LIZ: BOOK #45

The Effects of Light by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

368 pages

Completed 12/27/10

Let me begin by saying I could not wait to finish this book; but not for my usual reason of not liking it. Instead, I had to know what happened as soon as possible. When I say that Beverly-Whittemore is talented, I mean it in a way that makes you not want to do anything else but finish her story.

The story of Myla and Pru Wolfe, whose single father David introduces them to photographer Ruth Handel, is one you are quickly sucked into. Ruth's nude portraits of the girls become "the centerpiece around which their lives unravel." As reader, you are introduced to Kate Scott, aka Myla Wolfe. After a mysterious letter summons her home to Portland, Oregon, pieces of the tragedy that killed her sister and forced Myla to start her life anew begin. The novel is told alternatingly by Kate/Myla and young Pru.

The emotion in this book is overwhleming, but not in a sappy, sad way. In fact, I found myself surprised towards the end when I was moved to tears, as I had not experienced such emotion throughout my reading. My only complaint about this debut novel of Beverly-Whittemore's is the somewhat-rambling philosophical tellings of Myla's deceased father; I will admit that I skipped over most of it for lack of interest.

LIZ: BOOK #44

Dear Diary By Lesley Arfin

288 pages

Completed 12/23/10

Vice contributor Lesley Arfin revisits her diary, tracking her downward spiral from pre-adolescent self-esteem-less girl to heroin-addicted twenty-something, this book's concept intrigued me. Arfin tracks down and interviews the subjects of her entries. This seemed to be the perfect book for me, a lover of addiction/recovery memoirs, a diary format, a tell-all. However, I was pretty disappointed.

Not as scandalous or gut-wrenching as I had imagined, and at times, annoying. The woe-is-me entries from most of her adolescence were exhausting, and when re-connections from her past didn't pan out, I felt myself not even remotely interested. Most memoirs, on the other hand, have me looking up the author online when I am finished reading, wanting to know more. This one, disappointingly, didn't pique any interest at all.

I suppose I thought I would find this memoir juicier, funnier, and more relatable. Instead, I found myself relieved when it was over. I would have been more interested if I picked up a random diary and suffered through it.

LIZ: BOOK #43

The Center of Winter by Marya Hornbacher

336 pages

Completed 12/18/10

I was already a fan of Hornbacher in part to her wonderfully written memoir"Wasted," and this book only solidified me as a fan. Revolving around the Schiller family - mom Claire, dad Arnold, son Esau, and daughter Kate - and how things are after Arnold's suicide. Mental illness, alcoholism, grief, the pain of small-town-living, friendships, and love are just part of the intricate story Hornbacher weaves.

Told in the alternating perspectives of each surviving family member, written in very different styles, the twists and turns and raw emotion of this novel had an effect. Evocative, fragile, and intriguing, I put aside other tasks just to finish reading this one.

While the ending chapter, told in Kate's voice, left me a bit disappointed, the remainder of the novel and it's wonderful, heartbreaking story, more than made up for it.

LIZ: BOOK #42

Love Begins in Winter: Five Stories by Simon Van Booy

256 pages

Completed 12/14/10

Typically, I avoid short stories; they don't often offer as much depth as I like in books. However, this one piqued my interest, and I decided to give it a go - and I am so glad I did. The short stories touched upon human emotion and life as no other collection has for me, but without being sappy as I had expected based on the title alone.

The isolation of the characters was moving; reading it, I was surprised how quickly Van Booy was able to draw me into the characters with just a brief few pages. Quirkiness, memories, and unrequited love reigns throughout all of the tales.

One of the most intriguing parts of this book was the interview with Van Booy in the prologue. He answers that he bases his characters on brief moments he sees between people. His eloquent way with words transforms these chance non-encounters if you will, into wonderfully-spun short glimpses into these "characters." As Publisher's Weekly put so well, "Each of these stories has moments of sheer loveliness."