Book Review: Message From A Bluejay By Faye Rapoport DesPres

I can't remember how I found this book.  But the important thing is I found it.  It was one of the best pieces of writing I've had the pleasure of reading in a long time.  As a writer, I enjoy finding fun stories (similar to my own) that make me feel connected to the literary world, that somehow justifies my placement among other writers.  Message From A Bluejay didn't do this for me.  Instead, Faye Rapoport DesPres's exquisite work demonstrates to me how much more attention my writing needs.

• Genre: I write action/adventure novels, and thus usually read action/adventure novels.  I stepped out of my inner circle and ventured into nonfiction.  I'm SO glad I did.  Message From A Blue Jay is a memoir cataloguing real events, poignant moments of solitude and reflection, spanning a lifetime, from a car ride with her father to a middle-aged concert with her husband (A Boston concert! Fun fact: Boston's first album was the first ever CD I bought.)  This is a nonfiction work that studies key moments in one person's life, an ordinary person who struggles with confidence, love, illness, and who searches for meaning in a world riddled with solitude and pain. 
• Writing Style: The story is told in a series of essays written throughout DesPres's life.  The essays describe singular moments, independent struggles, that when read individually mark one particular time in the author's life, but when taken together, encapsulate the troubled soul of a woman longing for something that's been missing.  Each essay stands alone.  Stories within a much larger and sadder story.  I related to DesPres's essays in a real way.  Perhaps this is because I've experienced many of her themes and felt the same pains she explores in her writing.  
• Voice:  For me, a memoir is only as strong as the voice telling the story.  No matter the story, the writer must connect with his or her readers.  We must care for the storyteller.  We must feel close to her.  Faye Rapoport DesPres accomplishes this.  I fell in love with her in her writing.  I wanted to reach out to her and let her know she isn't alone, that there are others in the world going through similar struggles.  Her honest and sincere prose allowed me to connect with her in a real way, and I came away from the novel feeling like I'd experienced the struggles she detailed.

Memoirs aren't for everyone.  Some readers prefer forgetting the pain in the world.  Message From A Blue Jay may not be for those readers.  But I love this novel.  I'm astonished by the writing.  It brought me closer to my humanity and helped me understand my own struggle a little bit better.  And somehow I hope the quality of this work rubbed off on me and improved me as writer. You should definitely check it out.

Book Review: I Chose To Die (Siren Suicides Book 1) By Ksenia Anske

It came time for me to find another book to read.  I have various ways of finding books, as all readers do.  For this week's novel, I chose to revisit an author I discovered last year and liked.  Thus, insert Ksenia Anske's novel I Chose To Die (Siren Suicides Book 1).  I'd previously read another novel by Anske titled Rosehead (review to be found here.)  Now, let's discuss I Chose To Die:

• Setting: The story is set in modern day Seattle and takes place over the course of one day.  One crazy and eventful day.  Seattle is one of my favorite cities and is completely appropriate for this imaginative and somewhat sad story of a troubled teen coping with depression, isolation, and the tragic loss of her mother.
• Character Development:  Ailen Bright has struggled ever sense the death of her mother.  She's a confused young woman searching for a way out of her depression.  Anske drowns the story in her sadness and forces the reader to care about Ailen.  Without that empathy, a reader might encounter Aileen's seemingly hopeless situation and discontinue reading.  But Anske doesn't stop with her strong development of the novel's main character.  The relationships between Bright, her father, and her boyfriend become the foundation of the story, and Anske pays careful attention to how these relationships build to the climax in the final act of the book.
• Writing Style:  The poetic and quirky writing style of Siren Suicides is what sets it apart from other novels in this genre.  For me, it's the work's strongest aspect.  Writers should read this novel; if you pay attention, it may help improve your style and craft.  The story has two sides: the very real emotional struggles of Ailen Bright and the fantastical world beneath the water, where sirens satisfy their hunger by sucking the souls of unsuspecting humans.  Anske toggles between poetic sadness and playful quirkiness with complete control.  The world she creates is as imaginative as it is somber.  
• Climax: The story, for the most part, follows a linear path that begins in the morning and takes us on a journey that lasts the day.  As the day progresses, the tension builds and builds.  Each new scene leads to another confrontation in another area of Seattle, and throughout, I felt the wave that is the story getting bigger and bigger until it finally crashes to shore in the novel's climax.  And while the ending satisfies the story presented, it leaves the door open to other adventures within the same dark and imaginative world.
• Book 1 of a series: This novel definitely stands on its own, so don't avoid it simply because you don't feel like committing to multiple novels.  This one is worth reading, and if you learn you like the world, then you can venture on to the other installments in the series.

I like this novel.  It's darker than other works I've read by Ksenia Anske.  As always, she brings a playful energy to a serious situation.  She's not afraid to explore serious topics like depression and suicide.  She writes strong characters and adds mystery and fantasy to bring a unique perspective to themes that have been written about before.  And on top of all this, Anske offers it for free on Amazon.  So I see no reason not to check it out. 

Book Review: The Clay Lion by Amalie Jahn

I'd recently read 11/21/63 by Stephen King, and that led me to Time and Again by Jack Finney, as well as watching all the Back to the Future movies in one weekend.  After all that, I still wanted more time travel and so sought out books dealing with time.  I found Trapped In Time by Bree Wolf, which I read and reviewed.  And then I found The Clay Lion by Amalie Jahn.  I read it and enjoyed it thoroughly.  Following is my review:

• Setting: The story is set in a future where time travel is not only possible, but it's accessible by common, everyday people.  The story revolves around a loving family going through a tragedy,  and Brooke Wallace, the story's heroine, desires to change it.  When writing in a genre so specific as time travel, it's important to address the genre in a unique way, to bring something new to it.  Amalie Jahn succeeds in doing that with The Clay Lion.  I'll not go into it more so as not to spoil the story for you.  I will say this: with time travel, my suspension of disbelief is awfully flexible.  So I don't get bothered by the physics of it or the potential space/time conflicts that could arise within the story.  If you do, then you might not like this one.
• Character Development:  The story follows a typical American, suburban family, and relates to readers in a way that we can easily insert ourselves into the story and imagine what we would do to save a beloved family member.  Jahn does a good job of developing the relationships between these characters.  The family felt genuine, and their struggles together felt realistic.  This crosses the boundary into literary fiction, which makes the story that much better. 
• Writing Style:  Amalie Jahn writes in a friendly style that embodies the down to earth spirit of her characters.  She captures the sadness and hope of Brooke Wallace, and takes us seamlessly through her ups and downs as she fights to save her brother.  The style doesn't get in the way of the story, which moves quickly from chapter to chapter.
• Climax: The climax of The Clay Lion was a bit subdued, which actually fits the tone of the novel.  I thought the ending was one of the best aspects of the story.  I don't want to go into it so as not to upset expectations.  All I can say is that endings are important.  A writer must leave an impression on the reader, and Amalie Jahn does this with The Clay Lion.
• Book 1 of a series: This novel definitely stands on its own, so don't avoid it simply because you don't feel like committing to multiple novels.  This one is worth reading, and if you learn you like the world and the style Amalie Jahn presents, then you'll be able to find more novels in the series.

So the final word, check this novel out if your interested in a fairly confined story that centers around love, family, and of course, time travel.  

Book Review: Tent City by Kelly Van Hull

Time came for me to read another book, and a friend of mine sent me an email consisting of several Kindle deals.  I examined the deals carefully and settled on Tent City because the description was similar in ways to my first novel Exchange Day.  So I got it and read it.  Following are my thoughts on Tent City by Kelly Van Hull:

• Setting: The story is set in the Black Hills of South Dakota, where Dani, the main character, lives in a hideaway campsite along with other teens who are escaping a nation-wide mandate to transfer all youths to safety camps.  I like stories in secluded areas.  I like seeing how people have to survive extenuating circumstances, especially when it's in the wild or in an apocalyptic environment.  I wouldn't categorize this as a survival story, but there is definitely a survival component consistent throughout the story that kept me engaged.  I would've liked a more thorough description of the city.  That includes a physical description of what it's like living in the woods with a bunch of teens, but I also wanted to see more of the logistics.  I must admit those aspects of survival stories intrigue me, and I wanted more there.  
• Character Development: Because the story is set in a secluded area, the relationships between the characters are key to driving the story and conflict forward.  Tent City does a good job portraying these interactions.  Most characters in this story are young, ala The Hunger Games.  It didn't bother me, but I wanted to include that here so prospective readers know what to expect.  I was slightly disappointed by the villain.  Kelly Van Hull does a good job building the infamy of General Burke, the story's chief villain.  But the scene where we actually meet him could have shown more wickedness.  Also, there's a love triangle that develops early on in the novel and is prevalent throughout.  I like the way this is handled.  It's different than most stories I've read where the lead character pines over the choice page after sappy page.  Tent City is much more subdued.
• Writing Style:  Kelly Van Hull writes in a straight-forward style that's easy to follow and keeps the story moving forward at a good pace.  Tent City is definitely on the milder end of the spectrum, so if you're looking for a thick, descriptive piece dripping with poetic comparisons, this one isn't for you.  
• Climax: The novel works through a series of minor conflicts, as opposed to building to one large conflict.  This kept everything moving quickly, and made for a lot of action, which I think is good for this genre.  
• Book 1 of a series: I knew going in that this was the first volume in a series, and so understood that there would be more story when I finished.  Tent City stands on its own, but the ending leaves you in a situation where you want to know more.  Some readers might not like this.  Others will love it.