kondo

Jenn Jilks of Cottage Country: THE CANCER OLYMPICS by Robin McGee (autobiography)

Patti Abbott:  THE BOYS IN THE BOAT by Daniel James Brown

Note to Reviewers: Any errors (broken link, missed review, etc), just shoot me an email or leave a comment. Thank you so much for your reviews!

What I Was by Meg Rosoff

What I Was by Meg Rosoff
The author has written Young Adult, but this book, I believe, is marketed as adult. 209 pages
2007, Doubleday Canada

The Way I Was is one of the best books I read this summer. It takes place in 1962 when a 16 year old boy (whose name you only discover near the end of the story) is dropped off at a third-rate boarding school in East Anglia, England. He meets another adolescent, Finn, who lives completely alone in a hut by the sea. Our hero winds up leading a double life where he's sneaking off to meet up with Finn and awkardly learning about himself and life (not sexual).

From the flap: The two become friends, the boy risking scandalous rumour and expulsion from school. But they can't hide forever. Disaster invades from all sides, and the boy discovers that nothing has been what he believed.

There's a wonderful and huge plot twist about 3/4 of the way in. A twist which totally knocked me for a loop. One review I read called the twist predictable. But, uh, not for me.

This is a link to that review, but be careful as there are lots of spoilers.

In her own life, Meg has known difficult and vulnerable times. She's one of four sisters. Three of them have had cancer. At only 39, her youngest sister died from it. Meg was in hospital with the disease when her first book, How I Live Now, was released (2004).

Here's how Meg described her mindset: Every day a piano doesn't fall on my head is good luck. So I am terribly worried now because things seem to be going awfully well. I spend a lot of time planning my funeral.
That's from this interview

Here's the link to Meg's website.

I have already ordered How I Live Now and Just In Case. I do love that feeling. When I know I have a couple of really good books waiting in the future for me.