The Informationist: A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel by Taylor Stevens

About book:

Vanessa "Michael" Munroe deals in information.  After escaping a traumatic childhood in lawless central Africa, she is now sought after by corporations, heads of state, and private clients who can afford her unique brand of expertise.

When a Texas oil billionaire hires her to find his daughter who has vanished in Africa, Munroe finds herself back in the darklands she once knew so well, fighting mysterious forces determined to keep the fate of the missing girl a secret.  If she has any hope of getting out of the jungle alive, Munroe must finally face up to the demons of the past she's tried for so long to forget.

My Thoughts:

I'm not one to usually read thrillers, but I'm sure glad I decided to read this one.   The Informationist is one of those exciting and thrilling reads that you just can't put down.  Especially with Vanessa "Michael" Monroe leading the way, a tough and intelligent woman who gets the job done.  She speaks over twenty languages, is good with guns and knows how to get the information she needs by any means necessary.  As you read the book, you find out about Munroe's past and learn how she became the "lone wolf" woman she is today.  With only a few personal connections, Munroe is truly an independent woman. 

Filled with action and suspense, this book will have you on the edge of your seat.  The book begins with Munroe completing one of her missions in Turkey and finding out about a new job.  A job that will take her back to Africa, a country that she knows too well for reasons better left unsaid.  A Texas billionaire's daughter has gone missing  and only Munroe can get her back home safely.  Munroe agrees to the task for the cool sum of 5,000,000 dollars - the only condition that the billionaire makes of Munroe is to allow a mercenary he's hired be her bodyguard on this mission.  Once in Africa, the action begins in full force.  I won't go into detail, except to say that Munroe kicks ass.  There is a kidnapping, double crossing and so much more.  In the end, Munroe saves the girl, but at what cost to her - she is left with a loss that will leave her seeking revenge. 

Written with vivid descriptions and in great detail, this is a book that easily transports you to Cameroon and Germany and every place that Munroe travels to.   Soon you are so caught up in the story and action, that you can't help but cheer for Munroe  when she succeeds and gasp in outrage when betrayals are revealed.  Plus, the more you read, the more you can see that the comparisons between Munroe and  Lisbeth Salander from The Millennium Trilogy are valid.  They are two very fierce individuals (mentally and physically) who can definitely take care of themselves in undesirable and dangerous circumstances.  However, I definitely prefer Munroe to Lisbeth, simply because, I enjoyed The Informationist much more than The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.  I just found the writing to be better and the character development to be stronger and the story itself to be more engaging.  Anyhow, aside from the comparisons, Stevens book is a truly captivating, fast-paced read that will not disappoint.  It is the perfect companion on a trip, or when you are laying out by the pool, or when you want to sit inside on a rainy day with a cup of coffee and simply read a good book.

On a side note, the author, Taylor Stevens had quite an upbringing:  Born into the Children of God cult, Stevens lived all over the world, spending time in Germany, Mexico, France, Japan, and many other countries all before the age of fourteen, and then later, Africa. As a child, Taylor was separated from her parents and siblings for months at a time, and in lieu of schooling was made to care for dozens of other children, clean and cook for commune members, and beg for money on the street. Forced to end her education at age twelve, she used her imagination as a coping mechanism, creating stories for other commune children. Once caught writing stories, however, she was put into solitary confinement and held without food. Her stories were destroyed forever.

           

In Africa, Taylor plotted her escape from the cult. Nearly penniless, without formal education, and with no social structure on “the outside,” a pregnant Taylor, her husband, and their young child fled for the United States. Wow!  Talk about a strong woman.  I guess we can see where Munroe gets some of her characteristics from.

And now, I just want to urge all of those suspense thriller fanatics to go out and get a copy of Taylor Steven's fantastic debut novel, The Informationist.  You will not be disappointed!!

Thanks to Jonathan Lazzara from Random House for providing me with a copy of this book!

Our Man In The Dark: A Novel by Rashad Harrison

About book:

A stunning debut historical noir novel about a worker in the civil rights movement who became an informant for the FBI during the months leading up to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Feeling underappreciated and overlooked, John Estem, a bookkeeper for Dr. King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), steals ten thousand dollars from the organization.  Originally planning to use the money to seed a new civil rights initiative in Chicago, he squanders the stolen funds.

To the bookkeeper's dismay, the FBI has been keeping close tabs on Dr. King and his fellow activists - including Estem - for years.  FBI agents tell Estem that it is his duty, as an American and as a civil rights supporter, to protect the SCLC from communist infiltration.  The FBI offers Estem a stipend, but in case he has any thoughts about refusing the assignment, they also warn him that they know about the stolen money.

Playing informant empowers Estem, but he soon learns that his job is not simply to relay information on the organization.  Once the FBI discovers evidence of King's sexual infidelities, they set out to confirm the facts to undermine King's credibility as a moral leader and bring down the movement.

This timely novel comes in light of recent revelations that government informants had infiltrated numerous black movement organizations.  With historical facts at the core of Our Man in the Dark, Harrison uses real life as a great inspiration for his drama-filled art.

My thoughts: (I haven't finished the book, but here are my thoughts so far)

I am loving this noir style of historical fiction.  It is truly making for an enjoyable read.  I am so caught up in Estem's story that I simply can't put the book down.  From his flawed character to the imperfections of Dr. King, I am riveted by how this story is unfolding.

Harrison has written the story of a man named John Estem.  Working as the bookkeeper for the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,   Estem often finds himself being ignored by his colleagues and his ideas overlooked by his boss, Gant.  He simply wants for Dr. King to be aware of him and his ideas and know that he is someone who should be a part of their closed door meetings and that he can help with promoting their civil rights movement agenda.  Instead, Estem is left with picking up Gant's dry cleaning and going over the accounts.  With regards to his personal life, it mirrors his work life - ignored and overlooked.  In love with Candy, this woman he has known for ages, Estem is frequently showing up at her place of work only to be told by Candy and her boss/boyfriend to leave her alone.  At the end of the day, Estem is left with his leg brace and the occasional hangover.  Did I mention he wears a leg brace - its due to his bout with polio as a child.

However, one day, Estem decides to take action.  He steals some money from the SCLC and uses it to buy some fancy clothes and a car - all in the hopes of finally getting Candy's attention.  Once again rebuffed, he finds himself outside in the alley getting beat on by some of Candy's boyfriend's hired thugs.  Except, the beating stops when headlights shine down on them and two men with guns tell the thugs to back off and leave Estem alone.  Suddenly, things are about to get seriously turned around in Estem's world.  Turns out the two men are from the FBI and they have been watching Estem, the SCLC and Dr. King and have decided that it was time to call on Estem for some help.  Aware of the money he has stolen, they use that information as leverage to make Estem an informant for the FBI in the investigation of the SCLC and Dr. King.  They want to make sure that neither party has been infiltrated by the communist party as they have proof that Gant has communist ties from his past.  Shocked by the facts that are laid out before him, but also wanting to prove himself, Estem agrees to become an informant for the FBI.  Plus, he realizes that in order to pay back the money he stole, he will need the weekly earnings that the FBI is promising him.  And so, the story really begins as we read on to see how Estem will handle being an informant and the ways in which this new line of work will affect him personally and professionally.  Estem will soon learn that the FBI expects more than he is willing to give and that people are not all what they seem.  He will need to learn to stand up for himself and for what he believes in - the only question is, will he be able to do so.

Written with such vivid detail and compelling characters, Harrison has created a must-read book.  The story is engaging and keeps you on your toes as you keep on reading to find out what will happen next to Estem.  Plus, the fact that Dr. King is one of the characters, well, that alone makes for some fascinating reading.  You will not be disappointed!  I would definitely recommend this fantastic debut novel, Our Man In The Dark, by Rashad Harrison to everyone interested in history, noir and fiction - you will get the best combination of all three in this one book.  Enjoy! ( I know I'm enjoying the book! And now I'm off to finish it!)

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

An Exclusive Love: A Memoir by Johanna Adorjan

About book:

An Exclusive Love is at once a brilliantly constructed memoir and a gorgeous romance.  As the author writes, "This book tells the story of Vera and Istvan, Hungarian Jews who survived the Holocaust, fled during the 1956 uprising in Budapest to Denmark, and in 1991 in Copenhagen took their own lives.  They were found in their bed, hand in hand.  It is the story of an unusual love.  The story of my grandparents."

My thoughts:

I just finished reading this one last night and all I can say is, "Wow."  This book fascinated me from the beginning and left me crying at the end.  Its a book about searching for answers and self-reflection.  Its a book that will definitely leave you thinking about life, death and the choices we make. 

On October 13, 1991, Vera and Pista committed suicide.  They were found lying side by side in bed holding hands.  Pista had been ill and was not going to live much longer, but his wife, Vera, was healthy and had many more years left to live.  So, why did they choose to end their lives together before their time had truly come?  That is what Johanna, their granddaughter, is seeking the answer to, along with a host of other questions that she hopes will help her understand her grandparents better. 

Written as a memoir, this book is a combination of imagined history and a series of interviews with old friends and family members who have known her grandparents for ages.  The imagined part is due to Johanna recounting the day her grandparents committed suicide - their last day events so to speak.  From waking up and getting out of bed to the toast they eat, every detail is recalled with clarity, as if Johanna were there watching her grandparents go about living out their last day alive.  It all makes for quite an emotional read, because you can't help but get involved in this story of unanswered questions.  You can't help but hope Johanna finds the answers she is searching for and you can't help but cry at the tragic realization that Vera and Pista really did commit suicide. 

I can only imagine how difficult it must have been at times for Johanna to have written this book about her grandparents and their past and their death.  From the discoveries she made along the way to the understanding that this suicide was a plan in the making for quite some time, Johanna learns quite a bit about her family and herself.  This is a well written story about real people and the choices they have made during their lifetime.  These people are flawed, unhappy and survivors of a genocide that left them emotionally scarred for life.  Yet, they are also happy, successful and completely in love with one another.  This is a book that will leave you in a rather emotional state when you are done reading, which I think speaks volumes about the level of storytelling - it is riveting and quite beautiful the way Johanna has chosen to explore her grandparents' past and share their story with us.  You will not be disappointed! 

I would definitely recommend this book to everyone interested in the memoir genre or anyone who enjoys a well written and solid read.  This is a book that will stay with you for quite some time afterward - or at least I know it will stay with me for quite some time.  And just so you know, An Exclusive Love: A Memoir will be released in paperback on January 30, 2012. So, go out and get yourself a copy of this must read! 

By the way, thank you to Allie Bodack from W. W. Norton & Company for providing me with a copy of the book.

Night Swim: A Novel by Jessica Keener

About book:

Sixteen-year-old Sarah Kunitz lives in a posh, suburban world of 1970 Boston.  From the outside, her parents' lifestyle appears enviable - a world defined by cocktail parties, expensive cars, and live-in maids to care for their children - but inside their five-bedroom house, all is not well for the Kunitz family.  Coming home from school, Sarah fins her well-dressed, pill popping mother lying disheveled on their living room couch.  At night, to escape their parents' arguments, Sarah and her oldest brother, Peter, find solace in music, while her two younger brothers retreat to their rooms and imaginary lives.  Any vestige of decorum and stability drains away when their mother dies in a car crash one terrible winter day.  Soon after, their father, a self-absorbed, bombastic professor begins an affair with a younger colleague.  Sarah, aggrieved, dives into two summer romances that lead to unforeseen circumstances.  In a story that will make you laugh and cry, Night Swim shows how a family, bound by heartache, learns to love again. 

My thoughts:

What a fantastic debut novel! The writing was great, the characters interesting, and the story gripping.  You can't help but get caught up in the lives of the Kunitz' as their facade of a picture perfect family begins to crack and crumble.  We have a father who is self-absorbed, a mother who blames her children for everything, a son who runs away, two little ones who hide behind their imagination and a rebellious teen-aged daughter - talk about dysfunctional! 

When her mother passes away, we find the teen-aged daughter, Sarah, struggling to come to grips with her grief.  Feeling more and more disconnected from her family, she chooses to fall into the arms of boys and summer flings.  As a result of her romantic entanglements, Sarah is left to deal with some unforeseen consequences long after summer is over.   

Heartbreaking at times, Night Swim makes for quite an emotional read.  You can't help but feel Sarah's angst as she itches to become a woman, or shed a tear or two as you realize how truly broken this family is.  Keener has done an excellent job with her observations and portrayal of a dysfunctional family. She has created a strong character with Sarah and you can't help but find yourself relating to her at times.  The quite strength and vulnerability that Sarah exudes makes you feel compassionate towards her and has you realizing that in spite of her teen-aged(ness), Sarah is still a child.  And, truthfully, you can't help but be amazed with this world that Keener has created.

Night Swim is a book that I would definitely recommend to everyone looking for a good read- you will not be disappointed! I know that I'm looking forward to reading more of Keener's work in the future.

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

Situations Matter: Understanding How Context Transforms Your World by Sam Sommers

About Book:

A fascinating exploration of the invisible forces that influence your life - and how understanding them can improve everything you do.

The world around you is shaping your innermost instincts and your most private of preferences, and you don't even realize it.  Every day we overlook the enormous power of context in our lives.  That's a mistake, says Sam Sommers in Situations Matter: Understanding How Context Transforms Your World.  In this provocative and surprising book, Sommers reveals the powerful influence that context has in our lives and uses these insights to rethink how we see the world, making us more effective at work, at home, and with others.

My thoughts:

To kick off 2012 I thought I would start off with something in the nonfiction genre, so I picked up Sam Sommers' Situation Matters.  Its a self-help type of book that has you looking at the bigger picture - looking at a situation as a whole and not just in the context of how it relates to only you.  Basically, we need to expand our awareness, because the context of situations do matter and the way we react to them does in fact influence and impact the ways in which we conduct our daily lives.  Pretty interesting stuff, eh? Actually, it was.

Sommers writes about this topic in such an open and engaging manner that you can't help but soon become immersed in all things situational.  From the beginning, Sommers has you relating to him and a situation he found himself in at the airport.  The plane was delayed and he wanted a voucher for a hotel room for him and his wife, since the delay was caused by the airline.  Of course, waiting in line at the airline's counter, he notices that everyone is complaining and yelling at the airline representative and as a result no one is getting anything - no vouchers!  So, instead of heading to the counter and giving the rep a piece of his mind, he chats with the rep about the situation and makes sure to mention that he knows there must be something that she can do to help, even though he understands it is not the airline's policy to do anything.  In a final bid to really relate to the woman, Sommers confides that his wife is two months pregnant and that the airline rep is the second person to find out the news - the first being the doctor.  This secret seals the deal and soon enough, Sommers and his wife are resting at a hotel that very night. So, one can infer from this situation that it always pays to be nice and that sharing confidences can really bond strangers (to an extent). 

Throughout the book, Sommers mentions a variety of scenarios that really test people's limits by gauging how far they will or will not go to help out a stranger to how quickly people judge one another if and when their actions are not to our liking.  He uses pop culture references as another means of illustrating his point that raising out awareness is the key to  really figuring out how to handle the various situations that life throws our way.  Instead of rushing through life, we need to stop and pay attention - you know, smell the roses.  Sommers is basically saying that we need to be more mindful of our actions and responses, because they are representative of who we are and can determine how we see others and how they see us.  We need to be more aware.  

Suffice it to say, reading this book has definitely made me more conscious of how I react to situations.  In fact, I recognize now how badly I tend to overreact, which does not help me in any way.  Plus, I have this horrible habit of interrupting, which again, does not do me any favors. Of course, now that I'm aware of these shortcomings, its all I see. Talk about tunnel vision.  Anyhow, at least I'm working on breaking out of those bad habits.  I'm also working on paying closer attention to situations, so that I can learn how to handle myself in a manner that will not only benefit me, but everyone involved.  I realize that context really does matter - how you read someone or something definitely influences your reaction and the end result.  Instead of getting upset over something that I have no control over, I need to really take stock of what matters and focus on the positive.  I know that these ideas that Sommers discusses are ones we already know on some level, but just the same, I feel as if I am learning them all over again.  Sometimes it helps to remind yourself of what you already know. 

Anyhow, I just want to say this has been one fascinating read - definitely a great way to kick off 2012! I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone - you will not be disappointed! 

Thanks to TLC Book Tours and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!

The 2011 Indie Lit Awards Short List is here!!

Finally!  We have the short lists for the 2011 Indie Lit Awards.  And here they are:

Biography/ Memoir

• Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua (Penguin)
• Bossypants by Tina Fey (Reagan Arthur Books)
• I Pray Hardest When Being Shot At by Kyle Garret (Hellgate Press)
• Little Princes by Conor Grennan (William Morrow)
• Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch (Harper)

GLBTQ

• Well With My Soul by Gregory Allen (ASD Publishing)
• Swimming to Chicago by David Matthew Barnes (Bold Strokes Books)
• Songs of the New Depression by Kergan Edwards-Stout (Circumspect Press)
• Nina Here Nor There: My Journey Beyond Gender by Nick Krieger (Beacon Press)
• Huntress by Melinda Lo (little brown books for young readers)

Fiction

• Dance Lessons by Aine Greaney (Syracuse University Press)
• Cross Currents by John Shors (Penguin Group: NAL Trade)
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (Knopf/Doubleday Publishing Group)
• Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill)
• The Last Time I Saw Paris by Lynn Sheene (Penguin Group)

Mystery

• Missing Daughter, Shattered Family by Liz Strange (MLR Press)
• The Cut by George Pelecanos (Reagan Arthur/LIttle, Brown)
• A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny (St. Martin’s Press)
• The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes by Marcus Sakey (Dutton)
• Fun & Games by Duane Swierczynski (Mulholland Books/Little, Brown)

Non-Fiction

• Berlin 1961 by Frederick Kempe (Putnam Adult)
• In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson (Crown)
• Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff (Harper)
• Physics of the Future by Michio Kaku (Doubleday)
• The Social Animal by David Brooks (Random House)

Poetry

• Beyond Scent of Sorrow by Sweta Vikram (Modern History Press)
• Catalina by Laurie Soriano (Lummox Press)
• What Looks Like an Elephant by Edward Nudelman (Lummox Press)
• Three Women: A Poetic Triptych and Selected Poems by Ramos, Emma Eden (Heavy Hands Ink)
• Sonics in Warholia by Megan Volpert (Sibling Rivalry Press)

Speculative Fiction

• A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (Candlewick)
• The Magician King by Lev Grossman (Viking)
• 11/22/1963 by Stephen King (Scribner)
• Among Others by Jo Walton (Tor Books)
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (Crown)

What great lists! I can't wait to find out which titles will win! The winners will be announced mid-March.  Until then, I'm off to read a stack from the Biography/Memoir category (which is the category that I'm voting in ).  If you want any more information on the Indie Lit Awards, check out the site.