REVIEW: MIDDLE MEN

Middle Men: Stories by Jim  Gavin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This set of short stories took me completely by surprise, and Gavin's writing totally swept me off my feet. I got caught up in the first story of the basketball hopeful, and it wasn't hard to keep going after that.

There is such a strong sense of place, which is evident in everything from the long freeway drives to the frequency that his characters go to Del Taco. Is Del Taco a SoCal thing? Anyway, the writing powerfully conveys certain emotions in each story, which highlight the middle-ness of the character's situations. Some are in the middle of grief, denial, mediocrity, but all are so in the middle. It's really brilliant--the truly strong sense of middle-ness that the stories convey.

The writing was powerful in its simplicity. You can feel so much meaning in the little details- from the gimp mask in "Illuminati" to the lizard at the bottom of the pool in "Costello". Once you start feeling this . . . it's no wonder that Jim Gavin is a fabulous writer. All these little details build up to convey those emotions and poignant moments in the glimpse we get of the character's life. Understated is the perfect word to describe this feeling. Understated but overwhelming and incredibly sympathetic, is what you can feel from reading this. I also particularly relished the snap with which each story ended. I don't read this kind of fiction often, but now he has me completely sold on it.

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REVIEW: MIDWINTERBLOOD

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Not too often do you read books with this kind of intensity and depth, or with the kind of beautiful, descriptive writing, or that have such barely constrained passion bursting through the story. Marcus Sedgwick is truly one of my favorite authors (see Revolver and White Crow), because each one of his books, this one being no exception, stand out from the crowd of other YA literature. I loved this one because you can feel the history and weight of time behind the story, and the resolution is surprising and memorable. 

I say story, but really Midwinterblood is comprised of seven stories with common threads woven throughout, and as you get farther in you start to see how everything connects and the true storyline that transcends time. The enchanting, mysterious setting contributes a lot to the atmosphere of the book. It's a place where things aren't what you think they are, and secrets and traditions reveal the dark, sometimes violent side of the picturesque, remote Blessed Island.

I just can't get over this book. It's haunting and memorable, and the meaning builds and builds and the writing is simply masterful. I read it through twice and couldn't get enough. It's fairly short, and would definitely appeal to readers who enjoyed books like Tiger Lily, Monstrous Beauty, The Raven Boys, Cloud Atlas, or possibly even The Night Circus. 

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RECENT RECOMMEND SUCCESS

I've had some crazy success with book recommendations lately. I recommend books a lot-- to family, friends, friends of friends, co-workers, random strangers, etc. I'm always elated when they liked the book I suggested. Especially if it's a book in a series, then they tell me about their mad rush to get their hands on the sequel and I feel a little thrill of happiness. The books below are a few that I've recommended to people lately that have been a huge hit. If you haven't read them yet, well, I recommend that you do.

For those who like YA, some romance, and a little paranormal, or who won't mind being totally sucked into a book for a little while:

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, by Michelle Hodkin
Mara wakes up in the hospital, the only survivor of an accident that killed her friends and ex-boyfriend. She can't remember anything. Her family soon thereafter moves to Florida, where she starts in a new school and tries to remember and deal with what happened. And hello! hot boy at school with a British accent who seems to be everywhere and also interested in Mara! And whoa! crazy things start happening to Mara that she can't explain, but memories are starting to come back and with Noah's help she's starting to figure things out. Just as you think that you have it figured out, another piece of the puzzle shakes things up. And the relationship between Mara and Noah is something you will easily get caught up in. (See my review here.)

Yes the sequel is out (The Evolution of Mara Dyer), and don't scream, but the last one (The Retribution of Mara Dyer) comes out this fall.



The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
From the chilling and atmospheric beginning in a graveyard where sixteen year old Blue sees the spirit of a boy that is either her true love or that she will kill . . . all the way through the end--this book is fabulously sinister and beautifully written. Blue becomes friends with a tight knit group of boys who go to a local private school, and who are involved in solving an ancient mystery (which is a somewhat re-imagined version of a real Welsh folk tale). But as she is brought into their strange and sometimes haunting search, she is also reminded of a warning that she will bring about her true love's death with a kiss. That warning goes off in her head more and more as she feels stronger and stronger about the boys--one in particular. While the fascinating details and the complex characters might seem a little much at first, stick through the first bit and you will be thrilled with the way this turns out.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
So this one is nonfiction, but I would put it on everyone's must-read list. Seriously, I have it out on like quadruple loan and it's never sitting on my shelf for very long. So let me tell you, this guy makes it through a rather rough and delinquent childhood in which he learns to channel his energy into running, then becomes an Olympic track star/record breaking athlete, joins the Air Force in WWII, flies these ridiculously high-fatality planes, is shot down in the ocean and survives on a raft for 47 days just to get picked up by the enemy, spends the rest of the war and then some in various horrific POW camps, and eventually is able to come home. For sure this guy is some kind of Odyssean rockstar and his story is so amazingly written by the lovely Hillenbrand. (See my review here.)




So, have you read any of these? What books that you loved came your way on recommendation? I'd love to hear!

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Coal Black Horse

Coal Black Horse by Robert Olmstead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have a thing for Civil War books, and quite possibly a thing for Cormac McCarthy too. This book satisfied both of my desires in that sense. Told in a somewhat sparse manner similar to McCarthy, it still had Olmstead's own style of writing that is at the same time poetic (but very descriptive) and haunting. The tragedies of the Civil War stay with you, especially when told in such a raw way in this book. A beautiful read just because of the way he puts words together to form images of a horrible, but meaningful, time. The characters were also memorable. I loved following Robey on his coming of age journey that was so full of development, personal revelations, and also symbolic meaning. I really came to like the boy. I also fell in love with his horse--a powerful, intuitive character that provides a constant in the book.

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SuperFreakonomics

SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes And Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance by Steven D. Levitt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Very engaging! Loved all of the play with words and language-- well written. Loved the topics too, and the new way of looking at things that is a undertone to the book. Some of the stats and interpretations made me wonder how truthful things were, but that didn't stop me from enjoying this very much. Reminded me of Gladwell often, so if you liked his books you'll like this. (Note: more for mature readers.)



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