The World in Half by Cristina Henriquez – Book Review

Oct 202010
 

5095258366 3fc7bdae3b m pictureThe World in Half by Cristina Henriquez
Published by Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin

During her sophomore year of college, when her mother begins succumbing to early onset Alzheimers, Miraflores makes a discovery that changes the majority of what she has always believed about her life. Although Mira is half Panamanian, she was raised exclusively in the United States by her American mother and she has always been led to believe that her father was not interested in being a part of her or her mother’s lives. The letters that she finds give lie to everything she has been told. Now Mira must discover the truth about her life and her family for her own sanity, so she is heading to Panama to search for the father she never really knew.

I know this must have been a good reading month, because I’m a little scared that you are all going to roll your eyes as I get all gushy about yet another book.

“The World in Half” is an absolutely beautiful book. The prose is just lovely, but this is not simply a book with beautiful language. Not a sentence is wasted, every word serves to support the story that Henriquez is telling and the development of her characters. In some ways, “The World in Half” is a family mystery, as Mira attempts to track down her father, but what was even more interesting was Mira’s journey to discover herself and her relationship with her mother.

Yet “The World in Half” is not simply the same old literary fiction story of coming of age and discovering one’s true identity, there are many aspects of the book that set is apart from others with similar classifications. Panama as a setting, of course, is not very widely used – in fact to my knowledge this is the first book I have ever read which has any portion of the book set in Panama. Henriquez did a fantastic job giving a sense of place to those of us who have been and may never go to Panama, I felt that I got a good feel for the national psyche, at least in the cities.

What made this book truly special, though, was Mira’s love for geology and geography, which she was studying in college. Sometimes when a character has some quirky trait – like talking about geology and geography whenever it fits even a little bit – it seems forced or quirky for quirky’s sake. Not so in “The World in Half.” Henriquez’s characterization of Mira was so well thought out and fleshed out that such comments seemed to be no more than a logical extension of exactly who Mira was. I never wondered why she would bother to say something like that, it always made complete sense and was completely in character. In addition, it almost always added something to my understand of how Mira sees and approaches the world. It was very well done and really took this book to another level.

Very, very highly recommended. I lurved it.

Buy this book from:
Powells.*
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.*
Amazon.*

4866515992 41b02a5de1 m pictureCristina Henriquez’s website

Other Books by Cristina Henriquez:
“Come Together, Fall Apart” (stories)

This review was done with a book I purchased myself.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.
 Contemporary Fiction, My Kind of Book  14 Responses »  Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Confessions of a Chicago Lawyer – Guest Post from David Ellis, author of Breach of Trust

Oct 192010
 
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Author David Ellis

Somebody once asked me where I come up with my ideas for crimes and political scandals in my books. I told him I just open my eyes every day.

I’m kidding. Sort of. I’m a Chicago lawyer, and I work in the political arena, so I tend to see a lot of interesting things. As the lawyer for the Speaker of the Illinois House, I spent two years basically trying to prevent Governor Rod Blagojevich from doing all the goofy and corrupt things he wanted to do. Then I served as the House Prosecutor who tried and convicted him before the Illinois Senate during our historic impeachment trial.

So getting fodder for my plots isn’t the hard part. The hard part is topping reality. My best example concerns our dearly departed governor, Blago. In December of 2008, I was putting the finishing touches on a novel about a governor who becomes corrupt. It had some of your basic pay-to-play scandals, and I thought it would be an interesting character study as well. It wasn’t exactly about Blagojevich, but it’s fair to say that Blago inspired me.

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Blago's mug shot

And then he did more than inspire me—he trumped me. Along came December 9, 2008, and “Blagojevich” became a household name with the news of his arrest. Compared to the sensational allegations that followed, my manuscript seemed completely tame. Truth, it so happened, had become far, far stranger than my fiction.

What to do? Well, I had to go back to the drawing board. Even though the manuscript (now my upcoming novel, BREACH OF TRUST) wasn’t precisely about Blagojevich, I knew that everybody would have certain expectations about a novel of political corruption written by Blago’s impeachment prosecutor. So I had to dial up the volume on everything I was doing and spice up the scandals. I had to make my fiction stranger to keep up with reality.

Voting early and often. Buying and selling a U.S. Senate seat. Putting your cronies on the payroll. Shaking down government contractors for campaign contributions. Two consecutive governors with felony convictions. The challenge for a Chicago lawyer isn’t coming up with ideas for crimes and scandal—it’s trying to come up with ones that haven’t already appeared in the headlines!

5080922479 547db4cbbd m pictureDavid Ellis is a graduate of Northwestern Law School and Chief Legal Council to the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. He is also the author of seven novels the most recent of which, “Breach of Trust,” will be published by Putnam Books in February of 2011. His first novel, “Line of Vision,” won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel by an American Author. More information about Ellis can be found on his website or his Facebook page.

Note: I am also hosting a giveaway for Ellis’ most recent two books.

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 Author Guest Post, My Kind of Book  10 Responses »  Tagged with: , , ,

David Ellis Giveaway

Oct 192010
 

No, sadly I’m not actually giving away David Ellis.5080947105 1dd9766cbb m picture

He’s cute though, right? Not to mention smart and funny, I absolutely love the guest post he sent me for today!

I am, however, giving away his most recent two books, which are actually the first two books in a new series. “The Hidden Man” is going to be released in paperback in January, and “Breach of Trust” will be released for the first time in hardcover February 3, 2011.

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One lucky reader, though, can win copies of BOTH books right now, thanks to the good people at Putnam Books! If you want to be one of the first to read Ellis’ new book, this is your chance. Simply fill out the form below by 11:59 pm Central on Wednesday, October 27th. Putnam Books will be taking care of the shipping, so US and Canada only, please.

 giveaway, My Kind of Book  3 Responses »  Tagged with: ,

Mr. Mendoza’s Paintbrush by Luis Alberto Urrea – Book Review

Oct 182010
 

5076987200 6f3350453c m pictureMr. Mendoza’s Paintbrush by Luis Alberto Urrea, illustrated by Christopher Cardinale
Published by Cinco Puntos Press

The small town of Rosario, Mexico is like so many other towns and cities across the world. Although most of the citizens are more or less good people, Rosario suffers from the hypocrisy and poor judgment that so often afflicts people living in close proximity to one another. Luckily – depending on your point of view – Rosario is also the home of Mr. Mendoza, the self-proclaimed Graffiti King of Mexico. Mr. Mendoza’s graffiti is not the normal, destructive kind that you might think, but instead he uses his paintbrush to attempt to goad the town into behaving more morally. When Mr. Mendoza finds the unnamed narrator, a young man, and his friend spying on a group of girls bathing in the river, he forces the boys to strip and run through the town, with messages about their perversity written on their bodies.

5076392447 6fd2097168 m pictureI found “Mr. Mendoza’s Paintbrush” to be a lovely tale of a small town in Mexico, made special by the edge of magical realism which Urrea brings to the work. The story was simple, but all the more powerful as a tale of human nature for its simplicity.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the lovely illustrations provided by Christopher Cardinale. I tend to have a problem actually paying attention to the illustrations in graphic novels, since when I am reading I tend to be so focused on the words. Not this time. Page after page I simply lost myself in Cardinale’s illustrations, spending minutes on end taking in the gorgeous detail in each picture.

I’m so happy that I broke from my usual routine and picked up “Mr. Mendoza’s Paintbrush.” Highly recommended for fans for magical realism or graphic novels.

Buy this book from:
Powells.*
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.*
Amazon.*

4866515992 41b02a5de1 m pictureLuis Alberto Urrea’s website

Other Books by Luis Alberto Urrea:
“The Devil’s Highway”
“The Hummingbird’s Daughter”
“Into the Beautiful North”
“By the Lake of Sleeping Children”
“Across the Wire: Life and Hard Times on the Mexican Border”
“Nobody’s Son: Notes from an American Life”
“In Search of Snow”
“Six Kinds of Sky”
“Wandering Time: Western Notebooks”
“Vatos”
“Ghost Sickness”

This review was done with a book I purchased myself.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.
 Multicultural Fiction, My Kind of Book  7 Responses »  Tagged with: , , ,

The Bookstore Celebrity Bookseller!

Oct 182010
 

Not only have my bookseller friends at The Bookstore in Glen Ellyn been incredibly supportive of my Chicago Author Month, they have also taken the idea and run with it in their own way. For one thing, they and I are co-hosting a Chicago Author Month on Thursday, October 28th (put it on your calendar and join us!), but more information about that next week.

5081032715 16c4116547 m pictureIf you’re looking for more in-person Chicago Author Month fun this week, though, you can stop into The Bookstore on Friday morning from 10 until noon to shop with Celebrity Bookseller Melanie Benjamin. Melanie Benjamin is the author of “Alice I Have Been,” a book I absolutely loved. She has previously guest posted on this blog, talking about her inspiration for “Alice I Have Been,” and will actually be guest posting again for Chicago Author Month on Tuesday, October 26th, so look for that!

The ladies at The Bookstore have made sure to stock some of Melanie’s favorite books so stop by, have some coffee, and let her handsell you something! This could also be a good time to chat with Melanie about her upcoming work of historical fiction, due out next summer from Random House, it sounds like another winner!

 At The Bookstore, My Kind of Book  6 Responses »  Tagged with:

Chicago Publishers: Spotlight on… Featherproof Books

Oct 162010
 

5085797169 60ca44baf1 m pictureThere are some really great publishers in Chicago which is, of course, why I am doing these spotlights. One of the most creative I have found during this feature is featherproof books. I mean, come on, the first sentence in their about statement is “featherproof books is an indie publisher dedicated to doing whatever we want.”

featherproof books was formed about five years ago by Zach Dodson and Jonathan Messinger while they worked on the launch of the TimeOut Chicago book section launch. Initially, featherproof books was all online mini-books which could be printed out and folded together. They do publish print books as well, and they treat each as an unique object of art. Zach tells me “We just didn’t see too many places publishing what we liked when we started, so we decided to make our own niche and fill it.”

Some of featherproof books most recent print books:

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featherproof books also has a free iPhone app called Triple Quick fiction. Not only can you download short stories (only 333 words long!), but you can also compose your own story and submit it to the featherproof editors. Don’t forget to check out the mini-books as well!

 My Kind of Book  2 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,

A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True by Brigid Pasulka – Bookstore Review

Oct 152010
 

5083554844 2ba7a7a45d m pictureA Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True by Brigid Pasulka
Published by Mariner Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

It seems like every time I turn around, my bookseller friend Margie is beating me to the punch by reading a book that I’m dying to read. It makes for a lot of “oh my gosh you haven’t read (insert fabulous book here) yet? You have GOT to read it!” Then I usually buy a copy, but it on my personal TBR pile, and fail to get to it.

With “A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True,” I am both ahead of and behind Margie. I was the first of the two of us to buy the book from The Bookstore, the first to realize that Brigid Pasulka was herself a Chicagoan (she teaches at a fairly prestigious Chicago Public School), and actually the one to suggest it to Margie a couple of weeks ago when nothing she had at home was catching her eye. And yet, Margie was the first of the two of us to read and review it.

The one nice thing about Margie reading a book before me is that I sincerely trust her recommendation and, depending on what she tells me, I can either move a book up on my list, or demote it. Based on her review today, “A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True” is a book that I am absolutely going to have to bump up towards the top of my list.

So please, definitely check out Margie’s fabulous review, and think about heading out and grabbing a copy of “A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True” by Brigid Pasulka yourself. Maybe we can do a readalong and force me to get going on it!

4866515992 41b02a5de1 m picture“A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True” by Brigid Pasulka, reviewed by Margie from The Bookstore in Glen Ellyn, IL.

Brigid Pasulka’s website


 My Kind of Book  4 Responses »  Tagged with: , , ,

Divine Appointments by Charlene Baumbich – Book Review

Oct 142010
 

5076215061 f1d4e30290 m pictureDivine Appointments by Charlene Baumbich
Published by WaterBrook Press, an imprint of Random House

The economy isn’t doing so well and times are tough, companies often have to downsize in order to survive – luckily for Josie. Josie makes her living as a consultant who helps companies streamline, a process which often involves layoffs. Her most recent project, Diamond Mutual in Chicago, is really not going very well. Part of the problem is Lyle, the VP with what Josie sees as an overly soft side, not to mention Barb who everyone loves and whose department is first up for firings. And yet, even with Josie holding Barb’s employment future in her brutally practical hands, Barb is the happier and more admired of the two women, a reality that Barb would attribute largely to her faith. When layoffs begin, Barb knows she must do something in order to help her coworkers – both those staying and those leaving – keep up their spirits, which leads her to start the Encouragement Club to allow people to network about job possibilities and just generally affirm one another.

One of the reasons that I don’t read a ton of contemporary faith-based fiction is that I tend to find much of the dialog that revolves around faith to be terribly unrealistic. I have worked in quite a few secular environments and never have I heard anyone speak about their faith in the way that often happens in faith-based novels. In fact, even working in the denominational offices of my church the dialog never seems to quite ring true to my experiences. Although I did have this problem for a bit at the beginning of “Divine Appointments,” I was soon caught up in the lives of the characters sufficiently that I did not notice any unrealistic dialog. Baumbich clearly has a great deal of compassion for her characters, and it comes through to an unusual degree, thereby essentially compelling the reader to care about the characters as much as Baumbich does herself.

Other than potentially slightly unrealistic dialog, I really liked how Baumbich handled the issue of faith. The way in which Barb influenced and encouraged the people around her with her very interpersonal living of her faith actually was very realistic. She was not one to push anyone else where they were not ready to be, but was simply open about what she believed and the way she lived her life bore witness that her words were not mere lip service.

This is a very comfortable novel that can serve as an encouragement in difficult times and as a reminder of the impact a faith lived out can have on other people.

Christianbook.com is holding a giveaway for a signed copy of “Divine Appointments” through Monday, October 18th.

Buy this book from:
Powells.*
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.*
Amazon.*

4866515992 41b02a5de1 m pictureCharlene Baumbich’s website

Other Books by Charlene Baumbich:
Baumbich has written a number of books including nonfiction, the Dearest Dorothy series, and the Snowglobe Connections series. For a list of titles, see the books page on her website.

This review was done with a book received from the author.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.
dp seal trans 16x16 pictureCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2011
 faith-based fiction, My Kind of Book  7 Responses »  Tagged with: , , , ,

Body Work by Sara Paretsky – Book Review

Oct 132010
 

5073127056 7e29808134 m pictureBody Work by Sara Paretsky
Published by Putnam Books, an imprint of Penguin
Published in audio by Brilliance Audio

While finally taking a night off – and trying to make sure her young cousin is okay working at Club Gouge – V.I. Warshawski inadvertently witnesses the aftermath of a fatal shooting. It seems inevitable that the death of the young woman, Nadia, is tied to the provocative show put on by The Body Artist, which makes the troubled Iraq War vet Charles Vishneski a prime suspect. V.I.’s main concern initially is making sure that her cousin remains safe, but she becomes drawn deeper into this mystery when she is hired by Vishneski’s parents to help prove his innocence.

This is exactly why I decided to put on Chicago Author Month (aka, My Kind of Book). Somehow I had never heard of Sara Paretsky and V.I. Warshawski and as a Chicago-area book lover, this is an inexcusable oversight. I absolutely loved V.I., she has the same combination of grit and class as does Chicago itself. I also thought that the mystery in “Body Work” was intelligently crafted and resolved. There was a very smart political element to the story that I really appreciated.

Perhaps my favorite thing about “Body Work” was the discovery that Paretsky has a huge backlist which can now be added to my wishlist. Highly recommended.

Note: If you are interested in the fabulous audio edition of this title, I reviewed it for Audio File Magazine.

Buy this book from:
Powells.*
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.*
Amazon.*

Sara Paretsky’s Website

Sara Paretsky discussing V.I. and Chicago:

4866515992 41b02a5de1 m pictureOther books by Sara Paretsky:
Sara Paretsky has written some 16 novels, 4 collections of short stories, and a number of essays.

This review was done with a book received from the publisher.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.
 My Kind of Book, Mystery  7 Responses »  

After the Workshop by John McNally – Book Review

Oct 112010
 

5069645177 e53dd1ee85 m pictureAfter the Workshop by John McNally
Published by CounterPoint

Have you ever wondered how authors get from the airport, to the hotel, to the bookstore in an unknown town when their publisher sends them on tour? In some cases, at least, they are sent with a media escort like Jack Hercules Sheahan. Sheahan is himself an aspiring author, having graduated from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop some twenty years ago. Back then, Jack’s life was very promising, he even had a story published in the New Yorker. After graduating, he took a job as a media escort and subsequently failed to finish his novel or do really anything in publishing besides drive authors around Iowa. Suddenly, though, the failures in Sheahan’s life seem to be coming back to haunt him. He is trying to escort two authors in the same weekend when one of them disappears with her baby, causing her slightly crazy publicist to all but stalk Jack, while the other reminds Jack of all he despises yet somewhat wants to be as well. Just as he is confronting his professional failures, Sheahan’s personal failures – largely through the person of his ex-fiancee – reappear as well.

“After the Workshop” is a highly entertaining account of a side of publishing about which I had never before thought. Media escorts! It makes so much sense, but it really never occurred to me. It sounds like a really fun job, actually, until you start reading “After the Workshop.” Authors sending you on embarrassing errands, crazy people, authors who lord their success over you…makes me feel very lucky about the personalities of all of the authors I have met!

McNally’s book is very entertaining, I really enjoyed his wry humor. I wouldn’t hand this to every reader, though. There is a very ‘inside baseball‘ feel to the book, so that I would really recommend it more to people who are interested in the ins and outs of publishing and book marketing. If you are happy to just have books show up at your door or on the shelves of your local store, this book might not really interest you. If, however, you like hearing about the politics of publishing, the little details of getting books published and making  book tours work, you might very well really enjoy this book.

Buy this book from:
Powells.*
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.*
Amazon.*

4866515992 41b02a5de1 m pictureJohn McNally’s website

Other Books by John McNally:
Fiction:
“Ghosts of Chicago”
“America’s Report Card”
“The Book of Ralph”
“Troublemakers”
Other
“The Creative Writer’s Survival Guide”
“Who Can Save us Now?” (coedited)
“When I Was a Loser”
“Bottom of the Ninth”
“Humor Me”
“The Student Body”
“High Infidelity”

This review was done with a book I purchased.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.
 Contemporary Fiction, My Kind of Book  5 Responses »  Tagged with: , , , , ,
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