Book Review: The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell

The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Have you ever had a tragedy that so marked you that you felt your life never progressed beyond that moment? It is an all too common experience of survivors of war or other less dramatic but equally tragic events. The protagonists of this story are stuck in the process of living when they don't feel that they deserve to be, and somehow through the miracle of The White Octopus Hotel they find a way to forgive themselves and learn to move on. Eve is a 28 year old art curator who has been literally haunted by an event that happened on her 4th birthday. She feels that it is her fault that her family broke up, that her mother and she can't be in the same room, that she deserves no joy in her life. One day, an elderly man comes to her and gives her a white octopus figurine. She can't understand why the octopus looks like the pictures she has been drawing for as long as she can remember, and she feels compelled to figure out where the octopus comes from. The story reminds me of Audrey Niffenegger's Time Traveler's Wife in some ways, though this story is more about self-love and forgiveness being required in order to allow yourself to love another than a traditional love story. As soon as I finished it, I felt compelled to go back and see if I could see the foreshadowing by rereading it, and that was as enjoyable as reading it the first time. The visuals are so well written that I felt like I could imagine the hotel in my mind. There are quite a few mysteries that are never resolved by the end of the book, such as where the White Octopus Hotel came from originally, and who the man behind the curtain is, but magic realism doesn't require its magic to be explained.

Websitehttps://www.alex-bell.com/ Alexandra Bell signed her first book deal at nineteen and has since written multiple books for adults and young people. She works for a legal advice charity and lives in Hampshire with her husband, sons and Sphynx cats. She also writes as Alex Bell.

Book Review: Witchy Stitching, by Meg Black

Witchy Stitching: 25 Patterns to Haunt Your Home by Meg Black
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed Witchy Stitching. It was one of the best cross stitch books I have seen, providing basic instructions and additional comments and suggestions for intermediate stitchers. The patterns are grouped into thematic chapters, and each begins with a bookmark. There are plenty of different patterns in a variety of difficulties, though none are particularly difficult. One of the things I most liked about the patterns was the ease of identifying colors, so that they were identified both by a symbol and a black/red color gradation, which makes the stitches easy to identify, even on my tiny screen. In addition, each line horizontally and vertically were numbered, so it made it easier to follow the pattern. I liked this so much that I plan on ordering one for my best friend and another for myself.

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Book Review: Dead of Summer, Jessa Maxwell

This was a book that started slowly and picked up speed like a boulder running down a hill, moving ever faster to the conclusion. The author's ability to use the language to characterize different cultural and economic groups was excellent; being able to place a character according to the shoes that were being worn or the drink they ordered. The setting in the New York City art scene didn't capture me, but as they moved into the vacation area it was easier for me to relate. I had difficulty initially getting into the story , but I'm glad that I didn't stop because about half way in I was on a roller coaster of a ride trying to figure out what crime, if any, was done, if anyone would be held accountable and if another crime was going to happen before the end of the book. I did find most of the characters difficult to empathize with; they are either self-absorbed because of their wealth and power or self absorbed because of their history and their desire to get to wealth and power by trying to 'fit in'. The book reminds you that everyone has secrets and trauma, being rich just allows you to hide it better. The final third of the book was difficult to put down, and I found myself wondering what happened to all the characters afterward. It seemed that the author might have benefitted from asking an attorney about certain events because I'm not certain that certain events would work the way they were presented. I was grateful to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for writing an honest review. According to Amazon.com, Jessa Maxwell is the nationally bestselling author of The Golden Spoon, I Need You to Read This, and Dead of Summer. She is also the author and illustrator of five picture books for children. Her comics and cartoons have been published in The New Yorker and The New York Times and her writing has been published in Slate, Marie Claire, and many others. She now lives in Jamestown, Rhode Island, with her husband, two cats and three-legged dog.