{The 2015 Amazing Book Race Challenge Review} NOT MY FATHER'S SON by Alan Cumming

ISBN #: 978-0062225061
Page Count: 304
Copyright: October 7, 2014
Publisher: Dey Street Books

Lupe's Review:

I listened to this as an audiobook, narrated by Alan Cumming himself, and I have to say, it was so much better that way. Being able to hear the tiniest inflections in his voice, feel, really FEEL what he is saying, made this such an immersive story. You're able to chuckle with him when you hear his voice smiling and get teary eyed and cry for him when you hear him speak so solemnly about his childhood, and even much of his adulthood.

His foray into what happened to his grandfather, the trigger from his father that makes him so introspective on himself, parallel in a way that only a Hollywood story should. Unfortunately, this was no glamorous Hollywood life. Alan's childhood and adulthood were marred by his father, Alec, and just listening to his story was enough, at times, to just make my heart break. I have always liked him as an actor and musician. He is just so versatile and just, well, GOOD, that you never would have expected all the obstacles he had to face. His personal life alone (being bisexual and his HEAVY advocacy of LGBT rights) were nothing compared to his childhood personal life. He was able to overcome so much adversity from his father, so much angst. And to be able to tell it so truthfully, without hindrance and without hiding anything, I think is a true testament to his character.

Read this. If you don't ever read another memoir again, read this one. I promise you won't regret it.

{Review} SMALL MERCIES by Eddie Joyce

ISBN #: 978-0525427292

Page Count: 368

Copyright: March 10, 2015

Publisher: Viking

Description:

(Taken from book flap)

An ingeniously layered narrative, told over the course of one week, Eddie Joyce’s debut novel masterfully depicts an Italian-Irish American family on Staten Island and their complicated emotional history. Ten years after the loss of Bobby—the Amendola family’s youngest son—everyone is still struggling to recover from the firefighter’s unexpected death. Bobby’s mother, Gail; his widow, Tina; his older brothers Peter, the corporate lawyer, and Franky, the misfit; and his father, Michael, have all dealt with their grief in different ways. But as the family gathers together for Bobby Jr.’s birthday party, they must each find a way to accept a new man in Tina’s life while reconciling their feelings for their lost loved one.

In unflinching but lyrical prose, Joyce shows us one mother’s struggle to keep her family together and preserve the memory of her son. Following Gail as she moves from the corner offices of white-shoe Manhattan law firms to the blue-collar gin mills of the outer boroughs, Small Mercies reveals a different New York, one that exists in the hearts and minds of its inhabitants.

Presented through multiple points of view, Small Mercies explores the conflicts and deep attachments that exist within families. Heart-wrenching and profoundly relatable, Joyce’s debut is a love letter to Staten Island and a deeply affecting portrait of an American family.

Charlene's Review:

Small Mercies is a haunting story of a family in the aftermath of the loss of Bobby, their son/brother/spouse, on 9/11. Mr. Joyce paints a picture with his words: A picture of life before, and life after. 10 years later, Bobby’s widow announces to his mother, Gail, that she has met a new love, and Gail must find a way to tell the family, all of whom are still grieving.

With the focus on the family, instead of the terror attack, this is a new twist on a fateful day. Perhaps the most humbling of all. When the cameras faded and the stories died, the families were left to find a new normal. Small Mercies is a look at the reality of survivors of 9/11 and how they must learn to live as the casualties of an act that took America’s innocence. The guilt of the family "business" , the unspoken words, the wishful thinking, and the unspeakable grief of a mother are all demonstrated in a heart-wrenching novel full of real, raw emotion. The true beauty of this story is the flawed, hurting characters that cling desperately to each other, every bit as much as they suffer alone.

I have read many books on the subject of 9/11 and Small Mercies is one of the best, as it reflects not on the horror and destruction of that day, but the ability of the human spirit to rise from the ashes.

5 out of 5 stars!


*A hardcopy of this novel was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

{Review} SMILE NOW, CRY LATER by Paul MacDonald

ISBN #: 978-1507525449

Page Count: 248

Copyright: January 12, 2015

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Series: Chuck Restic Mystery

Book Description:

(Taken from Amazon)

Chuck Restic is a man without a purpose. A 20-year career working in the risk-averse world of Human Resources for a large corporation has left him comfortably numb... but so incredibly bored. There has to be more to life than trying not to get sued. Chuck finds an escape in an unlikely form when he begins moonlighting as a private detective. He's not your typical PI (he prefers a passive-aggressive approach over the old-fashioned fisticuffs kind) but he is amusingly effective at solving crimes. And at last he is able to apply that HR experience -- the same one that gives him so much consternation -- to a finer purpose.

This first book in the series has Chuck venturing out of the confines of his Los Angeles skyscraper in search of a missing colleague. The trail leads him from the shady underworld of Armenian mobsters to the billion-dollar land developments that serve as the lifeblood of the city. Murder lurks at every turn. The Chuck Restic Mystery Series is a fun romp that mashes traditional mystery with a scathing send-up of Corporate America, and delivers a fresh take on the classic Los Angeles detective novel.

Shelley's Review:

This book grabs and holds your attention from page one.  The author throws in number of subplots and twists that makes this  book appeal to a wide variety of people.  Something for everyone!  I really look forward to another installment of Chuck Restic Mysteries.  Kudos Mr. Macdonald!


*A physical copy of this novel was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

{Review} SAGA OF LYN: THE REAWAKENING by Aric Carter

ISBN #: 978-1941469002

Page Count: 238

Copyright: July 26, 2014

Publisher: Aric C. Carter

Series: Saga of Lyn

Book Description:

(Taken from back cover)

Tavernkeeper Tegain Hostler's life is one of well-oiled routine, revolving around his tavern and his beloved wife and daughter. When a mysterious stranger destroys his tavern and his family, Tegain joins forces with his friend Karl Dunmire, a trader with a military past, to seek justice. Karl sells Tegain a rusty old sword that has hidden powers, and their quest turns deadly as they begin to encounter demons from their world's past that now threaten its future.

Mandy's Review:

Before even reading the book, the reader is wondering who Lyn is and who/what is being reawakened. At the start of the book, an event happens that (slight spoiler alert) isn't addressed during this portion of the series.

Tegain is a portly man who has taken over the family business of managing the tavern, the Hooded Lantern. He has never had a need to leave his home and travel the country, so he's unaware of what lies in the surrounding country. That all changes one night when a stranger comes in and kills everyone inside the tavern before burning it to the ground. Tegain, the only survivor of the attack, is lying outside on the ground contemplating life without his wife and daughter when Karl shows up on the scene.

A former Captain Marshal of the Royal Waymen Dragoons, Karl is now a trader traveling around from town to town trying to sell his wares. Helping Tegain escape from a greedy councilman gets Karl thrown into jail, where Karl finds some unexpected allies. Knowing his past, the guards solicit Karl's help in fighting the monsters that seem to have reawakened from centuries past.

Tegain's escape puts him into even more danger from creatures he never knew existed. Thankfully, one of the items Karl sold to Tegain is a unique piece helping him in ways Tegain never expected.

Overall, I enjoyed this beginning to the Saga of Lyn series ... with some exceptions. The first being Vyckie's importance to the telling of this story. The story could've been told without her and, in turn, the two thieves. If her purpose was to re-start Tegain's heart and help him realize he could love again, well ... I think it was unnecessary. I won't say why because it'd spoil part of the story, but the reader will easily recognize why Vyckie's role wasn't needed. The other exception to my enjoyment of this book was the way Karl spoke. It was very distracting. I'd be in a flow, just reading along, and then Karl's part would show up and I'd have to stop and take time to read what he was saying. Want an example?

"Aye, this be true. Ye be not havin' the trainin' of the Dragoons. Ta be a Dragoon be not trainin' alone. A true Wayman be without fear. He be ridin' inta battle knowin' he be dead already. His actions be not tempered by fear of death. Ta be a Dragoon be but an attitude taken about yourself, not just trainin'," Karl voiced to Jeri and the entire company of men.

Maybe the above isn't distracting to you, but it was to me. Too much usage of the word 'be.' If you can work your way through that, the Saga of Lyn: The Reawakening is a pretty decent start to a promising series.


*A physical copy of this novel was provided by the publicist in exchange for an honest review.

{Review} BLACK DIAMONDS: THE DOWNFALL OF AN ARISTOCRATIC DYNASTY AND THE FIFTY YEARS THAT CHANGED ENGLAND by Catherine Bailey

ISBN #: 978-0143126843

Page Count: 544

Copyright: December 30, 2014

Publisher: Penguin Books

Book Description:

(Taken from back cover)

When the sixth Earl Fitzwilliam died in 1902, he was the richest man in Britain. His fortune came from coal-a lifeline to the thousands who worked in the family's coal mines. The earl also left behind four sons, and the family line seemed assured. But was it?

Set in the aristocratic splendor of the era popularized by Downton Abbey, Black Diamonds tells the story of the Fitzwilliam's spectacular decline: of fights over inheritance, rumors of lunacy. a tragic connection to the Kennedy's, violent deaths, illicit love, and a class war that literally ripped apart the local landscape.

The demise of the Fitzwilliams is chronicled in this riveting account of aristocratic decline and fall, set in the grandest house in England. With the novelistic flair on display in her New York Times bestseller The Secret Rooms, Bailey has written another irresistible narrative history.

Lupe's Review:

Being the huge history nut that I am (I majored in History in college and have always been fascinated particularly with English History) I was, at first, unsure if I would like a novel that seemed to not have all the pieces. You see, the Fitzwilliams destroyed pretty much everything. They were secretive and very protective of their privacy. It made writing this novel that much harder, I'm sure, for Ms. Bailey. But the vast amount of research that she does do is so worth reading. What I loved about this was that the author took the family, and put them in the larger scale of economic and political stresses of the world around them. We begin in the late 1800's and end up in the present, where even now, the owner of Wentworth House is reclusive and private, but not, as you would think, a Fitzwilliam. The downfall of this rich, coal mining family is told beautifully and tragically, stories of grandeur and folly, love and hate, and above all, power and prestige. Among all that, you have class power struggles, two World Wars (of which, men from the family fought on the front and the home was utilized for war purposes) and the fight for aristocracy's  prominence and relevance in a time of it's demise.

Beautifully written, we get to travel in time and through time with one of England's grandest families, from their rise to their unfortunate and very tragic downfall. It's hard not to feel sorry for them, trying to keep their place among England's finest, even when everything is against them (aristocrats, that is). While I felt for the Labour cause (because I always want the underdog to succeed, and in this case, it was sorely needed) the loss of this history hurts. But, alas, that is the pain for a history major. And why it is called "history" to begin with. It is something no longer there, but rich and vibrant. England (and Europe as a whole) has had one of the most vibrant histories ever recorded and there is still so much to learn. I was very pleased with this book and the writing. Ms. Bailey has another book, The Secret Rooms, which I would love to discover and devour, much like I've done here.


*A physical copy of this novel was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.