Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

Synopsis From Dust Jacket:

Dellarobia Turnbow is a restless farm wife who gave up her own plans when she accidentally became pregnant at seventeen.  Now, after a decade of domestic disharmony on a failing farm, she has settled for permanent disappointment but seeks momentary escape through an obsessive flirtation with a younger man.  As she hikes up a mountain road behind her house to a secret tryst, she encounters a shocking sight: a silent, forested valley filled with what look like a lake of fire.  She can only understand it as a cautionary miracle, but it sparks a raft of other explanations from scientists, religious leaders, and the media.  The bewildering emergency draws rural farmers into unexpected acquaintance with urbane journalists, opportunists, sightseers, and a striking biologist with his own stake in the outcome.  As the community lines up to judge the woman and her miracle, Dellarobia confronts her family, her church, her town, and a larger world, in a flight toward truth that could undo all she has ever believed.

I hope I'm not about to hurt someones feelings, but I'm not sure I can do this any other way.  I would like to be able to give those of you who came here looking for a full review of Flight Behaviorr by Barbara Kingsolver, what you wanted.  Sadly, I can't do that.  I could pretend to have read the entire book, but I would have to lie to you, and that's the last thing I ever want to do.  It's not that I didn't read the first and the last page, because I did.  It's just that I skipped and skimmed my way through the book, hoping for something to grab my attention.

I did manage to read the first 50-60 pages before I gave up, and started my skimming/skipping process.  I wanted so much to enjoy this book, the premise and the issues it explored, grabbed my attention when I agreed to review the book.  And I know a ton of other bloggers who really enjoy this author's work.  So I feel left out of club, one that I desperately want to belong to.  I want to be able to enjoy the author's writing and the story she created, but for whatever reason, I'm just not able to.  Nothing on the page grabbed onto me.  Nothing within the covers of Flight Behavior managed to capture my imagination.

I know I'm going to be the minority on this one, and I'm glad for it.  I don't ever want to give the impression that I don't think this book is worth reading, because for people who don't live within my own skin, it probably is.  I have to accept the fact that I'm not one of them.

I would like to thank Trish of TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to read/review this book.  Please visit the tour page to read other reviews.

These Things Happen by Richard Kramer

Part Of The Synopsis From Dust Jacket:

Set in Manhattan and told through an ensemble of endearing voices, These Things Happen is not the quite coming of age story about a modern family.  Fifteen-year-old Wesley, a tenth grader, has moved from his mother and stepfather's home to live for a school term with his father and his father's partner, George, so that father and son might have a chance to bond again.  But when Wesley finds himself unexpectedly at the center of an act of violence, everyone around him must reexamine themselves, their assumptions and attitudes.

I went three whole years with only one review book that I could not finish, then 2012 happened.  With These Things Happen, I have now tripled that amount.  I feel horrible about it, I have no desire to even be sitting at the computer right now, typing these words.  I would rather be doing anything else, including building a replica of the Acropolis out of marshmallows.  I don't like having to admit I've given up on a book, it doesn't feel good.

So needless to say, this won't be a review, and I give you permission to exit out of this window,  and go about your day.  I do want to explain my reaction to the book, so if you are a bit curious but don't need a lot of details, then you may want to finish reading this post.

I think most of us have that one friend, who just tries to hard.  They want to be all things to everyone.  They strive to be funny, but normally fall flat.  They will spout of facts, normally incorrectly, in order to appear smart and worthy of deep conversations.  They wear clothes appropriate to someone 20 years younger than them.  They want to be cool, witty, and fun, but the harder they try, the worse the results.  Since they are your friend, you can forgive it.  I just wish I could have forgiven it with this book.

Now I'm not saying These Things Happen fit that mold perfectly, but it's the closet analogy I can come up with.  The entire time I was reading it, and granted I gave it less than 50 pages, I was grinding my teeth in frustration.  Nothing I read felt real or personal to the characters I was wanting to like.  The dialogue felt forced and unnatural, trying to hard to be witty and current.  And that's my hang up with the book, I hated the way the characters talked, I couldn't get over it, and because of that I closed the book and have no desire to pick it up again.

I know that not giving you all that much detail, but that's all I have in me right now.  I wish I had the energy to  give you some examples of what I'm talking about, but that would require me to reopen the book and pick a few to share, which I just don't care enough to do.  I wish I had more to say, either positive or negative, but I don't.  So I'll leave you with this thought, I do think this book will appeal to readers who enjoy YA more than I do.  I think These Things Happen is marketed towards the adult market, but I think it would fit in better with YA readers who are used to unnatural dialogue coming out of the mouths of teenagers.

I would like to thank Trish of TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to read/review this book.  Please visit the tour page to read other reviews.

The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman

Synopsis From Back Cover:

Years ago, they were all the best of friends.  But as time passed and circumstances changed, they grew apart, became adults with families of their own, and began to forget about the past - and terrible lie they all shared.  But now Gordon ("Go-Go"), the youngest and wildest of the five, has died unexpectedly and the other four have come together for the first time in years.  Suddenly each of these old friends has to wonder if the dark secret they've shared for so long is the reason for their troubles today... and if someone within the circle is trying to destroy them all.

Monday, April 1st, 2012 and Friday, September 18th, 2009 will always be connected in my brain.  Believe me, it's not a good connection.  One of the most agonizing things to have happen as a book blogger is to agree to a review and then not be able to finish a book.

I've had books that I really didn't connect with, but still be able to find something about it to get me to keep reading.  I've even had one book that I hated more than anything else in my life, but the anger I had towards it compelled me to finish it.  It's a horrible feeling to have a book that you expected to like, agree to review, and then have this kind of experience with it.  Part of me feels like I'm letting someone down, but I guess the show must go on.

I guess in hindsight I should have know better.  Back in September of 2010 I reviewed another Lippman book and pretty much had the same reaction to it.  I just wish I would have refreshed my memory by reading that review first.  I had the same problem with both books.  I think the writing is technically flawless, the story lines are interesting, and the characters are supposed to be dynamic.  With all that I still can't, for whatever reason, connect with anything that I'm reading.  It's as if the character sketches and plot points were plugged into a computer and pages of a meticulously written story were spit out.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that, for me, there is no emotional connection behind anything I'm reading.  It's just a little too cold and sterile for me.

I tried to force myself to feel something, anything that would keep me reading.  I just wanted some little crumble of emotion to grab onto.  I kept trying and trying, then I had to face the truth.  For whatever reason, Laura Lippman's writing is just not for me.  I can't force myself to like something, so I gave up on page 122. I feel bad for it, but my brain and eyes feel just a bit better.

I would like to thank Trish of TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this book.  Please visit the tour page for other reviews.

The Murder in the Magick Club by Byron A. Lorrier, Esq.

Here Is The Product Description From Amazon.Com:

“Pure porn!” the critics cry. “Throw it on the fire!” Murder in the Magick Club is an occult-themed murder mystery; perfect for your next banned-book bonfire. Murder in the Magick Club takes place in the exotic, faraway land of Tampa, Florida and offers an insider’s exposé of the “Salem of the South” . . . written straight from the spleen. Murder in the Magick Club is the first in a series wherein the victim needs killin’ and the murderer always gets away with it . . . maybe. All of the characters—moochy customers, cops, self-absorbed and wastrel staff, and the impotent, financially long suffering owner of the Magick Club—are always ready with an easy bit of slander and perhaps an easy bit of murder. Murder in the Magick Club is a ripping good read to grab on the way to the beach, or to help set just-the-right-tone before the reader jumps off the Skyway Bridge. Perfect to curl up with a steaming hot cup of mugwort tea, a bottle or two of Merlot, the beer bong &/or the hashish-stoked hookah.

I knew the day would come that I would end up reading/reviewing a book that I wouldn't like. What I didn't realize was that I wouldn't even be able to finish it to give it a proper review. I have struggled with doing the review because I feel so bad about the fact I couldn't get past page 39. I never want to say anything negative about a book because I know how much time and effort an author puts into writing and finally getting a book published.

The problem for me was that I really don't have anything nice to say about this book. I found the main character, the owner of the club, to be overly negative and sarcastic. He takes up about 15 pages ranting about his two waiters, tearing them apart and making them sound like the worst two people in the city of Tampa. There was nothing redeeming or likable about these characters. My last review proved that you can like a book and not the characters, which is rare. This book showed why liking a character, even one of them, is so important to liking a book.

The tone was just too snarky, sarcastic, and mean spirited for me to enjoy the obvious strong voice the author has. Lorrier has talent. He has a great sense of dialogue and has a wonderful way with words. I just wish I had been able to appreciate it and get over the negative aspects of the book.