The writing style is simple. When I first started to read it, I thought it had been miscategorized at the library. It was in the Adult Paperbacks section, but it read more like a YA novel. I’m still not 100% sure where it really belongs (hence my categorization here on the review).

The Story Sisters is about three sisters, close in age, and follows them from when they are young teenagers until they are adults. Something terrible happens to the eldest girl, and much of the book deals with how she handles the aftermath of that event, and how her actions affect her sisters.

“Story” is the girls’ last name, by the way, but they also wrap themselves in stories of faerie when they are young.

I don’t know how else to describe this story without giving away too much of the plot. I will say that if I’d noticed the endorsement by Jodi Picoult before I started reading it (apparently Hoffman is her favourite author), I probably wouldn’t have given the book a chance, and that is too bad. I’m rather glad I didn’t see Ms Picoult’s endorsement beforehand, because The Story Sisters is a very good example of how to draw realistic characters and bring the reader right into the world you’ve created. And all writers need to read excellent examples of that very thing.

This is the special one-off about everyone’s favourite pilot, Wash. There are three stories told within the framework of three of Wash’s old buddies standing around talking about him. It’s some good stuff. And there’s a cool reveal at the end of the story, too.

So go read it, even if you don’t usually read comic books.

The World Above is a retelling of the story of Jack & the Beanstalk. Only this time, Jack has a twin sister, they are returning to the home their mother left before they were born, and there’s even a bit of the Robin Hood legend tossed in for good measure.

The narrator, Gen (Jack’s sister), is appealing. She considers herself to be very practical and Jack to be… well… impractical. Yet she willingly embarks upon the adventure Jack brings home with him when he exchanges the cow for some beans.

The characters are interesting, the story compelling, and I quite enjoyed this take on the story. I will be requesting more of Dokey’s works over the next while; expect to see reviews of them soon!

Of course, Maid Marian is historical fiction that takes a folk heroine and gives her back story, character, and motivation beyond that which we typically see in the Robin Hood tales.

The story is a first person narrative, and follows Marian from the time her first husband was killed (she was married at the age of five; the marriage was never consummated). Marian is a headstrong sort, a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to do what she has to do in order to get it. She’s also a bit impulsive, and sometimes acts without thinking.

Marian meets Robin Hood on purpose, seeking his help with a scheme that she hopes will keep her from having to remarry a man she does not love. This scheme succeeds, but she is uncertain as to her next move. Robin rescues her, and she and her nurse go to live in Sherwood.

Over time, of course, Marian and Robin fall in love. They are well-matched in wit and knowledge of the world, and keep one another sharp. Together, they come up with a plan to obtain possession of Marian’s rightful lands (she is a Lady, after all), and put it into practice once they are wed.

The conclusion is predictable only in that we know they must, after all, succeed; for this is Robin Hood. I enjoyed the story’s twists and turns, even the ones I saw coming. The narrative voice is engaging, but I do think Marian spends rather too much time inside her own head. The woman needs more people to talk to!

“Don’t you already have lots of writing books?” he asked.

“Yes, but I want one about rewriting. That’s what’s got me stuck right now,” I said.

So he got a novel and I got a wonderful reference book that I expect I will be using a lot over the next little while – I have a few books that I need to rewrite and edit and get ready for submission, and I’ll have another one come November 30, thanks to NaNoWriMo.

Ray takes you through the process of rewriting, right down to restructuring your novel – something I know my books need desperately. The method should work for most novels, though I’m going to have to modify it a little here and there since my books are mostly YA novels (e.g., Ray talks about a 300-page novel, while mine are about 100 pages or so).

But I think it’ll be well worth the work.

This book is unusual. It’s not a mystery; we know whodunnit from the start. It’s not really a coming of age story; the narrator is dead. So I’ve put it as ChickLit Suspense. Feel free to tell me I’m wrong; I’m open to suggestions for genre here.

For me, the suspense was in wanting to see what happened next with Susie’s family and friends… and in really hoping desperately that the murderer got what he deserved.

I think this book is beautifully written, and it is a lovely story about the aftermath of violent death – how those left behind manage, how they deal with their emotions, and how they change over the days, weeks, months, years that follow.

I am always pleased to learn that an actor I have watched has become a novelist; Benson’s work is delightful. I read Death’s Daughter last year and snatched up Cat’s Claw as soon as I learned of its existence. Perhaps one of the best things about reading authors who are very much alive is that they do tend to keep coming out with new books to read – so you don’t get to the end!

Calliope Reaper-Jones is Death’s daughter. As in, her father runs Death, Inc. I would say that you don’t have to read Death’s Daughter before reading Cat’s Claw, but it would probably help – and why not start with the book that introduced her?

Both books are rife with humour. Benson’s prose is light and engaging, and the stories are entertaining and suspenseful. There is a mystery to be solved of some kind (though this is not really a mystery novel), and Callie has to figure it all out – with the help of various gods, goddesses, and other supernatural creatures.

Dr Whiffen is an excellent author. The stories she shares in this book are compelling, though of course they are composites of many of her clients. I learned a lot about myself as I read this book, both about how I relate to the world and how the world may contribute to my own struggles with depression.

Whiffen writes in a manner that is easily understood by the layperson, and that means that what she’s talking about is accessible – something that is tremendously important when writing a book for people who probably picked it up because they wanted to understand themselves better and may need its advice as they look for a therapist.

The only thing I had a problem with is that the book doesn’t really delve into differing neurologies at all. Instead, Whiffen focuses primarily on neurotypical women – that is, women whose only problem is depression. There is no exploration of how ADHD or a learning disorder or other disability may impact a woman’s relationships and the possibility of her developing a mood disorder. I think I may well write her about this, and ask if she has studied it or knows of anyone who has, since it is (of course) something that has great relevance to my life.

In Sun Signs, we meet several teens who are enrolled in correspondence courses for their high school. Each has a different reason for studying by correspondence, and those reasons become clear as you read the book, so I won’t spoil that discovery for you.

The story is told through the e-mails of the young adults and their science teacher. We don’t even know everyone’s real names at the beginning.

The premise is simple: One of the students has a science project to complete, and she convinces her teacher to allow her to study astrology. She asks for other correspondence students who are a specific sign to participate and gets three participants. Her data is looking promising until she learns that someone’s been lying to her.

It’s a sweet little book about relationships: the ones we have with other people and the one we have with ourselves. It’s also about how we deal with difficult situations and how we perceive ourselves as a result of those situations.

Each chapter of Sister Wife is told from a different character’s point of view. There is Celeste, who is 15 and about to be assigned a husband, something she isn’t really sure she wants or is ready for; Taviana, who is 17 and has only been living in Unity for about a year, having been rescued from a life of prostitution by one of the men; and Celeste’s younger sister, Nanette, who is 13 and desperately wants to be married and achieve her salvation.

Celeste has trouble “practicing purity” and eventually gives in to the temptation of spending time alone with a boy her own age. That seems to cause all manner of trouble, from Taviana being sent away from Unity to Celeste being assigned to her boyfriend’s father as his next wife after the boy leaves Unity. Nanette is heartbroken, as her older sister is married to the man she wanted to marry.

This book reminds us that there are women in these sorts of situations who are truly happy and really do not feel oppressed. Whether or not they’ve been brainwashed is another question, but if there is no abuse going on (and there is definitely some happening in this community), is it really the task of outsiders to hold them in judgment? (Aside from the fact that polygamy is against the law in most of North America, I mean.)

All three girls do eventually find their happiness. I will leave it to you to read the book and find out what that means for each.