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Somewhere Inside of Happy by Anna McPartlin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This took longer to hook me than I thought it would, and at the beginning (before Jeremy Bean's absence is noticed) there was a whole lot of stuff happening that didn't interest me much.
It picks up. And then we find out what happened to Jeremy, and it's heartbreaking. I'd figured out who was involved, by that time, but I was wrong about the how and the bizarre inanity of the surrounding circumstances and how utterly destroyed the other person involved is by it make it even bleaker than it already is.
I hesitate to say I 'like' a book about serious topics like this one, for obvious reasons. But this is a sensitive treatment of the issue and well-written.
The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Overall, I like this book.
I did not know that Dortchen Wild and Wilhelm Grimm were married in real life when I read this for the first time, so the part towards the end when she is free of her father made for anxious reading; I was glad to discover they did marry, and the quote from Wilhelm's autobiography makes it seem that it was a happy marriage.
Herr Wild, Dortchen's father, is so very possessive of his daughters in the story that it raised a red flag pretty much straight away, and those parts of the story are very dark indeed. Other darkness, from the seeming never-ending wars and the constant shifting of control of the area between German, French, and Russian power was well done, and I learnt a few things about herbology in passing that I hadn't known before.
The first thing you need to know (given my current obsession with Narnia) is the Lucy of this book is not Lucy Pevensie!
Dear Lucy by Julie Sarkissian
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
There are things I like about this book - the main narrator (there are three, but the developmentally-disabled titular character takes up the majority of the book), and the talking chicken.
Other than that, this book is full to the brim of WTFery. The true story of what happened to Stella at the hands of Mister, seemingly choreographed by Missus and of which we never get the full details but we see enough to guess at the true horror, is the main one but Lucy's mother appears to be an absolute piece of work as well.
I don't think this is a book I ever want to re-read.
The Memory Book by Rowan Coleman
They are not wrong when they say this book [about a woman who discovers she has genetic early-onset Alzheimer's, and how it affects her life and those of her mother, husband, and children] is very moving.
The "memory book" of the title is a notebook given to the main character by her husband, in which she and the rest of her family write down their memories of her in order to help her remember. It hits very close to home at the moment and I cannot read it without weeping.
The sub-plot about Ryan gets me every single time.
Nemesis by Philip Roth
This started off well, and the writing was very descriptive; the tension and fear surrounding the Newark polio epidemic was atmospheric and drew me in. ( Spoilers herein, read at your own risk. )
Now and Then by William Corlett
Very well-written. I liked most of the supporting characters, except for TG (who was plain offensive, although perhaps that's the point) and the narrator's sister (something of a Petunia Dursley sort of character, if you get the reference). Chris broke my heart a little, and I'm not sure I understand Stephen; at best, I'm tempted to think Stephen said he loved Chris because it made what he was doing less obviously manipulative. Maybe it's the difference between loving someone and being in love with them? I'm sure I don't know.
The way the narrator, in the "Now" sections, seems to be completely emotionally detached resonates, in a way. The "Then" sections flow better than the "Now" ones, but for the most part are bittersweet and in at least one part heartbreakingly painful.
I enjoyed this, and recommend it.
