Jerzy

Jerzy

by Jerome Charyn

published by self

2016

ISBN 978-1540574176

Jerome Charyn has a distinct style that really brings out the humanity of the protagonists of his historical fiction novels.  Jerzy Kosinski is the perfect subject for Charyn.  Unlike his other novels, Kosinski is not the narrator of Jerzy; rather, his story is told by other figures from his life.  And his story is not for the faint of heart - it is raw, gritty, and, quite frankly, depraved.

An interesting technique that Charyn uses in Jerzy is to tell the story in reverse chronological order.  The first character who narrates Kosinski's life is one he did not meet until closer to his death; the very last section, concerns Kosinski's childhood.  Telling the story this way is like peeling back layers to show the real inner-workings of Kosinski and how he grew.

Jerzy is perhaps the most disturbing of all of the Jerome Charyn's novels I have read so far, and that unnerved me which made it hard for me to get into, or even just concentrate on, the story.  Charyn is a very talented writer, but, as Jerzy shows, his writing is not for everyone.

Rating: 2/5

Rose Under Fire

Title: Rose Under Fire
Author: Elizabeth Wein
Publisher: Bolinda

ISBN: n/a

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: I did learn a lot from this work of historical fiction, but it just was not as amazing as the first book in the series, Code Name Verity.

Rating: 3/5

Stacking the Shelves: 5/21-5/27

For possible review (on Bookloons):

The Sandcastle Empire by Kayla Olson

Wicked Like a Wildfire by Lana Popovic

Julia Defiant by Catherine Egan

More of Me by Kathryn Evans

Stacking the Shelves: 5/14-5/20

For possible review (on Bookloons):

Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

First Reads from Goodreads:

Before the Rain Falls by Camille Di Maio

Say You're Sorry by Melinda Leigh

A Filthy Business by William Lashner

Ramona and Her Father

Title: Ramona and Her Father
Author: Beverly Cleary
Publisher: HarperCollins

ISBN: 97800688221140

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: This was another book that I had not read as a child but had read others in the series.  Ramona is still as entertaining now as she was then, but the new (2006) illustrations just do not fit with the 1975 text.

Rating: 4/5

Stacking the Shelves: 5/7-5/13

For review (on Bookloons):

The Sandlecastle Empire by Kayla Olson

Salvage

Title: Salvage
Author: Alexandra Duncan
Publisher: Greenwillow

ISBN: 9780062220141

Why Read?: Early Reads

Thoughts: I was not sure about this at first as it started off as a space opera, but it turned out to be a very engaging story with some pretty deep themes.

Rating: 4/5

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

Title: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Author: Judy Blume
Publisher: Listening Library

ISBN: 9780739330371

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: I never read this when I was little (although I did read some other books in the Fudge series).  Definitely a fun, quick read that will entertain adults as well as children, but most likely for different reasons.

Rating: 3/5

The Crooked Sixpence

Title: The Crooked Sixpence
Author: Jennifer Bell
Publisher: Crown

ISBN: 9780553498431

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Fun MG fantasy with a lot of mystery, but some faulty connections.

Rating: 3/5

Stacking the Shelves: 4/30-5/6

For review (on Bookloons):

The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas

First Reads from Goodreads:

Trail of Miracles by Smadar Herzfeld

Looking Glass Lies by Varina Denman

Truth

Title: Truth
Author: Christina Benjamin
Publisher: self

ISBN: 9780988337503

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: The first installment of The Geneva Project throws a lot of world-building at the reader, but unfortunately, not all of it makes sense.  Also, a not-always-likable main character does not help.

Rating: 2/5

The Living

Title: The Living
Author: Matt de la Pena
Publisher: Brillance

ISBN: 9781480568754

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Not a big fan of natural disaster novels, especially lost at sea ones, but this has some great parts that do not involve being lost at sea.  I am curious to see where this goes in the next installment.

Rating: 3/5