RANDOM COMMENTARY: RHS Class of 1993 Reunion

Rigby High School
Class of 1993
20-year Reunion

In honor of our 20-year high school reunion, I'm helping the organizers by putting together some fun write-ups about some of our classmates.  Here's a link to the first one:  Whatcha Doin'? Where Ya Been?

Reunion scheduled for July 6th.  Details available at the above link. 

BOOK REVIEW: "The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship"

The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship

By Lisa Verge Higgins

Copyright 2011

Hachette Book Group

Adult Fiction

4 Bookmarks

Oh what a fabulous find this book was!  Highly recommend this one to any reader who appreciates a friend, has an unrequited love, or has ever lost someone important to them.  Higgins does a fabulous job of tying together the lives of four friends who each bring their own experiences and circumstances to the table. 

When Rachel is diagnosed with a terminal illness, she does what she thinks best by giving a last request to each of her friends.  As the friends determine how to accomplish the tasks given to them, they find out some amazing things about themselves, but they also find out more about Rachel and who she was as a person.

Jo is faced with demons from her past as she turns her whole world upside-down to take over where Rachel left off.  A true rags to riches girl, Jo has to become a person she never thought she would be.

Sarah was my favorite character in the book.  The free-spirited Doctors Without Borders nurse who lives her life in the third world has spent 14 years longing for a man she once had a brief fling with.  When forced to find out once and for all if there is still any connection, she comes to a surprising realization.

For Kate, doing something to re-ignite the spark in her marriage has been an impossibility.  When Rachel tasks her with stepping well outside her comfort zone, Kate realizes she has more inside her than she ever thought possible.

This book would be great for a book club, or just a fantastic vacation read.  It was written with such love and care, it was easy to fall in love with every single character.  I was sad when I got to the last page. 

BOOK REVIEW: "Fear and Yoga in New Jersey"

Fear and Yoga in New Jersey

By Debra Galant

Copyright 2008

St. Martin's Press

Adult Fiction

3.5 Bookmarks

Yes, once again I have picked up a book solely because I liked the title.  I've never seen the movie "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", but I have heard of it and thought this was a clever little plagiaristic twist. 

Okay, on to the story.  This is definitely a "story" story, about a New Jersey family living the life.  The mom, Nina, has just opened her own yoga studio, but is continually faced with bad luck, perhaps due to some unpleasant feng shui left over from the previous tenant.  The dad, Michael, has been laid off and his family faces financial turmoil as he deals with the emotional implications of being unemployed.  Their son, Adam, is a typical materialistic teenager who grows ever more jealous of a certain Jewish girl in his school who is showered with gifts and an enormous party for her bat mitzvah.  Adam decides he wants to embraces his half-Jewishness so he can have a big party and tons of gifts, too.  

The author throws in a set of meddling in-laws, some mob connections, a lawsuit and an overzealous TSA agent for a twisting and turning series of plot lines and side stories.  I was certainly never bored while reading this one, and actually, it was a bit tough to put down. 

With a little bit of a slapstick style, Galant brings the characters to life and winds the story up into a tornado before bringing it to its somewhat simplistic resolution.  It was a fun read!

BOOK REVIEW: "Living (Well!) with Gastroparesis"

Living (Well!) with Gastroparesis

By Crystal Zaborowski Saltrelli CHC

Copyright 2011

Self-published

Non-fiction

3.5 Bookmarks

So in the ongoing saga that is my health, after a recent visit to the emergency room and five weeks of testing, I was finally diagnosed with a condition called Gastroparesis.  I had never heard of such a thing and had to research to find out what it was, how it was going to impact me, and how I was going to manage it. 

A lot of the information available online was the same: since there is no cure, and very few treatment options, most guidance is really just about how to control the condition through diet.

I found a great website called Living with Gastroparesis and I ordered this book from the author.

The book is organized with different sections addressing the basics of the condition, treatment options, nutrition, lifestyle and coping.  I really liked the way the book was written in a question and answer format, since I have had many of the same questions myself.  The author, who suffers from the condition herself, has spent years researching it and learning how best to cope with the symptoms. She shares her knowledge and experiences in a very sympathetic and informational way.

Another section of the book that I found really useful was the recipe section.  Having some additional options for food choices was great! 

My only real disappointments with the book were that it was a bit simplistic (written at a very easy reading level, which may actually be a positive to some people), and also that it didn't have a "magic pill" for fixing all this (I think most people with chronic conditions are continually searching for such a thing).  For anyone with this condition, "Living (Well!) with Gastroparesis" is a must have.  May also be of interest to dieticians and nutritionists, as most don't know much about the condition.  Probably not really of interest to anyone else.

BOOK REVIEW: "Miss Wyoming"

Miss Wyoming
By Douglas Coupland
Copyright 1999
Vintage Contemporaries
Adult Fiction

3.5 Bookmarks

What a crazy ride this book was!  Summarizing will be tough, but I'll give it my best shot. 

Susan Colgate, former beauty queen and now paparazzi favorite, disappears from a plane crash in which every other passenger dies.  When she suddenly reappears a year later, it's bedlam. 

John Johnson, famous Hollywood producer is obsessed with Susan.  John, who stages his own little disappearing act, finds that living on nothing isn't to his taste.  When, at last, Susan and John meet in person, it's love (or something sort of like it) at first sight.  But Susan's existence is a crazy one as she deals with her former beauty queen circuit mother, the fact that she's hiding everything about the time she was away, all the while trying to tape together the remnants of her career. 

When John meets a video store clerk with a shrine to Susan (which he, of course, purchases immediately), things start to get a little intense. 

I won't ruin the ending because it's a pretty good one.  I liked this book.  The satirical nature of the story flowed fantastically from the "toddlers in tiaras" set all the way to the Hollywood wife of a rock star segment.  It was a fun read from Coupland, and just as typically quirky as you would expect from him. 

BOOK REVIEW: "The Beach House"

The Beach House
By Jane Green
Copyright 2008
Viking Penguin Publishing
Adult Fiction

3.5 Bookmarks

Nan Powell is eccentric.  Everyone knows it.  Even she knows it.  She lives in an old, run-down house on a very expensive piece of land that has been in the family for more years than anyone can count.  And Nan has run out of money.  As she struggles to figure out how she's going to save her home (turning it into a pseudo-bed and breakfast), the story flips to the lives of the people who will eventually become her guests.

A couple of divorcee's with stories to tell, Nan's son Michael who has found himself in a difficult situation, and soon even a few children join in their new adventures.  And Nan has found that she is thrilled to have herself surrounded by so many people that she loves.

Throw in a sleazy real estate developer, a handsome landscaper, and  a long-lost husband, and you have quite a tale to tell. 

I thought this was quite a pleasant read.  Frankly, I wish I had been sitting on the beach while reading it (especially with the temperatures in the single digits today).  Kind of a mindless relaxation read (which is sometimes the very best kind).   

BOOK REVIEW: "1984"

1984
By George Orwell
Copyright 1948
Harcourt Brace and Co.
Classic Literature
2 Bookmarks

You know how sometimes everyone knows something you don't?  And they mention it, not really enough to tell you much about it, but just enough to remind you that you know nothing about it? 

For me, that's "1984".  I've heard references to it pretty much my whole life, but never had the opportunity (or requirement) to read it for some reason and never really knew the story. 

Yeah okay so I kind of knew the gist of it.  You know, big brother watching you all the time, etc.  But I didn't really think it was going to be so dark and icky.  And frankly, that's what it was. 

Having the telescreen in your house watching every move you make, no privacy (even of thoughts), no choices, no loved ones, no sex (WHAT????), it was all just a bit overwhelming.  And then on top of that, the constant brainwashing to avoid any "wrong" thoughts from appearing on your face. 

It was quite disturbing.

Which, I guess, is the whole point. 

I actually didn't mind the first two-thirds of the book so much, as the main character kind of wrestles with his inappropriate thoughts.  But once they "catch" him and he gets locked up and tortured, I was done. 

I know, I know.  The whole point of the book is to warn us of what the world could come to if we let those in power to continue allowing their power to grow.  I get that.  I really do.  I just didn't really care for the story.

If it isn't a requirement for English class, I don't recommend it.