The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie R. King

Series

The 14th and final (?) in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series??

I don't want to give too much away in this review; overall I liked it.  There was a mystery, there were red herrings and there was a wrap-up to tie everything up at the end.  But I hadn't read the book jacket or reviews so I was completely surprised by the direction we went in.  While I enjoyed it, I do hope this is not how Ms. King chooses to end the series.

Quote:  "...men did find it so titillating when a woman was performing an act they considered their own"

Marlene by Julie Buntin

Bookly Box Subscription - April - Literary Fiction

Not exactly what I was expecting, and with some hesitation I say I liked the book.  It was a slow crescendo of character development to the "climax", though in the end it was rather anti-climatic.  I did struggle with some of the timeline.  The chapters alternated between present and past, but the narrator interjected the past with her present day thoughts which at times, was confusing.

I think the draw to this book is the reader's connection to the tumultuous times as a teenager.  Wanting to be liked, the difficulties of body image, the good girl wanting to be bad, first romances/crushes, teenage girl friendships that you presume will last forever.

I think I liked this book because it took me down memory lane, not that my teenage years reflected those of Cat or Marlena, but the emotional roller coaster of those times.  I closed the book feeling very melancholy.

Quotes: "Privilege is something to be aware of, to fight to see beyond, but ultimately to be grateful for.  It's like a bulletproof vest, it makes you harder to kill.:

"..so many people cultivate that air of intensity cut with indifference"

"She thought marriage was a 'manly' and offensive concept"

"When you grow up, who you were as a teenager either takes on a mythical importance or its completely laughable"

"Now it strikes me as a profoundly American thing - an epidemic that started as an abuse of the cure, a disease we made ourselves"

"...because I was still here.  I was right here, where he'd left me."

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

2017 Reading Challenge - Read a Fantasy Novel

I'm not much one for fantasy novels.  Lord of the Rings, Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones), Twilight - I have no desire to read any of them.  The sole reason I even had this book on my shelves is because the author was only 15 when he wrote it.  That alone intrigued me.  And like many other books it sat on my shelf patiently waiting to be read.  Thankfully, due to this challenge, it no longer had to wait!  At 500 pages, I was leary about choosing it for the June challenge of fantasy read, (but I only have few fantasy books on my shelves!) but I'm SO glad I did!!  A well-written book for a 15 year old (yet, he graduated high school at 15, so this was no average teenager).  I didn't allow myself to get caught up in the frustrations I have had in the fantasy genre - understanding and/or picturing a purely fantastical, imaginative world.  I simply went with it.  The character development of Eragon has you cheering for him at every obstacle, and the dragon....well, let's just say that in addition to a skunk (favorite childhood animal), an elephant (read Modoc), and a pig (read The Good Good Pig), I now want a dragon!  Paolini's descriptions of the dragon and the fictional landscape are gorgeous!

I have seen reviews of this book that are all over the map from 1 star to 5.  Many claiming it is a mishmash of Star Wars and LOTR rather than an original plot all its own.  I rarely take reviews into account when selecting or reading a book (yet here I am writing one!), but I do peruse them upon completion and it always amazes me the vast spectrum the reviews cover - lovers and haters alike, just proving once again that reading is completely subjective and all that really matters is if YOU enjoyed the book and gained pleasure, insight, and/or an emotional connection to the book.

So, now of course I want to read the rest of the series (4 in total) and I already have Eldest, again patiently waiting on my shelves for years now, yet each sequel increases in pages!!  Eldest is a tome of 704 pages!!  Gonna have to do some bicep curls so I can read and walk with that one!!!

Quotes:  "Keep in mind that many people have died for their beliefs; its actually quite common. The real courage is believing and suffering for what you believe."

"Lastly, a very special thanks to my characters who bravely face the dangers I force them to confront and without whom I wouldn't have a story." (author's acknowledgments)

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

2017 Reading Challenge - Read a book that is set more than 5,000 miles from your location

What a gem of a book!  A quick read in a unique format of emails, blog posts, announcements, etc. with interjections by the narrator, Bee.  Funny quips, heartfelt sentiments, descriptive writing and dysfunction - lots of dysfunction.  Characters to fall in love with, to hate, to find redemption and to miss when you close the book.  A book to remind you that it's not okay to lose YOU in the midst of the complications of life - that knowing you and being true to you is the only way life makes sense.

Quote: "My heart started racing, not the bad kind of heart racing, like I'm going to die.  But the good kind of heart racing, like, Hello, can I help you with something?  If not, please step aside because I'm about to kick the shit out of life"