In One Person by John Irving

Official Summary

A compelling novel of desire, secrecy, and sexual identity, In One Person is a story of unfulfilled love—tormented, funny, and affecting—and an impassioned embrace of our sexual differences. Billy, the bisexual narrator and main character of In One Person, tells the tragicomic story (lasting more than half a century) of his life as a “sexual suspect,” a phrase first used by John Irving in 1978 in his landmark novel of “terminal cases,” The World According to Garp.

His most political novel since The Cider House Rules and A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving’s In One Person is a poignant tribute to Billy’s friends and lovers—a theatrical cast of characters who defy category and convention. Not least, In One Person is an intimate and unforgettable portrait of the solitariness of a bisexual man who is dedicated to making himself “worthwhile.”

My Two Cents

John Irving has written some of my favorite books - A Prayer for Owen Meany, Cider House Rules - but his last book, Last Night in Twisted River, was so boring that I couldn't even get through 100 pages.  So I was not sure what to expect with this book, it could have gone either way.

Well, I finished it anyway.  But honestly, I'm not really sure what to think about it.  The way it was written (constant back and forth between distant past, more recent past and present) was strange and compelling - but annoying at the same time.  And to be sure the main character was kind of fun and interesting but somewhat unlikable.  In the end, I'm not really sure what this novel set out to do.  It seemed...I don't know...overwritten somehow?  But it was not bad - I'm glad I read it.  But it took me two weeks to get through it which is almost unheard of for me.

So - I would say give it a chance.  You could always just stop reading it, right?

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Official Summary

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

My Two Cents

It is at the very least interesting to see how each of these authors can put different spins on apocalyptic, dystopian story lines.  This one, thankfully, was not bad at all.  I actually kept it out from the library longer than its actual due date so I could finish it, which does say something.  It was worth the extra 20 cents, anyway!  But honestly, I need to explore a different theme in these Young Adult novels, they are all starting to run together.  And Paranormal Romance won't do it for me.

Starters by Lissa Price

Official Summary

Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of 20 and 60. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man. He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . . .

My Two Cents

This was a very imaginative story, and of course it will have sequels - I don't think any of these teen novels end in just one book!  But needless to say, I will continue with this story.  It was interesting, albeit a little over the top - but I always have to remember that I am not exactly the target audience.  Fun and easy to read, but I have to say the apocalyptic theme is getting a little tired. 

A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash

Official Summary
For a curious boy like Jess Hall, growing up in Marshall means trouble when your mother catches you spying on grown-ups. Adventurous and precocious, Jess is enormously protective of his older brother, Christopher, a mute whom everyone calls Stump. Though their mother has warned them not to snoop, Stump can't help sneaking a look at something he's not supposed to—an act that will have catastrophic repercussions, shattering both his world and Jess's. It's a wrenching event that thrusts Jess into an adulthood for which he's not prepared. While there is much about the world that still confuses him, he now knows that a new understanding can bring not only a growing danger and evil—but also the possibility of freedom and deliverance as well.


My Two Cents
Definitely a different book that explores mystifying religious practices and the mindsets behind the people who follow them.  I loved the way the story was told - through 3 different people directly involved in the plot.  Their voices and points of view brought the story to life.  Lots of villains in this story, with one very surprising hero.  I enjoyed this book, it really was a good, original read.

The Leopard by Jo Nesbo

Official Summary
Inspector Harry Hole has retreated to Hong Kong, escaping the trauma of his last case in squalid opium dens, when two young women are found dead in Oslo, both drowned in their own blood. Media coverage quickly reaches a fever pitch. There are no clues, the police investigation is stalled, and Harry—the one man who might be able to help—can’t be found. After he returns to Oslo, the killer strikes again, Harry’s instincts take over, and nothing can keep him from the investigation, though there is little to go on. Worse, he will soon come to understand that he is dealing with a psychopath who will put him to the test, both professionally and personally, as never before.




My Two Cents
One thing I love love love is a good crime thriller and boy did this one deliver!  I loved this book!  In fact I liked it more than the first one I read by this author, The Snowman.  Some of the translation was kind of weird and a little bit awkward, and the ending sort of dragged on and on a bit - but really this book was exciting, strange, unique and suspenseful.  Always a good read when I don't guess who the killer is until the very end.  And I almost always guess who the killer is, most times before the book is half over.  Definitely pick this one up if you like this genre or if you also liked Dragon Tattoo. 

The House of Velvet and Glass by Katherine Howe

Official Summary
Still reeling from the deaths of her mother and sister on the Titanic, Sibyl Allston is living a life of quiet desperation with her taciturn father and scandal-plagued brother in an elegant town house in Boston’s Back Bay. Trapped in a world over which she has no control, Sibyl flees for solace to the parlor of a table-turning medium.
But when her brother is suddenly kicked out of Harvard under mysterious circumstances and falls under the sway of a strange young woman, Sibyl turns for help to psychology professor Benton Derby, despite the unspoken tensions of their shared past. As Benton and Sibyl work together to solve a harrowing mystery, their long-simmering spark flares to life, and they realize that there may be something even more magical between them than a medium’s scrying glass.
From the opium dens of Boston’s Chinatown to the opulent salons of high society, from the back alleys of colonial Shanghai to the decks of the Titanic, The House of Velvet and Glass weaves together meticulous period detail, intoxicating romance, and a final shocking twist that will leave readers breathless.


My Two Cents
Well, I don't know if the end had a shocking twist that left me breathless, but overall the book was really very good.  I was a bit skeptical about this one, not really knowing the author or hearing anything about the book - but I have to say it was a pleasant surprise.  I am forever on the lookout for something new and different and this definitely fit the bill - I've never really read anything like it.  It felt like it took a long time for the storyline to kick start (yet it was NOT boring or slow...weird, right?) and there were aspects of it that annoyed me, but certainly not enough to ruin the read.  

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

Official Summary
Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live. Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft. This is the story of Martha's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived.

My Two Cents
Apparently, this is a much covered subject within the world of fiction, but this is really the first book that I have ever read about the Salem Witch Trials.  And what a grim time in our country's history this was - it is  a brutal read, awful - and frightening - to think that events similar to what is described in this book actually did take place.  What balances out the disturbing turn of events is the love and devotion the Carrier family maintained throughout.

Well written, told from a 10 year old's perspective - an interesting take on this subject.