Ghost Stories and Grief

On a homestead in Vermont, the land is barren, and when its plowed and dug up, strange artifacts are discovered. Looming over Sara Harrison Shea and her husband’s house is a rock formation called the devil’s hand. This is a place of mystery and superstition where odd things happen and locals are told to stay away. But it is Sara’s home and where she raises her daughter, Gertie. But one day Gertie is found dead, and not long after, Sara herself is found dead in the field behind the house. Her hysterical husband shoots himself after claiming that Gertie killed her. In present day Vermont, Ruthie and Fawn live with their mother in the same house. They have always been told about the monsters living in the woods and have taken the information to heart, but when Ruthie’s mother goes missing, they discover Sara’s tragic past in her diary pages and the fact that it may have a link to their mother.

The novel, The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon, is fraught with simmering dread. McMahon creates a world of the paranormal alongside human suffering. How far would you go to bring a loved one back from the dead? Would it be worth the consequences?

This is a creepy novel that keeps you engaged. The book goes mostly between Sara and Ruthie’s perspectives, but there are other chapters from different character’s viewpoint. Although I’m often wary of multi-perspective novels, McMahon created a novel that flowed together, filling in gaps with other characters’ testimony. It also kept the book suspenseful with cliff hangers at the end of one character’s chapter and then jumped to a different character.

The novel presented a frightening, yet alluring idea. Sara finds a way to bring Gertie, her daughter, back from the dead, but she’s not the same little girl she once was. Gertie is creepy. She becomes the frightening thing that lurks behind you, but she brings a grieving mother the comfort she desires. Years later, it’s the ability to bring people back from the dead that drives more than one person to seek the Harrison household and the missing pages of Sara’s diary. Ruthie and Fern, her sister, get embroiled in the search and the consequences of seeking the forbidden. The girls find that what is assumed to be local legend and folklore is something much more sinister.

The novel was compelling and kept my attention. The ending was a little strange and didn’t exactly fulfill my expectations. Sometimes, however, not knowing exactly what happened is the scariest part. This novel suffered a little at the end from some reveals that just seemed smashed together. Overall, it was very enjoyable and a fun novel to make you shiver. Also it has my favorite cover of the year thus far!

If you enjoy this book and are looking for others like it, try Pet Sematary by Stephen King and This House is Haunted by John Boyne.

World War Z

After the Zombie Apocalypse, a series of interviews take place with people from all over the world about what happened. The interviews encapsulate a number of different voices from the doctor who was brought in to treat the first infected patient, American soldiers who fought against the zombies, a blind monk who fought off zombies in the wilds of Asia, and many more hopeful, heartbreaking, and disturbing stories.  Max Brooks brings a sense of reality to an unthinkable event. What was once an urban legend suddenly starts rising from the grave and attacking the human race, bringing humanity to the edge of extinction. What is achieved is a sense of anxiety, reality, morals (or lack thereof), and duty that leave the reader wondering what they would do if World War Z were actually to occur.

Brooks sweeps from continent to continent and subject to subject with ease. The writing is engaging with easy to read language. Fair warning, dear reader, this is not for the faint hearted. Though I did not find it disgusting or the descriptions overly grotesque, if you don’t like violence, this is not for you.

Personally, I did not expect to enjoy this novel. Zombies are not my thing, but I couldn't put this down. It was creepy, but not written as an over the top, slasher book. Brooks explored the nuances and catastrophes of such a devastating event. It was more about the people involved and less about the brain eating ghouls.

Here are a few more books you may enjoy if you like World War Z.

• The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks. For all the know how you’ll need for getting through your own Zombie Apocalypse.

• The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman. Kirkman prides himself on his look at what happened to people after the zombies invaded.

• Dying to Live (#1) by Kim Paffenroth. A group of survivors of the zombie apocalypse band together to survive and try and make sense of the horrors that are occurring. They’re not the only ones out there though and there are some things worse than zombies…

I fight for my Whiskey like I fight for my country! RRRRRR!!

Ok so my title sounds like a pirate and this story is backwoods, not open ocean, but it just felt right. The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss is on the docket today and what a case it makes for itself!

I tend to get a wee bit nervous with adult historical fiction. It can seem more like nonfiction sometimes and just be tedious. When I originally heard about The Whiskey Rebels my original thought was the above, that it would be boring and long, but it was about whiskey...and rebels...so it had to have something good going on between those covers. One weekend while traversing the great Midwest in my loyal green stallion (also known as my Sebring), I decided to partake of this book on CD instead of drinking in the glorious Midwestern landscape...of corn fields, and flat ground. Sixteen CDs later, I fell back in love with historical fiction.

The Whiskey Rebels is taken from two different perspectives. One the disgraced former American spy, Ethan Saunders, who finds himself caught up in the affairs of his former love that leads down a long and winding road and Joan Maycott, the strong willed, intelligent, determined woman who began a plot to get the justice that is owed her. Both characters have stories that keep the pages turning and plots that move the reader along. Through a labyrinth of historical figures and settings, the reader learns about life on the frontier and life in the city post-Revolution. The underlying plot of this story is rich, detailed and well thought out. Not only does the reader get a sense of the era, but they become engrossed in the characters.

Ethan Saunders is a rogue. At the beginning of the novel, he seeks only escape from his life through sleeping around and drinking, but he is clever, sly, intelligent, cunning, and usually, pretty damn funny. All in all, you love the guy. He has a moral code that bends to his will, but he is an honorable man even if society does not see him that way.

Joan is a determined woman from the moment the audience meets her to the end. She is candid, intelligent and bold for a woman of her time, but she knows what she wants and she goes for it. I envy her ability to know her own mind. She has morals and values that she sticks to, and when wronged, she is determined to make those who ruined her pay the price that a corrupt system would not extract. Vengeance is a dish best served cold and Joan is brilliant in her method.

The first thing that got me was the quality of the reading and production. There was music at the beginning and the end of each CD that fit perfectly and the actor who read, Christopher Lane, did a brilliant job portraying each character in a different way that made them all distinguishable. Just like in film, audio actors make all the difference between a good book and a disaster. Lane has a commanding, masculine voice that never got old. Truly enjoyable to listen to.

The book keeps moving and although there were times when Joan explained an economic practice that I zoned out a bit, I was always avidly listening. I truly liked the characters and thought the plot was well constructed. It is a lengthy read and the author probably could cut some of the writing out, but I did not think he was long winded or overly explicative. I will certainly be looking for more David Liss books in the future.

Fairy Tale Adaptions: Part 1

Fairy tales, folktales, and legends are a bit of a cherished area of mine. I love how old, yet relevant and historical these tales are. They are magical and although I know most people scoff at them when they're adults, there is a TON of value in all of these stories. Stories like Cinderella and Aesop's fables were oral traditions, passed down from generation to generation. I've heard it said that language was the result of storytelling. People wanted to tell each other what they did that day or the *tall* tale of how they killed the largest mammoth in all the land, so language was born. Even though the stories may seem childish or grotesque in some cases, they are artifacts from past ages that still resonate throughout our culture with themes of love, greed, jealousy, and justice. Originally these tales were not collected for their appeal to children, but as an anthropological study of cultures. Maybe people don't understand the art of storytelling, but it's a lot more prevalent today than we think. Everyone has that friend or relative who is just captivating when they speak and they tell their stories in a way that makes you want to listen. That is a skill that is hard to come by, but that is what all of those ancient tales are about. One person mesmerizing an audience with a story. That is only part of what I ADORE about fairy/folk tales.

As part of a series of posts I will start, I will review fairy/folk tale adaptions.

One of my favorite folk/fairy tales is "East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon" from the Nordic lands. This is a story about an ordinary, yet determined, young woman who saves an enchanted prince from marrying a troll. Well another thing I love is fairytale adaptions and that is where East by Edith Pattou comes in.

East is an adaption of this fairy tale. It is a young adult novel about 500 pages long. Rose is an adventurous young girl who is determined to explore the world. She gets her chance when a great talking white bear comes and promises to solve her family's problems if only she will come away with him. Away she goes to a castle in a mountain where she must stay with the white bear. This is no average bear, however, and at night, Rose has a companion who lays beside her, but whom she is unable to lay eyes on. Her curiosity gets the best of her and she finds a way of seeing the stranger's face one night only to discover that by so doing, she has broken the enchantment...for the worse. The white bear/man is swept away by the troll queen to a land east of the sun, west of the moon. Rose refuses to let her mistake stand, so she goes on a great journey, searching for the white bear.

One nice thing about fairy tales is that they are short. This can be an annoyance when you really want to learn the motivations behind people's actions, or more of the story. I enjoyed East for the most part, but thought it was a little long winded. Not knowing all the details leaves some magic and mystery in the story, but I felt that this rendition overdid it. The story is broken down into chapters written by a few characters, which gave the reader a good break to hear different sides of the story and different voices. All in all, it was a bit too lengthy and not as captivating as I was expecting.

I will continue reading folk/fairy tales and their adaptions because I want to hear what happened and know more of the story. Isn't that the sign of a good story, that you always want more? What stories stand out to you?

A bleak beginning to the new year

After deciding it is time to read some adult books, I chose one with a title and cover that I really liked. Not always the best idea, but Oprah reinforced this one, so you know it's good *sarcasm*. House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III is a bleak read. Taken from the point of view of two people battling for ownership of a house, this is a book that forces you out of your comfort zone and into the middle man position.

Kathy's husband walked out on her and all she has left is the house her father left her brother that she now lives in in California. Colonel Behrani is an Iranian immigrant who fled with his family to America during the Islamic Revolution because he was in the old regime's military. He works hard to support his family, but has a plan to start flipping real estate. The new house he moves his family into, just happens to be Kathy's house that the county wrongfully took from her. As Kathy fights to stay off the streets and get her home back, the Colonel fights to make his family feel normal again and lead them into a better future. Things start taking a turn when Kathy and a local cop, Lester, get involved. Soon the passive aggressive struggles over the house turn into full out war.

This is certainly not a beach read, but it is engaging. There is a steady under current of suspense that makes you want to know more about the characters and what will develop. The Colonel and Kathy both have broken pasts, albeit for very different reasons. The reader may identify with the characters, but they are not particularly heartwarming people. The writing style is a strong suit in this novel. The characters have distinct voices and the Colonel's sections are written in dialect with words in Farsi and the sentence structure of someone whose first language is not English. This can be a risky move, but it paid off.

This is a read for those looking for something real and unfiltered. It shows the perspectives of two people who are living hard lives and trying or attempting to get out of their situations and regain some semblance of a normal life. For read alikes, I would say Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck or As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner.

A Beautiful Novel

The Help was perhaps one of the best books I've read in a while. It's taken from three different perspectives and seamlessly woven together. The story takes place in Jackson, Mississippi 1962. Skeeter, who has just graduated from college is scorned by her mother for not having her MRS, but she wants to become a writer. Aibileen is an older black maid who works for a white family. Minnie is a fiery black woman who works as a maid, but has crossed the wrong white lady. Their lives tangle together when Skeeter decides to share their side of the story; what it's like to be a black maid working for a white family.

Kathyrn Stockett did a phenomenal job writing this book. She captured the helplessness, heartbreak, anxiety, joy, and frustration of the characters. Her writing recalled my own hurts and it felt like she had taken the words that I couldn't form for myself and written them down in this book.

I actually listened to this book on tape, which I always think is cheating in a way. After hearing this read to me, I will never think that again. It actually made all the difference having it read to me. The dialog is written in southern dialect, so it's easier to say the words out loud anyway. With three perspectives, it helped having three different readers. I would highly recommend listening to this book, or just reading it for that matter. The story was rich and I could not stop listening. I thought I would only listen to it in the car, but I found myself popping it into my DVD player and just sitting and staring off, imagining what was happening.

O and for those of you who like reading books before they are raped by the silver screen, you may want to give this one a read pretty soon.