Spider Bones, Kathy Reichs

Back in my "only reads mystery and thrillers" days, I became infatuated with the Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs.  I loved all of the smart, strong female detectives-Kinsey Milhone, Kay Scarpetta, Skip Langdon-but Tempe was one of my favorites.  Maybe it was the whole anthropology thing, but I devoured every book as soon as I could get my hands on it.

Then came the show Bones-so loosely based on this series that if the character didn't have the same name I would never have known they were related at all.  After the success of Bones, it felt to me like Reichs was calling it in with her books.  I know that there must have been pressure on her to keep churning out the books at the same one-a-year rate even after she started working on the show, but the last few books have been pretty thin-in numbers of pages, plot, and character development.

So it is with great pleasure that I am able to report that Spider Bones, her latest book, seems to be swinging back in the other direction.  In Spider Bones, Tempe investigates a drowning victim in Canada.  It seems like a clear case of accidental death, but there's a snag-the fingerprints identify the victim as a man who was supposedly killed in Viet Nam in 1968.  Tempe travels to Hawaii to the Joint Prisoners of War/Missing in Action Accounting Command, or JPAC, a military agency tasked with searching out and identifying America's war dead from World War II, Korea, and Viet Nam.  What starts as a routine investigation turn violent when Tempe's work stirs up the interest of a local businessman with mob connections and a Samoan drug cartel.

While not as good as the best of her early books, this novel takes a step in the right direction.  The mystery kept me guessing, which can be hard to do since I've read so many mysteries and thrillers over the years.  The topic was interesting, and not something I knew before.  But what really makes this series for me is the interplay between Tempe and Andrew Ryan, the Canadian cop who she has an on-again-off-again relationship with.  If you're also a Reichs fan, I think that you will enjoy this one better than the last few.  I only hope they continue to go back to their glory days before the distraction of Bones.

Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler

ISBN-13: 9780738722870
Publisher: Flux
Published: March 2011
312 pgs
Source: Personal Library



After reading Holly Schindler’s debut novel, A Blue So Dark; a well-thought and emotional story between a fifteen-year-old girl and her schizophrenic mother (my review), I just knew I have to read her next release, Playing Hurt, which was out in March. Holly Schindler’s writing not only entices her readers but her story and the characterisations captivate you as well. You couldn’t help but to feel connected to her characters, though they are merely fictional characters. Reading Playing Hurt has once again evoked such emotions in me, but the feelings and all are very different as compared to A Blue So Dark.

Basketball player Chelsea Keyes has a bright future ahead of her and that she is ready to attend college with her athletic scholarship, but her hopes are all shattered into pieces after a horrible fall during the game. What is left of her is a fractured hip (which she has slowly recovered after the surgery) and a low morale which makes her miserable the more she thinks of it. Instead of a triumph life she has dreamt of, she now feels her life is nothing although she is comforted by the fact that she has a sweet and caring boyfriend, Gabe, who is always there for her whenever she needs it.

Hoping to restore her cheerful and positive spirit, her parents decided to send her for a three-week boot camp program at a northern Minnesota lake resort. There, she meets her trainer named Clint; a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player who like her, is haunted by his past after his girlfriend died in an accident. Truth be told, she isn’t feeling too keen about the program and her worst fear is that accidents would befall on her again if she participates in any activities.

Clint, on the other hand, feels that work is the only thing in his life ever since of the passing of his girlfriend, Rosie. Unlike Chelsea, he gave up sports because it reminds him too much of Rosie and the accident. He simply didn’t have the heart and mind to play hockey despite the fact that Rosie’s accident has nothing to do with him or anything. Nevertheless, Clint and Chelsea are drawn to each other the more they spend time together and getting to know each other along the way. But as the three-week program is almost up, does that mean that their love and togetherness is coming to an end as well?

Told through Clint’s and Chelsea’s POVs in alternating chapters, Playing Hurt is a lovely story of two young characters’ journey towards finding hope and love, and also about exploring and finding their identity. Holly Schindler has once again captivated me through her wonderful storytelling but what made this a satisfying read is that these characters seemed real and honest to me through Holly’s skilful writing as she is able to capture the feelings and every emotions through their dialogues and you couldn’t help but to feel for them. I have to say I felt refreshed after reading this book as there is an uplifting note to it. However, I have to confess I wasn’t sure about Chelsea’s attitude to love as I got the impression that she and Gabe are in love from the beginning and that how could she falls for another guy she only knew for three weeks. But as I read further, I noticed that it is the connection that she feels with Clint (and vice versa) that speaks for everything and I felt myself rooting for them thereafter.

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Did you miss reading my post on my interview with Holly Schindler? Here's the link.

Wordless Wednesday (Austin #1)

Starting today for my Wordless Wednesday feature, I will post pictures of some of the places my husband visited when he travelled to Austin, Texas and St. Paul, Minnesota for his business trip in March and April. I hope you will enjoy them all!

Texas State Capitol

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. This month's Mailbox Monday is hosted by Mari Reads.

Here's what I received last week:

1) Hanging Hill by Mo Hayder (bought from The Book Depository)

2) Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok (review copy from the publisher)

What books came into your house last week?

Literary Blog Hop: How Mushy is Too Mushy?

The Literary Blog Hop is hosted by The Blue Bookcase every other week.  This week's topic for discussion is:

Discuss your thoughts on sentimentality in literature. When is emotion in literature effective and when is it superfluous? Use examples. 


Well, other than it feels slightly like a test question from some literature class I may have taken in college, this is an interesting question.  First, I feel a need to question a basic premise inherent in the questions-namely, that emotion and sentimentality are synonymous.  

The Free Dictionary defines sentimentality as "The quality or condition of being excessively or affectedly sentimental.".  Apparently it is now OK to define a word using the word...at any rate, they go on to define sentimental as "Affectedly or extravagantly emotional.".  Therefore, while emotion is a component of sentimentality, all emotion is not sentimental.  My understanding of the word is as something rather sappy, perhaps manipulative.

Now, I can't think of any readers of fiction that I know personally who want to read books that do not elicit some emotion in the reader.  Most of us want to be swept away in a the lives of the characters, want to learn something about what it means to be human through experiencing the made-up world the author has created.  It follows then that emotion in literature is not only a good thing, but an expected, integral thing.  If literature is meant to mirror and examine the human experience, then it would be impossible to divorce it from emotion.

To me the most important word in the definition of sentimental is "affectedly".  That one word rather sums up my feelings on sentimentality versus emotion in literature.  By nature an affectation is not entirely sincere, and that is how most sentimentality in literature, or anything else, feels to me-insincere and unauthentic.  Strangely enough I can't think of a literary example for the moment, but I can think of some pop culture examples-Lifetime movies and Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

Now, I should say up front that I am a crier.  I love to cry at books or movies.  It doesn't have to be sad or tragic either-I'm an equal opportunity sobber.  I cry happy tears or sad tears or angry tears just as easily for fictional characters as I do for myself.  So the term tearjerker does not hold any negative connotations for me.  But I want that emotion to come from the strength of the story-not from artificial conditions created by a producer (I'm looking at you Ty Pennington!), or director, or author.  I want the emotion to come from someone speaking their truth, whether real or fictional.  I can just imagine the conversations around the table when a new Lifetime movie is being planned-especially if it happens to be around Christmas time.  It's like they have developed a formula for maximum tear potential.  Take one spunky woman down on her luck, give he a few kids to support, add hunky yet gentle guy who helps her love again, stir, and cry.  There are variations on this theme, but generally none of them feel authentic to me.  Then there is Extreme Makeover, Poor-Down-on-Their-Luck Family Edition.  I believe that everyone on that show probably does feel like they are saving the world one sad, miserable family at a time, but I'd rather they took their fake sentimentality and all of the money that show makes and donated it to Habitat for Humanity.

Maybe the reason that I can't think of a literary example is that I tend to shy away from books that appear to have that Lifetime movie quality.  I can think of plenty of examples of books that I love and admire that have strong emotion-The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, to name a few.  But other than On Strike for Christmas, a book I was forced to read by may book club which led to one of my most sarcastic posts ever, I can't think of any real counter-examples.  And that's the way I like it.

An Interview with Author Holly Schindler

Today I am thrilled to be part of Holly Schindler's Playing Hurt Blog Tour and if you could recall, I read and reviewed her debut novel A Blue So Dark awhile back and totally enjoyed it. I am currently reading her latest release, Playing Hurt, and I have got a feeling that this book would be another great emotional read. Without further ado, here is my interview with Holly:

1. Your debut novel, A BLUE SO DARK, featured the heroine’s mother having schizophrenia. What made you decide to write on this issue and what kind of research did you have to do for this subject?

In A BLUE SO DARK, fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose has been hiding a secret. Her mother, a talented artist and art teacher, is slowly being consumed by schizophrenia, and Aura has been her sole caretaker ever since Aura’s dad left them. Convinced that “creative” equals crazy, Aura shuns her own artistic talent. But as her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet draws Aura toward the depths of her imagination. Just as desperation threatens to swallow her whole, Aura discovers that art, love, and family are profoundly linked—and together may offer an escape from her fears.

More than I wanted to write about mental illness, what I really wanted to write about was creativity. I’ve just always been fascinated by how some people have minds that are wired to do something creative, and others aren’t—at ALL. Where does creativity spring from? What’s the source?

In some ways, a hallucination doesn’t really seem all that different from an artist’s “ah-ha!” moment—that vision of what a finished artistic product would look like. Both are products of the imagination, things only one person can see…Sometimes, you have to wonder where the line is between a creative genius and a person who suffers from a mental illness…That gray area between the two is really fascinating…

As far as research for the project, I really just immersed myself in reading—I even went through everything in the YA non-fiction section of my local library, so I could find out how schizophrenia had been presented factually to the YA readership. Once I’d read, I put it all away. I wanted my characters to drive the book—I didn’t want it to be a factual description of a mental illness.

2. Onto some general topics: Which do you think is more important when writing a story? Great characters, or a great plot?

This question’s really asking whether I prefer literary (character-driven) or genre (plot-driven) fiction…I’m an old lit major, so I really do prefer the literary. If I’m intrigued by the characters—and by “intrigued,” I mean if they seem real to me…I don’t even have to necessarily like them—I’ll be propelled forward. I’ll continue to read even if the events of the book are relatively quiet.

(As an example of how I love and appreciate character-driven work: I really enjoyed watching the recent MILDRED PIERCE miniseries.)

3. Why do you write YA novels? What are the challenges of writing them? Also, have you ever thought of writing novels for adults?

When I first took the plunge into writing full-time, trying to snag my first book deal, I was ONLY writing novels for adults. To help pay some bills, I started teaching piano and guitar lessons out of my house. Interacting with teen and tween students one-on-one actually inspired me to try my hand at YA. (I thought those lessons were just going to help give me extra cash…I didn’t know they’d give me a new career direction!)

I think one of the challenges of YA is just breaking in. Some of the best authors out there are writing YA—it’s really hard to get that toe in the door (as it is with any genre, really)…

My first middle grade is in development as well, and is set to be released by Dial in 2012…and I’m in the midst of working on an adult novel right now!

4. What does it take to be a successful author?

Persistence. Patience. More persistence. Being an author means finding yourself faced with one struggle after another. First, it’s getting your story down on paper. Then finding an agent. Finding an editor. Completing revisions for your publishing house. Establishing a readership. Growing your readership. Writing’s not like winning the lottery. Writing’s more like climbing a mountain, one step followed by another…

5. Do you have any favorite books and who are your favorite authors?

Right now, I’m on this local color kick. I love anything with a real sense of atmosphere, of place—that goes for my current favorite songs (“Turning Home” by David Nail or “Colder Weather” by Zac Brown), and the books I’m now gravitating toward. Elin Hilderbrand has such a fantastic sense of place in her work. Her setting (Nantucket) is truly a character in and of itself.

6. Could you tell us a little more about your latest release, PLAYING HURT?

Star basketball player Chelsea “Nitro” Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college—and everyone’s admiration in her hometown. But everything changed senior year, when she took a horrible fall during a game. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.

As a graduation present, Chelsea’s dad springs for a three-week summer “boot camp” program at a northern Minnesota lake resort. There, she’s immediately drawn to her trainer, Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player who’s haunted by his own traumatic past. As they grow close, Chelsea is torn between her feelings for Clint and her loyalty to her devoted boyfriend back home. Will an unexpected romance just end up causing Chelsea and Clint more pain—or finally heal their heartbreak?

7. Last but not least, do you have any experiences on your writing process which you’d like to share with your readers?

I filmed a tip on drafting that my readers have found helpful…and I’ll be posting more writing tips soon…Follow along at hollyschindler.blogspot.com or subscribe to my YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/hollyschindler

Holly on Twitter: @holly_schindler

She also blogs with other fellow YA authors at YA Outside the Lines: http://yaoutsidethelines.blogspot.com/ and have just started a group blog for middle grade authors at Smack Dab in the Middle: http://smack-dab-in-the-middle.blogspot.com/

The Summoner, by Layton Green

After the Da Vinci Code, there was quite a market created for historical thrillers.  Layton Green takes this now rather cliche formula and turns it on it's head, giving us a dark, gritty story of blood sacrifice and ancient evil in his book The Summoner.

Dominic Grey is a member of the Diplomatic Security Service.  He is a man with a past-abused by his father as a boy, he ran away from home at 16 and has spent his adult life traveling the world, learning jiu-jitsu and taking a number of dangerous jobs.  He is called in to investigate after a US diplomat disappears during a religious ceremony in the bush.  Along with his minder, Nya Mushumbu, they investigate, only to find that there appear to be magical forces at work.  Viktor Radek, a religious phenomenologist and expert on cults is brought in to help them understand the forces that they are dealing with.  Thwarted at every turn by the political and bureaucratic nightmare that is modern-day Zimbabwe, Grey and Nya soon find themselves working outside of the law-and facing an enemy who seems to have supernatural powers.

When I was approached to review this book, I was very intrigued by the premise.  It seemed to take the historical thriller genre in another direction, focusing on ancient religions and some of their more sensational practices and placing them in the 21st century.  The resulting conflict between modern man's rational thought and ancient "supernatural" occurrences becomes a central feature of the mystery.  The mystery was not just what happened to the diplomat, but whether what appeared to happen could in fact be real.

As I read I could literally see this playing out as a movie in my mind, something that is not always true of the books I read.  I think that this would make an excellent movie.  It is fast-paced, has some truly gruesome scenes of ju-ju blood rituals, and characters that radiate evil rather strongly.  While I enjoyed the story quite a bit, it did have some of the same problems I see with Dan Brown's writing.  Prof. Radek spends paragraphs on exposition, which can start to feel like a history lesson.  But Layton does a better job of placing them in the action.  Radek is not hurriedly explaining the history of ju-ju as they are literally running for their lives, but during moments in between the action.  He also makes them a bit shorter, which helps the flow of the book.  Speaking of the flow, while it was well-paced, I felt that there were areas that could have used more development.  Unless you had pretty good background knowledge about Zimbabwe some of the cultural references would be troubling, and a little bit more information about the Diplomatic Security Service, how it works, etc...might have been useful.  I think all in all this is a good start to what is going to be a series of historical thrillers about Dominic Grey.  I look forward to seeing how the characters develop over time, and how Green's writing grows as he continues the series.

(Thanks to Mr. Green for providing me a review copy of the book!)