ARC review: Things We Set on Fire by Deborah Reed

Book Synopsis(via Goodreads):

A series of tragedies brings Vivvie’s young grandchildren into her custody, and her two estranged daughters back under one roof. Jackson, Vivvie’s husband, was shot and killed 30 years ago, and the ramifications have splintered the family into their own isolated remembrances and recriminations.

This deeply personal, hauntingly melancholy look at the damages families inflict on each other – and the healing that only they can provide – is filled with flinty, flawed and complex people stumbling towards some kind of peace. Like Elizabeth Strout and Kazuo Isiguro, Deborah Reed understands a story and its inhabitants reveal themselves in the subtleties: the space between the thoughts, the sigh behind the smile, and the unreliable lies people tell themselves that ultimately reveal the deepest truths.

***Many thanks to Net Galley and Amazon publishing for this advanced reader's copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. ***

This insomniac's opinion:

If you enjoy character driven fiction, this novel is for you. This was a highly emotional novel, full of twists and turns and discoveries as the plot unraveled. The characters were well-fleshed out and highly engrossing.

I admit that as the plot twisted and turned, there were several almost unbearably sad moments. However, the novel did end on somewhat of a hopeful note.

Worth staying up all night to read?

Yes.

Rating:

4 stars



The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

Book Synopsis(via Goodreads):

West Hall, Vermont, has always been a town of strange disappearances and old legends. The most mysterious is that of Sara Harrison Shea, who, in 1908, was found dead in the field behind her house just months after the tragic death of her daughter, Gertie. Now, in present day, nineteen-year-old Ruthie lives in Sara's farmhouse with her mother, Alice, and her younger sister, Fawn. Alice has always nsisted that they live off the grid, a decision that suddenly proves perilous when Ruthie wakes up one morning to find that Alice has vanished without a trace. Searching for clues, she is startled to find a copy of Sara Harrison Shea's diary hidden beneath the floorboards of her mother's bedroom. As Ruthie gets sucked deeper into the mystery of Sara's fate, she discovers that she's not the only person who's desperately looking for someone that they've lost. But she may be the only one who can stop history from repeating itself.

This insomniac's opinion:

If you like suspenseful, creepy fiction- this ones for you, bibliophile buddies

Deliciously, compulsively readable and creepy in the most wonderful and intelligently thought out way! I devoured this novel the way a starving person devours a plate of food in front of her for the first time in days.

So. Freaking. Good.

Worth staying up all night to read?

Yes! Word of advice though- don't do it when your partner/roommate/spouse is out of town like I did. I was hearing bumps in the night for sure!

Rating:

4 shivering, goose bumped stars.

The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell

Book summary(via Goodreads):

Meet the Bird family. They live in a honey-colored house in a picture-perfect Cotswolds village, with rambling, unkempt gardens stretching beyond. Pragmatic Meg, dreamy Beth, and tow-headed twins Rory and Rhys all attend the village school and eat home-cooked meals together every night. Their father is a sweet gangly man named Colin, who still looks like a teenager with floppy hair and owlish, round-framed glasses. Their mother is a beautiful hippy named Lorelei, who exists entirely in the moment. And she makes every moment sparkle in her children's lives.

Then one Easter weekend, tragedy comes to call. The event is so devastating that, almost imperceptibly, it begins to tear the family apart. Years pass as the children become adults, find new relationships, and develop their own separate lives. Soon it seems as though they've never been a family at all. But then something happens that calls them back to the house they grew up in -- and to what really happened that Easter weekend so many years ago.

Told in gorgeous, insightful prose that delves deeply into the hearts and minds of its characters, The House We Grew Up In is the captivating story of one family's desire to restore long-forgotten peace and to unearth the many secrets hidden within the nooks and crannies of home.

*Many thanks to Net Galley and Atria books for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.*

This insomniac's review:



 Gah. I loved this so much. I've always had a fascination with hoarders.

As a public health nurse I often venture into houses such as these. It is shocking and disgusting and sad. I leave the home and find that I cannot stop wondering how one gets to such a point?

This novel slowly unraveled the why. And, I got it. The way life changes, evolves so very slowly underneath your feet, morphing as you move slowly towards your purpose-eyes to the ground. And, when you finally allow your weary eyes to drift downward, everything has changed. No one is recognizable.

The characters were at once likeable and horrifyingly screwed up. Not only were the physically hoarded objects burying this woman alive, but the objects were symbolic of the pain within the family unit that had never been dealt with and were gathering heft through the years.

Simply fascinating and wonderfully written.

Worth staying up all night to read?

Abso-freaking-lutely!

Rating:

4 stars

Labor Day by Joyce Maynard

Book Synopsis(via Goodreads):

With the end of summer closing in and a steamy Labor Day weekend looming in the town of Holton Mills, New Hampshire, thirteen-year-old Henry—lonely, friendless, not too good at sports—spends most of his time watching television, reading, and daydreaming about the soft skin and budding bodies of his female classmates. For company Henry has his long-divorced mother, Adele—a onetime dancer whose summer project was to teach him how to foxtrot; his hamster, Joe; and awkward Saturday-night outings to Friendly's with his estranged father and new stepfamily. As much as he tries, Henry knows that even with his jokes and his "Husband for a Day" coupon, he still can't make his emotionally fragile mother happy. Adele has a secret that makes it hard for her to leave their house, and seems to possess an irreparably broken heart.

But all that changes on the Thursday before Labor Day, when a mysterious bleeding man named Frank approaches Henry and asks for a hand. Over the next five days, Henry will learn some of life's most valuable lessons: how to throw a baseball, the secret to perfect piecrust, the breathless pain of jealousy, the power of betrayal, and the importance of putting others—especially those we love—above ourselves. And the knowledge that real love is worth waiting for.

In a manner evoking Ian McEwan's Atonement and Nick Hornby's About a Boy, acclaimed author Joyce Maynard weaves a beautiful, poignant tale of love, sex, adolescence, and devastating treachery as seen through the eyes of a young teenage boy—and the man he later becomes—looking back at an unexpected encounter that begins one single long, hot, life-altering weekend.

This insomniac's opinion:

I have quite a few book "rules" i.e. arbitrary leanings that I hold myself to for no reason at all. One of the aforementioned rules is that I try, at all cost, to read a novel or book before seeing the movie. I want my imagination to fill in all of the holes and subtle notions of a story before a director, actors, etc. have their way with the story. Labor Day will soon be hitting the video store and, in order to be prepared, I snapped up this novel at a used book sale and promptly read it.

If I wouldn't have been in such a hurry to read this novel, summertime would have been a perfect time for reading it. This novel takes place during a heatwave, and is sultry and sexy in a way that no novel set in the wintertime can be.

I have seen many reviews of this novel and it seems to be one that many love and many think is mediocre. Judging by my reader friends that have read and reviewed this one, I would say that those who adore it are generally people who are philosophical by nature and can see past the relative simplicity of the plot of this novel. Those that think it is mediocre seem to be concrete thinkers that couldn't see the depth of the story hiding underneath the shallow waters of the story. So, if you are a concrete thinker, this one may not be for you.

After I suspended my disbelief of a mother willingly allowing a convict into her home with her son, I quickly dropped into the story and lost myself in the sultry romance that permeates nearly every page of this novel. Joyce Maynard manages to convey the confusing burgeoning sexuality of the thirteen year-old narrator and the deep stirrings of reborn sexuality of some of the other characters in the novel. There were scenes in which sex was not at all mentioned, such as the peach pie scene, that dripped with such sensuousness that I, the reader, was stunned.

Overall, I thought this novel was stunning in its ability to weave the reader into an unlikely story and leave them forever changed in their idea of love.

                                                                   

Stay Where You Are and Then Leave by John Boyne

Book Synopsis(via Goodreads):

The day the First World War broke out, Alfie Summerfield's father promised he wouldn't go away to fight - but he broke that promise the following day. Four years later, Alfie doesn't know where his father might be, other than that he's away on a special, secret mission.

Then, while shining shoes at King's Cross Station, Alfie unexpectedly sees his father's name - on a sheaf of papers belonging to a military doctor. Bewildered and confused, Alfie realises his father is in a hospital close by - a hospital treating soldiers with an unusual condition. Alfie is determined to rescue his father from this strange, unnerving place . .


***Many thanks to Net Galley and McMillian Childrens Publishing Group for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review***

This insomniac's opinion:

Leave it to John Boyne to again not shy away from very serious subject matter when writing a children's book. This book was deeply heartfelt and poignant. It was written from a child's point of view and I feel that any child would relate greatly to Alfie. It was very readable for an adult, as well.

Alfie was loveable and honest as a child adapting to a world that he does not understand. His imperfect family was also loveable and relateable.

I would avoid this book if you have highly emotional children that do not process sadness well, but otherwise would highly recommend this to older children and adults.

Worth staying up all night to read?

YES!

Rating: 4 stars

ARC Review: The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

Book summary(via Goodreads):

School is starting in the forest, but Chester Raccoon does not want to go. To help ease Chester's fears, Mrs. Raccoon shares a family secret called the Kissing Hand to give him the reassurance of her love any time his world feels a little scary. Since its first publication in 1993, this heartwarming book has become a children's classic that has touched the lives of millions of children and their parents, especially at times of separation, whether starting school, entering daycare, or going to camp. It is widely used by kindergarten teachers on the first day of school. Stickers at the back will help children and their parents keep their Kissing Hand alive.

**Many thanks to Net Galley and Audrey Penn for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. **

This insomniac's review:

My daughter has been struggling with preschool so the opportunity to review this book came at the perfect time.

My daughter Emory(4 years old) is in her second year of preschool and simply doesn't want to go. She wants to stay with me and is having some separation anxiety. With Kindergarten looming next year, it was crucial that we find some coping mechanisms for her.

This book was perfect! Loveable graphics and sweet narration was readable for both my children and myself. Emory now has me lay a kiss in the palm of her hand just as the characters do in the book and it seems to be very helpful to her.

Rating:

5 stars. Great book for those tough preschool/kindergarten transitions.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Book synopsis(via Goodreads):

Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.

Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper.

This insomniac's opinion:

You know those novels that sweep you off your feet with their delightful uniqueness and you can't stop thinking about them for days? This is one of those, folks!

I picked this novel up from the library on a whim and am so glad that I did! The cover is not one that would typically dray me in and the author isn't someone that I am familiar with, so this book could've easily been bypassed by me. That would've been a great, great shame.

Don's character was just full-on quirky wonderfulness. I quickly fell in love with him and Rosie and together they were just delightful. The writing is unique and the story moves along very quickly. Don is a character that I will never forget and this is, perhaps, one of my favorite unlikely love stories ever.

Worth staying up all night to read?

Abso-freaking-lutely!

Rating: 4.5 stars

The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh

 Book Synopsis(via Goodreads):

The Dane family's roots tangle deep in the Ozark Mountain town of Henbane, but that doesn't keep sixteen-year-old Lucy Dane from being treated like an outsider. Folks still whisper about her mother, a bewitching young stranger who inspired local myths when she vanished years ago. When one of Lucy's few friends, slow-minded Cheri, is found murdered, Lucy feels haunted by the two lost girls-the mother she never knew and the friend she couldn't protect. Everything changes when Lucy stumbles across Cheri's necklace in an abandoned trailer and finds herself drawn into a search for answers. What Lucy discovers makes it impossible to ignore the suspicion cast on her own kin. More alarming, she suspects Cheri's death could be linked to her mother's disappearance, and the connection between the two puts Lucy at risk of losing everything. In a place where the bonds of blood weigh heavy, Lucy must decide where her allegiances lie.


**Many thanks to Net Galley and Random House publishing for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.**

This insomniac's opnion:

Thrillers aren't always me thing. I have to be in the right frame of mind and mood when reading them, and that doesn't seem to be often. However, this novel peaked my interest when I read it's blurb on Net Galley and saw some of the early book buzz. I am so very glad that I took the chance on this novel!

This novel has a very dark tone a la Gillian Flynn, so if that is not the type of novel for you, you may want to pass on this one. The bleakness of the tone lends so much to this story of deception and intrigue that I cannot see how it could have been done any other way. Laura McHugh paints such a vivid picture of life in the Ozarks, I felt as though I was there living amongst the poverty stricken country folk. The characters were distinctly written and the twists in the plot were satisfying and believable.

I did feel like the end was a bit too trite and I would've liked a bit more resolution for Lucy, but overall a wonderful, twisty story of intrigue! Highly recommended!

Worth staying up all night to read?

Heck yeah!

Rating: 4 stars

How to Be an American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway

Book Synopsis(via Goodreads):

How to Be an American Housewife is a novel about mothers and daughters, and the pull of tradition. It tells the story of Shoko, a Japanese woman who married an American GI, and her grown daughter, Sue, a divorced mother whose life as an American housewife hasn't been what she'd expected. When illness prevents Shoko from traveling to Japan, she asks Sue to go in her place. The trip reveals family secrets that change their lives in dramatic and unforeseen ways. Offering an entertaining glimpse into American and Japanese family lives and their potent aspirations, this is a warm and engaging novel full of unexpected insight.

This insomniac's opinion:

This is one of my favorite novels that I've read so far this year. It is uniquely written and full of characters that are very well fleshed-out.

Shoko can be unlikeable at times, by the reader is quickly endeared to her when learning of her life story. Her transition to America is very hard, as is her separation from her family back in Japan. In fact, she never really seems to acclimate to our country and is never accepted, even in old age, as one of us.

A very realistic and well-written novel and I encourage everyone, especially women, to read it.

Worth staying up all night to read?

Yes!

Rating:

4.5 stars

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Book Synopsis(via Goodreads):

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood.  Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared.  It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard.  So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini.  In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails.  As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile.  But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater.  Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion.  His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit.  Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

This insomniac's opinion:

Holy buckets of bravery, Batman! What an amazing book!!!

I rarely read non-fiction, so I waited far too long to follow up on my bibliophile buddy's suggestion to read this book. What in the hell was I thinking?

If you have not read this amazing, inspirational book, for God's sake- get your ass to the bookstore!!

I loved Louis in a way that doesn't seem rational because I never met the amazing man. It was a honor just to read his story. But, it wasn't just Louis- I loved all of the men and women in this story. This is a brutal war-time story, so there are so many deaths and each and every one struck my heart and I would have to stop reading and catch my breath. I will never forget any of these men that so bravely gave of themselves to better our country. I am so very grateful that their story has been told.

Rating:

5 gigantic stars!

Worth staying up all night to read?

Yes, Yes, Yes!!!

The Midwife of Hope River By Patricia Harman

Book synopsis(via Goodreads):

A debut novel featuring Patience Murphy, an Appalachian midwife in the 1930s struggling against disease, poverty, and prejudices-and her own haunting past-to bring new light, and life, into an otherwise cruel world

As a midwife working in the hardscrabble conditions of Appalachia during the Depression, Patience Murphy's only solace is her gift: the chance to escort mothers through the challanges of childbirth. Just beginning, she takes on the jobs no one else wants: those most in need-and least likely to pay. Patience is willing to do what it takes to fulfill her mentor's wishes, but starting a midwife practice means gaining trust, and Patience's secrets are too fragile to let anyone in.

A stirring piece of Americana, The Midwife of Hope River beats with authenticity as Patience faces seemingly insurmountable conditions: disease, poverty, and prejudices threaten at every turn. From the dangerous mines of West Virginia to the terrifying attentions of the Klu Klux Klan, Patience must strive to bring new light, and life, into an otherwise cruel world.

This insomniac's opinion:

I think most of my readers know that I am a nurse, and I think this fact is important as I do believe that it influenced my feelings as a reader of this novel. I do have a fascination(ahem, obsession) with old school midwifery.

I adored this novel. Patience was a wonderfully strong woman who is also incredibly compassionate and brave. She is ahead of her time with her thoughts of equality and I would love to believe that I would've been the same if I had been around in this time period.

It is very hard to believe that this is a debut novel- the characters, even those that we meet only briefly, are incredibly well fleshed out and very diverse. I loved the untraditional arc of the story, with multiple conflicts  as opposed to the more traditional large conflict woven throughout the novel. The ending was perfect in is subtlety and left me with a smile on my face.

Patience is one of those characters that I found a kinship with and will never forgot.

Rating: 5 stars

Worth staying up all night to read?

Yes!!! Lovely, slow-moving novel to read in the dead of winter.

All the Light We Cannot See

Many, many thanks to Net Galley and Scribner for the advanced reader's copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This novel will be published on May 6, 2014.

Book synopsis(via Goodreads):

Marie Laure lives with her father in Paris within walking distance of the Museum of Natural History where he works as the master of the locks (there are thousands of locks in the museum). When she is six, she goes blind, and her father builds her a model of their neighborhood, every house, every manhole, so she can memorize it with her fingers and navigate the real streets with her feet and cane. When the Germans occupy Paris, father and daughter flee to Saint-Malo on the Brittany coast, where Marie-Laure's agoraphobic great uncle lives in a tall, narrow house by the sea wall.

In another world in Germany, an orphan boy, Werner, grows up with his younger sister, Jutta, both enchanted by a crude radio Werner finds. He becomes a master at building and fixing radios, a talent that wins him a place at an elite and brutal military academy and, ultimately, makes him a highly specialized tracker of the Resistance. Werner travels through the heart of Hitler Youth to the far-flung outskirts of Russia, and finally into Saint-Malo, where his path converges with Marie-Laure.

This insomniac's opinion:

If you are new to my blog, you may not know that I have a weird-ahem, unique- fascination with books that take place in the period during World War II. Not because of a fascination with war itself, but because of the incredible acts of bravery and kindness that happen amidst the violence and desperation. But, I digress- on to the novel.

I fell in love with Marie Laure right at the beginning. She is so beautifully kind and sweet soul. Her relationship with her father was also incredibly beautiful. I dreaded the knowledge that the war was coming and their lives would soon change.

Werner was not quite as loveable, but, as a reader, I found myself inexplicably understanding why he ended up as a soldier and made the choices that he did. It was an eye into the mind of an orphan who desperately wanted to belong and would even become a Nazi killer to do so.

This novel chewed up and spit out my heart over and over again with its quiet desperation and connections between people amongst the horror of war. There is a moment near the end between Werner and Marie Laure that was a pure balm on my sorrowed heart. It was, perhaps, the most sadly beautiful moment in a novel full of beautiful moments.

The ending was slow-moving and appropriate for a novel regarding war. Too many novels that take place in war-time button up the endings with sugar sweet happenings and the reader is left with a feeling that all is right in the world again. Not this novel. It reminded the reader that even many, many years after the war had ended, those who survived the war will be haunted and will take those egregious memories and happenings to their graves.

This novel was incredibly moving and compulsively readable with characters that will live in your heart forever.This was my first 5 star novel of 2014 and I will not soon forget it or the characters in it. Kudos to the author- I look forward to reading more of his work!

Worth staying up all night to read?

YESSSSSS!!!!!!

Rating:

5 great, big shining stars! 

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

*Many thanks to Penguin Group/Viking and Net Galley for the advanced reader's copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.*

Book synopsis(via Goodreads):

Hetty "Handful” Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimke household. The Grimke’s daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is meant to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women.

Kidd’s sweeping novel is set in motion on Sarah’s eleventh birthday, when she is given ownership of ten year old Handful, who is to be her handmaid.We follow their remarkable journeys over the next thirty five years, as both strive for a life of their own, dramatically shaping each other’s destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love.
As the stories build to a riveting climax, Handful will endure loss and sorrow, finding courage and a sense of self in the process. Sarah will experience crushed hopes, betrayal, unrequited love, and ostracism before leaving Charleston to find her place alongside her fearless younger sister, Angelina, as one of the early pioneers in the abolition and women’s rights movements.

Inspired by the historical figure of Sarah Grimke, Kidd goes beyond the record to flesh out the rich interior lives of all of her characters, both real and invented, including Handful’s cunning mother, Charlotte, who courts danger in her search for something better.
This exquisitely written novel is a triumph of storytelling that looks with unswerving eyes at a devastating wound in American history, through women whose struggles for liberation, empowerment, and expression will leave no reader unmoved.

This insomniac's opinion:

 Oh, how I adored this novel. It is written with such honesty and manages to be languid and gripping and horrific and wonderful all in the scope of the same novel. The character's are both loveable and hateable. This was not an easy read by any means- it is painful to read at times, made even more painful by the knowledge that events similar to these actually happened in this country. The relationship between Handful and Sarah is not saccharine sweet, but a much more believable kinship and I was rooting for their friendship from the very beginning.  I was so involved in the novel that I found myself speaking aloud, telling the character's the secrets that they did not yet know.

 An impeccable read from Sue Monk Kidd.

Worth staying up all night to read?

YES!

Rating:

5 stars

8 Bit Christmas by Kevin Jakubowski

*Many thanks to Net Galley and DB press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. *

Synopsis(via Goodreads):

It's 1980-something and all nine-year-old Jake Doyle wants for Christmas is a Nintendo Entertainment System. No Jose Conseco rookie card, no GI Joe hovercraft, no Teddy friggin' Ruxpin--just Nintendo. But when a hyperactive Shih Tzu is accidentally crushed to death by a forty-two-inch television set and every parent in town blames Nintendo, it's up to Jake to take matters into his own hands. The result is a Christmas quest of Super Mario Bros. proportions, filled with flaming wreaths, speeding minivans, lost retainers, fake Santas, hot teachers, snotty sisters, "Super Bowl Shuffles" and one very naked Cabbage Patch Kid. Told from a nostalgic adult perspective, 8-Bit Christmas is a hilarious and heartfelt look back at the kid pop culture of the 1980s.

This insomniac's opinion:

Many thanks to my bookish buddy Jenni for recommending this read. It was truly delightful!

This book is mildly reminiscent of the movie "A Christmas Story", only taking place in the 80's. The author takes his memories of childhood and spins them into a humourous tale that all children, regardless of generation, can relate to- bullies that only become bigger with memory, parents who could be firm but also incredibly loving and teachers whom you still love or hate all these years later. This book is especially lovely for those of us(yes, this includes me, friends) who actually grew up in the 80s and remember the era with equal fondness and loathing.

Worth staying up all night to read?

Yes. Quick, simple read with lots of humor.

Rating:

4 stars

Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer

Book Synopsis(via Goodreads):

Sunny Mann has masterminded a life for herself and her family in a quiet Virginia town. Her house and her friends are picture-perfect. Even her genius husband, Maxon, has been trained to pass for normal. But when a fender bender on an average day sends her coiffed blonde wig sailing out the window, her secret is exposed. Not only is she bald, Sunny is nothing like the Stepford wife she’s trying to be. As her facade begins to unravel, we discover the singular world of Sunny, an everywoman searching for the perfect life, and Maxon, an astronaut on his way to colonize the moon.

Theirs is a wondrous, strange relationship formed of dark secrets, decades-old murders and the urgent desire for connection. As children, the bald, temperamental Sunny and the neglected savant Maxon found an unlikely friendship no one else could understand. She taught him to feel—helped him translate his intelligence for numbers into a language of emotion. He saw her spirit where others saw only a freak. As they grew into adults, their profound understanding blossomed into love and marriage.

But with motherhood comes a craving for normalcy that begins to strangle Sunny’s marriage and family. As Sunny and Maxon are on the brink of destruction, at each other’s throats with blame and fear of how they’ve lost their way, Maxon departs for the moon, where he’s charged with programming the robots that will build the fledgling colony. Just as the car accident jars Sunny out of her wig and into an awareness of what she really needs, an accident involving Maxon’s rocket threatens everything they’ve built, revealing the things they’ve kept hidden. And nothing will ever be the same.

This insomniac's opinion:

This was one of those novels that is painfully beautiful. It resonated with me on such a level that I had to put it down several times to reflect on my life. There have been a handful of novels this year that hit me in the same manner. It felt as though the novel was a mirror reflecting back to me some of the uncomfortable truths of my life-the fact that I try too hard to fit in(even as I pride myself on being different), the way that I have never truly fit in with the suburban mothers around me, no matter the energy I put into it and the amount of time and energy I spend acquiring things so that I can attempt to fit in and be "invisible".

At the opening of the novel, I thought I was going to hate it. Sunny seemed to be the antithesis of everything that I believe it. She seemed snobby and shallow. However, the unique writing style of the author drew me in and, as Sunny's layers were peeled back, I realized that she was just like me. Just.like.me.

This book is a must read for the Suburban misfit Mom struggling between being herself and fitting in so that her children can fit in.

Worth staying up all night to read?

Yes!

Rating: 

5 stars

Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole

Book synopsis(via Goodreads):

A sweeping story told in letters, spanning two continents and two world wars, Jessica Brockmole’s atmospheric debut novel captures the indelible ways that people fall in love, and celebrates the power of the written word to stir the heart.

March 1912: Twenty-four-year-old Elspeth Dunn, a published poet, has never seen the world beyond her home on Scotland’s remote Isle of Skye. So she is astonished when her first fan letter arrives, from a college student, David Graham, in far-away America. As the two strike up a correspondence—sharing their favorite books, wildest hopes, and deepest secrets—their exchanges blossom into friendship, and eventually into love. But as World War I engulfs Europe and David volunteers as an ambulance driver on the Western front, Elspeth can only wait for him on Skye, hoping he’ll survive.

June 1940: At the start of World War II, Elspeth’s daughter, Margaret, has fallen for a pilot in the Royal Air Force. Her mother warns her against seeking love in wartime, an admonition Margaret doesn’t understand. Then, after a bomb rocks Elspeth’s house, and letters that were hidden in a wall come raining down, Elspeth disappears. Only a single letter remains as a clue to Elspeth’s whereabouts. As Margaret sets out to discover where her mother has gone, she must also face the truth of what happened to her family long ago.

This insomniac's opinion:

I found this novel to be vaguely reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, so if you loved that novel- give this one a try!

This novel is written entirely in letters, which may be a turn-off to some. However, I truly loved it! The letters lend to give the reader a unique sense of the characters and an entirely new dynamic to the relationship between the characters. The forbidden, war-time romance leaves the reader swooning and desperate to finish the novel so that she can find out if they end up together or not. Lovely read.

Worth staying up all night to read?

Yes. Especially if you are a romantic!

Rating: 

4 stars

The Art of Falling by Kathryn Craft

*Many thanks to Net Galley and Sourcebooks for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. *


 Synopsis(via Goodreads):

One wrong step could send her over the edge.

All Penny has ever wanted to do is dance—and when that chance is taken from her, it pushes her to the brink of despair, from which she might never return. When she wakes up after a traumatic fall, bruised and battered but miraculously alive, Penny must confront the memories that have haunted her for years, using her love of movement to pick up the pieces of her shattered life.

Kathryn Craft’s lyrical debut novel is a masterful portrayal of a young woman trying to come to terms with her body and the artistic world that has repeatedly rejected her. The Art of Falling expresses the beauty of movement, the stasis of despair, and the unlimited possibilities that come with a new beginning.

This insomniac's opinion:

It is very hard to believe that this novel is Ms. Craft's first. It is exquisitely written with a carefully crafted plot that carefully unfolds into a beautiful ending. There were moments that were so perfect and well-written that I had to stop and reread the section, sometimes more than once. It is a story of finding yourself in the midst of your life falling apart, of letting go of the person you have always been in order to find your true self. I sat for quite some time in reflection after the last page was turned.Truly moving novel and I hope the author will write many more.

Worth staying up all night to read?

Yes!

Rating: 

4.5 stars(rounded down to 4 for Goodreads)

Bloodroot by Amy Greene

Synopsis(via Goodreads):

The novel is told in a kaleidoscope of seamlessly woven voices and centers around an incendiary romance that consumes everyone in its path: Myra Lamb, a wild young girl with mysterious, haint blue eyes who grows up on remote Bloodroot Mountain; her grandmother Byrdie Lamb, who protects Myra fiercely and passes down “the touch” that bewitches people and animals alike; the neighbor boy who longs for Myra yet is destined never to have her; the twin children Myra is forced to abandon but who never forget their mother’s deep love; and John Odom, the man who tries to tame Myra and meets with shocking, violent disaster. Against the backdrop of a beautiful but often unforgiving country, these lives come together—only to be torn apart—as a dark, riveting mystery unfolds.

This insomniac's opinion:

Holy buckets, this was a depressing novel. But, also extraordinarily written. I felt as though I was truly in the novel, living in desperate poverty and facing a daily struggle. It was humbling. I was so immersed in the book at times, that it was almost a culture shock to raise my eyes up to my own middle-class suburban home. I felt so grateful for my cozy home and my pantry full of food.

The hardest thing about reading this novel was that every time a character starts to feel hopeful, another awful event happens and they are wrenched back into terrible conditions. I had to take a few breathers when reading so that I could catch my breath and continue.

In closing, this novel is not for everyone. However, it is wonderfully written and is well worth the read.

Worth staying up all night to read?

Yes! Bonus: You'll feel super grateful for all that you have after reading this novel.

Rating: 

5 stars

A Girl and Five Brave Horses

Synopsis(via Goodreads):

This autobiography is the true story of Sonora Webster Carver who dove with horses from 40' towers in the 1920's. Dr. W.F. Carver, who ran the show, had previously started "The Wild West" shows with his friends, Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickok. (The movie 'Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken' is loosely based on her life.)

This insomniac's opinion:

The movie 'Wild Horses Can't Be Broken' was one of my favorite movies as a teenager. I had a raging crush on Matthew Schoeffling, the actor that played Al Carver's character. I watched the VHS of this movie until it broke. That was a sad, sad day, my friends.

Anyhow, the other week this movie came on the television and I excitedly sat down to watch it with my two daughters. At the end of the movie I noticed that the movie was based on the autobiography of Sonora Webster Carver and immediately decided that I must read this book!

I admit that the book is not well written, but its not terrible, either. Sonora lived an absolutely extraordinary life and had a wonderful, positive spirit. Her strength and perseverance to continue horse diving after being blinded in an accident was inspiring to say the least. The story of Dr. W.F. Carver is also interwoven in the book, and his story was so astonishing it almost seemed like fiction! This book was a fascinating read and a peek back into simpler times.

Worth staying up all night to read?

It is a little slow-moving, but very interesting. So, yes!

Rating:

4 stars for magnificent inspiration!

Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala

Book Summary(via Goodreads):

On the morning of December 26, 2004, on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, Sonali Deraniyagala lost her parents, her husband, and her two young sons in the tsunami she miraculously survived. In this brave and searingly frank memoir, she describes those first horrifying moments and her long journey since. She has written an engrossing, unsentimental, beautifully poised account: as she struggles through the first months following the tragedy, furiously clenched against a reality that she cannot face and cannot deny; and then, over the ensuing years, as she emerges reluctantly, slowly allowing her memory to take her back through the rich and joyous life she’s mourning, from her family’s home in London, to the birth of her children, to the year she met her English husband at Cambridge, to her childhood in Colombo; all the while learning the difficult balance between the almost unbearable reminders of her loss and the need to keep her family, somehow, still alive within her.

This insomniac's opinion:

This is, by far, the most intense memoir that I have ever read. The reader barely has a chance to acclimate himself to the people in the book when the wave comes and destroys everything in its path, including Sonali's family. This memoir was gripping, searingly honest and brings the reader along on Sonali's desperate, despairing journey of grief.

This memoir made me face my deepest fear-losing my children. I almost gave up on the book several times because it was simply too painful. The writing is achingly beautiful in its honesty. Sonali and her story will stay with me forever.

Worth staying up all night to read?

Yes, but stock up on tissues first and bring your family to your bed because you are gonna want to check on the health and safety of your children every minute.

Rating: 

4.5 stars