2011: Book #1

What Happened to Johnnie Jordan: The Story of a Child Turning Violent by Jennifer Toth 

320 pages

Completed 1/2/11

In 1996, fourteen year-old Johnnie Jordan randomly bludgeons his elderly foster mother to death and flees. Toth's book tries to conclude why Johnnie did such a thing by tying together his tumultuous childhood, his experience in the foster care system, the kindness shown to him by the woman whom he murdered, and the subsequent life of Johnnie behind bars.

Written in a sort of disjointed way that I didn't particularly care for, this book was nothing but informative, if not disturbing. A must-read for those considering work in child psychology or social work, I think that "What Happened..." is a wonderful glimpse into the brokenness that exists in young - and the elder - Johnnie Jordan.

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."

LIZ: BOOK #41

Loose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity by Kerry Cohen

224 pages

Completed 11/16/10

This sad tale of a girl who realizes far-too young her power as a female over men was deep. Cohen's young what-the-hell attitude is both freeing and terrifying at the same time. As her promiscuos ways continue throughout high school and college, the tales - told tastefully, not raunchily as I had expected - grow sadder. Her own self-reflections cannot help but allow the reader to feel for this woman.

With her dysfunctional family proving what could possibly be deemed one of the best memoir-featured ones, Kerry attempts to use her physical beingness as means to escape, but when finding herself in the process, is haunted by what she sees. With actual relationships thrown in along with cross-country moves, this memoir is a must-read.

LIZ: BOOK #40

What Happened to Henry by Sharon Pywell

352 pages

Completed 11/6/10

This was the first book I've managed to finish in a few weeks; hectic schedule really cuts into my leisurely reading time. This was a novel that piqued my interest and then bored me throughout the rest. Centered around a trio of siblings and their unspeakable loss during childhood and the after-effects of it, Pywell writes of the two brothers and sister's bond, despite their maturing and taking separate paths.

With an accident forever changing the once-predictable eldest brother's mind, the younger two are left to cope. With Henry's odd behavior progressing as the three aged, the siblings struggle with their own changes. Somewhat unrealistic, and mostly strange, but a story to get through, in my opinion, if only to find out the ending of the story.

The story of the unbreakable sibling bond of the Coopers is established an flourishes under Pywell's way with words, but her repetitive nature of the push and pull of life is somewhat tiring.