Bookish Bent

Post No. 200: I'm Sorry Your Feel that Way, The Astonishing but True Story of a Daughter, Sister, Slut, Wife, Mother, and Friend to Man and Dog

2009-07-10T07:59:00.005-05:00

Two hundred posts in less than two years - I feel that's pretty good, especially when most all I write about is books and related topics. When I set out to write this blog in October 2007, I wasn't sure what would come from it. But, I enjoy having this outlet to write about the books I read. I find that I read more carefully now when I know I have to share my thoughts with you. Sure, I phone it in sometimes by pasting a summary here and there, but most often I do that with books I feel just OK about. Books I love or that make me think, well, I'm happy to have this venue in which to write about them. Unfortunately this milestone is being honored with a so-so review.

Diana Joseph's I'm Sorry You Feel that Way was just OK for me. In each chapter, Joseph talks about a different man in her life: her 14-year-old son (at different ages), her live-in boyfriend, her exes, her brothers, her dad, her boss, her dog (not a man, but male). Some chapters, or parts of chapters, were funny. I like the way she described the relationships with her brothers. Lots of siblings have special relationships and they're fun to learn about. One brother is hard to talk to because he just doesn't have that much to say, while the other brother can keep her on the phone for hours talking about his sexual exploits.

I also thought the chapters about her son were interesting. She raised him by herself mostly, and it's always interesting to learn about parenting styles: How do you handle it when he has opinions much different than yours? Why is he always in his room playing video games? Some of her observations about her son were pretty hilarious and the way she talked to him or embarrassed him were funny, too. But, the rest of the book lacked luster, I guess. In some chapters I just wasn't interested at all (her alcoholic boss, her pervert friend, her hump-happy dog) and through quite a few, I just skimmed to get to the next chapter.

It's hard to say you don't like reading about someone's life. It obviously seemed interesting enough for her to get a book published, and I do think she has good writing skills and good humor, but maybe it was the way she decided to write about her life? Granted, this was an unabridged, unpublished version we got free in the mail at work. Maybe it's improved since then?

Middlesex on HBO?

2009-07-07T07:21:00.005-05:00

Rita Wilson, aka Ms. Tom Hanks, is looking to bring the novel Middlesex to the small screen as an hour-long drama on HBO. I'm not sure what to think about that. I can see how it would work - following the life of a hermaphrodite - but do you think people would watch it?

I tried to think of other books that have become TV shows: Little House on the Prairie, Friday Night Lights, Gossip Girl, True Blood (those last two are based on books, right?)... but what else? I think this is less of an occurrence than book-to-big-screen.

Heather McElhatton

2009-07-06T07:59:00.002-05:00

I read Pretty Little Mistakes, by Heather McElhatton, last year and really enjoyed it. I've put her latest book, Jennifer Johnson is Sick of Being Single, on my Amazon Wish List, and I look forward to A Million Little Mistakes coming out sometime soon.

McElhatton is from Minnesota, a former producer for Minnesota Public Radio, so it's obvious the local Star Tribune would interview her for an article. She's a humorous, engaging woman, with a talent I envy. She thinks there should be a genre rivaling Chick Lit called Bitch Lit and she has interesting views on matrimony.

My favorite quote from the article is the last one: "I love traveling, but there's nowhere else in the world but Minnesota where I can recharge my batteries. I think of it as the world's library: It's cold, quiet, calm, peaceful, thoughtful -- and there's plenty of parking."

Summer of Movies

2009-07-02T06:52:00.000-05:00

I know the summer technically just started, but once July hits, for me it actually feels like it's already half over. Even so, this summer has been great for movies. I love the movie theater and we've taken time nearly every weekend to make it to a flick, which is helped by the fact that there are plenty we've wanted to see.

Terminator Salvation: We're Terminator fans. I never was until I met my husband who introduced me to the movies. If you can get over the cheesy '80s-ness of Terminator, the annoying-ness that can be Edward Furlong in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and the I-can't-believe-he's-governor thoughts throughout Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, the movies are clever, inventive and action-packed. I loved the short-lived, two-season run of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles on Fox; I was sad for days when I heard it wouldn't return. Maybe it was because I became a fan 20 years too late, but I was pumped for Salvation. And it didn't disappoint. Christian Bale kicks butt as John Connor, and while many reviews claimed there wasn't much of a story line, I disagree. I really enjoyed it.

Up: I have to say, I had my doubts. Could Pixar really have a hit for the 10th time in a row? Ratatouille was probably my least favorite of all Pixar movies (with WALL-E and Toy Story 2 being my absolute faves), and I still liked that one a lot. But a movie about an old man flying his house to South America? I don't know. I was happy to be proven wrong - so wrong. That movie moved me more than any of the others. Maybe because it was actually about humans this time, instead of toys, bugs or monsters, but I fell in love with Carl (I have always been an Ed Asner fan) and Russell. That movie made me cry three separate times. A feat not achieved by any of the other Pixar films. Squirrel!

The Hangover: Here's another movie that I went into with low expectations. I knew it would be funny, so it's a perfect summer movie to see on a rainy Saturday. But, I'm not a huge fan of gross-out, boy-humor comedies. The 40-year-old Virgin, while funny, was mostly painful for me to watch. Superbad, again funny, but so disturbing to think "that's" all that high school boys think about. But this movie was hilarious and entertaining. I was only uncomfortable during the end credits - really about the only part of the movie that was over-the-top offensive. Otherwise, Ed Helms was in true form and I liked Zach Galifianakis, who I never had seen much of before. Bradley Cooper played the same d-bag character he's played a lot lately (though he redeemed himself at the end a bit), but I can see how this movie will make him the next big leading man. There's talk of a sequel, but I'm not sure what else you could do here - why the heck would these guys ever go to Vegas again?

Away We Go: Two words: Loved It. The moment I first saw the trailer a few months ago, I knew I had to see this movie. And it did not disappoint. Maya Rudolph was beautiful, thoughtful and serious. John Krasinski, while a touch Jim-like, showed extreme depth in his character too, especially in the scenes on the trampoline and at the bar in Montreal. There were several scenes where, while watching, I thought to myself, "That's just like me and [the hubby]," which made the movie that much more special. I loved how each half could freak out about their lives and the other would calm them down. That's important in a relationship. Freak-outs are fine, necessary even, but just try not to freak out at the same time as your partner. And there were so many hilarious supporting characters! I highly recommend this movie.

The Proposal: If you're in the mood for a mindless romantic comedy, this movie delivers. It's very cute, but also very predictable. Me? I don't mind that so much. I was just looking to be entertained, and I was. Sandra Bullock was in true form and Ryan Reynolds is never hard to watch on screen. Plus, I'm thrilled to see that Betty White is getting only more popular as she ages. She's a hit in this movie, as is Oscar Nunez. Maybe it's not necessary to see it in the theater, but it's a great girls'-night rental.

When it comes to movies, I'm not that picky, nor am I the best critic. But I've been loving this Summer of Movies. Movies to see in July: Public Enemies and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

City of Thieves

2009-06-29T11:37:00.001-05:00

I finished City of Thieves over the weekend, and I loved it. Like I mentioned before, author David Benioff, wrote The 25th Hour and was the screenwriter for Wolverine. City of Thieves is actually a novel based on the events of a week in the life of his Russian grandfather when he was 17 years old.

In the midst of WWII as the Germans are closing in on Leningrad and several other Russian cities, Lev is taken prisoner by the Soviets for breaking curfew and stealing. To keep his life, he must find a dozen eggs for the colonel, with the help of fellow prisoner Koyla. The story follows the two boys (they’re so young, I can’t call them men) as they make their way across enemy lines to find eggs.

I loved the book for its different look at the war. I don’t believe I’ve ever read about it from the Russian side. The people were starving and wasting away. They couldn’t find bread, let alone anything else good to eat. So, obviously, eggs were nearly impossible to come by. The book is full of action, Koyla is a welcome comic relief, and the boys’ relationship grows more over five days than they probably ever expected. While it’s quite sexually explicit – they are boys, so what else would be on their minds, even in the middle of war? – you can glide over that if necessary.

I thought the book was extremely well written, engaging, quick, realistic and actually sweet in some parts. And to know that it might be based in a lot of truth makes it that much better. Here’s a quote that doesn’t give too much away, but offers a glimpse at the adventure these boys went on:

The days had become a confusion of catastrophes; what seemed impossible in the afternoon was blunt fact by the evening. German corpses fell from the sky; cannibals sold sausage links made from ground human in the Haymarket; apartment blocs collapsed to the ground; dogs became bombs; frozen soldiers became signposts; a partisan with half a face stood swaying in the snow, staring sad-eyed at his killers. I had no food in my belly, no fat on my bones, and no energy to reflect on this parade of atrocities. I just kept moving, hoping to find another half slice of bread for myself and a dozen eggs for the colonel’s daughter.

Best Picture, 10 nominations

2009-06-24T13:17:00.003-05:00

I know this isn't book related, but I'd love to get some opinions. The Academy has announced that starting for 2009, 10 films will compete for the Best Picture Oscar. With only one winner.

I can see what they're doing. Several times there's been uproar over films absent from the Academy's top category (The Dark Knight, for example, as well as numerous noteworthy comedies that never make the cut. For some reason Best = Drama.). So, increase the number of nominees, and people/studios will be happier, right? After all, it's just an honor to be nominated.

With that in mind, sure, 10 noms sounds like a great idea. However, I stumble on the fact that there will still only be five slots for best director, actor and actress (supporting, screenplay, song, etc.). Does that seem fair? Particularly in the director category? How can you claim a film is one of the best, yet its director is not. (Granted, this still happens with just five slots. Directors get left off all the time. That doesn't mean it makes sense to me.) And, if a wider range/number of films can be up for the honor, why not the actors who starred in them? But then, it would be pretty ridiculous to make every category 10 nominations long, wouldn't it?

My quick opinion: Leave well enough alone. Your thoughts?

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

2009-06-24T07:13:00.004-05:00

I've known for years that Danica McKellar, aka Winnie Cooper, love of Kevin Arnold, on The Wonder Years, was more than just a pretty face. She studied math a UCLA and she's written two books, Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail and Kiss My Math: Showing Pre-Algebra Who's Boss.

When I first heard about her cutesy titled, but brilliant-idea books, I thought how cool it would've been if those were around when I was learning math. Here's a gorgeous, semi-famous woman who actually likes math and is taking the time to explain it in a fun, girly way. It's just what seventh/eighth-grade girls need.

Kiss My Math was the latest book on the counter in the kitchen at work and I snatched it up. I don't plan on reading it cover to cover any time soon, but I don't doubt I'll pull it out at different points in time when I need a little pre-Algebra refresher. Just flipping through it and seeing an x-y axis, negative numbers and integrals made me break out in a bit of a sweat. But the cursive and handwritten fonts, fun preteen quizzes and cute chapter titles make it all seem a little less scary.

McKellar's hit on something here - a child star who's successful, smart and with it, go figure - and I hope she writes a few more books, too. Maybe take on Calculus? Because that crap's hard.

And, for a little nostalgia - a Winnie/Kevin montage:

Fortune Cookie Chronicles Fun Facts

2009-06-18T07:40:00.002-05:00

As promised, though a day late, here are some cool tidbits I learned from this book.

1. There are 40,000 Chinese restaurants in the U.S. More than McDonald's, Burger King and KFC combined. I like what the author says: Think about how many times you eat apple pie. Then think about how many times you eat Chinese. What do you think is more American?

2. A Chinese restaurant in Virginia had to install bulletproof glass around one of its tables - it's where both Bushes liked to eat while President.

3. During the Gold Rush, thousands of Chinese flooded into the West. Americans used the way they ate to help persecute and discriminate against them: "Real Men Couldn't Live on Rice Alone."

4. The Chinese Exclusion Act, passed between 1882 and 1902, was the only law in the history of the U.S. to exclude a group by race and ethnicity. When the jobs and opportunities for them disappeared, the Chinese enterprised and opened laundromats and restaurants.

5. There's an interesting chapter in the book about how "chop suey" was actually one big joke started in the early 1900s. However, Americans loved it and women would try their hardest to make it themselves at home. Soon Chinese dishes could be found in The Joy of Cooking.

6. Because the Chinese (in China) love parts of food that Americans don't (i.e. chicken feet, pigs ears, etc.), these American leftovers are some of our biggest exports to China.

7. Approximately 300,000 Fujianese (from Fuzhou, a southeastern region in China) have come to the U.S. in the past 20 years. If the immigrant paid to be smuggled in, the going rate this decade is some $70,000. I like this quote (and it's why I will now think differently when I go to my local Chinese restaurant):

"There is a fairly good chance that the Chinese restaurant worker who cooked your roast pork fried rice, or the woman who took your order on the phone, or the deliveryman who showed up at your door paid tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege of doing so."

8. Because it contains vegetables, busy moms across the country choose Chinese over other takeout options because it's considered more healthy.

9. While this isn't Chinese related, I learned that the nascent restaurant industry boomed after the French Revolution, which is why our vocab is filled with words like "hors d'oeuvres" and "menu."

I'm nearly done with the book. At the end of the book, Lee is traveilng around the world, from Brazil to Vancouver to Korea, trying to find the "greatest" Chinese restaurant in the world. Must be rough, huh?

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food

2009-06-16T15:29:00.004-05:00

In 2005, more than 100 people won some sort of money through the Powerball lottery. This was an unprecedented amount of winners, sucking up a majority of the Powerball's reserves. How did this happen? Nearly every winner found their numbers from a fortune cookie. This led Jennifer Lee on a search for the history of the fortune cookie and the story behind Chinese food in America.

I've found this book pretty interesting throughout. Lee travels all over the world in search of the origins of the fortune cookie (hint: not China), and she travels all over the world looking for the best Chinese food. Chinese people pay tens of thousands of dollars to be smuggled into America just to work in Chinese restaurants - the only place they can work and not have to learn English. Chinese restaurants have exploded in this country, and they change hands between families often. Not only do you learn about the food, but you learn a little bit about Chinese history as well. If you're interested in that, I recommend the book. Just be warned: it'll make you hungry. And even more so, it'll make you look at your favorite Chinese place differently.

Tomorrow I'll post some fun facts that I learned throughout the book. I won't give anything major away, but some of the facts are just too amazing or cool not to share.

Can't Say No to Free Books

2009-06-09T07:38:00.007-05:00

I work in a magazine publishing house. With an office full of editors, we tend to receive complimentary copies of new books or unedited copies of soon-to-be published books for review. Unfortunately, if I receive any free books in the mail, they're not necessarily on subject matter I'm all that interested in - especially for leisure. But fellow editors in other departments do receive novels from time to time, and every so often the counter in the kitchen will have a pile of books sitting there for the taking. Again, some aren't interesting at all, but sometimes, if you come across the pile first, you can get lucky. Last week, I think I got lucky:

I'm Sorry You Feel that Way: The Astonishing But True Story of a Daughter, Sister, Slut, Wife, Mother and Friend to Man and Dog, by Diana Joseph. I actually read a good review of this book in Entertainment Weekly a few months back, so I recognized the cover and the title as a book I was interested in reading at one point. Synopsis:

Meet the men in Diana Joseph's life: "The boy," Diana's fourteen-year-old son, who supports the NRA and dreams of living in a house with wall-to-wall carpeting; Diana's father, who's called her on the telephone twice, ever, and who sat her down when she was twelve to caution her against becoming a slut (she didn't listen); Diana's brothers, or, as her father calls them, "the two assholes"; Diana's ex-husband, a lumberjack with three ex-wives, yet he's still the first one she calls when she's in a jam; and Diana's common-law husband, Al, an English professor who's been mistakenly called mentally challenged. Ostensibly organized around the various men in Diana's life, this is really a memoir about what it's like to be a modern, smart woman making her way in the world.

Believe Me, by Nina Killham. I've never heard of this book, but I read the back cover and it sounded interesting enough to try (since it's free). Synopsis:

In the tradition of Jodi Picoult—a fresh, smart, and deeply moving novel about the power of faith, love, and family. Thirteen-year-old Nic Delano has a lot of questions. Like why does he have a babysitter at his age-and where did she get such long legs? But mostly, what exactly is the meaning of life? His mother, Lucy, an astrophysicist and atheist, has always encouraged Nic to ask questions. But lately she doesn't like the answers he's getting. Nic has been hanging out with a group of devout Christians and is starting to embrace the Bible—and a very different view of the heavens. But when unexpected tragedy strikes, Nic and Lucy's beliefs are truly to put to the test. And they need each other now more than ever. But will a mother and her son be able to find a common ground where faith meets understanding and love is, ultimately, what endures?

City of Thieves, by David Benioff. I picked up this book, very unsure about it, but when I saw it was written by the man who wrote The 25th Hour (and adapted his book into Spike Lee's screenplay) as well as wrote the screenplay for The Kite Runner, well, frankly, that's a talented man. Synopsis:

During the Nazis' brutal siege of Leningrad, Lev Beniov is arrested for looting and thrown into the same cell as a handsome deserter named Kolya. Instead of being executed, Lev and Kolya are given a shot at saving their own lives by complying with an outrageous directive: secure a dozen eggs for a powerful Soviet colonel to use in his daughter's wedding cake. In a city cut off from all supplies and suffering unbelievable deprivation, Lev and Kolya embark on a hunt through the dire lawlessness of Leningrad and behind enemy lines to find the impossible. By turns insightful and funny, thrilling and terrifying, City of Thieves is a gripping, cinematic World War II adventure and an intimate coming-of-age story with an utterly contemporary feel for how boys become men.

Has anyone read any of these? When, if ever, do you come across free books?

House of Happy Endings, Finale

2009-06-02T02:13:00.000-05:00

I finished House of Happy Endings over the weekend and I'm on the fence. The book mainly focused on Leslie's father's depression and how it affected the rest of the family. At certain points she was just relaying information from her father's medical records. Other times the story felt repetitive: he's depressed, he collapsed, he's addicted to barbiturates, they have no money, he can't get out of his own father's shadow...Repeat. In this case, the story could be a little boring.

However, I do think the book can be considered an interesting case study in depression. The book demonstrates that while depression may be an individual's disease, the disease does not affect only the individual. Leslie, her brothers and her mother woke up each day not knowing what to expect. Would dad get out of bed today? Would he spend their nonexistent money on a new car? Would they need an ambulance? With most everything they did they had to consider the father's mental health and well-being. The fact that the children grew up a bit different than other children, or the fact that by the time she was 50 years old the mother was at her wit's end, is no surprise - and actually quite sad.

So, if what the book accomplishes is to get readers to look at depression differently and understand it's OK to ask for help (because life is too short), then I think it's met its purpose.

New Moon Trailer

2009-06-01T07:25:00.001-05:00

How very exciting:

The special effects look so much better already. My heart broke as Edward said goodbye, and I got goosebumps at Jake's transformation. Woo!

My Summer Reading Recommendations

2009-05-28T10:57:00.005-05:00

Now is the time that newspapers, bookstores and bloggers make up their lists of summer reading recommendations. Why should I be any different? (I did a mini version of this last year, too.) I took some time to go over my blog archives, search out other lists and peruse the Web to try and find what I would recommend as good summer reads. As with anything, it all comes down to taste, but I tried to pick from different genres, books of different lengths and stories of great variety.

Even so, what makes good summer reading for me may not be good summer reading for someone else. When I think of being on my deck, with a glass of ice tea and a book, I want to be reading a story that’s engaging—I mean really engaging. I don’t want for one second to question why I’m reading it. I want to feel the sun on my shoulders and be comfortable, but in the end I want to lose myself and forget where I am. In most cases, for me, this means the book will be a novel or memoir, it will be of digestible size (no 1,000-page epics) and it will centralize around characters I care about.

I’m going to refrain from listing Twilight and Harry Potter. Not because I don’t consider them “summer reads.” They are the epitome of summer reading—you fall in love with the characters, you can’t put the books down and you can read them in a day, if you want. But, I think they’re obvious choices, so I left them off. Here are some books/authors/categories I suggest, in no particular order.

Classics
As I was brainstorming for this list, I remembered two very wonderful classics that I love. The Great Gatsby and Little Women. I think I actually read these two books a bit later in life than most people, but I devoured them. While I’ve only read The Great Gatsby once, I’ve read Little Women at least three times. Both stories take you back in time and tell of the adventures of two very different groups of people. I think almost any woman/girl would fall in love with the March sisters, as well as have fun imagining a life in the roaring '20s with the likes of Gatsby. Now I want to read them again!

School Ties
There are plenty of books that center around kids in school—prep school, college life, public high school, etc.—so I’m sure there are many more where these came from. Prep, by Curtis Sittenfeld (who’s gotten more press recently for American Wife), is about a 14-year-old girl who attends a prep school on scholarship. The story follows her through her time there, and discusses the cliques, the fun, the heartache and so on. While it was sad and lonely in parts, the book was a really good read.

Journalist Alexander Robbins wrote two highly engaging nonfiction works that I read and enjoyed very much: Pledged, about the secret lives of sorority girls, and The Overachievers, about those academic all-stars who nearly drown in their fight for perfection. Robbins set herself right down in the middle of these cultures and learned from the students themselves. The things she writes can be shocking, but you’ll also find yourself nodding in agreement—either because you lived it too, or you know someone who did.

I also enjoyed The Rule of Four, a story about college friends at Princeton who discover a great mystery and find themselves in great danger. It’s kind of The Da Vinci Code for the Ivy League-student set. While some of the mythology and subject matter of their studies was a bit over my head, that didn’t take away from the fun.

Go-to Authors
For fun, sweet, quirky characters in fun, sweet, quirky stories—many of which are set in fictional Minnesota towns—Minnesota author Lorna Landvik delivers nearly every time. While her most recent works haven’t been my favorites, I would recommend Patty Jane’s House of Curl, Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons and The Tall Pine Polka to any fellow (female) novel reader. Another go-to author, who I’ve mentioned several times on this blog, is Jodi Picoult. She might be obvious in the same way Twilight and Harry Potter are, and while, again, her latest books haven’t been my favorites, she nails it with My Sister’s Keeper, The Tenth Circle and Nineteen Minutes.

Choose Your Own Adventure
Heather McElhatton’s Pretty Little Mistakes is a ton of fun. It’s engaging, hilarious, something different and such a fast read, as you can set it down after each mini adventure if you like. Like my first review says, this is a book for adults, but it’s as fun as those CYOA books from when you were a kid.

Other books I’ve reviewed on this blog that could make for great summer reading: The Way Life Should Be, The Writing Class, The Thirteenth Tale, The Abstinence Teacher, and The Dive from Clausen’s Pier.

So, what about you? Any summer reading suggestions that fall into these categories or others? Since summer is here, I’d love to get a few more on my list of must-read books.

House of Happy Endings

2009-05-26T15:21:00.002-05:00

I'm reading Leslie Garis' memoir about her life with famous writers for grandparents and parents. I've just finished Part I, which has been mostly backstory and the lead up to Leslie's father's mental illness. While the book isn't overly engaging, it's interesting for the most part. I hope it will get more engaging as we get into the meat of the story. Here's the publisher's synopsis:

Howard Garis, creator of the famed Uncle Wiggily series, along with his wife, Lilian, were phenomenally productive writers of popular children’s series—including The Bobbsey Twins and Tom Swift—from the turn of the century to the 1950s. In a large, romantic house in Amherst, Massachusetts, Leslie Garis, her two brothers, and their parents and grandparents aimed to live a life that mirrored the idyllic world the elder Garises created nonstop. But inside The Dell—where Robert Frost often sat in conversation over sherry, and stories appeared to spring from the very air—all was not right. Roger Garis’s inability to match his parents’ success in his own work as playwright, novelist, and magazine writer led to his conviction that he was a failure as father, husband, and son, and eventually deepened into mental illness characterized by raging mood swings, drug abuse, and bouts of debilitating and destructive depression. House of Happy Endings is Leslie Garis’s mesmerizing, tender, and harrowing account of coming of age in a wildly imaginative, loving, but fatally wounded family.

Question of the Day

2009-05-19T07:46:00.000-05:00

I read this question over at Pop Culture Junkie, so I had to steal it and answer it on my blog, too.

Book Gluttony! Are your eyes bigger than your book belly? Do you have a habit of buying up books far quicker than you could possibly read them? Have you had to curb your book buying habits until you can catch up with yourself? Or are you a controlled buyer, only purchasing books when you have run out of things to read?

In the last few years I've developed a nice system. Over the course of the year, I fill my Amazon Wish List with books that I want. I only receive birthday/Christmas presents from two sets of parents and my husband, but all I ask from them are books off my list. This past holiday/birthday season, I received a total of 17 new books. It's now May and I still haven't read them all.

This doesn't mean that I don't buy books myself, however it's usually only ones that I can't wait for and want to own: i.e. Harry Potter, Twilight, It Sucked and Then I Cried, etc. So in the first five months of 2009, I think I've only purchased two books. I'm proud of that. I also have borrowed several books, which is a great way to read and save money. And once my holiday books run out, I'm going to check out the library in our new city. (We've lived here for a year, but I haven't made it to the library down the road yet.) Bills are increasing and money's getting tight, so I'm going to try my hardest to not buy too many new books for the rest of 2009. While that might mean the pickings will be slim and this blog will review quite a few more "chick lit" books (they seem to always be in great supply at the library), it's probably the best idea in the end.

So, what about you?

Those Who Save Us

2009-05-14T15:20:00.004-05:00

* Updated May 18, see below

I'm nearly done with Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum. A novel, Those Who Save Us takes place in two different eras. It follows Anna, a 20-something German Aryan during WWII, and her young daughter Trudie as they try to survive the fallout of war. In other chapters the book follows 50-something Trudy (spelled with a 'y' in her chapters, which is interesting), a University of Minnesota professor who begins work on a "German Project": interviewing Germans who were alive during WWII to find out how they feel about what they lived through. Anna is also in the "Trudy chapters," but is then an old woman with very little to say.

You know right from the start what Trudy's problem is going to be. Her mother won't talk to her about the past, and Trudy has no idea who her father actually is. Was it the SS soldier who came around weekly for more than two years while Trudie and her mother lived alone in a small German town? Was it the American soldier who brought them to America? Or was it someone else? I laughed when Trudy's ex-husband points out that her "German Project" is her version of "therapy." Touché.

My feelings about the book change as I read it. Of course it's heartbreaking to hear the stories of the Jews and the Germans (who, while not put in concentration camps, were also starving and poor and in danger most of the time), but I think it's also an important part of history that can't really be talked about enough and should never be forgotten. However, it's disgusting and disturbing to read about Anna's relationship with the SS officer. It makes me shudder, so those chapters don't make for the most entertaining reading. But again, their relationship probably wasn't unique at that time, so maybe it's important to know about. Anna's feelings toward the officer are also very interesting; there's repulsion there, but also curiosity.

The adult Trudy frustrates me. You can tell she's a very conflicted person and often contradicts herself. Why does she want to be so alone all the time? Why is she so cold toward other people? But maybe that's what makes for a good character? The fact that she has many dimensions that bring out this reaction in me probably makes her pretty lifelike?

I'm about 100 pages from the end, and I think I can see where things are going - What relationships will form, what relationships will falther. But I think I'm still going to have some questions in the end - loose ends that won't be tied up. Sometimes I like books that leave certain things up to the reader, but when they evoke such an emotional/physical response (good or bad) like this book, it's nice when things wrap up nicely (again, whether good or bad - doesn't matter to me). (The other thing that's jarring about this book is the author never uses quotation marks. All the dialogue is in paragraph form and if you don't read carefully, you might not know what's "thought" and what's "said.")

If you're interested in WWII and enjoy historic-type novels, this is a good example of one. While it's not "happy," it's well-written, engaging and a page-turner. You just might not fall in love with the characters.

* Update, May 18. I finished the book over the weekend and while most loose ends were wrapped up, I thought they were done so rather easily and abruptly. Trudy learns the truth for which she's searching, but it seems unrealistic to the story and a bit predictable for the reader. Overall, the book was interesting and digestible, but the hang ups I talk about keep me from loving it.

Me & Emma

2009-05-07T14:59:00.002-05:00

My friend CMS borrowed this book to me last week. She enjoyed it and she thought I might too. Me & Emma is about a pair of sisters who live with a emotionally shaken mother and an abusive stepfather. The story follows just a short period of time in the lives of this family, though there are flashbacks to the time Emma and Caroline (the narrator) spent with their father, who passed away. The parts about the abuse are quite difficult to read - how can anyone do those things to women and children? - but there are also many sweet moments of imagination and hope. Kids are pretty resilient, which is probably a good thing. The book has a bit of a twist at the end, so that was fun, too. If you're looking for a quick read about a rough-and-tumble Southern family, I'd recommend it. Here's the synopsis:

In many ways, Carrie Parker is like any other eight-year-old—playing make-believe, dreading school, dreaming of faraway places.
But even her imagination can't shut out the realities of her impoverished North Carolina home or help her protect her younger sister, Emma.
As the big sister, Carrie is determined to do anything to keep Emma safe from a life of neglect and abuse at the hands of their drunken stepfather, Richard—abuse their momma can't seem to see, let alone stop.
But after the sisters' plan to run away from home unravels, their world takes a shocking turn—and one shattering moment ultimately reveals a truth that leaves everyone reeling.

A Cop's Life

2009-05-05T01:59:00.000-05:00

A person I'm close to is going to school to become a police officer. On a recommendation from someone who also has a friend/family member who is a cop, I just finished A Cop's Life by Randy Sutton. Sutton is a Sergeant with the Las Vegas PD, and has also appeared in a couple movies and TV shows like COPS and America's Most Wanted.

The book is a compilation of vignettes from Sutton's time as a police officer. Each chapter could be its own mini episode of COPS or the "law" part of Law & Order. As with any reality TV show or memoir-type book, some editing goes in to it to keep it exciting. Nearly all his stories involve homicide, suicide, armed robbery - all the scary things police officers deal with throughout their career. There are only a few references to the boredom, the paper work or the sweet stories that every-day cops would tell you is how they spend a majority of their days. Fortunately, I realize this about the book, and I know how pretty low-crime our metro area is (especially compared to Las Vegas), or else the book could really scare me.

I also think Sutton - at least I hope so - may be a minority in the police world. He talks a bit about living alone, not being able to hold a relationship due to work, thinking about suicide (police officers have twice the death rate of civilians because of suicide risk) because of all the things he's seen and held on to, etc. I'm willing to bet that while many experiences probably stick with and turn the stomachs of police officers out there, a majority of them can function in their civilian lives and can maintain healthy relationships with their friends and families.

So, unless you're a huge cop drama fan or simply just curious, I don't know if everyone needs to read this book. If you've read other real-life cop stories that you'd recommend, please let me know. I think I'm going to next look into True Blue, The Funniest Cop Stories Ever, and Blue Blood. It's always good to get more than one perspective.

Firefly Lane

2009-05-01T06:13:00.000-05:00

Firefly Lane is one of those girlfriend stories we've all read a hundred times: Two friends who are opposites but stay bffs all their lives through heartbreak, fights, love, marriage and tragedy. (See: Best Friends, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Summer Sisters, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan...and these are just the ones I've read that I can remember...) These stories are filled with cliches (chapters titled after hit songs of the decade) and can be quite predictable (will a man come between them? Of course.). But, I keep reading them for some reason, right? In the end, they're entertaining and fun, much like a season of Sex and the City, and are usually very quick reads.

Firefly Lane follows Tully and Kate from age 14 to their mid-40s. The story keeps to the formula. Tully is a wild child while Kate is more reserved and idealistic. Why these two girls, and then women, would stay friends through the years is really beyond me, but they do. The book alternates rather well between the characters' perspectives, though I feel the author tried to fit a few too many years into the book. Several years get glossed over and the story can feel a touch disjointed. The story is definitely overdramatic, but some real issues are discussed, too. I cared more about Kate than I did Tully, but that could be because my own personality falls on the same side as Kate. All in all, a good story and a quick read.

What other books about best friends have you read? Do you see a similar formula in those stories?

Poetry Month

2009-04-29T13:35:00.003-05:00

As Poetry Month comes to a close, I thought I'd share a couple more poems I got in my inbox by signing up for Poem A Day. Most were actually pretty heavy and I didn't really "get" them. But I'm glad I was exposed to them nonetheless. After you read these, do me a favor and head over to Willikat. She shared a couple of her personal poems here, and they're fabulous.

Death Barged In
by Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno

In his Russian greatcoat
slamming open the door
with an unpardonable bang,
and he has been here ever since.

He changes everything,
rearranges the furniture,
his hand hovers
by the phone;
he will answer now, he says;
he will be the answer.

Tonight he sits down to dinner
at the head of the table
as we eat, mute;
later, he climbs into bed
between us.

Even as I sit here,
he stands behind me
clamping two
colossal hands on my shoulders
and bends down
and whispers to my neck,
From now on,
you write about me.

Terezin *
by Taije Silverman

* a transfer [concentration] camp in the Czech Republic

We rode the bus out, past fields of sunflowers
that sloped for miles, hill after hill of them blooming.

The bus was filled with old people.
On their laps women held loaves of freshly baked bread.
Men slept in their seats wearing work clothes.

You stared out the window beside me. Your eyes
were so hard that you might have been watching the glass.

Fields and fields of sunflowers.

Arriving we slowed on the cobblestone walkway.
Graves looked like boxes, or houses from high up.

On a bench teenage lovers slouched in toward each other.
Their backs formed a shape like a seashell.
You didn't want to go inside.

But the rooms sang. Song like breath, blown
through spaces in skin.

The beds were wide boards stacked up high on the walls.
The glass on the door to the toilet was broken.
I imagined nothing.

You wore your black sweater and those dark sunglasses.
You didn't look at me.

The rooms were empty, and the courtyard was empty,
and the sunlight on cobblestone could have been water,
and I think even when we are here we are not here.

The courtyard was flooded with absence.
The tunnel was crowded with light.
Like a throat. Like a—

In a book I read how at its mouth they played music,
some last piece by Wagner or Mozart or Strauss.

I don't know why. I don't know
who walked through the tunnel or who played or what finally
they could have wanted. I don't know where the soul goes.

Your hair looked like wheat. It was gleaming.

Nearby on the hillside a gallows leaned slightly.
What has time asked of it? Nights. Windstorms.

Your hair looked like fire, or honey.
You didn't look at me.

Grass twisted up wild, lit gold all around us.
We could have been lost somewhere, in those funny hills.

And the ride back—I don't remember.
Why was I alone? It was night, then. It was still morning.

But the fields were filled with dead sunflowers.
Blooms darkened to brown, the stalks bowed.
And the tips dried to husks that for miles kept reaching.
Those dreamless sloped fields of traveling husks.

Minnesota Book Award Winners

2009-04-27T15:36:00.002-05:00

My good friend Willikat pointed out to me that the Minnesota Book Awards took place over the weekend. We were both excited to see that Kao Kalia Yang won the award for best Memoir & Creative Nonfiction. I read Yang's book last year, and really enjoyed it. Congrats to her and all the winners!

The Twin Cities is a hotbed for literature (all art, really), and this is just another example of the talent among us.

Ho Hum Reading

2009-04-24T15:27:00.002-05:00

I'm reading a book right now - Lionel Shriver's The Post-Birthday World - and I'm just not sure I like it. I'm about 75 pages in and it's taken me all week to get there. I force myself to read on the bus, to see if the further I get the more interesting it'll become, but it's not happening. The thing is, the reviews are excellent. Entertainment Weekly called it the Novel of the Year (2007), other reviews call it engaging, imaginative, provocative...

I'll give it "imaginative," as it's kind of a dual-plot book. At the end of the first (never-ending) chapter, the main character must decide if she'll cheat on her boyfriend with another man. Then the chapters alternate: the first "Chapter 2" explores what happens if she does cheat, while the second "Chapter 2" explores what happens if she doesn't - and so on. I like the the concept, but the descriptions, the language, the weird humor and the very-little dialogue has me mostly skimming, trying to get to the good parts. Sometimes I find some nuggets that interest me, but most often I'm dreaming of reading something else.

Question (as Dwight would say): When do you give up on a book? I never used to, but as I get older, I realize life's too short to waste time on something uninteresting. Right?

Books Coming to the Big Screen

2009-04-23T07:15:00.005-05:00

New Moon. We already know how I feel about Twilight, so I will be in the theater for this one. Here are the werewolves.

The Time Traveler's Wife. I enjoyed this book very much, and I do love Rachel McAdams, so I'm interested in the movie version.

My Sister's Keeper. This was my first Jodi Picoult book and I loved it. I'm not really a Cameron Diaz fan, but will probably put this movie on the rental list once it comes out. (And just watching the trailer, the tears come again. Plus, Jason Patric and Thomas Dekker are in it - I enjoy them both very much.)

Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Patricia Cornwell's medical examiner, will be most likely played by Angelina Jolie. I read so many Scarpetta novels when I was in high school that I might actually be interested in this series of movies. And surprisingly, I can see Jolie as the character.

What books-turned-movies are you looking forward to?

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2009-04-20T15:27:00.010-05:00

Now, this is a trailer! It shows all the intensity and scariness of the sixth book. I'm so excited for this movie to come out, but after watching this trailer, it makes me want to break out books six and seven again. I feel like I forgot what happened!

(The night we saw Harry Potter two summers ago, this happened, and I left the theater with a cell phone filled with messages. Let's hope for a much calmer day this summer; it's hard for me not to associate the two experiences.)

The Last Lecture

2009-04-17T07:53:00.002-05:00

This week I read The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. Pausch was a computer science/virtual reality professor who, at a very early age, learned he was dying from pancreatic cancer. He was offered the opportunity to give "a last lecture" at the college where he worked, Carnegie Mellon. Usually this is an opportunity for professors to tell their students what they would if they knew they were dying. Well, in Pausch's case, it was true.

He used this experience to give a talk on "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." And, this lecture turned into the book. Through a series of short pieces, or vignettes, Pausch describes his childhood, his role models, his experiences with science, his marriage and fatherhood. He uses the lecture and the book to send forth ideas and lessons he's learned, and to talk about what's really important in life.

As I was reading about his life, I thought about how much Pausch had done. He had FUN. He stuck his neck out for what he believed in. He fought for what he wanted, and in many cases he won. He led the kind of fulfilling life every day that we all want to lead.

Obviously, the book is also heartbreaking. He has three young children who will live life without their father. He has a very loving, understanding wife. It was very interesting to read about how they related to each other once they knew he was terminal. How she would still get mad at him if he didn't put his dishes away. Wouldn't that be a weird feeling to have? Just because you're dying doesn't mean you don't have to help around the house... Or, wait, no nevermind, you're dying so you shouldn't have to put the dishes away... I can't imagine the difficulty.

The book is fast to read. It'll make you laugh, cry and really think about life. And I know we all tend to say, "I'm going to live every day to its fullest," and then we go to work, go home, go to sleep... But, "to the fullest" doesn't have to mean excitement every day. Maybe it just means appreciating every day, and those important people who come with it.

"Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer." -- Randy Pausch (He passed away on July 25, 2008.)