Dare Me by Megan Abbott

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Synopsis:
When a new coach kicks head cheerleader Beth out of her spot, her sidekick and quasi-faithful lieutenant braces herself for the impact, even as she becomes enthralled with the coach herself.

Review:
I heard about Dare Me from a friend and got really excited over the premise–cheerleader noir–but a day later she said, “Don’t bother, I loved the first half and then it fell apart.” I started reading and it was SO AWESOME that I was like, “What is she talking about? How could this book possibly fall apart?” And then it totally fell apart. Not cool, Dare Me, not cool.

Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon

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Synopsis:
Subtitled: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity.

Review:
I had been keen to read Far From the Tree when it started getting buzz pre-publication. But I was horrified (HORRIFIED I TELL YOU) that the Kindle price was set at $16.99. I do not pay that, not for anyone (okay, I paid it for just one person). Finally, the price dropped to $9.99 and I hit the purchase button with alacrity and style. And of course the price has dropped further so I wish I had had a bit more patience. And while we’re on the topic of reading it on the Kindle, I kind of freaked out when I saw that it had over 30,000 locations–but thankfully half of those were citations and links.

In the book, Solomon looks at the notion of vertical identity–that which links you with your parents or children–and horizontal identity–that which connects you with those who are like you. For example, if you are hearing parents with a deaf child, your child has a horizontal identity that connects her with the Deaf community and separates her from you. If your child was conceived out of rape, you have an unwanted, traumatic horizontal identity that can compel you to sever your vertical connection to that child. Solomon interviewed families with children who were deaf, autistic, exceptional, and afflicted with Down syndrom or dwarfism or disabilities or mental illness. He talked to mothers who were raped and parents whose children committed crimes. And lastly, he talks with families of transgender children. He bookends the book with reflections on his own experiences as a gay son and a gay father. Solomon talked with so many people and managed to make all of their stories come to life.

As a parent myself, I found so much in this book to ponder on and consider. As a reader, I was captivated by the storytelling and the concepts being presented. I was moved by the love that the parents had for their children, and saddened by all the ways that children can be hurt. And it made me think a lot about my own life story–and inspired me with ideas to complete a novel I’ve been working on for quite some time.

Does Jesus Really Love Me? by Jeff Chu

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Synopsis:
Subtitled: A Gay Christian’s Pilgrimage in Search of God in America.

Review:
In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve met Jeff Chu on several occasions and am pretty sure at least one of them was a Thanksgiving potluck, so I read Does Jesus Really Love Me? with a bit of personal interest. The first compliment I’ll pay to the book is that I found it fascinating and riveting way beyond the mutual friends we share.

The second compliment I’ll pay is that this book is incredibly well-researched. I was amazed at the breadth of Chu’s scope, and how successfully he pulled off a detailed look at all the ways that “gay” and “Christian” end up in the same sentence, from the reprehensible (Westboro Baptist Church) to the inspiring (the myriad Christians working towards compassion and integration). I think this book is an important one, especially for Christians, and I’ll definitely be recommending it. I feel like I have a deeper understanding of the particular struggle of the gay American Christian and want learn more about how to show real compassion and love and give spiritual support to those who follow Christ. I want them in church with me, not standing out in the cold, and whatever I can do to make them welcome, I will do. We all need each other.

Suburbianity by Byron Forrest Yawn

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Synopsis:
Subtitled “What Have We Done to the Gospel? Can We Find Our Way Back to Biblical Christianity?”

Review:
I don’t live in the suburbs but there was still a lot in Suburbianity that resonated with me. I really appreciated the incisive dissection of the way that the American church has taken Christ out of Christianity, a topic that was well-addressed by Michael Horton in Christless Christianity, and which is developed even further here. I felt newly inspired by the beauty and clarity of the gospel, and the way he articulated the truth will help me as a small group leader in my church.

Many thanks to Harvest House Publishers for the review copy.

Requiem by Lauren Oliver (Delirium Trilogy)

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Synopsis:
In a world where love is cured by surgery, two former best friends find themselves on opposite sides of a brewing class war.

Review:
I really don’t even know what to say about Requiem. I thought Delirium was a better-than-average entry into the Hunger Games dystopian genre. And I loved Lauren Oliver’s standalone Before I Fall. But this trilogy fizzled out for me. I’m tired of love triangles, team this and team that, and free zones, and teenage girls involved in guerrilla tactics. Nothing about this conclusion felt fresh to me. I wonder how I’d feel re-reading the Uglies trilogy today?

Quintessence by David Walton

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Synopsis:
In an alternate version of Europe during the pre-Elizabethan years, with the Inquisition raging in Spain, an alchemist and a scientist and a headstrong girl bonded to a magical creature travel to the edge of the world to find quintessence, a substance that can unlock the powers of the universe.

Review:
Quintessence was great fun, a novel that felt as deeply “researched” as any historical novel, and with a fully realized magical world that kept unfolding until the very last pages. Catherine, the girl whose magical bond with on of the creatures of Horizon triggers a cataclysm, did do some foot-stamping, but I forgave the author because of all the other wonderful elements of this story. The use of Spanish inquisitors brought a level of risk and theological complexity that put the book over the top for me. I really enjoyed it.

Bad Pharma by Ben Goldacre

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Synopsis:
Subtitled: How Drug Companies Mislead Doctors and Harm Patients.

Review:
In Bad Pharma, just as he did in Bad Science, Ben Goldacre proves more than capable of making science accessible to non-science minded people like me. I do some work in the health care field, on a clinical level, but my ability to interpret research for myself isn’t as developed as I’d like it to be. I felt like I learned a lot about critical analysis, and finally I understand Relative Risk and the Confidence Interval. More than that, I’m absolutely horrified at the manipulations that go on behind the scenes in drug research.

The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett (The Demon Cycle, Book 3)

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Synopsis:
As Ahmann Jardir amasses an army to fight the demon war he believes is coming soon, Arlen Bales refuses to be called the Deliverer even while the people around him beg for a hero to save them from Krasia and the threat coming up from the Core.

Review:
The Warded Man was such a strong debut that I will continue to believe in, support, and read Peter V. Brett–despite my disappointment with this third installment in a series I’m heavily invested in. The Daylight War just treads water. I trust that he knows where he is taking us and has big ideas in mind, and I’m hoping this will just end up being a weak installment in a still great series. And by weak, I mean “still full of awesome.”

Escape Theory by Margaux Froley

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Synopsis:
After the apparent suicide of a popular senior, boarding school peer counselor Devon starts wondering if there was something more going on and decides to find out the truth about the boy she loved from afar.

Review:
Escape Theory is smart and well-written, with varied characters and an interesting setting. Devon is haunted by an encounter she had with Hutch, the suicide whose friends and girlfriend she’s now counseling, and because that one night stands out in her mind as a defining moment, she can’t let Hutch go without figuring out what exactly happened to him. She just can’t believe he killed himself–and neither can anyone else. It’s a great hook for a story, the burning question of whether a connection you made with someone was as meaningful to them as it was to you, and Devon’s role as peer counselor gives her access to the other characters in an organic and compelling way.

A Thousand Pardons by Jonathan Dee

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Synopsis:
When her marriage breaks apart after a spectacular midwife crisis, a mom discovers a natural talent for public relations.

Review:
A Thousand Pardons isn’t quite the fictional juggernaut its marketing copy made it out to be. It’s a mostly engaging character study that never quite pulled me in. It kept a certain level of distance from the reader, and that’s a technique that just doesn’t do it for me.

Many thanks to Random House for the review copy.