And Then There Were Nuns by Jane Christmas

And Then There Were Nuns: Adventures in a Cloistered Life, by Jane Christmas

Bestselling author Jane Christmas decides to enter a convent to discern whether she is, as she puts it, "nun material." But just as she convinces herself to take the plunge, her long-term partner, Colin, surprises her with a marriage proposal. Determined not to let her monastic dreams get sidelined, Christmas puts her engagement aside and embarks on an extraordinary year-plus adventure to four--one in Canada and three in the U.K. Among these communities of cloistered nuns and monks, she (and occasionally rails against) the silent, reverent, pared-down existence she has sought all her life. With insight and humour, she provides a glimpse into a seldom-seen lifestyle. (blurb from Goodreads)

Rating: R, 4 stars
Trigger warnings: sexual assault, sexism

I thought the premise for this memoir was really interesting. I was raised Catholic, and for awhile when I was a kid, I thought that maybe being a nun was the path for me. Add to that the fact that I spent some time last year at a Buddhist monastery with a bunch of nuns, and you can tell that nuns interest me a lot. I thought the idea and perspective were really unique in this book, and I love that it did include some interfaith dialogue, since the author spent time among both Catholic and Episcopal nuns.

Where I had trouble with the book was with the inclusion of Christmas’ backstory and her experience with sexual assault. Her coping with her assault and her time spent among nuns are completely interrelated, but the way the book was written, I felt that it was either too short, and more time needed to be spent on both the past and the present, or that it needed to be two separate memoirs entirely. I recognize that the author spent a lot of time coming to terms with what happened to her while she was exploring a monastic life, but so much of it was glossed over that the emotional balance of the book just felt off. Also, the book’s blurb mentions nothing about the sexual assault, and I would caution anyone who picks up this book that there is a huge trigger warning for that aspect of the book.

Overall, this book was really interesting, and it was very thought-provoking for me. Again, having grown up Catholic, I learned a lot about other denominations of Christianity (I didn’t even know other denominations had monastic communities!), and I learned a lot about monastic communities in general. Having spent some time in a Buddhist monastery, I was surprised by some of the similarities and differences between Buddhist monastics and Christian monastics. I’d recommend this book to anyone who is interested in monastic life and would like to get an insider look from an outsider.

The Elementals by Saundra Mitchell

The Elementals by Saundra Mitchell

Kate Witherspoon has lived a bohemian life with her artist parents. In 1917, the new art form of the motion picture is changing entertainment—and Kate is determined to become a director.

Meanwhile, midwestern farm boy Julian Birch has inherited the wanderlust that fueled his parents’ adventures. A childhood bout with polio has left him crippled, but he refuses to let his disability define him.

Strangers driven by a shared vision, Kate and Julian set out separately for Los Angeles, the city of dreams. There, they each struggle to find their independence. When they finally meet, the teenage runaways realize their true magical legacy: the ability to triumph over death, and over time. But as their powerful parents before them learned, all magic comes with a price. (blurb from Goodreads)

Ratings: PG-13, 4 stars
Trigger warnings: homophobia, ableism

I read this entire novel without realizing that it was the final book in a series. Oops. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel like I was missing anything except perhaps a little bit of background information about Kate and Julian’s parents. It’s my understanding that The Elementals is a little bit more of a companion novel than the first two books in the trilogy, as it deals with the children of the protagonists of the first two books. I was a little confused about the motivation of the main antagonist, but it didn’t really detract from my enjoyment of the novel.

*SPOILER ALERT* Before reading this book, I’d heard quite a bit of buzz about this book because Kate is bisexual and it’s a period book, which is so rarely done, especially in YA fiction. I found this buzz to be a little...misleading. Kate never fully articulates her feelings towards the woman she is assumed to be in love with, and while I didn’t expect to actually see the word “bisexual” in a text set in 1917, I had hoped for more specific acknowledgement of her feelings. However, I do still appreciate the inclusion of potential bisexuality, and I thought what little was there to be appropriately handled. *END SPOILER*

In general, I really enjoyed the world building in this novel. I thought the period details were really well done, and the magic system was incredibly intuitive. I never questioned it, which is even more impressive considering that this is the final book in a trilogy. I appreciated that the book was more focused on introspective and character relationships than action, despite the magic and menacing antagonist. Even the ending, which could have been very action-y, played out almost gently.

And speaking of the ending, I am speechless. I’ll admit it: I bawled like a baby. I have a weird feeling about the whole thing. I’m not happy about the ending, per se, but I think it’s very fitting and was very satisfying. Prepare yourself for the ending.

In general, I really enjoyed this book, and I recommend it without reservation. As you might expect from a book set in 1917, some characters exhibit homophobia and ableism, but these instances are always framed negatively. I think fans of the Gemma Doyle trilogy might be particularly interested in The Elementals.

God: A Story of Revelation by Deepak Chopra

God: A Story of Revelation by Deepak Chopra

In Deepak Chopra's powerful, groundbreaking, and imaginative new work, a unique blend of storytelling and teaching, the New York Times bestselling author explores the evolution of God. By capturing the lives of ten historical prophets, saints, mystics, and martyrs who are touched by a divine power, Chopra reveals a riveting portrait of a constantly changing God. Our belief—and therefore God itself—transforms with each passing century. In this new novel, Chopra brings to life the defining moments of our most influential sages, ultimately revealing universal lessons about the true nature of God.

Job in the Old Testament experienced something completely different from Paul in the New Testament, Socrates chased a mercurial spirit almost unrecognizable to the strange voice that called to Rumi, and Shankara moved from town to town sharing the truth about a God that stood in marked contrast to the one that guided Anne Hutchinson—yet one sees an undeniable pattern. These visionaries took the human race down unknown roads, and Chopra invites us to revisit their destinations. Tearing at our hearts and uplifting our souls, God leads us to a profound and life-altering understanding about the nature of belief, the power of faith, and the spirit that resides within us all. (blurb from Goodreads)

Ratings: PG, 4 stars
Trigger warnings: violence

This book was not at all what I expected, and I’m not even sure what, exactly, I was expecting. I suppose I was anticipating either a straight novelized narrative, or a nonfiction analysis of the mystics in this book. What I got was a strange mixture of both. Each chapter in this book starts out by narrating a scene or two from the mystic’s life. It starts off very specific--for example, the chapter on Anne Hutchinson starts with her seeing a beached whale with her children. After the specific scenes, the narrative continues on for a bit in a more general light. The second half of each chapter provides analysis about what that individual can tell us about God, both in general and in context of their life and historical era. I suppose, in a way, it was little bit like the gospel and homily part of Catholic mass--first you get the story, then you get the application of the story.

This unexpected formatting did make the book slow-going at first, but once I got into it, I really enjoyed the format. The chapter-by-chapter focused allowed Chopra to introduce the reader to a wide variety of mystics from a wide variety of religious traditions. Each individual that the book covered caught my interest, often for different reasons.

I know that Deepak Chopra has written other books in a similar vein to God, and I now look forward to reading them. God is an interesting read from both spiritual and historical perspectives, and if the format doesn’t bother you, I highly recommend it.

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White

Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of Paranormalcy, is back with The Chaos of Stars—an enchanting novel set in Egypt and San Diego that captures the magic of first love and the eternally complicated truth about family.

Isadora's family is seriously screwed up—which comes with the territory when you're the human daughter of the ancient Egyptian gods Isis and Osiris. Isadora is tired of living with crazy relatives who think she's only worthy of a passing glance—so when she gets the chance to move to California with her brother, she jumps on it. But her new life comes with plenty of its own dramatic—and dangerous—complications . . . and Isadora quickly learns there's no such thing as a clean break from family.

Blending Ally Carter's humor and the romance of Cynthia Hand's Unearthly, The Chaos of Stars takes readers on an unforgettable journey halfway across the world and back, and proves there's no place like home. (blurb from Goodreads)

Rating: PG-13, 4 stars
Trigger warning: violence, familial dysfunction

I had some really mixed feelings about this book in the beginning. For awhile, particularly in the middle, it seemed as though Isadora was suffering painfully from “oblivious protagonist is oblivious” syndrome. Towards the climax of the book, that aspect of her character is resolved in a way that I totally didn’t expect. I won’t spoil anything, but I will say that I was really impressed when my frustration was nullified.

I also had a little trouble relating to Isadora for most of the book. She is incredibly stubborn, and I had a hard time empathizing with how strongly she was trying to break away from her family. However, that isn’t necessarily a detriment to the book. I don’t want to read books with protagonists who I totally and completely understand, because that means that they’re all the same, and they’re all like me, and that doesn’t sound like fun at all.

When I started this book, I was immediately drawn in by the writing. It’s not consistently the best, but there are moments where the language really shines, and as a poet, I always appreciate that. It also did a good job of surprising me with plot twists that I definitely didn’t see coming, which I find often doesn’t happen with YA paranormal romance novels.

Overall, The Chaos of Stars had some flaws, but it also used mythology in an innovative way (look, they’re not all Greek!), and used interesting language to boot! I recommend it if you like mythological tales and are looking for something that takes mythology in a different direction.

Top Ten Books of 2013

Top Ten Books of 2013

2013 simply flew by in terms of books read. Perhaps this is because I spent several months studying abroad, which, surprisingly, gave me more time to read than normal. I read a total of 75 books this year, and, as usual, I had a lot of trouble picking ten books for the year. However, I’m happy with the list I ended up with, and I think it’s fairly diverse in terms of subject matter. For each book in this list, I will include title, author, ratings, and trigger warnings, and book titles will link to their respective review. All books on the list were published in 2013, with the exception of #8, which surprised me a lot. I guess I read more new books this year than normal. In any case, enjoy!

10. Mermaid in Chelsea Creek by Michelle Tea
Rating: PG, 4 ½ stars
Trigger warnings: alcoholism, animal death, bullying, compulsions, neglect, OCD

9. If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan
Rating: PG-13, 4 ½ stars
Trigger warnings: body dysmorphia, child prostitution, homophobia, transphobia

8. Huntress by Malinda Lo
Rating: PG-13, 4 ½ stars
Trigger warnings: violence

7. Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz
Rating: R, 5 stars
Trigger warnings: bestiality, sexual assault, violence

6. Wednesdays at the Tower by Jessica Day George
Rating: PG, 5 stars
Trigger warnings: none

5. Blue is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh
Rating: R, 5 stars
Trigger warnings: homophobia, romantic age difference

4. Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole
Rating: PG-13, 5 stars
Trigger warnings: abortion, death, miscarriage, war

3. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
Rating: R, 5 stars
Trigger warnings: sex slavery, sexual assault, torture, violence

2. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
Rating: PG, 5 stars
Trigger warnings: AIDS, homophobia, suicide attempt

1. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Rating: PG, 5 stars
Trigger warnings: animal death, death, nightmares

LovelyReads Under Maintenance

Just a quick note: I'm going to start editing old reviews to make them match the new format, so if you wade back to years past, don't be surprised if things look a little funky or just plain different. This may take me a few weeks, especially with classes starting back up soon, but I'm determined to clean things up! Tallyho!

--LovelyReader

Blue is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh

Blue is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh

Originally published in French as Le bleu est une couleur chaude, Blue is the Warmest Color is a graphic novel about growing up, falling in love, and coming out. Clementine is a junior in high school who seems average enough: she has friends, family, and the romantic attention of the boys in her school. When her openly gay best friend takes her out on the town, she wanders into a lesbian bar where she encounters Emma: a punkish, confident girl with blue hair. Their attraction is instant and electric, and Clementine find herself in a relationship that will test her friends, parents, and her own ideas about herself and her identity.

First published in French by Belgium's Glénat, the book has won several awards, including the Audience Prize at the Angoulême International Comics Festival, Europe's largest. The film Blue Is the Warmest Color won the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

Julie Maroh is an author and illustrator originally from northern France. (blurb from Goodreads)

Rating: R; 5 stars
Trigger warnings: homophobia, romantic age difference

This book was an absolute beauty, and I am so excited to hear that it’s a movie, too. Not to sound cliché, but it is incredibly French--it differs from American comic books and graphic novels in the same ways that French films differ from American films. In fact, I really want to read it in the original language, because I suspect I’d like it even more in French.

I was a little weirded out at first by the age difference between Clementine and Emma. Clementine is still in high school, and Emma is very clearly an adult. Once they actually had a relationship and weren’t just meeting in a bar, the weirdness factor did go down a bit, but I imagine the age difference between them could be uncomfortable and/or triggering for some readers. Just a word of warning.

The art is beautiful in this book, very detailed, but not overdone. In many places, the dialogue is sparse, allowing the story to continue solely through the artwork. This is one of the ways in which I feel it parallels French film.

Without giving anything away, this isn’t exactly a happy book. I wouldn’t recommend reading it if you’re already sad, because you’ll probably finish it in one sitting, and then you’ll be sadder.

Another word of warning: this book does contain a few sex scenes, and because it’s a graphic novel, they’re, well, graphic. That is pretty much the sole reason I rated Blue is the Warmest Color as R.

Maturity aside, this really is an excellent book. The story is emotionally engaging, the characters are complex, and the art is breathtaking. I wholeheartedly recommend it. As for myself, I will be watching the movie as soon as I can get ahold of it.