Vanishing Acts (Jodi Piccoult)

I love Jodi Piccoult. I really do. I read this book after reading My Sisters Keeper and was afraid I might be let down. I wasn't let down at all!

One thing this author does really well is to capture the voices of many different characters. Each character is believable and actually breathes on the page. I would think that would be a big challenge. But she does it so well! Complicated and multidimensional characters that seem real. This is one of the main reasons that I love her books. I am a big character person, so her works makes me really happy.

This is the story of Delia Hopkins and her search for the truth of her history. In her early thirties, her father is arrested for her kidnapping twenty-eight years before. It turns out that her mother is not dead, as she has always believed, but alive and well in Arizona. Her name is also, not Delia, but Bethany.

The book raises alot of interesting questions about the nature of memory. How we know who we are and how we can be influenced by who we believe ourselves to be. What it means to have a second chance. What we would do for our children.

Loved it!

Lost in the Forest (Sue Miller)

Now this was a good read. Most satisfying. More "my kind of book" then the last few that I have read. The story of a family and what happens when they become disconnected.

At the heart of it, this is the story of Daisy - the youngest daughter. Her parents divorce when she is young and her stepfather (who she grows close to as a young teen) dies in an accident. In the wake of all of this tragedy and upheaval, she tries to forge connections in inappropriate ways. Bottom line - she enters into a sexual relationship with a family friend (who is her parents age and is also married). A very bad idea. I am guessing she is "lost in the forest" =). Ultimately her bio Dad checks back into her life and she is able to disentangle herself from what is essentially a pedophile.

That is the plot in a (very small) nutshell. While the story was interesting and did draw me in, it was not the best part of the book. What I liked most about this book was the authors evident love of language. It felt like she chose each word carefully and was not only consumed with plot concerns. I would not say that the plot took a backseat, but for me the author struck a nice balance btw focus on story and focus on language. It felt good to read the words. I like that. I don't know that I have read anything else by Sue Miller, but she will be going on the list!

Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Jeffrey Lindsey)

This was a really interesting book. The narrorator (Dexter) is what used to be called a sociopath. The "nice" way to say it would be to say that he has antisocial personality disorder. He is without a conscience. He works in a crime lab and works to solve homicide cases. The story follows his adventures as he works to help his sister (a police officer in Miami) rise in the ranks, by chasing killers. A bit strange that he is concerned with helping his sister in such a "human" way, but it is a book after all.

Throughout the book he struggles with what he calls his "Dark Passenger". The Dark Passenger is interested in nothing but the kill. He drives Dexter to VERY dark deeds. Guided by the voice of his foster father Harry, Dexter works to channel the energy of the Dark Passenger by only killing people who "deserve" it. As the book opens he is torturing and eventually killing a pedophile and child murderer.

Definitely a voice you don't hear much of in fiction. Not entirely believable, but interesting. I almost liked Dexter at certain points. I was rooting for him. I am curious to know what Dexter might do next.

Midnight Voices (John Saul)

This was one WEIRD story. Not really a good story, just a weird one. The premise of the book is that a group of people who all live in one apartment building in New York are actually dead, but being kept alive by children that they take in and eventually suck the life out of. Literally. The "dead people" live in a fancy building called The Rockwell that many neighborhood children believe is haunted.

As the story opens a recently widowed woman with two children (a boy and a girl) is swept off her feet by a man living in The Rockwell. They quickly marry and move into the building. The children are immediately uncomfortable, but their mother tries to reassure them and believes their hesitancy is due to all the changes in their lives. Both children begin hearing voices in the walls and experiencing wild nightmares. They also become sick and are treated by a doctor in the building. As time moves forward, the mother begins to realize that something unusual is going on. Once this becomes clear to her, she fights to protect her children.

I like a good suspense novel, but this was not remotely believeable. Not for a second did this seem real to me. Oh well....it wasn't a long book.

Citizen Girl (Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus)

I picked this book up based soley on the title. I had never heard of it and I was not familar with the women who wrote it. The title caught my eye. I'm glad it did. This book was alot of fun.

Citizen Girl follows the career and life experiences of 24 year old "Girl". She is entering the corporate world and boy is it funny! As a self-described feminist, Girl struggles with many aspects of modern corporate culture. After being fired from an activist organization by her mean-spirited boss Doris, she stumbles into My Company, an online resource for women. Her boss Guy is a ridiculously bad leader and the organization is far from what she expects. In addition to her outlandish job, Girl also struggles with her maybe/maybe not boyfriend Buster. Girl's journey into adulthood is hilarious.

I really enjoyed listening to this book as I rode around town in my car. Although her story is pretty outlandish, it is also feels real. By the end of the book, Girl felt like a friend of mine.

I wonder if Emma and Nicole are considering a sequel????

The Lost Boy (Dave Pelzer)

I read A Child Called "It" a few weeks ago and it didn't take me long to get to this one. Such a compelling story. This is the kind of book that effects you deeply. This part of the story follows Dave after he leaves his Mother's house and enters foster care. It provides an insight into both the foster care system (at least as it existed in the 70's) and the fallout that happens after an individual leaves an abusive environment. I think both of these insights are sorely needed. It is so easy to believe that after acute abuse has ended a person can just move on, forget, put it behind them. This story shows that is far from true. Dave has to learn what it means to be a regular child. How to interact with people in a healthy way. How to cope with his abusive history. The story also speaks to the amazing healing power that strong foster families can provide. Very inspiring!