Title: 

This is the story of five couples doing group marriage counseling and of one author who sat in on the sessions. I  liked that it became a story that was a little bit about the author too. This could easily have turned into a detached third-person narrative. Instead, it’s clear that the author connected with the couples, so it’s easy for the reader to connect too. That does make this some very unobjective non-fiction though. The author isn’t shy about inserting her own speculations about the couples’ feelings. However, she generally makes it clear when she’s speculating, so I didn’t mind too much. I think a similar fictional story could be a great character driven narrative, but I liked that this was non-fiction. It made the story more interesting that it was true. It made it easy for the author to hold information back without being manipulative because she shared information in the order she found it out. And of course, it made for a very believable story. This is in part due to the author’s ability to convey the personalities of the people involved, but I’m sure the fact that they were real people didn’t hurt either!

Title: The Neighborhood Project
Author: David Sloan Wilson
Source: library
Rating: ★★★★☆

This book describes some incredible examples of applied science. The author had studied a lot of questions relating to evolution before he decided that if an evolutionary approach is truly valuable, it should be possible to use that theory to improve our quality of life. He selected his hometown of Binghamton, NY as a testing ground. In the data collection phase, he discovered enough fun facts for any trivia lover to enjoy. The coolest parts though were those where he actually works to improve his city. This was a very inspiring story and the author does a great job giving people some idea of what being a scientist is like (although in my experience it’s more work and less cycling around the countryside than in his description). You get to see the vast knowledge at our fingertips, learn about great experiments, and hear stories of how many different people were attracted to working in science. I’d love to see this book read in high school or early undergrad science classes.

Title: Tiny Beautiful Things
Author: Cheryl Strayed
Source: library
Rating: ★★★★★

 When I just read a few of these essays in isolation, I thought they were a little strange and over-shared more of the author’s personal life than I ever wanted to know. But from Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness‘s review it sounded really good and so I decided to give it a try. I’m so glad I did! Something about the introduction putting context around the author’s writing and then reading it all together made me appreciate it in a new and different way. I actually loved that the author shared so much of her personal life. It was a very different approach to giving advice from the typical disintant columnist and, I think, far better. As the author writes more, you get to know her and you have to know someone before you can trust their advice. Occasionally, I was bothered by her advice, such as the essay where she unequivocally suggests that two women get divorced just because they’re not feeling it any more. Most of the time though, I found her encouraging, straight-forward, and insightful. Even when I disagreed with her, I was awed by her way with words and by her ability to speak so personally in a public forum. These short essays really pack an emotional punch. Highly recommended.

The post Some Non-Fiction Mini-Reviews appeared first on Doing Dewey.

Title: 

Sugar may be on the run from her life in the South, but her past still travels with her in the form of the bees she raises and her sweet Southern manners. Although her neighbors in Manhattan are skeptical of both at first, they quickly realize that Sugar and her bees are changing their lives for the better. Now they just need to get Sugar to realize that she deserves as much help and love as she shows everyone else.

As Leah at Books Speak Volumes once described a book, starting The Wedding Bees was like sinking into a warm bath. The writing is just so beautiful! It’s lovely, warm, vivid, charming – perfect for the story of a Southern girl like Sugar. When I first read a post by Kayla at The Thousand Lives, I didn’t get what she meant about wanting authors to write with more color. Since then, I’ve read several books, including this one, where the author describes things using more color. And I love it! The addition of more colors to the descriptions gave the places she described a vibrancy that brought them to life. I also loved the dialogue, which was cute and funny, but not unbelievable. Sugar is almost unbelievably sweet and positive, but I couldn’t help falling in love with her right away.

While the other characters the author created weren’t as sweet as Sugar, they were easy to fall in love with too. They’re very real and they all have their flaws, but the author puts you right into their heads and into their lives. By sharing the bits of their past that got them where they are, she makes you understand each and every character she introduces. Even though all of the characters have their flaws, this is not a book that makes you wonder if everything is going to work out. The saddest of back stories still seems optimistic in this book, because you just know that everything is going to work out. For the most part, everything does. I would like to mention though that one of the characters is anorexic, and while things get going in the right direction for her, they don’t just magically work out. While this isn’t a topic I know much about, I thought this was a far better way to end her story than with an unrealistic instantaneous cure.

I’ve been a bit overwhelmed by my blog this week so this sweet, beautiful, happy little confection of a book was just what I needed. If you love Southern lit or NYC or sweet romances or are just looking for a book that will put a smile on your face, I highly recommend you pick this one up.

For some other perspectives, check out the other stops on the tour, Amazon, or Goodreads.

The post The Wedding Bees appeared first on Doing Dewey.

Title: 

Lady Anne has been committed to Bethlem insane asylum, declared unfit to stand trial for a crime she doesn’t seem to remember. Her husband is unsure whether to love her or hate her and may harbor dangerous secrets of his own. Dr. George Savage simply wants to restore Lady Anne to her sanity and return her to her husband. However, when events spiral out of control both Dr. Savage and the reader will be forced to question everything they’ve learned about Lady Anne and her husband.

This book was great both as a thriller and as historical fiction. The mystery element sucked me in right away. Little bits of what happened were slowly revealed from the perspectives of Lady Anne, her husband, and Dr. Savage. This was done very skillfully. Even though I was kept in the dark about facts the characters knew, I never felt that the author was awkwardly manipulating the characters’ thoughts or the dialogue to keep these facts hidden. It was just enough to keep me constantly curious about what happened next without getting frustrating. My only complaint with this part of the book is that the constant surprising revelations usually were obvious to me before the characters reached the same conclusions. This made some of the most intense moments of the book feel a bit anticlimactic because I was there before the characters were.

From a historical fiction perspective, I really enjoyed that the plot was so tightly integrated into the time period. The author based many of her characters and plot points on real people and events. The way women and the insane were treated in the late 1900′s was essential to the plot and the plot gave interesting insight into the time period. There were a few tiny typos in my pdf version and the dialogue was occasionally a little rough, but for the most part, the writing was perfect for the time period. The author did a great job capturing language and attitudes that would have been prevalent at the time. Even cooler, she drew on many primary sources when writing some of the psychologists notes and other parts of the book. Although the material in this book was a bit darker than my typical fare, it completely won me over with the engaging mystery and excellent historical setting. Definitely an author I’ll be watching out for in hopes of a follow-up to this spectacular debut.

Amazon|Goodreads

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(source)

Lately, I’ve been in love with all things France, so this week is the perfect time for me to share with you some of my favorite books set in France. Whether you like historical fiction or non-fiction, translated fiction or chick lit or steamy romance, there’s a book set in France that’ll be perfect for you

Chick Lit/Memoir - Paris Letters
Although technically non-fiction, this sweet little confection of a book reads just like a light and fluffy romance. Nothing too serious here plus lots of beautiful paintings by the author (like the cover) are included! Full review here.

Historical Fiction - Somewhere In France
I just have so many good things to say about this book! It was a perfect historical romance. The love story is very sweet and is completely integrated into the era in which it takes places. The way the romance progresses is determined in part by factors unique to the time period, which makes the romance less cliche and is a great way to give the reader a feel for the era. Full review here.

Steamy Romance - The Dark Queen
The Dark Queen is another historical romance, with a plot so good that it’s not overwhelmed by the steamy sex. I also loved this book because I’m a sucker for a happy ending! Full review here.

Non-Fiction - How The French Invented Love
This was a fascinating bit of non-fiction! I’ve always assumed that the idea that the French view love differently than anyone else is just a stereotype. This book convinced me otherwise with lots of fascinating anecdotes and fun facts! Full review here.

Translated Women’s Fiction - The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles
This was a very character driven book and made for a fascinating look at many types of love. My favorite story was that of Josephine, who is really in need of some self-love and who grows in very believable ways throughout the book. Yet another fantastic experience with translated fiction. Full review here.

What are your favorites books about France or romance? If you have any other posts about literary love, be sure to add them to #LiteraryLove2014 link-up below!

The post Literary Love 2014 – Love In France appeared first on Doing Dewey.

The post Darkly Dreaming Dexter – A Bookish TV Show Review appeared first on Doing Dewey.

Title: 

Dexter is generally a nice guy except for one small thing: he’s a serial killer. Fortunately he only kills bad guys – people he knows without a doubt did something terrible but who the police can’t catch. His job as a blood spatter analyst for the police makes it easy to find victims. It also puts him right in the middle of a police investigation of some murders with an MO very much like his own. Dexter’s strange connection to the murders soon begins to make him question himself. Did he do it?

My knowledge of the psychology of serial killers is limited to the probably inaccurate information I’ve learned from TV shows. However, given what I know, I felt the author did a creepily good job of capturing Dexter’s feeling of anticipation, need to kill, and satisfaction at doing so. He also did an impressive but even more creepy job of making Dexter likeable. In fact, while I enjoyed these books, being asked to empathize with a guy who, oh by the way, cuts people up while they’re still alive (!) was just too weird for me. I don’t think I’ll be reading any more of the series.

If you like thrillers though, I’d check this out. The author does a great job giving just enough details to make you imagine terrible things. This made the book readable for even someone with my aversion to gore without losing any impact. I liked the authors dark sense of humor and did enjoy Dexter’s morally ambiguous character. If you like being creeped out more than I do, this book might be just what you’re looking for.

Amazon|Goodreads

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Title: 

Although her father gave away the invention meant to cure her before he died, Eyelet is determined to hunt down his invention and use it herself. In a world where madness is treated without mercy, the machine may be her only hope to cure her seizures. However, her father’s power hungry colleague, Professor Smrt, is determined to beat her to it. When she finds it at last, it’s only to watch Urlick Babbit steal it before she can. In order to defeat Smrt, she and Urlick will have to face many dangers together, including the machine which may turn out to be the greatest danger of all. (adapted from goodreads)

Jacqueline Garlick has definitely mastered that most talked about technique – showing instead of telling. This book was action packed right from the beginning and while it took me a bit to orient myself in the original world she’s created, I loved every minute of it. I’ve only read a little steampunk, but to me at least, many of her creative imaginings of that kind of world were brilliantly novel. Her hero and heroine were equally unique, with features that distinguish them dramatically from the annoyingly unrealistic perfect heros and heroines who populates so many YA stories.  This only made them more likable. They each had their quirks and insecurities which contributed to the realistic romance that followed. Unlike in many books, I can point to specific reasons the characters like each other, a fact that makes a romance feel far less cliche.

My only problem with the book is the pacing. While more realistic than most, the romance progressed fairly quickly. The adventures were exciting, but the hero and heroine were so often in near death situations that they lost their emotional impact. By the end, they could be gasping their last breath and I wouldn’t be too concerned, because they’ve survived everything already! Despite my lack of worry for the characters, I was sad to come to a cliff-hanger ending. While I’m sure everything will work out, I wanted to know what came next. I really became invested in this fantastic world and the fates of these unique protagonists. I can’t wait to read more! I would recommend this to any fan of steampunk, but also to fans of realistic romance and of gothic stories since this had a distinctly gothic feel at times.

Amazon|Goodreads

The post Lumière appeared first on Doing Dewey.

Title: 

Janice Macleod is tired of her life. Although she has achieved success at her dream job as an advertising executive, she feels personally and professionally unfulfilled. A chance conversation leads her to the realization that simply saving $100/day could buy her a year of freedom in Europe. After saving and selling to make her dream come true, she finally moves to France where she begins to piece together the life she didn’t know she was looking for.

As I mentioned in review earlier this week, I don’t especially like dark, gritty books. However, when I pick up a memoir, I do typically like to read about someone overcoming challenges. Think MWF Seeking BFF 
(trying to make friends), Some Nerve (overcoming your fears), The Happiness Project (trying to make yourself happier on a daily basis), or The Saturday Night Widows (moving on after grieving). Now, I wouldn’t say that Janice faces no challenges. Having the self-discipline to save money, the courage to quit her job, and the self-awareness to realize that her life in Paris is what she wants is no small accomplishment. However, in the book, she portrays it that way. She talks very little about the tough times or the decision making process. It comes across as though everything just falls into place.

At first, the portrayal of everything as easy bothered me. It made the book less inspiring and impressive than other memoirs. However, once I realized that this was basically non-fiction chick-lit, I started to warm up to it. Janice’s writing is beautiful, as are the painted letters she sold on Etsy and includes in her book. Her story was happy and heartwarming. Plus, like all great narrative non-fiction, it was just as riveting as the fiction version and had the added awesomeness of being a true story. All in all, I’m glad non-fiction has its sappy, fun, light, heartwarming romances too. As long as you go into this with the right expectations, I think it’s a great book.

Amazon|Goodreads

The post Paris Letters appeared first on Doing Dewey.

Title: 

The writing in this book was as beautiful as all the reviews say. Hannah Kent has the rare skill of finding new metaphors which speak right to the soul without relying on the familiarity of a cliche. The emotions, the tension, and the scenery were all very vividly brought to life. I was less impressed with the plot. Although I knew to expect this to be sadder than my typical fare, I was surprised by just how bleak things got. I was also unimpressed by the main characters’ naivete and inability to escape the bad situation which led to her present plight. Finally, while I loved the inclusion of “primary sources” and the real feel they gave the book, the author’s use of a report to unemotionally wrap up the ending felt very anticlimactic. The writing impressed me enough that I would still be happy to read more by Hannah Kent.

Title: The City & the City
Author: China Mieville
Source: library
Rating: ★★★★☆

The description of the book made me excited about the world building right away. The set-up of the story met all my expectations. The world Mieville has created is one of the most unique concepts I’ve read about in a long time. Sadly, the world building mostly stopped there. I would have loved to learn more about why the city and the city are the way they are. No explanation is ever given. The plot surprised me far more pleasantly. The basics of the plot could belong to just another thriller. In this creative, clever world, it became so much more. I particularly loved the way the plot relied on the unique configuration of the world Mieville created. Again, I was impressed enough that I would certainly read more by this author.

The post Some Almost Awesome Fiction in Mini-Reviews appeared first on Doing Dewey.

Title: 

Juliet Dufresne has always looked up to her brother so once he enlists, becoming a nurse is an easy choice. When her brother is reported missing in action, Juliet is determined to find out what happened to him, even if that means lying about her age. However, once she reaches the front, her only connection to her brother is  a man so shell-shocked, he may never speak again. Juliet will have to work hard to balance her desire to learn more about her brother with her duty to her patient.

In general, I hate depressing, dark, and gory books. This book was definitely all three! Unlike in Somewhere in France, there is no glossing over the gruesome bits of war nurse’s job. At least half of the characters we’re introduced to are seriously injured or dead by the end of the book. I had a hard time giving this book four stars, because I didn’t finish with feeling happy about the book. I finished feeling depressed by the horrors of war. So the question is, what made this book so good anyway?

I think the answer is this: the story felt real.  In so many books and movies, a character is introduced who you just know you’re being made to like so that you’ll be sad when they’re killed off. It’s frustrating to me because the author could have written anything they wanted and they chose to mess with my emotions by writing something sad. In The Secret of Raven Point, I felt as though we were getting a glimpse of real events. It was never obvious which characters weren’t going to make it. The author didn’t oversell the grief and violence either. They happen and Juliet moves on because she has to, taking the reader with her. As a result, I felt that the author did a great job portraying the unfairness and unpredictability of war. The unpredictability also meant there was always hope, just as in real life. And that is what I loved about this book. It was poignant, heartbreaking, and gritty, but most of all it felt very real.

Amazon|Goodreads

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