Review: The Wolf by Lorenzo Carcaterra

Summary

My name is Vincent Marelli, though most people call me The Wolf. You’ve never met me, and if you’re lucky you never will. But in more ways than you could think of, I own you. I run the biggest criminal operation in the world. We’re invisible but we’re everywhere. Wherever you go, whatever you do, however it is you spend your money, a piece of it lands in our pockets. You would think that with that kind of power I would be invincible. You would be wrong. I made a mistake, one that a guy like me can never afford to make. I let my guard down. And because I did, my wife and daughters are gone. Murdered by terrorists with a lethal ax to grind. That was my mistake. But it was also theirs.

I wasn’t looking for a war with them. No one in my group was. But they’ve left me with nothing but a desire for revenge—so a war is what they’ll get. The full strength of international organized crime against every known terrorist group working today. Crime versus chaos.
We will protect our interests, and I will protect my son. We won’t get them all, but I will get my revenge, or I will die trying. They will know my name. They will feel my wrath. They will fearThe Wolf.

Review

As a reader, you do not have to love the plot in order to appreciate the beautiful descriptions and intricacy of word choice that Lorenzo demonstrates. The Wolf  was thought provoking, suspenseful and extremely entertaining. Tell me, what else do you need in a novel? Let’s keep in mind, these are my thoughts about the diction after chapter one, imagine how I felt once I kept reading. All of the descriptions were on point, it made you wonder how you had never thought of what ever he was describing in such a perfect way, completely accurate but immensely unique. 

Personally, the plot interested me greatly because it dealt with not only organized crime but terrorists. Marelli, or the Wolf, wants revenge but to also stop the attacks that could rip families apart like they did for him. He is a great character, strong and intelligent, who uses his power for what most people would consider to be the lesser evil. 

It is truly hard to even tell you what this novel is about without giving away too much, which I cannot imagine doing because the surprise and shock value presented by Lorenzo is the Wolf’s greatest asset. 

Seriously, if you are considering this book read it for the ending. You do not see any of it coming. The first blow, you can handle, but the last and final surprise on the last page pushes you off a cliff, wishing and hoping there is a book two in order to find out about what happens next in the life of The Wolf. 

Watch out for this one, I can see it going big places and appealing to a wide audience. 

Reviewed by Rachel Keane

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Publication date: 7/29/2014
Pages: 320

Review: The Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman

Book Summary

In this utterly charming debut—perfect for fans of Cecelia Ahern’s P.S., I Love You and Allison Winn Scotch’s Time of My Life—one woman sets out to complete her old list of childhood goals, and finds that her lifelong dreams lead her down a path she never expects.
 
1. Go to Paris
2. Have a baby, maybe two
3. Fall in love
 
Brett Bohlinger seems to have it all: a plum job, a spacious loft, an irresistibly handsome boyfriend. All in all, a charmed life. That is, until her beloved mother passes away, leaving behind a will with one big stipulation: In order to receive her inheritance, Brett must first complete the life list of goals she’d written when she was a naïve girl of fourteen. Grief-stricken, Brett can barely make sense of her mother’s decision—her childhood dreams don’t resemble her ambitions at age thirty-four in the slightest. Some seem impossible. How can she possibly have a relationship with a father who died seven years ago? Other goals (Be an awesome teacher!) would require her to reinvent her entire future. As Brett reluctantly embarks on a perplexing journey in search of her adolescent dreams, one thing becomes clear. Sometimes life’s sweetest gifts can be found in the most unexpected places.

Review

Have you ever had that moment when you feel like you were meant to be at that place and time? Then all of the sudden, in the form of something that seems so unexpected, turns your world upside down but also is the greatest thing that could’ve ever happened. Well, let me introduce you to Brett Bohlinger…

Brett could be anyone you know, maybe even yourself. She has everything on the surface that you could want. She works for her mother’s company making a great living and a good looking boyfriend (not that it really matters but for the sake of the book) that seems to be the center of her world. In her eyes, her life seems fulfilled. Then one day, her world gets shattered upon news of the death of her mother. Having been so close to her, it was as if a part of her left. 

Considering her mother had developed quite a life for herself and her children meant the world to her, it was inevitable that there would be a will leaving generous gifts to them. Everything went well for everyone except when it came to Brett, who was the closest to her, there were stipulations that caught everyone off guard. In order for her to get her inheritance, she had to complete the life list goals that she made when she was a teen. Now, Brett made this when she was fourteen, just to throw out there that she is now 34. You can imagine that every emotion rushed her because she’s not the same person and some of the things on the list seem so unattainable to be completed. Given one year to complete, Brett is sent on a life changing experience that may at first seem to be trivial but turns out to be the greatest gift her mother could’ve left her.

I can count on one hand, the books that I truly fell in love with and this is one of them. This is one of the books that when it ends, your heart smiles. When you start reading the story and see what is on her life list, you might be scratching your head saying what? Is she serious? Like any parent who has a great relationship with their child, it is through their wisdom that we always seek guidance and input in our lives, so there would have to be a great reason why she would’ve wanted this for her, right? When you lose a parent, especially at an age where the most significant moments haven’t happened yet, you yearn for their presence. What grabs you about this story is that for so many who wish they could be there, you live vicariously through Brett because in a way, she gets a sort of second chance even if only for a moment.

My grandmother said something to me one day that I sort of chuckled at. It wasn’t until I read this book that it came full circle for me. She told me one day that she knew me before I knew me. That’s true and through the beauty of this book, we see that between Brett and her mother, Elizabeth. As trivial as the life list may have initially seemed to attain for someone her age, what she learned from attaining them was exactly how well her mother knew her and wanted the best for her. What I loved was how for every time she achieved a goal, she received a letter from her mother that spoke to heart as if she were right there with her. As a reader, it was so enjoyable wandering for every choice she made, what would her mother say. It’s as if she anticipated and knew what would happen and the choices she would make. As much through her journey Elizabeth felt so many whys’, it was this “life list” that gave her the push she needed to carve her own path, to let her fall and rise, and to find true fulfillment and purpose in her life. She truly gained a sense of self.

This is one of those books I encourage every woman to read. There is so much you can take away from reading this story whether it personally relates to you but I’m confident that your take away will definitely be an insightful new perspective that make you look at your life and choices with a fresh pair of eyes. Even though this book is fiction, there is a truth to the purpose that leaves you feeling comforted and reflective. For me on a personal note, I’m close to age as Brett and when you go through the when’s and why’s, the strongest part of this book, many women are victim to living and loving for other people’s approval which constantly leads us to dead ends. When you learn to live life for you and make yourself happy, then you can embrace all that life has to offer. 

This journey that Brett takes is about carving a life. I promise you that you will fall in love with Brett and live and experience her journey through the good and bad, the happy and the sad and all in between. This is the kind of book that you won’t be able to stop talking about not just because I think it is amazing but the imprint it will leave on you will be a memorable one.

Reviewed by Michelle Bowles

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Publication date: 7/2/2013
Pages: 368

Review: Skink No Surrender by Carl Hiaasen

Skink No Surrender follows the journey of 14-year-old Richard and his search for his cousin Malley.  The gripping story will have readers feverishly turning each page in a rush to see if Malley can be saved.

Malley often ran away from home.  Richard quickly realized that his cousin lied about her whereabouts the night they planned to look for turtle nests, but this was not unusual behavior.  In fact, Malley even called him the next day, to ask him to lie to her parents so that they would not worry.  

Eventually, Richard tells his parents that Malley is not at early orientation for her boarding school.  His mother speaks to Malley’s parents and the authorities; however, the police seem to not be able to make any progress on the case.  When Malley calls Richard again, she no longer sounds like her old cheerful self.  Something is wrong.  

In a desperate move, Richard goes off with the only man that he thinks can save his cousin: Skink, the former Florida governor, whose outlandish appearance is only just surpassed by his passion for justice.  Together the duo sets off to find Malley, before it’s too late. 

Hiaasen’s latest work is a fun and enjoyable read.  Those who enjoyed his novel Hoot will recall Hiaasen’s humor and style in this tale with a fond familiarity.  The motif of environmental consciousness that is prevalent in many of Hiaasen’s other works, also surfaces in Skink No Surrender: Richard reflects on the loss of the species of woodpecker, the ivorybill, made extinct through deforestation in the Florida region, as well as the importance of preserving the few remaining turtle habitats.

The style in which the story is written, however, can cause aggravation among a more critical reader.  For instance, the repetitive references to pop culture bands, such as Imagine Dragon and Bruno Mars, in addition to the frequent references to Wikipedia and Google seem rather forced.  Furthermore, because the story is told from the first person perspective of a teenager, there are many times when the protagonist concludes his thoughts with such phrases as “sad but true,” “pitiful but true,” or some variation on this formula, which seems unnatural at times.

This is the perfect book for a young reader that can enjoy a tale of adventure with some environmental awareness peppered in together.  As this is the novel’s main audience, it makes sense that there are uses pop culture references and what could be construed as a more accessible writing style for the young folk.  A more critical examination of the work finds the novel to be entertaining on the surface level; however, the simplicity of the writing style has the can become wearing at times. 

Reviewed by James Bilderbeck

Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Publication date: 9/23/2014
Pages: 288

Review: Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

Summary 

Lottie just knows that her boyfriend is going to propose, but then his big question involves a trip abroad—not a trip down the aisle. Completely crushed, Lottie reconnects with an old flame, and they decide to take drastic action. No dates, no moving in together, they’ll just get married . . . right now. Her sister, Fliss, thinks Lottie is making a terrible mistake, and will do anything to stop her. But Lottie is determined to say “I do,” for better, or for worse. 

Review 

This book reminds me just how much I can’t stand family sometimes. Making plans with your boyfriend, that you had organized months ago, only to have to cancel because your mother decides to have quality family time (i.e. movie night). Or never being able to enjoy Labor Day because it’s mandatory you go to the family reunion. That’s right, mandatory. Of course there are ways I’m sure I annoy my family. Over dramatizing a break up or putting emphasis on my reading over that movie night. But in the end, it’s everyone’s happiness that matters. And nothing could be further from the truth with Fliss and Lottie. Except one problem, Fliss is trying to stop Lottie from consummating her marriage. 

That’s right, you read that correctly. Fliss is trying to stop her younger, yet adult thirty-three year old sister from making an “unfortunate choice,” which would leave her with nothing but pain and suffering. Now you can see my frustration with family. However, Fliss’ heart is in the right place and she only wants what’s best for her sister. No matter how old your loved ones get, you still want to take care of them. They are family after all. 

But our story doesn’t begin with sibling sabotage. It begins with a proposal that never came. Lottie is thinking Richard, her boyfriend of three years, is going to ask her to marry him. Despite the fact that she bought a ring, she knows Richard is going to propose. However, instead, he asks her for her opinion on what to do with his frequent flyer miles.

Fed up, Lottie storms off and decides it’s time to earn another degree. Just something to distract her from the heartache she is currently. Then she gets a call from an old flame named Ben and Lottie is thinking this could also be a distraction she needs. At least it wouldn’t hurt to hear what Ben has to say. 

What Ben has to say is, “Lottie, will you marry me?”  Not exactly that verbatim but you get the gist. Thrilled, Lottie agrees and off they go get married. But Lottie being Lottie, makes the mistake of telling her over-protective, know-it-all sister and Fliss takes it upon herself to stop this wedding at all cost. 

Well it would appear that her costs weren’t as effective as Fliss hoped. Lottie is married to Ben and they are off to the Ikonos Island in Greece. However, Fliss is sending commands to the hotel concierge to stop Lottie and Ben’s wedding night no matter what. And so far it is working. Lottie and Ben’s room has two single beds, instead of a giant double; they are bombarded with compliments of the management; and two butlers they will never give them an ounce of privacy. Lottie can technically get an annulment from Ben, and leave this “unfortunate choice” behind and never be none the wiser that Fliss was involved. It’s brilliant. 

Still, Fliss isn’t taking any changes and is booking a flight to Ikonos as Lottie’s honeymoon falls to pieces, when suddenly Richard returns, confessing his undying love to Lottie. Fliss is moved and considers telling Richard, having him tag along, in hopes that he can talk some sense into Lottie. Deep down Fliss knows Lottie’s marriage was a knee jerk reaction to Richard not proposing. And clearly Richard loves her. If only Lottie could see, then maybe she can get her happy ending. Hopefully, Fliss can get there in time and Lottie and Ben haven’t consummated their marriage. Hopefully, Lottie will still want Richard, consummation or not. 

Wedding Night is more so about family than actual marriage. Because isn’t marriage like choosing who you’ll want to be in your family the rest of your life. Unfortunately or sometimes fortunately, your pre-existing family will have a say in who you decide to make the newest addition. But as I have stated before, family loves you and only wants what’s best for you and for you to be happy. However, Wedding Night is also about learning to let go and allowing your loved ones to lead their own lives. Even if that means watching them make “unfortunate choices.” And learning that all you can do is be there when they fall and pick your loved ones back up again. Yet I would say most importantly, Wedding Night is about just plain not marrying someone because you feel broken hearted. Allow your heart to be broken and mend before you make any life altering decisions. If you learn nothing else from this book, please take that piece of advice with you. 

Reviewed by Camia Rhodes

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Publication date: 5/13/2014
Pages: 464

Review: Fried & True: More than 50 Recipes for America's Best Fried Chicken and Sides by Lee Brian Schrager & Adeena Sussman

Summary

Whether you prefer it cold out of the fridge or hot and crispy on a buttery biscuit, you will find your new favorite fried chicken recipe in Fried & True, serving up more than 50 recipes for America’s most decadently delicious food.

Lee Schrager has left no stone unturned in his quest to find America’s best fried chicken. From four-star restaurants to roadside fry shacks, you’ll learn how to brine your bird, give it a buttermilk bath, batter or even double batter it, season with loads of spices, and fry it up to golden perfection. Recipes to savor include:

—Hattie B’s Hot Chicken
—Yotam Ottolenghi’s Seeded Chicken Schnitzel with Parsley-Caper Mayonnaise
—Marcus Samuelsson’s Coconut Fried Chicken with Collards and Gravy
—Jacques-Imo’s Fried Chicken and Smothered Cabbage
—The Loveless Café’s Fried Chicken and Hash Brown Casserole
—Blackberry Farm’s Sweet Tea–Brined Fried Chicken
—Charles Phan’s Hard Water Fried Chicken
—Thomas Keller’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken
—Wylie Dufresne’s Popeyes-Style Chicken Tenders and Biscuits

Sink your teeth into Fried & True, the source of your next great fried chicken masterpiece and a tribute to America’s most beloved culinary treasure.

Review

When I first heard about this book, my mouth started to water. Just knowing a book dedicated to fried chicken recipes just makes the palate jump up and down, salivating over every page. Being the lover of a good fried chicken, I just knew that when the time comes for those purly gates, this would be one of the books that I can take with me. Considering myself a connoisseur of fried chicken, in those days of giving myself food poisoning and trying to perfect the perfect consistency, where was this book when I needed it?

Fried & True is more than just a book dedicated to recipes of fried chicken. Through its beautiful photographs and stories that embrace the recipes, there is a nostalgia past and present that radiates the pages. The love of one of this country’s most beloved staples, really shines through from the history to the pictures of the people that speak a thousand words as they bring their ingredients from their hearts to their plates.

From fine dining to the road side dives, this book shares not only chicken recipes but delicious sides that can accompany holding its own. It brings education including Fried Chicken 101, tips for preparation and organization, tools, what oils & fats to use, cutting and even how to choose. Once you dive into this book, you will never look at fried chicken the same. If you love cooking fried chicken, than this is a must to add to your collection.

Reviewed by Michelle Bowles

Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Publication date: 5/20/2014
Pages: 256

Review: The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

Book Summary

Chava is a Golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a strange man who dabbles in Kabbalistic magic. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop.

Struggling to make their way in 1899 New York, the Golem and the Jinni try to fit in with their immigrant neighbors while masking their true selves. Meeting by chance, they become unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures, until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds. But a powerful menace will soon bring the Golem and the Jinni together again, threatening their existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice.

Marvelous and compulsively readable, "The Golem and the Jinni" weaves strands of folk mytholog, historical fiction, and magical fable into a wondrously inventive and unforgettable tale. 

Review

Helene Wecker's debut novel "The Golem and the Jinni" reads like a half-remembered dream, winding through the surreal with an ease and familiarity that startles and suspends. While the focus of the many intertwining plots remains steadily focused on the fantastic and mythological, Wecker's attention to historical and architectural details keeps the reader firmly rooted in a deceptive sense of confirmed truth. 

Although the first half of the novel proves slow and steady as it sets the stage for the collision of worlds, once the Golem and the Jinni meet, as promised by the book jacket, their conversations and arguments as they stroll through the streets of Old New York propel the plot forward. It is the blending of opposite opinions and natures inherent in their friendship that made the story compelling to me, despite the abundance of amoral sorcerers and long-forgotten secrets. 

But like most great and lasting mythological stories, "The Golem and the Jinni" acts as an allegory for the way we live now, reducing complicated realities to their barest, most accessible bones. In this case, the different natures of the Golem and the Jinni very clearly align with and comment on the allotted gender roles of both men and women. The Golem, a creature made of clay and bound to serve a master, is created as a made-to-order wife whose master/husband perishes on the way to America. Freed from that bond, the Golem immediately begins to hear the thoughts and desires of everyone on board the ship. Overwhelmed by the need to please others , the Golem fights against an ingrained belief that she exists simply to serve and fulfill the desires of those around her. On the other hand, the Jinni reveals in his freedom to wander the city at night, confidently driven by his own needs and carelessly clueless about the consequences of his actions. But he, in his own way, remains trapped by what he continually asserts as he asserts, like the Golem, that he cannot change his nature. When read in this light, the novel becomes a parable about navigating cultural and personal expectations in order to maintain a sense of free will and individuality. It frequently demands an answer to the question, do we posses free will or are our actions predetermined by who we are, and the conclusions it reaches provide hopeful and humorous replies. 

Reviewed by Miranda Wojciechowski

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date: 12/31/2013
Series: P.S.
Pages: 512