The Reader’s Corner

Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

Head trauma from accidents seems to be a recurring theme in my reading of late…

Sarah Nickerson is a career-driven supermom, living in the affluent Boston suburb of Welmont. Between recruiting the best and brightest minds as the vice president of human resources at Berkley Consulting; shuttling the kids to soccer, day care, and piano lessons; and making time for her equally over-scheduled husband, it’s a wonder she has time to breathe. A self-confessed balloon about to burst, Sarah miraculously manages every minute of her life like an air traffic controller. That is, until a car accident leaves her with a traumatic brain injury that completely erases the left side of her world. Without the ability to even floss her own teeth, Sarah is forced to depend on those around her and readjust her whole life. As she wills herself to regain her independence and heal, Sarah learns that her new life may lie far from the world of conference calls and spreadsheets. And she may find that a happiness and peace greater than all the success in the world is close within reach, if only she slows down long enough to notice.

This book was interesting to me. I didn’t sympathize with, or care about, the main character at all, but I wanted to follow her progress and see her outcome. I am fascinated with brains and neurology, and this idea of “left neglect” really intrigued me (for a quick run-down, see the Wikipedia article). The fact that Genova is a neuroscientist lent credibility and is actually what first interested me in this book, and kept me reading despite the fact that I didn’t connect with the main character.

I’ll add that this is similar to how I felt about Molly Birnbaum’s Season to Taste (which is Birnbaum’s personal memoir of losing her sense of smell in an accident). Again, I found myself not really caring about the person, but the subject kept me intrigued. I would actually recommend both books, and I still want to read Genova’s earlier book, Still Alice, also.

I decided to join up with the library’s book group a couple of months ago, and when I found out they were reading Still Life by Joy Fielding, I was quite happy, as it meant I could cross two reading goals off my list with one book. You see, in addition to wanting to get involved with the book group, Joy Fielding had been on my list of authors to check out for some time. This is because she is a favorite author of a friend of mine, our retired Assistant Director and previous blog contributor, Priscilla! Anyways, on to the book!

The premise was quite catching – a woman is in a coma after being hit by a car but can hear everything happening around her and discovers that it may not have been an accidental drive-by. The story is told from her POV, which means it is filled with her fear and frustration at not being able to communicate, nor see, nor move (I have to say overall she handled it much better than I would), and the reader is limited in their knowledge to what the protagonist hears. Most of the book club members seemed to like the book, as did I - it was a fast read, made you want to know the outcome (Who did it? Why?), and avoided being horribly gruesome while maintaining its disturbing elements and ideas. Many read it in a day or two, and we welcomed the fact that it was a “lighter” read while still being compelling. If you’re looking for a fast-paced suspense, I would recommend it.

I finally got around to reading the One Book One Billerica title this year, Sisters Grimm. It’s the first in a series of books based on, you guessed it, Grimm’s fairy tales. But there’s a different kind of spin to it. The books feature two orphaned sisters, Sabrina and Daphne, who have been sent to live with their grandmother, Relda Grimm. The girls learn they are descendants of the Brothers Grimm, whose famous book of fairy tales is actually a history book. Snow White, the Three Little Pigs, the Big Bad Wolf—they’re all alive and now neighbors of Granny Relda in this community of Everafters, as magical folks like to be called. But life is not a fairy tale in Ferryport Landing. Someone has set a giant loose on the town, and it’s up to the sisters Grimm to stop the giant and find the Everafter behind its murderous rampage. Is it Mayor Charming, formerly Prince Charming, who may have plans to get his kingdom back? Or Jack, the erstwhile giant killer, now working at the Big & Tall store?

Full of humor and wit, this book kept me entertained through its fast-paced adventure. I think it really does have something for every one - regardless of age or usual reading preferences. And, it made me want to go research and re-read different versions of the original fairy tales!

The books have a great little website, with information on the books, the author, and various related activities.

Don’t forget to visit the One Book One Billerica Facebook page and share your thoughts on Sister Grimm!

Exciting news, everyone:

Slate Magazine is starting a new books section!

I have posted links to Slate’s annual Best Books lists, and their other occasional book-related articles, before. But Slate is now expanding its coverage of book news and information in the form of a monthly special section. The most awesome thing about this is that it’s not just a small tab on their web page, but once a month the book reviews and news will TAKE OVER THEIR HOME PAGE.

That’s right, on the first Saturday of each month, Slate’s homepage will be devoted to book-related articles, videos, and posts. The first issue will roll out live tomorrow, but they are giving sneak peaks of content all day today on their site.

Read more about it in Slate’s own article, or in this New York Times article.

You can also follow them on Twitter @slatebooks.

This past weekend, I was once again lucky enough to attend Readercon, which just so happens to occur right next door in Burlington, MA every year. Among the highlights of the convention were the Shirley Jackson Awards (complete with a surprise in-person appearance by Neil Gaiman!). The winners are listed below, and you can view a video of the ceremony here.

Winners of the Shirley Jackson Awards:

Novel: Mr. Shivers by Robert Jackson Bennett
Novella: ”Mysterium Tremendum” by Laird Barron
Novelette: ”Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains” by Neil Gaiman
Short story: “The Things” by Peter Watts
Collection: Occultation by Laird Barron
Anthology: Stories: All New Tales edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio

Also given at Readercon are the Rhysling Awards for speculative poetry, and the Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award, which went to Katherine MacLean, the award’s first living winner.

On a related note, the Mythopoeic Awards were also recently announced. The winner in the Adult Literature category was Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord.

Why not check out some of this award-winning speculative fiction?

The RITA Awards were presented yesterday, July 1, at the 31st annual Romance Writers of America conference in New York.

Winners included Sharon Sala (Lifetime Achievement), Jill Shalvis (Best Contemporary Single Title Romance), Sharon Ashwood (Paranormal Romance), Karen Rose (Romantic Suspense), and many more.

So, check out the full list of winners and then come check out one of their books for these hot, steamy summer days!

Before I Go To Sleep

This book was very compelling and difficult to put down once I started it.

The premise itself is interesting - the narrator is a woman who has lost her memory due to an accident, and while she can form new memories throughout the day, she can not retain them to the next day. While she sleeps each night, her mind is wiped blank, and every morning she wakes up having forgotten over half of her life. She has a husband who explains this to her every day, telling her pieces of their history. As you can probably imagine, this is very confusing and disorienting for her, and so with the help of a doctor, she begins to keep a journal in order to keep track of who she is and what is happening in her life. Through this she comes to realize that not everything in her life is as it seems, and perhaps she is mistaken in the people she trusts.

Watson’s writing takes this premise beyond interesting and into fascinating, thrilling, and creepy. There is a sense of mystery, danger, and fear throughout the book, and even when I thought I knew what was happening or where the story was going, I was never certain. It’s hard to believe this is the author’s first novel; I look forward to seeing what else Watson does in the future.

Have you ever read a book and been so absorbed in the language, style, and place of it, you found yourself thinking in the same style? That happened to me with The Weird Sisters. And I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This book had a very unique narrative voice. It was told from the combined perspective of 3 sisters, but more as though it were being told by the sisterhood itself. I have heard it said that a marriage is like a third person in a relationship, and here the sisterhood took on a persona as though it were a fourth individual in the family. At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about this, but soon I came to really enjoy it. I also really enjoyed the language of this book - it was lyrical and beautiful without being overly wordy or flowery. It really drew me in and made me feel as though I was surrounded by this family and town, and I longed for the lazy feel and the homeyness of somewhere similar.

Although the plot of this book was not exactly what I expected (honestly, I was drawn in by the title & cover and didn’t really read what it was about), and when I first started it I was a bit unsure of if I would enjoy it (the title refers to the 3 witches of Macbeth, because the father in the story is a scholar of Shakespearean literature, and he, as well as other characters, quote Shakespeare often, which I found a bit contrived), I am very glad I read it through to the end.

I am going to include a passage that I particularly loved the feel of, though I fear it may turn some off to this book. I will add that the reason I loved this bit (and other similar ones), was because the whole book wasn’t like this. There were these moments of quiet lulls that were relayed so well, but the book itself did not move this slow or quietly. In fact, there was a restless feel to the characters and story that worked amazingly well, especially when interspersed with these moments of calm clarity.

“Sunday morning, thunderheads loomed above, thick and rich with rain. Cordy had been up before us all making pancake batter with blueberries purloined from the neighbor’s bushes, their delicate bodies splitting against the wooden spoon, staining the batter with violent violet.”

It was just magically descriptive without being tedious - dripping with the feeling of the moment as opposed to the details. I guess that’s as well as I can explain it - I really encourage you to read it for yourself and get to know these 3 sisters and their lives.

The Audies (awards given to audio books and other spoken word entertainment) were presented on Tuesday.

I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the winner of Audiobook of the Year was Life, Keith Richards’ memoir. It’s read by Keith Richards, Johnny Depp, and Joe Hurley. This audiobook also won the biography/memoir category award.

The fiction winner was Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell, read by Emma Galvin. This book has also been made into an outstanding movie.

To see all the winners, and nominees, check out the Audies website!

This book had an odd sort of style, which once I got into the flow of I didn’t want to get out (much like going swimming - it feels cold and uncomfortable as you ease, or plunge, your way into the water, but then your body adjusts and you want to stay submerged forever).

So Much Pretty begins as the story of a missing girl, and it slowly spreads to those who the case touch - a reporter, other community members, and most especially another girl in the town. The way events unfold and are relayed is like a puzzle slowly coming together, and it makes a disquieting picture as it does so.

At first I was bothered by the fact that I had no idea what exactly was going on, how the different stories that were being intermingled were related, or why we kept traveling backwards and forwards in time and touching base with several different characters. But soon I let go of caring about a complete understanding and just enjoyed the story and atmosphere. Of which there was plenty to enjoy. And then when I reached the end and it all came together, I was quite surprised.

Though it feels slightly heavy with messages at times (mainly about the state of our food, factory farms, and those who rally against these things as well), the writing is so enjoyable I could easily overlook the somewhat forced points. Plus, I think the way it is presented not everyone will walk away with the same message or ideas, which will make it good for discussions. I would recommend this suspenseful and almost poetic book to anyone looking for something slightly different and intriguing. It’s not an especially fast mover, but was a fairly quick read all the same. And somewhere around the middle I realized it had absorbed me completely.