Review: Cul de Sac by Scott Wrobel

Bottom line: Great read for those looking for realistic characters, warts and all.

Scott Wrobel's debut is a series of short stories about men linked by a common thread: not just the fact they live in the same cul de sac, but also their struggles with depression and unfortunate life events.

These stories are character-driven and show the sometimes harsh realities that men commonly deal with. Also, this is definitely a book for adults--it concerns adults in adult situations.

Likes:
* The characters feel like real men: those struggling with identity in a world that's rarely fair. Wrobel pulls no punches in showing us these men's dark sides.
* Each story is the perfect length for a bedtime read.

Things that may concern some readers:
* These stories are a study in character. Many of the stories are left unresolved, which allows the reader to make his or her own conclusions.
* The stories sometimes include sexual deviancy--the most vivid of which involves a jar of mayonnaise.
* The characters aren't shining heroes. In fact they're mostly the opposite--the dark side of life.

I look forward to seeing Scott's next literary work(hopefully soon!)

Purchase link:

Review: Sky's Bridal Train by Margo Hansen

Bottom line:

Enjoyable Christian romance with plenty of mystery, suspense, and historical flair.

Premise:

A lovely young woman travels across frontier America in search of her twin.  However, she is pursued by a man who wants to marry her against her will. Can she evade her pursuer, find her twin, and discover true love?

Likes:

o Several plot twists that kept me guessing.
o Just enough history to be educational and rooted me in the setting.
o Pleasantly surprised by the elements of mystery and suspense in this romance.
o Short chapters that made this book easy to read at night.
o Cliffhanger endings at many of the chapter ends that made me wonder what would happen next (and admittedly often made me read an additional chapter at night).

Dislikes:

o Personally, I would have liked additional details from a historical fiction perspective, but this book is primarily a romance, and the author stayed true to that.
o Strong promotion of Christianity starting about midway through the book.  I'd found this at a book fair and had mistaken it for a historical fiction novel (though it's clearly marked as a Christian novel on Amazon).  In a few places, I felt like it crossed the line of preaching to the reader, but lovers of Christian fiction will likely see this as a strength.  That said, the sections where this occurred were limited and seemed to remain mostly true to the time period and location.

Would recommend to:

I'd recommend this book to Christian audiences who enjoy romances, mysteries, and historical fiction. 

Full disclosure:  How did I obtain this book?

Review copy provided by author in exchange for honest review.


Purchase link:

Review: Spyder by David Fingerman

Bottom line:

This book is hard to classify, but tantalizingly good.  Great read for mature readers--describes sex scenes, drug usage, and violence.

Premise:

A streetwise thug named Spyder struggles to overcome his drug addiction, while the world around him keeps trying to drag him back in. 

Likes:

o Lots of plot twists that keep you guessing throughout the story
o As a drug addict, Spyder's an unlikely protagonist.  I found myself sympathizing with him because he took a hard view on all other addicts--thinking they were weaker/whinier than him.  Spyder had an outlook on life that I could respect, even as I disagreed with his choices.
o Eye-opening revelation for me on the difficulty of breaking out of the addiction cycle.  Excellent consideration on how hard it is to change one's base character.
o Spyder grows throughout the story, but also suffers relapses as events trigger instinctive reactions.
o Spyder's voice remains true to the character throughout the story.  There was definitely a feeling of "here's the way I am, whether you like it or not" that made me respect and enjoy the character.

Dislikes:

o Very few. I disagreed with some of Spyder's decisions, but that's because those weren't the choices *I* would make--it was my own bias that got in the way.  For his character, they were justifiable, even when the decisions led him to dangerous consequences.  And that part I liked: his bad decisions had realistic consequences for him.

I'd recommend this book to mature audiences who enjoy suspense, plot twists, dark humor, and unlikely heroes.

Full disclosure: How did I obtain this book?

Purchased myself

Purchase link

Sheila DeChantal - Book Reviewer

I’ve often wondered how book reviewers select what they review, if they’re bombarded with requests, and how they deal with books that don't satisfy.

Sheila DeChantal is a book reviewer from Brainerd, MN, and hosts One Persons Journey Through A World Of Books. The blog site not only features reviews, it offers an author chat, giveaways, awards, guests, kids books and more.

Join Sheila as she tells us about her journey:



I started reviewing for my own enjoyment as an online journal. In June 2009, I discovered blogging for publishers and authors and my blog took off from five visits a day to its current 460+ unique visitors a day. I love to read and I love to talk books and I’ve met so many wonderful people talking about what I love. Book reviewing really feeds my love to write and read. I never dreamed how much I would enjoy doing this.


Ups and downs of reviewing:
I love to talk books and when I love a book it shows in my review. I think a good book review consists of letting you know how a book made the reviewer feel. When the book is described well, and sounds enjoyable, others join in this enthusiasm and want to read it too. I love it when a book I review becomes a "must have" for my readers. The flip side of this is books that really don’t hit home for me. I know the author has put their heart into the book and just because I didn't like it, doesn’t mean others will agree. Yet, as a blogger, my integrity toward my readers is very important and I have to be honest. When a book wasn’t a good fit for me, this is the hard part of reviewing. I want to write an honest review and at the same time be respectful.

Selecting books to review:
I try to be careful on the books I accept for review. When I first started, it was exciting to be offered a book to review, but I learned quickly that I need to be selective. I have turned many books down due to content I know I would not enjoy or time constraints. My review policy on my blog helps to deter some of the requests that would not be a fit for me or my blog. It’s not an exact science, but I rarely receive a book that I do not enjoy. In the rare case I can’t get through a book, I email them to let them know why and that I will not be posting a review.

Quantity of review requests:
Review requests are an amazing thing. Currently I receive about 6 a week from authors and occasionally a publisher. This week was a little busier. When it comes to turning books down, I need to be selective, and yes, it’s hard to decline when it’s a new author and they are excited about their book. If it’s a book I don't think I will have time to read, or isn't a good fit, I try to connect them with other appropriate reviewers. I also have several publishing groups I work with and I let them know which books I want to review.

A truly memorable read:
Ahhhh...great characters! In fiction, if the character is someone I wish I could hang out with or have coffee, that is a great character. There are books that stick with me for years because of the characters. In non-fiction, it is the people. I read a lot of books on homeless children or countries that are extremely poor. When I read Jantsen's Gift in 2009, author Pam Cope spoke of a young boy who was a slave on the river. When they were taking children for a chance for a better life, he was not chosen. She described his eyes as their boat disappeared around the corner, and to this day, I can picture that boy’s eyes, that look of utter despair.

Favorites:
I read so many books it’s hard to have favorites. I can tell you that in 2009 discovering Michelle Moran's books, Cleopatra's Daughter, Nerfetti, and The Heretic Queen, was wonderful. I recently reviewed Michelle at One Persons Journey Through A World Of Books. The Help by Kathryn Stockett was also incredible, as was Dragon House by John Shors... but that is just one year! Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins blew me away. An all time favorite series comes from 2001, The Three Sisters Trilogy by Nora Roberts. Normally I am not a Roberts fan, but these books are different. I read that set about every three years. I love books with strong, independent, women characters. I also have fun conversing with my readers. Because I respond to most comments on my posts, my readers know me well and it’s like chatting with a friend. There are times when comments are so funny I have actually spit coffee on my keyboard.

BIOGRAPHY
I am a forty-two year old Minnesotan born and raised. I have two sons, a nineteen-year old in college and a twenty-two year old in the Navy. I enjoy riding bike and participate in six bike tours a year. Last year I did my first 150 mile bike ride, two days from Blaine, Minnesota to Duluth. It was a blast! I love adventures, exploring, rollerblading, and working out.

I’ve been to Honduras eight times, my last time was in November of 2009. I go with a group of friends and we work with children who live on the streets or who live in the dump.


My husband and I own our own company, DeChantal Excavating, and I help with paper work. I also work twenty hours a week as the Office Manager for The Journey North Community Church.

I volunteer locally for the Homeless Program in our area (IHN), and am a member of the Mid Minnesota Builders Association. Prior to that, I worked as a manager for Wal-Mart for fourteen years before I left to help with our business. I like to stay busy. My husband and I enjoy breaks of spending time at our cabin in Finland, Minnesota.

Holiday Gift Giving

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

As you scurry through the store trying to find those ideal gifts for your loved ones, don’t forget the gift of words. Whether it’s a mystery, a cook book, poetry, a financial guide, history, children’s book, inspirational, travel, or folk lure, a book never goes out of style. Every turn of a page brings adventure.

I want to thank all the creative folks who participated in my Reading Minnesota Blog during 2009. Authors, illustrators, reviewers, bookstore owners, publishers, and editors—what a tremendous pool of talent!

I also want to thank those who dropped by to read the features and leave comments. I hope you enjoyed them. Maybe you found a new bookstore to visit, added an author or illustrator’s work to your list of books read, enjoyed the explanation of what editors and reviewers face on a weekly basis, or were as amazed as I was at the publishing enterprise in Minnesota.

What will 2010 bring to Reading Minnesota? I bet you’ll find new talent, new locations, and I know you’ll revisit old friends as they produce new works.

Have a joyous holiday season.

Beth Solheim
Reading Minnesota