Twelve holiday themed stories written by some of the most popular young adult writers out there right now (I assume, as I don't read any of their stuff) sounds like a perfect easy, cosy holiday read. This book has been on my radar for a while, not least because of its fantastically designed cover. Like... look at that magnificent festive treat of an illustration!

And now, thanks to my discovery of Book Depository, I actually have a physical book and I get to read it and stop feeling jealous of all those bookstagrams that post pretty photos of all the holiday (and other, regular). And since the stories contained herein include all the winter holidays,  I felt as if I could slot it in between Christmas and New Year's Eve. Alas, let us move on.

1. Midnights | Rainbow Rowell

"There's always room for you with me, on every coffee table."

Mags and Noell have been the best of friends since New Year's Eve 2011. Every midnight on December 31st since has had meaning for them. This story is told in short snippets and covers four New Year's Eve parties and all that goes along with them when you add in teenagers.

2. The Lady and the Fox | Kelly Link

"At Honeywell Hall, she is only as real as Elspeth and Daniel allow her to be."

Miranda is almost an orphan. Her mom is in a Phuket jail and she lives with aunt that just tolerates her. Her mom's ex boss takes pity on her and invites her to spend holidays with them - the perfect, mysterious Honeywells. This is a strange one as it reads like a fairytale and a supernatural twist is included. It reminds me strongly of The Snow Queen.

3. Angels in the Snow | Matt de la Pena

"This was where music had always existed for me. Inside a dark bathroom. Alone."

Shy Espinoza is a boy from the wrong side of the tracks who ends up getting a scholarship to NYU. Still, as money is tight he cannot go home and instead spends Christmas cat-sitting for his boss. The only issue is - the fridge is left almost empty and he has no money. While slowly strumming a guitar and trying not think about his twisting stomach, he meets the upstairs neighbor Haley who is forced to use his shower. The two talk, she finally feeds him and they slowly share secrets and get to know one another...

4. Polaris Is Where You'll Find Me | Jenny Han

"This year feels especially tinseled."

Natty is an Asian orphan. A human girl living on the North Pole. She was adopted by Santa when her mother left her in his sleigh one Christmas Eve. And while living in Polaris and hanging out with elves is magical, she cannot escape the fact that she doesn't fit in. Being a few feet taller than everyone around you can put a damper on any friendships. One year she goes on the trip with Santa and meets a boy in Sweden - Lars. She tells those who mock her that he's sending her letters but she's secretly crushing on Flynn. Things get a bit fuzzy when Flynn's enlisted to help her find this mysterious boy of hers.

5. It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown | Stephanie Perkins

"She loved the husky green scent of the Fraser firs and the crinkle crunch of their shavings underfoot."

Marigold and her mom live in a cramped apartment full of unpacked things. This usually doesn't bother her but when the Tree Lot Guy comes in his bafflement at their living arrangements is expected. She wasn't planning on buying a tree as her mom's a pagan and all that, but she went to the lot because of the Guy - or more accurately because of his voice. Being an animator on Youtube, Marigold is always on the hunt for people to voice her characters and this guy is perfect candidate. Now, if only she had the guts to ask him. While helping her sort out the apartment, North also helps her get her story out and returns the favor by sharing his woes as well...

6. Your Temporary Santa | David Levithan

"'The suit won't even need to be altered!', he promises. This is, of course, what I am afraid of."

Connor asks his Jewish boyfriend to play Santa so his sister would see him and not stop believing. His dad used to do it but as he isn't around anymore )not explained what happened) he is worried she might stop believing in magic. Very reluctantly, he agrees, but he feels like an impostor. He'd rather be in their house openly, holding Conn's hand, being a couple, than sneaking in and pretending to be someone else. He has a conversation with Riley as Santa, but Conn's other sister Riley who has never seemed to like him is there as well...

7. Krampuslauf  | Holly Black

"After Mom left, I wanted crystal balls with which to scrye my mother and magical chalk that could draw me a doorway to her, and a magical potion I could make her drink that would make her care about us."

Penny, Wren and Hannah are three best friends. They go to a Krampuslauf celebration to spy on Penny's boyfriend. Roth is a rich boy who goes to a private school and is cheating on both Penelope and Silke, his other, rich girlfriend. The chaotic good of the trio, Wren, decides to trap Roth by throwing a NYE party and making his so drunk he'll confess his sins. Then, there's Hannah who is a dreamer and who has been told too many times to be wary of her active imagination. She once dreamed up a boyfriend who seemed so real to her she cried when they "broke up". So, she is the one who throws the party, trying to make it look as glamorous as possible, but things don't work out quite as they'd hoped. There's a lot of whimsy in this one and I am not really fond of it, especially since t really has very little to do with Christmas.

8. What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth?  | Gayle Forman

"Not sure there is such a thing as a minor miracle."

Sophie is a Jewish girl who is in her first year of college, living in a town called Bumfucksville. She is from NYC and so the people in this pastoral college all refer to her as a "big city girl" which she hates and feels is a veiled insult. Being short on money means she cannot spend Hanukkah with her mom but has to stay behind - as the plane ticket prices drop after the holidays she has to wait. After going out on a caroling even she meets Russel - an African American guy who shares her brand of humor. They end up going to Oz where she eats amazing food and shares even more amazing banter. Despite being from different social and economic background, the two connect and feelings blossom...

9. Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus | Myra McEntire

"I hated generalizations about the South, but the Rebel Yell did make me embarrassed for my home state of Tennessee."

Vaughn Hatcher is a trouble maker. He's been wrecking havoc on his hometown ever since kindergarten but has been getting away with it. He describes himself as creative, but teaching other kids to pull pranks is not something the adults in the community appreciate. When he accidentally sets the church's storage house (and all the Christmas pageant supplies) on fire, he is forced to forgo his Christmas trip to Miami in order to help make the pageant work. When everything goes wrong with the play due to a snow storm, Vaughn decides to use his creativity to curb chaos, instead of creating it...

10. Welcome to Christmas, CA | Kiersten White

"Everyone here is miserable, and we're all just punching our time cards until we die."

Maria lives in a town called Christmas, a place that is a "consensus-designated place" more than a town, actually. Her mom Paloma runs the local diner, while her boyfriend Rick works at the baron mine. She feels stifle and miserable and cannot wait to get out. One day, her mom hires a new cook though, and Ben seems to make everything more magical. He keeps making foo that is not on the menu but that makes people happy. More and more customers come in and they actually tip the waitresses. There is also Candy, the other waitress who is in an abusive relationship with Jerry and who needs to break free. Though the spirit of Christmas, Maria realizes that Rick actually loves and is proud of her, that her mom is right there, that Christmas is not such a miserable place with miserable inhabitants after all...

11. Star of Betlehem | Ally Carter

"Now I know what real stars look like. I'm sick of imitations."

Lydia and Hulda have a chance meeting at the Chicago O'Hare Airport. Lydia is headed anywhere that is away and Hulda needs to get to New York to see her boyfriend. Since she doesn't care about where she end s up, Lydia exchanges her ticket with Hulda's and ends up in Oklahoma. A whole family is waiting for her and she realizes that Hulda was supposed to see her other boyfriend. For his part, Ethan is supportive and covers for her, but his skepticism about who she is and why she's here accounts for certain awkward situations he puts her in. She is meant to be a student from Iceland who's come to spend 5 months in the USA. Secrets are revealed, things unravel and Lydia uncovers a part of herself that she's been hiding away for a while...

12. The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer | Laini Taylor

When I was younger I thought it was a book and I was desperate to read it since I saw it read to kids in almost every Christmas-themed movie. Alas, I realized it was a poem and read i right away years ago. Still, when I saw this beautiful mini version I had to buy it - if nothing that to read to my own children cone day (if I end up having any). 

If you're even reading this today - have a very very happy Christmas Eve and enjoy the time with your family - born or adopted along the way. I hope you all enjoy the magic of the holidays.

This book was made into a Hallmark movie starring Andrew W. Walker and Meghan Ory - and of course, I've seen it. Still, I wanted to read the story as well, as I was sure there would be some differences. And there were. This story is much sweeter, and there are less characters and twists. The TV version of Dash is let off the hook a bit to easily for my tastes, and they also added some things to Ashley to make the movie more interesting, I suppose. There was more action there, but the story is sweeter in the novel. Still, it somewhat fell flat, as the movie added more banter between the two, somehow fleshed out their characters more (as much as possible in a Hallmark movie) and there was more of a festive feeling in it, as well. 

Dash Southerland is an ex military who is rushing to Seattle to get to an important job interview. Ashley Davison is a grad student who unexpectedly got some time off work and wants to surprise her widowed mother for Christmas. All these plans sound good, but they fall through when there are no free seats available so close to Christmas.

Both are frustrated and head to a car rental place but, as luck would have it, there are two of them and only one car left.  Reaching an agreement - after Ashley has a phone conversation with Dash's mom to make sure he's not a serial killer - they embark on what they think will be bring, routine journey. But, luck is not on their side.

FBI agent Wilkies has been after Ashley Davison, a terrorist who always escapes justice, for two years. Apprehending her would be the crowning glory of his career. This makes him more determined than ever to catch the criminal mastermind. He is lead to a series of twists and turns and believes Ashley to be holding Dash hostage and that she is planning ton planting a bomb on Seattle's Space Needle on New Year's Eve.

On the other side, Ash and Dash are getting closer, despite their initial disagreements. They travel though some amazing places, meet unusual people, start warming up to each other and lowering shields. Still, there is something that holds Dash back from giving in, and still Ashley cannot help being attracted to his gentlemanly and chivalrous nature. And well, he is not immune to her sweet and charming disposition, either.

But what will come of it all? Will they actually dive into the relationship? Is Ashley really a criminal who is conning Dash into helping her out? Will the FBI catch her? Read and find out...

Asta Looney is a 33-year-old single mother living in Chelsea. She is an Irish ex-pat and the reasons for her moving away are not really nice. Her 16-year-old daughter Kitty is the reason she left home, sneaked out in the night and never looked back. A teen pregnancy was too much for the small, religious Irish village too take and Asta saw no other way than to start a new life in a new place.

Having struggled for years, she has made a life for herself. Her gorgeous daughter is well-mannered and a good kid, though her recent wish to gain independence is not sitting well with her mother. She is also asking about her father more and more - questions Asta simply cannot answer. Etienne was a teen crush - not quite love - a French student who passed through and with whom Asta simply wanted  to experience sex with. She just never planned on him leaving a little souvenir behind.

She has a job as a PA now, working for Conan, an elegant, womanizing and disorganized journalist. Although Asta can see herself by his side, he isn't really showing any signs of being interested. He is also content having her as a human life-organized and doesn't do much to get her career in journalism started. That is, until a story appears that would be just perfect for her. Under a perfect storm of circumstances - her cousin Oona cannot come to see her and mentions some family problems, along with Conan giving her an opportunity to write a story about a miracle in her hometown, Asta swallows a bitter pill and goes back home with her daughter - the shameful secret that made her run away - back to Tobercree. And this trip would prove to be the hand that unravels the thread of family history.

The quaint town she left behind is still the same, only with more tourists coming round to see the miraculous weeping statue of St. Catherine. Ready to unravel the scam she is sure hides behind the miracle, Asta's plan is slowly unraveled by Father Rory - a young, handsome man that has no job being a priest, and by Jake - an Englishman who has bought and refurbished the village's Big House. He's handsome and charming, with a hint of danger that both keeps Asta away and keeps pulling her in. There are also her typical stern Irish mother, her austere sister Gerry and her husband, the local celebrity, radio-show host Martin Mayberry. Asta has never liked Martin, and at fist, you get the feeling that it's just because of his bland personality and huge ego. But past cannot stay in the past and soon the secrets and past pains are revealed, and Martin's true colors are revealed for all to see.

When it comes to her personal life, Asta's hang-ups from her first foray into love carried on far into her adulthood, preventing her from having  a meaningful relationship with a man, even though she craves partnership and closeness. She often mentions she is is messed up in her conversation with Angie, a friend and fellow single mom, but it is not clear what she means until the end of the book, when past hurts are revealed and suddenly, everything makes sense.

I picked this book up because I wanted an easy Christmassy read. Alas, this turned out to be much deeper than that and I am glad, in a way. This isn't a festive book by any means. There is romance and it does happen around Christmastime, but there is so much pain and trauma that it took me a while to get through it. That's why this post is coming a bit later than I anticipated. Still, I have enjoyed the novel, and even though there are certain chick-lit cliches here, the characters are a bit more fleshed out, more real than one would anticipate in a book of this genre. That is why I can recommend it, but beware -- it's not all gingerbread cookies and mistletoe kisses.

"Autumn is bold bursts of colour that leap from every corner of the landscape; it is golden yellow, fiery red, bright orange, and rich chocolate brown, and a faded green that reminds us of summer. [...] Autumn is the scent of wet pavements, and the perfume of damp leaves as they lie trodden on the ground. it is the season of crackling bonfires, fireworks, and harvest; [...] Autumn brings the fragrant rain; heavy, fat drop that cleanse everything that they tough. [...] Autumn is the crunch of leaves as they scatter underfoot; its the rustles, the rattles, and whispers of woodland walk, and the wind whipping through bare branches and heaped foliage. [...] it's the cacophony of rainfall on a tin she roof, the patter of streams as they form on the ground, and the gush o a woodland waterfall. [...] it's leaf piles that have been disturbed by wellington-clad feet, the squelch of mud, [...] autumn is the soft comfort pf a warm woolly hat, the feel of a scarf as it slides around your neck, ad the heat from a new pair of gloves. [...] Autumn s a time for textured treasure; run your fingers through its landscape." - Louise Baker

"There is a sorrow to September, a space left In the sky by the swifts. Plants and grasses, gold with summer's sun, are tousled now by the first of autumn's storms. Even September's songsters speak of sadness." - Nick Acheson

"It's the month of ripeness - a golden, crimson, russet moth. [] These calm golden days have brought ladders and shouting, the creaking of wheels and the thud of falling apples. " - Clare Leighton

"The October sun lit the blond tresses stirring on her forehead; and to me she was the loveliest creature God had ever made." - Brian Carter

"There is an air of fulfillment and rest in the landscape and brooding weather of October." - Adrian Bell

"The naked trees. every last leaf was stripped off in the storm. in twenty years I cannot remember such a violent undressing. (It was a north, Viking gale.)" - John Lewis-Stempel

"Thus wears the month along, in checker-d moods,

Sunshine and shadows, tempests loud, and calms,

One hour dies silent o'er the sleepy woods,

The next wakes loud with unexpected storms;

A dreary nakedness the field deforms -" - John Clare

This is the kind of book you read slowly, whenever you have the time. You can flick through as whimsy strikes you or you can follow the division into months and read it time-appropriately. I simply cannot wait to get my hands on the rest of this series.

Now, when it comes to my autumn reading - I have obviously failed it. I have read so few books it makes me tear up. When I made the list I was near the end of my nine-month internship program and was looking forward to the free time to dedicate to my favorite pastime. But I only had two free weeks before I was back. Another teacher went on leave because of a family emergency and I was asked to take over. Of course, no one turns down a salary so I went back to the classroom.

Now, I don't know how familiar you are with teaching, but it is a hard, arduous, exhausting job. You don't really have set working hours - the classes start at 7.45 and end between 11.15 and 12.05, but then, when I get home, I have more work to do. You can't just show up in front of a class and wing it - you always have to prepare, and that work is done at home. I also had some extra work to do - making spreadsheet and such for all the students, trying to memorize as many names as possible (as their teacher is not the one who mentored me, so I worked with them only on a few occasions). Plus - they are between the ages of 12 and 14. The ninth graders are a disaster and I always come home with a headache and a sore throat. Just lovely. Also, I've been working on my paper - I need it for the state exams so I can get my teaching license. All I had time for was to glance at my books longingly from time to time.

Now, I do have some Christmasy books I want to get to in December but we'll see how that goes. I'm only going to get more busy and I learned from this experience never to set goals I am pretty sure I won't be able to meet. So - I'll try to read (and post) more if nothing that to keep my sanity and let my thoughts drift away from the rascals in school.

"As a girl, she dreamed about having a silent home, just to herself, the way other women dreamed of their wedding."

(It is simply uncanny just how much I find myself in this sentence.)

"I had to prove to me I wasn't scared of nobody's eyes, not even his."

This book is actually a series of vignettes that span a short time of Esperanza's life. She is a girl of Hispanic heritage that lives in a bit of a rough neighborhood. We see her experience as a daughter, a sister, a girl, a minority and an aspiring writer. Cisneros has said that this is not an autobiographical account but that Esperanza is a part of her in a way. Esperanza ruminates on many things - her parents' hard work, her friends and school experience, the interesting neighbors, the issues that she faces just by being a girl...

"She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow."

I feel that this is a book everyone should read at least once. I don't have much in common with Esperanza but I still found myself empathizing and there were certain times I felt as if I was reading about myself. I suppose there are certain things that all girls experience in their lifetime. 

In the end, the protagonist's name means 'hope' and that, I find, is the message of this little book of snippets of a life. You have to have hope that everything will work out.

“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.”

Yes, yes, this post is late. Really, really late. When I came up with this brilliant idea of writing two blog posts a week (and thus reading at least two books in that same span of time) I imagined it to be a fair and reasonable time frame. It was a great proposition, and the fact that I'd have to post about it on the internet -- and would thus be held accountable -- meant that there would be no skimping and lazing around. You may not know, but being lazy is something I am wont to do.

Alas, the arrival of September meant that I was going to work again - as school had started - and that my time was limited. On top of it all, I was subbing another teacher the whole week, so my workload was much bigger and I was much more tired when I came back home that I usually am. So, here we are. It's Sunday, I read only one of the books allotted for this week and am writing this post at almost 5 pm. Way to keep on schedule. But, I did start reading the next book on the list today, so maybe something will come of it by Wednesday. *fingers crossed*

“When you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed.”

The boy encountered many people along the way. His path was not easy and the beginner's luck that made him excited soon ebbed away and left him alone, depending only on himself. He encountered many people and learn something from all of them. He learned the Language of the World and his soul accustomed to reading the omens in everything. He feel in love with the woman of the desert and met a famed alchemist. 

What struck me the most was that, even though he made a good life for himself on several occasions, he risked it all time and again in order to pursue his dream, and see his journey through to the end. He learned that he is a part of the Soul of the World, a part of God himself and that he resides in him - in all of us. He learned to listen to his heart, to let it bolster him but not to deter him when faced with fear: "Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself." There were so many passages that made me stop and think, that just made sense. I recognized myself and the limitations I've put on my own potential, my own life too many times. This is a book that will make you examine everything you know, that will make you re-evaluate your priorities and try to remember what your dreams truly are. I'd recommend this to everyone.

Well, my autumn reading plan is already falling to pieces. I've been reading this book during the entire week, and yet - I'm only half-way through. And I think it might be the right time to admit I may never get further than that. Oh, god, it's so boring.

The story of two elderly sisters coming back together after 47 years sounded interesting. Ginny and Vivi have been inseparable as children, but Vivi went her own way at fifteen and Ginny remained home with her parents. There are multiple passages about the house and its history, as well as the whole family's history, that moved at a glacial pace. I didn't think anything would bore me more than Anna Karenina, but here we are.

I am unsure of what to say. Having abandoned the endeavor of reading this monster, I cannot say too much about the plot because nothing really happened in the first half of the novel. What do I know? Well:

1. Ginny has a certain mental problem. It's not specified, but everyone treats her differently, and her thoughts reveal this pretty quickly. She has no feelings when people in her life are hurt, she feels like an intruder has come to her house when her sister moves back in, she may have killed her mother, and there is just an air of oddness around her. And who knows what happens by the end.

2. Her father, Clive, was a very peculiar man and was obsessed with his moths. She went on in his footsteps and apparently became quite a famous lepidopterist. Her mother, Maud, was a sociable person but started drinking when Vivi left for London. Ginny covered for her, but she became violent due to the alcohol and she soon died. Vivi blames Clive - she thinks he might have murdered her.

3. Vivi was vivacious and friendly, and she was always the one to suggest a course of action for herself and Ginny. Ginny talks about taking care of her little sister, but it seems to me as if had occurred the other way around.

4. Ginny sold almost everything from their family mansion - and this should have earned her a fortune - for pennies because she didn't want to think about it. She loved watching it all go away because it was less of a bother for her.

5. Vivi lost her womb and ovaries when she was very young (I cannot recall the exact age but it was below 10) and this wasn't regarded as a big deal. Everyone, including her, kept saying how lucky she was to even be alive after impaling herself on an iron stake. But Ginny mentions that they were young and that her inability to have children will be a problem as they grow up. So... something might have come up along that vein later in the book.

6. There are a lot of secrets and lots of things left unsaid between the sisters which, I think, has led to many misunderstandings, and which may have been the reason for the rift in the family.

Wicked Like a Wildfire is the first book in the Hibiscus Daughter duology by Serbian-born author Lana Popović. Let's cut to the chase and admit freely that the cover was what initially drew me to this novel. But when I read the author's name and found out that she hails from my corner of the world, I simply knew I had to buy it. The next discovery - that the story is set in my home country, even my hometown - was just an added bonus.

I have always loved fairy tales - have begged my mother to read them to me, before I went to school and started reading by myself. Over time, I went on to read more adult content, more serious and less whimsical stories, but the love for the magical never truly left. And so this novel simply sparked my adoration of whimsy back into life.

The Slavic legends about witches, the magical Montenegrin landscapes and the perfect storytelling combine to give the reader an unforgettable experience. I started reading this on early afternoon on Sunday and just couldn't put it down. I finished it by 10 pm that same day. The tale is so engrossing, the characters so real and the places so vivid I felt as if I was there with them, living it all.

After absolutely loving "Everything I Never Told You" I was incredibly excited to read this novel by Celeste Ng. The premise was fun and the story is intriguing but there was something off about this one. Maybe I expected too much, but I was left dissatisfied and underwhelmed by the storyline.

The story is set in idyllic Shaker Heights, a perfect planned community whose residents life by many rules. Everything is based on appearance and this gives you the first warning that not everything is as perfect as it seems. The plot is centered around two families: the Richardsons and the Warrens. The Richardsons are a settled family of 6, and the Warrens are the newcomers: Mia, an artist, and her daughter Pearl are renting an apartment from Elena Richardson.

The families are brought together through their children: the family-hungry Pearl starts spending a lot of time with the Richardsons because she loves the feeling of being a part of a family. Izzy, the black sheep of the Richardson family in turn cozies up to Mia whom she feels understands her. There is friendship, love and envy and things get further complicated when the Richardsons' friends adopt a baby that someone left in front of the firehouse. The issue is, Mia knows who the baby's mother is and she is willing to do anything to get her baby back. 

“It came, over and over, down to this: What made someone a mother? Was it biology alone, or was it love?” 

Playing dirty is all this novel comes down to. Elena Richardson is willing to do anything to discredit Mia and her friend in order to ensure her own friends get to keep the baby they want to adopt. She digs through Mia's past and discovers some very interesting things that mirror the situation that they are all in at the moment. The story ends at the same place it begins: with the titular little fires all over the Richardsons' house.

“I'll tell you a secret. A lot of times, parents are not the best at seeing their children clearly.”

This could be considered a Bildungsroman, I suppose. Our main character, Flora Goldwasser, does go through a transformation that changes her outlook on life. She is a New Yorker who goes to a private all-girls boarding school, where she meets - and falls in love with - an older guy. Meet Elijah Huck, a Columbia student who becomes her History tutor among other things. Her love of vintage clothing inspires him to photograph her on New York streets and launch his Miss Tulip blog. As this project grows so does the interest in the teenage girl who loves 50's fashion. But her anonymity is guaranteed. 

Flora becomes so smitten with Elijah that she decides to change schools just so she could see him again. This leads us to the Quare Academy, an unorthodox school that offers a unique academic experience. Upon arriving, Flora is so out of depth, that she frequently writes to her sister and her friends back in NY, who always offer to bail her out. Still, she perseveres in hopes of meeting Elijah again.

But when it becomes more and more obvious that he is not really interested, Flora turns to theater. While trying to express her experience through an art project that is tied into a play she is writing for the Quare's theater group, Flora finally begins to socialize with her fellow students. Their empathy and support help her open up and embrace the truly valuable things in life.

For my diploma paper last year, I translated two short stories by Helen Oyeyemi. And it was by complete chance that I found her. I knew I wanted a female writer and there was a requirement for how old the stories were to be.  As I started reading her work I became more and more entranced. I fell in love with her magical words, her transporting storytelling, the amazing, vivid worlds she created. Therefore, I decided that I was going to read some more of her writing -- and that's how we got to "Boy, Snow, Bird".

The Boy, Snow and Bird from the title are all names of the characters in the book -- all three of them female. It took me a while to get used to such unusual names, but I got over it. The story is supposed to be a retelling of Snow White, hence the character named Snow, but I struggled to find connections beside the most superficial ones.

The girl's name is Snow and she is a stunning little girl everyone fawns over. Boy is her step mom who is so disconcerted by her beauty that she sends her away to live with her aunt. Also, there is a weird thing with mirrors, where all three protagonists sometimes disappear and just cannot see their reflections in a mirror, though no one else seems to notice anything amiss. There are also some magical elements that simply left me confused but I suppose were intended to contribute to the overall fairy tale-like atmosphere.

This book contains certain revelations, unveilings of long-hidden and deeply-buried secrets. One of these pertains to race and I can appreciate the way it's done. The fact is - I am white and Oyeyemi is black and I have nothing to contribute to her handling of this issues. All I can say is that it was an interesting subplot and that I like how she made it a point that all secrets are revealed over time. The other big revelation is about Boy's father. This one was unexpected and I feel like it was just gratuitous - put there to shock the reader, but I never felt any build-up to it nor any payoff. It was all very bizarre and I still don't know how I feel about it. 

All in all, I felt let down by this book. I expected much more but what I got was simply, well - weird. It took me while to get through this book and I contemplated DNF-ing it several times but my pragmatic side won out - I spent money on it, I needed to read it. I am glad that I got through it, but I don't feel like I could honestly recommend it to someone.

Have you read this novel? What did you think about it?

Let's be honest, the cover was what attracted me to this book. I was so enamored with it, it was like a magnet in the bookstore. I was not thrilled when I read the name Tracy Chevalier on the cover because I had never read anything by her and... let's say that I had certain preconceived notions about her writing. Still, the blurb underneath the title said "Stories inspired by works of Charlotte Bronte" and as a Bronte fan (OK, an Emily Bronte fan) I decided that this would be enough of a reason for me to buy it.

Now, I'm not going to pretend that I read it as soon as I got home. Quite the opposite, actually. I was in a funk for a while - a crazy limbo where I kept buying books, but I wasn't reading them. Then, one day I decided that I would give it a try. So, I actually cracked the book open and realized that these were short stories by various writes and that Chevalier's name is on the cover because she is the editor, not the sole writer. Happy day! 

What these stories have in common is that they all revolve around the sentence "Reader, I married him." that Jane Eyre says in the final chapter of her eponymous novel. They tell the tales of different women and their marriages - some wanted, others not so much - and how they have coped, exploring the happily-ever-after we are supposed to get after saying "I do." Do we get it? Well, some do, while others either suffer in silence or decide to call it quits.

Each author has brought something fresh and new to the table, and every story is a different approach to the theme. Some of the stories didn't work for me, I have to admit, but I liked most, and I feel it is important to read each of them in order to expose ourselves to different perspectives. There is a story that offers Jane's perspective on married life, a story from Mr Rochester's point of view, a same-sex romance, stories that are obviously tied to the source and some that seem s far removed that you wonder if the author knew the assignment. In the end, I did not find this to be something that diminishes the quality of the story.

The ones that I remember loving even now (and I read this a while ago, this post is a long time coming) are the stories by Emma Donoghue (a story about a woman who goes away from her children and her domineering minister husband in order to recuperate, and finds love in an unexpected place), Elif Shafak (a naive Turkish girl is ready to throw everything she knows away for a visiting Dutch boy but reality smacks her in the face) and Patricia Park (a Korean girl moves from Argentina to the USA to find a better life for herself).

I believe this collection is worth the read. It is not heavy and does not require too much emotional investment. The reading ca also be spread out as these are 20 separate stories, therefore you  don't have to read them all at once as there is no cohesive plot to keep track of.

I love that precious feeling of being excited to read a book. There are some novels I was on the fence about, things that seemed interesting but took a while to get into, or (admittedly) complete cover buys where I hated almost every second of reading the book, but I couldn't rationalize spending money and then not reading it. Then there are those that grip you so tightly you just have to keep reading.

"The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" was the second type. (Not that I dislike the cover - just sayin'.) I first heard of this book on Instagram - one of the book bloggers I'm following there posted a picture and the title was so intriguing I had to find out more about it. The summary was fabulous, as were the reviews, so of course I had to get my hands on it. And, girl, was that a good decision.

Monique, like just about everyone, knows who Evelyn Hugo is. She just never thought she'd get to meet her. A journalist in her thirties who has just separated from her husband, and whose career has not exactly panned out as she had planned, Monique works for Vivant magazine. The job may sound glamorous but she is not doing what she wants and often feels she is underutilized. 

Evelyn Hugo, a Hollywood icon, is donating some of her most famous dresses to be sold in an auction that will raise money for breast cancer research. Her daughter had died of the disease and this is her way of honoring her and supporting other people who were diagnosed with it. The blond starlet was a sex symbol in the 50s, 60s and 70s and, despite being an accomplished actress with an Oscar win to her name, many people remember her for her numerous marriages. In order to promote the auction she has agreed to an interview with Vivant.

Now, Monique is not a senior writer in Vivant, so when Evelyn requests her for the interview, she is all too ready to prove her worth. Her boss is extremely skeptical, but has to consent to Evelyn's wishes if she wants the exclusive story. So, Monique goes into this hoping to find out just something of what lurks beneath the surface, to write about something more than the origin and the meaning of the dresses. What she doesn't expect is the offer that comes from Evelyn - to write not an article, but a book about her life, an authorized tell-all biography that would finally reveal the truth - the good and the bad, the pretty and the ugly. Along the way, while Evelyn reveals shocking stories from her life and career, she also helps Monique discover things about herself.

I found this book incredibly readable. It covers a lot of time and does have perspective shifts. We get the real time conversations Monique has with her editor, with her mother and Evelyn. But Evelyn's stories are told in the first person point of view and we get to experience the life of a Hollywood bombshell firsthand. 

Another thing that completely won me over is the characterization. The female characters are strong and have depth. Monique is a smart woman who is stuck in a rut, but finds courage to go out there, to put her livelihood in danger in order to make something greater. Evelyn is a character the likes of which I haven't yet seen. She is a beautiful woman who is aware of her beauty, who uses it in fact, but is not an airhead. She is a smart, calculating woman whose strength is immense, even though not apparent from her appearance.

The seven husbands from the title refer to Evelyn's seven marriages, all of them failed. There is a section of the book for each of these men, and they each have a moniker eg. "Poor Ernie Diaz", "Goddamn Don Adler", "Clever Rex North" etc., in regard to what they meant to Evelyn herself. She has loved some of these men, others were there to create a deflection from other things going on in her life, but all of them were a part of her life and all of them left a mark and helped shape her into a woman who spins her own narrative, who doesn't feel remorse and who knows that her place is at the top. 

There is a spin in the end that I won't reveal, because the feeling of finding it out for yourself is not something I'd take away from anyone. The title is a play on that final act and I absolutely loved all of it. In the end this is one of the takeaways from Evelyn herself: “They are just husbands. I am Evelyn Hugo.”