Tag: Read 2013

A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote

Merry Christmas, everyone! Figured I’d throw in a seasonal throwback review for today. This quick little read can be read in one sitting and shared in one sitting. 

 

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Originally published on Dec 31 2013.

Merry Christmas, everyone! Figured I’d throw in a seasonal throwback review for today. This quick little read can be read and shared in one sitting.

3/5 stars.
ebook, 48 pages.
Read on November 20, 2013.

At seven, Capote knows that the Christmas season begins when his much older cousin, Sook, exclaims that “It’s fruitcake weather!“. The story focuses on the wonderful relationship that Capote has with his eccentric and quirky cousin and the traditions that the two of them take part in during Christmas. It’s absolutely endearing that the two of them save all year so that they can make fruitcake for their family, friends and neighbours and that they both yearn to give each other something spectacular for Christmas but can never afford to so they just make each other kites. While the story ends rather sadly with Capote eventually being sent away to school and losing touch with his dear cousin the story is a nostalgic reminder of the spirit of Christmas and to be grateful for all of the wonderful miracles that life has already presented us. As Sook realizes:

“You know what I’ve always thought?” she asks in a tone of discovery and not smiling at me but a point beyond. “I’ve always thought a body would have to be sick and dying before they saw the Lord. And I imagined that when he came it would be like looking at the Baptist window: pretty as colored glass with the sun pouring through, such a shine you don’t know it’s getting dark. And it’s been a comfort: to think of that shine taking away all the spooky feeling. But I’11 wager it never happens. I’11 wager at the very end a body realizes the Lord has already shown Himself. That things as they are”—her hand circles in a gesture that gathers clouds and kites and grass and Queenie pawing earth over her bone—”just what they’ve always seen, was seeing Him. As for me, I could leave the world with today in my eyes.”

This story is about finding beauty in everyday life, appreciating your loved ones and being grateful for what you have no matter how little that may be. That is the Christmas spirit. This book is a perfect story to read at Christmas, even aloud, though I would recommend it for an older audience. Overall, I really enjoyed this quick read and will be looking forward to reading more Capote in the future!

Sex Love Repeat by Alessandra Torre

Originally published on January 3, 2014

3/5 stars.
(ARC) ebook, 275 pages.
Read from December 03 to 05, 2013.

I embark again with another piece of Erotica! My second now. Thanks again to Netgalley for providing me with a copy.

Erotica novels are hard to review because you pretty much have to admit what turns you on and like anything erotic, everyone is different in terms of what gets them going. With out shedding too many personal details, there were definitely some very hot scenes in this book and I enjoyed the way the author wrote them. My problem with this book, and hopefully this isn’t a perpetual theme with Erotica, is that the story and characters are extremely superficial. I understand that, as with all fantasies they are often somewhat unrealistic but I found that this one was a bit too hard to believe. I mean really? A guy that’s so madly in love that he doesn’t mind that the love of his life is also having mad, crazy, rough sex with someone else on regular basis? ***SPOILER – Start***And, in the end, it turns out to be his brother? What’s even more unrealistic is that everything was all happy and dandy in the end ***SPOILER – End***.

I don’t read a lot of romance novels either so perhaps the cheese and unrealism is a theme there too because the romance that occurred after Maddie hurt herself and was in the hospital didn’t do much for me either. I really just wanted another steamy sex scene but instead I was taunted with endearment between the characters. Don’t get me wrong, erotica needs to have a plot and I think it’s a hard to find a balance as there needs to be just enough smut to keep the genre but at the same time, just enough story to give it substance. The story itself was intriguing and each character was developed well it just wasn’t my type of story/romance and unfortunately I am particular about romance.

With that all that being said, it was still an enjoyable and sexy read! I would definitely recommend it to people who love both erotica and romance. I am still expanding on this genre and hope to add a few more to my repertoire soon.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

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Originally published on  November 11, 2013.

3/5 stars.
ebook, 492 pages.
Read from July 24 to August 27, 2013.

I read this novel for a book club and for whatever reason I thought that this was a holocaust survivor story so it was a nice surprise to find out that it was about American bomber planes and the Japanese as I had not read any biographical content on this part of the war.

I have to admit there was something about Laura’s writing that took me a bit to get used to. I found the first few chapters long and way too drawn out and it took me a little bit to get used to her sentence structure for whatever reason. With that being said, I became very involved and captivated with the story and the characters after the first few chapters. I also appreciated the amount of effort that Laura took in collaborating this remarkable story. It must have been such an honour and a pleasure to interview Louie.

I honestly still can’t get my head around the amount suffering Louie and his comrades were subjected to after being captured by the Japanese. How does someone go on in those conditions? The resilience displayed by Louie and his friends still amaze me. What I don’t understand is how a someone can cause that much pain and discomfort to another human being. I am glad that near the end Laura included some of the perspectives of the tormentors, specifically the Bird, not that it validates at all what they did but it is despicable to me the things that some people can convince themselves of. I recall feeling as vengeful and angry as Louie did in the novel though I don’t know if I found the same peace as Louie at the end. I want people to be punished for their crimes and I don’t feel like the Bird ever was.

I really appreciated that the book continued on after Louie finally made it back home to his family. So many war related stories stop once they’ve reached the safety of home but while one battle has ended another one begins. So I’m very thankful that Laura was able to provide insight into the PSTD that these men experienced and how they were able to overcome that final battle.

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