Song of the Day: "Try"

"Try"
By P!nk
The Truth About Love

Heard this song for the first time today and one line stayed with me:  "Just because it burns doesn't mean you're gonna die. Gotta get up and try." Cool song!  (Plus the guy in the video has amazing abs...)

BOOK REVIEW: "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society"

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

By Mary Ann Shaffer

and Annie Barrows

Copyright 2008

The Dial Press

Adult Fiction

4.5 Bookmarks

Yes, I know.  This is just about the stupidest book title you've ever seen in your life.  What, you may ask, was I thinking when I picked it up and decided to read it?  Well I'll tell you.  I was thinking that a book with this stupid of a title must have something interesting inside in order to compensate for the ridiculous name (and I was also thinking that I saw this title on the list of "100 books you JUST MUST read" so it must have some redeeming qualities).

This is an unconventionally written tale about a small town on the Channel Island of Guernsey recovering after a five-year occupation during WWII.  The story is written as a series of letters between a writer named Juliet Ashton who survived the war in London, and the residents of Guernsey who formed a literary society, in part to help them pass the time during the occupation, but mostly as a cover-up for when they were caught out after curfew one night by the Germans.  Juliet also pens letters to friends, and the residents of Guernsey write to the friends once Juliet decides to visit the island in person. 

The entire story was beautifully written, and so clever how the authors were able to convey the sentiments of the survivors of the war through the correspondence between the characters.  As a reader, I was able to sympathize with them for what they had been through, but at the same time, was able to see their strength and their readiness to move forward with their lives despite the terrible experiences they had survived.

A very heartwarming story, clever and enjoyable to read.  This would make a GREAT book club book and would be enjoyed by a wide variety of readers.  Truly a great, great story (And yes, I would have given it 5 Bookmarks if it had had a better title). 

 

BOOK REVIEW: "True Believer"

True Believer

By Nicholas Sparks

Copyright 2005

Warner Books

Adult Fiction

3.5 Bookmarks

As I usually do, I enjoyed this book by Nicholas Sparks.  True Believer had a slightly different twist than most of his stories.  Journalist (of sorts) Jeremy Marsh has stumbled across a story about a haunted cemetery in the small town of Boone Creek, North Carolina.  Jeremy makes the trip to see what all the fuss is about and ends up in the middle of a mystery that he decides he wants to solve.

In the meantime, he meets the town librarian Lexie Darnell and thoughts of heading back to the big city start to slip out of his mind.  Lexie, of course, has demons in her past and she isn't sure she wants to let go. 

The love story develops in a fairly typical manner for Sparks and by the time you get to the end of the story you definitely have the "awwwwww" factor that we've all come to expect with these stories. 

I was a little disappointed in the development of some of the characters or this would have gotten a higher ranking.  But I sure do love a good love story. 

BOOK REVIEW: "Slicker"

Slicker

by Lucy Jackson

Copyright 2010

Lazybones Inc, LLC

Adult Fiction

3.5 Bookmarks

Fun book!  Young Desiree Christian-Cohen, a budding writer, decides she needs to get away from her life in New York City.  With recently divorced parents, a recently out-of-the-closet father, and an elderly grandparent being cared for by her mother, she just can't take it anymore.  She closes her eyes and points at a map and ends up a few days later in Honey Creek, Kansas. 

Desiree spends the summer in Honey Creek, inveigling herself into the locale with her charm, wit and just the plain and simple fact that she is a tourist where they've never seen a tourist before.  Desiree falls in love with the country folks, the simple life and a young man who is able to fill the void she didn't even know she had. 

There were some bad moments in the book:  when Desiree's ex-boyfriend shows up and threatens to ruin everything, when one of her new friends shows up at the local diner beaten up by her boyfriend.  But for the most part, it was a light-hearted and fun book to read.  My favorite line in the book was "Don't bother trying to understand someone else's life.  It's one of those things that can't be done."  Simple words from a simple character, but they rang true to Desiree. 

Loved that the title is really calling her a city slicker and has nothing to do with the raincoat on the cover. 

BOOK REVIEW: "She Walks in Beauty"

She Walks in Beauty

By Siri Mitchell

Copyright 2010

Bethany House Publishers

Adult Fiction

3.5 Bookmarks

Although I've always been a fan of historical fiction, I picked up this book not so much for the content but because the title comes from one of my very, very favorite poems ever (yes, I have a secret crush on Lord Byron). 

This is the story of Clara Carter's entry into the social world in turn-of-the-century New York City.  Clara is a smart girl, not interested in the balls, the parties, the afternoons "in".  Instead, she dreams of going to college and making a difference in the world, but her father and aunt have different plans.  So Clara is thrust into the thick of things and is soon paraded in front of various potential suitors.  However, her guardians have made her very aware that only one particular suitor will do. 

Clara resigns herself to her lot in life and actually seems to start enjoying the dancing and dressing up.  Frankly, I was disappointed in her character for not fighting the societal expectations more than she did, but what do I know about what life was like in 1891.  Still, I would have liked her to have a little more spunk.  In the end, she does become a little stronger of a person and does some good. 

Not sure there's much else to say about the plot on this one.  It's a nice little love story with a few entanglements thrown in: a best friend who is trying to woo the same guy, a father who is involved in scandal, etc.  While it was quite an enjoyable read, there were a few details that were disturbing.  Some to do with the practice of corsetting.  Who knew how absolutely awful THAT was!  I will never be jealous of a woman with an 18-inch waist again.

I recommend this if you like Jane Austen or the Brontes.  It's similar in tone and topic.  Not too deep though. 

BOOK REVIEW: "Siddhartha"

Siddhartha

By Hermann Hesse

New translation by Susan Bernofsky
Copyright 2006
Random House Publishing
Classic Literature
4.5 Bookmarks

So I thought I would take advantage of being at home today and catch up a little on my blog posts.  I've actually read quite a few books over the past six weeks, so I'll put a few reviews up here today. 

This was a favorite of the books I've read lately.  It is the story of an Indian Brahmin who gives up his life of class and privilege to become a seeker on a spiritual journey.  I'm sure there are some who would read this and compare it to the parables written by Paulo Coelho.  In reality, Siddhartha was written nearly 100 years ago and seemed to me a possible inspiration for some of Coelho's writings.  If you appreciate Coelho's writings, you will enjoy this book as well.

Siddhartha is a young man who one day makes the terrible realization that perhaps the love of his mother and father, and even his best friend Govinda, would not be enough to "forever suffice to gladden him, content him, sate him, fulfill him."  And thus begins Siddhartha's spiritual journey to find the thing that will give him the fulfillment he so desires.

He joins the Samanas, a group of wandering ascetics, who practice strict self discipline to help them on the road to enlightenment.  When he finds that not to be the path to his goal, he leaves the Samanas and finds a road to the merchant class where he lives for many years.  When he discovers that is not the answer either, he finds his way to a ferry station where he lives next to the river and finally finds the answer he is seeking.  It comes down to something so simple, that he can hardly believe it himself once it comes to him.  "....Everything that is appears good to me," he tells his friend Govinda when their paths cross at the end of life.

There were so many wonderful phrases and such descriptive prose in this book.  It was truly enjoyable to read.  At only about 120 short pages, I breezed through it in a short amount of time but did go back and re-read some of my favorite parts.  Highly recommend this one.

BOOK REVIEW: "The Good Psychologist"

The Good Psychologist

By Noam Shpancer

Copyright 2010

Henry Holt & Co, LLC

Adult Fiction

3 Bookmarks

I have always believed that most psychologists are folks who are a little nuts (in a good way, of course) and basically just want to figure themselves out (this is also why I think I would have been a GREAT psychologist).  That theory is fairly evident in this debut novel by Noam Shpancer.  The main character works in a center for the treatment of anxiety where he meets his latest client, a stripper whose anxiety has brought her an inability to get back on stage. 

The psychologist deals with his own strange attraction to the stripper, all the while trying to encourage her to work through her fears.  At the same time, he maintains a strangely obsessive relationship with another psychologist he had met at work and had a brief fling with at a business conference.  He casually relates the fact that this fling ended with a child coming into the world (a child he has never met before), and casually mentions the fact that the other psychologist is married.  It is obvious he has never really dealt with the issues surrounding that little love triangle and, frankly, he doesn't even know how to begin to examine his own role in it all.

In the meantime, the psychologist also teaches a night class and we get some nice diverting "lessons" thrown into the midst of the story.  Add an angry boss (you know, the guy who runs the strip club waiting for his favorite stripper to overcome her anxiety and get her naked butt back on stage), and a lot of interesting self-talk, and it made for a fairly entertaining read.

I don't know that I would read this one twice, but I didn't feel like it was a total waste of time either.  Just a kind of interesting little trip into the psyche of a psychotherapist. 

BOOK REVIEW: "The Chemistry of Joy"

The Chemistry of Joy

By Henry Emmons, M.D.

with Rachel Kranz

Copyright 2006

Fireside Books

Non-fiction

3.5 Bookmarks

Always fighting those depressive demons, when I saw a friend suggest this book to another depression sufferer, I decided to pick it up and see what it was all about.  The book starts out with an interesting premise:  that depression can be lessened by combining western science and eastern philosophies in a sort of multi-pronged approach to treatment. 

I can buy that.  The author spends quite a bit of time talking about brain chemistry and the "how" of depression, along with some of the positives and negatives of traditional treatments.  He then goes into Ayurvedic theory, defining people into air, fire and earth types.  The author explains how the different Ayurvedic types have different needs and respond to different treatments.  I found that I am mostly an "air" type (with a little "fire" thrown in for good measure).  I have cold hands and feet, prefer hot drinks, I sleep lightly and have a restless mind, am prone to anxiety but overly discriminating and compulsive in routine.  Yep, that about sums it up. 

So apparently I need to give myself more down time, create a more consistent schedule and eliminate stress.  LOL.  Wife, mom, Realtor......how likely is that?

I did get a couple of good tips from the book on some meditation exercises, and a reminder to journal my feelings (which I haven't done in a very, very long time).  Plus a chapter called "Strategies of wisdom" which included a paragraph about the importance of having someone in our lives who really knows how to listen. 

The author writes, "When someone listens not with their ears or their thinking mind, but with an open heart and a nonjudging mind, then the soul feels safe to come out and reveal itself....This kind of exchange is a gift for both the speaker and the listener, a relationship that goes beyond the unequal roles of helper and helped....Rather, the exchange is a relationship of two souls, in which 'the god in me meets the god in you' and both parties are the richer for it.  The remarkable thing about such a soul relationship is that whether you are the speaker or the listener, you benefit a great deal." 

Those words struck such a chord in me.  To have that type of a relationship is something to be truly cherished.  That one paragraph alone was worth reading the entire book.

BOOK REVIEW: "Life After Genius"

Life After Genius
By M. Ann Jacoby
Copyright 2008
Grand Central Publishing
Adult Fiction
4 Bookmarks

Gotta love the smart kids. You know, the ones who skip ahead a grade. Then skip ahead again. Life After Genius is a story about one such kid from a small town (the kind of small town where people get trapped in a dead-end life and can never leave).  The boy was named Theodore Mead Fegley. Teddy, as he was called throughout childhood, leaves for college in the big city at the age of 15, decides on a new persona and begins answering only to his middle name of Mead. Mead fits into the college scene like a square peg in a round hole, but muddles through and eventually begins to thrive.

So much so that when he is on the verge of proving an important math hypothesis but packs up and leaves school right before graduation instead, everyone around him scrambles to find out why.

Mead goes home to the small town and his eclectic family, including a helicopter mom (you know who you are) and an undertaker father.  He tries to fit back into that world, even helping his father clean up the dead before burial, but won't answer anyone's questions about why he left college in the first place. 

As the story unfolds we find out details about another smart kid named Herman who was in college with Mead.  Herman, it turns out, had become somewhat of a friend to Mead.  We learn he had something to do with Mead fleeing school but we don't yet know what the connection might be. 

We also read about Mead's cousin, Percy, who had recently died a tragic death after escaping the small town post-high school and fleeing to the big city.  One of the most profound moments in the book is when Mead is talking to Percy's ex-girlfriend about why they had broken up.  She says, "I think I reminded him of his past.  And he didn't want to be reminded.  It was almost as if he feared being sucked back in."  As someone who grew up in a small town and escaped out into the bigger world, I can completely relate to this sentiment. 

I really enjoyed the flow of the writing in this story.  I am also not usually a big fan of suspense, but there was just enough of that to keep me wondering page after page what was going to happen next.  Oh, and I liked the clever cover of the boy's legs with two different colored socks (as a parent of a smarty-pants child who frequently wears two different colored socks, it struck a nerve).  Good writing.  Good story.  Good ending.  This is a recommend. 

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.