Black and Blue - Anna Quindlen

October is apparently Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I was unaware, but I'm glad I did read this book and the light it shines on issues of domestic violence. I think Anna Quindlen used a soft hand in presenting Fran Benedetto and the issue of domestic violence in that she never appears to judge Fran or her reasons for staying. She details Fran's decision to stay with her abusive husband in numerous ways letting the conclusions fall where they may. And it presents a pretty bleak picture of the options for women in that situation.

When I was younger and thought myself much smarter, I would have been one to ask why a woman would stay with an abusive husband. Now that I'm older and have children of my own, I can see what would leave a woman feeling she had no options. And I appreciate Quindlen's slow evolution of those facts over the life of the novel.

Once Fran and her son, Robert are safely aware from Bobby and living in Florida under assumed names, the narrative started to drag a little but there was always a sinister undercurrent of when would Bobby catch up with them, because I never had any doubt this would occur. But what made the novel fall a little flat for me was the ending and how it seemed to all happen due to some decisions made by Fran which she felt were empowering, but really led to placing herself and her son in danger. Would Bobby ever hurt Robert - no I don't think so. But would Bobby's influence over Robert be equally destructive? Yes.

Additionally, I know I'm not supposed to feel sympathy for the abuser, and I do not, but he's painted as a clear psychopath in the book despite a supposed evolution into violence over time.

A chilling read that really delves into the nuances of domestic violence and its aftermath, Black and Blue was a well written, if somewhat flat story.

3/5 Stars. 

Warriors of the Storm - Bernard Cornwell

I remain constantly entertained by Uhtred and his references to goats droppings, turds and all things Danish insults. By now I've figured out Cornwell's formula for these books:
1) Uhtred is involved in a minor skirmish
2) Based on the skirmish he perceives a greater threat to Wessex/Mercia than the West Saxons/Mercians
3) He argues his point to the West Saxon/Mercian leaders who are too influenced by priests insisting they "Pray the Danes Away" that Uhtred goes a little rogue
4) Talk talk talk, strategy strategy strategy
5) Big battle, lots of insults, references to shield walls etc
6) Victory and begrudging respect from those in #3
7) Hint of big bad guy for next book

And listen, I'm reading the ninth (ninth!!!) book in this series because the formula works. It's comforting, and, even at 50, Uhtred is a babe (in my mind - he likely has no teeth and is scarred from acquiring syphilis). But I digress.

In Warriors of the Storm, Mercia has a new threat from the Norse, who, finding the Celts inhospitable in Ireland, have decided to try their hand at Mercia. Why should they succeed where others have failed? Well, they can't because we know who was king after Edward and that would seriously mess with history. So in the meantime, Uhtred has to save everyone, and he's the best at it.

I always like when people underestimate Uhtred. That Aethelflaed does it here was a nice change as she's always been mostly on his side (when she's not in his bed - get it girl!). Anyway, Uhtred wins and the bad guy in vanquished, and there is some smart state craft done by the guy everyone assumes is only as good as his sword arm. 

4/5 Stars. 

The Wise Man's Fear - Patrick Rothfuss

This book took me just over a month to read. Logistically, big books that aren't on a Kindle are hard to lug around sometimes. I made a lot of things in my purse become non-essential just to fit this 1,000 page behemoth into my bag. But alas, it was worth it.

I've really enjoyed the first two Kingkiller Chronicle's so far. Based on the blurb on the first book about Kvothe I know there is a lot more story to tell. I'm thankful that The Wise Man's Fear helped push the story along. I thought it dragged a bit at the beginning and I was worried I was about to spend another 1,000 pages of Kvothe's time at the University and his somewhat petty squabble with Ambrose. But thankfully, Kvothe decided to take a well earned sabbatical from the University to attempt to engage a patron.

He ends up stepping in it quite a bit, which is his usual, but we learn a little more about the Chandrian or The Seven as their called in Ademre, a taciturn warrior community of people who are known for their sword craft and mercenary skill. He also takes us to Severen where he falls into the service of the Maer, a rich noble with little restraint on his power. And, of course, we get to me Felurian, who's beauty has bewitched men unto death. But not Kvothe of course. It's always interesting to see how he will get out of things, but he always does, because he's very good at very many things. Which, can kind of get old sometimes, but then he usually makes a mistake and you realize he is very young and very foolish, despite his abilities.

I fear Rothfuss may be falling into the trap of being in love with his world to the extent that the books grow to an ungainly size and need to be split up and then the writing takes forever. But just as I know I'll wait as long as it takes to read Winds of Winter, I'm all in on the third book in this series. Whenever it gets around to being published.

4/5 Stars. 

Beautiful on the Outside - Adam Rippon

Adam Rippon is a national treasure who must be protected and celebrated.

Lighthearted, witty and exceedingly fun, in Beautiful on the Outside, Rippon uses his trademark humor to tell the story of his introduction to skating and the trials and sacrifices made by his family to turn him into an Olympic medalist.

In the book he answers some questions, such as why did I see his sweet mug EVERYWHERE during the Olympics (he didn't say no to any media requests) and what he tells his Tinder dates (advertising). In any case, Adam pushed himself hard and strove for success. Underneath all the cheekiness, he's actually a very driven athlete who just happens to have a killer smile. When he was broke and eating free gym apples, Adam made a choice to keep pursuing skating and became an elite athlete on his own terms. This included coming out as homosexual when he decided he was ready and it helped propel him to live authentically and as his best self for the Olympic Games.

I stayed up late last night watching his Dancing with the Stars Routines and he has such a beautiful grace in his movements. I'm glad he's saying yes to so many amazing opportunities because I love his sense of humor and the way he seems to never have met a stranger. If you've read the book, you'll understand how much I laughed during one DWTS exchange he had with the judges in which the guest judge asked him about this amazing red and black suit he wore for a number, and Adam quipped back that he took the suit from the Judge's dressing room before the show.

I'm so happy Hachette Books picked me to send this lovely book to.

4/5 Stars. 

A Woman is No Man - Etaf Rum

This book.

Cycles and cycles of cultural violence. Generational violence.

From Fareeda, to Isra, to Deya. What does it take to break a cycle? What does it mean to break a cycle?

And so many things are broken in this novel. Hearts and bodies and minds.

Etaf Rum absolutely slays in A Woman is No Man. She gives voice to the stifling and suffocating effect of generational and cultural expectations.

Told through varying points of view first from Isra, then her daughter Deya and finally from Deya's paternal grandmother Fareeda, we see how an original violence experienced by Fareeda, expelled from her home and homeland in Palestine, learns to live under the harshest of conditions. Tragedy leads her to dig into the cultural belief that daughters are a burden and sons are to be celebrated.

In devaluing the worth of daughters and women, Fareeda sets the conditions for her son Adam to be brutally cruel to his new wife, Isra. When Isra and Adam are dead, Deya must grow up under Fareeda's rule, constantly being reminded that as a girl, she has little worth.

This book is about Deya finding her voice and reclaiming her worth. The cost is heavy to break the cycle of violence in her family. But if not Deya, then who? Deya's struggle comes from someone within the culture (not from a whiteness-centered point of view), straining against the restraints of expectation. Underneath is an abiding love which causes her to consider all the ramifications of seeking her own path.

A Woman is No Man leaves a lot of questions unanswered - gives characters grace they may not deserve, but is up to the reader to decide to what extent it is given. It is perfectly drawn and perfectly imprecise. A real heartbreaker of a book.

4/5 Stars.

Sometimes I Lie - Alice Feeney

Some parts of Sometimes I Lie I really enjoyed, and other parts fell very flat for me. It's a good sign that I was relatively certain through the first quarter of the book that Amber had multiple personality disorder or schizophrenia, but alas, Claire turned out to be a real person. (I was right about Jo though).

Anyway, this thing turns a bit at different spots and I don't want to say too much except to say that reading from the perspective of someone in a coma felt a bit contrived, but necessary for the structure that was set up and this was the element I liked least of all.

I'm fine with untrustworthy narrators, and as those things go, Amber was very very untrustworthy. But that makes the reading fun, but also sometimes confusing. It took a while to figure out who was doing what and why. I was even pretty pleased with Madeline Frost's comeuppance until it got real dark.

People who are really into these "psychological thrillers" will probably enjoy this book more than I did. But it was entertaining and kept me guessing quite a bit, even if the end didn't really make sense and mucked things up.

3.5/5 Stars. 

The Lying Game - Ruth Ware

There are five rules in the Lying Game:

1: Tell a Lie - looks like there is a big lie lurking at the center of this book. Like every Ware novel, this secret is teased out over the course of backflashes as we learn how the four main characters, Isa, Thea, Kate and Fatima get to know each other at an English boarding school in the town of Salten where they make up this silly game which makes everyone hate them.

2: Stick to Your Story - they're pretty good at this one since it's 17 years later and only a dog and the unstoppable reach of water has uncovered the secret they thought they buried in the marsh.

3: Don't Get Caught - Pretty clear someone is going to get caught here so when Kate sends a text simply saying "I need You", the other three drop everything to be at their side. Their cover story of attending a reunion at a school that Fatima and Isa attended for less than a year and never graduated from is just weird, but I chalked this up to never having attended boarding school myself.

4: Never Lie to Each Other - whoops, well what do you expect for rules set down by 15 year olds who haven't spoken to each other in years but somehow remain the best of friends. This rule gets broken a lot, and mostly within the first few chapters.

5: Know When to Stop Lying - this rule had me yelling at my dashboard listening to the audio. A lot of things could have been cleared up if the characters had stopped lying to each other (see Rule 4), partway through the book.

Other points:
- Ware knows how to draw up a spooky scene. Kate is still living in the ramshackle tide mill her father owned during their school years. It's falling apart and slowly sinking into the sea. But Kate, who has become an artist like her father, has refused to leave and has lived a life near the poverty line as a result.

ruthware.com Setting for the Lying Game

- The men in this book take a backseat to the female characters, but they are the biggest proponents of plot. Kate's father Ambrose draws pictures of the girls. Kate's brother Luc is the subject of Isa's teenage crush and when he shows up partway through the book, yells at Isa, who is holding a baby and seems sinister until, poof, off goes his shirt and all is forgiven. (Yeah I REALLY didn't understand what was happening here). And then there is Owen, Isa's partner who seems like a pretty decent guy, until Isa starts yelling at him and lying to him about... whatever, it's not important and she easily could have smoothed things over with him at any point in the book.
- All this baby does is breastfeed and nap. And Isa is obsessed with the baby until, whoops, (view spoiler)
- And (view spoiler)

So this book ended up a little uneven for me. But it was MUCH better than Woman in Cabin 10. Isa is a stronger character and is a good narrator even if she is a little slow-witted sometimes. And the big reveal of the secret is perplexing because the choices were sort of idiotic. But not a bad read and I liked the narration by Imogene Church.

3/5 Stars.