• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (April 2, 2013)
• ISBN-10: 0061950726
• Source: Publisher

Molly Ayer is in foster care, about to “age out” of the system. When she steals a book from the library, she’s forced to do community service to avoid placement in juvenile hall.  She agrees to help an elderly woman named Vivian clean out her attic, filled with decades of possessions and memories. As the two begin the task, they soon understand that they are more alike than it may appear on the surface. Vivian opens up to Molly, sharing a part of her history she’s kept silent about for decades.

As a child, Vivian was orphaned after a horrendous fire tore through her family’s home.  As a young Irish immigrant with no surviving family, she was sent on a train that left from New York and traveled out west, known as the orphan train. Thousands of other children embarked on trains like this,  their future unknown. Many were matched with warm, inviting families. Others, like Vivian, weren’t treated as part of a family but instead workers or caregivers for younger children.

Told in alternate point of views, switching from present time to the late 1800s/1900s, both Molly and Vivian share the experiences and situations that brought them to their current place in life.  When their relationship begins, Molly sees Vivian as a wealthy senior citizen that couldn’t possibly understand the challenges she is going through. While she is placed in a foster home, the relationship she has with her foster mother is less than inviting. Like Vivian, who was a constant outcast due to her red hair and Irish heritage, Molly (a Penobscot Indian) feels shunned due to her own heritage. As the bond between these two individuals is cultivated, they each see a bit of themselves in the other, an understanding that not many others share.

Orphan Train is a heartwarming novel rich with dynamic, sympathetic characters and rich historical detail. All of the characters, including the secondary, become alive on the pages making the reader easily forget that they are fictional entities rather than actual living people. It is impossible not to form a connection with Vivian and Molly and celebrate the connection they have found in one another.

I originally learned about orphan trains while reading The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty. Since discovering this often unfamiliar part of our country’s history, I have become fascinated with the subject matter. I was pleased to see the amount of information Christina Baker Kline has on her web site about this topic, including the actual journey Vivian would have taken on the orphan train in 1929 to historical background information the author discovered in writing this novel. While this novel is rich with historical detail, the reader never feels like they are being lectured or overwhelmed with historical facts. Personally, I wanted to know more about the orphan train system, a subject matter I plan to do more research on myself.

All in all, Orphan Train is a novel is one that will resonate within me for some time. To hear of the journey taken by these orphan children and what they had to endure to find a home is incredibly heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. Vivian came alive within the pages of this novel. While I am not adopted, she has inspired me to learn more about my own heritage for she has proven the power and importance of honoring and celebrating one’s heritage.

This is a novel that is full of discussion worthy topics perfect for a book club, including love, resilience, endurance and more. Highly, highly recommended.

Orphan Train is the May book club selection for She Reads. Join us Thursday, May 23rd for an online discussion about this title. Click here for more information.

Review: Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finish this week. It is hosted by Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of  Books so stop by and join in!

Books Completed Last Week

Small Favor by Jim Butcher (audio)
The World’s Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette’s, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Currently Reading

The First Rule of Swimming by Courtney Angela Brkic
The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol (audio)
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini (reread! This is such a beautiful novel!)

Books to Complete This Week

A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams
The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black by E. B. Hudspeth

What are you reading this week?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing (October 1, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 1616088850
• Source: Personal copy

When the dead begin to rise, the most unlikely of coalitions form between a pastor from Chicago’s rough South Side, a young reporter, and a female musician. As if an attack from the walking dead wasn’t enough, the trio uncover a conspiracy by a group of dirty alderman to overthrow the city, using the chaos created by the attack to do so without notice. It is this trio and their unique knowledge of the city that can attempt to save the city they love from this corruption while simultaneously escaping attacks from the walking dead.

Setting is an incredibly important aspect of this story. The author’s love of Chicago is clearly evident in his portrayal of this fine city, showcasing it in a way that truly adds to the development of this novel. It isn’t just a zombie novel, but an author’s love story about his favorite city. Having grown up just outside Chicago, I found myself appreciating this novel on a completely different level than I expected. Quite possibly one of my favorite parts of the novel is when a notable figure in Chicago’s mob history makes an appearance, rising from the dead for a brain-noshing experience of his own.

A little lighter in tone than Kenemore’s previous title, Zombie, Ohio, this title takes place around the same time. For unknown reasons, the dead begin rising from the ground. In the case of the zombies in Chicago they begin walking in from the lake, victims of the mob having been swimming with the fishes for decades. The gore and vulgar language are a little more intense in this novel, quite suitable for the setting, however.

The characters Kenemore created are wholly unique in and of themselves, each able to give a completely different viewpoint.  Forcing them to work together to survive, the way they relate to one another adds a bit of levity and a comical spin on an otherwise dark and desperate story line.

Once again, Kenemore has created a zombie novel that is a step above the rest, a novel that isn’t simply only about a band of the living rising up against the dead.  He just  happens to use it as a background to write about a city he loves, political corruption and all.

If you are looking for a zombie novel with a taste of political corruption, this is the novel for you. Highly recommended.

Review: Zombie, Illinois by Scott Kenemore is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Frightful Friday is a weekly meme in which I feature a particularly scary or chilling book that I’ve read that week. The featured title this week is Red Moon by Benjamin Percy:

• Hardcover: 544 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; First Edition edition (May 7, 2013)
• ISBN-10: 1455501662
• Source: Publisher (via Netgalley)

Set in an alternate world, Red Moon describes a world in which lycans walk among us. Infected by prion called lobos, the protein spreads through the human body like an infection.  The contamination is wide-spread: an entire region called Lupine Republic is set aside for those infected.  Those forced to reside in this large-scale containment camp survive by mining the uranium that was discovered after the containment zone was created.

There are other lycans that maintain a fairly normal life. They work with us, go to school with our children, ride planes. They are forced to take a highly addictive drug called Volpexx to control the “change.” Yet in some instances they attack and these situations are what have caused the strong feelings of hate toward the lycans.  Now, once they are discovered, American lycans are treated like criminals despite never showing any evidence of threat.

Narrated by three individuals, Percy shows three unique aspects to this story. Patrick Gamble survived a lycan attack on board a plane by hiding beneath a body of one of the victims.  Claire Forrester is a teen lycan striving for a normal life, seeking revenge after her parents are killed in a government raid.Chase Williams is a politician who is adamantly anti-lycan, even after he himself is infected.

Using these three vastly different characters, Percy shows how our country has consistently treated various subsets of the population different, throughout the generations and continuing into modern times. It isn’t hard to draw the connections between the world within Red Moon and our current cultural climate.

While I would claim this is truly a horror novel, Percy does add some…literary tones to the story that makes it hard to classify it in just one genre. The writing is extremely descriptive and detailed, toning down any overly harsh or graphic segments within the prose. Percy’s novel has truly take the typical werewolf tale outside of the box, beyond the typical comfort zone. He clearly wants this to be much more than just a horror novel, but a story with a lasting and pervasive social message. The thing is, there is a lot of horror out there (Stephen King’s The Stand) that does this, yet people can’t see past the horror category to accept it as anything of substance.

While I commend Percy for his work, there is a great deal of meat (pun possibly intended) to this novel, both in word count and in message. There were parts that I felt seemed to drag on a bit and then also things that I felt could have been detailed further. It almost feels as though this is two novels condensed into one. Perhaps if they had been two individual pieces, Percy could have expounded upon some things without having to restrain his word count. While I appreciated the entirety of this novel, the potential for readers’ interest to wane is great simply due to the page count.

I do plan on listening to the audio book; reviews of Percy’s narration have steeped my interest. Perhaps this is a novel meant to be listened to as opposed to being read. Perhaps I’m just rambling and have no idea what I’m talking about.

In any case, I do recommend this book due to the social commentary and the “out of the box” thinking regarding werewolves and lycans. Do bear in mind the page length; your patience will be ultimately rewarded. Recommended.

Listen to a clip of the audio book. Yep, sounds like horror to me!

Frightful Friday: Red Moon by Benjamin Percy is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Gotham (May 2, 2013)
• ISBN-10: 1592407870
• Source: Publisher

Josh Hanagarne was only six years old when he started exhibiting symptoms of Tourette Syndrome.  It wasn’t until he was in high school that he was officially diagnosed. By the time he reached his twenties and was on a mission for the Church of Latter Day Saints that the symptoms became violent, physical “twitches” that forced him to cause injury upon himself.

Despite the many challenges, Josh never allowed his illness to get the best of him. He tried to maintain a normal life, resorting to a host of remedies to decrease his symptoms. including Botox injections directly into his vocal cords that left him virtually voiceless for three years. These treatments allowed him to marry and get a degree in library science. Eventually, he met an autistic former Air Force Tech Sergeant and guard at an Iraqi prison taught him how to force his tics into submission through a rigorous strength-training.Josh is now a happy father to a little boy (who is already showing symptoms of Tourette’s) and a librarian at Salt Lake City’s public library.

The World’s Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette’s, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family is unlike other memoirs in so many ways. First and foremost, it brings to light a disorder with which many of us are unfamiliar. We know Tourette’s as a sydrome that forces those diagnosed with it to utter or shout inappropriately, but Hanagarne shows readers that it is so much more.  He does this using dry humor and comedy, thereby making a difficult subject easier to digest.

What drew me to this author, enabling a strange connection, is his love of the written word. Like me, Hanagarne read Stephen King when he was far too young, forming an obsession with the horror author at a relatively young age. Like King, Hanagarne is a brilliant storyteller. His journey inspired me tremendously. If this man can overcome the challenges of his life, still swinging, I can accomplish anything. He truly is an inspiration to anyone facing a challenge of any sort, medical or not.

In addition to showcasing his life with Tourette’s, Hanagarne shares his questions about his Mormon faith. In doing so, illuminates on a religion unfamiliar to many of us. He discusses the Mormon subculture, the point of missions, of Mormon marriages, and more. While it’s obvious that his faith was questioned, he never lost respect for it. He doesn’t shun his religion or formulate reasons to admonish Mormonism, instead detailing how instances in his life have led him to question his path in life.

Ultimately, despite one’s religion, age, place in life or state of health, The World’s Strongest Librarian is a memoir destined to be read and appreciated by a whole host of readers. From teens to adults, I think any reader will be rewarded with the inspiration this young man portrays. Highly, highly recommended.

For more about Josh, visit his web site. It includes a host of resources about his book, his life and, my favorite: free reading recommendations!

Review: The World’s Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette’s, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin (February 26, 2013)
• ISBN-10: 1250012570
• Source: Library copy

The year is 1986 in Omaha, Nebraska.  Park is a sixteen-year-old part Asian boy living in a mostly white community. He’s not an outcast but due to his interest in alternative music and comics forces him to stand apart from the others. One morning, a new kid climbs on the school bus. Eleanor has bright red hair and a unique taste in clothing. It’s almost as if she is trying to draw attention to herself. Unaware of the politics of school bus seating, Eleanor instantly becomes the target of bullies riding the bus. Attempting to put an end to the confrontation, Park orders her to sit down next to him. For the longest time, they ignore one another. Park tunes out the world, headphones blaring on his head, flipping through pages of his favorite comics. One day he notices Eleanor reading along and their relationship begins to change.

Soon he begins to bring in comics for Eleanor to borrow and their joint interest sparks conversation. As Park begins to learn more about Eleanor, their friendship begins to evolve into something more. Eleanor is one of five children living with their mother and abusive step-father. She’s forced to wash her hair with flea shampoo and must hurry to take a bath right after work for fear of being accosted by her step-father. She was kicked out once before, forced to live with friends of her mother, and she fears the same will happen. Now that she has someone who understands her, appreciates her uniqueness, she doesn’t want to put an end to the life she has now, even if it means dealing with her step father’s verbal abuse.

Eleanor and Park quickly bond. Both ostracized for various reasons (Eleanor for her appearance and Park for his ethnicity) the two are drawn together. The unavoidable challenge is whether or not their relationship can stand up against all the elements driving them apart.

There are so many things that I loved about this book. Set in the late 80s, I was instantly taken back to my own youth with flashbacks to Esprit tote bags and the alternative music that was just starting to become popular. Eleanor and Park were the most adorable couple. They were genuine teens with real teen issues. I instantly felt a connection with Eleanor. Growing up, I didn’t always have what other kids my age had, I didn’t have the trendy clothes and had to be creative with what I did have. Fortunately, my home life was far more stable than hers but I still found aspects of her life to which I could relate.

I think it’s tremendously important for young adult novels to have characters like Eleanor and Park so teens growing up with issues have someone with which to connect. I don’t read a lot of young adult, mainly because I feel that some of the popular titles create unrealistic worlds for the teen readers with overinflated characters they are unable to connect with. Perhaps they have a better life or are economically privileged and can have whatever they want. But what makes this title brilliant is the fact that Eleanor and Park do not have this fairy-tale life. They are genuine. While their fate wasn’t necessarily a happy one, it was real, not artificially constructed to leave readers with a happy ending.

Additionally, while it was set nearly thirty years ago, it is my belief that young adults can still connect to the characters. Setting it in this time frame allows the author to avoid some of more modern issues teens are dealing with now, instead focusing on the wonderful relationship between Eleanor and Park.

I was devastated when I finished reading this book. I didn’t want to cut the ties to Eleanor and Park and the life they had together. Eleanor and Park reminded me what it was like to be a teen again, a time when I thought not having the right clothes or the right friends meant the end of the world. It allowed me to see just how lucky in life I am, this book is a true gift. It has been quite some time since a book has left me feeling this way, a testament to Rowell’s writing.  I recommend this book highly to all readers, even if you do not typically read young adult. Eleanor and Park will have a resounding effect on your soul. I know they did with mine.

Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press (May 14, 2013)
• ISBN-10: 0802121071
• Source: Publisher

AJ is a head nurse at Beechway, a high-level psychiatric hospital. Rather than focusing on the crimes that each of his patients have committed, AJ treats them each with respect and care. It’s hard to ignore their claims that the ward is haunted by “The Maude.” a short little dwarf of a creature that reportedly sits on the chests of her victims as they sleep. When cases of self-harm keep popping up – three resulting in death-  AJ is determined to get to the bottom of it.

Meanwhile a patient, Isaac, has been released into the world. He was complicit in a horrible act involving his parents when he was a child. Unfortunately, his involvement with the other patients’ abuse isn’t realized until after his hasty release. AJ, against the knowledge of his supervisor, calls in Detective Jack Caffery to investigate.  Do the crude doll-like effigies Isaac created have any correlations to the deaths?  With AJ’s help, Caffery digs down to reveal cases of brutality that would terrorize even the most skeptical of minds.

A second parallel storyline follows this one, involving an unsolved case of Caffery’s. Fans of Hayder’s previous work (in this case, Skin) will be rewarded with this return to an old case. Unfortunately, readers new to the series might feel a little out of the loop. Without this second storyline, Poppet would most certainly serve as a great stand-alone to readers new to this author.

Hayder has quite the talent for producing one terrorizing read after another. Poppet is the sixth book in her Caffery series and it is recommended that readers do read them in order. Caffery’s evolution as a character is quite remarkable, something readers might miss out on if they start the series mid-way or at the tail end.

A truly chilling combination of horror and true crime, Poppet is a novel best read under the light of day with all your lights turned on, doors and windows locked. Delightfully chilling and highly recommended.

Mini-Review: Poppet by Mo Hayder is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finish this week. It is hosted by Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of  Books so stop by and join in!

Books Completed Last Week

The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell (review)
Porch Lights by Dorothea Benton Frank (review)
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Confessions of a Sociopath: A Life Spent Hiding in Plain Sight by M. E. Thomas

Currently Reading

Small Favor by Jim Butcher (audio)
The World’s Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette’s, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne

Books to Complete This Week

River of Dust by Virginia Pye
We Need New Names by Noviolet Bulawayo
Questions of Travel by Michelle De Kretser

What are you reading this week?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing (February 8, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 1616082062
• Source: Library copy

Peter Mellor is a college professor in rural Ohio.  While attempting to visit his girlfriend in the midst of a zombie outbreak, Peter gets into a horrible car accident. Believing he has survived this accident unscathed, he returns to campus, a slight case of amnesia his only ailment. Shortly upon his return he soon realizes that while he’s still walking and talking, he died in that accident and is now one of the undead.

Peter’s situation is certainly unique. Never before has any other zombie been able to maintain an intelligent conversation.  Really, the only obvious indication that he is one of the undead is the huge part of his head that is missing, easily covered by wearing a ballcap. His situation, however, gets worse when  he realizes that the accident that killed him was no accident. Someone intentionally cut his break lines. So in addition to get adjusted to his new undead life, Peter must track down his killer as well.

If you haven’t guessed it yet, Zombie, Ohio isn’t your typical zombie novel. In addition to the  typical humans versus zombie survivalist routine, Kenemore also adds a great deal of dry humor and suspense. Unlike many other zombie novels, readers get the monster’s side of the story, following Peter as he becomes more aware of his “condition.” In doing this, his character develops and evolves into a completely changed “man,” not only due to his situation.  The author’s political and social commentary add to the overall tone of this novel, kicking it up one level on the intellectual meter.

So, if you are looking for a zombie novel with a brains (there, I said it!) and a bit of gore, this is the novel for you.  Highly recommended!

Review: Zombie, Ohio: A Tale of the Undead by Scott Kenemore is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Frightful Friday is a weekly meme in which I feature a particularly scary or chilling book that I’ve read that week. The featured title this week is The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey:

Frightful Friday: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.