62 - One Good Dog; Susan Wilson

In the tradition of Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain , which I adored, comes Susan Wilson's latest novel, One Good Dog. The audio version is read by Fred Berman and Rick Adamson, and both do a fabulous job. You see in this book, two characters, Man and Dog each tell their story.

Adam March was a successful, 40 something, self-made millionaire with a wife and a beautiful teenage daughter. He had, however, a troubled childhood that haunted him still. One day the good life ended for him; he lost his job, his wife filed for divorce, and he had assault charges to face as well. He was humiliated by having to moved to a less than desirable area, since his money was gone, and he was also required to do community service at a homeless shelter.

Chance is a pit bull mix, a former fighting dog who spent his life in a cage, in a basement. He did the only thing he knew would please his master...fight, and in exchange for that he was fed. When his owner's home is raided by authorities, all of the dogs are gathered up but Chance manages to escape. He's thrilled to be free, but his freedom on the streets, is short lived. He is taken to an animal shelter and put back in a cage. Of course since a cage is all he has known, he thinks he will be expected to fight, but soon he sees that life here is not so bad, but what does his future hold?

Well yes, fate brings these two lost souls together, but can all the obstacles of life and circumstance keep them together, or is their time together short-lived?

If you love stories about life, love, loss, and second chances, then this story is sure to please. Be sure to put this book on your summer reading list. I should caution you that although brief, some of the dog fighting scenes are pretty descriptive. Despite this, I thought this book was so worth my time. (4.5/5 stars)

(Library Audio Book)

Friday Finds

Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading.

 Here are a few finds I discovered this week. Have you read any of these? 

 

 

 Map of the Invisible World; Tash Aw

(amazon)....Starred Review. This exquisite and haunting second novel from Aw (The Harmony Silk Factory) follows a vibrant cast searching for a sense of home during the political upheaval of 1960s Indonesia. After 16-year-old Adam de Willigen's adoptive father, Karl, is arrested by Indonesian soldiers, stranding Adam in their remote island village, he sets off for Jakarta to find him. Meanwhile, American ex-pat professor Margaret Bates is reminded of her teenage love for Karl after an embassy contact informs her he's been arrested. Soon, Adam arrives on Margaret's doorstep, and though practical, good-natured Margaret has never felt any maternal longings, the two bond instantly. Their search for Karl continues amid the riots and protests filling the city streets, but is interrupted when Adam is kidnapped by a Communist student with a sinister agenda. With the help of a friend, Margaret uses every ounce of diplomacy she has to find Karl and Adam and construct the family she's discovered she's wanted all along. Well-paced and gorgeously written, this epic story of loss and identity mirrors the struggles of the young Indonesia in which it takes place.

 

Strong for Potatoes; Cynthia Thayer

 

(amazon)...When weaving baskets, what is more important, strength or beauty? In Cynthia Thayer's startling debut novel, baskets become an evocative metaphor of the self. Beauty is important, certainly, but if a basket isn't strong enough to hold potatoes, it is worthless. Meet Blue Willoughby, a brave and creative girl in the midst of a difficult journey into adulthood. Blue's whole life has been scarred by two events from her childhood: an accident that left her with a limp and a glass eye, and the tragic death of her twin sister just after their birth. The events, though, seem to have destroyed her parents more than they damaged Blue herself. Her mom and dad have all but disappeared from her life. Only Blue's grandfather, a Passamaquoddy Indian, sees her as she really is--strong, vibrant, and lovely in spite of her scars. With his encouragement, Blue learns to weave traditional baskets. The ash and sweet grass cut her hands, making them bleed, but Blue perseveres through the pain and learns to weave tight, strong, beautiful baskets. As she refines her craft, Blue finds the grace that heals her inner pain, setting her free into the richness of her own future. Strong for Potatoes is a complex, deeply moving story that will encourage mature teens and adults to pay more attention to the ways they weave experiences and people into their lives.

 

A Certain Slant of Light; Cynthia Thayer

 

(amazon)....Thayer's (Strong for Potatoes) second novel treats the unusual relationship between an aging, socially withdrawn man and a young, pregnant woman. Peter has lived a hermit like existence in his cabin on the Maine coast for years since his wife and children died in a house fire. His only companions are an old dog and Dora, an elderly Native American woman who lives in a nearby cabin. Elaine, who appears at Peter!s cabin during an ice storm, has deliberately sought his place as a refuge while she make decisions about her life and baby, who may require a blood transfusion at birth, a procedure forbidden by her Jehovah!s Witnesses sect. Peter is at first angry at the imposition of a needy stranger, but he gradually comes to rely on Elaine!s companionship and help with his animals and garden. He finds himself opening up to the world again, falling in love, and resolving his guilt over his family!s death. Dora, a former midwife, assists with Elaine!s delivery, while Elaine!s husband, the book!s only two-dimensional character, provides a threatening presence. Thayer's knowledge of gardening, sheep herding, and even bagpipes (Peter!s avocation) enriches the story, and the uncertainty of Peter and Elaine!s future together keeps the pages turning. Highly recommended.

Library Loot

 I had been really good about restricting my library borrowing to audio books, but recently, I "fell off the wagon", and started requesting lots of items once again :(

Here is my library fix for the next few weeks. The audio books are being copied to my iPod for future listening, and then being returned.........but, then I have another problem,
(2) book sales in the next few days.....what are the chances that I won't bring anything home? 

Diane's bookshelf: library-loot




More of Diane's books »

Diane's bookshelf: library-loot




More of Diane's books »

61 - Beatrice and Virgil; Yann Martel

Beatrice and Virgil; Yann Martel

Yann Martel wrote Life of Pi nearly nine years ago, and I thought it was such an amazing story. It was part fantasy, part adventure tale, but the story was actually based in part, on the life of the authors' childhood friend from India.  Since I loved that audio book so much, I decided to wait for the audio of Beatrice and Virgil as well, even though I had received a review copy a few month's ago.  I am glad I waited, as Martel's stories are meant to be listened to....the reader, Mark Bramhall was just awesome.

The central character in this novel is Henry, an acclaimed writer.  His most recent submission is two stories on the same subject, the Holocaust, but all in one book. Picture two identical front and back covers; read one version (fiction), flip the book over and read the other version (non fiction). When his book is rejected by his publisher,Henry decides to stop writing, move, and begin a new phase in his life.

After Henry and his wife move, he receives a strange piece of fan mail, which include a short story by Flaubert.  The mail comes from a man, also named Henry, asking for Henry #1's help in writing a play with twenty-one animals. The main animal characters are, Beatrice, a donkey and Virgil a howler monkey.  Of course Henry #1 is curious and he tracks down the letter writer at his shop. Henry #2 is a taxidermist, and he sees his vocation as "not to kill but to preserve and bear witness". 

As Henry the taxidermist, begins to read parts of his play the meat of this novel unfolds in a shocking way.  There is so much more I would love to write, but it could easily lead to potential spoilers.

Let me just say that although the beginning of this novel seemed slightly disjointed to me, the story was brilliant. Much like Martel's his last book Beatrice and Virgil, was very descriptive, captivating and truly imaginative. The story was both insightful and at the same time shocking. It's a story that still haunts me. It is one story that will leave many readers with plenty to think about. While the story fully held my interest and kept me curious until the very end, it also left me feeling sadder than I ever expected to feel when I came to the end. Not sad, that the story was over, but sad by how it ended. Those of you who read or listened to the book will know what I am referring to. "Games for Gustav, 1-13", made my heart sink and my jaw drop.  Despite the ending, I am still very happy I decided to read this book. It's a short book, but one like, Life of Pi, that will resonate for a long while. RECOMMENDED - 4.5/5 stars.

(Review based on Library audio book and Review Copy)

Waiting on Wednesday - The Language of Trees; Ilie Ruby

Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. Here's my pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection:

The Language of Trees; Ilie Ruby

(July 2010 - Avon)

“The Language of Trees, like Whitman's Leaves of Grass though in a magic realist vernacular, refreshingly asserts that deeply American conviction: the gravest natural instinct is to heal and be healed. A shimmeringly heart-felt story.”

–Gregory Maguire, author of the Wicked series

"Rarely do debut novels cover the complicated emotional terrain of The Language of Trees.  This is no simple right-of-passage story but rather an eloquently written journey that explores our strengths and vulnerabilities, our love of those who most need us, and whom we need most.  Ilie Ruby is a shining new voice, powerful and true, worthy of our closest attention."
–James Brown, author of The Los Angeles Diaries

"The Language of Trees is a haunting novel about the enduring power of love.  Crafted with suspenseful pacing and delicate imagery, Ilie Ruby's book combines the qualities of an irresistible ghost story with a healing tale of redemption.  It's a vivid and compelling read."
–Elizabeth Rosner, author of Blue Nude and The Speed of Light

“Ilie Ruby's haunting story seems to spring fully formed from the mystical setting she so beautifully describes. The Language of Trees will make you believe that spirits live on, that hands can heal, and that if you open your heart wide enough, the world is full of second chances.”
–Diane Chamberlain

"Eloquent and compelling, The Language of Trees is a luminous gem in the hypnotic waters of seduction. Ilie Ruby's prose has at once a deeply lush and evocative serenity, poetically imagistic and rhythmically mastered, even as it lures us up into the lilac scents of restless spirits or down into the nuanced depths of a child's catatonic paralysis. Ruby is master of her subject. Her characters are empathetic portraits of everyone or everything "wounded," a mythic world of Seneca tribal legend, blind faith, and the sobering mania of guilt, all intimately woven by the haunt of memory and mourning-- and finally love. Ruby inspires us to leap every hurdle of "risk" and "Reach, Reach" into the open core of our souls for ancestral and personal redemption. A remarkable debut author, hers is the language of the human spirit working in conjunction with the healing spirit of the earth." 

–James Ragan, author of Too Long A Solitude  and The Hunger Wall

Wordless Wednesday

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia @ The Printed Page.  Join in the fun and check out what arrived in everyone's mailboxes last week by visiting Marcia's blog.

Just (1) book for me this week:

After the Fall; Kylie Ladd

(Shelf Awareness/Doubleday)

In her page-turning fiction debut, neuropsychologist Kylie Ladd delivers a searing portrait of two marriages united and betrayed by friendship.

“I had been married three years when I fell in love,” begins Kate, a firecracker of a woman who thought she’d found the yin to her yang in Cary, her sensible and adoring husband.  For their friend Luke—a charismatic copywriter who loves women and attention in equal measure, and preferably together—life has been more than sweet beside Cressida, the dutiful pediatric oncologist who stole his heart.  But when a whimsical flirtation between Kate and Luke turns into something far more dangerous, the foursome will be irrevocably intertwined by more than just their shared history. 

After the Fall follows the origin and fallout of the most passionate of affairs through the eyes of all four characters, unveiling the misunderstandings and unspoken needs that lie beneath our search for love and connection.  The narrative moves effortlessly between past and present, painting a nostalgic picture of the two marriages at their most idealistic—the exact moment when like turned to love—and at their most volatile.  Thanks to the boundless compassion with which Ladd draws her characters, one can’t help but root for them as they wrestle between newfound desire and remembrances of time past, all the while spinning toward an inevitable conclusion.

Steeped in psychological insight and raw emotion, After the Fall is an unsettling novel of the many ways we love and hurt each other.