The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Published by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House Publishing Group

Victoria Jones is an enigma to everyone she meets. A turbulent life in foster care has taught her only that she can't trust or depend on anyone but herself and it would seem she cares little for anything or anyone. With the exception of flowers, that is. When she leaves foster care and struggles to make it on her own, she decides she is going to work with flowers and soon realizes she has a gift for being able to change peoples' lives with her floral arrangements. While working, she reconnects with a mysterious stranger and the pain from her past is brought back to the surface. What follows is a deeply emotional, heart-stirring whirlwind of a ride as Victoria tries to deal with her past, her present, and a future that terrifies her.

I could express myself all day in this post and I don't think I could ever quite capture just how much I adored this book. It landed in my mailbox on Monday around lunchtime and on opening it, checking out the cover and the synopsis, I knew I had to read this immediately. In truth I had just meant to read perhaps the first chapter at that time as I had other things scheduled in my day but this book doesn't allow for that. Once you pick it up, you'll find yourself so hooked in the story and so deeply invested in the characters (almost instantaneous for me) and you won't be able to put this title down. I read it non-stop, including while I ate with my fork in one hand and the book in the other. It was only put down when I needed to sleep that night. Yes, it's that good! 

Each of the characters in this book are brilliantly written and it's hard to not love all of them. They will certainly linger with me for many years to come. The range of emotions in the storytelling is also incredible and unlike some books that attempt such a range and leave the reader feeling a little discombobulated and weary, Vanessa Diffenbaugh orchestrates it flawlessly. I also love that while this title contains a great deal of knowledge about the meanings of flowers and was obviously well researched, it doesn't distract from the story but rather just adds a whole new level of depth. What blew me away about this too, is that this is a debut novel and in all my years of reading, I have never read a debut novel that packs a powerful punch like The Language of Flowers. I certainly hope that this is just the beginning of a brilliant and shining career for Vanessa Diffenbaugh. I know I will be watching this author closely in the future. I can't wait to see what she brings us next!

Included in the book are A Reader's Guide to bring a little more insight from the author, and also a list of topics for discussion for those who are reading this as part of a book club.

If this book isn't sitting on your bookshelf or e-reader.. it ought to be. For me, even though it's only April, I feel safe in saying, if you only read one book this year, this is the one.

Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home by David Shipley and Will Schwalbe

Published by Alfred A Knopf - A Division of Random House.

Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home is one of those books that belongs on the bookshelf in every home. Within the pages we have the introduction - a real eye opener - in which we learn why we email so badly. This is followed by seven chapters titled: When Should We Email?, The Anatomy of an Email, How to Write (the Perfect) Email, The Six Essential Types of Email, The Emotional Email, The Email That Can Land You in Jail, and last but not least, S.E.N.D.

Each of these chapters holds a wealth of information to guide the reader through the perils of emailing. In When Should We Email we are shown when it is appropriate to send an email and when we should use the alternative means of communication such as phone, instant message, letter (yes, surprisingly some people do still use these) and so on. In The Anatomy of an Email, we learn how to correctly put together an email and address it to the right people. It sounds simple right? I actually learned a great deal from this section and I loved that it teaches the correct use of the CC and BCC fields.

How to Write (the Perfect) Email deals with grammar, punctuation (probably my biggest flaw if I am honest), paragraphs, emoticons and more. In The Six Essential Types of Email we are shown how to better express ourselves when sending emails dealing with Requests, Answers, Informative emails, Emails of Thanks, Emails of Apologies and lastly, Socialising Emails. The Emotional Email is probably my favourite chapter. Cyberspace can be a challenge to communicate within. There are no tones of voice or facial expressions to guide us in understanding the intention of words directed at us. When things get emotional, things can spiral out of control at an extremely fast rate. The Emotional Email helps us to discover how to prevent this from happening.

The Email That Can Land You in Jail covers the many things you can do to protect yourself while using email. Changing subject lines, being specific in email (none of those "Can we talk about that thing" comments), keeping emails that shouldn't be kept, sharing emails that shouldn't be shared, and so on. Lastly, in S.E.N.D we are taught how to use that simply phrase to perform a mental checklist on our email before we use the send button, a process that will save you from many embarrassing or inappropriate moments.

This is a great book that everyone should read. Whether you have been dealing with email for a very short time, or a great number of years, I would be surprised if this book didn't teach you something new. It is written in a very clear and concise manner and is extremely easy to understand, regardless of your computer literacy level. I highly recommend this book. My only regret is that this book didn't come out around 10 years ago. I could have saved myself from so many embarrassments. *grins*.

Also check out the book's website at http://www.thinkbeforeyousend.com/ (they have a hall of shame for bad emails which is pretty funny!).

Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey by Chuck Palahniuk

Published by Doubleday - A division of Random House Inc.

Rant is the story of Buster Casey, a strange young man who we meet after his death. His story is told by those who shared their lives with him and the anecdotes they share are often filled with bizarre and disturbing facts. Buster Casey is known to most as Rant. He had a strange childhood, made all the stranger by his fascination for being bitten by poisonous and diseased creatures. He winds up repeatedly infected by rabies which he has no problem sharing with those around him.

The book is set in the future, in a world that has segregation between Daytimers and Nighttimers. Rant becomes a part of a pastime which many of the Nighttimers are involved with, known as Party Crashing. I know, you think of Party Crashing and you immediately think of someone coming to a party uninvited, right? In this case, Party Crashing is where teams of people take their car onto the road and have it decorated a certain way. Perhaps a learner's sign attached, a Christmas tree or sofa or mattress on the roof, cans attached to the bumper with a just married sign and the passengers being dressed as brides and grooms. Then the drivers of the cars set out to stalk other similarly decorated cars and crash into them.

Add to this already bizarre mix, the arrival of mysterious strangers, the frequent appearance of gold coins dated so far back that they are worth thousands, the dysfunctional family dynamics, the strange deaths that are occurring, and Rant's idea of decorating the space above his bed and you have a novel that captivates the reader and sends the imagination on a ride that won't soon be forgotten.

The author has an amazing way of writing. The way the reader is guided through the story by many narrators just really grabbed my attention. The way he describes everything in the most gruesome detail, and drops hints as the story continues, definitely kept me on the edge of my seat, needing to know more. What surprised me more than anything, is that even with all the hints, when the reader reaches the later pages in the book, the answers that begin to appear often leave the reader in a state of awe and wonder.

I loved the way the characters all seem to unfold. Each having different versions of the same event, and each offering opinions and thoughts about Rant's relationships with the rest. The dynamics are often complex and leave lots to the imagination. The reader is handed all of the information they could ever want and is left to decide for themselves what they want to believe.

It's a story that demands to be read (probably more than once in order to truly appreciate it) and I can say for certain that I will be reading this again and again. It's refreshing, brilliant, dark, troubling, sexy, just plain messed up and you won't be able to put it down.

Author's website: http://www.chuckpalahniuk.net/

Book website: http://www.rant-book.com/ (This site is neat. You can hear traffic reports from the book and so much more).

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi

Published by Random House

In Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books, we are introduced to a group of 7 women (though they are referred to as girls) who arrive at the author's home every Thursday morning for 2 years. The women are a very diverse group who have a shared interest in literature and learning. These women are described and discussed in this book in such a way that much of the essence they must have in real life, shines through and I couldn't help but connect with them even though I often couldn't empathise. Nafisi states often in the book that when the girls, and others, share their tragic stories, it is always in a way which denies the listener any chance of feeling sympathy and empathy with them and I love that Nafisi was able to bring that across in the book.

This book is formed of four sections: Lolita, Gatsby, James and Austen. In these sections we are not only treated to wonderfully in depth explorations of various books but we get to see the impact of these works on the girls, and also on the author's students during her years of teaching at various universities. Simultaneously in this great book we are exposed to little glimpses of life in Tehran, political and religious issues, the brutality that occurred during and after the war, and so much more. While much of the book paints a dark picture, I couldn't help but be enraptured by the small and rare moments of beauty. The descriptions of 'The Magician" and his delicate ways. The way he stays away from people mostly and yet when he does allow them to visit, he takes great care to make them feel welcome and even serves little chocolates on a plate. The playful innocence as girls fall in love and discuss it with a shyness that touched my heart. The inner beauty that shone from each of their souls, along with a desperate hope. It makes for a splendid contrast and shows us that while it's not often easy to see, there is another side to their lives that without the totalitarian way of life would probably surface more easily.

Much of it was a shock to me as I knew little of Tehran and Iran before this book and I think what hit me more, was that I often forget how amazingly different cultures can be. This was a brilliant reminder. It is impossible for me to try and explain what makes this book so great, it is a mix of so many things but for me especially, it was the way that this book draws the reader in and pulls them close to the many people within the pages, sharing an intimacy between the two that is rarely (if ever) shared between the people in the book.

It's a wonderful book and one that not only will I read again, but which has inspired me to explore the books described within.

Diary: A Novel by Chuck Palahniuk

Published by Anchor Books - An Imprint of Random House

This books follows the life of Misty Kleinman, a promising art student who finds her life going down a very different path after meeting "the walking Peter" Peter Wilmot who proposes to her and takes her to live with him on the local island.

The book brings us in as Misty is taking calls for her husband who works in construction. His clients are starting to call with complaints of missing rooms in their homes and as she goes to investigate one such call where the client has rediscovered the sealed off room, she realises that there is so much she didn't know.

The whole island seems to be pushing her to find her inspiration and begin painting again. Misty is happy just waiting tables at the hotel until a fall keeps her away from work, and away from the mysterious trail of clues which all began with one cryptic message beneath a table at work. "choose any book at the library". Will she ever find the answers to her questions and if she does, will it be too late?

The whole book is a rollercoaster of a ride and you just won't be able to put this book down. The complex characters are a joy to discover and the storyline will keep you guessing constantly. This book has so many twists and turns all of which lead to an ending that will leave you amazed at the skill this author has for weaving an exceptional, mysterious tale. A tale which is darker than most but doesn't shine any less brilliantly because of it.

I loved the way he sprinkles the story with emotional weather forecasts such as: Just for the record, the weather today is bitter with occasional fits of jealous rage. There were more than a few quotes I liked in this book also but my favourite is probably:

Leonardo's Mona Lisa is just a thousand smears of paint. Michelangelo's David is just a million hits with a hammer. We're all of us a million bits put together the right way.

If the rest of his books are as great as this one. I know I am going to be hooked on this author.

Official Fan site: http://www.chuckpalahniuk.net/

Author's website? http://www.chuckpalahniuk.com/

Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam

From the Publisher (Anchor Canada - An Imprint of Random House):

Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures welcomes readers into a world where the most mundane events can quickly become life or death. By following four young medical students and physicians – Ming, Fitz, Sri and Chen – this debut collection from 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Vincent Lam is a riveting, eye-opening account of what it means to be a doctor. Deftly navigating his way through 12 interwoven short stories, the author explores the characters’ relationships with each other, their patients, and their careers. Lam draws on his own experience as an emergency room physician and shares an insider’s perspective on the fears, frustrations, and responsibilities linked with one of society’s most highly regarded occupations.

“I wanted to write about the way in which a person changes as they become a physician — how their world view shifts, and how they become a slightly different version of themselves in the process of becoming a doctor,” Lam explains. “I wanted to write about the reality that doing good and trying to help others is not simple. It is ethically complicated and sometimes involves a reality that can only be expressed by telling a story.”

In the book’s first story, “How to Get into Medical School, Part 1,” students Ming and Fitz wrestle with their opposing personalities and study techniques, while coming to terms with a growing emotional connection that elicits disapproval from Ming’s traditional Chinese-Canadian parents. Lam’s exceptional talent for describing scenarios with great precision is showcased in “Take All of Murphy,” when Ming, Chen, and Sri find themselves at a moral crossroads while dissecting a cadaver. Throughout the book, readers are treated to the physicians’ internal thoughts and the mental drama involved with treating patients, including Fitz’s struggle with self-doubt in “Code Clock” and Chen’s boredom and exhaustion in “Before Light.”

From delivering babies to evacuating patients and dealing with deadly viruses, the four primary characters in Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures are made thoroughly human by Lam’s insightful detail, realistic dialogue, and expert storytelling. The medical world is naturally filled with drama, but it’s the author’s ability to give equal weight to the smaller moments that really brings this book to life.

I loved this book. Each of the stories brought forth so many reactions in me and I am in awe of how Vincent Lam managed to take this book and make it both a mix of short interconnected stories and a full length novel all at once. He shows great talent in the way he balances just the right amount of clinical detail with the human element.

I loved the attention to detail and the raw emotion that pours from each of the characters. It's a book which will lull you into a quiet state one moment and set your heart racing again in the next. The complex characters are written in such a way that you cannot help but connect with them and share their experiences and it certainly gave me a whole new way of looking at the medical field.

This is a great read that is not to be missed, and it's easy to see why it won the Giller Prize.

I look forward to more from this author.

Author's website: http://www.vincentlam.ca/

Beloved by Toni Morrison

From the Publisher (Vintage Books - An Imprint of Random House Inc)

Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby. Sethe, its protagonist, was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later she is still not free. She has too many memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. And Sethe’s new home is haunted by the ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: Beloved. Filled with bitter poetry and suspense as taut as a rope, Beloved is a towering achievement.

Someone recommended I try this book after I stated I couldn't really get into The Bluest Eye (Though I did finish it). This one is definitely a better book but I still found the same problem in parts. I would have to read and reread certain paragraphs in order to make sense of them and even then at times I fell short of doing so.

This book is just filled with so many intense emotions and covers the best and worst of human traits. The characters are brilliantly written and it is one of those books you can easily become lost in and it's also a book that will stay with you for a long time. The content is both haunting and tragic as would be expected with a book covering slavery and racism.

I know I want to reread it at some point in the future and maybe even try The Bluest Eye again too.

A Hotel for Gentle Ladies by Ellen Cooney

Published by Pantheon Books - An Imprint of Random House.

This book follows the heroine known as Charlotte Heath as she embarks on a wild and eccentric adventure. After suffering a long sickness she goes on an outing and spies her husband kissing another woman. Her reaction is to run away as far as possible, from her husband, from her stifling life with her in-laws and at times it feels like she is also running away from herself.

She heads to the private hotel for gentle ladies where she meets many wonderful and unique characters and from there, her journey of enlightenment and self-discovery begins.

This book started out promising with its wonderfully written characters. It is certainly a book that can quite easily keep the reader guessing and longing for the answers of the many questions which come to mind. After a while though when I got to the point where I had far too many questions and no answers at all, it got tedious to read and I was in all honesty just reading to finish it. The actual story had faded from my interest so many times with just the occasional return of curiosity.

I think by the time I got to the end of the book I had a mix of emotions. I was relieved the book was finally over, I was feeling a sense of warmth (you would have to be dead, not to) from the story in general but overall, I was left with a sense of disappointment. To be fair though it may just be that this style of book is not for me and other folks may like it. For me, it left far too much unanswered.

That said, I will still be rereading it at some point to see if it grows on me or if maybe I missed something.

The Book of Bright Ideas by Sandra Kring

Published by Bantam Dell - An Imprint of Random House.

I adored this book. It took me a short time to read it since I couldn't put it down.

I think a huge part of the charm was the main characters being two little girls and the book is very much written as if by one of those girls. Evelyn. I loved that the wording was often the style used by small children and was positively grinning as words like bestest sprang out.

It's a story of a small town in which many of the characters from that town are changed in monumental ways thanks to the arrival of a young girl and her older sister. Despite all the negativity directed at the newcomers (gossip etc) they make the town their home and soon become like family.

It was an intruiging book and the last few chapters were so full of twists and surprises. (though to be fair, I had seen one of them coming but not in the way it happened)

All in all, it was a heartwarming book, definitely a feel good book and many of the bright ideas included in the book can remind us of the important stuff in life. A memorable scene for me (and definitely my favourite) was the female characters getting together after a thunderstorm and dancing naked in the rain after a lot of bonding. The energy just flew from the pages at that point.

I will be looking for Sandra Kring's book "Carry Me Home" at some point but I desperately hope she writes more with the characters from this book. They all touched my heart deeply.

Author's website: http://www.sandrakring.com