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Category: Political

Blog Tour & Giveaway: A Partial History of Lost Causes by Jennifer DuBois

[ 38 ] March 25, 2012

Please join Jennifer DuBois, author of A Partial History of Lost Causes, as she tours the blogosphere with TLC Book Tours! 

Don’t forget to enter to win a copy below.

Reviewed by Nina Longfield

Jennifer DuBois’ A Partial History of Lost Causes begins in St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) during the waning days of the Soviet Union. We meet Aleksandr, a rising chess prodigy. Aleksandr, from a small village on the Pacific edge of the Soviet Union, is thrust into the cold city and the changes enveloping the country.

Jump ahead almost thirty years to Cambridge, Massachusetts and meet Irina, a young woman who feels she is a lost cause. Irina lost her father to the slow degeneration of Huntington’s disease. Irina is intelligent, has a PhD in Literature, and should be embracing the possibilities of life. Instead, she is convinced that she is carrying the genetic code of Huntington’s and has deemed herself a lost cause.

With her father’s passing, Irina comes across a letter her father once wrote to Aleksandr. Her father, a fan of Aleksandr’s chess prowess, wrote the letter regarding a chess match and how Aleksandr triumphed despite the presumed certainty of defeat. The letter was never answered. Aleksandr is now following his own lost cause as the unexpected politician contesting Putin’s reign. Desperate for an answer to her father’s question, Irina travels to Moscow in search of Aleksandr.

A Partial History of Lost Causes is beautiful and sad. DuBois’ writing is fluid. With little effort, she seems to capture the mood of her characters and their setting. The bleakness of Leningrad in winter comes through in shivering detail. It is the perfect setting for Irina’s search for the elusive Aleksandr and her answer. In a city that comes to embody Irina’s idea of lost causes, she begins to understand that she may be more than the sum of her genetics.

DuBois’ characters are well written. In spite of the prevalent sadness throughout A Partial History of Lost Causes, I still had hope for Irina’s and Aleksandr’s individual quests. Aleksandr comes across as bleak as the Russian winters that seem to saturate his life, yet there is a sardonic humor that softens and makes him likeable. Irina is pragmatic, resourceful and, under layers of surrender, she is determined. She hasn’t completely given in to the disease that could, someday, erode her mind. This underlying resolve to find an answer to lost causes compelled me to read in an attempt to understand Irina.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Nina Longfield is a writer living in Oregon’s fertile wine country. When she is not reading or writing in her spare time, Nina enjoys hiking in the hills surrounding her cabin.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by The Dial Press. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.


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Review: Betrayal of Trust by J.A. Jance

[ 3 ] November 28, 2011

Reviewed by Krista Castner

Sometimes it’s nice to pick up a new book in a long-running series and know you’re going to have a chance to get caught up with old friends. Betrayal of Trust, the 20th installment in the J.P. Beaumont detective series by J.A. Jance, is one of those kinds of books.

JP Beaumont, or “Beau” as his friends call him, is partnered with his wife Mel Soames on a politically sensitive case involving Washington State’s Governor. The Governor specifically requests Beau to work on this case because they went to high school together. Beau and Mel have to try to track down the source of a snuff film before more victims are caught up in the murder drama.

Usually Seattle is the beloved backdrop in the Beaumont series, but this book takes place primarily in Washington’s capital city, Olympia, and in the outlying rural communities near Olympia. I have to admit that I miss the Seattle setting. But I understand that authors sometimes need to do things to keep characters evolving and stories fresh. Olympia isn’t a bad setting, it’s just not Seattle.

Beau and Mel work as partners on the state’s Special Homicide Investigative Team (S.H.I.T.) There are many references to how much they get razzed because of team’s acronym. (I found this a bit childish and soon grew weary of the reference.) Initially the Governor, Marsha Longmire, discovers what appears to be a snuff film on her step-grandchild’s cell phone and requests an investigation. But the case soon becomes much more complicated as Mel and Beau try to solve the crime before the news hits the press.

Betrayal of Trust tackles teenage poverty, cyber-bullying, teen suicide, and issues of acceptance and inclusion in blended families. That is a lot of territory to cover in the book’s 344 pages, but Jance covered the ground in her usual fast-paced story telling style that kept me interested throughout. Beau and Mel work well together. Mel uses all the latest technology to keep her side of the investigation moving along. Beau, in spite of his bad knees, keeps his side of the investigation moving with more old-fashioned police leg work.

In the midst of the investigation Beau receives a personal email from someone claiming to be a long-lost relative, who may hold the key to his father’s identity. Beau is ambivalent about pursuing any sort of a family reunion. I’ll leave the outcome of this plotline to the readers. If you’re a long time J.P. Beaumont fan like I am, I think you’ll be pleased with how things turn out.

Yes, Beau is starting to show his age. But that’s part of the charm of this series. Beau isn’t a super hero. He’s a normal guy doing the right thing day-in and day-out. In today’s sometime frenetic pace, it’s nice to be able to rely on Beau to get the job done. JA Jance has given us another fun installment in the J.P. Beaumont series.

Rating: 4/5

Krista lives just outside the urban sprawl of Portland, Oregon. Lamentably, her work as a technical writer and business analyst often interferes with her reading which is a true passion.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by William Morrow. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

[ 4 ] November 22, 2011

Reviewed by Sara Padilla (our brand new reviewer!)

At the center of the story in When She Woke is an unmarried young woman raised by a close, conservative family; her sheltered lifestyle does not allow for much learning and exploration. As a result of an affair with an unidentified man, Hannah becomes pregnant and chooses to terminate the pregnancy. Both the affair and the abortion cast a literal shadow upon the woman, and she is found guilty for having the illegal procedure and for not cooperating in naming the father. In order to rehabilitate her, she is sent to a futuristic and cruel camp-like setting in which strict religious authorities attempt to persuade her of her guilt and observe her every move with a ruthless eye bent toward punishment.

This ultramodern tale is a timely and updated version of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, in which Hester Prynne was forced to wear a scarlet letter A upon her chest, brandishing her an adulterer and casting her out from civil society. Like Hester, Hannah is visually marked by “chroming”, a process in which her skin is dyed a vibrant shade of red. As a chrome, she can no longer walk down the street without being recognized for her crime. The story not only explores the consequences of her choices, but also how she decides to pursue her future, a future limited by the color of her skin and the surrounding environment. Like Hawthorne before her, author Hillary Jordan explores themes of sin, guilt, and legalism.

Following Hannah’s banishment to the camp, she finds comfort and commonality with a fellow “Red”, a woman who made similar decisions for which she is also being rehabilitated in the camp. Together they begin to take steps toward a healthier and more promising future, but only by risking the relative safety and familiarity of the camp and its inhabitants, both fellow “criminals” and their vindictive caretakers.

When She Woke presents hot topic issues related to women’s health, choice and freedom in a sensitive and yet direct manner. Jordan’s approach to re-telling the Hester Prynne story by placing a like-minded character in a future environment directed by narrow minded and shockingly harsh leadership is compelling. The readers, particularly women of a certain age and liberal persuasion, will immediately engage with Hannah. Regrettably, we do not learn what happens to Hannah’s family or former lover except as implied during the final chapter. Altogether, however, When She Woke is a convincing and interesting read.

Rating: 4.5/5

Ms. Sara Padilla is a freelance writer and maintains a personal blog on family, health and wellness. She resides in the Pacific Northwest.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Algonquin Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Farishta by Patricia McArdle

[ 4 ] August 28, 2011

Reviewed by Jennifer Jensen

United States diplomat Angela Morgan experienced a devastating loss over two decades ago when the U.S. Embassy building was bombed while her husband, Tom, was inside. She watched the building tumble into ashes, and as a result of being so close to the explosion, she miscarried her unborn child. Angela’s career has nearly fizzled out; she wants to be sent to London, but because of her poor performance she is sent overseas to Afghanistan.

Life in Afghanistan is lonely for Angela: the male soldiers reject her presence and she constantly has to defend her position. Though she speaks the native Dari language, Angela is forced to hide her talents and works with a young translator named Rahim. Slowly, Angela begins making friends with the male soldiers, and even begins to fall for Mark Davies, a British major. Rahim becomes like a son to her, and she involves herself in his forbidden relationship with Nilofar. Being in Afghanistan is an eye opening experience for Angela; though she cannot solve all of the country’s problems, she finds ways to contribute to make the lives of Afghan women easier. Her new life in Afghanistan doesn’t make her forget the past, but it does encourage her to start anew.

In 2010, Patricia McArdle was chosen as the Amazon Breakthrough Novel winner for her debut novel, Farishta, in the General Fiction category. Farishta is written in 1st person and reads as if it is a memoir. It is immensely detailed with McArdle’s knowledge of Afghanistan, which at times causes the book to drag on. I also didn’t care for McArdle’s writing style, which in my opinion was too dry and lacking in emotion. With fiction I prefer a playful writing style with a more poetic approach.

Farishta will appeal to readers interested in learning more about the women of Afghanistan and the rest of the world’s involvement in their country. I particularly wanted to read it because of Angela’s desire to aid the refugees and the oppressed women. Unfortunately, her interaction with the Afghan women was very sparse. I was, however, interested in her friendship with Nilofar. Based on the little I know about McArdle, I think I would have enjoyed reading her memoir instead of her attempt with fiction. The parts I enjoyed about Farishta cannot overshadow my discontent with the novel’s conclusion.

Rating: 2/5

Jennifer graduated from the University of Utah with a BA in English. She occasionally dabbles with her own fiction writing, particularly with the Young Adult and Paranormal genres. She currently resides in Utah with her husband and daughter.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Riverhead. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Profession by Steven Pressfield

[ 3 ] August 18, 2011

Reviewed by Erin McKibbin

In 2022, humanitarian organizations from the U.S., Sweden, and Norway start to send food and medical relief to the people in the African breakaway republic of Zamibia despite the sinister efforts of the country’s president to confiscate the supplies and terrorize the people. In 2032, six southern provinces break away from the stable, peaceful Iraq forming their own state, Tajikistan – an oil producing country to rival Saudi Arabia. Force Insertion is hired to provide the might behind the cause.

Force Insertion is a mercenary army led by a U.S. war hero – turned war criminal- General James Salter. Hired by corporations and nations, both big and small, this military conglomerate attracts the best warrior from all nations to its payrolls and the customers with the deepest pockets. Grown out of necessity, this organization begins to rival the revenue and power of multi-national corporations such as General Electric. But, does Force Insertion always do the bidding of its customers? Or does James Salter have an ulterior motive in mind when he put together the largest mercenary army in the world?

Steven Pressfield puts together an action packed, intriguing concept of where the future of the military and war might be headed in The Profession. As he so deftly describes, the instant media reports from war zones has made it impossible for standing armies to be able to carry out their missions due to the public outcry back home. The only armed entity that could possibly escape that Achilles Heel would be an international mercenary force. And, it stands to reason that should an entity such as this rise, the person at the helm would succeed where others have failed: global domination.

Rating: 4/5

Erin fell in love with the written word as a small child and subsequently spent most of her life happily devouring literature. She works as a freelance news, marketing, and technical writer as well as a full-time researcher/investigator in the sign industry. Erin lives just outside of Cleveland, Ohio enjoying the beauty of life with her children and grandchildren.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Crown. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: House Divided by Raul Ramos y Sanchez

[ 4 ] March 10, 2011

Reviewed by Nikki Flores

Imagine a world in the not-so-distant future where Hispanic immigrants and American citizens are no longer living in harmony in the United States. In an effort to help control immigration, the U.S. government labels all Hispanics “class H” and forces them to live in dilapidated quarantine zones in Los Angeles. Fed up with their sub-par treatment and second-class citizen classification, underground Hispanic extremist groups are growing in momentum and plotting their revenge. Such is the world that Raul Ramos y Sanchez creates in his second book, House Divided.

Mano Suarez, his wife, Rosa, and their son, Pedro, have all been living in a war-torn zone for as long as they can remember. Influenced by the deaths of his two other children, Mano becomes a prominent leader of a revolutionary movement that’s fighting for the freedom of Hispanic Americans. With little progress being made, tensions mount among rebel members, and a gang breaks off from the group and starts lashing out on innocent non-Hispanic civilians. The young and easily-influenced Pedro is lured into becoming an active member of the terrorist gang, which pulls Mano in multiple directions as he struggles to simultaneously try to bring down the gang and continue his freedom fight without losing his son in the process.

Although the book’s main characters are Mano, Rosa and Pedro, Raul Ramos y Sanchez weaves in viewpoints from other prominent characters as well. Unfortunately, the secondary characters are not as fully-developed as the Suarez’s, which makes it much harder to connect with them on an emotional level and follow the underlining story.

With that said, I enjoyed reading House Divided, as it blurred the lines of right and wrong in a war-torn nation, and it allowed the reader to see a glimpse of what could happen in America, should immigration tensions continue to rise.

(NOTE: I read House Divided without reading America Libre, Raul Ramos y Sanchez’s first book in the series)

Rating: 3/5

Nikki Flores (aka CluelessMe) is an avid writer and reader. She first hit the blogging scene with the Clueless Newlywed Blog, which catalogued the unique adventures surrounding herself and her new husband. No longer a newlywed and expecting her first child, Nikki continues her telling her light-hearted stories at Cluelessme.com.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Grand Central Publishing. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Confirmation by Ralph Reed

[ 4 ] March 5, 2011

Author Ralph Reed has decades of experience working with government officials.  He was an adviser for 88 Senate, Governor, and Congressmen campaigns and also worked on seven presidential campaigns. His extensive knowledge of how the political world works shows through in his novel, The Confirmation.

Iraqi terrorists have hijacked nuclear materials and are threatening to bomb a major city in the United States. With laws concerning issues like abortion and same-sex marriage on the docket, Supreme Court Justice Peter Corbin Franklin has a massive stroke. Bob Long, former governor of California, is now the newly elected president of the United States and is left with the weighing task of finding a replacement for Justice Franklin. His nominee, Marco Diaz, creates havoc for President Long when the media destroys him for his religious beliefs and with gossip from his past.

The Confirmation read like an earlier work of John Grisham’s as it was fast-paced and exciting. It captures you from the very first page and is hard to put down. Though it is filled with chaos, it gave an interesting view of what goes on in our nation’s capital and how the election process works. With each character we get to see exactly what running for office does to a person, on a mental as well as a physical level.

Although I enjoyed The Confirmation, it was also a difficult read in some aspects because there were too many characters to keep up with. When I read a book I like to get to know the characters, and that was hard to do here. I found myself turning back to the beginning pages to remind myself of each character and his role in the story. Nevertheless, I thought this was an exciting book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys political thrillers.

Rating: 4/5

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Fidelis Book. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Athena Project by Brad Thor

[ 3 ] February 14, 2011

Reviewed by Joanne L.

I enjoy settings where smart women are kicking ass: Modesty Blaise and Buffy come to mind. I also enjoy real science and technology in a fictional setting, seemingly fantastical inventions that are viable in this day and age. Recall Dan Brown’s opening pages for The Lost Symbol…”All rituals, science, artwork, and monuments in this novel are real.”

Brad Thor’s recent novel The Athena Project had, on an opening page, “All of the science in this novel is based on reality.”

Here, I thought, we go!!!

The Athena Project is a US military project initiating the inclusion of teams of women in the realm of the military’s Delta Force; elite and secret operatives kicking the butts of the enemies of the United States. The four women of the team whose story Thor tells, are athletic, beautiful, and deadly. They follow the trail of Nazi-based technology being handled by a variety of bad guys representing nationalities where shady occurrences are commonplace.

I had trouble differentiating the four women; I think there was one getting over an affair, there was one always hoping for some action, and maybe one that was a little petulant. Or maybe they were all the same person – character development was weak.

The bad guys were a bit cartoonish in that they almost inevitably could be swayed to make a serious mistake when presented with a beautiful woman in revealing wear who eventually out-smarted them, and then beat them up. This happened a lot –and satisfied my penchant for smart women, kicking ass.

The mysterious Nazi technology gave some meat to the story. The evil scientists that the Allies scooped up by the truckload after the war, had created technology akin to the Star Trek transporter. People were finding failed experiments evidenced by skeletons half in and half out of solid rock, all over the place.

I found The Athena Project easy- going and entertaining, even with the overall weakness of the characters. Is it literary genius? No. It was fast and fun and I anticipate that Mr. Thor, if he writes more about the women of Athena, will become more adept at developing these characters in their battle against evil.

I did found myself worrying though, about the livelihoods of male Delta Force operatives; perhaps there are evil geniuses who are female where they can ply their manliness?

Rating: 2.5/5

Joanne is an organization development and human resources professional with a business background living in Ohio. She has lived in Europe, Africa (including her Peace Corps service in South Africa), and arround the United States. She loves to plays volleyball, read, write, and has a cat named Ender.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Atria Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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