Set on the fictional island-country of Nollop (off the South Carolina coast), Ella Minnow Pea is the story of a country that worshiped Nollop, the creator of the pangram, “The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.” This sentence uses every letter of the alphabet with the fewest letters repeated, and is affixed to a statue of Nollop. However, when letters begin to fall from the statue, the island’s Council doesn’t know what to do. They eventually conclude that Nollop is speaking to them from beyond – that any letter that falls must be prohibited from speech and written form. Ella Minnow Pea is a comical story, a collection of letters, describing the change in life as letters constantly are stricken from usage, and the quest of a young girl to overturn the Council’s decision.
Recommendation: This book is cute, funny, and well-written. It’s a quick read that I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys and appreciates words and language.
Government Girl: Young and Female in the White House
By Stacy Parker Aab
I can usually easily say whether I loved a book, hated it, or if it was just alright. Not the case with Government Girl. I had conflicting feelings about this book. Let me explain.
Government Girl is the story of Stacy Parker Aab’s time working for the Clinton White House, from the time she began interning as a student through her brief professional career as an executive assistant. I enjoyed the glimpses into White House life and the major players at the time. The periods covering the Monica Lewinsky scandals and the feelings of White House staffers were particularly interesting to read.
However, this book tends to fall short of expectations. I appreciate seeing the rise of a student throughout the ranks and to a staff level, but too much emphasis was placed on these early years. Throughout these years, too much of the emphasis was on Parker Aab’s personal life (I didn’t expect quite so much talk about her boyfriends, or lack there of) and on her incredible naivete and idealism. For me, the last third of Government Girl was the best portion of the novel, where Parker Aab focuses on her job as a staffer, and not on idealism and her personal life.
Recommendation? I honestly can’t say whether I would recommend this book to others. It was an interesting read, but perhaps would be better suited and more enjoyable for a junior high schooler with less expectations.
This book follows the story of three women, from adolescence into adulthood, across several countries and continents. They are best friends but take vastly different paths in life.
Saffron Skies is a book about love, friendship, and family. But even more than that, it is about a journey – about finding yourself and your path in life. I’ve included a brief synopsis of the three women and the paths they take, but I promise, it won’t ruin the book if you read it – I would recommend reading it!
Amber: Her family is completely messed up. Her father, Max, is a powerful business man that splits his time between her family and his mistress and her daughter. Between the two families, Amber is the only normal one – her mother is a drunk, her brother is a drug addict, her father’s mistress and other daughter are flighty… Family drama abound, Amber is the only one in the family that is grounded. She becomes a journalist, falls in love, and ends up living a happy life far away from her family.
Madeline: From a poor family of Hungarian immigrants, Madeline was never really happy living at home. Her parents were strict and seemed to live in their own little world. Madeline ends up going to med school and bounces around between men, jobs, and countries. Life takes her from med school, to working in an ER, to a war zone, and to the United Nations. Madeline ultimately ends up back at a hospital, returning to her parents that she had spent so much time trying to avoid.
Becky: Becky grew up in a middle-class, supportive family. She pursued her interest in art, and over the years, was always able to look to her parents for support. Becky was a bit lost in life – she made mistakes, hid from them, and took a while to come back to her own after each time. However, her friends and family helped her through hard times and because of that, she seemed to always end up standing on her feet.
Recommended? Yes! It was a wonderful story of a journey and of friendship.
“There are three groups of people you don’t mess with in this world – the FBI, the Mafia, and NBA refs.” Mike Schuler, NBA head coach, p. 223
*******
My husband asked Santa for Covert this past Christmas, and I immediately knew I wanted to steal it from him. It is the story of Bob Delaney, aka Bobby Covert, a New Jersey state trooper who is asked to go undercover just shortly after he joins the state troopers. In this new assignment, Delaney teams with other state troopers and the FBI (cooperation that was almost unheard of at the time) in Project Alpha, an effort better understand the inner workings of the mob and to make a serious dent in NJ’s organized crime. Over three years, Delaney starts and becomes president of a Jersey-based trucking company while wearing a wire and gathering evidence against the mobsters that plague the Jersey Shore.
Covert stands out not because it is a true crime novel, but because you can see, as you’re reading, the battles Delaney/Covert undergoes as he swings between his identity as a trooper and a mobster. He suffers from guilt at prosecuting mobsters who had become friends. He is unable to express his emotions after so long of suppressing them.
It was difficult for Delaney to readjust to ordinary life after his undercover left, but a few choice confidants and his “hoops therapy” (p. 185) allow him to get back to normal life. For several years, Delaney splits his time with the state troopers and reffing all levels of basketball, eventually becoming a full-time NBA ref.
Recommendation: While I was drawn to the book when my husband got it, I was a little doubtful I would enjoy it. It ended up being a great book. Delaney’s undercover assignment and his life after the assignment wasn’t romanticized like so many stories today. Delaney’s story was fascinating and well-told. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in true crime or memoirs.
I read In the Woods because it was chosen as a book club book. I had high hopes for it, as it was an Edgar Award finalist. Indeed, the book had a lot of potential, but I very disappointed in it.
The Story:In The Woods consists of two parallel mysteries, both centered around Detective Rob Ryan. The first was when he was a young boy – Ryan was found with bloody shoes, clutching a tree. He had no recollection of what happened to the two friends he was with; they simply disappeared.
Now fast-forward 20 years. Ryan is assigned as the detective of a present-day murder, back in his home town. Working the case brings back memories for the detective, enough memories to leave him unsettled, but he never remembers what happened the day his friends disappeared.
Praise: The first thing I was struck with when reading In The Woods was that it is really beautifully written. The descriptions are outstanding. It’s rare that I find a mystery that uses such imagery.
As the book progressed, I also grew very attached to the two plot-lines, very curious to find out what happened to Ryan as a child and whether (and how) the two mysteries would come together.
However… this never happened. The mystery of Ryan’s childhood was never solved. While I realize that not every book can / should wrap up everything, I felt like I put up with Ryan’s annoying personality (he’s whiny and naïve) to find out what happened. Instead, one of the two mysteries is left unsolved, and Ryan ends up going backwards in life – alone, no friends, and actually went backward in his career. Clearly Ryan was having a hard time, given the circumstances, but he was just not likable. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t feel sympathetic for him.
To Sum Up: What could have been a great book ended up being just so-so. It had a lot of potential but I was just disappointed and irritated at the end of it.
Book Review:
