Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

If you look over my past reading history, you’ll notice that Infidel is not a book that I normally would pick up.  Ever.  But that’s the funny thing about book clubs, they get you to read books you normally would avoid.  Infidel is the story of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a former member of Dutch Parliament who grew up a Muslim home.  She was born in Somalia and moved from there to Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Kenya, back to Somalia, back to Kenya, and finally to Germany and The Netherlands.  She now lives in the United States

Without a doubt, Ayaan is a strong woman.  She overcame unbelievable hurdles to make it to The Netherlands and start her new life.  She is someone to admire in that sense.  I don’t agree with all the choices she made in her life but I see that for her, there were no real choices.  

This is a great book for very interesting discussions.  It hits on tolerance, religion, culture and politics.  Consider it for your next book club.

If You Were Here, by Jen Lancaster

For those who read my blog (anyone?), you'll know that I am a big fan of Jen's.  I'll read pretty much anything she writes, from her memoirs, to her blog, to her Twitter feed.  I jumped right into If You Were Here, right after it was released (I'm just late with the review).  This is Jen's first novel and it is just a ton of fun. 

Mac and Mia buy a house.  Not just any house, Jake Ryan's house.  If you are around my age and female, your heart gave a little thump at the mention of Jake's name.  Right?  Mac and Mia buy the house used in the movie Sixteen Candles.  Unfortunately the house has seen better days and can use some help.  It does have a panic room so that's a bonus.

The story is about a couple, a house, and their attempts to make it a home.  Anyone who has done construction on a home knows the things that can go wrong and in this book, it all goes wrong.  If You Were Here, is not a literary masterpiece but it's a hilarious look at real people and real situations.  It's typical Jen and if you love her, you'll love this.  It will make you laugh.

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

Finally!  I've been on a hunt for a young adult novel that was satisfying, and I finally read one!  Infinite Days, by Rebecca Maizel, is yet another vampire story.  The good thing is that it's new and different - at least to me.  The story is about Lenah, a 500 year old vampire who becomes human again - as a sixteen year old high school student.  She tries to find her place at the exclusive boarding school she's attending, while getting used to being mortal. There is danger lurking as her coven eagerly awaits for her awakening, unaware that she is human.

One thing that I appreciated about this novel is that Lenah wasn't terribly sorry for her life of murder and viciousness.  She accepted it.  She wasn't tortured by her past -at least at first.  I appreciate that she wasn't a tortured soul.  Lenah's romance with Justin was a bit rushed and didn't quite feel genuine to me.  I'm hoping that in the future books in the series, he will become more defined, and that we will learn what he's truly about.  I found myself quite suspicious of him but at this point there is no reason for that.

I definitely recommend this book to fans of the supernatural.  As I prove, you don't have to be a teen to appreciate a good young adult book.  I do recommend this for older teens as there is a bit of violence and a fairly casual attitude toward sex.

Insatiable by Meg Cabot

 
Disclaimer:  I am a fan of Meg Cabot.  I enjoy many of her books (not all) and I think she writes fun, quirky stories.  So I really wanted to enjoy Insatiable.  It's a vampire story by an author I enjoy!  What could go wrong?  Only a few things.

The story focuses on Meena, a writer for a soap opera called Insatiable.  When her new boss wants to do a vampire storyline, she gets upset because there are too many vampire stories out there.  While out walking the dog in the middle of the night, she meets a mysterious man who saves her from a swarm of bats - in the middle of New York City.  He sweeps her into a quick and intense relationship before telling her the truth about who - and what - he is.

The good . . . Everything moves along quickly and the supporting characters are quirky and fun, despite being slightly annoying.  The story builds off the historical story of Vlad the Impaler and I enjoyed the more traditional vampire traits - as seen in Bram Stoker's Dracula.  The historical take on things was interesting a different from what I've been reading.  I also appreciated that Lucian was not completely reformed.  He wasn't attacking innocents but he had a temper and he wasn't perfect.  Meena recognized this and that was good too.  It's nice to see a realistic heroine. 

The bad. . . The writing was slightly choppy with needless descriptions.  We (the readers) don't need to be told that Jon is her brother at end of the book.  We've been reading, we know this.  Jon is a major character.  That annoyed me.  The whole story took place in a matter of days which didn't give a lot of time to build a romance.  I'm assuming that this is the start of a series and the end was definitely left open to a sequel.  I do like a more solid ending.  Despite that, I will be reading the next book that comes along.  I'm interested enough to continue but not excited enough to mark my calender. 

Vampire fans may like the "pure" version of the vamps in the story but I don't know that it will satisfy.   I guess we'll just have to wait for next summer.

I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley

I'm never sure what to expect when I read non-fiction. Sometimes it can be extremely dry, sometimes it can be warm and sometimes it can be a lot of fun. In the book, I Was Told There'd Be Cake, Sloane Crosley shares moments in her life through a series of essays.

I enjoyed the book for the most part. I read it fairly quickly and read some of it out loud to various friends and family. The author does not portray herself as a warm and fuzzy person which caused the stories to lack emotion. I'm sure that she is a perfectly nice person but I found myself wondering how she really felt in the situations she described. That was lacking for me.

I also was looking for more of a timeline but since these were essays on her life, and not a straight memoir, I understood the reason for it. I'm just a very linear person. All in all, it's a good read. I recommend it to those who enjoy reading David Sedaris or Jen Lancaster. I find Ms. Crosley to fit between the two. Not as jaded as Sedaris and not as funny as Lancaster.