Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Upcoming: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Earlier this month Erin Morgenstern's highly-anticipated novel The Night Circus was released.  Thankfully, it appears that thus far Morgenstern's debut is living up to all the anticipation that has been building around this novel for months.  Among its accolades thus far, The Night Circus, is included on Amazon's Best Books of the Month list and is already #2 on The New York Times Best Seller's list.  I think part of its appeal is the variety it seems to offer readers.  Reviews range from those enthralled by the magical aspect of the book to those enticed by its mystery and romance.  Overall, it seems the common ground is that Morgenstern has created a masterpiece that truly draws the reader into the story through her descriptive, narrative talents.  Suffice to say, those of us at The Reading Grove are very excited to enjoy this adventure ourselves.  We also have plans to attend a discussion with the author in October and look forward to sharing that experience with all of you, as well.  Stay tuned for the full review next month on The Reading Grove!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

New Poll: Favorite Genre?

Although The Reading Grove primarily shares reviews on books falling into the realms of Mystery or Sci-Fi/Fantasy, we do hold an appreciation for literature from a variety of categories.  That got us thinking, what is your favorite genre of book?  Take our poll at the bottom of the page.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland

Angel Crawford has been dealt a bad hand in life. Her mother committed suicide and her father is a drunk.  And how does Angel cope?  By dropping out of high school and getting drunk and high herself. She is on a fast track to nowhere. Until she gets a second chance...as a zombie. 

Did you know zombies are the new vampires?  My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland is the first in the new series White Trash Zombie and is the first zombie book I have read.  It wasn't too gruesome and had lots of mystery.  Angel isn't a mindless flesh-eating machine, although, it seems to take her awhile to figure things out that are pretty apparent to the reader.  My Life as a White Trash Zombie is a good start to a new series and I can't wait for the next installment.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

The Help by Kathryn Sockett

The Help by Kathryn Sockett is told from the perspective of three women living in Jackson, Mississippi during the civil rights movement.  These three women, two black maids and a white socialite, decide to write about their experiences being the help and being raised by the help. 

A friend asked me to read this book and after we both read it we would go watch the movie. I have to say this book is predictable and not very interesting.  It lacks dimension and  depth.  It starts very slow, somewhere in the middle it picks up, but ends on a very flat note. There are so many directions a book about racism and oppression can go but Kathryn Sockett stayed very benign.  Kathryn Sockett even has the nerve to compare one of the main characters to Boo Radley from To Kill a Mockingbird.