Why I Read, Then Buy

We've all seen those posts from readers, especially book bloggers, where they bemoan buying or receiving more books than they could possibly ever hope to read. Now I'm not going to say that I don't have a lot of books (I will let my tbr shelf speak for itself), but I do think I have a different philosophy for book buying than some other readers.

I don't buy a lot of books.

If I hear about a book and think it might be up my alley, my first stop will almost always be the library. I am also fortunate enough to get some review copies. But my first instinct is not to run out and purchase the book.

I know, you are about to have some stern words with me about supporting the book industry. But here's the thing: I want my dollars to really count. I want to support the authors I adore, not end up with a house full of books I will never read again. I think of my book purchases as a way to say, "Hey, Nick Harkaway. I like what you are doing. Keep on writing." or "Elisa Albert, your book was really important to me."

There are some authors whose entire collections I hope to amass, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Madeleine L'Engle. Multiple editions? Yes, please. These are the books I will come back to again and again. I want them physically on my shelves for me to see, to touch, to experience over and over.

I don't buy as many books as some other readers. But my purchases matter. The books I buy speak volumes about what I value in a story and the things that I want to see in the future from writers and publishers.

What is your book buying philosophy? 

Review: The Race for Paris

Jane Tyler is one of the few female reporters covering Europe during WWII. When she meets up with Liv Harper, a female photographer, they quickly strike up a friendship. Both women are frustrated by the restrictions set on female corespondents, so they make a break for it and decide to join the troops and journalists heading towards Paris. Luckily, they meet up with Fletcher, a British military photographer and acquaintance of Liv's, who agrees to let them tag along in his jeep. Jane, Liv, and Fletcher will forever be linked by their experiences as they race to get the stories and photographs that will make their careers and show the world what is really happening behind the front lines of World War II.

While reading this, the stakes never felt particularly high. Liv and Jane are ferried around by Fletcher wherever they want to go, and they receive no resistance from anyone. They are supposedly in danger of being sent home since they are not authorized to be on the front lines, but everyone they encounter seems to give them a wink and send them on their way. Despite promising a race in the title, the story moves pretty slowly and as it turns out, Paris is not the end destination for these characters.

The dynamic between Liv and Jane is interesting - Liv is the more accomplished and wealthy of the two women. Her husband is the editor of the paper she works at, and she has always lived an affluent life. Jane, on the other hand, doesn't know her father and is still lamenting her childhood sweetheart who happens to be the son of the wealthy family that employs her mother as a maid. There is a dynamic of jealousy between them, especially when it comes to romance with another character. I couldn't help but feel that Jane was giving us a window into Liv's more interesting life and more complete character, but it would have been a more compelling read from Liv's own mind and words.

I really appreciated Clayton's research into the real women who worked as journalists and photographers. It is clear on every page that she really knows her stuff and it is carefully woven throughout the story, as we learn about rations and army jeeps and the lack of communications between the generals, the troops, and the press corps. We also see inside the rationale of the people who show us the news as Liv takes photos she knows will never be shown and Jane debates writing about certain events knowing that they will never make it past the censors. One of my favorite aspects of this story was Clayton's inclusion of quotes at the beginning of each chapter from Martha Gellhorn, Margaret Bourke-White, and other female correspondents. This story would be a great jumping off point if you wanted to read about the courage and commitment of the writers and photographers who covered World War II.

The Race for Paris

By Meg Waite Clayton

Harper August 2015

336 pages

Received for review from TLC Book Tours and the publisher 

For more reviews, visit TLC Book Tours and find out what other bloggers thought!

Review: The Truth According to Us

Layla is surprised when her latest outburst results in her senator father cutting her off and sending her on a writing assignment for the Federal Writer's Project, a program established by the New Deal. Her new job takes her to Macedonia, West Virginia, where she is to write a history of the mill town. Layla boards with the Romeyn family, which includes matriarch Jottie, several of her sisters, her brother Felix, and Felix's daughters Bird and Willa. The family has lived in Macedonia for generations and are respected, but both Willa and Layla sense that there are secrets under the surface. The summer of 1938 will change the Romeyn family and Layla forever.

I was very excited to read this book. I adored the The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Book Society (like many other readers), which was written by Annie Barrows and her aunt. My son is also a big fan of her books for children, so I was excited to see what she would do with an adult novel. There was a lot to love in this story. I adored the strong and fascinating female characters - Layla is learning to be a grownup fast as she goes from a pampered debutante to a woman who has a real job and must navigate life without the protection of her senator father and Willa is at a crossroads in her life where she is still seen as a child but is starting to understand some very adult things. Jottie might be my favorite character of all. She has spent her entire adult life grieving the loss of her childhood love and putting her family above her own desires. But that might be about to change.

Ms. Barrows does a great job of placing the reader firmly in the 1930s. Macedonia was a proud Southern town that has been beat down by the Great Depression. Now people are doing what they must to ensure that their families are alright. My two issues with this book were the length and interestingly, the way that the male characters were portrayed. I think this story would have benefited from some prudent editing to make it shorter. There were long stretches where it just felt like nothing was happening. The characterization of Felix, his brother, and some of the other male characters left me scratching my head. I understand that Felix especially is supposed to be enigmatic but I had trouble understanding their choices at some points in the story. That being said, I enjoyed this story of strong women learning to speak up for themselves and finally choosing to put themselves first.


The Truth According To Us
By Annie Barrows
The Dial Press June 2015
512 pages
Read via Netgalley

It's Monday and I'm ready for a quiet Labor Day

Hello again, my bookish people. How are things?

It's been a busy few days around here. I think when you have small children, most days feel pretty busy! We are not doing anything really for Labor Day, but I am more than happy to take a quiet day before school starts on Tuesday. I hope I'm ready to have a second grader!

This week was a bit slower on the reading front than I like. The Word Exchange was really fascinating and fun but, by its nature of being about words and the devolution of language, it took some extra effort to read. Now I'm speeding through The Race for Paris for a blog tour this week and after that, I'm going to give Ink and Bone a whirl.

In other news, it's time for Readers in Peril! Hooray! I'm taking on Peril the First, which requires you to read four books of mystery, suspense, thriller, dark fantasy, horror, gothic, or the supernatural. I've decided to read The Last Policeman, A Monster Calls, Bellweather Rhapsody, and St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves. What are you reading for RIP?                                                                                                                                         

                    

Review: Vampires in the Lemon Grove

Vampires in the Lemon Grove

By Karen Russell

Vintage January 2014

256 pages

Borrowed from my sister

Short story collections so often leave the reader desiring something more. We love some stories, but find others forgettable. We wish that each story in the collection reached the artistry of our favorite. Readers need not worry about Vampires In The Lemon Grove - every story is incredible and memorable.

These stories are incredibly diverse and each of them has their own brand of creepiness that will make the hair rise up on the back of your arm as you peek behind you to ensure you are still alone. In the first story, we meet an elderly vampire who is not so enamored with living forever after all. He has made a life for himself and his wife in a lemon grove, where they suck lemons instead of drinking blood. We also encounter a girl who begins work in a Japanese silk factory with some terrifying results, a soldier whose tattoo changes to match what he believes about his time in the military, and a boy who deeply regrets his bullying ways after encountering a scarecrow.

Some of the stories read like dark fairy tales, while others seem like historical fiction with a bizarre bent. It's obvious that Russell did a great deal of research on a variety of subjects - early settlers on the prairie, United States presidents, and the habits of various kinds of Antarctic wildlife. It's just enough knowledge to make the reader feel at home wherever and whenever Russell drops us.

We know from childhood that there is something unsettling, perhaps even frightening, about darkness. We root for the hero to defeat the monster and bring the light back. But in Vampires in the Lemon Grove, Karen Russell forces readers to confront some very adult questions about those childhood ghost stories. What if the darkness is not in the monsters, but in us? Is darkness always a bad thing or can our darkness sometimes help us to rise more powerfully than ever before?

What I'm Into/August Wrap-Up

While I usually recap the month, this is my first time linking up with Leigh Kramer and her awesome What I'm Into. Without further ado, let's talk about August!

This was a really good month and a rather hard month. We had lots of great family time with everyone here before my one sister headed back home to Mississippi and my other sister went back to college for the fall semester. My best friend visited before she moves across the country next week. I'm so excited for her big new adventure, but I'm going to miss the ability to hop in the car and see her in a few hours.

I sometimes feel bad that we didn't take a big vacation or complete a full list of fun summer activities with the kids. But then I think of the things they will remember - jumping off the cushions together onto piles of pillows, coming home from the library with huge piles of books, cramming together into one tiny chair to watch a tv show, and snuggles/tickles in bed with their Mom and Dad. I've decided that those are pretty good as far as kid memories go. I love that the two of them really want to spend time together. My sisters are some of my best friends and I hope that my kids grow up to be lifelong friends too.

Click Clack Moo and a Geronimo Stilton comic, if you were wondering.

What I've Been Reading:

               
I reviewed 8 books this month. 6 were fiction and 2 were non-fiction, and all but one were written by women. Four of the books were checked out from our local library, three were for review, and one was from my own shelves. All in all, I read 2,400 pages and listened to 6 1/2 hours of an audiobook.

My favorite August read? I have a hard time picking! If you haven't read them, you should really pick up Saint Mazie, Girl At War, The Shore, and When The Moon is Low. 

                               Quiet     Welcome to My Breakdown     Saint Mazie
                               Girl At War    The Shore   When the Moon Is Low
                                The Last Bookaneer    Murder on the Orient Express 


Favorite Post from this month:
I wrote about my son's favorite heroines and why it is so important that our boys read about girls here.


What I've Been Watching:
I am officially on the Parks And Rec band wagon. I am currently working my way through Season 3 and it is glorious. Also, I'm pretty sure I got my husband hooked too. Victory!

What I've Been Listening To:

An Evening with Sutton Foster over and over again. Sutton is hilarious and she picked the most glorious collection of music for this concert. I wish I could have seen it in person.

I've also been listening to several albums of Gungor. I love their music and recently sang one of their songs at our church.

                        

Podcasts:  Book Riot, The Liturgists, Dear Sugar Radio

What I've Been Cooking and Baking:
(All pictures are from the respective websites - I am apparently not a very good food blogger/photographer)

Delicious Brownies via Sassy Radish

                       

This most amazing pizza via How Sweet It Is

Chicken Parm Sliders via Family Bites 
                  


What We Love This Month:

1. The Penderwicks - we read this as our summer read-aloud. David and I both loved it and he immediately took the sequel with him to read in bed as soon as we finished the first book.

2. Honest Company Bubble Bath - What is cuter than a kid in a bathtub filled with bubbles? Nothing at all.

3. Cold Brew Coffee - Mama needs coffee but it has been a hot summer. It's easy as can be to brew some coffee and then enjoy a cold drink.

4. Anniversaries - As of this month, the husband and I have now been married for 8 years. We even went out to dinner (what?!?) because my sister was awesome and stayed with the kids. The new to us restaurant we tried for the occasion was ok, but the ice cream store down the street afterwards was delicious!



What did you love in August?

Review: The Watchmaker of Filigree Street

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street

By Natasha Pulley

Bloomsbury USA July 2015

336 pages

From the library

 

Thaniel Steepleton would certainly not call his life exciting. He works as a telegraph operator in the Home Office and then returns to his small apartment each night. One day, he finds a pocket watch on his bed that he has never seen before. Assuming it is a gift from his sister, he largely ignores it until the day it saves his life. Thaniel decides that if he cannot figure out who left him the watch, he can at least talk to the man who made it - Keita Mori. The watchmaker is a quiet man from Japan who quickly becomes a friend to Thaniel, but he suspects that Mori has dark and dangerous secrets. Is Mori himself behind the explosions that rocked London or did he just save Thaniel through his ingenious watchwork? Is he a criminal mastermind or in danger from a determined villain?

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street reminded me in several good ways of Nick Harkaway's Angelmaker, which is one of my favorite books in recent years. There is intricate and amazing clockwork and mechanics in both stories and each one features a protagonist who is as shocked as anyone else to find that he is at the center of an adventure. That being said, this book also shows itself as a debut novel in some spots where the story dragged a bit.

The most wonderful thing about this novel is the characters and the possibilities with which Ms. Pulley imbues them. Mori is a genius who makes a semi-aware mechanical octopus that crawls around his house. He also happens to be a former samurai/Japanese nobleman who can see the future, or at least all of the possibilities of the future. As if Thaniel and Mori weren't interesting enough, they warily join forces with Grace Carrow, one of the few female physicists at Oxford University.

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street is as intricately composed as the inner workings of a watch. Ms. Puelley takes us down dead ends and makes us deliciously unsure who we can trust. Each one of the characters is a bit of an outcast and the most delightful part of the story is watching them find people they can love and maybe even trust. This is a fantastic debut.