The Book Challenge discussion
Ningerbil's 2011 book list
date
newest »
newest »
5. Ash, by Malinda Lo. This is a different take on the Cinderella story. There are many common elements with the well-known fairy tale: Ash, or Aisling, is a happy, contented girl until her mother and, later, her father dies. Her stepmother makes Ash a servant to pay off her father's debts. Ash serves both the stepmother and two stepsisters, one whom is very cruel (one isn't as mean). There's a ball, a prince and magic -- but then the story takes its own turn. Ash finds that she has to choose between the powerful and dangerous Sidhean, a fairy, and Kaisa, the King's Huntress. The story flows smoothly and naturally. This version of Cinderella is darker than the typical fairy tale, dealing more with the shades of gray than in black and white. Through the story, Ash goes from someone who feels trapped to someone who begins to learn to break her own bonds.6. Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures, by Robert K. Wittman and John Shiffman. You don't have to be an art connoisseur or even much of an art fan to appreciate this book. Here, Robert Wittman, now retired from the FBI, relates how he made a career of tracking down and recovering stolen art and artifacts. He recovered hundreds of millions of dollars worth of important historical artifacts and art through his career. Some highlights include the recovery of the 14th Bill of Rights, which was stolen during the Civil War; uncovering and exposing the scandel connected with two shady dealers on Antiques Roadshow; and the recovery of more than $2 million in Revolutionary and Civil War era relics stolen from a Philadelphia museum. The story is fast-paced and straightforward; Wittman finds the right balance of giving just enough history behind the pieces and the thefts without it coming across as a lengthy arts and history lecture. His stories on what he has to do to infiltrate the less seemly side of society are fascinating and, at times, intense. This is a must-read for true crime and history fans.
7. Codex, by Lev Grossman. I really liked Grossman's "The Magicians," and checked out this title because of the author and because it looked like a history-based mystery, which I enjoy. Alas, this book was rather disappointing. The story centers on Edward Wozny, an investment banker whose star is on the rise. He's enjoying a vacation before travelling overseas for a lucrative job. Just before he officially starts his vacation, Edward is given a strange assignment -- basically he's asked to catalogue an impressive array of old books owned by a wealthy and eccentric client. What he finds -- and what he is charged in looking for -- seeks him to enlist help from Margaret Napier, a stiff but brilliant scholar of medeival texts. The book is rather slow for the first 90 pages or so; I almost gave up on it, but went one more chapter. Just in time if you will, the book started to get very interesting around page 90. It was clicking along very well after that, getting hard to put down, as Edward and Margaret try to discover the interest in retreiving a Codex that some want, and others want destroyed. Then, it ended. And the ending just left me scratching my head and thinking "what the heck just happened here??" The best thing about this story were some of the interesting historical tidbits and vocabulary words I picked up. There also was a side story about a hyper-realistic video game Edward gets from a friend. This had very little connection with the rest of the story, and should have been chopped. It only slowed things down. All in all rather disappointing.
8. Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives by Annie Murphy Paul. This is a fascinating (and occassionally disturbing) read for those interested in childhood development and epigenetics. The author parallels her own thoughts and experiences with her second pregnancy with the growing bodies of evidence that are showing the incredible impact of the environment, nutrition and other factors on the unborn child -- effects that can be felt and documented even decades later. Two examples that struck me:
One was a study of children and adults who were in-utero during the 1944 "Hunger Winter" in the Netherlands. The famine, brought on by a tight German blockade coupled with an unusually severe and early winter, left an estimated 18,000 dead. Those children who were still in the womb during this time were not only smaller than average, but their own children were smaller than average. The children studied also had a significantly higher pecentage of ailments such as heart disease and cancer, even decades later. Higher rates of schizophrenia and other neurological disorders were also found among children who had been in the second trimester during the Hunger Winter (and, indeed, in other famines and times of intense stress).
The second is more recent: the ice storm that struck parts of the northern United States and Canada. This storm shut down some cities for several days. Researchers conducted two studies on children who had been in-utero at the time of the storm. They noticed significant delays in development when the children were toddlers, compared to children who had not been impacted by the storm, and in IQ. Those children were tested about a decade later; while the gap between those who were impacted by the storm and those who were not had closed somewhat, that gap still remained. At least one researcher quoted in the book said she was surprised that such a sizable gap would have remained, even a decade later.
The implications of such studies are sobering, to say the least.
I liked the writing style and the author's own asides about her pregnancy, and she doesn't seem to leave any stone unturned, any side or angle unmentioned. I do like how Paul at least tries to give the positives -- what can be done to help improve the unborn child's future. But many things seem rather daunting. Also, there were a couple pieces of advice that might seem a bit misguided. For example, she said she eschewed some fish because of mercury concerns (understandable) and instead went for others, including catfish. Huh? I don't know about the mercury concerns of catfish, but that is not a fish I'd recommend, given its feeding patterns (bottom feeders tend to be chock full of other pollutants, and I don't know the safety of farmed fish other than often its no safer.) Also, her observation of how children born via C-section don't feel pain as intensely as those born "naturally" was, while may be true, left the impression that voluntary C-sections should be done more. Sorry -- but while C-sections are sometimes necessary, they can bring a whole host of other problems for the mother and infant (higher rates of respiratory ailments in newborns, for example).
I do like how the book was chaptered-- nine chapters for nine months. I do wonder if the information could have been a bit better organized. I've read far worse, but a couple things got repeated, and there were similar items that should have been grouped together. It's not bad -- the themes are fairly well established per chapter. It just needed tweaked. All in all, I really enjoyed this book.
9. Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian, by Avi Steinberg. This memoir written by a Harvard graduate who spent two years as a prison librarian. Those looking for a read on how education and writing classes and caring mentors can help someone who has done wrong turn over a new leaf -- may want to look elsewhere. Steinberg's story is a brutally honest look at the prison population and the culture that surrounds it. Early on, he details how he's mugged at knifepoint in the park -- by someone who recognized him from the library and had even been a patron there. Another story deals with his near-friendship with a charming pimp whose looking to write his life's story -- and who turns out to have a *very* nasty rapsheet. One of the more tragic stories deals with Jessica, who struggles with her own past and in trying to connect with her son -- who's also in the same prison.
Steinberg himself is honest about him being a fish out of water, particularly at the beginning, in dealing with the motley group of inmates -- both patrons and library workers. The two years he spent at Boston's South Bay prison were juggling acts. When did he bend the rules to help an inmate? How could he command their respect? Should he follow in the footsteps of his more draconian successors? How far should he go in appeasing some of the other staff -- a couple of whom were as bad as some of the inmates. There is a lot of tragedy in the book, counterbalanced somewhat by the author's keen wit and eye for irony. Steinberg goes into the stories of several of the prisoners as well as some of the "customs" and "traditions" of prison, such as prisoners leaving "kites" for their fellow inmates (kites being little notes left throughout the library). Steinberg's job was to find and dispose of these kites -- considered to be against the rules. But he shares a sampling of what he sees in his story. I'm not sure "enjoyable" is the right word here, but "Running the Books" is insightful and thought-provoking.
10. Breaking night : a memoir of forgiveness, survival, and my journey from homeless to Harvard, by Liz Murray. Wow. I didn't think anything could be harder to read than Halse Anderson's "Wintergirls." This autobiography was well written, even lyrical, and the view so honest-- but it is very hard to read at times because it is a true story, and so heartbreaking. I guess part of me was angry-- the signs seemed so obvious: why didn't officials get involved sooner? The question is almost "why didn't they get involved, period??" Murray grew up, along with an older sister, to parents who were hooked on drugs. Her parents manage to remain sympathetic, but the things they do to get their fix are pretty horrible (selling her winter coat, hooking up with a man who turns out to be a child molester...) Murray relates many times when she and her sister went to bed hungry because her parents used the money they received from welfare on their next hit. Murray felt like an outcast at school because of her dirty clothes so frequently was truant. She managed to pass through her grade levels until high school. On her mother's death when she was 15, Murray took to the streets, relying on her friends for food and shelter (again I have to ask though-- why didn't the friends' parents report anything??) When she was 17, she realized she couldn't continue living the way she was, so she looked into schools again and was finally accepted into an alternate high school program. She manages to take enough classes -- getting straight A's -- and graduates in a year. All while homeless, living out of a backpack. Eventually she is accepted at Harvard and manages to get the grants and scholarships needed to attend. Her story is very inspiring... no, amazing. Do follow it with a comic chaser, though. As I said, this one was hard to get through, especially the first half.11. Reliable fundraising in unreliable times : what good causes need to know to survive and thrive, Kim Klein. I checked this book out as a potential source and inspiration for writing grants. I'm investigating grant writing to continue the computer classes I had been teaching. Not sure if it was good for that purpose, but it's an excellent book for those who work in the nonprofit sector. Klein has a very conversational writing style and her book is full of good advice, compiled from her years in working the nonprofit sector. For the most part I found myself nodding in agreement with her suggestions and observations. I wanted to cheer when she hit on something I've thought for years, although she articulated far better than I could: That the emphasis on "administrative costs" in terms of determining the worthiness of a charity is overblown and can actually be harmful. I've always said- you get what you pay for. And if someone is working 40+ hours for a nonprofit they should be compensated for their effort and skills. I've always been a bit suspicious myself of nonprofits that claim to have a tiny administrative overheard. They are either a. very small or not "full time", b. overworking their volunteers or c. massaging the books. She also make some interesting observations on boards, their functions and -- mostly-- the problems with boards. While she is talking specifically about nonprofit boards, I'd say the same philosophies and issues come up with bodies such as school boards. But I digress.
I did disagree with a couple points, personally, like the issue with newsletters. I had to chuckle a bit. Perhaps I'm in the minority, but... does anyone really read those? Maybe it's because I'm a bit jaded-- so many organizations send newsletters to newspapers, either instead of a press release or thinking the papers will be interested (please, save yourself the postage-- newsletters are NOT a press release and no staffer is going to do anything but chuck them). But all in all, this should be a must-read for nonprofits, whether they are struggling or are, for now, doing well. Klein has actually written a series of books for nonprofits, and she does well with giving suggestions on fundraising in not just these uncertain economic times, but she points out that uncertainty is always going to be an issue.
12. Oh, Say Did You Know?: The Secret History of America's Famous Figures, Fads, Innovations & Emblems, by Fred DuBose and Martha Hailey. I'm a bit mixed on this book. On one hand, it's very easy to read and entertaining. There are a lot of neat stories in it about our various historical figures, as well as some not-so-well known people. It is well organized by topic. It's a very quick read. But a few things bothered me. One, there was no index, no list of sources (if there is one, I somehow missed it). After this, I'm relying on memory; it's been a while since I've read the book. But there was a reference to Thomas Edison, how he made a sort of crude brief movie (was it the Kinetoscope?) about a war battle (I think it was the Boer war)-- except the whole battle had been staged. The attitude of the writing was ah, but who cares if Edison "gilded the lily," since he made so many wonderful inventions. Basically, the book excuses him for dishonesty because he was successful. That's the impression I was left with and it left a bad taste in my mouth, especially since this book seems aimed at older grade school children. It seems there were a couple other bits of information that didn't sound right to me, but I don't recall what those might have been, and I forgot to write it down. There also was, I remember, a missed opportunity: on one page, it mentions about the first dishwashing machine, invented by Josephine Cochrane, was first seen at the Chicago World Fair in 1893. On the very next page, it mentions the Ferris Wheel -- but makes no mention that it, too, was a part of the same World Fair (indeed, it was one of the highlights, created to outdo the Eiffel Tower, which had been created as the entrance arch for the 1889 World Fair. I highly recommend The Devil in the White City for anyone wanting more information on the 1893 World Fair). While I understand the book was crafted to be a fast read, with very short stories, this omission seemed odd to me.13. The Cleveland Creep, by Les Roberts. Milan Jacovich is back, for the 15th mystery set in the Cleveland area, and is as compelling as ever. In this story, what starts out as a missing persons case gets sticky (of course). Milan is asked to find 28-year-old Earl Dacey by Dacey's mother. It doesn't take long for Milan to discover that Dacey was into some pretty unsavory things, including taking surreptitious videos up the skirts of schoolgirls at local malls. The private investigator gets entangled with some rather shady characters in the pornography business and manages to make Victor Giamari angry in the process. When Dacey turns up dead, Milan is, surprisingly asked for his assistance by none other than the brusque Lt. McHargue, who's past relationship has been rocky at best. Another twist is the addition of Kevin O'Bannion, who comes on as Milan's assistant at the insistence of a friend and fellow PI. I actually figured out who-dun-it a couple chapters before it was revealed, but there are a lot of twists and red herrings. Also felt sorry for Milan-- just when it seems like his life is in order the pieces once again get shuffled. Even when he wins he loses. Readers should note that this book touches (in a very astute, professional and non-gratuitous way) some pretty sticky subjects, including child pornography and "crush" films.
14. Six Inches of Partly Cloudy, by Dick Goddard. For non-Cleveland residents, Dick Goddard is a (very, very) longtime meteorologist for this area, known for covering the weather, and for the annual Woolybear Festival. I read and enjoyed two of his Almanac books ( I believe there are three total), and this newest book did not disappoint. There are a few things readers of his previous books might recognize (including the inspiration for the title). This is more of a personal take on Dick Goddard's life and experiences in the television business and with his favorite causes- the aforementioned festival, animal charities and animals in general. Most of the stories are very light-hearted and funny, although there are one or two more somber ones (such as his recollection of the time when he lost both his wife and mother around the same time). There also are many stories from other local Cleveland television people, particularly Robin Swoboda, Tim Taylor and "Big Chuck Schodowski, many of them absolutely hilarious. Weather buffs, Ohio history buffs and those looking for a fun, educational and entertaining read will enjoy this.
15. Watchers, by Dean Koontz. This book takes off at a rapid clip and doesn't let up. The main focus of the story is on two lab creations -- a super-intelligent (and super sweet) golden retreiver who could put Lassie to shame, and a creature, known as The Outsider, which is just as smart but made to kill -- and it was created a little too well. Travis is a man who has lost everyone close to him, and is convinced he is a jinx. He's gone back to the trails he knew growing up when he encounters the retreiver, who saves his life. Later, they run into Nora, a shy, timid woman who had lived under the emotional abuse of her aunt. The three of them come together and start to heal, but are also thrown into the mystery of the dog's origins and the nature of the dark creature that has been killing people. Another compelling story centers on Len, an NSA agent, and his friend Walt, a local sheriff. Len, a workaholic who starts to examine his life and his obsessions, often finds his friendship at odds with his duty as he tries to track down The Outsider. A little bit of international and mob intrigue is thrown in the story with Vince, a professional hit man who is, in his own way, scarier than The Outsider. The story raises intriguing questions about the ability to create superintelligent life-- and if that creation would have rights. I do like the fact that one of the "good guys" is a lawyer-- you don't see that in many stories (my one nit is how he's kind of referred to as an afterthought at the end).
Currently reading: Mockingjay, by Suzzane Collins. About halfway through and enjoying it immensely. I've been waiting a while to get my hands on this one.
Also on hand, 12 Sharp, by Janet Evanovich-- on CD. Figure this will be good to listen to while working on projects I need to get going on. A good comic break from the serious stuff I've been reading lately.
16. Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins. The third and final book in the Hunger Games trilogy (and this has a very definite ending). Wow. I finished this book in a couple days, it was hard to put down. Mockingjay moves quickly, and the ending... well, the ending is fitting, but it left me feeling like I'd been punched. Wow. This is no fairy-tale style ending, and a lot of character die, including one major character that shocked me. Do follow this up with a comic chaser. The waters muddy even further in this book as Katniss comes to realize that she has few true friends, only war allies and those who would use her as a pawn -- on both sides of the war. Katniss comes to realize that Coin, the president of District 13, is little (if any) better than President Snow of the Capital, which initiated the Hunger Games. I kind of guessed about the ending, but it still came as a shock. The epilogue sort of put me in mind of the ending of Ender's Game-- bittersweet at best, but realistic.17. The Shark Handbook, by Dr. Greg Skomal. This is one of the two books I picked up in Wilmington. Dr. Skomal's shark guide is one of the nicest, most concise and most educational book on sharks I've seen, and it's well illustrated with the photography by Nick Caloyianis. The text is well written, even conversational, and the technical, scientific terms are explained well. I'd recommend this for 12 and older (younger is OK, if they have an interest in marine biology; if they can handle NOVA, they can handle this). I learned a lot of interesting things about sharks, such as good ways of telling the species apart, how the sharks are divided scientifically and that some sharks can actually control their own body temperature like mammals (Great Whites and Makos, for example). Also found it interesting that the three largest shark species -- the Whale shark, the Basking shark and the Megamouth shark -- are all plankton eaters. I found it fascinating that a shark's liver is used more to help provide bouyancy. My one quibble is in the descriptions on the shark's status as to whether they are threatened with extinction; the code the author uses is a bit confusing, and I wish the more standard critically endangered/endangered/threatened etc. would have been used. Otherwise, I think this book was worth every penny.
And, just in time for Halloween:
18. Ghosts on the Battleship North Carolina, by Danny Bradshaw. This was the other book I bought in Wilmington, catering to my interest in ghost stories. Bradshaw works evening security and lives on the Battleship, and relates some of his experiences with the otherworldy denizens on the battleship, which is now a floating museum. The stories are interesting, although I would have liked to have seen more information. Does he know who any of the ghosts might have been? This was an enjoyable read but it felt incomplete. Did love the reactions of his friends and family to the various encounters.
19. Ghost Dogs of the South, by Randy Russell and Janet Barnett. My parents picked this up for me when they were in Hilton Head- they know me so well! This is a collection of short stories involving dogs, ghost dogs and dog's interactions with ghosts. The title is slightly misleading for not all of the dogs related here are (or become) ghosts but the tales are so enjoyable this didn't bother me. The tales ranged from possibly true to almost certainly tall tales and legends. Some stories, such as A Dog's Wish (which falls into the later category of probable fable) are hilarious. Also loved Watch Dog, which sounds like it could possibly be true, about a dog which saved his master not once, but twice. Also like how the authors go into some of the general terms with ghosts and ghost dogs, such as plat-eye and moss dogs (neither of which you want to encounter.) The vintage pictures throughout are not connected to the stories but are a nice touch.
20. Lean Mean 13, by Janet Evanovich. This is, so far, the funniest book in Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. In the first half of the book, you have exploding taxidermy animals, a house that was growing pot going up in smoke (and Stephanie, Lula and another character getting very high) and one of the best Ranger-Stephanie verbal exchanges ever. In this book, Stephanie, in doing a favor for Ranger, has to confront her ex-husband Dickie Orr. Dickie, who is the consummate jerk, tells Stephanie that he's hooked up again with Joyce Barnhardt - who is Stephanie's least favorite person on the planet. Our intrepid bounty hunter's reaction is understandable - Stephanie tries to choke Dickie. Unfortunately, this makes Stephanie the prime suspect later when Dickie goes missing. Turns out that Dickie got entangled with some shady characters, and is now the key to a whole lot of money.21. TV Moms, an illustrated guide, by Ray Richmond. This was an interesting television trivia book on moms I picked up at a white elephant auction. It highlights well-known (and some not as well-known) television moms from the 1950s to the 1990s, noting the changes in how mothers were presented to the television audience through the decades. It's a very interesting and quick read, which includes information on the shows, the actresses and "mom-ents" - highlights concerning the mothers in the series. It's a nice guide for trivia and television buffs, and covers mothers from the too-good-to-be-true like Donna Reed to the, ahem, less than perfect Peg Bundy.
22. TV Weddings: An illustrated guide to television nuptials, by Keller and Mashon. I picked this up at the same auction. It's in a similar vein as the TV moms book, except this one highlights weddings. An interesting, quick read that I think television and trivia buffs will enjoy.
Tried to read: Moby Dick. I tried, I really did. This was disappointing. I've seen the movie with Patrick Stewart and even saw a musical version of this tale (tail?) so I thought I'd enjoy this far more than I did. I got about halfway through before throwing in the towel. It's a shame because parts of it are good- such as when Ishmael first meets Queequeg. Hilarious! And when they FINALLY get on the Pequod the pace slowly picks up. But by then it was pretty much too late for me. If you do want to read this, do yourself a favor and get the abridged version. Seriously, entire chapters could have been removed and it would have been a far better story. This was obviously written in the day when authors were paid by the word.
Currently reading: Fearless Fourteen by Evanovich (on CD), and How to Find Almost Anyone, Anywhere, by Norma Tillman.
23.Fearless Fourteen, by Janet Evanovich, This has to be the most madcap book. It has a very different feel to it, and there are a LOT of characters in this one (including the return of Moondog! Yay!) Story one involves Stephanie Plum working security with Ranger for an older, egotistical musician, Brenda. Story 2 starts when Stephanie tries to bring in a distant cousin of Joe Morelli's - and winds up having to babysit the woman's teenage son. The babysitting arrangement winds up lasting much longer after the woman, Loretta, disappears. Stephanie and Joe realize it's connected to $9 million that was robbed from a bank and never recovered. Another Morelli cousin, Dom, was jailed for the robbery and Dom hates Joe with a passion. There are strangers digging in Morelli's yard looking for the money at all hours, the son, Mooner and another guy working security detail with a variety of produce, and Lula making wedding plans for her marriage to Tank (who is completely confused and unsettled by the whole engagement thing). Like I said, it's madcap!24. How to Find Almost Anyone, Anywhere, by Norma Mott Tillman. Before I do this review, I need to point out the book I read was an older version. I've found at least one newer version. Given how much has changed in the world of finding information, that is a good thing. That said the older version can still be useful. This was a pretty good read. I knew much of the information already, but it never hurts to see what new ways of finding information might be out there. For example, I didn't realize military records were that accessible. I do like the fact that she stresses to do no harm and to be cautious when contacting someone you might not have seen in a long time. I also liked how she stresses that there are ways to obtain information within the realm of the law. There's also a lengthy list towards the back of the book of addresses and such, as well as an information "checklist." This is a handy guide for those wishing to find someone- an adoptive parent (or child), a missing military friend, a long-lost sweetheart.
1. Going Bovine, by Libba Bray -- My first book finished for the year. A very interesting read. It's been compared to a mondern-day Don Quixote, and that's as good a parallel as any. The main character, Cameron, has coasted through his life, not carrying about much of anything. His life changes when a. he's diagnosed with a fatal disease (I'm not much for spoilers, but a hint is in the title), and b. he runs into an angel, Dulcie (your first Don Quixote link). Dulcie sends him on a quest to find the missing Dr. X, who's invention has endangered the world. Dr. X could also hold the key to a cure for Cameron. Cameron is joined by a Mexican-American dwarf, who is a bit of a hypochondriac and a talking yard gnome who might actually be a Norse god. There's drug use, sex and more than a bit of profanity -- but there's also a lot of depth. There are a few satisfying (almost obligatory) jabs at common culture (the SPEW tests, and the Happy Cult), but I do like how you aren't sure what is real, and what is part of Cameron's imagination. That's up for the reader to decide.
2. Poisoning the Press: Richard Nixon, Jack Anderson, and the Rise of Washington's Scandal Culture, by Mark Feldstein. A great read for history buffs (although you might want a comic chaser afterward). It's an interesting and well-written account of the backgrounds and relationship between former president Richard Nixon and muckracker columnist Jack Anderson. To say it was antagonistic would be an understatement. The two men hated each other with a passion; there is a whole chapter devoted to how Nixon asked some of his Plumbers about murdering him. The writing can be funny (the whole bit about the CIA trying to spy on Anderson, and what Anderson and his family did when they found out, made me crack up laughing out loud.) There are other parts that made me shake my head in disgust at both parties. Of course, the conclusion winds up being the Watergate Scandal, which, in its way, wound up ruining the careers of both men. It's interesting and chilling how Nixon's policies on press handling have impacted White House policy even today.
3. Next, by Michael Crichton. The setting could be now, in a world where genes are patented, there is a possible genetic cure for drug addiction, and genetic tests can be ordered during a divorce settlement to determine parental responsibility. Crichton's work is fictional, but a lot of the science is real. Next is a series of short, loosely connected stories involving several different characters and several different issues. Perhaps all of these things haven't happened -- yet (although it's hard to tell where the fiction ends and real life begins), but they could. Most of the book is pretty grim, although there are some lighter scenes (love Gerard, the parrot). The wrap-up is well handled; not too loose, but not tidy, either. There aren't a lot of authors who could juggle so many stories and so many characters convincingly, but Crichton made it work.
4. Flash Burnout, by L.K. Madigan. Blake is 15, with a good homelife, a girlfriend and good circle of friends. Life becomes complicated when one of his friends and fellow photography student, Marissa, needs his help due to her less than stellar home life. Her mother is addicted to Meth and wanders in and out of her daughter's life. Marissa wants to help, and Blake wants to help her. But he finds that juggling a girlfriend and a friend more challenging than he could ever anticipate. This is a very enjoyable, fairly clean book. I really like how Blake actually looks up to his parents. Yes, they have their flaws, but Blake acknowledges them as good people. Blake is not a "loser" or outcast or anything like that. He's fairly ordinary, with his own circle of friends and a girl he loves. What makes this coming-of-age story are the characters, which are all endearing. Even the older brother, who can be a jerk, also can be a decent guy. The ending is bittersweet, but realistic. The little notes and observations on photography before each chapter are a nice touch.