SONG OF THE DAY: "Rainy Monday"

"Rainy Monday"
by Shiny Toy Guns

BOOK REVIEW: "The Glass Castle"

The Glass Castle

By Jeannette Walls

Copyright 2005

Scribner Publishing

Autobiography

5 Bookmarks

If I ever, ever complain about my childhood again, just slap me upside the head.  The Glass Castle is the story of the childhood of author Jeannette Walls.  I would say I've never read such a story before, but I just read one that was strikingly similar to this in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (reviewed here).  In fact, that classic by Betty Smith is even mentioned in The Glass Castle.

Okay, so back to the book.  The story starts out by describing three-year-old Jeannette, standing up at the stove with a boiling pot cooking herself a hot dog because she is hungry and if she doesn't fix food herself, no one else will.  Jeannette's dress catches on fire and she ends up in the hospital for weeks on end.  Finally, her parents snatch her out of the hospital and take off.  Within a few days, Jeannette is back standing at a stove cooking herself a hot dog (because if she doesn't feed herself, no one else will).  This sets the tone for a story of a childhood filled with neglect, siblings who can only rely on each other, and parents who cannot face the responsibilities of parenthood.

The Walls family moves from desert town to desert town throughout Jeannette's young childhood.  Most of the time, not even staying long enough for the children to make any kind of life for themselves.  The usual excuse for the packing up and driving off in the middle of the night is that someone is after them, but it seems that instead of facing the daily problems of life, the parents always just want a clean slate.  The result of this transient lifestyle is that the children are faced with abject poverty and constant hunger, sleeping on cardboard, are never able to establish any roots, and know not to develop any close ties anywhere (there's even a terribly sad scene where, during one of these midnight runs, the father throws the family cat out the car window and leaves it behind). 

Jeannette's father is a drunk who is a dreamer, clever but lazy (he dreams of one day building a glass castle for his family).  Her mother is an artist who has some skills that could help the family survive but refuses to use them.  They seem to love their children with the very barest definition of the word, but have no compassion nor ability to put the children's needs ahead of their own.  As the children grow older and the family runs out of options, they end up returning to the father's hometown in West Virginia, an abysmal hole in the ground place where nothing good can come.  In a freezing cabin that pours down water on them whenever it rains, eating food from the garbage cans at school to survive, and protecting each other as best they can, these children show their strength and determination by eventually pulling themselves out of it and leaving their parents' world behind.

I think the most difficult thing about reading this book was seeing the two very able-bodied parents sit idly by while their children went hungry.  The worst of this for me was the scene where the four children haven't eaten anything substantial for days and the mother is caught sitting at the side of the room sneakily eating a candy bar.  Who would do that?  Surprisingly though, the author doesn't seem to resent her parents for raising her this way.  She describes them with affection and kindness and is only saddened by their shortcomings.

This book was both fascinating and horrifying, but it was extremely well-written.  I think of the things I went through as a child and they just don't even compare to what this family struggled through and survived.  Highly recommend this one for all readers.

BOOK REVIEW: "Winterdance"

"Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod"

By Gary Paulsen

Copyright 1994

Harvest Books

Autobiography

2 Bookmarks

I have a secret.  Truth be told, I'm kind of embarrassed to share it.  Frankly, some people will find it shocking, especially considering the fact that I live in what seems to be the dog ownership capital of the nation, but......I don't like dogs.  There.  I said it.  Let the hate mail begin. 

There are a myriad reasons for my discomfort around Fido.  Number one is the memory of when a cousin was severely mauled by a dog.  I was not there, but heard about it in horrifying detail from a third party (grateful that after much medical intervention she was okay). 

Number two would have to be the dog at the house by the Little Butte.  As a kid, I would sometimes ride by this house on the way to my friend's place and the dog would rush at me, barking like a crazed lunatic and nip at my heels as I would peddle and peddle as fast as I could to get away (growing up in the country has its drawbacks.  The fact that no one keeps their dog behind a fence is one of them).  My heart still starts racing as an adult when I go by that house.  In a car.  With the windows rolled up.

Number three is probably the time a client allowed his dog to bite me (it was obvious the dog was extremely agitated and the owner didn't make any effort to restrain it).  Very difficult position to be in, trying to be professional while screaming inside because of the gash ripped in my foot.

Other than that, it's just the normal stuff.  Don't like dogs pooping in my yard.  Don't like dog hair on my clothes.  Don't like dogs jumping all over me.  Don't like dogs drooling and schnozing all over me.  Yes, I am a coldhearted bee-otch for not liking dogs. 

That being said, someone who obviously doesn't know me well enough to know this little "secret" of mine, recommended a book to me: Winterdance by Gary Paulsen. 

This story of a man who likes to "run dogs" so decides to run the Iditarod in Alaska was definitely not in my normal genre of book, but it came so highly recommended I thought I'd give it a try.  And in fact, the entire concept of the story was so foreign to me it was difficult to grasp that it was autobiographical (yes, this ACTUALLY happened!) 

The author puts together a team of dogs that are constantly attacking him, biting him, and attacking each other all the while training to run the race.  They are not nice dogs.  The situations this guy finds himself in are utterly miserable.  And yet, he is somehow thrilled to be with the dogs and waxes eloquent for page after page about how wonderful an experience this is. 

So this guy is dragged by the dogs, skunked because of the dogs, sleep-deprived, starved, poverty-stricken......and the race hasn't even started.  And yet, none of it matters because of his obsession with the dogs.  It was a bizarre concept that I truly believe only a dog-lover can understand.  The guy gets enough donations together to get up to the race.  Once the author gets to the part describing the race, I was sort of numb to the graphic descriptions of dog bites, dog crap and the other unpleasantries he was faced with on a daily basis.  The race itself was a little more interesting, but the poor guy just keeps getting hit with one catastrophe after another (frostbite, hallucinations, chunks of ice floating away with people on them).  It's enough to make me wonder why anyone in the world would ever have any desire to run such a race.  But it takes all kinds, I suppose.

That being said, the story was somewhat well-written, straight-forward and detailed.  It kept my interest, but most of the time while reading it I felt a deep-seated horror that someone would actually put themselves through this experience on purpose.

POEM: Even After Everything

Even After Everything
By Yours Truly

As I fall asleep each night

My mind flies away

To another place,

Another time.

I dream, awake.

I wrap my arms

Tight

Around my teddy bear.

And close my eyes.

I dream, awake.

I know I cannot have the world.

But want so much

Just that small piece

Of what I know is real.

I dream, awake.

Do you?

BOOK REVIEW: House & Home

House & Home

By Kathleen McCleary

Copyright 2008

Hyperion Books

Adult Fiction

2 Bookmarks

Many of you know that in my "other" life, I'm a Realtor.  The reason I'm a Realtor is because I kinda love houses.  Big houses, little houses, old houses, new houses, doesn't matter.  Every house is a little different and little unique and they're all fun to walk through!  But I digress.  The reason for my diatribe on houses is because that explains why I picked up this book in the first place.  House & Home, such a cozy title. 

Sadly though, I was disappointed to learn that this book is actually about a woman who is so obsessed with her house that when she has to sell it (due to divorce), she decides to burn it down.  As you can imagine, this does not end well.

The story itself isn't terribly written.  There are moments that are somewhat interesting and keep you turning the page.  But there are just a few things in here that are so bizarre as to be completely unbelievable...like the main character going on a long car ride with the husband of "the enemy" (the woman who is buying the house) just because they're both going the same direction and they want to save the gas or something. 

There's a slight edge of infidelity in a few spots in the book, and a few weird characters that just aren't that believable.  Plus, there weren't very many characters in the book that you get to know enough to actually care about. 

Overall, this was a "meh."

BOOK REVIEW: "Fifty Shades of Grey"

Fifty Shades of Grey

by E L James

Copyright 2011

Vintage Books

Adult Fiction

4 Bookmarks

After the week I've had, I really need to get back into life and be able to focus on something good.  And I'm happy to say, I read a book recently that I can definitely call GOOD (although there are probably some out there who would disagree.....)

I don't usually read the trendy books (Harry Potter? Nope.  Twilight? Naw.  Hunger Games?  NEVER!)  But I finally broke down and read Fifty Shades of Grey.  I read a review of it somewhere that called it "mommy porn", but I didn't really realize the exact level of the sexual content of the book until I was somewhere in the middle of chapter six.  And maybe it's because I don't usually read romance novels that I was somewhat shocked, but YOWZA!  

Okay, so let me go back to the beginning.  Fifty Shades is about a young soon-to-be college graduate, Anastasia Steele, who meets an up-and-coming business mogul, Christian Grey.  The chemisty between them is instantaneous.  After running into each other on a few occasions, he asks her out.  But the date is anything but typical.  Christian, it turns out, has certain, ummmm......shall I say, proclivities? that soon come to light.    So while Anastasia is overcome by her desire for this man, she is hesitant because of the things he is particularly fond of in the bedroom.  Things related to leather.  And blindfolds.  And paddles.  And chains.

As Anastasia and Christian become closer, the differences between them become more apparent.  The story pulls them closer together and pushes them apart.  The author does a great job of drawing the reader into the relationship of the two main characters, while at the same time throwing in some pretty detailed sex scenes. 

I realize this is going to sound unbelievably cliche' (given the "I-just-read-it-for-the-articles" excuse that guys give when they're caught with a Playboy), but I really enjoyed the story of the emotional drama and tension between the main characters more than the sex stuff.  Anastasia struggles with the idea that in order to have a relationship with Christian, she has to accept things she previously would have deemed unacceptable and she just isn't sure she can do it.  And Christian struggles with the idea of having a relationship that isn't JUST about the sex with someone. 

For my friends who don't watch R-rated movies: Sorry. I just cannot recommend this book to you.  I would definitely rate this book far above an R rating.  There is talk about making it into a movie but, frankly, I'm just not sure how they will do that without having at least an NC-17 rating (maybe lots of dark rooms with the impression of things happening without actually showing it?) 

For everyone else: As long as you are comfortable with sexuality, I can definitely give this one a recommend.  I enjoyed most of it.  My biggest complaints were related more to the believability of the book.  For instance, the story is set in Seattle with the characters supposedly native Washingtonians, but the dialogue occasionally includes words like "bloody", "crikey", and other phrases that no red-blooded American would ever be caught dead saying.  They also at one point eat "biscuits" (crackers).  And the main female character has a strong fascination with tea (Tea?  In Seattle, of all places!)  Do you think the author "might" be British?

It was definitely an enjoyable read, though, and I now have the second two books of this trilogy in my queue at the library.  Four bookmarks from me.