Mobsters and Gangsters by LIFE

The Golden Age of the Gangster coincided precisely with Prohibition, then faded as the syndicate--the American Mafia and attendant or affiliated organizations--said emphatically: You're in or you're out. If you were out, you were butting in, and therefore you didn't exist, at least not for long.

This "book" came in a magazine-like form that I happened to notice a few months ago in Tom Thumb. I picked it up, leafed through it, and decided I had to get it. When the cashier gave me a skeptical look and questioned me as to why I was buying a magazine about mobsters and gangsters, my best friend was quick to inform her that it was research for a book I was writing. (This was true, but I've sense put that story on hold.)

It was about time for me to read Mobsters and Gangsters and I'm glad I did. This book (or magazine, depending on your perspective) is packed with biographies on America's most notorious gangsters and mobsters -- Legs Diamond, Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde, Ma Barker, and many others. Filled with fascinating details about the lifestyles and peculiarities of the gangsters that have made their way into legend.

This is an easy, quick read and insanely informational. The narrative was very personable and filled with detail. I learned a great deal about the gangs and mobs of old and how they transformed from loose memberships to full-blown syndicates in a little over a century. I would suggest this to anyone who is interested in the topic and wants to know a bit more. I was highly satisfied by the end, and I'm definitely eager to learn more.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Mobsters and gangsters go about their work--and play--with a certain sense of style. They celebrate themselves via their homes, their cars, their pinkie rings, their silk suits and, yes, their graves.

The Space Between Trees by Katie Williams

I shake my head and as as I do, a tear shakes off my cheek, and I realize that I've been crying, but I don't know when it started . It's not the kind of crying that you force up and out of your throat but the kind of crying where the tears slip out your eyes and down your cheeks, dissolving into one another at your chin in a stealthy escape.

I picked up this book at the library because the binding looked nice, but the cover blew me away. A book with a cover (seen on the right) as cool as this one deserves to be read, in my opinion. Once again, my tendency to judge a book by its cover led me to a pretty great book. The Space Between Trees is definitely in my top ten favorite books, if not my top five. 

In The Space Between Trees, Katie Williams tells the story of Evie, a teenage girl with a tendency to improve the truth and straight out lie without thinking of the consequences. After the death of a girl Evie knew as a child, this bad habit is exactly what leads her on a collision course with the girl's father and her best friend, Hadley. 

Somehow, despite Evie's initial lie, she and Hadley become friends. This is a first for Evie, who has always something of a loner. But this new friendship launches the two girls into searching for the person who murdered Hadley's best friend, Zabet. Things quickly grow out of hand and Evie has to figure out where to draw the line in being a loyal friend and putting herself and others in more danger than she could have anticipated.

Altogether, I found this to be a wonderful book. Filled to the brim with intriguing descriptions that really pull the reader in, the detail is drool-worthy. I found myself poring over paragraphs, trying to analyze exactly how Williams was able to describe things in just enough detail to keep you interested without becoming overwhelming. There are plenty of life lessons to be learned within the pages of The Space Between the Trees, as well as a good amount of symbolism and an ending you couldn't have anticipated.

This was a lovely book that I look forward to rereading in the near future. There are few books that I finish and want to immediately read again, but this was definitely one of those. Everything about it was well-done. I ended up purchasing this book because I enjoyed it so much. 

I suggest picking up The Space Between Trees at your nearest convenience.

Rating: ~♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥~

And so there it is, the answer. It doesn't feel like how I thought it would at all. I don't feel the urge to gasp or say aha! I am not wiser or safer. The world is not set to rights. It is a small, sad, messy world, and I am a small, sad, messy girl.

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

'My father always said that you shouldn't make an agreement unless you know exactly what you're going to get out of it,' I said.


In All These Things I've Done, Gabrielle Zevin presents a strong female lead named Anya Balanchine. Anya is a sixteen year-old mafia daughter who has the weight of the world on her shoulders. When she was just a young girl, she and her younger sister (Natty) witnessed the murder of their father not long after the hit meant for him took the life of their mother and mentally damaged their older brother (Leo).

Now their guardian, their elderly grandmother, is dying and Anya runs the household. Leo is nineteen, but considered to mentally be about the age of eight. Natty is only twelve, but far more clever than most her age.

It's then that a new boy arrives at school. Son of the DA, Win Delacroix is handsome and sweet. Not to mention, he is immediately taken with Anya. Problem is, she doesn't have time for him or his romantic feelings right now. But that's not her only concern. It's not long after a public confrontation with her ex that he winds up in the hospital from poisoning and all eyes are looking to her as the one who did it. And now Mr. Delacroix is putting pressure on her to keep away from his son. Only, now she's beginning to think that Win may be the one for her after all.

Set in New York in the year 2082, All These Things I've Done is an interesting take on the way things are run now and how they may be in the future. It's another coming-of-age book, but one that has a vastly different feel to it that I found myself really enjoying. Anya is a thoroughly likable, yet jaded character that you'll find yourself rooting for throughout the entire story.

All These Things I've Done is the first book in a series entitled "Birthright". The sequel is set to be released in Autumn 2012. I'll definitely be hitting the bookstore as soon is it's out. This is not a series I want to miss.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


He agreed. "It's sad when you think about it, but also kind of beautiful.'