Book Review | Book Chatter

I received this book from Booking Mama and Geri over at Running Press. This book caught my eye for a number of reasons. I love a good ghost story and this one happens to be a young adult novel. I’m always on the lookout for something for my son to read and from what Booking Mama had to say about it, I knew I had to read it. Plus, I am not that big on young adult books but with my son reading them now, I figured it’s good to know what’s out there on the shelves.

Here’s a blurb from Barnes & Noble:

“From moving to a new house to making new friends and preparing for high school, life for the new girl in town can be unsettling. But thirteen year-old Courtney is unprepared for how creepy life in Murmur, Massachusetts turns out to be. Her ivy-covered house overlooking the antiquated cemetery next door is one thing, but Courtney finds herself thrust into a full-fledged haunted adventure after meeting Christian and Margaret Geyer, a strange father and daughter with unfinished family business.”

This ghost story has all the right elements. A spooky house with a lot of history, a cemetery right next door, odd neighbors and the creeping ivy that has a mind of its own. I have been super busy this week so my time with this novel has been limited to late nights on the couch, all by myself. Let me tell you, I was spooked quite a few times and kept seeing things out of the corner of my eye.

As far as the story goes, I enjoyed the main character. Courtney is a girl I could get to know. That said, some of the other characters could have been a bit more developed. Their mysteriousness added to the story, but I wanted just a little bit more in the way of character development. Additionally, the story really centered around just a few people. While reading I felt completely isolated. Perhaps a bit more information about the town itself would have helped draw me into their world.

I will say that the book itself is stunning. Many of the pages are outlined in green ivy and included in the book are several newspaper clippings, maps, letters, etc. Since the story is centered around a journal, the reader gets to view some of these journal entries as the story unfolds. I really enjoyed the journal entries.

Going way back in time here, but if I were a young girl of ten or twelve or even a boy of that age I would find this book to be a real page turner. It has enough creepiness to hold your attention but absolutely no graphic or disturbing images. As a mom, I appreciate that.

I’m turning the book over to my son now so it will be interesting to hear what he thinks of it. Thank you Booking Mama and Geri for giving me the opportunity to read it!

My book group picked Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali for November. Here’s a bit of info from Barnes & Noble:

“Ayaan Hirsi Ali tells her astonishing life story, from her traditional Muslim childhood in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, and Kenya, to her intellectual awakening and activism in the Netherlands, and her current life under armed guard in the West.”

This is definitely not a book I would have picked up in my own. It took me a long time to read it. It’s not that it was a difficult read, but there were many moments where I had to put it down and then re-visit later.

As a young girl living in Somalia, Ayaan was subjected to genital mutilation and constant abuse from her mother. Although both practices were considered the norm for a Muslim upbringing, it still weighed heavily with Ayaan. She understood what was expected of her, but very early on she did not agree with how things were carried out.

As Ayaan was growing up, relations between her mother and father became difficult and he began to take other wives outside of the home. As her father’s favorite, Ayaan tried to understand her father’s ways, but also felt loyal to her mother, even though her mother treated her so poorly. Ayaan’s brother and sister dealt with these issues also, but not to the degree that Ayaan did.

Ayann, influenced by Harlequin romance novels becomes infatuated with the idea of “love”. Her friends and cousins tell her otherwise. That there is no love, just pain and a duty to do right by your husband. Ayaan, determined to prove them wrong, makes a mistake that ends up changing her life forever. Thus begins her quest as a humanitarian and women’s advocate.

I won’t say anymore about her story because I know a lot of you plan to read the book but I have mixed feelings about the book. Much of the book is Ayaan’s life as a young girl. I enjoyed this part, even though some of it was disturbing to read. What really affected me was her relationship with her mother. I understood her mother’s frustration, but her anger was entirely misplaced at times and it was frustrating to read these accounts.

There were several instances where Ayaan made decisions that were totally rash and without thought. I had to remind myself many times that she was a young girl. I guess you could say that I expected her to be a bit more “streetwise”, for lack of a better term. There were a couple of times where I found myself not liking her. One time in particular, where her honesty is questioned, although I could totally understand why she did what she did.

As for the writing, it took me about 50 pages to get into it and then it was about 75 pages too long. To me, the last quarter of the book was difficult to read. It seemed to go on and on, yet also jump forward without a lot of detail in between. For example, there were only a few pages on 9/11, yet that event had such an impact on Ayaan that it forced her to denounce Islam. I think the book would have been more balanced if more time had been spent telling the readers about her experience in Parliament than some of the events leading up to it.

Overall, the book was fascinating and forced me to evaluate how people live in other countries. Ali went on to establish the Foundation for Freedom of Expression and is an advocate for women’s rights.

If you’d like to read more about Ayaan Hirsi Ali, click here to vist her web page.

To read what the N.Y. Times had to say about the book, click here.

My book group has not met yet to discuss the book but I am sure there will be a lot to talk about.

Chatting with friends about books and life…