First off, I have to admit that I didn't read Charanavi by Masahiro Tsurumoto from cover to cover. It's just not that kind of book. Rather, it's the type that you can scan and enjoy without putting forth a lot of effort. Light and fun, Charanavi would mke a perfect addition to the stacks on your coffee table. I prefer glossy hardcovers, but you know what I mean - the book is a good conversation piece or icebreaker.

Basically, the art of Charanavi - which means "character development" - uses your birthday to determine into which of 12 animal categories you fall. Each category is broken down even further, offering results such as Restless Monkey, Ambitious Monkey, Devoted Monkey, Playful Monkey, etc. Once you figure out which best represents you, you can read all about yourself. You can also discover what fortune each new year will bring to you, which other animals (personalities) most complement yours, and which celebrities share your animal. The point of the exercise is, of course, to learn more about yourself and to figure out how to communicate better with those around you.

The cover exclaims that Charanavi is "mysteriously accurate," and that turns out to be true, at least to some degree. My husband and I both ended up being Romantic Koalas (all together now, "Awwwww...."), the animal's description fit him much better than it did me. He truly does "like to live in a world full of variety and [tries] to make changes in [his] life and surrounding circumstances," (128) while I resist change with all my might. After I looked up my myself and my husband, I went on to my children and siblings (basically the only people for whom I know not only the day of their birth but also the year). What I found was surprisingly accurate. For instance, my older sister fit the description of a Calm Pegasus (sociable, opinionated and highly motivated) to a T, while my younger sister is a perfect Swift Koala (sociable and good at choosing friends with her "keen, observant eyes" [120]).

Like any philosophy of this sort, some ideas apply, some don't, but it's a fun foray into amateur Psychology. Charanavi does not dig too deeply into the complexities of each personality; if you prefer a more serious (and illuminating) discussion, check out The Color Code by Taylor Hartman, PhD (see my review here). If you're looking for a light, fun look at personality, Charanavi definitely fits the bill.

Grade: B-

The story involves Geneva Anderson, a 35-year-old poet, who finds her aunt dead on the floor of her office. It soon comes to light that Geneva's Aunt Victoria, director of the University of Chicago's International House, harbored more secrets than anyone ever guessed. For starters, she somehow accrued $10 million, much more money than she could have made at I-House. The money passes into Geneva's possession following Victoria's death, making Geneva a suspect in the murder. In an effort to clear her name, Geneva decides to solve the crime herself. She begans interviewing suspects, starting with a man who wept openly at Victoria's funeral despite the fact that he supposedly didn't know her well. The more digging Geneva does, the more secrets she uncovers. A disturbing portrait of Aunt Victoria emerges, forcing Geneva to ask herself if she knew her aunt at all. Victoria's secret doings earned her many enemies; Geneva must find out which one murdered her aunt before she, herself, is imprisoned for the crime.

I know, it doesn't sound so bad, right? The setting, especially, captured my interest. I had never heard of I-House, and was anxious to get a feel for life in the multicultural dorm (which Steele has experienced first-hand). Unfortunately, Steele's utilitarian description of I-House did nothing to make it come alive. That's my biggest complaint about the book, but I have many, many more. For one thing, Steele seems never to have heard the most popular writing advice ever - show, don't tell - because all she does is tell. I'm not kidding. The whole book features paragraphs like this:

Geneva returned from dinner to find Zain stitting outside of her door. They went into Geneva's room. Geneva stood with her hands on her waist as she opened her eyes and exhaled all of the air that she just inhaled. She knew that she was not really angry at Zain, but rather she was upset that Xavier was involved. (164)

Not only do the paragraphs read like an itinerary (first, we'll go to the post office, then the grocery store, then the library), but they are also flat, boring and awkwardly constructed. Dialogue often adds interest to dull text - not in this case, I'm afraid. The players speak in stilted, unnatural sentences that do nothing to advance plot or character development. And, speaking of characters ... flat as the proverbial pancake (although my pancakes are fluffy, so I don't get this particular comparison). Again, the telling versus showing drags down the story producing dull, lifeless characters who have no identity whatsoever. I couldn't remember who was who from one chapter to the next, and furthermore, I really didn't care. This book is the first in a series, and I really cannot imagine why anyone would want to read more about the dreary Geneva. A nice, suspenful plot can sometimes save a novel, but this one meanders all over the place, sprouting plotlines that never blossom. Furthermore, these dead ends have nothing whatsoever to do with the main plotline. Suspense never heightens properly, making the book's ending unsatisfactory, except in the fact that the torturous story is over. To all of these irritants, we must add the horrid editing. Typos litter the book, as well as numerous misuses of words (like "refuse" for "refuge," "pass" for "past," and "attenuate" for "accentuate"). Any interest I originally had in the book's setting disappeared under all of these other torments.

If I had picked this book up at the library, I would have abandoned it after the first couple of paragraphs. Because I reviewed it for an online publicist, I had to force myself to finish. After a couple of pages, I began looking at The Poetry of Murder as a rough draft, because really, that is what it most resembles. If only an editor or a good friend had advised Steele to flesh out her characters, smooth out her plotlines, and liven up her wording, this book wouldn't have been so bad. As is, it's a trainwreck.

Grade: D (and that's only because I thought the setting was unique and interesting)

As much as I love reading books by first-time novelists, the experience always makes me nervous. What if I love their debut effort, anxiously await their second, only to be disappointed? What if they, like so many writers, only have one great book in them? After all, do any of these names ring a bell - Harold Faltermeyer, Thomas Dolby, Baz Luhrmann or The Buggles? Probably not. They are all One Hit Wonders of the musical world. The literary world has their own versions (I was just too lazy to research them), although there are also some very well-known writers who only wrote one great novel (a la Harper Lee).

Anyway, all this is a rambling way of saying that I picked up Leif Enger's So Brave, Young and Handsome wondering if it could possibly measure up to the exceptional Peace Like A River (see my review here). Although I can't say I liked his sophomore effort better than his freshman, I can attest that Leif Enger is no One Hit Wonder.

Apparently, the author contemplated these same questions, because So Brave, Young and Handsome concerns a man trying to find his next, great story. When the book opens, it is 1915, five years after Monte Becket published his best-selling adventure novel, Martin Bligh. With his publisher waiting anxiously for his next manuscript, he's feeling pressure to produce. In fact, he's written seven novels - he just hasn't finished any of them. "I'm grateful for that," he says, "and you should be too" (1). Monte's publisher is losing faith in him; Monte, himself, has reached the disturbing truth that he is "a well-meaning failure, a pallid disappointer of persons, a man fading" (76).

As Monte sits on his dock, contemplating his failures, he sees a strange sight: A white-haired man standing in his row boat, who "lurched like old Quixote, hooting to himself" (2). His curiosity piqued, Monte sets out to discover the identity of the boatman who "appeared a bit elevated, early though it was" (2). He soon meets Glendon Hale, who regals Monte and his family with tales of adventure and derring-do. It's not long before the author realizes that his new friend hides a colorful past [he gets a hint when Glendon offers this riddle: "I have been four different times on trains that got robbed, yet never lost a dime" (12)]. Monte soon discovers the old boatbuilder's secret: he is wanted for train robbery and other crimes. He's also haunted by memories of the wife he abandoned, when he fled from the Pinkerton detectives who were hot on his trail. Although it's dangerous for a man on the run, Glendon is determined to travel to Mexico and make amends with his one true love. When the old man asks Monte to come along, he barely hesitates.

Soon, the pair are on an adventure to rival any Monte can concoct in his imagination. Chased by the stubborn Charles Siringo, a former Pinkerton carrying a burning grudge against Glendon, the two flee across the West. On the way, they will encounter cowboys and old Indians, sharpshooters and Hollywood headliners, hail and floods, and plenty of drifters with their own stories to tell. As Monte follows Glendon down every jeapordous trail, he learns as much about himself as he does about his friend. Far from his home and family, Monte confronts the questions that haunt him: Can he write another book? Or will he be stuck working at the post office forever? Will he ever feel successful again? Will his family know him after his desperate journey, when he can't even recognize himself? And, most important of all, can he find another story within himself?

So Brave, Young, and Handsome offers everything I loved about Peace Like A River - compelling characters, an exciting adventure story, and masterful writing - but it definitely stands on its own merits. The Old West setting seduces as it always will. Although Enger presents a dying West, where the likes of Billy the Kid, old Iron Tail, Pancho Villa, and Buffalo Bill Cody are only whispers on the dry wind, it still bursts with adventure and romance. The characters are rich and colorful, especially the likeable Glendon. The words Monte's fictional critics used to describe Martin Bligh work here as well, for So Brave, Young and Handsome is indeed "an enchanting and violent yarn spun in the brave hues of history" (6).

Monte's critics also labeled his masterpiece "disturbingly real" (5), and that describes Enger's novel as well. There is violence in the book (although not graphic enough to stop me from labeling this book a "Clean Read"), but the most disturbing aspect is really Enger's illumination of man's duplicitous nature. This is what makes characters like Glendon Hale and Charles Siringo so fascinating to read about.

It's ironic that So Brave, Young, and Handsome is narrated by a failed author, because his story captured me from the first sentence. I know it's getting cliche, but I have to say, this one had me at hello. With his sophomore effort, Leif Enger proves he's no One Hit Wonder. I, for one, urge him to keep the hits coming.

Grade: A

Note: In case you're curious, here are the musicians I named and their single hits:

Harold Faltermeyer (Axel F), Thomas Dolby (She Blinded Me With Science), Baz Luhrmann (Everybody's Free [to Wear Sunscreen]), & The Buggles (Video Killed the Radio Star). Information from vh1.com.

Book image from Amazon.

Opening Cooking with My Sisters by best-selling author Adriana Trigiani is like stepping into