Remember Me?

Remember Me?

Aug 27, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Every week they post a new topic/top ten list and invite everyone to share their own answers. I'm so obsessed with lists - so it makes perfect sense that I'd love this feature!

Top Ten Memorable Secondary Characters

One Reason (Among Many) J.K. Rowling Is Amazing

Source

I started working on this post in the same way I always do - browsing Goodreads and my bookshelves to jog my memory and inspire my list. But I kept coming back to the same issue. While there are so many memorable secondary characters in literature, all I wanted to talk about was how impressed I am that J.K. Rowling managed to create so many secondary characters that I'll never forget.

If you've read my blog before, you may know that I was really late to the whole Harry Potter thing. In fact, it wasn't until late 2011 that I finally got to know this world and the people that inhabit it. I spent the next few months making me way through the series, falling in love with these characters in a way I'd never anticipated. I finished the last book at the very beginning of 2012 - a fitting way to ring in the New Year, if you ask me.

But that's the only time I've read these books. I didn't grow up with them. I didn't spend years re-reading each copy before the new one came out. I didn't attend the movie premieres or even pay attention to when a new book was being released. I've read these books once, but once was all it took for me to be hooked.

And I'm still shocked at how clearly these characters stand out in my mind. Some may argue that creating memorable characters is easier when you've got seven books to allow your readers to get to know them, but I'd argue that even characters who only appear in one book are incredibly well-drawn. I mean, think about Cedric Diggory. That's a character who only appears in one book, but I didn't have to go check Goodreads or flip through the book to try and remember his name.

One of the many reasons I fell in love with this series is because of the secondary characters. Rowling creates people who have flaws, likes and dislikes, personalities... Her attention to detail when it comes to her characters is unlike anything I've ever read before. Within one paragraph, she can tell you a few seemingly tiny things that speak volumes about the entire character. Need an example? Read the very beginning of the very first book, and tell me you don't have a pretty clear picture of the Dursleys after those couple of opening paragraphs.

I already know I'll be reading these books again and again in the coming years. There's something about them that's so magical - and it's not just because of Hogwarts. Ask anyone who has read these books who their favorite character is and I can almost guarantee that you'll get a whole range of answers. You'd think everyone would automatically say Harry Potter, right? But no, there's a favorite for everyone in these books. 

You want to find ten of my favorite secondary characters? Just open these books. You can find so many of them there. And that's just one (of many) reasons why I'm now a J.K. Rowling fangirl.

To complete this week's list, here are ten secondary characters in Harry Potter that immediately come to mind:

1. Hermione Granger. My husband telling me that I'm just like her is the best compliment ever.

2. Fred & George Weasley. I just can't even with these two. Don't get me started. 

3. Luna Lovegood. Gotta root for the girl who does her own thing!

4. Dobby. The house-elf I'll never forget.

5. Severus Snape. Always.

6. Sirius Black. Would my list be complete without this beloved character?

7. Draco Malfoy. Oh, Draco. Your family really didn't do you any favors.

8. Remus Lupin. Only one of the best teachers ever at Hogwarts... and so much more!

9. Dolores Umbridge. My blood boils just thinking about her!

10. Hedwig. Only Rowling could make me love an owl.

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Lost & Found

Lost & Found

Aug 26, 2013

The Gallery of Vanished Husbands by Natasha Solomons

Release Date: August 2013
Publisher: Penguin | Plume
Pages: 352 pages
Source & Format: NetGalley; e-ARC
Amazon | Goodreads

Summary (from Goodreads)

London, 1958. It's the eve of the sexual revolution, but in Juliet Montague's conservative Jewish community where only men can divorce women, she finds herself a living widow, invisible, Ever since her husband disappeared seven years ago, Juliet has been a hardworking single mother of two and unnaturally practical. But on her thirtieth birthday, that's all about to change. A wealthy young artist asks to paint her portrait, and Juliet, moved by the powerful desire to be seen, enters into the burgeoning art world of 1960s London, which will bring her fame, fortune, and a life-long love affair.

Thoughts on The Gallery of Vanished Husbands

I read Natasha Solomons' The House at Tyneford last summer and absolutely fell in love with it. Something about the writing just captured me - I had so many quotes and phrases underlined. So, I was really excited when I spotted Solomons' new book, The Gallery of Vanished Husbands, on NetGalley. The cover is eye-catching and lovely, and the description sounded so unique. It's not a setting or time period that I've read much about, so I was really curious about it.

The Gallery of Vanished Husbands tells the story of Juliet Montague, a mother of two living in London. As part of a conservative Jewish community, she's expected to live a certain way. But there's a problem. Her husband, George, disappeared one day and hasn't been heard from since. She's a woman caught in transition. She's no longer single, but she also hardly counts as married. The leaders in her community make a decision - she must live as if she's a widow because only her husband can initiate a divorce.

Juliet decides to do as she's told. She works hard in her father's store to support her children, and she remains practical to her core. She's saving up money to buy herself something useful for her thirtieth birthday, until she's struck one day by the desire to do something different. She spots a piece of art that she wants to call her own, and she's willing to spend all she's saved to purchase it. The artist is unwilling to sell because he wants to paint Juliet's portrait instead. This one small decision, having her portrait painted, thrusts Juliet into an entirely new world. While she is not artistic, she has a critical and judicious eye. She knows good art when she sees it, and this skill helps her enter the London art scene.

The entire book centers around Juliet's life, including her love for art and her rebellion against the conservative community that wants to dictate her actions. While I liked the idea of the story, there was just something lacking for me in the execution. Solomons' characters were unique and well-developed, and the writing was still descriptive and evocative. My problem? I trudged through most of this book. I love books with a slower pace, but this one was really a struggle for me at times.

It didn't feel like there was any build-up or conflict leading to a climax and resolution. While there are certainly conflicts along the way, there wasn't any excitement or passion in the story. For a book that is focusing on a woman who is fighting against her upbringing, I found it frustrating that the book lacked that depth of feeling. I wasn't very invested in Juliet's story, and the whole thing was just a little lackluster.

As much as I love the title, I even thought that was a bit misleading. The disappearance of Juliet's husband helps spark her rebellion, but it's not really a crucial element of the plot. The phrase comes from a section in the newspaper that prints the photos and descriptions of husbands who have run off in the hopes that someone can tell their families where they've gone. It seemed like such a minor element to me, especially considering the fact that book focuses much more on a collection of portraits of Juliet (every artist she works with ends up painting her somehow). It's not about the fact that her husband has vanished - it's about a woman who has lived in the shadows finally coming into her own.

The Gallery of Vanished Husbands is the story of a woman who dares to be different, to be bold and to choose her own future. While I was disappointed in the pacing, the writing was descriptive and the focus on the art world was intriguing. I wanted a little bit more from the story, but it was still an enjoyable read and offered a new perspective that I haven't read heard much about until now.

So Quotable

"... she could feel the tug of the invisible chain tying her to George. He mad her not quite respectable. While Juliet no longer had an interest in respectability, she wanted to select the method of her own notoriety."

*I received a copy of this book from Penguin/Plume in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way for this review.

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Secrets, Suspicion & Suspense

Secrets, Suspicion & Suspense

Aug 23, 2013

The Caged Graves by Dianne Salerni

Release Date: May 2013
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin | Clarion Books
Pages: 329 pages
Source & Format: Bought; Kindle ebook
Amazon | Goodreads

Summary (from Goodreads)

Seventeen-year-old Verity Boone expects a warm homecoming when she returns to Catawissa, Pennsylvania, in 1867, pledged to marry a man she has never met. Instead, she finds a father she barely knows and a future husband with whom she apparently has nothing in common. One truly horrifying surprise awaits her: the graves of her mother and aunt are enclosed in iron cages outside the local cemetery. Nobody in town will explain why, but Verity hears rumors of buried treasure and witchcraft. Perhaps the cages were built to keep grave robbers out... or to keep the women in. Determine to understand, Verity finds herself in a life-and-death struggle with people she trusted.

Thoughts on The Caged Graves

A few months ago, Alyssa from Books Take You Places tweeted about wanting some historical fiction recommendations because she'd recently finished two that she'd loved. While I offered up some of my own, I was curious about what she'd read that had so hit the spot. She quickly told me that I HAD to read The Caged Graves by Dianne Salerni. Her review soon convinced me that it was time to take the plunge, and I bought it on my Kindle soon after. Holy cow, I'm so glad I did!

Verity Boone has been living with relatives for most of her life, but she's finally returning to her hometown, Catawissa, at age seventeen. She's engaged to be married to a young man she only know through letters, and she hardly knows her father when it comes down to it. When she arrives, she finds that nothing is as she expected and there are rumors following her every step in Catawissa.

Everything about the place is unfamiliar to her - she hasn't been there since her mother and aunt died when she was a toddler. So, when she sees two graves outside of the cemetery and enclosed in iron cages, she's horrified to learn that they belong to her family members. There are secrets about why they've been set apart, and Verity is determined to learn the truth... even though the darkest rumors involve witchcraft and buried treasure.

Author Dianne Salerni was inspired by real caged graves that have been found in Pennsylvania in the writing of her story. This small part of history led her to write this dark and gothic tale that felt nothing like most historical fiction that I've read. Salerni catches your attention with an engaging and likable (if somewhat naive) heroine, but she keeps you hooked with the suspense and mystery that builds on every page.

Although they're very different, this book reminded me of The Scorpio Races at times in the fact that there is such a clear mood permeating throughout the book. I closed The Scorpio Races feeling as though I'd been on Thisby, and I closed The Caged Graves with a similar feeling of having been immersed in the Catawissa lore. Furthermore, the spooky mystery surrounding the women's deaths quickened the book's pace and kept it from feeling slow or dull.

There is a love triangle aspect to The Caged Graves, and that was the only element that fell a little bit flat for me. I enjoyed how both love interests each had their positive and negative qualities - I honestly felt like there wasn't a clear winner while I was reading. Each boy's interaction with Verity was fun to read, so why was this the only element I didn't love? Honestly, only because I wanted to get back to the mystery. I was so caught up in the secrets and intrigue that I found the love story to be a little bit distracting at times. It became the focal point a few times when I wished it would have remained more of a fringe element.

Either way, this was such a wonderful read! It felt really different from most Young Adult books that I've read recently (aside from the love triangle aspect), and I loved that it was inspired by something that remains a mystery to this day. I loved that there was a logical answer to the deaths of Verity's mom and aunt, and I was surprised and delighted by the twists leading up to those revelations.

I flew through this book, and I'm so glad Alyssa recommended it to me! There are so many elements to love about this book: a descriptive and well-drawn setting, a spooky mystery, a fiesty heroine and two handsome gentleman. What more could you want from a book? I'll certainly be looking forward to more from Salerni! This is a hidden gem that I'd definitely recommend to fans of historical fiction, and it would be a great place to start if you're newer to the genre, too.

So Quotable

"I thought love was - big and loud and sudden, like a thunderbolt." She looked back, meeting his eyes. "I didn't know it was deep and quiet and grew upon a woman slowly, until one day she realizes it's the very breath and smiles and tears of her life."

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Duty & Desire

Duty & Desire

Aug 21, 2013

Cascade by Maryanne O'Hara

Release Date: August 2012
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 368 pages
Source & Format: Bought; Kindle ebook
Amazon | Goodreads

Summary (from Goodreads)

It's 1935, and Desdemona Hart Spaulding has sacrificed her plans to work as an artist in New York to care for her bankrupt, ailing father in Cascade, Massachusetts. When he dies, Dez finds herself caught in a marriage of convenience, bound to the promise she made to save her father's Shakespeare Theater, even as her town may be flooded to create a reservoir for Boston. When she falls for artist Jacob Solomon, she sees a chance to escape and realize her New York ambitions, but is it morally possible to set herself free?

Thoughts on Cascade

I picked up Cascade after a five-star review and high recommendation from Meg at write meg! She primarily reads and reviews adult fiction, so I love following her blog to find new books that I may not have seen already around the blogosphere.

Desdemona (Dez) Hart loved art more than anything else. It was her passion - inspiring her, moving her, thrilling her. Then, her father, ailing and bankrupt, needed her to care for him. And so she did the unthinkable - she married a man she didn't love because it meant saving her father's dream, his Shakespeare Theater. Doing so meant sacrificing her dreams, her desires, and her plans for the future in order to save his.

This idea of sacrifice is central to the entire story because it also represents the loss of her freedom. She becomes tied to a man she doesn't love and a town, Cascade, that's slowly drowning. Almost literally. What once was a bustling tourist attraction is now an empty shell and a grim reminder of the past. The government needs to create a reservoir for Boston, and Cascade is one of two places they're considering. If it's chosen, that means the entire place will be flooded. Lives dismantled, people displaced. And then no one will call Cascade home.

Cascade tackles some thought-provoking topics - the weight of sacrifice, the cost of freedom, the questions of what's right. From people wanting to do whatever it takes to save their town to Dez's friendship with a fellow artist, there is all this heavy tension that just weighs on the story. You can feel that desperation, that ache, in every page.

Maryanne O'Hara wrote that she "had a line by the great Irish Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney" in mind while writing Cascade:

You lose more of yourself than you redeem / Doing the decent thing

She goes on to say that she wanted to explore the idea of choices - which one is right and who gets to decide which is right. Knowing this was her intention, I'd have to say that she successfully addresses these overarching questions. She doesn't necessarily answer them - just weaves a story that pushes against these thoughts and leaves them open for discussion.

Dez isn't really likable but she certainly makes for an interesting heroine. She's self-centered in many respects, but I thought that it was realistic and nice to read about a woman who was willing to go after what she wanted, no matter the cost. I don't need to like a character to enjoy a book - I just want them to be well-drawn, realistic and feel fleshed out.

The story focuses a lot on both art and water - two key elements that tie everything together - so I loved the fluidity and descriptiveness of the language. The writing is really lovely and haunting. There are times when the phrasing was over-wrought, but I found it mostly fitting with the overall tone of the book.

However, I don't think it's a read that everyone will enjoy. The pacing is extremely slow, which I found frustrating at times. There were also a few plot threads that either weren't completely resolved or kind of just disappeared. And, honestly, it's a little bit depressing because the subject matter and tone is so somber and reflective.

But it's also well-written, moving and thought-provoking. It tackles big questions on a small stage, and I'm really glad I read it. If you want a quiet drama, pick up Cascade. It will leave you thinking about freedom, sacrifice and choices.

So Quotable

"It was always bittersweet to know that people you loved were alive in the world but in a place where you couldn't be with them."

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The Bare Necessities

The Bare Necessities

Aug 20, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Every week they post a new topic/top ten list and invite everyone to share their own answers. I'm so obsessed with lists - so it makes perfect sense that I'd love this feature!

Top Ten Things That Make My Life As a Reader & Blogger Easier

1. Goodreads / Goodreads App for iPhone

Okay, so I had to start with Goodreads because joining this site is what ultimately led me to start my blog. I first discovered Goodreads in 2010, and I immediately created an account. A website devoted to books? You better believe I was interested. I used it sporadically in 2010 - not really interacting with anyone and just adding read books to my shelves.

Then, in 2011, I finally started using it to keep track of what I read. That led me to adding friends, reading others' reviews, and finally... joining the book blogging community! I probably go to Goodreads at least once a day. I use it for so many things: checking a book's rating,  tracking my reading progress, seeing what my friends thought about books I'm considering reading, adding books to my wishlist, etc. I could go on and on! This is absolutely one of my reading and blogging necessities these days.

 

2. Kindle App for iPhone

While my Kindle certainly deserves its own spot on the list, in many ways, the Kindle app makes my life even easier. I love that I always have my books available on the go. I'm rarely without my iPhone, so it's been invaluable to have this app always within my reach. Whether I'm waiting for a meeting to start or standing in line at the grocery store, I can read a few pages without anyone even realizing it!

3. iPhone Camera

I'm addicted to taking pictures of books on my camera phone while out and about. I love browsing around the bookstore, but I usually end up looking at way more books than I can ever buy in one trip. If there are some books in my stack that aren't already on my wish list, I'll snap a quick pic so I can do some research when I get home and decide if it's a book I really do want to own. I'll spot books in a magazine, at Target, on Twitter... and it's so easy to just add them to my Books album on my phone. Once I add them to my Goodreads wish list (or decide it's not the book for me), I just delete the pic and snap some more!

Source

3. My Local Library

I am in love with my local library system. Y'all, I can't even begin to tell you how fabulous each of these libraries are, and the one pictured is the branch closest to me. The selection here is so awesome, and I'm constantly surprised by how many new releases are available on their shelves. My other favorite part is how easy it is to request a book if my local branch doesn't have it in stock. Consistently, as long as there isn't a waiting list, I'll have the book waiting for me on hold within a few days. Not to mention the fact that the library is clean and nice - a place where I'd actually want to sit down with a big stack of books.

My library also now offers ebooks and audiobooks for download online, and I'm in love with this option. While their online catalogue is still growing, I'm still so excited that this option is still available and is so easy to use! I love the library - it's introduced me to so many authors I may never have discovered before and gives me the opportunity to try books that I might be too unsure of to buy. 

4. Feedly

I wasn't really fazed when everyone was all in a tizzy about the end of Google Reader because I had been using Bloglovin' for as long as I've been blogging (which goes back longer than this book blog). However, all of the posts comparing different readers made me investigate some of the other options. I've only recently tried out Feedly (as in, within the last few days), but I'm already obsessed with so many of its features. It's clean, pretty easy to navigate and has some functions that were lacking in Bloglovin' but I've found really helpful now that my reader has gotten so out of control. It may look organized on the sidebar, but don't let it fool you. That's with a lot of "Mark as Read" clicks because I let it get crazy this summer!

6. May Books

I'm addicted to May Books in general, but I most often use my two blog-related ones. May Books are 5x8 in size, and they have soft canvas covers with stitched spines. You can completely customize them - from the pattern on the outside to the type of pages inside. I'm in love with monogramming things, so it only stands to reason that I'd love customizable notebooks, too. The two pictured here are ones I designed for my blog!

The chevron one is a calendar that I use to plan and schedule blog posts. There are month-at-a-glance pages where I can pencil in what I've got to post each day, which makes it easy for me to tell where there are holes in my blog content. I write down my scheduled posts on the weekly pages, too, but those also include release dates for review books I've got or just new releases I can't wait to read!

The zebra one has blank pages, and I use it to jot down all my ideas. Ideas for discussion posts, notes on a current read, brainstorming a new feature... this one has a little bit of everything! While I could probably keep track of this info on my phone or computer, there's just something I love about putting pen to paper.

7. Twitter

Oh Twitter! While it can be a total time suck, it's also helped me get to know my blogging buddies better and often helps me find new books and/or blogs that I ought to be reading! I'm still terrible about promoting my blog posts on Twitter, and I often feel like I have nothing important to say... but I still love it to keep up-to-date on what's happening in the blogging and publishing world.

 

8. iPhone Reminders

It may seem like this contradicts the May Books item on my list since I just said I like writing things down on paper. While that's still true, there are a few things I prefer keeping up with on my phone using the iPhone Reminders app. Using this, I keep up with two important lists: 1) books I've read and need to review and 2) books I've added to my shelves that month. Since these typically change frequently, I like having them saved on my phone rather than on a piece of paper. One quick glance, and I know exactly what reviews I ought to be writing!

9. Audible App for iPhone

I used to have the monthly Audible subscription, but I ended up canceling it after about six months. But let me explain why! I don't have that long of a commute to work (the only time I typically listen to audiobooks), and I went crazy when I first joined and bought a bunch of audiobooks during sales AND racked up a ton of classics that were free with a Kindle/Audible promotion.

When I looked at my Audible account and realized I had more than enough books to last me at least a year of listening (at the pace at which I listen to them), I figured I didn't need to keep doing the monthly thing. However, I'm still in love with this app and the website. Whenever I run out of the books currently on my account, you better believe I'll be back to stock up again.

10. Book Light / Kindle Paperwhite

Okay, no post would be complete without mentioning my e-reader. It's made my life easier in a bunch of ways, including the fact that I'm now able to carry so many books with me at a time and can easily stash this in my purse for on-the-go reading. But I'm including on the list today to highlight the light feature (as well as including my trusty book light) because that's what keeps this night owl up reading at all hours. It doesn't matter what time my husband wants to go to bed - these two things allow me to keep turning the pages for as long as my eyes and brain will let me! And, you know, when I ignore the fact that I have work first thing in the morning. Either way, yay for nighttime reading!

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