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Reviews by Ann B. (Kernville, CA)

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All the Ugly and Wonderful Things: A Novel
by Bryn Greenwood
The wonderful amid the ugly (6/4/2016)
The child of a meth dealer and a strung-out mother, Wavy is an ethereal creature. Parenting is completely absent, until it isn't; then it nurtures nothing but damage. The only tender, nurturing aspect of her gritty, gritty existence comes from Kellen, a tattoo-smattered gorilla of a biker dude who is 14 years Wavy's senior. He falls in love with her at first sight, and the older-than-her-years Wavy is smitten with Kellen as well. Despite the uncomfortably pedaphilic implications, their story works. Greenwood does a masterful job of creating sympathetic characters -- of showing us the wonderful amidst the ugly. I found myself asking, Am I rooting for the love story of a tattooed bruiser of a biker and the way underage child of a meth dealer? Yes. Yes, I am.
Lamp Black, Wolf Grey
by Paula Brackston
In Team Laura vs Team Megan, I'd lean Team Megan (7/7/2015)
The author drew me in with deft and lyrical prose. She does a wonderful job of setting the scene in language that supports her characters. She describes the dramatic Welsh landscape as would a painter.

That said, the modern-day storyline felt more contrived than that of Arthurian times. I could not sympathize with any of the characters in Laura's storyline. I didn't quite buy any of the characters' motives, and I doubted their responses. The Megan storyline, on the other hand, seemed more lively, and I was more apt to buy into it because of its timeline and the mythology attached to its characters.

I imagine this book might appeal to readers interested in Welsh myths and history. Travelers to Wales might enjoy reading a novel set in the landscapes through which they're venturing.
He Wanted the Moon: The Madness and Medical Genius of Dr. Perry Baird, and His Daughter's Quest to Know Him
by Mimi Baird with Eve Claxton
Enlightening but monotone study of a father's bi-polarity (3/4/2015)
While this book offers a unique and enlightening look into what is now known as bi-polar disorder, I wanted it to be more compelling in terms of its narrative. The father's journal was fascinating and both parts of the book -- his and Ms Baird's -- featured solid writing. But there was little craft. It laid the story out in a straightforward manner and thereby suffered from a monotone. I wanted less explanation and more reflection in Ms Baird's section.
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