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How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe
By Charles Yu
(Vintage, Paperback, 9780307739452, June 2011, 256pp.)

The Short of It:

Time travel is an entertaining subject in and of itself, but at its core, this book is a collection of moments. Moments of realization, moments of disappointment and moments of loss and regret.

The Rest of It:

Charles is a time machine repairman on Minor Universe 31. Technically, he is like the auto club for time machines. When a machine fails, he travels across time to fix it. But, these “repairs” are often needed because people go back in time to change the past, and that’s something that should never be done. He runs into all types of people, with his robotic dog by his side, but he’s got problems of his own. In a moment of rash judgment, he shoots his future self. Now, THAT’s a problem. To further complicate things, he comes across a book he’s written, a survival guide for living in a science fictional universe. But at the point of discovery, he’s already gone against much of what it recommends.

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe was wonderful but in a totally weird, quirky way. Parts of it were absolutely touching and sweet and parts of were complete mind benders.

It’s really a book about so many things. The relationship between Charles and his family is achingly sad. Charles yearns for so much more, and he doesn’t really understand where things went wrong, so he re-lives moments over and over again in order to gain an understanding. It’s a book about self-discovery, about love and loss but it’s also very funny. There are lots of funny moments to chuckle over.

Fans of science fiction will certainly enjoy this one, but readers who enjoy “what if” scenarios will enjoy this one too. I found myself working stuff out in my head (sort of like what I did when I watched Back to the Future III and thought, wth??)

This was a fun, completely different book. The story was very unique and thoughtful. I’m so glad I read it.

Side Note: I was looking up information on the author and came across this article. Turns out that Yu is a director for the Oscar-winning Digital Domain, a visual effects company. This article also includes Yu’s top ten time travel books. Very interesting.

Source: Borrowed.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

The Gin & Chowder Club
By Nan Rossiter
(Kensington Publishing Corporation, Paperback, 9780758246677, June 2011, 281pp.)

The Short of It:

Looking at this gorgeous cover you might dismiss it as pure chick-lit, but let me tell you… this one is different. With a male protagonist, a Cape Cod setting, and the tight bond between two families, this one is a winner.

The Rest of It:

The Coleman and Shepherd families have known each other for quite some time. Each year, they head to Cape Cod where they are neighbors for the summer. Samuel and Sarah Coleman have been busy raising their two sons, Asa and Issac, whereas Nate Shepherd has weathered some heartache with the loss of his first wife. However, his second marriage to a much younger woman has brought him happiness and the entire Coleman family is happy for them both. Their time together is spent enjoying gin and tonics and clam chowder and they all look forward to this special time together.

The story is set in th early 60’s and this particular summer happens to be the last summer before Asa goes off to college. The Colemans worry whether their son is ready to embark on such an adventure, and admittedly, Asa has some doubts of his own, but he has no idea how complicated life really is until he finds himself drawn to Noelle, Nate’s younger wife.

At its heart, this is most certainly a love story, but it’s also a story of about trust, betrayal, friendship and the ability to forgive. Rossiter does an amazing job of describing the angst…the yearning and the horrible guilt that results from Asa and Noelle’s relationship. There is a taunting, teasing quality to it, but also a good dose of remorse. These are good people being tested. That’s how I felt while reading it.

There are other things that won me over. The decision to set the story in the early 60’s, was an excellent choice. It had a completely different feel because of it and gave the story the tenderness it required. Think about it, a story like this set in the present day would be filled with gadgets and cell phone conversations and texts between the two of them. The magic would have been lost.

Additionally, there are references to two of my favorite books of all-time. To Kill a Mockingbird is often mentioned in books, so although I was pleased to see it here, I wasn’t surprised by it. However, I gasped out loud at the mention of A Separate Peace because it’s one of my faves and has been since I read it in college. I love it when an author can reference another book within her own story, and have it mean something.

I knew this book would be a pleasant read but I didn’t expect it to raise so many questions. This would be a wonderful book club book because there is just so much to consider. The reading guide that is included in my copy, asks some really tough questions and the message from the author, which includes a story about a cardinal (poor bird!), will prove to you that authors can find ideas just about anywhere.

You might buy the book for the cover but read it for the story.

Source: Sent to my by the author. Thanks Nan for signing my book!