Book Review: I Am Lucky Bird

by: Fleur Philips

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
When her mother mysteriously vanishes from the small town of Plains, Montana, 12-year-old Lucky Bird’s childhood comes to an abrupt end. Left to defend herself against her suddenly abusive grandmother, Marian, and forced to endure the twisted predatory games played out by Marian’s lover, Lucky soon finds herself trapped in a nightmare.

Even when she manages to escape, the outside world can’t take away the brutal images of her past. Still haunted by her mother’s disappearance and the trauma that followed, Lucky is easily led down a path of self-destruction—a path that only the intervention of a young stranger and his family can guide her away from. But first, Lucky will have to confront her demons, and the dark truths kept hidden.

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I'm trying to think of a way to describe this novel. It's not a happy story, where everyone gets along and there's a separate bad guy or thing that they must unite to find themselves victorious. No, Lucky is a girl very much left to her own devices. And often, that's not a pretty sight.

I think I love these kinds of stories because I can honestly relate to the character. Even if she doesn't have anyone else in her corner, I'm there cheering for her to find her way out of the darkness.

Fleur (lovely name, isn't it?) has a sweet writing style that just grabs you and won't let go. And she uses the most unique font! I don't know what it is, but it's different. The paragraphs are separated and it's a font you won't see in any other book. It makes it feel like you are reading a diary or something other than a mass marketed paperback.

This isn't a pretty coming-of-age story, but it was fully worth my time. This is going in my library for keeps.

Library Fun

I've slowed things down on my blog lately, and I discovered something. I miss going into my library, finding a book I WANT to read and checking it out. Don't get me wrong, with the book reviews I get to read a lot of great stuff. Some of them even coming my way by my own shameless begging. But to look through a bunch of books and choose some, discard others. My other voracious readers know what I'm talking about, it's what drives us to visit the bookstore even though we have an e-reader and a TBR list a mile long!

So, what have I made my way through?

Little Night by Luanne Rice, a story about a woman who has been finding her way after being released from prison for attacking her sister's abusive husband. She never stopped loving her sister, even when her sister stood up in court and said her sister was unprovoked. Who then took her children and fled the country with this man. Who physically abused her own daughter under this man's thumb. These kinds of stories break my heart for everyone involved, but I also think they are important. These things happen in the real world, and this is the only way to really experience what they are feeling and thinking in the moment.

Some Like It Hawk by Donna Andrews. I adore the Meg Langslow mysteries. Years ago when I first discovered one thanks to my sister-in-law, I read through them all in a matter of months. Now I wait, very impatiently, for the next book to come out. This does not disappoint. Meg now has 2 toddlers, but her life is as crazed as ever. The town's ex-mayer took out loans on all the town buildings, pocketed the cash, then stepped aside as the lender came in and took ownership of them all. Now the Library is in her library, and she doesn't even have after-hours access! When one of the lenders is murdered in city hall, things come unglued and secrets are revealed.

The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner. Oh I loved this story! It's a close look at the inside of Hollywood, but giving it some grace. Yes those Hollywood people are weird, and yes the execs are ruining more than they are helping, but there are a lot of regular people just trying to make it by. Ruth, who was scarred by the car accident that killed her parents, has spent her life writing. Couple that with the comfort she found in watching TV, especially The Golden Girls, she wants to pursue her career as a television writer. But, can she make it through Hollywood without selling her soul?

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling. I was excited when this came out, but the e-book was like $17.99! So I did what I usually break down and do...(and yes I did ask the publisher but wasn't given a response) I reserved a copy at my local library. Honestly, I couldn't stand it. It was BORING! A guy dies early on, and the next 50 pages are townspeople reactions. It started driving me mad, so I quit. I gave it to Carlyn, and she read it but she didn't like it either. "She was too liberal with the F-word" she said. And that was about all she had to say about it. So, sorry Ms. Rowling, but as much as I adore Harry Potter, this fell flat.