Moyes' Interview

You can watch this at YouTube by clicking here (OfficialRichardandJudy, 2012).

Above is Jojo Moyes' discussion of her work Me Before You at the Richard and Judy Book Club 2012 hosted by WHSmith, a bookshop in the UK.  I absolutely loved this book and I think it's topic is incredibly pertinent in today's society - this clip is worth a listen.

The Richard and Judy Book Club 2012 have conducted interviews with all of the authors from this years reading list.  Their other interviews can be found on YouTube by clicking here.

Me Before You

Photo taken by Ms. C. 

Jojo Moyes has often been labelled a chick-lit writer.  However, I think she is anything but the producer of fluffy, inconsequential romances.  Moyes does write love stories... but her tales are able to combine controversial topics, emotion, hilarity, and intense drama.

Moyes explores the everyday life of individuals with severe physical disabilities within her work Me Before You.  The story centers around Will, a quadriplegic young man who was once highly active, and his budding relationship with Lou, his caretaker.  Readers are introduced to each character before they meet - thus we are able to view Will as a young athletic business man at the top of his world and Lou as a recently laid of cafe employee supporting her parents and sister on minimum wage.  Moyes does an excellent job of developing the characters and portraying the tensions in each one's life which ultimately bring them together.

Before Ever After

Photo taken by Ms. C

I first heard of Samantha Sotto's book when she commented on my blog.  I like to respond to people's comments and see if they have a blog I can visit in return.  Low and behold, Sotto's comment led me to her blog post about Before Ever After - a book she had released a few days prior.  Her book sounded amazing and its cover was gorgeous... I mentally filed it into my TBR list.  Last month, while browsing my bookstore's shelves, I found Sotto's book and knew I had to give it a read.

Sotto provides us with the story of a bereaved widow's quest to find the truth behind her late husband's life. Shelley, the widow, is told that her husband is alive and somehow seems immune to aging three years after his supposed death. The story is based on Shelley's  recounts of how she met her husband on an European trip and his intimate knowledge of history during her flight halfway across the world in search of her late husband.

Inside Hitler's Bunker

Many know Adolf Hitler spent the last few months of his life in a bunker underneath the Reich Chancellery in Berlin. But, little is known of what happened in the bunker, now sealed off to the public. Joachim Fest, a Berliner himself, examines life in the Fuhrerbunker during late April and early May 1945.

Fest's Inside Hitler's Bunker: The Last Days of the Third Reich provides an account of the defeat of National Socialist Germany in May 1945. Hitler's actions, decisions, and behaviour from within his bunker are examined in Fest's work. Fest also chronicles German citizens' and military officials' reactions to the advancing Soviet troops and fall of the Third Reich.

Beautiful Artifacts, Heartbreaking Relics

I received my first e-mail from an author requesting a book review in late March. As the writer of a little-known blog I was shocked to discover that any author would offer up their book for my criticism.

I was unsure about performing the review. What if I didn't like the book? The author suddenly became a person and perhaps, because of that, I wondered if I would be able to write a honest review. I have brutally pointed out the flaws in literature in the past. I hoped to be able to do the same when the author became more than words in a book. When I was greeted with a format (short stories) and style (magic realist) that I do not frequently pursue, I agreed to the task.

The Heretic's Daughter

Kathleen Kent's The Heretic's Daughter provides an account of the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts during the early 1690s. A town's superstitions and the dynamic relationships between family members and neighbors accused of witchcraft are explored in her work. Kent centers her tale on the trial of Martha Carrier, a young mother accused of sorcery and turning three of her children into witches. In doing so, Kent weaves an emotional story of love, devotion, betrayal, and redemption.

I have to admit that I was disappointed in this novel. I was so excited to delve into Kent's book when I found it on the shelf at the local library - its book jacket summary screamed of a good read. Once home, I performed a quick blog search looking for others' reviews. I read only compliments and acclamations. So, a few days ago I set out to read it, too.

A Secret Kept

Tatiana de Rosnay's newest work, A Secret Kept, vividly depicts a Parisian son's search to discover the truth behind his mother's sudden death which occurred over 30 years ago. De Rosnay examines a family's deepest secrets of love and betrayal. Themes of death and attraction are intricately connected to each other and abound within de Rosnay's work.

A Secret Kept is very emotional. It is not so much an emotional experience for the reader. Instead, the content and descriptions within de Rosnay's work are laced with deep emotional overtones and significance for the characters within her story. Illustrations of desire, passion, raw sexuality, guilt, grief, and hatred bounce off of the many pages of this novel. It is a dark tale and one not to be taken lightly.

Her Fearful Symmetry

Audrey Niffenegger portrays individuals who risk everything in order to be with those they love. But what happens when their plans fail to succeed? When you reach someone and they are no longer emotionally available? Is there a happy ending?

Niffenegger uniquely examines issues of love and commitment within her newest novel, Her Fearful Symmetry. She chronicles obsessive relationships between three couples: two twins, a man with OCD separated from his wife, and another man who clings to the ghost of his deceased girlfriend (literally). The novel begs the reader to suspend rational judgment. While Her Fearful Symmetry is an eerie and sometimes suspenseful tale, it is overpowered by a long and drawn-out plot.