Review: Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Rules of Civility
Author: Amor Towles
Published: July 21, 2011
Genre: historical fiction
Hardcover: 352 pages
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 3.5 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): Set in New York City in 1938, Rules of Civility tells the story of a watershed year in the life of an uncompromising twenty-five-year- old named Katey Kontent. Armed with little more than a formidable intellect, a bracing wit, and her own brand of cool nerve, Katey embarks on a journey from a Wall Street secretarial pool through the upper echelons of New York society in search of a brighter future. The story opens on New Year's Eve in a Greenwich Village jazz bar, where Katey and her boardinghouse roommate Eve happen to meet Tinker Grey, a handsome banker with royal blue eyes and a ready smile. This chance encounter and its startling consequences cast Katey off her current course, but end up providing her unexpected access to the rarified offices of Condé Nast and a glittering new social circle. Befriended in turn by a shy, principled multimillionaire, an Upper East Side ne'er-do-well, and a single-minded widow who is ahead of her times, Katey has the chance to experience first hand the poise secured by wealth and station, but also the aspirations, envy, disloyalty, and desires that reside just below the surface. Even as she waits for circumstances to bring Tinker back into her orbit, she will learn how individual choices become the means by which life crystallizes loss. 


My Thoughts: I have wanted to read this book for sometime now, so when I finally got my hands on a copy, I couldn't wait a second longer to read it. It was a great read, reminding me a lot of The Great Gatsby, but I felt like something was lacking that I couldn't pinpoint. It was a very interesting story, but it never completely pulled me in, which made it seem like a much longer novel than it actually is. The main character, Katey, is a young woman, trying to make her way in New York City. The story follows her as she changes jobs, goes through many friends, experiences seedy jazz clubs to the penthouse apartment on Central Park West. Katey is from Brooklyn, so seeing how she handles herself throughout these situations is interesting. She befriends people who are a part of New York high society, allowing her to go to parties and restaurants that she couldn't ever dream of. Katey is likeable and a great main character, for she isn't overly involved in what is happening around her, but she plays a big enough part to be able to witness so many events.


Tinker reminded me a bit of Gatsby with his elusive ways. You are never quite sure what it is that Tinker has done to have what he has, but as the truth unravels, you realize that Tinker is a very lucky man. The other characters play very minor roles, coming and going throughout the story, which I think is what made this book drag for me. There were so many people that it weighed the story down and slump in places. If you enjoy The Great Gatsby, then I think that you would probably like this book. Now, I'm not saying that it could compare to Gatsby, but the writing style of Amor Towles reminds me of Fitzgerald, that it's hard to not draw comparisons. 

Follow Friday and TGIF (2-10-12)

Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoying February so far? The weather has been so mild that it doesn't feel like winter ... we are supposed to get some snow tonight (up to 2 inches), but I'll believe it when I see it. Are you reading any good love stories right now? I want to, but have managed to check out only depressing and thrillers from the library (fail on my part). Well, onto the Friday fun!

Parajunkee asks:

What would you prefer: reading your favorite book over and over again until you got sick of it OR reading 100s of mediocre books? And why?

I would much rather read 100s of mediocre books. I think after the 3rd time of having to reread my favorite book, I would be sick of it. And I love to reread some of my favorites every few years, but I don't start reading it again immediately after I finish.

GReads asks:

Love Stories: What are some of your favorite fictional love stories?

My goodness, there are so many! Obvious choice, Noah and Allie from The Notebook (one of the few Nicholas Sparks' novels that I actually enjoyed).

Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. I think every girl that has ever read this book is on the lookout for her own Mr. Darcy.

Ron and Hermione from Harry Potter. When they finally kissed, I remember I was so happy that they finally realized they were meant to be!

So, what are some of your favorite love stories? Let me know, and have a happy Valentine's Day and wonderful week!

Top Ten Tuesday (2-7-12)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week, 

they post a different topic, and you get to create your own top ten list. So, this week's 

topic is:

Books You'd Hand to Someone Who Says They Don't Like to Read

1) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling - obviously. This is such a sweeping story, one that you can't help but get caught up in. And there are so many people who don't like to read who have read this book and continued to read.

2) Twilight by Stephanie Meyers - okay, I'm not a big Twilight fan. I liked the first book, then thought it got a bit repetitive as it went on. But, for any girl who says that they don't like to read, I would recommend this book. You get swept up in the love story and can't stop reading!

3) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - not only is this book a classic, but I think there is something that everyone can relate to. The writing is simple and straight forward so you never feel overwhelmed. And Scout is one of the best characters ever brought to the page.

4) The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown - mystery, intrigue, international cover-ups spanning centuries. This series is so thrilling and hard to put down!

5) any Bill Bryson book - Bryson is such a humorous writer, and his travelouges will have you packing your bags as you read. I think he's something that any reader or nonreader would enjoy experiencing.

6) Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah - it may seem daunting because it is pretty long (479 pages), but Hannah's writing is so engaging that you wish that the book was longer so that the story wouldn't end. I think any woman could find something in this book to relate to.

7) Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella - one of the best chick lit writers around, Kinsella makes sure that each story she writes is filled with humor. Very engaging and fun to read, I think any non-reader would really enjoy her writing.

8) Bossypants by Tina Fey - I think any non-reader would fall in love with this book and would end up demanding more once they finished it. Fey is hilarious and it's an easy read (I finished it in a day), but it's still one of the best things that I have ever read.

Well, that's all I could come up with for this topic. What would you recommend to a non-reader? I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Review: An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff

An Invisible Thread
Authors: Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski
Published: November 1, 2011
Genre: memoir
Hardcover: 288 pages
Source: personal copy


My Rating: 3.5 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): 

When Laura Schroff first met Maurice on a New York City street corner, she had no idea that she was standing on the brink of an incredible and unlikely friendship that would inevitably change both their lives. As one lunch at McDonald's with Maurice turns into two, then into a weekly occurrence that is fast growing into an inexplicable connection, Laura learns heart-wrenching details about Maurice’s horrific childhood. 

The boy is stuck in something like hell. He is six years old and covered in small red bites from chinches—bed bugs—and he is woefully skinny due to an unchecked case of ringworm. He is so hungry his stomach hurts, but then he is used to being hungry: when he was two years old the pangs got so bad he rooted through the trash and ate rat droppings. He had to have his stomach pumped. He is staying in his father’s cramped, filthy apartment, sleeping with stepbrothers who wet the bed, surviving in a place that smells like something died. He has not seen his mother in three months, and he doesn’t know why. His world is a world of drugs and violence and unrelenting chaos, and he has the wisdom to know, even at six, that if something does not change for him soon, he might not make it. 

Sprinkled throughout the book is also Laura’s own story of her turbulent childhood. Every now and then, something about Maurice's struggles reminds her of her past, how her father’s alcohol-induced rages shaped the person she became and, in a way, led her to Maurice.

My Thoughts: I was lucky to find this book waiting for me under the tree this past Christmas. Now, I hadn't heard of the book before but after reading the synopsis on the book cover, I couldn't wait to dive in. I sometimes find it difficult to write reviews for memoirs, because it's hard to judge a story or person when that is their life story. I had that same issue while reading this book. Laura starts the book by telling the reader about her life and how she met Maurice. A few chapters later, she switches from talking about the present day to her childhood and growing up with an abusive father. The next chapter, she is back to talking about Maurice. I felt like this could have been handled differently, whether she told you about her background at the beginning of the book or just took the middle of the book to tell the reader all about her personal life, I just think that it could be handled a little more smoothly. 

I enjoyed the book and finished it in about 2 days. It was easy to read and Schroff has a conversational style of writing. It felt like she was just sitting across from me, telling me about this 11 year old boy that she met years ago. I enjoyed reading about Schroff's experience with Maurice and would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an inspirational book or a memoir (but be forewarned: you may cry while reading!)

Review: Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

Winter Garden
Author: Kristin Hannah
Published: February 2, 2010
Genre: chick lit
Paperback: 436 pages
Source: purchased at Borders


My Rating: 3 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard; the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time—and all the way to the end. Thus begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya’s life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing story of their mother’s life, and what they learn is a secret so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their family and change who they believe they are.


My Thoughts: After reading Firefly Lane and True Colors this past summer, I fell in love with Kristin Hannah's writing. Her stories are beautifully written and emotional and are able to touch a chord in me that I haven't experienced with other authors. So, I purchased this book, figuring that I would like it just as much as those first two books that I read. And while it was good, it certainly didn't live up to those first two books.


This story seemed to focus more on the individual members of a family instead of the family as a whole. You get Meredith's story and Nina's story, but even when they are together, it's almost as if their stories are separate. I didn't feel that bond between them that I felt in Hannah's other novels. And the relationship that they have with their mother, Anya, was a departure from Hannah's other books. They are three individuals instead of a family. And while that was part of the story, even when they came together at the end, it still didn't feel like they were truly a family.


I did like the historical aspect of this novel and how Hannah was able to balance the present and the past. It was great that Anya told the story to her daughters instead of using flashbacks. I also liked that Anya was from Russia, and I haven't read many World War II stories that are set in Russia. It was heartbreaking reading about the lives of the people living in Leningrad during this period in history.


While not my favorite Kristin Hannah novel, it was still a good book and I can't wait to read more of her work. If you haven't read any of Hannah's novels yet, then what are you waiting for?!?

Follow Friday and TGIF! (2-3-12)

Happy Friday everybody! Enjoying the first few days of February? It's pretty nice here in Pittsburgh ... no need for a heavy winter coat or sweaters. I do like winter, but I'm not going to complain about this weather! Now, onto the Friday fun ...

Parajunkee asks:

Define what characteristics your favorite books share. Do they all have a kick ass heroine or is the hot love interest the Alpha Male?

The only thing that's most common among my favorite books is strong narration. I prefer stories told from the first-person perspective, but it's not a requirement of mine to become a favorite. As long as the narration is strong, then I will probably really enjoy the book!

GReads asks:

Book Appeal: When you're browsing goodreads, the library, or another blogger's 

reviews, what grabs your attention to make you want to read it?

Well, sometimes, it's the cover that grabs my attention (I know, how shallow!) But if I'm on GoodReads, then it's based on the summary and how many stars a book receives. If it's something that a lot of people seem to have issues with, then I skip it. When it comes to other people's blogs, I tend to try books from bloggers who read books that are similar to what I read. If they write a great review, then I will add that book to my list. A not so great review, then I might be more hestitant to check it out.

So, what characteristic do your fave books share? What makes you choose a book? Leave a comment and let me know, and have a fabulous Friday!

Monthly Wrap-Up: January 2012

Well, it's that time again, time to do my monthly wrap-up. Seriously, where did January go? A few days ago, I thought I would be able to squeeze a few more books in, because I thought there was still a week left to this month! It was a pretty good reading month for me, not the best, but it is winter, so I don't get as much reading done as when it is nice and warm out. So, this is what all I read this month:

Number of Books Read: 8

If You Were Here by Jen Lancaster

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff

Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner

The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost by Rachel Friedman

The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham

Favorite Book of the Month: The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost

Least Favorite Book of the Month: Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

Not a lot of variety in my reading this month since I read mostly chick-lit, but I'm hoping to get to a classic during the month of February. How was your January? Did you read a lot, catch up on things that you weren't able to get done over the holidays? I hope that everyone has a great February!