The Fuma Files: December 2014

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Top 10 Books of 2014

Getting this in just under the wire, check out my Top 10 Books of 2014! And Happy New Year!!

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Let's Get Together: We Should Hang Out Sometime

We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist
Little Brown, 2014

*e-Galley provided by publisher via Net Galley - thank you! This in no way impacted my opinion of the book.*

Josh Sundquist was 25 when he realized something pretty extraordinary about his life so far. No, not the fact that he only had one leg - that was amputated when he had cancer as a child. No, this was something that was just as mind blowing to him: he'd never really had a girlfriend. He almost had one, once, but for less than a day before she broke up with him through a friend.

Yeah. Ouch. And so, armed with curiosity and an appreciation for the scientific method, Josh sets out on a quest: to get in touch with all his almost-girlfriends of his past and find out what exactly went wrong. Over the course of several years and many awkward meetings, Josh learns that his path to finding romantic love necessitates first loving and accepting himself. All parts of himself. Even the parts that have been amputated.

It's an interesting journey that readers go on with Josh. While I don't know what it's like to be an amputee, Josh is able to explain his life, his views, his perfect pick-up line of "We should hang out sometime (he has deep thoughts why it's impossible to say no to) and the way he interacts in a world without ever seeking (or getting) pity. Instead, he got a lot of me nodding along, completely identifying with all the bumbling, stumbling, nerve-wracking, occasionally wonderful feelings that come along with growing up and dating.

My criticisms of this memoir are few. By the end, the pattern established of how Josh examines each of his past "relationships" felt a bit redundant, but mostly I was disappointed that we didn't have more to the conclusion with Ashley, Josh's first real girlfriend and now fiance. While I understand the desire for privacy (which they of course deserve), as a reader I wanted to know more about why this time, things were different. And I just love happy endings, so come on! Give me more! :)

Fans of Josh's previous memoir Just Don't Fall or his YouTube channel should absolutely give this book a read. And even if you've never heard of him before, even if it seems like on the surface you may have nothing in common with this guy, give this a read anyway! This book's conversational style feels like a long talk with a friend who, by the end, you'll wish you could hang out with sometime.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Josh Sundquist's Website
Josh Sundquist on Twitter

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Short Story Saturday: Defy the Dark, Sleepstalk

Welcome to Short Story Saturday! Each week, I'll talk about a different story from the collection I'm working my way through and offer up some thoughts. I'm currently reading Defy the Dark.

Story: Sleepstalk
Author: Courtney Summers
Summary: Despite the fact she's been told to stay away, one night a girl absentmindedly walks to Jed's house, discovers he's a sleepwalker, and makes a habit of following him on his nighttime strolls for several nights after, desperate to be acknowledged by her ex.
Thoughts: I've never read any of Summers' novels, but she has a reputation for writing about the grittier side of life. That is very much showcased here in a story of obsessive love and a girl who was both wronged by the boy she loved, but who also cannot let go. While the end left me a bit turned around plot-wise, I did enjoy that this story kept me on my toes.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Short Story Saturday Extended Edition: My True Love Gave to Me, The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer

Welcome to Short Story Saturday, Special Edition! Normally each week, I talk about a different story from the collection I'm working my way through and offer up some thoughts. However, with it being the holiday season, I'm going to do a mini-review for these 12 days leading up to Christmas! I'm currently reading My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories.

Story: The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer
Author: Laini Taylor
Summary: When the town minister - an evil man who already has three wives in the ground - targets Neve to be his next wife, she summons Wisha, the old spirit, the Dreamer, for help.
Thoughts: This is the second time I've come across Laini Taylor's work in a short story collection, and for the second time it was outstanding. I love how she puts magical and wondrous twists on historical type of stories, infusing them with just enough magic that I find myself wanting to believe that something like that really could have happened and could maybe happen again. A fantastic finale to a well put together anthology.

And that's it for this extended edition of Short Story Saturday! To those of you who celebrate, have a very Merry Christmas, and to everyone, may your days be merry and bright!

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Short Story Saturday Special Edition: My True Love Gave to Me, Star of Bethlehem

Story: Star of Bethlehem
Author: Ally Carter
Summary: Lydia, eager to escape her life for a while, trades tickets with Icelandic girl Hulda at the airport and ends up spending Christmas pretending to be her with Hulda's boyfriend in the small town of Bethlehem, Oklahoma.
Thoughts: Oh my stars did I love this one! While the ending was a smidge rushed in my opinion, this story does so much right. The holidays are a difficult time of year for a lot of people, and I love how Carter shows this but also leaves readers with hope, with family, with love, and with the possibility that in time, we can heal. Adored this, truly and completely.

Monday, December 22, 2014

Short Story Saturday Special Edition: My True Love Gave to Me, Welcome to Christmas, CA

Story: Welcome to Christmas, CA
Author: Kiersten White
Summary: Maria is counting down the days until she graduates and can leave her dying town of Christmas, California once and for all, whereas Ben is a new arrival to the town and diner where she works and has an uncanny ability to know exactly what customers want.
Thoughts: LOVED this one! The perfect combination of serious and sweet, Maria and Ben are two characters who each stand on their own and compliment each other so well. This tiny town with its quirky diner grew on me just as it grew on Maria and it has a cute little nugget of honesty and truth at its core. One of my favorites in this collection for sure.

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Short Story Saturday Special Edition: My True Love Gave to Me, Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus

Story: Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus
Author: Myra McEntire
Summary: Vaughn - a guy with a reputation for his love of pranks gone awry - is sentenced to community service at the local Methodist church when he accidentally burns down their storage right before the annual holiday pageant and spends time with Gracie, the minister's daughter and his exact opposite.
Thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed this story of hijinks and mishaps, of second chances and getting the opportunity to make a fresh start, of people who believe in each other more than they believe in themselves. Vaughn really isn't a bad guy, and Gracie isn't a saint (though she is very sweet). The two balance each other out really well and I thought this was simply adorable.

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Short Story Saturday Extended Edition: My True Love Gave to Me, What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth?

Story: What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth?
Author: Gayle Forman
Summary: Sophie has been regretting coming to a rural college pretty much since the moment she arrived, yet when she meets Russell at a Christmas caroling event on the last night of Hanukkah, she starts to see that maybe this place and people are exactly what she needs after all.
Thoughts: I absolutely adored this story in its somber moments, in how it honors the fact that rural colleges can sometimes feel like another planet and that I wasn't the only person who can be overwhelmed by moments when I put my foot in my mouth or think "What the hell am I doing?" The plot is simple, the characters are complex, and I wish I could give this story a hug. Well done!

Friday, December 19, 2014

Short Story Saturday Special Edition: My True Love Gave to Me, Krampuslauf

Story: Krampuslauf
Author: Holly Black
Summary: Hating how her town has ruined Krampus the Christmas Demon and how her best friend Penny is obsessed with her boyfriend and his other girlfriend, one teen finds her world a lot darker and a little more magical at their New Year's Eve party.
Thoughts: I had never heard of Krampus before last year, so to read a story that featured him so prominently was fun for me - I knew what she was talking about! This addition to the collection was dark and twisty, so for readers who seek out those kinds of stories, this one's definitely for you.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Short Story Saturday Special Edition: My True Love Gave to Me, Your Temporary Santa

Story: Your Temporary Santa
Author: David Levithan
Summary: Connor's boyfriend isn't wild about the idea of dressing up as Santa for the sake of Connor's youngest sister - he's Jewish, after all, and does Connor think he's fat? - but as he dons the red suit on Christmas Eve, it becomes clear that this whole family needs something to believe in.
Thoughts: This is the most realistic of the stories in this anthology so far. Not in that I think a whole lot of Jewish boyfriends are necessarily dressing up as Santa to make six year olds happy, but in that Connor's family's situation is realistic. These people have been rubbed raw, their world shaken, and each one of them is coping in different ways. This story was tender and while it hurt a little, I loved how completely honest it was.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Short Story Saturday Special Edition: My True Love Gave to Me, It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown

Story: It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Summary: Marigold doesn't have a crush on brawny Christmas Tree Lot Boy, she just needs his amazing voice for an animated film she's working on. At least, that's what she's telling herself when she buys a tree she can't really afford from him.
Thoughts: I am a puddle of warm, gooey feels after this story! Marigold and North both have circumstances stacked against them, which is why the fact that they find each other is that much sweeter. Their personalities are distinct, their banter is fresh and witty, and their chemistry is electric. If I could draw well, I'd be starting on fanart for this one immediately. I want a full length novel, a movie I can curl up with under an afghan and watch over and over again. Or I can just keep rereading this one (and believe me, I will!).

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Short Story Saturday Special Edition: My True Love Gave to Me, Polaris is Where You'll Find Me

Story: Polaris is Where You'll Find Me
Author: Jenny Han
Summary: Natty is the only human to have ever been to Santa's North Pole, let alone live there. But this adopted daughter of Santa longs for the one gift her father can't make in his factory: the love of Flynn, the elf.
Thoughts: Oh, Natty. I feel for this girl in a classic tale of liking a guy who does not/might not like her back. I love the adoption angle here, and how Flynn and Natty are friends despite their differences. The ending is open ended (and potentially sad), but I look at it as hopeful. Natty has a choice to make, but in my head, she chooses the path that leaves her and Flynn happy (and together).

Monday, December 15, 2014

Short Story Saturday Special Edition: My True Love Gave to Me, Angels in the Snow

Story: Angels in the Snow
Author: Matt de la Pena
Summary: Shy is dirt poor, without food, cat/apartment-sitting for his boss, and alone on Christmas in New York City, missing his family and wanting to drop out of NYU so he can reunite with them and return to his old life in California. Then Hayley knocks on the door.
Thoughts: This is not my first time reading de la Pena's work - he's popped up in quite a few of the short story anthologies I've read in recent years. His style is something I'm growing fond of, a great combination of grit, honesty, and sweetness. The build up in this story was slow and tender, and Shy is perfectly named. This ending, full of hope and the possibility of something, made me smile.

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Short Story Saturday Special Edition: My True Love Gave to Me, The Lady and the Fox

Story: The Lady and the Fox
Author: Kelly Link
Summary: Miranda has spent every Christmas with the celebrated and eccentric Honeywell family, and each year she longs to see the mysterious ghost-like spirit of Fenny, a man from long ago who can only appear when it's snowing on Christmas Day.
Thoughts: This story took a while for me to get into. Or rather, I was getting into it, then it took a twist and I felt like I had to start over with wrapping my head around it. While the magical elements go largely unexplained, I liked Miranda and seeing her try to figure out herself, her friendship with Danny, her longing for Fenny, and the rules that keep them apart. Not my particular cup of tea, but it was still interesting.

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Short Story Saturday Special Edition: My True Love Gave to Me, Midnights

Story: Midnights
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Summary: Mags and Noel have spent the past three New Year's Eves together, always going to a party at their same friend's house, but this fourth year, Mags is hiding from Noel because she can't watch kiss another girl at midnight again.
Thoughts: Sa-WOON! I adored this story and what a way to kick off this collection! I loved how readers get to revisit the same characters year after year, coming back to the same place, seeing how they've changed. I'm also a complete sucker for the "best friend becomes something more" scenario, and it was done adorably here. Well done! Loved it!

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Anchors Away: Stern Men

Stern Men by Elizabeth Gilbert
Mariner, 2000

Ruth has spent nearly her entire life on a small, practically forgotten island in Maine, its inhabitants all quirky and resistant to joining "modern" times. They're lobster fishermen, stern men through and through. But Ruth has never quite completely fit in with them, and no one quite takes her seriously when she comes home after completing her fancy mainland education and claims she wants to work the boats too. But Ruth isn't one to give up without a fight, especially when she has something to prove. Yet it is ultimately meeting the curious Owney from the neighboring (and rival) island that pushes the girl to make a change once and for all.

When I first heard about this novel by Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love fame , I thought it sounded sort of plucky. Charming. A bit Romeo and Juliet meets a Gilmore Girls/Stars Hollow-esque cast on fishing islands in Maine. And it was those things, to a degree. But the blurb inside the book jacket puts much more emphasis on a budding romance and island rivalries than the novel does. More than anything, this is a story about one island, it's history, and how the choices of Ruth's various ancestors - from her parents to generations back - have all lead up to this moment she now finds herself in. And, all in all, I didn't mind that that's what the story was, I only wish it had been more accurately advertised as such.

My biggest criticism of the book comes from its pacing. A relatively short novel, Most of the book felt like backstory. Though the pace of the plot did pick up in the second half, the conclusion felt comparatively rushed, lacking the careful attention to detail that the first 2/3rds received. It also left me with a lot of questions about the characters I'd just invested so much time in. For example, readers are introduced to the challenges regarding the marriage of Ruth's parents, but with the book's abrupt ending (the conclusion was crammed into an epilogue), there was no resolution or even mention of what became of them.

All in all, I liked Gilbert's writing style. I found the setting and premise to be interesting, but the pacing did leave something to be desired. Still, I do intend on continuing to read more of Gilbert's writing in the future. If you're in the mood for a cozy book with an intimate setting that looks at the world on a small, but not unimportant, scale, check this out from your library. I found it to be a fine one time read.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Elizabeth Gilbert's Website
Elizabeth Gilbert on Twitter

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Short Story Saturday: Kiss Me Deadly, Many Happy Returns

Welcome to Short Story Saturday! Each week, I'll talk about a different story from the collection I'm working my way through and offer up some thoughts. I'm currently reading Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love.

Story: Many Happy Returns: A Generation Dead Story
Author: Daniel Waters
Summary: After four teens die and one is in critical condition after a car accident, parents brace themselves for the possibility that they might come back to life, but is that what they really want for their children?
Thoughts: Another piece to this anthology that is a spin-off from a contributor's series of novels I haven't read, this one was fairly straight forward and easy to fill in the blanks: in this version of reality, teens who have died sometimes come back (in a zombie-esque sort of way) up to a week after they die. After a week passes, any chance of a return is gone. This story looks at familial love, at acceptance, and how people handle both hope and grief. I thought it was okay, not my particular cup of tea, but still fine.

And that's it for Kiss Me Deadly!

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