Swamplandia! by Karen Russell

I wish I could rank this work of art higher than just "MUST READ" because this novel has the staying power equivalent to that of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.


"Wind unstitched her skeleton. Weeds sprayed outward from the heart-shaped wreck of her pelvis; a sinkhole opened beneath her and gave way with the suddenness of carved ice, swallowing her bones."


Swamplandia! is filled with overwhelmingly beautiful prose and imagery. Russell is capable of making even tragic events sound eloquent and beautiful. I read this with a dictionary nearby, because she uses such rich language and I did not want to miss a single word just because I was unsure of its exact definition.

She meshes together two worlds: a teenager living in America as we perceive it and another teenager living on a secluded island in the Florida Everglades. Both brother and sister are desperate to save their family's amusement park: Swamplandia, while also saving their family. She skillfully references Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, updating those basic principles and making them relevant in the 21st century.

Karen Russell is nothing short of brilliant and her first novel, Swamplandia! is an enjoyable, modern, epic journey that will leave readers breathless.

My current Creative Writing professor went to Columbia with Karen Russell where they got their MFAs. To say that I'm jealous, is an understatement. She is one of America's most brilliant young writers, but I think we should take that honor a step further and call her one of America's best writers - period. I have fallen in love with Karen Russell and I plan on sharing her immense gift with my students in the future.

Napa Valley Daze by Robert Smith

After reading Crush and Velocity as well as having visited Napa Valley, I wanted to read more fiction that was set in the wine region. I've actually just written a short story set in Napa, but that's transgressing. So anyway, I came across this story written by an actual Napa Valley tasting room employee. Smith tells stories about the fascinating people one meets in the Valley when there is wine flowing freely. It's funny, it's charming, it's true-to-life, but as a novel: it's okay.
Read it if you're interested, but if your not interested, skip it - you won't be missing anything.

Karen Vail FBI Profiler Series by Alan Jacobson

times 3!!!
(I haven't gotten to the 4th one yet, but I'm sure it will be just as addicting)

My love affair with thrillers and mysteries began with Alan Jacobson. Karen Vail is an extremely likable character who simply put - kicks ass. What makes Alan Jacobson so good? No matter how good you are, you will not be able to predict the ending or the identity of the killer.

These books are extra relatable to me because I am familiar with most of the settings: Karen Vail grew up on Long Island, not far from where I live; the 2nd and 3rd books are set in Napa Valley and San Francisco - my mom lived in the suburbs of San Francisco for a while and when I visited her we went up to Napa. Having thrillers set in places you are familar with makes them extra thrilling.

In this first novel, the first female FBI Profiler, Karen Vail, and her team hunt down the Dead Eyes Killer - a serial killer who mutilates his victims and paints the walls with their blood. It turns out that Karen is the secret to unlocking this mystery and the killer's identity, nearly becoming the killers 7th victim.

Karen Vail is on vacation with her boyfriend in Napa Valley. As luck would have it, they stumble upon a dead body while touring a winery and Karen is put on the case. The Crush Killer baffles Karen because he transcends every profile. The task force team becomes a target as they desperately try to catch the killer and save their lives. Lucky for you the 3rd book is already out because Crush will leave you with your mouth agape, jaw-on-the-floor, desperate to get your hands on Velocity so you can find out what happens next.

I don't want to spoil the ending of Crush so I won't tell you what Velocity is about, but I will tell you to make sure you have this book on your shelf before you finish Crush because you will want to dive right into it. The detail in this book is astounding and I applaud Alan Jacobson's diligent accuracy. Loved, Loved, Loved it!

The amount of research that Alan Jacobson obviously put into these novels is astounding. There are so many details and they are all extremely accurate. You will get lost in the reality of his fiction. Leave yourself plenty of reading time when you pick these up, because you won't be able to put them down.

The Year That Follows by Scott Lasser

Yes, I did just give this book the lowest rating possible. It's very rare that I read a book I don't want to finish, but this is one of those few. I will say that I was extremely excited to read this novel. It got excellent reviews and the book description made it sound wonderful.
Here's the book description:
On September 10th, 2001, Kyle tells his sister, Cat, that he believes he has fathered a son. The next day both he and the boy's mother are killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center. Back in Detroit, Cat - a single mother of a young son - decides she must find her brother's orphaned child. Nearly a year later that search is still underway when her father calls from California. Sam is eighty, a non-observant Jew who has lost both his wife and his only son. Despite his struggles with his faith, he finds he wants to observe the Jewish rituals of mourning. He strikes a deal with a local Rabbi: Kyle's name will be read aloud in temple on the one year anniversary of his death; in exchange, Sam will reluctantly attend services on this year's high holy days. Sam calls Cat and asks her to come, to participate in this simple ceremony - but he has another motive as well, a secret he believes he's kept hidden from her all her life.Cat's journey - toward her father, and her brother's infant son - and Sam's journey toward his daughter, his lost son, and a new relationship to both his future and his past - is the basis for Scott Lasser's superbly realized novel about families, and about how we live with the mysteries and ambiguities that inhere in our most primal relations. With marvelous economy and restraint, Lasser captures the complexities of home and heritage, the bonds of blood and the bonds of life and love. A richly resonant, exceptionally graceful, deeply affirming new novel from an abundantly gifted writer.

Sounds really great doesn't it? This novel was probably one of my biggest disappointments, if not the biggest. I actually did things to avoid having to read it, but since I refuse to put a book down in the middle, I muscled through and managed to survive to warn the rest of the world to AVOID THIS BOOK AT ALL COSTS. The best way to describe it: a waste of time. After finishing it, I promptly threw it into a box for my next garage sale. Sorry, Mr. Lasser, but you shot for the moon and didn't even make it through the rapidly depleting ozone.

A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

"Because failure isn't an option if success is just a matter of more effort"

So it's no secret that I am a dog lover, but I assure you that you do not have to love dogs to love A Dog's Purpose. However, if you happen to have a dog, this story will make you look at your dog in a whole new light and it will strengthen your bond. Similar to Spencer Quinn's series (see an earlier post), this novel is told from a dog's perspective; however, it is told from the perspective of the same dog soul, not the same dog. Allow me to elaborate:

This book centers around a dog's soul that searches for it's purpose over the course of several different lives in several different canine bodies. Through his journey, we humans begin to question what our own purpose is in this world. This dog dies and is reborn several times, each time wondering what else he must have to learn.

You will actually laugh out loud at certain points. You will also cry.

A Dog's Purpose is the ultimate quest of figuring out why were here and who we are meant to be. This novel is a learning experience told through the unique perspective of a lovable dog.

Do yourself a favor and read this. It will change the way you live your life.

Room by Emma Donoghue

I really wish I had written this review right after I read this novel, but seeing as that did not happen, I will do my best to express my immense love for Emma Donoghue's work of art. First off, it is written in the first-person perspective of Jack, a five year old who is the product of his mother's kidnapper and rapist. He lives in Room with his mother and has never even seen the outdoors. He believes that Room, and all of the things in it, are all that there is of the world.
This novel is fascinating and compelling. Once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it down. And when it is over, you will have developed a new pair of eyes through which you view the world. This is both a beautiful work of fiction while also being a psychological thriller. It also exemplifies the love that a mother should have for her child.
Simply put - it's BEAUTIFUL.

Check out the trailer:

Cedar Cove Series - Debbie Macomber

Debbie Macomber is a goddess. She is able to write novels about a small town community and actually make the reader feel like he/she is a member of that community, walking amongst the characters. She is also an incredibly gifted dialogue writer. As a writer myself, I find her style worth studying; whenever I'm struggling with writing dialogue, I pick up one of these books and just flip to any random page and - boom!- instant tutorial on dialogue writing.

The Cedar Cove series consists of the following novels:
16 Lighthouse Road
204 Rosewood Lane
311 Pelican Court
44 Cranberry Point
50 Harbor Street
6 Rainier Drive
74 Seaside Avenue
8 Sandpiper Way
92 Pacific Boulevard
1022 Evergreen Place
1105 Yakima Street
1225 Christmas Tree Lane

Related Books:
A Cedar Cove Christmas (to be read between 8 Sandpiper Way and 92 Pacific Boulevard)
Hearts Divided

Have you noticed a theme with the titles? Yes, they are all addresses. This is because Debbie Macomber chooses one family (whichever resides at the title's address) to be the main focus of that particular novel. However, each novel involves the other families you meet in the series as well.

The town of Cedar Cove, while fictiona, is based on a real town in Washington and Debbie Macomber does a womderful job of making the town come to life. I cannot stress enough how comfortable it is to read these books - one truly feels like he/she lives in Cedar Cove and is friends with Olivia, Grace, Charlotte, and the gang.

This series is comedic, dramatic, and realistic. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will enjoy every minute of it. I recommend these as excellent beach or vacation reads - anytime you just want to read something that makes you feel like your watching a TV show.

You can find descriptions for each novel here: http://www.debbiemacomber.com/index.cfm?

Another fun part about this series is its companion website: http://www.cedarcoveseries.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page
This site is set up as though Cedar Cove were a real town. It is really quite interesting and I urge you to check it out.