Jane Giveaway Winner and October's book club selection

A big congratulations to Erin (of Aelia Reads.  There were so many Erin's that entered!  It's a fairly awesome name so I'm not complaining) you've won a ARC copy of April Lindner's Jane.  I'll email you shortly to get your address.  We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

I hope you all check it out when it comes out October 11th.  It's a fun, clever take on Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and a pleasure to read.

Well, you guys have spoken and it looks like On Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta will be our October book club selection.  I've heard so many wonderful things about this book I'm really excited to finally get around to reading it!

Review - Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

Summary (found on the back of the book): Folksy and fresh, endearing and affecting, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is the now-classic novel of two women in the 1980s: of gray-headed Mrs Threadgoode telling her life story to Evelyn, who is in the sad slump of middle age. The tale she tells is also of two women--of the irrepressibly daredevilish tomboy Idgie and her friend Ruth--who back in the thirties ran a little place in Whistle Stop, Alabama, a Southern kind of Cafe Wobegon offering good barbecue and good coffee and all kinds of love and laughter, even an occasional murder. And as the past unfolds, the present--for Evelyn and us--will never be quite the same again.

Review: Okay, I have two confessions to make.

Confession # 1: I've always avoided any book by Fannie Flagg because I thought they were mainly for older people. (Hi, my name is Janelle and I'm a recovering book snob.)

Confession # 2:  I've never seen the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, and did not realize that this was the book the movie was based on. (Apparently, I also live under a rock.)

I would love to say that I picked up this Fannie Flagg book because I was determined to broaden my horizons but, unfortunately, that's not the case. It took the Crazy Book Swap, courtesy of Wallace at the blog Unputdownables, and my swap partner Cass to make me finally step up to the plate.

I'm glad I did!

The first word that comes to mind after reading this book is COMMUNITY. The story of Mrs. Cleo Threadgoode (aka Ninny) is one of a small town who continually looked out for each other. An open-minded and accepting group of people, they provided a entertaining background for this story.


My favorite thing about this book was the attention given to each character, main or background, and to Whistle Stop, Alabama. It's been a long time since I've liked loved every single character in one book. Each character's story, seamlessly linked by the town's newsletter (The Weems Weekly) was captivating; I was just as interested in Idgie and Ruth's love for each other as I was Smokey the hobo's journey or Arvis Peavy's transformation from boy to ladies' man. Their tales were poignant, infused with humor and warmth.

This isn't just a story of community. Flagg also touches upon race relations, women's lib and same-sex relationships. She doesn't preach, instead she uses this community, this town to demonstrate acceptance of all people.

Evelyn's story, though less explored, is the one I related to most at this particular time--

"This morning, as they drove out to the nursing home, she realized that her life was becoming unbearable. Every morning she would play games with herself, just to get through the day. Like telling herself that today something wonderful was going to happen...that the next time the phone would ring, it would be good news that would change her life..."

That's what I get for being a book snob. There are points where I feel like this now and I'm in my twenties. Evelyn is 48. (Hmmm...I may also be a recovering ageist...) She feels as if she's going insane (largely due to low hormone levels and going through "the change"). She feels like "she has gotten lost somewhere along the way". It isn't until she meets Ninny that something in her begins to change. Through the stories of Idgie, Ruth and the Whistle Stop Cafe, she begins to find her place and take charge of her life.

(Seriously, Idgie is a rock star. This character, though immature at times, is passionate about everything and gets things DONE. I wanna be like Idgie...just sayin'.)

This is an uplifting story and it's one I needed at this particular moment. Light-hearted, witty and moving, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is definitely a keeper. Sorry, Ms. Flagg, for being stubborn and not giving in sooner!

LitSnit Grade: A

(Thanks to Wallace at Unputdownables for the Crazy Book Swap & to Cass of Bonjour Cass for this book!)

Waiting on Wednesday--Daniela

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Release Date: May 10, 2011

"What Happened to Goodbye" is about a high school senior who, after her parents’ divorce, has taken up the practice of assuming a new identity in each of the four towns she’s lived in (blurb provided by Goodreads).

Choosing What Happened to Goodbye* as my WoW selection this week might seem a bit stranger after the review I wrote about Just Listen (the only Sarah Dessen book I’ve read to date). But I did promise to give her another go…eventually…and it seems her newest novel might just be tempting enough.

I’ll admit that I’m a bit apprehensive, however the brief and rather vague synopsis of What Happened to Goodbye does have some appeal and I’m biting. There’s intrigue in reading about a teen morphing into new personas as she moves from town to town. Can't you feel the promise of adventure and inner conflict already?

Sadly, this book doesn’t have an official cover yet. Looking at Dessen’s last few releases, I think we can safely assume that her publisher will put together some lovely composition of limbs against a placid background to entice readers into purchasing What Happened to Goodbye...not that Dessen's name isn't an incentive enough.

*What Happened to Goodbye a title change. When Dessen first announced her intentions of releasing a book in 2011, the project was called Cut and Run.

Update: What Happened to Goodbye cover is revealed.

Note: Waiting on Wednesday is an ingenious idea hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.

Review - The Season by Sarah MacLean

Summary: Seventeen year old Lady Alexandra is strong-willed and sharp-tongued -- in a house full of older brothers and their friends, she had to learn to hold her own. Not the best makings for an aristocratic lady in Regency London. Yet her mother still dreams of marrying Alex off to someone safe, respectable, and wealthy. When the Earl of Blackmoor is mysteriously killed, Alex decides to help his son, the brooding and devilishly handsome Gavin, uncover the truth. But will Alex's heart be stolen in the process?(via Goodreads)


Review: It’s so challenging to write a review about regency romances (or even regular romances) because of the similarities in the underlying plotlines of books within this genre. Most commonly in a regency, you get to read about fantastically idealized 19th century characters, who are involved in the most dramatic romantic situations, and are somehow able to resolve everything with a happily ever after ending. The Season isn’t a novel that aims to break these rules, but is a pleasingly constructed variation of this well-loved mold.

The gist:

As our lovable and amazing heroine we have Alexandra. She is an incontestably beauty of seventeen, who is too intellectually opinionated for her own good and has no intention of losing her “perceived” freedoms by marrying any simpleton with a title. Only her romanticized version of The One could ever make her want to be a wife.

Alexandra’s leading male interest is Gavin. He is a dashing young Lord with blond hair, long legs and a lopsided grin. He has known Alexandra all her life, and had been more or less like a brother to her, until he matured into a gorgeous young man capable of making all the ladies (including those in the reading audience) swoon.

Serving as the supporting cast are Vivi and Ella, who have been Alex’s best pals since infancy. Vivi and Ella’s apparent purposes include being loyal, loving, unconventionally understanding, and capable of involving her in all kind of unladylike behavior.

Some bonuses:

• A multitude of luxurious balls. This book is entitled The Season because it recounts Alex, Vivi and Ella’s coming out season into the British ton, and so these girls must go to many many balls! This directly translates into a greater number of scintillating and sexually tense dance floor encounters between Gavin and Alexandra.

• Espionage—of the Britain-hates-France (and vice-versa) persuasion.

• Alexandra’s three brothers. They are tall, handsome, intelligent, athletic, and just as romantic hero-worthy as Gavin.

• The cover of the book. It features models representing Ella, Vivi and Alex, clad exactly the way MacLean described in the book. I think that such a precise match of book cover and story gives The Season a little extra umph!

Some unfortunate omissions:

• A steamy love scene. But folks, it is a YA book.

The Season is just what it promises to be, a romance for teens. There are no hidden agendas or crazy twists. It’s enjoyable the way any good romance promises to be enjoyable. It envelops you in a world of unreachable lavishness and beauty, that's really fun to occupy for a few days. So, if you’re in the mood for a romance that’s more restrained and less sensual, I’d recommend this as a satisfactory option.

Lit Snit Verdict: B

Review — Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Summary (via Goodreads): Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie's always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

Review:  There's been a lot of buzz about Paranormalcy around the YA blogosphere so I was pretty excited to get my hands on this one.  I didn't know quite what to expect; this premise could be either super cheesy or fantastic.  Will this book change paranormal YA forever?  No.  But it is an incredibly enjoyable read with a clever premise and Evie is a likable character who I'm looking forward to seeing more of.

My initial thought when I started reading was "this is like Hellboy if Hellboy was a teenage girl," and really, who doesn't want to see what Hellboy would be if he was a teenage girl (minus the sawed off horns and cigars).  I loved the entire concept of the IPCA and learning about their inner workings.  From gremlins to hags, White uses a lot of old myths and legends to populate her world.  The folklore geek in me was in heaven.  I can't help compare it with Lili St. Crow's Strange Angels series a little.  I think White's world sometimes lacked a little grittiness and realism that I loved in Strange Angels, but with things like fairies and unicorns (I hope we get a peek at those in future books) it's much more rooted in magic and it has a much lighter tone overall so it works.

I also appreciated how you really saw how sheltered Evie was, growing up in the IPCA, especially next to lend.  Her exuberance sometimes bordered on over-the-top, but it was all well in character.  She was bubbly and snarky without being annoying or bratty.  Her relationship with Lend develops naturally and they quickly become too adorable for words.

I've never been a huge fan of fairies so when I saw that one of the main characters was fey I kind of wrinkled my nose.  I read Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely and wasn't overly impressed, but I think I'm just not into that avenue of paranormal YA.  However, there was something about Reth and White's description of fairies that finally made me realize how compelling they are.  Though I found myself kind of developing a crush on Reth, his abilities to control humans and the threat of being lost in his world forever totally freaked me out (and I tend to love amoral characters).  So thanks, to Kiersten for finally hitting home how frightening fairies are.  I can't wait to see more of Reth.

I do wish we got more time with the IPCA.  I found that world so interesting and compelling, I was a little disappointed they seem to be going in a different direction in future books.  I love the idea of this supernatural agency working behind the scenes of our world and wanted to see more.  Even still, I'll definitely be picking up book two in this fun, addictive series.

Lit Snit Verdict: B+