California Golden

California Golden by Melanie Benjamin 352pages

 

I’m not much of an outdoorsy person. In fact, I rather loathe it.  Bu that doesn’t stop me from reading about the great outdoors.  I would like to hang ten and try surfing, but like I just said…and without my glasses/contacts I couldn’t even see the darn wave.

 

Most of the time, when I hear “great outdoors,” I think woods and insects. The critters I can handle, but not those pesky insects. However, in Melanie Benjamin’s newest novel, the great outdoors refers to the surfs and sand of California and Hawaii. Benjamin’s description of the waves, the sun, and the freedom one feels in the water is unparalleled. I felt as if I was there.

 

Carol Donnelly is one of the first female competitive surfers in the sport. She is a marvel to behold on board. But Carol is trapped in 1950s- ‘60s societal expectations of marriage and motherhood, and she resents her children for it.  Her daughters, Mindy and Ginger drop out of school to partake in the surf culture and, sadly, to gain their mother’s attention.

 

Carol teaches her daughters to surf. Mindy is a natural while Ginger can barely hang onto the board. When Mindy wins a competition in California, Carol seethes with resentment. And to top it off, Minday gets work as an extra in the surfing movies that were so back then. Mindy first gains notoriety as the Girl with the Curl. The 1960s come alive when Mindy goes to Whiskey A-Go-Go and is seen at all the LA hotspots.

 

She finds love with a Hawaiian surfer. But with Vietnam escalating, the pair breaks it off. It is only when Mindy is on a USO tour in ‘Nam, does love return in a rather unexpected way.

 

Meanwhile, Ginger falls in love with an abusive surf bum. Author Benjamin creates the life of authentic beach bums, unlike the glamorous life portrayed in the movies. Unwashed and malnourished and high isn’t the life Ginger had dreamed of as a little girl, but she loves Tom with every fiber of her body and mind.

 

Readers don’t know much about Carol after she loses the competition. She had an accident which forced her retirement from surfing and eventually was the root cause of her Parkinson’s Disease (I’m not sure how a head injury could cause Parkinson’s, but what do I know.).

 

Reader’s journey through the two very different lifestyles of each sister. However, an unexpected pregnancy causes major strife and happiness with the family.

 

California Golden is different than most of Benajmin’s wonderful books. While most of her novels are character driven, this didn’t have a strong plot. California Golden receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

Don't Call It A Cult

 Don't Call It a Cult: The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of NXIVM by Sarah Berman, 289 pages

In 2018, shocking headlines announced that a little-known professional development company called NXIVM hid an inner circle of advanced students, all of them female, who had vowed themselves as slaves and been branded with their master's initials.  That the slaves included millionaire heiresses and recognizable Hollywood actresses only made the news more sensational and seemingly inexplicable.  What really happened, and more importantly, how could it have happened?

Sarah Berman was not among those who were blindsided by the revelations.  She had already been investigating the group for years for VICE, one of a number of investigative journalists who had begun to explore the dark business going on behind the bright facade.  Her account of the group and its development, from its roots in a multi-level marketing company through its remarkable growth to the final breakdown, follows a journalistic model.  This is not a comprehensive history of NXIVM, but a series of perspectives anchored in the experience of those who were actually there.  This is both an advantage and a disadvantage, but in this case it is unfortunately weighted towards the latter.  One problem is that there are key perspectives missing - most obviously that of Raniere himself, a problem which Berman is aware of but which is beyond her power to correct.  Another, more subtle, issue arises from Berman's framing.  Early on she describes the different reactions NXIVM inspired from different parts of the political spectrum, the right citing it as an "example of moral breakdown among the monied elite," the left "textbook toxic masculinity blown up to epic criminal proportions."  That these are not contradictory she does not seem to have noticed, and in her eagerness to prove the latter she almost entirely neglects the former.  That Keith Raniere was a manipulative, abusive guru is well established, but how strong, successful women were duped by such a shallow conman into becoming not just his victims but also his enablers is scarcely addressed.

Trouble Is A Friend Of Mine

Trouble Is A Friend Of Mine by Stephanie Tromly, 337 pages

Zoe is new in town.  When Digby shows up at her door, she thinks he’s weird and rude and wants to avoid him but Digby keeps showing up in her life and eventually drags her into hilariously dangerous situations while trying to find a teen that has been presumed kidnapped.  Digby thinks it may be related to his sister’s disappearance many years ago.  Despite Zoe’s initial dislike and reluctance to get involved she eventually finds herself inexplicably drawn to Digby and the trouble that surrounds him.  This book was funny and the story was awesome.  I didn’t have any problems with suspension of disbelief in the story, despite the improbability of some of it.  I would highly recommend this for many teens.

The Cemetery Boys

The Cemetery Boys by Heather Brewer, 273 pages

"When Stephen's dad says they're moving, Stephen knows it's pointless to argue. They're broke from paying Mom's hospital bills, and now the only option left is to live with Stephen's grandmother in Spencer, a backward small town that's like something out of The Twilight Zone. Population: 814.  Stephen's summer starts looking up when he meets punk girl Cara and her charismatic twin brother, Devon. With Cara, he feels safe and understood--and yeah, okay, she's totally hot. In Devon and his group, he sees a chance at making real friends. Only, as the summer presses on, and harmless nights hanging out in the cemetery take a darker turn, Stephen starts to suspect that Devon is less a friend than a leader. And he might be leading them to a very sinister end. . . ."  I haven't liked all of Brewer's books.  I actually really dislike the Vladimir Tod series, although I understand why the teens like it.  However, I really liked this book. It was a great horror book for teens and I definitely plan to read Brewer's works going forward.

Kraken

Kraken by China Mieville, 509 pages.

A preserved giant squid has been stolen from London's Natural History museum and it's curator Billy Harrow is at the top of everyone's list for answers. But who stole the Kraken and why? In a city full of secret currents of myth and magic, where criminals, police, cultists, and wizards are locked in a war to bring about or prevent the End the list of suspects could include anyone. There is the Congregation of God Kraken, there is the criminal mastermind known as the Tattoo, the mysterious Londonmancers, as well other religious sects and magicians who may or may not want to end everything.

While I really wanted to like this book, especially since it has a squid worshiping cult I just couldn't bring myself to fully enjoy it. It starts of decently but becomes kind of muddled and confusing towards the middle as there was to much going on. Towards the end it got better again, but the ending was just kind of anticlimactic. Overall if you enjoy conspiracies and fantasy you might like this book but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it.     

Eden West

Eden West by Pete Hautman, 310 pages

Jacob is a member of the Grace and has been raised to believe that an angel is going to come in an ark and take all of the Grace to Heaven.  At 17, Jacob is pretty satisfied with his life until the day he meets a worldly girl named Lynna while patrolling the fence.  And soon after that, another teen, Tobias, joins the Grace with his mother and sister.  Between Tobias and Lynna and the things they say, Jacob begins to question his own faith and the whole mission of the Grace.  This was a really good story and seemed to be a good account of what this type of religious cult might be like on the inside.  I think that a lot of teens who like realistic fiction would enjoy it.

This Side Of Salvation

This Side Of Salvation by Jeri Smith-ready, 368 pages

David’s parents are convinced that the Rush (or Rapture) is coming on May 11.  Since David’s older brother died, the entire family has been grieving.  At first, David got angry and acted out, but then he found God and everything seemed a little better at first, until his parents went even more extreme and decided that the Rush was coming and they had to prepare.  David’s 17 year old sister, Mara, flatly refuses, but David, after some thought, agrees to give up everything, if, after the Rush doesn’t happen, his father agrees to get counseling.  His father has been hit hardest and has only been speaking in Bible verses for quite a while.  His parents agree.  However, David sneaks out on prom night to go to an after prom party, which also happens to be the same night as the Rush.  They get back late and find that their parents are gone.  The story goes between the story now, and the past, leading up to now, until the two stories catch up to each other.  This was a captivating, compelling story that a lot of teens who like realistic fiction would enjoy.