June Book Club Pick

June is here and the Girls Just Reading Book Club plans on having China Lake finished by the end of the month. If you'd like to read it with us, there's still plenty of time!

Read more about the book here: China Lake by Meg Gardiner

Jenn's Review: Plum Spooky

Summary: Turn on all the lights and check under your bed. Things are about to get spooky in Trenton, New Jersey. According to legend, the Jersey Devil prowls the Pine Barrens and soars above the treetops in the dark of night. As eerie as this might seem, there are things in the Barrens that are even more frightening and dangerous. And there are monkeys. Lots of monkeys. Wulf Grimoire is a world wanderer and an opportunist who can kill without remorse and disappear like smoke. He’s chosen Martin Munch, boy genius, as his new business partner, and he’s chosen the Barrens as his new playground. Munch received his doctorate degree in quantum physics when he was twenty-two. He’s now twenty-four, and while his brain is large, his body hasn’t made it out of the boys’ department at Macy’s. Anyone who says good things come in small packages hasn’t met Munch. Wulf Grimoire is looking for world domination. Martin Munch would be happy if he could just get a woman naked and tied to a tree. Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has Munch on her most-wanted list for failure to appear in court. Plum is the all-American girl stuck in an uncomfortable job, succeeding on luck and tenacity. Usually she gets her man. This time she gets a monkey. She also gets a big guy named Diesel. Diesel pops in and out of Plum’s life like birthday cake – delicious to look at and taste, not especially healthy as a steady diet, gone by the end of the week if not sooner. He’s an über bounty hunter with special skills when it comes to tracking men and pleasing women. He’s after Grimoire, and now he’s also after Munch. And if truth were told, he wouldn’t mind setting Stephanie Plum in his crosshairs. Diesel and Plum hunt down Munch and Grimoire, following them into the Barrens, surviving cranberry bogs, the Jersey Devil, a hair-raising experience, sand in their underwear, and, of course . . . monkeys.

Review: I don't generally review the "Between-the-Numbers" adventures of Stephanie Plum for our site, because, well, they tend to be a whole lot of fluff. However I make mention of this one because this is the first full length Janet Evanovich Between-the-Numbers (BTN) Novel, so it would seem to command more attention. If you dislike the BTN books, this is really more of the same, just longer. If you need a Plum fix while waiting for Finger Lickin' Fifteen to be released on Jun 23 ('09), this is a good dose of Stephanie.

If you've never read the Stephanie Plum series, all three of us highly recommend it; start at the beginning. We just think you can skip the BTN books. This one was definitely NOT a must read, but a good summer beach book.

2.5/5.0

Julie's Review: Handle With Care

Summary: Perennial bestseller Picoult (Change of Heart) delivers another engrossing family drama, spiced with her trademark blend of medicine, law and love. Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe's daughter, Willow, was born with brittle bone disease, a condition that requires Charlotte to act as full-time caregiver and has strained their emotional and financial limits. Willow's teenaged half-sister, Amelia, suffers as well, overshadowed by Willow's needs and lost in her own adolescent turmoil. When Charlotte decides to sue for wrongful birth in order to obtain a settlement to ensure Willow's future, the already strained family begins to implode. Not only is the defendant Charlotte's longtime friend, but the case requires Charlotte and Sean to claim that had they known of Willow's condition, they would have terminated the pregnancy, a statement that strikes at the core of their faith and family. Picoult individualizes the alternating voices of the narrators more believably than she has previously, and weaves in subplots to underscore the themes of hope, regret, identity and family, leading up to her signature closing twists.

Review: Last year I had heard Jodi Picoult speak on her new release for 2008's Change of Heart and she mentioned what her newest book was about and it sounded intriguing. Handle with Care doesn't disappoint. Parrallels have been drawn between this book and My Sister's Keeper. While there are similarities the books are very different. That being said Handle with Care is pretty close to being up there with My Sister's Keeper.
One thing I like about Ms. Picoult's writing is that she's consistent. Meaning you know how the story is going to be told and that it'll end up in a courtroom. If she changed that formula, I'd wonder who she had assigned to write her books. I know some people think this is getting old but I like it. As with most of her books I've read she doesn't disappoint. We are introduced to the O'Keefe family: Sean, Charlotte, Amelia and Willow. We see the story through their eyes which allows the reader to get the full story instead of one side. We also see the story through Marin and Piper's eyes. Marin is the attorney set to sue Charlotte's best friend, Piper for wrongful birth. Unlike My Sister's Keeper where I couldn't STAND the mom, I really felt for Charlotte. She loved Willow and couldn't imagine her life without her but at the same time she put her life on hold forever to care for this little girl.

My favorite character was Amelia. My heart definitely went out to her through the course of this novel. She was the forgotten kid. Sean and Charlotte were so focused on Willow that Amelia would be left to fend for herself. Amelia began to feel like since she wasn't physcially disabled that she didn't belong; so she begins to hurt herself. One thing Jodi always does well is bringing one main issue to light but then there's always subsequent issues that are highlighted in the book as well. This one is no different. All that Amelia wants is to be noticed and out of her sister's shadow.

I can't give too much away but there are a couple good twists right at the end. While this book didn't make me cry like many of her's do. I felt that the ending was fitting. It's tragic but not in the same way that My Sister's Keeper was tragic.

I can't say how I would handle having a special needs child but I'd like to think that I would rise to the occasion. What would you do if you knew at 17 weeks that you were going to have a disable child? Would you want someone to at least offer you the option of terminating? That's really what this novel comes down to, not if she loves her daughter or not. As with all Jodi's book, she makes you think out of your comfort level and for that I thank her.

Final Take: 4.5/5

Author Interview: Jamie Ford

I'm so excited that Jamie Ford was able to answer some questions regarding Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet for me. The book was truly remarkable and I look forward to his next book!! BEWARE: Possibly contains spoilers

GJR: I always hear that you should "write what you know" when you are doing your first novel, given that statement what part of the story is yours? Was it born out of historical research or family history?

Jamie Ford: Hmmm…I prefer to turn that maxim around and say, “Know what you write.” So there was a ton of historical research, which I love, but––confession time––there is also a lot of my own familial turmoil in the book. Not in an autobiographical way, per se, but more as it relates to the emotional content. There’s a little bit of my own story in there, as well as my father’s and my grandfather’s. They say that writers need to prick their fingers and bleed on the page––if that’s true then this story is more of a heart transplant.

GJR: What made you decide to write the chapters in the present, 1986 and the past, mid 1940s? Did you feel that it would perpetuate the story better if we read it from Henry's point of view? I wonder how different the story would be from Keiko's point of view. Was that considered?

JF: Well, I really wanted to give the story a redemptive ending, which is a literary way of saying, “And they lived happily ever after.” But I just couldn’t find that ending in the 40s. Because when Japanese families returned from internment, it wasn’t a happy ending, it was more like quiet relief. Jumping to the 80s allowed for the dust to settle, for families to rebuild lives, and for old wounds to heal a bit.

As far as Keiko’s point of view, I did consider that, but since I’m half Chinese, I felt more comfortable telling the story through that lens.

GJR: I loved the ending. In fact, I was at lunch reading it and crying. Why did you decide to give the readers the ending we were looking for? Was it also the ending you felt Henry and Keiko deserved?

JF: When I write, I feel like I’m either banking of spending emotional currency––I’m either tormenting my characters, or giving them relief, even joy. By that point in the story, I’d built up a lot of angst and it was time for an emotional payoff, so to speak.

Plus, as a reader, I’m not a fan of ambiguous, metaphorical endings. I always feel cheated. I loved No Country of Old Men, but the ending, not so much.

GJR: It's been many years since I've studied WW II and I'm almost positive the camps for the Japanese American's was not touched or barely touched in class. Why did you decide to center your book on this point of American history?

JF: My father wore one of the “I Am Chinese,” buttons mentioned in the book. That was really the genesis of the story––the tension between Chinese and Japanese communities that’s relatively unknown to Caucasian audiences. I knew I wanted to craft a bit of a noble romantic tragedy and those two communities became my Capulets and Montagues, but with fewer codpieces and rapiers.

GJR: Besides Keiko and Henry, my favorite relationship in the book was between Henry and his father. Do you think that Henry turned into his father in some ways with his own son Marty? Even though Henry and his father were both Chinese, I feel that their differences could be any ethnicity where the immigrant family wants their American born child (ren) to be American but yet respect the culture of the parents. Did you intentionally write Henry's father as a Chinese Nationalist or did that come about when fleshing out the story?

JF: This is one of those areas where the history of Seattle’s Chinatown really infected some of the characters–-like Henry’s father, who Henry ends up mirroring in some ways.

When I was doing my research and found a mention of Dr. Sun Yat-sen coming to Seattle to raise money for the war back in China, I immediately envisioned Henry’s father as the type of loyalist that would be behind that movement––that kind of nationalist fervor. It created a rich, and historically accurate mindset to contrast Henry’s modern, American ways.

GJR: Is Sheldon based on a real person who played with Oscar Holden or a portrait of different people you met during your research? I loved how you weaved Jazz into the story; it was such an important musical movement during that period of time. Did you feel that it key to Henry and Keiko's story?

JF: When I was rendering Henry and Keiko’s world it felt false to not include the jazz clubs and great characters like Oscar Holden, who was a real person. Sheldon though, is more of an amalgam of musicians that were working in the clubs of South Jackson at the time. Those clubs were such a part of the tapestry of the neighborhood––they needed to be included. Plus, it’s always good to remind people that there’s more to Seattle jazz than Kenny G.

GJR: You left me wanting more, is there any chance we'll meet Henry and Keiko again?

JF: I’m not sure, honestly. I still plan to write the story of Henry’s four years in China, so you might see him again, but I never planned for Keiko to be a part of that.

I’ve had so many emails asking for a sequel. I’d never revisit their story for financial reasons, but if there’s a natural extension––a story that’s dying to be told, I might consider it.

GJR: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is your first novel but you've written countless short stories. Are there any plans for publishing those? Would any of them be the great start of a novel?

I think the best short stories are ones with novel-length potential, so who knows? I am working on a special collection of short stories featuring the “other” characters in Hotel––Sheldon, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. Okabe, Henry’s parents, etc. All set in the same time period. If there’s interest, maybe it’ll see the light of day. If not, maybe it’ll just appear on my website.

GJR: Are you working on your 2nd novel? If so, what is the premise?

JF: The new book is about a failed kamikaze pilot, now in his 70s, who is still searching for a noble death, one that will allow his spirit to be reunited with that of his late wife. It’s another historical love story.

GJR: What has been most interesting aspect of having your book published and on the best seller list?

JF: Well, aside from the bodyguards, the limousines, and the private jet, it’s pretty much same ‘ol same ol’. Oh, and Paris Hilton, if you’re reading this, I’m just not that into you.

I want say a huge Thank You to Jamie Ford for taking the time to answer my questions!

Julie's Review: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Summary: In the opening pages of Jamie Ford’s stunning debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongings of Japanese families, left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. As Henry looks on, the owner opens a Japanese parasol.This simple act takes old Henry Lee back to the 1940s, at the height of the war, when young Henry’s world is a jumble of confusion and excitement, and to his father, who is obsessed with the war in China and having Henry grow up American. While “scholarshipping” at the exclusive Rainier Elementary, where the white kids ignore him, Henry meets Keiko Okabe, a young Japanese American student. Amid the chaos of blackouts, curfews, and FBI raids, Henry and Keiko forge a bond of friendship–and innocent love–that transcends the long-standing prejudices of their Old World ancestors. And after Keiko and her family are swept up in the evacuations to the internment camps, she and Henry are left only with the hope that the war will end, and that their promise to each other will be kept.Forty years later, Henry Lee is certain that the parasol belonged to Keiko. In the hotel’s dark dusty basement he begins looking for signs of the Okabe family’s belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot begin to measure. Now a widower, Henry is still trying to find his voice–words that might explain the actions of his nationalistic father; words that might bridge the gap between him and his modern, Chinese American son; words that might help him confront the choices he made many years ago. Set during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in American history, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an extraordinary story of commitment and enduring hope. In Henry and Keiko, Jamie Ford has created an unforgettable duo whose story teaches us of the power of forgiveness and the human heart. ~ballantinebooks.com
Review: I love stories that cross generations and time periods, so it really should come as no surprise that I adored Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet: A Novel. This beautifully written story is about love, family, growing up and finding what you've missed the most in life. I had been eyeing this book from Amazon and all over the blogosphere so when Tracee from Pump Up Your Book Promotion contacted me about doing a review and author Q&A, I was thrilled!!! Let's just say that all the hype around this book is well deserved. I loved the point of view the story was told from, Henry's and I thoroughly enjoyed how it went back and forth between the 1940s and the 1980s. I like how we get to know Henry when he's older and reflecting on his life. This very much reminded me of how Water for Elephants: A Novel and The House at Riverton: A Novel were told. I think in telling a story from this perspective it lends itself to being introspective as well as retrospective.

Henry from the get go is a very likable character. You immediately feel for him even if you've never had the same experiences as him. All of us at one point in our lives has felt like an outsider. Really, that's what Henry is, both at school and at home. Then he meets Keiko, a young Japanese American and almost immediately feels at home with her. They begin a very strong and lasting friendship. I was also taken in very quickly by Keiko. Their friendship is cemented the night they decide to go to the Black Elks Club to listen to Jazz music. Their experience there defines them for the rest of their lives.

In a part of American history that is not written about or discussed that often, the Japanese families are rounded up and taken to interment camps. This is under the guise of their own safety but I'm sure the US government had other agendas in mind. Of course Keiko and her family are taken to Camp Harmony and his destroys Henry. He can't think of anything else and ends up damaging his relationship with his parents. I believe this is the pivotal point in the story; this is where Henry becomes a man.

I can't really say too much more about the story without giving it away but I will say that not only are the main characters likable but almost all of the supporting characters give a great deal to the story. One of my favorite dynamics is between Henry and his father. What a struggle to be caught between two worlds! Henry's father wants him to be American but yet wants him to be Chinese. While I can't personally relate to this, I can imagine that it was this way for a lot of immigrant families who's children were the first generation to be born in America.

While there isn't a single scene that stands out, besides perhaps the ending to me, its how the story flows and unfolds that kept me entranced. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in a part of American history that isn't talked about. It's also a beautiful love story.

Final Take: 5/5

Jenn's Review: The Gnostic Mystery

Summary: An ancient mystery in todays Middle East... Jack Staunton, an American businessman, makes a pilgrimage to war-torn Israel in hopes of rekindling his Christian faith. While traveling with his friend Punjeeh, an ER doctor from Jerusalem, Jack acquires an ancient scroll written by the Gnostics, a mystical group of early Christians, and his spiritual quest takes an unexpected turn. The scroll makes the startling claims that the Gnostics were the original followers of Jesus, and that they retained secret knowledge of Jesus that was not included in the Bible. With the help of the ingenious Chloe Eisenberg, a professor of Philosophy and Religion, Jack and Punjeeh navigate the dangerous terrain of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in an attempt to decipher the puzzle of the scroll and bring the Gnostics revelations about Jesus to light. Threaded with the searing realities of today's Middle East, The Gnostic Mystery is packed with historical facts about the Christian religion. The thrilling mystery makes a compelling case that the origins of Christianity are far different than we believed... until now.

Review: I had a hard time deciding what to label this book, as there really isn't a lot of mystery. This book is a history lesson thinly dressed with a story. If you have never delved into the history of Christianity, this book is for you. This is a quick read of a very condensed history and it's incredibly interesting. If, you are well versed in the origins of the religion, I must tell you there is nothing new here. I do appreciate his views on conflict(s) caused by religion; here he makes several valid points, reminding me of one of my favorite quotes:

"At least two-thirds of our miseries spring from human stupidity, human malice and those great motivators and justifiers of malice and stupidity: idealism, dogmatism and proselytizing zeal on behalf of religious or political ideas."~ Aldous Huxley

However, while I appreciate Mr. Davila's attempt to convey the information in a highly accessible manner, I was disappointed that he couldn't bring more excitement and mystery to the fictional story that surrounds it. Perhaps he didn't want to detract from the history lesson, in which case, maybe he should stick to non-fiction.

Final Take 3.0/5