Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

Age Level: Adult
Format: Book

Imagine waking up in a hospital room to discover your mind has blacked out three years, and everything is different about your life. Lexi Smart finds herself in this predicament in the latest "chick lit" novel by Kinsella, best known for her Shopaholic series. Lexi's last memory is an evening on the town with her friends in 2004. She wakes up in 2007, learning she's been in a car accident, she drives a Mercedes, works in management at her job, lives in a loft-style apartment, and has an extremely handsome (and extremely rich) husband. Sounds like the fairy tale life, right? At least Lexi thinks so, until she begins to realize that she does not recognize the person she has become - her friends hate her, her staff calls her the Cobra (among other more colorful names), and she may or may not have been having an affair with one of her husband's colleagues. Readers follow Lexi on her journey through recovery, putting the pieces of her new life together, and discovering the true meaning to the words "success" and "happiness."

I enjoy reading Kinsella's Shopaholic series, and could not wait to try one of her stand alone novels. I was not disappointed. Kinsella uses her magic in the genre of chick lit (humorous books about women making it in the real world) to create Lexi Smart, a character both flawed and likable. There are some laugh-out-loud scenes, so be careful where you read this!

If you like light and fluffy books, or you need something to read to escape from reality, try Remember Me?.

Reviewed by Jessica

Remembering Raquel by Vivian Van Velde

Age Level: Teen

Format: Book

 

Raquel is, from the first page of this book, dead.  She was the kind of girl, as one of her classmates remembers, who had a tendency to be invisible.  At least, she was invisible until one night, when she was hit by a car and killed.

 

In brief chapters, we hear about Raquel’s life and how one seemingly disconnected girl made an impact on the lives of her classmates.

 

This is a story of how one life, no matter how small or insignificant it seems, affects the life of others in a community.  Raquel is a girl who doesn’t really know anyone at the school she goes to.  Only a few people seem to be directly affected by Raquel’s death – Hayley, her best friend who goes to a different school; her online fantasy gaming community; and her father, who is still mourning the death of Raquel’s mother.  But even though these few people are seemingly the only ones that would be affected, an entire community is, as we find out by reading this book.  There are over a dozen narrators, with each chapter a new person – the popular kid, the grandmother, her father, and even the lady who hit Raquel – each one tells their story, their remembrance of how her death affected them.

 

It’s a small book, but it truly shows how every action, no matter how small, will affect how we are remembered.

 

Reviewed by Sara

The Anatomy of Deception by Lawrence Goldstone

Age Level: Adult
Format: Book

**Caution: A few of the scenes in the novel are very graphic; readers who are a bit squeamish about blood and gore may not like portions of this novel.**

Dr. Ephraim Carroll, a doctor living in Philadelphia in the late 1880s, studies with one of the greatest minds in medicine, Dr. William Osler. When Osler reacts strangely to the sight of a young woman waiting for an autopsy, Carroll becomes suspicious. The death of a colleague forces Carroll to sort through lies and half-truths presented by his acquaintances, from a mysteriously charming wealthy socialite, a scandalized artist, and a drug-dependent doctor, to even Dr. Osler. As Carroll spirals into deep and dark conspiracies, he finds himself in constant danger from opposing forces. Facing moral choices everywhere he turns, Carroll has to decide his best course of action. When the truth comes out, who will be left standing?

Told through the eyes of Dr. Carroll, Goldstone's novel combines the art of medicine and surgery with suspicion extremely well. Almost from page one, the conspiracies begin, and a captivating plot unfolds. Every time a layer is cracked in the mystery, several more layers appear for Carroll, making him reevaluate everything and everyone he knows.

I enjoyed reading this combination historical fiction and thriller. I found it very riveting and hard to put down. Some of the scenes, especially the operating scenes, were so detailed it felt like I was there watching the surgery. Goldstone's writing style flows smoothly, making this novel a quick read. The epilogue was very satisfying for me. Goldstone's Author's Note section helped to bring historical facts and the fiction from the novel together.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in reading historical fiction or to anyone who loves to read thrillers.

Reviewed by Jessica

Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

Age Level: Teen

Format: Book

 

Caleb has spent the last year in juvenile detention.  Maggie has spent the last year in hospitals and physical therapy.  The lives of these two teens were changed forever one night.  Now, they both have to face their greatest challenged – seeing each other again.  Is it possible to forgive?  And even more important, will it be possible to trust again?

 

I could not put this book down.  It’s very down to earth and the author does a very good job of creating the raw emotion, dialogue and culture of high school.  The topics of trust, friendship, and high school are handled in a very delicate way.

 

The chapters alternate between the voices of Caleb and Maggie, so the reader gets a glimpse into both of their lives and is able to realize that they both are in pain.  How they each deal with the pain is handled very differently.

 

It’s a very good book.  It makes you think...What would you do if the person who damaged you for life, a person who was sent away, was suddenly back?

 

Reviewed by Sara.

Something Rotten by Alan Gratz

Age Level: Teen

Format: Book

 

The place is Denmark, Tennessee, and the smell hits Horatio Wilkes the minute he pulls into town to visit his best friend, Hamilton Prince.  The Prince family owns the local paper plant that’s polluting the Copenhagen River, but the paper plant isn’t the only thing stinking up the place.  Hamilton’s father has been murdered, by poisoning, and the killer is still at large.  No one, except for Hamilton and Horatio, believes that Rex Prince has been murdered, so it’s up to the two of them to figure out who’s behind it.  But that won’t be easy.  There are too many suspects, among them are Olivia, Hamilton’s ex-girlfriend, Trudy, Hamilton’s mom who just married Claude, Hamilton’s uncle, and those are just the suspects that are near at hand.  

 

The premise sounds familiar, right?  We all know the story of Hamlet, but, trust me when I say that in the hands of Alan Gratz, this is a mystery that will keep you guessing.  There are twists and turns in this plot, along with one-liners that keep the tale crackling on.  In Something Rotten, you truly meet the character of Horatio and understand why, over everyone else in his life, Hamilton (or Hamlet) choose this guy to be his best friend, and the only person he truly trusted.

 

Very entertaining adaptation – and no, it doesn’t end how you think it will.

 

Reviewed by Sara