Giveaway: The Novel Cure

I don't have to tell book lovers that reading is often the best medicine for the body and soul. Getting lost between the pages of a good book can at least temporarily soothe a broken heart, distract from the throbs of a toothache, or stave off the urge to transgress. The writers behind The Novel Cure, Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin, capitalize on just that.

Grieving the death of a loved one? Try Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer or Here is Where We Meet by John Berger. Have a speech impediment? Read Black Swan Green by David Mitchell. Experiencing some generic turmoil? Home by Marilyn Robinson. Plagued with an episode of vanity? Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray is for you. Are you in a cult? Philip Roth's American Pastoral will help you out. Do you feel like an idiot? You guessed it- Fydor Dostoyevsky's The Idiot should be added to your list. Besides 751 book "prescriptions," there are also several lists that will help when you are "locked out," needing "audiobooks for road rage," or "trying to turn your partner onto fiction." There are also dedicated sections for reading ailments, including having too many books, losing those you lend out, and not being able to finish what you start. 

The book perfectly mixes the serious (miscarriage, cancer, death, unemployment) with the humorous (being too short, hemorrhoids, not having enough sex/having too much sex). There are also some great tongue-in-cheek jabs ("homophobia" is a in need of cure, and if you find being a traffic cop something that ails you then you can see also "nobody likes you"). Whether you sit down and read it front to back, use it for reference, or give it as a gift this book is perfect for book lovers. And if anything, it will most definitely increase the size of your book wish list. 

The nice folks at Penguin provided me with a copy and are also willing to send one lucky US resident (sorry!) a book of their own. I don't usually do giveaways, but I really love this book... and they're willing to do the mailing (I hate the post office, what can I say?). To enter this giveaway leave a comment below describing a book that you think can cure a particular ailment (or just tell me what you're reading right now if you can't think of anything). I'll pick a winner at random next Wednesday, so watch out. Good kharma points if you tweet the link or mention it in your post. Thanks for playing!

 

"Sponsored" Review- Me Before You

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes is another book Penguin sent me to review this month, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The prologue, a whole four pages, originally really turned me off. The story seemed shallow, the dialogue lame, and the genre bordering on chic-lit. Fortunately, I was wrong- this sort of start was purposefully done to serve as a sort of contrast to the remaining 365 pages. Me Before You is an atypical love story that also delves into the controversial world of suicide and disabilities.

Louisa Clark loses her job at a cafe and ends up being placed through England's equivalent to unemployment as a caregiver for a wealthy quadriplegic named Will Traynor. Understandably, he's angry with the world and misses his old adventurous lifestyle and successful career. Louisa, desperate for money, agrees to a six month contract, meanwhile living with her family and existing in a pretty mundane relationship with her triathlete boyfriend, Patrick. Louisa accidentally learns that Will has planned to go to Dignitas, a facility in Switzerland that helps ill people kill themselves painlessly. Louisa decides to make it her mission, with the help of Nathan, who is Will's medical assistant, to show Will that life is in fact worth living for. 

There are plenty of things to like about this book. Louisa's character is endearing, as is Will's, Nathan's, and even Louisa's parents. As a reader I wanted these characters to be happy and to find ways to overcome their obstacles. I also thought the relationships between the characters were well-done, particularly between Louisa and her younger sister Treena. They'd fight one day and then a few days later be at the pub drinking again. The book deals with some really heavy issues, but with humor and often with glimpses of happiness. The setting of a quaint little castle town is also appealing, as is the vacation they take to Mauritius (which, by the way, looks amazing). The "love story" aspect of the book didn't turn into an over-the-top romance gag fest, which I of course appreciated. The story was paced well and I never had that "when is it going to end?" feeling.

Not to say that the book was perfect. I thought the end was incredibly predictable, which was a little disappointing. The writing itself wasn't amazing, but it was nowhere near poor or generic, either. I also thought using the boyfriend, Patrick, as a foil for Will was a bit too obvious for my liking.

I can definitely recommend Me Before You, and I think it's the type of book that would appeal to a variety of readers. It's not a horribly challenging book, but it will make you think about your views on assisted suicide, and love and life in general. 

"Sponsored" Review- The Darlings

If you've been a reader for long you know that I don't do typical book blog reviews i.e. a post per book (instead I generally do a monthly round up). Well, the kind folks at Penguin sent me The Darlings by Cristina Alger, so I figured I owed them more than the usual tiny snippet. Bottom line- the only time this will actually happen is when someone fancy sends me something. Despite the "corporate connection" I will, as always, be absolutely honest.

Alrighty then. 

The Darlings, Cristina Alger's first novel, is about the downfall of the elite Manhattan Darling family during the market disaster of 2008. The story is apparently going to become a show on Bravo at some point, too. Here's what I liked... and what I didn't:

Bullish:

- If you like the stock market, financial scandals, or were interested in Bernie Madoff then you'll appreciate the economic foundation that this book is built on. It is obvious that Alger is knowledgeable in this area- she gets a bit technical at times (see below). Alger is a graduate of Harvard and NYU- the girl knows her shit.

- Reading about the horrors of the Dow plummeting and people losing everything actually made me feel better about our current economy. Things used to be much, much worse and sometimes a little bit of perspective on how we've progressed is refreshing.

- Sometimes it can be fun to read about the extremely wealthy- the clothes, the galas, the connections. Algers isn't subtle in her description of the Darlings and their friends- they are filthy stinking rich. But beneath these lavish lifestyles lays the universal truth that "money can't buy happiness." At the end of the day your money won't save you, and it can be lost much, much more quickly than it was made.

- There are some  interesting characters, that I actually wished I had gotten to know more about. For example, the protagonist Paul, a man who finds himself unknowingly involved in the family scandal due to the job he took with his father-in-law, Carter Darling. Paul's wife, Merrill, Carter himself, and his wife Ines, end up beating the quite large pack of characters Algers includes.

- The plot itself is intriguing- it reads fast and the suspense will keep you moving, despite the flaws. Algers brings the reader into a world and makes them privy to information that even those involved with the scandal aren't aware of.

- Setting the novel during Thanksgiving weekend was a pretty genius idea; the markets are closed, people are out of reach, and press' reaction over news stories can be delayed. This time of the year is also quintessentially family-driven, a critical component to Alger's story. The family is brought together, but they are also driven apart.

Bearish:

- There are way too many similes and metaphors- a gross reliance on them, in fact. I started counting in the beginning but gave up. 

- At times I felt that Algers was trying to do too much in terms of her characters. There were too many of them; I would have much preferred her to focus on about half as many but do it better, with more depth. I understand that she was trying to create depth and backstory, but the section on Lily and Adrian (Carter's other daughter) were unnecessary, as were a few of the other characters. Do less, and do less better.

- I can absolutely see the financial aspects turning people away from this book. I consider myself to have a slightly above average understanding of the market and what happened on Wall Street during the beginning of the recession, but even I at times was a little confused.

- The ending should not have included the epilogue. Alger needed to trust her reader to come to conclusions on their own. 

All in all, I found this an entertaining read. I think that it was a bit rough around the edges, something that can be attributed to Alger's greenness. I think she does have potential, though, and she offers something that isn't commonly seen in young, attractive women writers- she's actually knowledgeable about something other than dating, makeup, and working as an assistant. We'll see what she comes up with next.