A Collection Of Book Reviews

I thought that I would share a few personal reviews for my bookclub and the Goodreads site. I have more, but thought I would post just a few and more will follow at a later date. 

Here is a review for my favourite novel (1 of 3 in the series.) Originally posted in February 2011.

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons.

To put feelings and thoughts into words when it comes to this book is nearly impossible for me. This is one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read.

This is not a typical romance. The writing is poetry in motion, vivid and grips you from the start. You feel the hunger the characters go through,  the horrors of war, the harsh wind from the Russian winter across your face, and you feel and believe in the love between the two main characters- Tatiana Metanova and Alexander Belov/Barrington. The build up is slow and painful, the wanting and waiting is palpable and the payoff unlike anything. The ups and downs that Alexander and Tatiana go through had me up late at nights reading and thinking of these characters. Tatiana and Alexander, with their love and life are still a part of me today, almost a year of finishing the series. Add the real life streets,  places and sites of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) and other cities in  Russia, you have no problem picturing yourself there. It is a rollercoaster of emotions that Paullina makes you go through and it is completely worth it. We should all be lucky to have 1/10th of the love Tatiana and Alexander have. 

I don’t cry often when reading, and upon finishing The Bronze Horseman on my first read, it was 2am and I was sobbing and shaking as if there was a death in the family. To this day I can still pick up the book, turn to any page and lose hours reading. Paullina Simons is truly a gifted writer. 

This book (and series) will stay with me forever.

How to Kill a Rock Star by Tiffanie DeBartolo

I read this book a little over a month ago. I was captivated and engaged with the characters and story. The author’s personal knowledge of the high and lows of music industry makes this a gritty and eye opening read. 

                                                               

I was hooked by this book pretty much from the start, and got more and more engrossed as I read. After a certain point, I could not put it down despite being scared of continuing on, and having exams to study for. 

The writing is great and you feel like you are in New York. The hot, stifling summer air, the noise and chaos of the city, the smells, and the small, cramped and gross apartments, and of course, the ups and downs of the music industry that love to build you up and break you down, all for a profit. The lyrics throughout the novel are poetry that also grab and move the reader, as lyrics and music should. 

The characters shine in this book. There are many aspects of Eliza Caelum that I connected with and understood how she felt and where she was coming from, even if I did not agree with what she was doing. Paul Hudson may not be the boy next door, but his passion, talent, his honesty and integrity as an artist and man, make him endearing. While having a sad and mysterious past and a self destructive nature, which makes you want to wrap your arms around him and make all the pain go away, exactly that romanticized image of an artist and rock star would be. 

There are no real good or bad guys in this book. Life is more complicated than that. Author Tiffanie DeBartolo writes a spectrum of very human characters that think, feel and do what they are going to do, and that is what humans in this world do. DeBartolo’s own personal knowledge (although not a biography or autobiography) of the music industry is what makes this book so amazing and scary at the same time with its honesty. 

It is Eliza and Paul’s passion for music that brings them together and their love is intense and in the end goes beyond music. If the notion of soul mates is real, Eliza and Paul are an example. 

The ups and downs and that these two go through, and their story will leave a lingering impression, well after the last page. 

On The Island by Tracey Garvis Graves.     

This was another good read and it's exciting that recently it has been optioned for a film.

I’ll start off by saying that I would like to give this 3 ½ stars, but goodreads doesn’t allow half stars. I also want to say that overall I did enjoy this book and got more into it as it went along, but there were some issues I had that prevented me giving this a full 4 stars.

**SPOILERS** 

Still engaging overall, the writing was a little too simple at times and laid out simply, like a play with simple back and forth dialogue. At times it worked, since majority of the story there are only two people involved, but the inner dialogue and details and such could have been described better. 

My main issue is that certain events seemed a little too farfetched, and I will be the first to admit that I have never been deserted on an island and hope never to be. I don’t even like camping. For example, the fact that three years have gone by and only two planes fly by. I understand they are in a secluded area but the Maldives are not exactly no man’s land. The toiletries that wash up on shore also last longer than I would imagine they would in reality. The shark episode also seemed a bit unrealistic to me. Certain details were also not explained, such as the money for T.J’s trust fund and to charter a private plan. His family obviously has money, but from what? There are other similar instances, but I think you get my point. I personally like details like that, for me they help with the realism of the narrative and connect better with the characters. I’m also aware that I may be picky with these complaints.

What I did like and enjoyed. 

Author Tracey Garvis Graves is very brave to tackle a taboo topic that goes beyond a May/December romance. This may turn off some readers but it is done in a smart, slow and gradual arc, even though you know what’s coming. It is not some smutty, sensationalized story of some teacher seducing a poor unexpected student. It is more complicated than that. I don’t want to say more about this aspect of the story. It is just not exactly what you may think it is. Another smart element of this book is the back and forth point of view of the two main characters that you understand and see as a reader what both Anna and T.J. are thinking and feeling. This is crucial for the type of story and leads me another element that I liked. T.J. 

T.J. going through and surviving cancer before being trapped on the island adds a realistic maturity to T.J. that is normally beyond someone so young. At the same time there is a natural feel to T.J’s maturity that probably would have been there anyway. His sweetness and unselfishness (not overly done) and you can see why Anna would have fallen for him. especially as the story unfolds. Simply put, he is a good boy who turns into a good man. 

I also enjoyed the post-island part of the story, it was something I was wondering about and looked forward to while reading. The post trauma emotions and adjusting to a different world and getting back to a ‘normal’ life after a traumatic event I find fascinating. It was also important because it is the real test that Anna and T.J have to go through to rediscover who they as individuals and then as a couple. Although I love dramaOut and heartache, I was also really in the mood for a happy ending. 

A nice read to start off my summer reading! 

Honourable Mentions 

I haven't really written reviews for these books, they are part of a long series, but highly recommended and well written. 

Outlander (and the complete series) by Diana Gabaldon 

Outlander, Drangonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn, The Fiery Cross, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, An Echo in the Bone, Written in My Hearts Own Blood (coming out 2013)

Into the Wilderness (and the complete series) by Sara Donati

Into the Wilderness, Dawn on the Distant Shore, Lake in the Clouds, Fire Across the Sky, Queen of Swords, The Endless Forest.