The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon

 

I recently finished Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, which had been recommended to me in an article entitled “65 Books You Need to Read in Your 20s” that piqued my interest. The novel is a 2001 Pulitizer Prize winner, so I assumed the commendation was not without merit. 

The novel follows two Jewish cousins, Sammy Klayman (soon to be Sam Clay) and Josef Kavalier, in their rise to comic stardom from humble beginnings in Brooklyn. Josef has just escaped Prague in the tumult of pre-World War II pandemonium, and has come to America with the ambition of earning enough money to pay for his brother’s fare to follow him. Sam, currently employed in a dead-end job as an illustrator for a novelty products company, has dreams of becoming a comic artist in the template of his heroes, Will Eisner and Jack Kirby. His own drawing skills are limited, but once he discovers that his cousin Joe’s talent far superceedes his own, they collaborate to create what will become one of the most iconic and bestselling characters of all time – The Escapist. 

Empire Comics is formed, and unanticipated fame and fortune soon result. Soon Sam and Josef are rubbing elbows with celebrities (a notable scene features Joe saving Salvador Dali at a party when his latest artistic foray goes awry), as well as falling in love (Joe with the inimitable Rosa Saks, fellow artist and daughter of a famous wealthy art dealer, and Sam with Tracy Bacon, the actor who plays The Escapist in the radio adaptation of the comic). All is not well for long, though – as murmurs of a second World War mount, Sam and Joe both suffer grim tragedies and uncomfortable realizations, which leads Joe to once again “escape” just like his titular character into the service, resurfacing only years later in a more astounding way than anyone could’ve imagined. 

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay was a book I just could not put down. It is a bit slow to start, and at 639 pages, it’s not a light read, but the characters were so engaging and the world that they inhabited so vibrant and fully realized that I felt as if I was right there on the page with them at times. Chabon’s prose is masterfully crafted and his descriptive language and character notes are truly a joy to read. It has been a long time since I read a novel that caused me to become so emotionally attached to a set of fictional characters. Be prepared to invest some time (and possibly some tissues) if you choose to read it, but the journey is worth it, especially if you enjoy character-driven fiction, comics, and historical settings.

Reviewed by: Paige

The All Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion by Fanny Flagg
Fannie Flagg is an author,who everyone can agree, is fun, light hearted and a great storyteller. I have only read one other book of hers, but enjoyed Fried Green Tomatoes when made into a movie. Of course the response is "you have to read the book!"
The book starts out with the character Sookie Poole of Point Clear, Alabama.  Sookie has just married off the last of her daughters and was ready to settle in with her husband and an empty nest. Having received an odd phone call about a letter that is to be delivered to her mother, Lenore, Sookie intercepts the letter. The letter had information involving her past, her family and everything she knew to be true.
The story weaves between Sookie’s present life and the lives of Fritzi Jurdabralinski and her 3 sisters. The story of the Jurdabralinski sisters is set in the 1940’s, during the war, in Pulaski, WI.  Fannie Flagg gives us a lesson on the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) and the difficulties women had being treated as equals.  Got a little bogged down with the WW2 bomber jargon, a little too text book. The cast of characters more than made up for the history lessons.
If you are wanting something easy going, funny, with a little mystery, this is it! I really enjoyed this book. It made me smile and I felt happy when I came to the end.
Reviewed by Caryl

I recently finished reading the novel Labor Day by Joyce Maynard. I am trying to branch out of my favorite authors and genres and as I intend to see the film adaption soon I decided to pick up this novel. (Always read the book before seeing the movie if you want to envision the characters and settings through your own imagination and not Hollywood’s take!)

I was not familiar with Joyce Maynard or her writings before reading this novel. She seems to have quite an interesting background – beginning with an affair at the age or 18 with a then 53 year old J.D. Salinger which she revealed in her 1999 memoir At home in the world. She has been a reporter for the New York Times, been a columnist and book reviewer before writing her first novel Baby Love.  Her published works include true crime based novels as well as nonfiction. 

The following quote is from the Washington Post which I found very interesting in relating the author’s life to the lives of the characters in her novel. “Maynard has had her own share of unsuitable attachments, including an intense pen pal relationship with a convicted murderer. She understands the deep yearnings that drive people to impulsive decisions and sometimes reckless behavior.”

Labor Day covers a time frame of five days in the life of thirteen year old Henry who lives with his agoraphobic mother Adele. On a rare venture out of their home, they are approached by Frank, a wounded escaped convicted murderer. They hide him in their home over the long holiday weekend, during which time his presence begins to change both of their lives. Adele comes out of her long period of depression and Henry begins grudgingly to learn things from Frank in a way he has not from his own father whom he sees weekly for a dinner date along with his father’s new family.

As the story draw to a close, these three misfits are forming a family. Plans are set to leave the country together when the sheriff arrives following up on an anonymous tip about Frank’s whereabouts. The story concludes eighteen years later as told by a now thirty-one year old Henry. 

I found the writing style of this novel interesting. It is told in a narrative point of view in its entirety by Henry, with no conversation taking place at all between the characters. I enjoyed this book and look forward to seeing the story on screen.  Reviewed by Bobbi H.

Staff book review For Becky G.

I have been enjoying reading a mystery book by Barbara Hambly.
The book Titled Dead and Buried takes place in New Orleans during the summer of 1836.
no one expects the accident of a wrong body in a coffin. Not only is it the wrong man it is a white man
in a black man's coffin...this takes place at the funeral of a free black man . The entire free Colored Militia and Burial Society are present when this accident occurs. The only person who recognized the white dead man was Hannibal Sefton, fiddle player and close friend to free black musician and surgeon Benjamin January. From this macabre start, January is drawn into a web of blackmail, murder, lies and family secrets.
January Benjamin becomes the investigator in order to save a man from hanging at the request of his friend Hannibal Sefton. Great reading of a time period when a black man in the white man's world of the old South struggled to survive let alone solve a murder mystery. A most enjoyable read from start to finish.
If you enjoy a good mystery with lots of intrigue and some history try all of Barbara Hambly's books of Bejamin January as the lead character.

Review by Jo Ann Woodward 02-02-2014 

I just finished reading a very good book by Lamont Wood the Book is titled Out of Place in Time and Space.
This book is full of interesting evidence that proves history is not as straightforward as you thought.
It delves  deeply into events and anomalies impossibly ahead of their time and beyond dispute.

Lamont Wood is a journalist and freelance writer of wide experience. He writes of inventions, beliefs and artistic anomalies that were way ahead of their time. Some very informative and exciting reading.

Jo Ann Woodward 02-02-2014

Starting Now by Debbie Macomber

Starting Now is number nine in Debbie Macomber's A Blossom Street Novel series.  I have read several books in this series, not all, but you do not necessarily have to read them in order to enjoy them. It would probably be best to read number one first to learn the main characters.  The series is about two sisters, Lydia, (the owner), and Margaret, who run A Good Yarn, knitting and yarn store.  The books in the series are about the camaraderie between the women who meet for classes in the shop.  These books always make me want to take up knitting.

The protagonist in Starting Now is a young lawyer, Libby Morgan, whose job is eliminated due to budget cuts, even though she has allowed her job to monopolize her life for years.  Her marriage ended in divorce because she refused to have a baby, while she was trying to make partner.  She begins interviewing for new jobs, but finds that she has a tremendous amount of time on her hands.  One day Libby walked into A Good Yarn, and remembers knitting with her mom before she died.  Libby is asked if she would like to knit a preemie hat, to donate to the local hospital, and soon is knitting one after another.  One day she helps drop the hats off at the baby nursery, and while there Libby is asked if she would like to volunteer rocking babies in the nursery, which to her surprise she does.  Libby realizes that the more she opens up to new opportunities in her life the more wonderful things keep happening to her. 

If you enjoy a light entertaining read about women's friendships, you will enjoy Starting Now.  

Reviewed by Becky

Macomber, D. (2013). Starting now. New York, NY: Random House. 

http://www.debbiemacomber.com/

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

 My family all listened to The Hunger Games Trilogy when we were traveling in the car on vacations.  That in itself is a testimony to what a great series it is.  We all have very different tastes in what we like to read, but we almost did not want to get out of the car at rest stops, because we were so involved in the stories.  I decided to review Catching Fire now because the movie version will be coming out on November 22, 2013, and I cannot wait to see it!  When a movie about a book is coming out soon it always revives interest by readers to either read the book for the first time, or re-read it before the movie.  I was worried that the first movie would not be able to do The Hunger Games justice, but I was not disappointed. 

In Catching Fire Katniss and Peeta have survived the Hunger Games, against all odds, and returned home.  Katniss is surprised to find that both Peeta and Gale, her childhood friend, are being stand-offish since her return.  She is also surprised when president Snow shows up at her house to tell her that he is furious at her for the trick she pulled in The Games and that she has spawned a rebellion with her mockingjay pin.  Snow tells Katniss that she and Peeta must make all of the districts in their upcoming Victory Tour believe that her and Peeta are deeply in love, if they want their families to live.  This is just the first of many tests awaiting Katniss and Peeta in Catching Fire.

 Reviewed by Becky.
 

Collins, S. (2009). Catching fire. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. 

http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/

Catching Fire Trailer