Shades of Grey
by Jasper Fforde

Synopsis
I’ve yet to find a quick and concise description of this book. Consider that your first warning. The world of Shades of Grey appears to be our own, far into the dystopian future after Something that Happened where everyone is divided into color classes. Not relating to the color of their skin but to their ability to see color. Purples rule the roost while the Greys are basically slaves to all the Colors. The book follows Eddie Russett, a Red, as he accompanies his father on a temporary assignment in East Carmine. It’s there he meets a Grey, Jane, whose cute little nose has him reconsidering his future. It’s not long before his journey sets him on a path to the one place he never expected: the truth.

Review
I’m a huge fan of Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series. HUGE fan.
And even though I never connected with his Nursery Crime books, I was pretty excited when I heard about Shades of Grey. That was until I downloaded the sample pages available for the Kindle and struggled my way through a few of them. I quickly decided this was a book I wouldn’t be buying. But then it was a table at my library a few weeks ago and I decided I’d give it another shot.

I’d like to say it was easier this time around but I can’t. The first half of the book feels, at times, like reading a foreign language. Even when you recognize words that you know, their meaning escapes you. It’s pretty frustrating. If it hadn’t been this author, I’d have given up on the book within the first 100 pages. But then the story finally picks up and I was really drawn in by it.

It’s possible I would have enjoyed the book if so much of the satire wasn’t lost on me. There were a few things that drew chuckles from me but, for the most part, I was too busy trying to grasp the world Fforde was showing me to catch on to the ways it poking fun at ours.

Verdict
The number of people giving this book five star reviews astound me. It feels a bit like the Emperor’s Clothes. Not that I think the book is without any genius, I just don’t think it deserves the accolades I’m reading. Though it answers the initial questions it set up, what the book really does is leave you wanting to know what happens next. It ends just as we finally get to the real story and that’s where I think its true potential lies. Not such a bad thing for the first book in a trilogy. But then again I’m afraid most stalwart of Fforde fans will even get that far. Because, man oh man, getting through the first half is rough.

As She Grows
by Lesley Anne Cowan

Synopsis

As She Grows is an honest and sometimes shocking story about incredible teenage hardship, overcoming your past and how difficult it can be to love when you can’t even trust.

15 year old Snow has spent a lifetime wishing for a different life. Raised by her crazy, alcoholic grandmother after her mother died when she was just a baby, Snow is determined to break free of the mold she was born into, desperate not to repeat the patterns that seem to be her destiny. When the very thing she was avoiding occurs, Snow struggles to do better than those that went before her, but isn’t sure if it will ever be enough.

Review
As She Grows is a well written and incredibly insightful book that offers a frank look at teenagers in trouble. As someone who’s had some experience with troubled teens, I believe Snow’s story is an unfortunate truth that desperately needs to be told.  Lesley Anne Cowan has done a wonderful job handling potentially controversial topics with grace and honesty. The characters in As She Grows are so real that their grit and desperation are tangible through the pages.  I found myself cringing through some of the more shocking scenes, but I also felt that these were some of the most truthful moments in the book. Snow’s journey, while troubled is also filled with hope and this glimmer of hope despite all the heartache is what makes Snow so captivating. The ending does not wrap the story up into a nice little bow, which has kept me thinking about Snow and her journey. Much like life, the story never ends with a nice little bow.

Verdict
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Filled with characters that won’t soon be forgotten, As She Grows is a captivating story that will make you think twice about judging that person on the street, and one that reminded me that there’s always another side to every story.

*As She Grows is book #6 for the TwentyTen Reading Challenge.

This Friday’s Freebie is a popular new book called Milrose Munce and the Den of Professional Help by Douglas Anthony Cooper.

I discovered this book during my monthly browsing of the Bargain Books on the Sony eBook Store. Never having heard of it before, I did a little research online to discover that Milrose Munce and the Den of Professional Help has received ONLY 5 star ratings on Amazon, and in all my reading I could only find one negative review. Needless to say I downloaded my copy right away, and tagged it as something to share with all of you!

Here’s a little about the book from Amazon.com:

No one except Milrose Munce knows that ghosts of former students live in his school. Not only is Milrose aware of these ghouls – he’s on a first-name basis with all of them. Of course, some are more likable than others: the third floor is home to nearly all of his good friends… [but] then there are the ghost athletes who lurk in the basement.

After Milrose is given yet another detention for offering his teacher an answer that was just a bit too clever, his life takes an unexpected turn. He is sent to a hidden den in the school’s basement to receive Professional Help. Here, he and a fellow captive, are put under round-the-clock supervision of the maniacal Massimo Natica. Fortunately for Milrose and Arabella, once they join forces with their ghostly friends, Massimo Natica doesn’t stand a chance.

Now, when I originally tagged this book for a Friday Freebie, it was free both on the Sony AND Amazon ebook stores, but Amazon has since raised the price to $2.00. (Which is still a great deal for what looks to be a fantastic new book!)

• Get your free copy at the Sony eBook Store here.
• Get your almost free copy at the Amazon Kindle Store here.
• For those of you who don’t have an e-reader, you can check out a free preview at Random House here.  (Use the Browse & Search window on the right.)

**Note for Kindle users! Although I’m unable to see it, a trusty source (Jenn) has informed my that Milrose Munce and the Den of Professional Help is indeed a FREE download for Kindle users. So, go ahead and get your FREE copy now!

Real life has been preventing me from reading or reviewing much of anything this week, but even though I’ve been out of touch, there are still lots of bookish things happening out there! Here are a few of the more exciting book-related tidbits I’ve come across in my brief web travels this week.

1. Wicked Appetite, the first book of the new Diesel series has an official cover! I know this book doesn’t come out until September, but I can NOT wait! I really enjoy the between the numbers books and I’m hoping giving Diesel his own series will equal as much fun as we get from the plum books. Here’s the image Janet has posted on her website of the new cover.

2. Time.com has an interview with Candace Bushnell about The Carrie Diaries which tells the story of a 17 year old Carrie Bradshaw before all the sex in that big city. The interview is fairly short, but as a hug SatC fan I enjoyed hearing the author’s thoughts on how the series has developed, and I can’t wait to read The Carrie Diaries.

3. Twitter spawns a book! Sometimes I’m truly amazed at the power of Twitter. Those of you who tweet have probably heard of the now famous Sh*t my dad says twitter feed which now has more than 1.3 million followers, has spawned a television pilot for CBS (starring William Shatner), and now the Sh*t My Dad Says book is also available! I had no idea this was even in the making and it’s already on the shelves. And if the reviews are to be believed, it’s hilarious!

What do you think fellow book lovers? Are you Plum fans longing for the first Diesel book from Janet Evanovich? Have you, or will you read The Carrie Diaries? And I must know if anyone is going to check out Sh*t My Dad Says??

Last week-end I was off on a little mini-vacation to visit with friends in the sunshine state, and while I was there we spent a day partaking in rides and extreme fun at Universal Studios.  The entire day (and trip) was a blast, but one of the biggest highlights for me were the amazing glimpses of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park that’s set to open next month.

As a Potter fanatic, I was seriously considering sneaking in and hiding out so I could live in the castle, but as a Muggle I figured my success would be limited. Instead I had to settle for viewing some of the gorgeous scenery from afar. But you know I will be back there to spend a day at Wizarding World just as soon as I can!! Until then, join me in a little virtual tour of what you can see from outside the gates of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!!

Click to see the rest of the tour!

The Rehearsal
by Elanor Catton

Synopsis

The Rehearsal examines the effects a high-school sex scandal has on a group of teenage girls in proximity to the events. As the girls struggle to come to terms with their new harsher reality, a group of post-grad drama students are working to turn the real-life drama into a play.  Bits and pieces of the scandal are doled out as the story jumps back and forth between the reactions of the girls at the school, and the older students as they uncover their version of the truth.  What results is a poignant and sometimes startling depiction of art imitating life.

Review

Two things need to be said about this book up front: 1) It is beautifully written, and 2) it is not a book for those who like to be told a complete story. I prefer a linear story and found myself confused throughout much of the book, but if you read because you love to explore language and enjoy interpreting events in your own way, then The Rehearsal is for you!

Catton weaves language into an elegant tapestry of gorgeous metaphors to describe the most everyday things. I thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful imagery, but I did find that the multiple metaphors became a bit tiring at times. The characters in The Rehearsal burst from the pages fully formed, avoiding all stereotypes. And even when I was confused about setting of a scene, I found the dialogue and characters to be filled with brilliant insights.

The story is told from both the point of view of the young girls, and that of the older drama students, which was very confusing until I determined that the girls’ stories were referenced by days of the week, while the older students accounts were sorted by months. Throughout The Rehearsal, Catton blurs the lines between the stage and real life, often allowing readers to determine for themselves what is being acted out on stage and what is happening in the real world of the story. Even as the story concludes, some answers are left for the reader to determine. To borrow a line from the end of the book, ‘we’re told just enough of the facts so we can recreate it for ourselves’.

Verdict

The Rehearsal is a confusing but beautifully written account of the inner turmoil of sexual discovery and coming of age. If you like to be told a tale that progresses logically and feels complete, then you should probably skip this book. If you’re looking for a well-written and innovative tale that doesn’t lead the reader to a conclusion then give The Rehearsal a try.

*This book was provided for review by the publisher.

And we have a winner! I loved The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson SO much, I thought I’d spread the love around a bit and pass a copy of this wonderful book along to one of you. Our giveaway is now closed and we’ve selected* a winner.

The Sky is Everywhere is also our June Book Club selection, so if the Canada/US mailing system doesn’t fail me, our lucky winner will have their copy in time to join us in the discussion next month!

And without further adieu, our winner of a copy of The Sky is Everywhere is:

Lori!

Congratulations Lori! We’ll be sending you an email to get your shipping address.

(*Our winner was selected at random using random.org’s random number generator.)

Thank-you to everyone who entered our giveaway. We plan to have many more opportunities for you to win great books so stay tuned… another exciting giveaway will be coming up soon!

I’m quite excited about all our Summer Book Club selections, but I think I’m most excited for Get Lucky by Katherine Center which is our May pick.

As a big fan of Katherine Center’s books, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Get Lucky when it came out last month, but since we enjoyed discussing Everyone is Beautiful so much last year, I made myself hold off so that I could read and share it with all of you!

Here’s a bit about the book from Amazon:

Sarah Harper is on the New York fast track at a top advertising agency until she grows a conscience overnight and sends out a companywide e-mail debunking her popular bra campaign. Fired, she flies home to Houston, where she crashes with her older sister, Mackie, and Mackie’s husband, Clive. Turns out Mackie has problems of her own: after years of trying to have a baby, she announces she’s done. In an effort to do something good for a change, Sarah offers herself up as a surrogate. In the nine pregnant months that follow, Sarah juggles unexpected feelings for her brother-in-law and expected feelings for an ex-boyfriend, and instead of the pregnancy bringing her and Mackie closer, it drives them apart.

I really hope you’ll all join me in discussing this one! Anyone who’s read Katherine Center’s other books, knows this will likely be a great read. For those of you who are new to her writing, this is the perfect opportunity to discover a great new author! Plus, look at that cover! Doesn’t that just make you want to kick back and enjoy a great book on a sunny day? We’ll put up the discussion post for Get Lucky the week of May 24. Hope to see you there!