Interesting Narrator

I am unfamiliar with Liz Jensen's work, but will now seek her novels out. The Uninvited was very interesting, primarily due to the narrator's viewpoint, and style. His distance from others (emotionally) actually made the novel more compelling than perhaps it would have been had the narrator been more emotionally involved with family members or friends (and others in the world).

The plot involves a corporate investigator (the narrator) who is currently investigating corporate sabotage. There is an increase in odd acts of sabotage by formerly loyal employees, and the suspects eventually commit suicide. In addition, there are odd outbreaks world wide, where children suddenly kill or maim their loved ones. These cases are eventually tied together. It is rather creepy at times, and it did keep me reading, not only because the writing style was decent, but because I was honestly trying to figure out what was causing all of these events.

The ending crept up on me, and initially I wasn't sure I liked the ending, but it kind of sits with you, and makes more and more sense.

If you enjoy zombie stories, you might enjoy this...I don't enjoy zombie stories, but felt this might appeal to those that do.

Highly enjoyable diversion

I am hesitant to embark on novels that allude to any of Dan Brown's novels. Not just because it seemed to start a fad, with some poor results, but because even Dan Brown didn't write as "well" as he did previously, once The Davinci Code took off.

However, once I started The Romanov Cross,by Robert Masello I couldn't put it down. The characters were very engaging, and well written. The plot was intriguing, and the premise for the spread of The Spanish Flu to the Inuits was actually plausible. I found myself searching for information on the Romanovs and Rasputin, at various points; I always enjoy a novel that encourages me to explore more about its content.

I highly recommend this novel.

The Paris Wife

I came across The Paris Wife by Paula McLain at my school's book fair. Parents of a student of mine bought it for my classroom, and I finally had a moment to read it.

I enjoyed this very much, and am planning on re-reading many of Hemingway's novels and short stories. Most of my Hemingway reading took place in school years ago, and this insight compels me to ponder his writing again.

McLain's portrayal is beautifully depicted, and despite being brought to tears with the inevitable outcome, the love they had for each other, was described so tenderly; at times I felt I was actually witnessing it.

Blahg :-)

I have neglected the blog; I am not neglecting it due to not reading, but rather due to not finding any terrific books to promote. I have been reading constantly, but nothing has intrigued me enough to pass the titles on. I truly dislike posting bad reviews, though occasionally I do write them. I decided recently that I will only write a blog entry when I can wholeheartedly recommend a title.

I have come across a number of "blah" books recently...no posts at all in February. Ironically, this is all due to a terrific book I read, and nothing else has passed muster.

Early on I read Cinder by Marissa Meyer, and loved it. I bought copies for my book club, and everyone else loved it as well. Scarlet, the second in the series, was published on Feb. 5th; from the moment I read the first sentence I was hooked. A great sequel, wonderful new characters, and great tie ins to characters that were introduced in Cinder. I only have two complaints; everything I have read since is simply blah, and I have to wait until Feb 2014 for the 3rd book! By the way, my students all love this series too :-)

I will state one other book I just finished is also decent. Thought provoking and satirical, it is kind of a must read for moms, and for anyone who misjudges situations and people (and don't we all?): Where'd You Go, Bernadette. If you read it, let me know what you think.