R.I.P. VI Begins NOW!!!!

Exciting news!!! Carl has decided to start this year's R.I.P. VI Challenge today!! So, pick up those spooky stories and dive right in! For those of you who don't know what the R.I.P. VI Challenge is, here are the details:

The challenge runs from September 1st thru October 31st.
The goal - have fun reading books from these genres: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Dark Fantasy, Gothic, Horror and Supernatural.
The perils (there are quite a few to choose from and you can choose to participate at any peril or in multiple perils if you want):

Peril the First - read four books that are scary (any length)
Peril the Second -read two scary books (any length)
Peril the Third -read 1 scary book (any length)
Short Story Peril - read spooky short stories
Peril on The Screen - watch spooky movies or tv shows
Peril of the Group Read - join in on any one of Carl's group reads (three are scheduled).

The only rule of the challenge - ENJOY!

If you are interested in participating, head on over to Carl's site and sign up now!

As for me, I'm still deciding which books I want to read for this exciting challenge. I'm pretty sure I'll be participating at Peril the Second, but am aiming at finishing at Peril the First. I do know that I want to read The Reapers are the Angels and A Discovery of Witches, but that's about it for now.  Hmmm. I should probably go and peruse the bookshelves and see what else I have that qualifies as scary. If you have any ideas on what I should consider reading for this challenge, please feel free to leave me a comment and let me know. Until the next post, Happy Reading!!

Domestic Violets: A Novel by Matthew Norman

From back of book:

Tom Violet always thought that by the time he turned thirty-five, he'd have everything going for him.  Fame.  Fortune.  A beautiful wife.  A satisfying career as a successful novelist.  A happy dog to greet him at the end of the day.

The reality, though, is far from different.  He's got a wife, but their problems are bigger than he can even imagine.  And he's written a novel, but the manuscript he's slaved over for years is currently hidden in his desk drawer while his father, an actual famous writer, just won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.   His career, such that it is, involves mind-numbing corporate buzzwords, his pretentious arch nemesis Gregory, and a hopeless, completely inappropriate crush on his favorite coworker.  Oh...and his dog, according to the vet, is suffering from acute anxiety.

Tom's life is crushing his soul, but he's decided to do something about it.  (Really.)  Domestic Violets is the brilliant and beguiling story of a man finally taking control of his own happiness - even if it means making a complete idiot of himself along the way. 

My Thoughts:

I heart Tom Violet! He is my first bookish crush.  He's smart, creative, funny, and flawed - just the type of guy you want to marry and have babies with (yes, I still want to marry him in spite of that night with Katie).  Tom is such a realistically drawn out character: he's struggling with his marriage; battling his arch nemesis, Gregory, at work; crushing on his assistant Katie; and dealing with the fact that his father, the famous Curtis Violet, has just won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.  You see, Tom wants to be a writer, too.  He wants to produce something that will provide him with his own piece of glory, which is why he's bummed that no one (wife, mother, and almost agent) has read his book yet, to let him know just how awesome his writing is. 

Domestic Violets is a breath of fresh air - its clever, hilarious, honest and real, which makes it such a great book to read.  Matthew Norman has truly hit it out of the park with his debut novel - not only has he demonstrated what a talented author he is with this cast of unforgettable characters, but he's also created this year's must read novel.  I would most definitely recommend this novel to everyone! The writing is spot on and the story itself is so engaging that you can't help but find yourself so completely immersed in these character's lives that soon you are not only cheering them on to succeed, but also shedding a few tears when bad news finds them.  Reading this book was such a treat, that I wish I hadn't read it in one day and instead taken my time with it so that I could prolong reaching the end.  Now I can't wait for Norman's next book,  because I'm sure its going to be just as brilliant as Domestic Violets was. 

Thank you to TLC Book Tours and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book.

Wherever You Go: A Novel by Joan Leegant

From back of book:

In this sweeping and beautifully written novel, Joan Leegant weaves together three lives caught in the grip of a volatile and uncompromising faith.  Yona Stern has traveled to Jerusalem from New York to make amends with her sister, a stoic mother of five dedicated to the hard line West Bank settlement cause.  Mark Greenglass, a gifted Talmud teacher and a former drug dealer saved by religion, has lost his passion and wonders if he's done with God.  Enter Aaron Blinder, an unstable college dropout with a history of failure who finds a home on the radical fringe of Israeli society.  Emotionally gripping, timely and prophetic, Wherever You Go tells the story of three Americans in Israel and the attractions - and dangers - of Jewish religious and political extremism.

My Thoughts:

I've just finished this book and so the story is still fresh in my mind.  I still have Yona's voice in my head and can picture Greenglass' broken body lying in the hospital bed, all the while I want to strangle Aaron for everything he's done.  To me, feeling so much emotion for these characters is a sign that the book is good.  And it is good.  However, there were times when I found myself disengaging from the story, because the flow became disrupted or the pace slowed down and the story veered off into a direction that was less than compelling.  I suppose my main problem with the novel was the narrative structure.  There are three main characters (Yona, Greenglass, and Aaron) and each of their stories is told via alternating chapters.  So, we get a distinct shift in perspective each time we begin a new chapter.  Now, I've always enjoyed reading a book that utilizes this style of narrative, because I think it helps provide a better understanding of each character.  However, with this book,  I didn't get that feeling.  I just found that as soon as I became immersed in Yona's story, I would be  thrown into Aaron's story, which I didn't find as interesting (at first), and it would put a damper on my enjoyment of the book.  Each character was so well developed and their story was so real and engaging that I didn't want to be interrupted.  In fact, I think that each character's story would be better told as a stand alone short story or novella - I would definitely enjoy reading about each one separately.

Aside from my gripe with the alternating chapters, I found the book to be really interesting.  The writing is great and the characters are unforgettable.  Themes of religion, family, atonement and love are explored throughout each character's personal story.  Yona wants forgiveness from her sister for a past indiscretion which has torn them apart.  Greenglass wants to find his passion for life and love and faith.  Aaron is lost and confused and finds himself plotting a horrific crime against innocent people.  All three characters are realistically portrayed and make for some very good reading (some more than others).  The tone and pace of the book does falter at times, but overall keeps the connection between characters and their stories linked rather seamlessly.  I do wish there was more to read, because I feel as if Yona, Greenglass and Aaron's stories aren't finished.  I want to find out what happens next in their lives - how have they changed as a result of their time in Jerusalem after the bombing? Will Yona finally open her heart to love? What part does God play in Greenglass' life now? And, will Aaron's act really go unpunished (I don't believe the deal he got is punishment)?  Oh well. I suppose I can just imagine for myself where their stories end.  All in all, I enjoyed this read.  I would recommend Wherever You Go to anyone and everyone.
 
Thank you to TLC Book Tours and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book.

Everything Beautiful Began After: A Novel by Simon Van Booy

From book flap:

Rebecca is young, lost, and beautiful.  A gifted artist, she seeks solace and inspiration in the Mediterranean heat of Athens - trying to understand who she is and how she can love without fear.

George has come to Athens to learn ancient languages after growing up in New England boarding schools and Ivy League colleges.  He has no close relationships with anyone and spends his days hunched over books or wandering the city in a drunken stupor.

Henry is in Athens to dig.  An accomplished young archaeologist, he devotedly uncovers the city's past as a way to escape his own, which holds a secret that not even his doting parents can talk about.

...And then, with a series of chance meetings, Rebecca, George, and Henry are suddenly in flight, their lives brighter and clearer than ever, as they fall headlong into a summer that will forever define them in the decades to come.

My Thoughts:

I'm in love with this book.  I want to keep this book in my handbag all the time, so that I can re-read it and memorize passages from it and quote it to my friends and loved ones (which sounds annoying, but I just feel like the words that Simon Van Booy has written need to be heard).  I don't think I've encountered a book that has left me feeling this way, since I read Jean Rhys', After Leaving Mr. Mackenzie (just so you know, it left me awestruck).  And so, I now realize that I must read everything Simon Van Booy has written, because I've been missing out. 

As for this particular story, its about three lost souls, who move to Athens in the hopes of escaping secrets from their past.  Along the way the stumble into each other's paths and soon find themselves working together at an archaeological dig.  Confusion and tension abound at first, when it comes to light that George is in love with Rebecca, who is now involved with Henry (who happens to be George's new best friend).  Awkward love triangle? Nope.  Not for this unlikely trio, who somehow manage to push past all the uncomfortable feelings and form a deep bond of friendship.  Its almost unreal how these intense and intimate connections appear to blossom so quickly, but somehow Van Booy makes it all work.  And then tragedy strikes and you are soon mired deep in a sadness and despair so heartbreakingly real that you can't help but shed tear after tear as you read on. 

Simon Van Booy has written a wonderfully rich novel that will leave you more than satisfied.  It will remind you just how good literature can be.  Now, I've purposely didn't delve any deeper into what happens within the novel, because you have to read it for yourself, ASAP!!  Suffice it to say that themes of love, loss, sadness and friendship are explored through three unforgettable characters' journeys to self-discovery.  You will not be disappointed!

Thank you to TLC Book Tours and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book.