Audio Review: The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

Oslo in November. The first snow of the season has fallen. A boy named Jonas wakes in the night to find his mother gone. Out his window, in the cold moonlight, he sees the snowman that inexplicably appeared in the yard earlier in the day. Around its neck is his mother’s pink scarf.

Hole suspects a link between a menacing letter he’s received and the disappearance of Jonas’s mother - and of perhaps a dozen other women, all of whom went missing on the day of a first snowfall. As his investigation deepens, something else emerges: he is becoming a pawn in an increasingly terrifying game whose rules are devised - and constantly revised - by the killer.

(Summary taken from publisher)

My Thoughts: (No Spoilers)

Though THE SNOWMAN is the seventh book in the Inspector Harry Hole series, it is my first but in my opinion, it didn't take away anything for me not reading the first six books. This thriller stood on its own very well and there was no confusion regarding previous characters or storyline. One of the reasons I wanted to read this book now is that I heard Martin Scorsese is directing the film version and I always like to read books first when they're made into movies. I chose the audio version because, frankly, it was purely a time issue and also I was intrigued by the narrator's voice. Robin Sachs did an impressive job with all the characters and he sounded very believable in his interpretations. In my opinion, not just anyone could tell this story.

Since I am new to Nesbo's work, I can't compare it to previous books, but I thought it was very good. The mystery of the killer is told in an intelligent, clever way that makes you stop and follow Hole's train of thought. Hole, himself, is a no-nonsense, focused man who obviously has demons of his own but he is likable just the same. He's gruff and says what he means. I'm sure there are many layers to this character that I would have learned in the previous installments, but I do feel like I got a good understanding of this flawed man.

The storyline was very thrilling albeit a bit disturbing and I found myself turning off my iPod after dark! I tend to dream about books or TV shows that I read or watch right before bedtime. It's like my brain doesn't know when to shut down. I enjoyed the story and following Inspector Harry Hole as he followed clues and even when he made his mistakes. I don't read a lot of serial killer themed books, but if I get the craving again, I will definitely reach for another Jo Nesbo book. I'll probably start at the beginning of this series and eventually catch up. I loved the setting being in Oslo, Norway. It kind of reminded me of Stieg Larsson's trilogy that I absolutely loved! As a side note, this was the perfect time for me to read this book because of the time frame. In both the story and in real life, it's early November and the snow has begun to fall in Oslo.  .

THE SNOWMAN (UNABRIDGED AUDIO VERSION)
Author: Jo Nesbo
Publisher: Random House Audio
Published: May 10, 2011
Length: 15 Hrs 38 Min
Recommend? Yes!

Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Note: This review contains no spoilers

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER is the unique, touching, and incredibly honest story of a sixteen year named Charlie who is making his way through his freshman year of high school in the late 1990's. It is told through a year long letter-writing correspondence with an unnamed recipient. Though the person Charlie is writing to is not revealed, he undoubtedly has a level of trust in this person.

Charlie is a shy, awkward, but highly intelligent boy, embarking on a chapter of his life that is many things: exciting, scary, confusing, and for people like Charlie, can be very lonely.  This is Charlie's remarkable story, told through those letters that gives insight and and hope to the power of friendship and what unconditional love can bring to a person's life.

My Thoughts:

This coming-of-age debut novel by Stephen Chbosky is one of those books that fills your heart. Charlie is not your typical protagonist. He's not a popular kid with lots of friends and he doesn't play on any high school sports team.  He's just Charlie. An incredibly honest, shy kid just trying to make his way though a time in his life that can be daunting for even the most popular kid. It doesn't take long to find out that Charlie isn't your average kid.

I tend to really enjoy epistolary novels so I was all in. These letters seem more like entries in a journal, revealing Charlie's innermost thoughts and feelings.  Chbosky did a fantastic job of channeling a teenage boy at one of the most difficult times in life. . There were so many extraordinary experiences for Charlie in this book and they were all beautifully revealed. I especially liked his relationship with his teacher who recognized the level of Charlie's intellect and worked with him to explore it.  That was a special relationship that I appreciated. The relationship with his beloved, late Aunt Helen was a brilliant yet shocking layer to the story that I didn't see coming. It knocked me out.

The characters were so genuine and for the most part, likable, but I loved the characters of Sam and Patrick, senior siblings, who befriended Charlie and gave him a sense of belonging and unconditional love that allowed him the security to be himself. Charlie, though, is the one and only star of this story. I will never forget Charlie and I'm sure I will think of him every time I'm around a group of teenagers.

Obviously, this book was a big hit and was made into a major motion picture in 2012.  I purposely have not watched the movie because I wanted to read the book first. Now I'm anxious to watch it. I just know I'm going to love it. Check out this trailer to see what I'm talking about.



If you're in a book club, this book would make a fantastic selection. There are so many things to discuss and the conversation would certainly not be dull. If you've read this book, please let me know how you felt about it. For me, it was a creeper. It crept up on me and before I knew what happened, I was hooked.  The bottom line is that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it highly.

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
Author: Stephen Chbosky
Original Publisher: MTV
Originally Published: February 1999
Length: 256 pp

The Help by Kathryn Stockett - Re-Visited!

In honor of one of my favorite books of 2009, THE HELP, making it's big screen debut this week, I have decided to re-post my review of this terrific book. This book has so many qualities that have helped to sustain it's rightful place in the literary world. It's funny, it's sad, it's poignant and above all, it brings to the forefront an important part of our country's heritage that none of us should ever forget. It deals with racism, loyalty and friendship.  If you've never read this book or listened to it on audio, which I hear is FABulous, you're cheating yourself out of a  wonderful experience. I encourage you to make the time for THE HELP.

Here is my review originally posted on March 31, 2009

It's 1962 and Skeeter Phelan has returned to Longleaf, her family's cotton farm in Jackson, Mississippi after graduating college from Ole Miss. Her mother still insists on calling it a plantation, a term Skeeter would rather forget. According to her mother, coming home from college with a degree wasn't enough. She is reminded almost daily that most girls come home with fiance's, but not Skeeter. Getting married is not on the top of her list. She has a dream of becoming a journalist.

Her two best friends, Hilly and Elizabeth are both married with young children and are very involved in the community. Like Skeeter's family they have black maids who cook, clean and take care of the children, with whom they become very close. Skeeter, herself was raised by a black woman who worked for her family for 29 years. But when she came home from college she learned that she was gone and no one would tell her why. Constantine was like a mother to Skeeter and she felt ashamed that she didn't show enough appreciation for the woman who dedicated much of her life to raising her.

As she spends more time with her friends, Skeeter notices things that she wouldn't have given a second thought to before. Maybe it's because of Constantine's mysterious absence or could it be she's seeing her friends through different eyes?

When Hilly makes a big deal about Elizabeth's maid, Aiblileen, using the same bathroom the family uses, she convinces Elizabeth to talk her husband into building one in the garage for the help. Skeeter can see the humiliation on Aiblileen's face while the other two white women talk openly in front of her about their fear of catching diseases from blacks. Skeeter begins to realize how degrading this is for Aibileen and she doesn't like it.

Skeeter gets hired on at the local newspaper to do a weekly column on housecleaning, but since she's never actually done any, she gets permission from Elizabeth to ask Aibilieen for help. In writing these articles, Skeeter and Aibileen get more acquainted and eventually Skeeter confides to her that she wants to write about important things - not household cleaning tips. She wants to write a book from black women's perspectives on what it's really like to work for a white woman in Jackson. An honest, truthful account. But Skeeter can't do this alone. She'll need Aibileen's help to convince other maids to come forward, because no black woman is going to talk to a white woman about that. Not without someone they know and trust being there. If word got out they could lose their jobs or worse. Both women understand that this could be a very dangerous thing. It is, after all, the height of the Civil Rights Movement and the year Medgar Evers was shot and killed in his own front yard by the KKK right there in Jackson. Skeeter's decision to write this book will have a profound effect on her life. Lines will be drawn and choices will be made that cannot be undone.

THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett is without a doubt on my list of Best Books of 2009. It's hard to believe this is a debut novel. Kathryn Stockett speaks the language of the south seamlessly with her truly unique and believable characters. The voices of the three women who tell this incedible story are genuine and at times raw with emotion. Her skilled storytelling has a mix of drama, humor and a true sadness at the reality of what life was like in the South before the Civil Rights Movement.


Living in the south myself, and having been cared for by a black maid when my family lived in New Orleans when I was a baby, at times I felt shame for how these women were treated by their white employers. They went to work everyday leaving their pride at home while they were made to feel less than, while raising and loving their white babies with little or no gratitude at all. That was very evident with the character of Aibileen, which was my favorite character. Aibileen tells much of the story and her voice painfully portrays the hurt and struggles of her life.


Aibileen's best friend Minny is quite a character who I adored. I loved her sense of humor and even her defiant nature, especially when trying not to show affection for people she didn't want to like. I laughed the most when Minny was talking. Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny each have their own reasons for getting involved in such a project. Many people they know will likely never understand why they would put themselves in so much danger.


As it states in the back of the book and on her website, Kathryn Stockett tells this story with experience, being raised by a black maid herself in Jackson, Mississippi. It's obvious this is a subject near to her heart. You can feel it in her writing. I can't say enough about this wonderful book and would recommend it highly to anyone looking for a deep, satisfying story of a painful time in our nation's history.


THE HELP
Author: Kathyrn Stockett
Publisher: Putnam
Published: February 2009
Pages: 444
Rating: 5 out of 5 (Amazing!/Wonderful!/Highly Recommended!)