bookchickdi: Plume Books

Showing posts with label Plume Books. Show all posts

Monday, May 11, 2015

The Dismantling- by Brian DeLeeuw

The Dismantling by Brian DeLeeuw
Published by Plume Books, ISBN 978-0-14-218174-4
Trade paperback, $16, 272 pages

Brian DeLeeuw's novel The Dismantling has some topical elements in its plot- injuries suffered by NFL players, the lack of available organs for those needing a transplant- and combines them with a young man trying to come to terms with the loss of his younger sister years ago and a woman with a mysterious past into a fast-paced thriller that also makes you think.

We meet Simon, a twenty-five year-old man who has dropped out of medical school but has yet to tell his father. His friend hooks him up with a under-the-radar company that connects people who need kidney or liver transplants with people who are willing to sell them their body parts.

Simon lost his mother to a horrible death when he was just a young child, and his teenage sister died, the circumstances of which are unraveled during the story. We do know that Simon feels that her death was his fault, but we don't know why for a long time.

Simon is tasked by his boss to find a liver donor for Lenny Pellegrini, a retired NFL player with a drinking problem who suffers from too many hits to the head during his playing days. Lenny's friend Howard, also a former NFL player, is paying for the liver and he and Simon must convince Lenny to do this for his wife and two young children.

Through their website, Simon has found Maria, a single young mother willing to sell a piece of her liver to Lenny. Since it is illegal to sell organs for transplant, the woman is presented as a cousin of Lenny's, and she is flown in and coached as to how the process works.

Maria seems like the perfect candidate, but things start to unravel shortly after the transplant. Maria disappears and Lenny is still in a state of severe depression. Simon's boss threatens him that he better fix this situation before too many questions are asked.

The Dismantling is a fast read, one that you want to finish in one sitting while at the same time taking time to ponder all of the bigger issues here. At its heart, it is Simon's story, about his coming to terms with everything in his life, where he has been and where he is going.

While Simon is in medical school, he has to participate in autopsying a cadaver, and the scenes set there are vivid and not for those with weak stomachs. It is in these sessions that Simon's past comes back to haunt him, and he ends up in the dangerous situation he finds himself in.

Simon is an interesting character, and his relationship with his dad was so real and heartbreaking. The Dismantling combines a thought provoking story with some heart-stopping action scenes and twists and turns, and seems tailor-made for a movie, maybe for a Hemsworth brother. I also enjoyed the New York City setting, especially since Simon and I lived on the same street.

rating 4 of 5

Brian DeLeeuw's website is here.

Thanks to TLC Tours for putting me on Brian's tour. The rest of the tour stops are here:

Brian DeLeeuw’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Monday, May 4th: Kissin’ Blue Karen

Monday, May 4th: Vic’s Media Room

Tuesday, May 5th: 5 Minutes for Books

Wednesday, May 6th: Reading Reality

Thursday, May 7th: No More Grumpy Bookseller

Friday, May 8th: Life is Story

Monday, May 11th: Bookchickdi

Tuesday, May 12th: My Bookish Ways

Wednesday, May 13th: A Reader’s Oasis

Monday, May 18th: Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Wednesday, May 20th: Books a la Mode – author Q&A

Thursday, May 21st: Read. Write. Repeat.

Friday, May 22nd: Kay’s Reading Life

Monday, May 25th: Books on the Table

Tuesday, May 26th: Bell, Book & Candle

Wednesday, May 27th: She Treads Softly

Thursday, May 28th: Drey’s Library

Friday, May 29th: The Discerning Reader

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

The Spy Mistress by Jennifer Chiaverini

The Spy Mistress by Jennifer Chiaverini
Published by Plume Books ISBN 978-0-14-218088-4
Trade paperback, $16, 354 pages

Last year I read Jennifer Chiaverini's historical novel Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker and found it quite enjoyable. I like to read novels based on historical people, and getting a different perspective on Mary Todd Lincoln was fascinating.

Chiaverini's new novel The Spy Mistress is inspired by the true story of civil war espionage. Lizzie Van Lew was from a prominent Richmond Virginia family. She lived with her widowed mother Eliza and her brother John, a hardware store owner, his wife Mary and two young daughters. They were staunch patriots and disdained the institution of slavery.

When Virginia seceeded from the Union, the Van Lews were stunned. Many of their neighbors supported the Confederacy, and the Van Lews were forced to keep their Unionist views to themselves to avoid being arrested.

Richmond became the capitol of the Confederacy, and when Jefferson Davis was chosen as it's president, he moved his family (whom we met in Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker) to the city. Richmond also became home to prisons housing Union soldiers captured in battle.

Lizzie decided to help the Union cause. Under the guise of providing charity in the form of food and books, Lizzie asked for permission to visit the Northern prisoners. She came under suspicion from her neighbors and the Confederate leadership for this, but it was allowed.

During her visits, she met with Union soldiers who gave her information, including the names of all the men imprisoned, to smuggle out to the North. One of the Union prisoners created a clever code, by punching letters on the pages of a book, that Lizzie quickly figured out. That impressed me a great deal.

Soon Lizzie had recruited other Union supporters, including freed blacks, to become part of the spy ring sending messages to the Union generals on the battlefield. They even placed a spy inside the Davis home who discovered troop movements and strategies that Lizzie was able to send North.

This is an intriguing look at the Civil War from another perspective, that of the Southern Union patriot. There is tension in the novel as Lizzie waited for the Union troops to retake Richmond, which takes years before succeeding. Lizzie's neighbors, as well as her sister-in-law who strongly supported the Confederacy, became more suspicious of her, and she worried that her mother may suffer for it.

Her mother Eliza is a terrific character; she supported Lizzie's efforts, but better understood the importance of appearing to be a true Confederate. Lizzie says Eliza "was the very ideal of a Southern lady- kind, gracious, polite, well spoken, pious and charitable." She was also intelligent and tough when she needed to be.

Lizzie used her feminine wiles to her advantage, winning over Confederate prison officials, like Mary Todd Lincoln's brother, with her charm and bribes of food and drink. She was underestimated by the Confederate military leaders who didn't count on Lizzie's intelligence or gumption to get what she wanted.

After reading The Spy Mistress, I want to learn more about Elizabeth Van Lew and her real adventures. This is a terrific book to give to a young woman in high school who wants to learn more about the role women Southern played in the Civil War. It's an unknown story that deserves a wider audience, and Chiaverini tells it in a way that keeps the reader turing the pages.

rating 4 of 5

My review of Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker is here.

Thanks to TLC Tours for putting me on Jennifer's Chiaverini's tour. The rest of the stops are here.

Jennifer Chiaverini’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Monday, April 28th: Tales of a Book Addict

Thursday, May 1st: Literally Jen

Friday, May 2nd: Kritter’s Ramblings

Monday, May 5th: Fiction State of Mind

Tuesday, May 6th: Reading Reality

Wednesday, May 7th: From the TBR Pile

Thursday, May 8th: West Metro Mommy

Friday, May 9th: Mom in Love with Fiction

Tuesday, May 13th: Passages to the Past

Wednesday, May 14th: Broken Teepee

Thursday, May 15th: Words for Worms

Friday, May 16th: No More Grumpy Bookseller

Monday, May 19th: Daily Mayo

Tuesday, May 20th: Bookchickdi

Wednesday, May 21st: Peppermint Ph.D.

Thursday, May 22nd: Must Read Faster

Friday, May 23rd: Fiction Addict

Tuesday, May 27th: The Most Happy Reader

Tuesday, May 28th: Books a la Mode – author guest post

Thursday, May 29th: Lit and Life

Thursday, March 27, 2014

My Boyfriend Barfed In My Handbag by Jolie Kerr

My Boyfriend Barfed In My Handbag and Other Things You Can't Ask Martha by Jolie Kerr
Published by Plume ISBN 978-0-14-21963-9
Trade paperback $15, 238 pages

I don't like cleaning. There, I said it. I'm not one of those people who look forward to spring because it means I can get out the cleaning supplies and go to town.

But I was intrigued by the title of Jolie Kerr's book My Boyfriend Barfed In My Handbag and Other Things You Can't Ask Martha. You gotta admit, that's a catchy title. Kerr's book expands upon her cleaning column "Ask A Clean Person."

The book is filled with practical advice, her most important "Never mix bleach and ammonia", something you know must be very dangerous because she repeats it until she is sure you have it.

I liked the layout of the book; the chapters are divided into rooms- kitchen, bathroom, and specialty cleaning like bridal dresses and how to clean your car. I never thought about all of the mishaps that can occur to a wedding dress, but have no fear, Kerr has your answer (and it frequently involves club soda).

She has fantastic charts for types of flooring, beauty items, and kitchen appliances that are great for quick references. I made a list of her suggested cleaning products and headed to the store to stock up.

I put the book to the test and followed her advice to make my bathroom sparkle. I gave it a thorough scrubbing, following her step by step instructions, including mopping the floor using the handsie kneesie method. It looks amazing, but I don't want anyone to use it. I'd love to velvet rope it off.

There are some funny anecdotes, mostly questions sent in to Kerr (like the title question) and the chapter on cleaning sex toys is unique for sure. I have not seen that topic covered in Ladies' Home Journal or Real Simple magazines.

My husband is thrilled that I read this book because our apartment will be shiny clean, and so he doesn't even mind that I am adding another book to my permanent collection.

Rating 4 of 5

Thanks to TLC Tours for putting me on this tour. The rest of Jolie's tour stops are here.