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Brande, Robin. 2009. (October 2009) Fat Cat. Random House. 336 pages.

"You're all good little machines," Mr Fizer told us. He sat there this afternoon in his tweed jacket and his white shirt and plaid bow tie and glared at us over the top of his half-glasses.

Cat hearts science. And she's thrilled to be in Mr. Fizer's class--Fizer's Special Topics In Research science class. A class that is legendary, "not the least because every few years someone has to run out of there on the first day and vomit because of the stress." On the first day of class, each student randomly selects a picture/photo from Mr. Fizer's hands. Your research topic for the year? A complete gamble. No matter your interest, you'll be forced to be "inspired" by the picture you select. No wonder there is stress! What does fate have in store for Cat?

It was an artist's rendering of how these early humans might have lived. There were three men and a woman out in a meadow of some sort. They were all lean and muscular and tan--and did I mention naked? They were gathered around a dead deer, guarding it from a pack of saber-toothed hyenas who were trying to move in and snatch it. One of the men was shouting. The woman had the only weapon--a rock--and she stood there poised to pitch it at the hyenas. It was a great action scene if you're into that sort of thing--the whole anthro-paleo field of studies where you care more about the dead then the living.

Can prehistoric men and women inspire Cat to greatness? Read and see for yourself in Fat Cat. A transformative story about living life to the fullest.

What did I love about this one? Practically everything. I'm not a science person. Not even a little bit. But I loved this novel. Loved that the heroine's passion for science was so strong and intellectual yet always relevant to real life, to the real world. I liked that the novel made me think. Really think. You see, it in a way goes to the science of nutrition, the science of healthy living. And I think every reader can benefit from that exposure. No, reading Fat Cat didn't make me want to become a vegan, I still love my meat. But it did make me think about what changes I would be willing to make. Encouraged me to stick with those changes I've already made. I also loved that science wasn't Cat's only interest. She was passionate about many things--including cooking and swimming. People were also important to her. Her friends. Her family. Especially her little brother. Loved the development of that relationship. Cat was a complex, very human, character that I just loved.

But this isn't just a novel about a diet or lifestyle change. How a fat girl can go from not to hot...It's so much more than that. It's a reflective and smart coming of age novel. It's a romance too. I love Matt. I do. While our heroine, Cat, was loving-to-hate and hating-to-love him, I was loving to love him and cheering this reluctant couple on. It reminded me of some of my favorite reluctant romances--like Anne and Gilbert, for example. This is one giddy-making romance...

They say your muscles have memory. Once you've trained your arms to swing a tennis racket or your legs to ride a bike, you can quit for a while--for years, even--and all it takes is picking up a racket or jumping on a bike again and your muscles remember what to do. They snap right back to performing the way you taught them.
The heart is a muscle, too. And I've been training mine since I was a kid to fall in love with one particular person.... (313)

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Heyer, Georgette. 1965/2009. Frederica. Sourcebooks. 437 pages.

Not more than five days after she had despatched an urgent missive to her brother, the Most Honorable the Marquis of Alverstoke, requesting him to visit her at his earliest convenience, the widowed Lady Buxted was relieved to learn from her youngest daughter that Uncle Vernon had just driven up to the house, wearing a coat with dozens of capes, and looking as fine as fivepence.

I love Georgette Heyer. I know not every reader will find her writing a traditional, delightful treat to savor slowly but surely. But for me, it's just as much about the experience as the end result. I won't lie. Georgette Heyer never offers an easy read, a fluffy read. If the modern day romance novel is the wonder bread of the literary world, Georgette Heyer would offer readers the fiber-heavy complexity of whole grains.

It's romance. Never doubt that. Her books are all about (often unlikely) heroes and heroines finding love. And her books almost always have more than one couple finding love and deciding for marriage. But her books are never just about romance. They're about society and family and life itself. Her characters are human: in other words, she's smart enough to make her characters--all her characters--flawed. I think the fact that they're so complex makes the comparisons to Austen so natural and so right.

And her books are satisfying. But instead of the quick-and-easiness of modern romance novels, her books offer a lingering satisfaction. (I'm not knocking modern romance novels. Not really. I'm as guilty as can be of enjoying a nice smutty book now and then. But you've got to admit that at least some modern romance novels are mindless and forgettable often starring mix and match heroes and heroines.

Frederica Merriville is a charming heroine who doesn't want to be the heroine. As an older sister, and as a woman in her mid-twenties, she feels the spotlight should always ever be on her younger and oh-so-beautiful younger sister, still in her teens, Charis. She has come to London in hopes that she can launch her sister into society, into the ton. She wants her sister to have a chance to find love and happiness and marriage and family. You know, all the things she thinks she'll never have for herself. And Charis isn't her only consideration. She's got three brothers: Harry, Jessamy, and Felix.

Lord Alverstoke is frustrated and amused. In the past few days, he's had both of his sisters beg him to give a ball in honor of their daughters coming-of-age. He's said no, not once but twice. But the third time may just be the charm. When Frederica--the daughter of a slight acquaintance--shows up unexpectedly, asking him for his help, he's surprised to hear himself say yes. In part because he knows that launching the oh-so-beautiful Charis into society will annoy his sisters because their daughters are oh-so-plain. Yes, his nieces will get the ball. But he'll expect Lady Buxted to introduce the Merriville sisters. To welcome them both into her fold and take them along with her own daughter into society. It's blackmail of the amusing sort: his money will pay for her daughter's chance--the clothes, the shoes, the hats and bonnets, the gloves, etc.--but he will get to see her squirm at having to 'help' these strangers.

Soon Lord Alverstoke is acting as guardian of the Merriville family. He proclaims them distant cousins, and society opens their arms...true, Charis, is quite beautiful, and true, Frederica knows how to hold her own in conversation. But it is his wealth and his prestige that get the ball rolling so to speak.

What did I love about Frederica? How fully-fleshed the characters are. We don't just see Lord Alverstoke falling in love with Frederica. We see him come to love the whole family. We see Frederica's brothers up, close, and personal. We see the lovable but troublesome Felix have one adventure after another. We see the lovable eagerness of Jessamy. Both brothers became favorites of mine.

I loved the characters. I loved the slow-and-easy (in no hurry to get there) pace of the romance. The book is not boring--far from it--but it's comfortable not excitable.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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Schroeder, Lisa. 2009. (December 2008) Far From You. Simon & Schuster.

I may not have been the most enthusiastic reader of Lisa Schroeder's first novel, I Heart You, You Haunt Me, but I was intrigued enough by her writing to seek out her second entitled Far From You. And I'm so glad I did!

Far From You is a verse novel narrated by the very angsty Alice. (Yes, she was named after that Alice, the one that went down the rabbit hole.) And Alice's problems are understandable. Still grieving the loss of her mother--cancer, I believe--she is upset (angry, bitter) with her father remarrying and starting a new family. Yes, when the novel opens, Alice is about to become a big sister. Her stepmother, Victoria, brings home a baby girl, Ivy. But Alice is so spent feeling sorry for herself she just doesn't get it. Babies are cute and adorable. (Of course, babies can be loud and stinky and worrisome too). Alice has a few things going for her. She's got her music--she loves to play the guitar and sing at her church (not a traditional church); she loves to hang out with her best friend, Claire, who attends church with her and sings, I believe; she is just crazy about--head over heels--with her boyfriend, Blaze (though she can't decide if she's ready to go all the way with him or anyone really).

But Far From You is a story of how Alice's world turns upside down and inside out. Thanksgiving. The powers that be (a.k.a. parental units) have decided that the family--the whole family--should drive to see Victoria's parents. After all, they have a new baby to show off. Alice is bummed to say the least. Victoria's parents aren't her family--or are they?--and why should she be stuck in a car with a family she can't stand? When her father has to leave unexpectedly on business leaving Victoria, Alice, and Ivy to drive back home...the unthinkable happens.

Here's the first poem in the book. (The prologue occurs during the climax of the book and then the book goes back and starts at the beginning.)

Day Four

We're alone
with only
the cold
and dark
to keep us
company.

I know them
so well now,
they're like
old friends.

Familiar.

Old friends
who have stayed
too long
and need to go.

I wish
the angel
would have stayed.

For a second,
I felt warmth.
I felt safe.
I felt love
as she whispered
my name,
"Alice,"
and floated
toward me
before she
disappeared.

Was I dreaming?
Hoping?
Hallucinating?

So hungry.
So tired.

Cold.

I look out the window,
and although it's dark,
the moon
illuminates the scene
as if a faraway
floodlight
is hung
from the sky.

So much whiteness.
Everywhere.

Come back,
angel.

Let us fly
away
from
here.

Please.
Come back.

I knew by the second poem, "Softly Snowing" that I just had to read this one. The premise. The characters. The pacing. The imagery. Everything worked on this one.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Sensel, Joni. 2009. The Farwalker's Quest. Pub. Feb 2009. Bloomsbury USA. 400 pages.

Zeke's tree wouldn't speak to him.

The Humming of Numbers was one of my favorite 2008 reads, so I was ecstatic to get a chance to read her newest book The Farwalker's Quest. The book stars two kids--twelve year olds: Zeke and Ariel. They're approaching an important date: Namingfest. Soon they'll take tests to determine what paths their futures will take. Zeke hopes to become a Tree-Singer. Ariel hopes to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a Healtouch. Each person in the community has a gift; a gift that contributes to society as a whole. Of course, for those that fail to pass the test, there is the shame of wearing the name 'Fool' til the next year's festivities. (Though there are a few unfortunate souls that wear that name for life.)

Three days before Namingfest, the two find something in a tree. Something ancient. Something fascinating. Something dangerous. (Though it takes a full day for that to be realized.) Something that will bring strangers into their town. Something that will change both of their lives forever. That something is a magical artifact, a "telling dart" that is capable of flying hundreds of miles and revealing its message only to the intended recipient. That this 'dart' found the girl, Ariel, speaks volumes. It will be the best and worst thing that ever happened to her in her short life.

It brings adventures and dangers and new friends...and enemies...her strength and will be tested every step of the way.

I loved this one. Loved the world Sensel created. Loved that it's set so far into the future that society has collapsed upon itself, entered a dark ages of sorts, and is only just beginning to revive again. Loved the characters. How these relationships are built and developed through the novel. How easy it was to care about them all. Loved that so many of the characters were developed. There is a richness to the characters, to the world. (That's not always the case.) Loved the adventures. Loved the pacing. The intensity of it. Each chapter kept me hooked and wanting more.

I'd say this is perfect for fans of The Giver, City of Ember, and Ursula K. Le Guin's Annals of the Western Shore series (Gifts, Voices, Powers).

I know it's not saying much being as how it's only the first full week of January, but this is my best read so far!

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Smith, Sherri L. 2009. Flygirl.

It's a Sunday afternoon and the phonograph player is jumping like a clown in a parade the way Jolene and I are dancing.

Meet Ida Mae Jones, a young black woman with big, big dreams who won't allow a little thing like prejudice to stand in her way. Set during World War II, Ida Mae's story focuses on her desire to fly. But after Pearl Harbor, even if she had the money and know how, it would be nearly impossible. (She has the know how, but no license. And she certainly doesn't have the money to travel to a place--to an institution of one sort or another--that will give her her flying test and license.) But the dream persists all the same, and in fact this dream intensifies when she sees an ad for the Women Aiforce Service Pilots--the WASP.

For women with pilot's license, the WASP offers a once in a lifetime experience. A chance to fly. And not just fly, but to fly military planes. A chance to serve the country during the war. A chance to release men from these 'tedious' tasks so they can better serve their country by going overseas. The ad doesn't say--white women only--but everyone in Ida Mae's life tries to tell her this is so.

Not just anyone can be a WASP--you have to first pass an interview, then you have to pass almost a full year of training--training which included learning to fly several military planes, learning to fly cross country, learning to fly by instruments only, learning to fly at night, reading maps, plotting courses, etc.

Ida Mae wants this more than anything--and she's willing to risk everything for her one chance. As the lightest in her family, and one of the lightest in her neighborhood, Ida Mae decides to try her hand at passing. Passing for a white woman. Risky business if anyone discovers her little secret. And it's something that displeasures her family. Everyone thinks it's a bad idea--they warn her. Once you go there, once you decide to enter the white world--the white community--it is hard to pass back. You reach a point where you belong in neither community.

Ida Mae has passed the interview, but can she prove to everyone--the military, her family, herself, that she has what it takes to graduate? To become a real WASP?

Rich in details of the time and place--World War II, Sweetwater, Texas--Flygirl is a historical novel that will do more than entertain.

Other perspectives: Pink Me, Flamingnet.

Note: I'm not quite sure if my past life as an editor of WASP oral histories makes me a better judge or a worse one. On the one hand, all the details of WASP life--the interviews, the training, the living arrangements, the clothes, the camaraderie, the assignments, the songs they sang, the reasons most were interested in flying, etc. were very familiar to me. There weren't many surprises along the way which means that for the most part she stayed true to history, true to the facts. Which is a good thing. But at the same time, it kept this one from being a page-turner for me. I knew too much to be on the edge of my seat wondering what happened next.

All that being said, the book is thoroughly original in that it takes true facts and envisions what it would have been like for a young black woman--African American--to have been able to pass and be a part of it all. This is something that history is silent on. We know that they didn't knowingly allow any into their ranks. As far as diversity goes, it was all white women with the exception of two Asian women pilots. But could they have been fooled once or twice? Who's to say? It could have happened though there certainly isn't any proof it happened. No one has stepped forward and admitted such a thing anyway. But I like this exploration into the culture and society of the times. How it might have felt like. What it might have been like.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Lott, Tim. 2007. Fearless.

Prologue:

The girl could hear sobbing in the front room. Her mother was always crying about something or other, so the girl didn't take much notice. She just kept staring at the vidscreen in the corner of her bedroom. It was playing a vacation ad, all blue sea and white waves and sand like a field of honey. She wished she could just climb into the vidscreen and stretch out on the sand, dip her toes into the water, and never return. She would stay there and watch the world from the other side of the screen.
Then the knocking on the front door began. The girl thought that was odd, because they had a perfectly good doorbell. The knock seemed almost like a message. It went rap-rap-rappety-rap, as if it were a friend or a neighbor who always did their own special knock. But friends never came after dark, and the neighbors kept to themselves.
The girl heard a noise behind her. She turned and saw her mother. A dark birthmark the size of a fingernail and the shape of a star protruded from her hairline. Her cheeks were still damp from crying; her eyes were red and scrunched up like meat from a butcher's shop. She hadn't answered the door. Instead she lifted the girl up and pressed their faces together. The girl kissed her mother and tasted salt.. Her mother smiled, as if to tell her that everything was OK. Then she said she had some presents for her. The girl didn't understand. Her birthday was months away.
Her mother produced a small cloth bag and brought out three objects. The first was a picture of the girl's grandmother and grandfather, mounted in a bronze frame. Her grandfather wore a black suit with a cravat, and her grandmother wore a long pale dress and a floppy dark hat.
The second was a beautiful old silver watch with a fine leather strap that she said had once belonged to her father. She said she ought to have something to remind her that she did once have a father.
Finally she gave the girl once more thing: a golden locket containing a tiny photograph of her mother on her wedding day. She hung it gravely around the girl's neck. Then she put the framed photo and the watch back into the little cloth bag, handed it to the girl, and kissed her.
The knock on the door came again, louder this time. Rap-rap-rappety-rap. Her mother left the room. The girl heard the door catch being released, and then her mother began to shout. She heard a man's voice, stern and official sounding.
A few seconds later, a man wearing a uniform and a black peaked cap walked into the girl's room and, without a word, lifted her up. She could see her mother crying. The man didn't pause to let her say goodbye to her mother. He started to carry her down the stairs. The girl went limp. She felt unable to speak.
The door closed behind her. Then she heard her mother's voice through the thin panel of wood.
The locket. Read the words. Never forget the words on the locket.
In the harsh light of the street, the girl studied the back of the locket. She could just make out three lines of faint engraving. The girl pushed the locket inside her blouse and closed her eyes. She didn't resist as the man bundled her into the back of the ugly gray car with no side windows, started the engine, and drove away into the darkness. (3-5)

Fearless or "Little Fearless" is just one of many girls imprisoned at the "City Community Faith School." There the girls have no name, no identity other than a letter and a number. The institution--be it prison or school or work camp--is composed of X's Y's and Z's. The X girls being ranked higher than the Z girls meaning they have higher privileges in a way but also higher responsibilities. They get to be "X" girls by doing the bidding of The Controller. In other words, they work for the enemy.

Fearless and her friends--Beauty, Soapdish, Tattle, and Stargazer--are in a hopeless situation. They all are. Imprisoned, worked to exhaustion, malnourished, unloved and mistreated, the girls are emotionally and physically starving. Fearless is popular--at least somewhat popular--among the girls because she tells stories of hope. She tells stories of the day when they'll all be free. Stories of the girls reuniting with family. Of the girls leaving for the outside world. Fantasies at this point as far as most girls are concerned but oh-how-good-it-sounds. Fearless and Stargazer believe, however, that their freedom will come. The day will arrive when someone will rescue them.

Fearless knows however that NO ONE can rescue them, will rescue them, unless they know the truth. She believes with all her heart and soul that the reason they're still there, still miserable, is that the public, the men and women of the city simply do not know the truth. The truth will set you free, right? If Fearless can escape to tell her story, help will come won't it? It has to, right?

This story is emotional and heartbreaking. Some might argue that it is more than a little predictable. But that might be a matter of age and experience of the reader, the more you've read the genre, the more familiar you are with the twists and turns one is likely to take. Others might think it's a bit too parablesque. More obvious than subtle. More a loud shout than a whisper. I agree in part. But I think that when it comes down to it you either believe or you don't believe. Little Fearless either touches you, resonates with you, or she doesn't. I believe that Fearless, the book not the character, can work for some readers. Not for every reader, but then again no book works for every reader. (For example, the plot twist where Fearless gathers the tears of every girl and captures them in a perfume bottle. And then later that perfume bottle is analyzed to reveal the exact number of tears. It's silly and requires you to suspend your disbelief long enough to go with the flow. And it's not the only plot element that requires this suspension of belief. If you care enough about Fearless, then you can go with the flow and overlook a few things that don't quite work.)

The book offers a way to look at life, at humanity. While it is not a perfect novel, for me at least, it worked well enough for me to lose myself in Fearless's world. While I read this book, followed her journey, I was hooked. Only time will tell if this one stays with me like The Giver and other such novels.

As dystopian fiction, it definitely portrays a world that would qualify for my "It's The End of the World As We Know It" challenge under the category of evil governments. It's not too late to join that challenge by the way. Here's a list of participants so far.

Other reviews: here, here, and here. Most reviews I found were skeptical at best and found more than a little to criticize. I think that might have influenced me to give the book the benefit of the doubt a little bit more than I might otherwise. I'm contrary like that.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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A New York Observer profile of publicist-turned 29-year-old writer Sloane Crosley has been kicking up plenty of dust on the interwebs today.

Some people are jealous, some are dismissive, and others are in love--but they are all going to read her new book.

The adoring profile makes one point very well: Like it or not, writing careers depend on your friendships with other writers. You need support and mentorship to make it in this sea of fledgling writers.

While this talented writer put her book together, Crosley befriended published authors like Candace Bushnell and new media leaders Elizabeth Spiers.

If all that cheery essay stresses you out about your own career, maybe you should read this practical post, Beating Burnout Creatively. Thanks to Erika Dreifus for the much-needed advice... 

Finally, I spend a lot of time talking about how videocameras and cameras can compliment your writing. Here's a website that will remind you about everything that is unphotographable. The gorgeous prose will remind you why you write. (Thanks, Bud Parr)

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