Summerland

Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand  392 pp.

High school juniors Penny Alistair and her twin brother, Hobson were Nantucket Island's golden children. Penny was blessed with a beautiful singing voice and Hobson with first class athletic ability. Their futures were destined to be successful. All that changes the night of graduation when, after attending the traditional bonfire, they are involved in an automobile accident which kills Penny, severely injures Hobby, and leaves Penny's long-time boyfriend Jake and their friend Demeter uninjured but in shock. The story takes place over the summer following the accident and follows the teens, their parents as they adjust to the changes and losses in their lives. The question all are asking is what upset Penny and caused her to drive the Jeep off the end of the road. Is Demeter to blame, as she thinks she is? And can they all come to terms with what has happened and move on with their lives? Hilderbrand has created characters that are realistic in their feelings, flaws, and actions in a story that makes you want to know what will happen next.

a + e 4EVER

a + e 4EVER by Ilike Merey  214 pp.

Asher Machnik (Ash) is a boy with an androgynous appearance. Needless to say, he is bullied because of it and has become afraid of being touched. His one escape from his dreary life is art. Eulalie (Eu) Mason is a tough dyke who has no friends but learns to appreciate all of Ash's qualities. Their friendship opens up Ash's world. But Eu keeps her feelings about him hidden so he doesn't get scared away. The juxtaposition of boy and girl, gay and straight, navigating their way through friendship and love forms the basis of an intricate story. The black and white sketch style drawing and use of multiple fonts adds to the artsy side of the story.

Prague Winter

Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948 by Madeleine Albright  467 pp.

Former U.S. Secretary of State was two years old when the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia. Her family moved to England where her diplomat father worked for the Czech government in exile and the BBC. Albright was nearly 60 years old when she learned that her family was really Jewish and that many of her relatives had been victims of the Nazi death camps. In this book she chronicles the fight of the Czech people, their resistance, the successful assassination of occupation leader, Reinhard Heydrich--"The Butcher of Prague," and the horrors of the Terezin ghetto. The story continues on into the post war years as the Czech government tries to reestablish itself only to find itself up against Stalin. During that time Albright's father, Joseph Körbel, became the Czech ambassador to Yugoslavia and the family spent a brief time there. When Czechoslovakia once again became a battleground, this time against the Communists, Körbel's life was in danger and the family left the country for good, settling in the U.S. This is an extremely interesting and well written book. By including her family connections along with the factual material, Albright has produced a very readable account of a part of the war I knew very little about.

Triburbia

Triburbia/Karl Taro Greenfeld 253 pgs.

This is one of those novels where every chapter focuses a different character but so many of them intersect and "see" each other in the book that it isn't really anyone's story.  The common link to is the neighborhood in Tribeca and school that many of the character's offspring attend.  This book was a pleasure to read and even though short, I felt like I got to know several of the characters well.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman.

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Harley & Ivy/Paul DIni

Harley & Ivy by Paul Dini, Bruce Timm, Judd Winick, etc.; graphic novel; 136 pages

For all that I like Dini's version of Batman (and the Batman:  The Animated Series episode of this same title!), I was a little bored with this book.  It's basically a portrait of Harley and Ivy's friendship, their failed attempts at supervillain-hood, and their outlook on the world in general.  While I love both characters, and I love the fact that they're besties, I felt like this watered things down a little too much (Harley is the stereotypical blonde who screws up all the capers; Ivy is the smart one who is forced to put up with her dumb partner).  The sole saving grace is the in-jokes that Dini scatters throughout (my favorite is Mark Hammill playing the Joker in a Movie of Harley & Ivy's escapades).  Entertaining, but not something I'll be revisiting. 

Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, 335 pages

Water for Elephants follows Jacob, a Cornell-educated almost-veterinarian who manages to end up working for a traveling circus during the Depression. Jacob stumbles his way into the circus as green as can be and quickly sees the horrible things that go on behind the scenes of the big top. In the midst of all this, he manages to make some enemies and fall in love with one of the performers, the lovely Marlena, whose husband happens to be one of the aforementioned enemies and Jacob's boss.

I'm a sucker for a good circus (or circus story), and Water for Elephants didn't disappoint. This was an easy read, and Gruen's research into the era made the setting (if not the overarching plot) vivid and believable. I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of old circus photos at the beginnings of chapters. Not the best circus book I've read this year (that honor definitely goes to The Night Circus), but still enjoyable.

P.S. Whaddaya know, it's a banned book too. Yay for celebrating Banned Books Week without even trying!

Batman: The Black Mirror/Scott Snyder

Batman:  The Black Mirror by Scott Snyder (author), Jock (art) and Francesco Francavilla (art); graphic novel; 304 pages

Batman investigates an underground auction house specializing in mementos of famous Gotham villains; meanwhile, James and Barbara Gordon deal with the unexpected return of the Commissioner's son, who both had thought was gone forever. 

This is dark, scary, and personal--all the things I love in a good Batman story.  This is another volume set during the Batman, Inc. era, so Dick Grayson is filling out the cape and cowl in Gotham while Bruce oversees the franchise.  Meanwhile Commissioner Gordon's son returns to Gotham, claiming to have gotten psychological help for the dark impulses that plagued his childhood.  Jim wants to see the good in his boy, but both Gordons are hesitant to trust him, especially as details about his past come to light.  Lots of family drama, but also a REALLY good mystery storyline, involving a new villain as well as some old favorites. 

I have to make one complaint, though:  Dick Grayson is TERRIBLE at keeping his identity secret.  Joker figures it out ("You're not my bat.  You smell of feathers, little bird."), and the last few pages seem to indicate that Gordon knows his identity too (though I was fuzzy on how much Gordon knows about Barbara's role in the Bat-family--I suppose if he knew about Oracle, it would be less of leap to peg Dick as Batman).  I think it's about time that someone let Gordon in on the secret, but the idea of Joker knowing Batman's identity scares me a whole lot.  I'll be interested to see where this goes. 

Shout her lovely name, by Natalie Serber

A book of mostly interconnected short stories, seemingly the author’s first published book.  As one reviewer noted, the structure is a little odd, as the great majority of the stories follow the lives of single mother, Ruby, and her daughter, Nora.   However, the title story is not about them, nor is the final story, although they both revolve around a mother/daughter relationship.  In between these bookends, we get to know Ruby, who makes mostly wrong decisions, and her daughter, Nora, struggling to find her place in the world in the absence of a truly adult role model.  In many ways, it would have made a better novel, and those stories not about Ruby and Nora could have found a home elsewhere.  226 pp.

September Totals

As usual, let me know if I've gotten your totals wrong: 

Total books/pages: 

Kathleen:  9/4022
Annie:  16/3700
Christa:  10/3077
Karen:  13/3141
Linda:  6/1968
Kara:  3/1375

Total books:  57
Total pages:  17,283

Christa wins this month's random drawing! 

The Sugar Frosted Nutsack

The sugar frosted nutsack: a novel/Mark Leyner 247 pgs.

The gods and goddesses of the modern world currently live in a luxury skyscraper in Dubai.  They move around to always reside in the tallest building in the world.  Other things they do in their spare time is claim different aspects to be the god or goddess of...for example The God of Head Trauma who is also the God of Concussions, the God of Dementia and the God of Alcoholic Blackouts.  Sometimes there is conflict and sometimes someone makes a claim that turns out to be a blatant power grab.

The gods are a bit randy and like to create mischief.  They are currently obsessed with a butcher from New Jersey.  Ike Karton does OK with the attention but is destined for a spectacular demise.  An interesting take on modern obsession.

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