Rating: 2.5/5
Number of pages: 200
First published: 2012
Genre: contemporary fiction, chick-lit
I got this book: for review from William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins

A light read about a fantasy coming true, that sounded great! However, this book was rather too light for me, and I could not see anything great about the protagonist’s fantasy in the first place. In hindsight, this was probably not a book for me.

The Rock Star in Seat 3A: What it is about

From the publisher’s website: “Just turned thirty, Hazel has everything she could wish for—great guy, great job, great New York life. But great just got even better when a boring business flight becomes a trip to heaven thanks to a surprise upgrade to first class—to the seat next to rock god Finn Schiller.

At her birthday party the night before, Hazel’s amazing and generous boyfriend gave her a free pass if she ever met the rock star. After all, what were the odds of that ever happening, right? But here she is and so is Finn. It must be fate. Even more unbelievably, Hazel and Finn genuinely connect, despite that minor vomiting incident. (It was the turbulence!) Finn likes her potty mouth, her wicked humor, and he appreciates her refreshingly anti-groupie attitude. Hazel adores his killer looks, ripped physique, and soulful music.

When fantasy becomes real attraction, a dream date, and taste of L.A. rock-star life, Hazel must decide what she wants. Indulging in a passionate affair with a rock star seems crazy, and she’s got a life she loves back in NYC. But could she ever forgive herself if she walked away from her wildest dream coming true?”

The Rock Star in Seat 3A: What I thought

Doubt creeps in straight away when a book starts with “I’ve never done heroin”. It got the benefit of the doubt, and I’m happy to say, there is no drug taking or other underworld activity in this book (you see, I was expecting chick-lit, not crime). Then I got more uncomfortable: the writing was so  loud. So terribly loud, that I almost could not follow along with the roller-coaster language assaulting my brain. Written in a language that is not mine (I mean, culturally), I had a hard time getting into this story. I have the feeling the writing relaxed later on, or maybe I got used to it by then.

Then the profanities. First things first: I’m not against profanities for any religious reasons, more out of principle: I find them agressive and unpleasant, even when used in a positive sense “This is f*cking great!!!”. I just don’t like it. My luck, there is an abundance of them in this book, especially at the beginning. To be fair, I’m pretty strict: I even have problems with the word @ss, since there are nicer words for the particular body part.

Then it turned out I’d chosen the wrong book to read with regards the story line: I mean, do I care about music? Not much. Do I care about celebrities? Even less. Do I fantasize about meeting rock stars or other celebrities? Never. So, why did I pick up this book? I’m not sure. It seemed like a nice and light read, is all I can say.

When Hazel wasn’t cursing away with her friends, she was a nice person. Nothing like the brain-dead women you may encounter in some chick-lits and she was reasonably normal about meeting and dating a rock star. Of course, initially, she was all “Wow, it’s him! {profanities} I want to kiss him!!” but she settled down soon enough and didn’t let her star-struck brain take over. She treated him almost like she would any other person, which I liked about her. I could also understand why she might jeopardise her relationship with the dependable Wylie: sometimes you have to go beyond what you know to find out what you really want.

All fine so far. But some of the story was plain boring and 20 pages from the end, I was wondering whether this was it, when there suddenly was a twist to the story that I hadn’t seen coming and that hadn’t been sufficiently hinted at earlier on in the story. It was too sudden and that didn’t feel right.

The rock star was a rather card board cut-out type of guy, I never really got to understand what Hazel liked about him other than his music (is that enough to be infatuated with someone?). I could take him or leave him, he was nothing special in my eyes.

So, altogether not a fantastic reading experience for me. If you love the idea of living out a fantasy with your favorite celebrity you’re starting off with an advantage. You may like this way more than I did.

The Literary Giveaway Blog Hop is an event taking place from Saturday June 23rd until (and including) Wednesday June 27th. If you’re a book blogger and you’d like to give away a book to your readers, maybe to show your appreciation or because you have a special celebration, this is your chance to join up with others.

Check HERE for more information and to sign up. There are more than 50 participants already!

Rating: 4/5
Number of pages: 496
First published: 2012
Genre: historical fiction
I got this book: for review from William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins

I somehow enjoy books about slavery. Oops, that sounds terrible! But most such books are about strong people who stand up for themselves and for a better life. What’s not to love about that? Some examples: The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglas, The Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende.

The Secrets of Mary Bowser: What it is about

From the publisher’s website: “Mary is a loving daughter, a quick-witted girl, and a slave to one of the wealthiest families in Richmond, Virginia.  When Bet Van Lew, the outspoken daughter of the family that owns Mary, decides to send her to Philadelphia to be educated, Mary must leave her parents to seize her freedom.

Life in the North offers Mary a different kind of education than she ever expected.  Carefully keeping the secrets of her own enslaved family, she joins the abolition movement to bring fugitive slaves to freedom.  As the nation edges toward war, Mary defies Virginia law by returning to Richmond, vowing to care for her ailing father—and to fight for emancipation.  Knowing that slaves are considered incapable of intelligence, she poses as a slave in the Confederate White House to spy on President Jefferson Davis.  Together Mary and Bet risk their own lives to smuggle invaluable information to the Union commanders.

As illness and hunger ravage the city, Mary’s espionage leads her to deceive even those who are closest to her.  Just when it seems all her dangerous gambles to end slavery will pay off, the death and destruction of the war take their greatest toll, and Mary discovers that everything comes at a cost—even freedom.”

The Secrets of Mary Bowser: What I thought

The fact that this is the story about a woman who really existed is great! It’s written as fiction. As not much is known about Mary Bowser, a lot of this story is made-up but the most important story lines are authentic.

I loved reading about Mary, who from a very young age helped her mother in the houshold of the Van Lew’s, a rich family in Richmond, Virginia. Bet Van Lew, the spinster daughter of the family is an abolitionist, and buys Mary and her mother to set them free. She pays for Mary’s education, for which Mary has to leave her parents and go to Philadelphia.

Later, Mary comes back to Richmond but has to act as a slave (as she can’t come back as a free woman to the place where she’s been a slave before). Initially, she’s there to be with her father, but soon she gets involved in espionage for the Unionists.

The book is well-written and a good read. I found the last part of the book less interesting. This is when Mary is a spy in the household of president Jefferson Davis. My knowledge of American history just isn’t good enough to know upfront who is on what side, so general Lee, general Grant, were they the Goodies or the Baddies? I did find it hard to remember sometimes. It was exciting that Mary was able to convey information to the Unionists while working at the Davis house and I was hoping she wouldn’t get caught.

What I loved about the book is how it shows that things (like slavery) are never clear cut. For instance, Mary realises that a lot of free blacks in Philadelphia live a more difficult life than some of the slaves she knows in Richmond. She also finds out that the white women she gets to know, who are very much against slavery, still want her to sit on the “black” bench in church.

A good read, and a recommendation if you enjoy historical fiction.

Rating

As you may know, I like stories about cold climates. I love all kinds of Scandinavian writers (from contemporary to crime, from classic to surreal) and I also love stories taking place in Alaska. I know, that’s not Scandinavia, but it’s even rougher and tougher up there. So I was keen to try this book about a man who discovers he’s part-Inuit and travels to Alaska to catch a whale.

The Snow Whale: What it is about

John Jacobs does a DNA test because of his colleague who found that he was part Mongolian and spent his holiday in Mongolia. However, he didn’t really connect with “his people” and when John finds out he’s 37% Inuit, he decides to do better than that. He sends a letter to “his tribe” to introduce himself and tell them he’ll be visiting soon. However, he receives the reply that they do not want him there.

But then, the chief of the tribe, an old man, who is considered a liability by the rest of his people, invites John to the whale hunt, and he can bring a son along. Having no son, John ends up in a less prosperous part of his home town, where he finds Q, a black boy of seventeen, who wants to become a movie-maker. So there go the 37%-Inuit without experience and the black boy with an unknown amount (possibly zero) of Inuit-DNA, with a lot of equipment, amongst which a film camera, on their way to Alaska to join in the whale hunt.

The Snow Whale: What I thought

This was a great read, almost a fairy tale, because of how unlikely it all was. Because of the great way the story is put together it wasn’t unbelievable. You know it would never happen like this, but you’re happy to suspend disbelief because of the fun story this is.

I loved it how they are accepted by the old man, right in the middle of the Inuit culture with little regard to their differing background. They are assigned women and receive a bit of harpoon practice. Q, the boy, ends up in prison just for being black, and is freed after John bribes the policemen. Then off they go whaling!

It’s such great book to read but it’s not all fun and games. There are serious issues being discussed between the lines: racial issues, the rights of tribes, relationships and finding your own way in life. There are also Inuit tales and the belief (or not) in a nature religion in which a white-coloured whale, the snow whale, plays a role.

Some other stories taking place in Alaska:

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Caribou Island by David Vann

Away by Amy Bloom (partially)

Robopocalypse by Daniel Wilson (partially)

Into the Wild by John Krakauer

Raven Stole the Moon by Garth Stein

We had a great long weekend the past weekend too. We had bought a new bike for my oldest son, and it arrived on Wednesday. Little did our boys suspect that “trying the bike out” on Thursday would result in a 5 hour long cycle ride! They may not have come along so easily if they’d known.

Another movie night for me tonight. Last week’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was very good, but somehow didn’t leave much of a lasting impression. This week we’re seeing Intouchables, a French movie that lots of people here are raving about.

BIG NEWS: The announcement of the 5th Literary Giveaway Blog Hop. Already talked about in the best circles, this is one not to miss. Participants can sign up now for the hop, which will take place in late June.

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Books I finished this week: 4

The Snow Whale by John Minichillo. A really good story about a man who discovers he has Inuit DNA and decides to claim his right to kill a whale by joining his tribe in Alaska. 4.5 stars

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Books I’m reading

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Reviews and other news

The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones. Early 1900s and the impoverished occupants of a country manor aren’t happy to find a group of stranded rail travellers on their doorstep. 5 stars

Arranged by Catherine McKenzie. A woman who is unlucky in love decides to try an arranged marriage service to find herself a husband. 4.5 stars

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister (DNF). The lives and loves of a group of students of an evening cooking class. I got bored and didn’t finish this.

The Rise and Fall of the Wonder Girls by Sarah May. Four teenage friends in a small town all become pregnant in the same summer. 4 stars

And I’ve got some new books!

—> If you’re a book blogger, don’t forget to sign up for the Literary Giveaway Blog Hop!

That’s it!

What are you reading this week?

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this book on a few blogs, and in a favorable way. Or maybe I just forgot about the negative reviews and just remembered that I read reviews of it?

Anyway, not for me, this one. A very short review.

Did not finish. I read about half way the book. I didn’t enjoy this story very much. There was a lot of food talk which is fun for foodies. For me, it was a little too detailed.

What I really didn’t like about the book was that the cooking school’s lessons, one every chapter, were a framework in which the problems and/or histories of the students was described, a different student each chapter. I found this too obvious, somehow. I guess the book felt unnatural because of this set-up.

I don’t like short stories much, and this almost seemed like a book of short stories with the excuse of the cooking lessons as a co-ordinating story pulling the individual stories together.

Also I didn’t connect with any of the students, mainly because they were mentioned only a little bit before their own chapter. So, these were really stories about people that I didn’t know about and not necessarily wanted to know about.

Rating: No rating, did not finish the book

Number of pages: 256 (read to page 120)

First published: 2009

Genre: contemporary fiction

Have you read this book?

Did you enjoy it?

Rating: 3/5
Number of pages: 298
First published: 2012
Genre: contemporary fiction
I got this book: for review from William Morrow (an imprint of HarperCollins)

This book is a very well-written, well-developed story, but one that I only liked so-so. I’m sure it’s me and not the book.

I think I was misled by the cover (an easy summer read?) and the description from the publishers (below), making this look like a book in which the main character goes to research his own past on the basis of what he finds in the estate of his late friend Laura. But it wasn’t really like that.

The First Warm Evening of the Year: What it is about

Description (from the publishers): “Geoffrey Tremont and Laura Wells were friends in college. After graduation they lost touch, and now, twenty years later, Geoffrey is more than a little confused to discover that Laura has named him executor of her estate. Though she left no explanation, Geoffrey agrees to honor the final request of this woman who was once his closest friend.

Traveling to the small town of Shady Grove, New York, Geoffrey gets to know the people who were most influential in Laura’s life, particularly her best friend Marian. To Geoffrey’s surprise, the more he learns about Laura’s life, the more he seems to be discovering about himself—knowledge that transforms him in subtle yet profound ways.

In this emotionally compelling love story, Jamie M. Saul explores the intricate relationships between siblings and friends; how we lose the passions of life and rekindle them; and, ultimately, how to discover the courage to reach out for love.”

The First Warm Evening of the Year: What I thought it was about

If you ask me, this book is about a man, Geoffrey, who has a relationship with Rita, but they’re both not very committed to each other. When he travels to Shady Grove to deal with his late friend Laura’s estate, he meets Marian, a friend of Laura and a widow of ten years, who is in an unsatisfactory relationship.

He falls in love/like/must-have with her, and talks to her, his brother, her former in-laws, her lover, and a number of other people about her past, Laura’s past, himself and his chances of wooing Marian. Marian keeps a distance but is attracted to him too. Geoffrey wants to understand Marian’s relationship with her former husband and her current relationship to be able to understand her, and to make her see that she should be with him, Geoffrey instead.

The First Warm Evening of the Year: What I thought of the book

This is definitely a psychological novel about relationships and how they form a person. It was very different from what I expected, and too slow for me. In fact, I got bored. At about 3/4s of the book, I didn’t really care much how the story continued.

Saying that, it was beautifully written, not a word wrong, and the story, if you like this type of book, was developed very well. It was just not for me.

Other than that, I thought it was really odd that someone would go and talk about Marian with all kinds of people, most of which didn’t even know him. The discussions were quite detailed and it just didn’t feel to me that would be possible. Geoffrey was trusted and liked instantly by most people, it seemed, and they all had the time (and the inclination) to discuss Marian (and Laura) with him.

Also, why Marian should go along with it wasn’t clear to me. She did like him, did show some reluctance to get to know him, but she didn’t send him off as I’m sure I would do. I’d be flattered at first, but at finding out that someone had been talking about me to several different people, I’d be ready to get rid of that scary stalker for sure!

For people who like a good psychological novel, I think this is a high-quality read, if you can get around the more unlikely bits of the story I described above.

Rating: 5/5
Number of pages: 272
First published: 2012 (May 1st)
Genre: contemporary fiction
I got this book: for review from Harper (an imprint of HarperCollins)

This was a real fun book to read! The beginning of the book reminded me of The Stranger’s Child (Alan Hollinghurst) while the ending was more like Cold Comfort Farm (Stella Gibbons). Of course, the story is nothing like these books, it’s just me with my weird associations!

The Uninvited Guests: What it is about

At Sterne Manor, around 1900, things are not well. Edward Swift, the man of the house, has gone to Manchester in an attempt to borrow money that will save the family from having to sell their house. It’s also his stepdaughter Emerald’s 20th birthday and preparations are made for a wonderful dinner.

Then a group of unexpected guests arrive – a train has derailed and this being the nearest house to the accident, the survivors have been sent here. Caroline, Edwards wife and Emerald’s mother, does not concern herself with such matters and leaves it to her Emerald and Clovis, her teenage son, to take care of the guests. In fact, she’s not very good at taking care of anything because there is also the much younger daughter Smudge, who has spent days in her bedroom pretending to be ill, with not a single visit from her mother to check up on her.

Meanwhile, the invited guests have also arrived – a childhood friend of Emerald’s and her brother, and the nearby farmer who is richer than the Swifts themselves (who Caroline wouldn’t mind marrying Emerald).

The guests from the rail accident want to know when they can leave (and would like some food in the mean time, please), the dinner party is about to begin, and Emerald and the servants are trying to keep on top of it all. Then another uninvited, and unwelcome, guest arrives at the house. Things run out of hand fast.

The Uninvited Guests: What I thought

I loved this book. The atmosphere is great, there is a real sense of being in a manor house, snobbish Caroline, working-class railroad guests and it reads just like a book written in the era itself. I also loved the supernatural feel of the story – what’s real and what isn’t?

The quirkyness of the story is great too: the mother who doesn’t care about most things, the farmer who is richer than the manor house owners, the problems phoning the railway for information, a horse that is brought into the house, the dinner games that are played and so much more.

It was beautifully written but still a fast read. I mentally chuckled all the way through the book.

Look! New button!

Thanks to Shelleyray of Booked Out.

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The Literary Giveaway Blog Hop is an event taking place from Saturday June 23rd until (and including) Wednesday June 27th. If you’re a book blogger and you’d like to give away a book to your readers, maybe to show your appreciation or because you have a special celebration, this is your chance to join up with others.

Most giveaway blog hops seem to be directed towards young adult and romance audiences. Those hops are not so ideal if you want to give away more literary books (but if you’re interested, I Am A Reader Not A Writer runs frequent blog hops).

This will be the fifth Literary Giveaway Blog Hop (there are 3 per year). So far, it’s been a great success, with between 30 and 70 participating blogs every time. It’s time for the next one and I hope you’ll join in. More details:

This event is an opportunity to give away prizes and get more traffic to your blog. You will run your own giveaway, but it will be linked up to all other participants via a links list. That way, not just your readers, but also the readers from the other participating blogs will stop by your blog.

You can offer one or more books, a gift voucher (for instance, to amazon or bookdepository), or anything else related to books and reading. There is no minimum or maximum value that your prize should have.

The only restriction is that if you’re giving away a book, that it should have some literary merit. It does not have to be the most difficult classic ever, but please no romance, urban fiction or YA. Quality thrillers, poetry and non-fiction are fine, as are contemporary fiction, literary fiction and any other genres not in the categories above. If in doubt, please ask!

Further information on the prizes: a book can be new or “gently read”. Your giveaway can be just for your country, for your continent, or word-wide. Offering a book via bookdepository.com is a good way to make your giveaway world-wide (although not all countries are available) as it offers free postage.

Last day for signing up is June 20th. Only sign up if you intend to have a giveaway post up on your blog on June 23rd.

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Copy the image to put the button on your blog (e.g., in your sidebar and/or in a blog post), so you can advertise the Blog Hop and attract more participants to make this a big event and/or tell your readers about the event coming up.

——> Fill out this form <——

I”ll add your blog to the list with links below once I’ve seen that you’ve filled out the form. You cannot add yourself to the linky list.  Last signup day: June 20th!!

Linky List:

If you have questions, just ask in the comments, or email me at jh303015 at gmail dot com.

I’m considering doing a “Read a book a day” challenge, just for a week, rather than a whole year as Nina Sankovitch did. I’m always up for a challenge, maybe next week or the week after. Watch this space!

Look at this great haul…

Books for review

Books I won

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I won this book from Ellie at CuriosityKilled the Bookworm. It’s a beautiful hardback and I can’t wait to start reading it. I have heard so much (good) about this author and this book! I think it might also be a book for my teenage sons, but to be sure, I want to read it myself first.

Description (from the publishers): “Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.”

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Recipe for Love by Katie Fforde

I won the Dutch edition of this book, De kers op de taart, from a Dutch website called damespraatjes.nl. I have read at least 6 of Katie Fforde’s books, but not recently. This is a new one, and involves a cooking competition on tv. As you can wake me up for Master Chef, this is my sort of book!

From the author’s website: “When Zoe Harper wins a coveted place in a televised cookery competition she’s thrilled. It’s a chance to cook her way to fame and fortune and the little delicatessen she’s set her heart on.

The first task has hardly begun when she finds herself with rather too much on her plate. Not only has she got to contend with the fiercely competitive and downright devious Cher, but she’s fast developing an inconvenient crush on one of the judges – the truly delicious Gideon Irving.

All too soon there’s more than canapés, cupcakes and cordon bleu at stake. Will Zoe win the competition or is Gideon one temptation too far? And is Zoe really prepared to risk it all for love?”

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Book I was given

A Fair Cop by Michael Bunting

This book was a present from The Friday Project on facebook. Everyone Liking the facebook page got a free random ebook. This is what I got and it looks like something I’d enjoy reading.

From the author’s website: “Within hours of being locked in solitary confinement in Leeds’s notorious Armley Prison, PC Michael Bunting had already received his first death threat.

A Fair Cop is the true story of a Leeds police officer attacked and injured on an August night in 1997. Two years later he found himself defending a charge of common assault at Leeds Crown Court. He was found guilty and received a four month prison sentence. The book gives graphic accounts of life behind bars for a policeman in one of England’s hardest prisons as one by one the inmates turn on him.”

Have you read any of these books? Which of these would appeal to you?