Rachel's Report

Book Report #128 - The World According to Bertie

2010-02-14T00:07:00.001-08:00

The World According to Bertie by Alexander McCall Smith

Part of the 44 Scotland Street Series, this book is essentially a celebration of life in Edinburgh. Each chapter was once a column in the newspaper in Edinburgh so they are short and skip around to tell what is going on with different characters.

The title is promising because it includes the little boy who is so engaging. Six year old Bertie desperately wants to be average while his mother insists on his achievement. Also having problems are the dashing Bruce who has recently moved back to town, Pat and Matthew who are unsure of why they are in a relationship and Angus Lourdie whose true love, his dog Cyril, has been accused of a crime he didn't commit.

General consensus: Charming and set at a relaxing pace this is an enjoyable read that occasionally made me laugh out loud.

Book Report #127 - Body Surfing

2010-02-14T00:02:00.000-08:00

Body Surfing: A Novel by Anita Shreve

Poetic with a mesmerizing light hold on the characters, this story feels simple while every word is charged with intensity.

It is the story of a woman who is divorced and widowed. Now in her late twenties she takes a job looking after a girl in a family's summer house on the Northeast coast. She falls in love with the older brother and anything more said would be a spoiler.

General consensus: Ends with a horrible downer. Be warned.

Book Report #126 - Resistance

2010-02-13T23:54:00.000-08:00

Resistance: A Novel by Anita Shreve

I was pleased to find that my assumption was wrong--there still is a way to put a new spin on World War 2. Shreve proved it with Resistance.

An English bomber bound for Germany crashes in a town in Nazi-occupied Belgium. The pilot survives. A married couple in the Resistance takes him in and the wife nurses him back to health in the attic hideaway.

The different perspectives Shreve shows through the characters give the story a unique feel. However, I was dismayed to find that in the second half of the book it turned into a torrid love affair. I was so hoping she would leave that out and still tell a gripping story.

General consensus: Decent but could have been a stamp on the soul.

Book Report #125 - The Palace Thief

2009-11-05T11:36:00.000-08:00

The Palace Thief: Stories by Ethan Canin

These four novellas are written by someone who not only knows all the rules of writing but knows exactly how to use them to create perfection. Thank God he teaches at the Iowa Writers' Workshop--the best writing school in the country. It seems almost irresponsible not to share this level of skill with others.

Each story is different but the style remains the same. Each narrator explains the defining moments of his life that shaped his character. It is so personal that the reader can't help but feel genuine care and compassion for each of them. Perhaps this is because Canin seems to know things about life that most of us don't, especially when it comes to loss and grief experienced by older men.

General consensus: Not one word is wasted or misplaced in these four engrossing stories that each become part of us.

Book Report #124 - Born Standing Up

2009-10-02T23:59:00.000-07:00

Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life by Steve Martin

I love Steve Martin for Father of the Bride. But then again, I just love Steve Martin. There's something about him....his off-beat, often earnest humor. Now I know he didn't come out of the womb that way. He put in 10,000+ hours to get as good as he is.

Born Standing Up is the fascinating story of Martin's life up to the end of his stand-up comedy career. Did you know that he spent his childhood perfecting his magic act that he later used in shows along with his banjo? Or that he worked at Disneyland and then at Knott's Berry Farm? There is so much to read about and be amazed at, especially his heyday on the road when his loneliness was at its peak.

General consensus: Enlightening, engrossing and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny.

Book Report #123 - Flipped

2009-10-02T23:48:00.000-07:00

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

I used to badger this writer I knew that we should write a book about falling in love together but he should write the guy part and I should write the girl part (or maybe vice versa). The goal was to show how differently each gender interpreted the same experience.

Now I don't have to do it because Wendelin already did! She did it in that impossible to put down, Wendelin Van Draanen kind of way too and it's so great that Rob Reiner's been busy making it into a movie. Read the amazing story here.

Bryce Loski and Juli Baker are seven years old when he moves in across the street from her. She's instantly sucked in by his beautiful blue eyes but Bryce wants nothing to do with clingy, dirty, nerdy Juli. Even into high school she pines away for him but it's not until a tree she loves is knocked down that Bryce can see her as anything other than a nuisance. Unfortunately for him it's the same time she loses all interest in him because of a jerky mistake he made. That's when things flip.

General consensus: I loved the ending! Refreshing and shows the skill of a master craftswoman.

Book Report #122 - About A Boy

2009-09-25T09:03:00.000-07:00

About a Boy by Nick Hornby

Will is a mid-thirties guy living in London who has never had a job because he's lived off the royalties of his father's famous Christmas song. He's comfortable in a life of easy entertainment and prides himself on how he's skirted emotional depth. Then he dates a single mother and realizes it's not so bad. In fact, it's kind of interesting. He'd like to meet more single mothers but can't figure out how to do it until he discovers that it would work best if he was a single father. Easily done. He invents a son and starts attending a single parents' support group.

The rest of the book is about how he propagates his lies and the connection he makes with a troubled high schooler named Marcus. As his relationship with Marcus and various single mothers grows he realizes that depth may not be the enemy after all.

GENERAL CONSENSUS: It's obvious Hugh Grant played Will in the movie, right?

Book Report #121 - Franny and Zooey

2009-09-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

Franny and Zooey by JD Salinger

Brother and sister in a family of seven kids have decided that while they are the most beautiful they are also the most screwed up of the lot. They're both too philosophical for their own good. Franny has a meltdown while she's in college reading a couple books about a religious practice that's quite interesting, actually. Zooey is an actor still living with his parents who is sarcastic and laugh out loud funny. Let him go enough pages and he'll say something fantastic.

This reminded me of The Catcher in the Ryea lot:

Took place in New York
About young adults
Misanthropic
Full of streams of consciousness
Same charming cursing
Surprisingly optimistic at the end

I was surprised at how much Salinger wanted to discuss religious and spiritual beliefs. It was like he was bursting with it.

General consensus: Salinger must be a miserable guy.

Book Report #120 - Zen and the Art of Intimacy

2009-09-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

Zen and the Art of Intimacy: The Simple Path of Passion, Fidelity and Love by Arthur Samuels, M.D.

This was a beautiful read. First we are taught how to love ourselves and given a simple yet highly effective meditation to get there. Then we are led through an intimate relationship from start to finish and shown how it is really possible to not get angry and instead celebrate your partner so that true intimacy can be shared. I have so much hope.

General consensus: Reading that felt like the best hug ever.

Book Report #119 - Who Moved My Cheese?

2009-09-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life bySpencer Johnson

There are these two mice and these two dinky human-like creatures and they all run around in a maze and find their cheese. They return every day to eat their cheese. The mice keep their running shoes tied around their necks and check out the scene for change before eating while the human-like creatures just dive right in. The human-like creatures grow more and more complacent until the cheese is no longer there. The mice were prepared and run off in search of new cheese while the human-like creatures sit around and bemoan their luck. They are slow to adapt and one doesn't make it.

It's pretty obvious stuff but for some reason it really resonated with the world.

General consensus: Insipid.

Book Report #118 - Mother Warriors

2009-09-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds by Jenny McCarthy

I didn't know until earlier this year that autism could be reversed. I was curious to learn more so I picked up this book and got rocked.

Jenny's son got autism right after a vaccination but doctors disregarded the connection. She had to fight every step of the way to make her son better and she had to fight to share her story. She has so much to say and there's so much for us to learn.

Kid's can get better from autism and it should be common knowledge. The stories of these mother warriors touched my heart and by the end of the book I was crying. It's such a difficult battle but imagine getting breast cancer on top of it or not having the support of your spouse or actually losing your child.

General consensus: Life-changing.

Book Report #117 - The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

2009-09-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Book 1) by Ann Brashares

This book was a weird experience. I got about twenty pages in, noted to myself that I didn't like it because it was annoying and then finished it in three hours.

You probably know a little about the story. The four very different girls who have been friends since birth all somehow not only fit into this pair of jeans but also all look fantastic in them. This is their first summer apart because they are going all over the place for different adventures so they make a pact to share the pants over the summer. The magic pants.

One discovers that her dad is getting remarried and has to cope with his new family all summer. One goes to Greece to visit her grandparents and falls in love for the first time. Another goes to Baja for soccer camp and falls for a camp counselor. The last has to stay home and work over the summer but makes a life-changing friend in the process.

It was written in a teenager's style and stayed true to the age. It was fine. I don't understand why people say it's so amazing.

General consensus: Preferred the movie.

Book Report #116 - The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing

2009-08-31T18:42:00.000-07:00

The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank

This collection of short stories told by women starts off hilariously. Then it got more serious but I soldiered through a woman's relationship with a man twice her age. It wasn't that hard because the writing is solid. And it was so worth it because the last story sent me into peals of giggles.

The woman who is consistent throughout the book meets the right man. Unfortunately she's also finally caved and started reading one of those books on the rules on dating. She did this as a precautionary measure so she wouldn't drive this wonderful man away but ends up getting the two writers of the book stuck in her head and wondering if she's turning slightly schizo. I, for one, could identify with it and was blown away by how perfectly Bank wrote it.

General consensus: Fun and thought-provoking. Recommended for women.

Tidbit: They say that Michelle Bank started the genre of chick lit with this book. Then the genre changed and got kind of stupid. Wikipedia it.

Book Report #115 - Just In Case

2009-08-15T00:51:00.000-07:00

Just in Case by Meg Rosoff

Fifteen-year old David Case catches his one-year old brother Charlie before he sails off the roof claiming he can fly. This launches David into an exhaustive introspective journey on how to avoid what he feels is his doomed fate. Of course, he has to rename himself to trick fate from finding him and his name becomes Justin Case.

Along the way he becomes a model and nearly misses a plane crashing on top of him. It's really, really weird and Charlie is by far the best thing the book has going.

General consensus: WTF? But I gotta say, the quality of writing was superb.

Book Report #114 - The Time Traveler's Wife

2009-08-15T00:38:00.000-07:00

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Clare is six years old when she meets her future husband, Henry. He appears to her in the field behind the house as a forty-year old but he can't stay long because he's got to travel back to the present.

Sound confusing? It is.

Clare and Henry develop a friendship and then an intimate relationship in the field where he appears without warning and without clothes (hazards of time travel) until she is 19. They are without each other until they meet in Chicago in the present. He has no recollection of her but she was prepared for that.

This is marketed as a beautiful story of timeless love. I call BS. I don't get why these two were in love. They had great sex and a lot of it but I don't feel that that's enough. The supposedly epic love felt flimsy and frankly, Henry kind of seemed like an asshole.

Good stuff was how lovingly the city of Chicago was portrayed. That kept me reading when the main characters were pissing me off. Also, I was relieved to see someone take on time travel without the possibility of "changing the future." The author adamantly refused to go there and it made all the difference in the credibility of the story.

General consensus: It'll grab you but 500 pages later you'll heave a sigh of relief.

Book Report #113 - The Fiction Class

2009-08-15T00:24:00.000-07:00

The Fiction Class by Susan Breen

I'm about to begin teaching a creative writing class to teenage girls so I picked this novel up for some inspiration.

Arabella Hicks has taught creative writing to a motley crew of New Yorkers for years. This year she teaches the class on Wednesday afternoons and then goes to see her mother at her rest home for their weekly visit.

The story started off slow but I stuck with it and soon felt that the character development paid off. I didn't particularly like Arabella or her mother or any of Arabella's students but they intrigued me. I was moved to see compassion blossoming throughout the class. The characters brought tears of joy more than once and while Arabella's relationship with her mother was trying, their growth was so striking I cried more than I did at The Notebook and then felt an urge to overnight the book to my mom so she could share the experience.

General consensus: Pretty good.

Book Report #112 - Turning the Mind Into an Ally

2009-08-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

Turning the Mind Into an Ally by Sakyong Mipham

This book says everything you tend to forget you knew. What you should be doing. How you can get there. In the end you know that you can feel comfortable in your own skin.

It's a Buddhist approach involving meditation and compassion. It's work but if we keep referring to this book we'll get there!

General consensus: Elegantly powerful.

Book Report #111 - Damn the Rejections, Full Speed Ahead

2009-07-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

Damn the Rejections, Full Speed Ahead: The Bumpy Road to Getting Published by Maralys Wills

Written by a lifelong genre hopper, this book is half memoir, half writing guide. My friend lent it to me with the highest praise but I couldn't get a fire under my butt to read another book on writing. When I finally cracked it open I couldn't shut it again. It was just so fun and full of such important information.

General consensus: Every writer should read this book. I'm now buying my own copy so I can keep it on my shelf.

Book Report #110 - My Life in France

2009-07-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

My Life in France by Julia Child

I ate this up like it was one of her delicious meals. Julia had an intoxicating joie de vivre. I loved reading about her move to France with her husband Paul and how she developed an obsession with French cooking. I felt like I'd lived in France with her and was as intense a fan of it as she was.

She wrote about going to school at Le Cordon Bleu and then teaching her own classes. She had an amazing social life in Paris and I couldn't get enough. I was sad when she had to move to Marseilles because her husband was given a new station by the US government. At that point she was working feverishly on Mastering The Art of French Cooking, a book I never thought I'd read but am now hungering to.

Julia poured everything she had into writing that book. It took her years even with the help of her partner, Simca. She tested everything repeatedly to find the simplest and most effective ways to make the best food in the world and knew she had a classic on her hands if she just kept at it.

Her road to publication was rocky but highly entertaining. Her moves around Europe only made her more interesting as she kept her drive no matter what the location or the kitchen. I loved her introduction to television and then her contributions to it. I loved everything as long as she was talking about it.

Now when I putter around the kitchen I hear her disappointing titter and I giggle.

General consensus: This was a great read about success by a woman who not only mastered French cooking, but mastered the ability to appreciate life as it came. She is my new role model.

Book Report #109 - My Sister's Keeper

2009-07-14T23:28:00.000-07:00

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

I admire Jodi for taking on such a complex subject in such a complicated structure. Each chapter was written from a different character's perspective to tell the story of 13-year old Anna who was genetically designed by her parents to be a match for her older sister Kate who is dying of leukemia. First Anna donated cord blood at birth, later blood, platelets and bone marrow and now is being told she will donate a kidney. What about what she wants? She hires a lawyer who agrees to work pro bono to get her medical emancipation.

This tears apart the family and there are loads and loads of drama thrown in. There's a twist at the end that almost made me lose it. I felt the tears coming but stopped them before they fell.

I really did come to care about these characters and couldn't wait to find out what happened to them but I couldn't help feeling that it was all a little too contrived and therefore unbelievable.

General consensus: A good effort but missed the mark.

Book Report #108 - Julie & Julia

2009-07-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell

Who can resist a movie trailer with Amy Adams flailing around in the kitchen and Meryl Streep playing a delightful Julia Child? I can't wait for it to hit the theaters so I picked up the book at Target.

Julie, a 29 year-old resident of Long Island City, decides to do all 524 recipes in Julia Child's Mastering The Art of French Cooking. This is a true story. She's not sure her marriage will survive it.

Sometimes it was trying reading about her crummy apartment that was always filthy and wading through her talking herself down all the time and having conniptions but overall I really enjoyed it. It was laugh-out-loud funny and difficult to put down. Plus, I learned a lot about cooking and enjoyed living vicariously through her evisceration of various animals as I'm sure I'll never have the courage to do it myself.

General consensus: I'm passing it on to a friend and I still can't wait for the movie.

Book Report #107 - I'm Proud of You

2009-07-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

I'm Proud of You: My Friendship with Fred Rogers by Tim Madigan

When I bought this I didn't know Fred Rogers was Mr. Rogers from Mr. Rogers' Neighbhorhood. I didn't know anything about Mr. Rogers except that my mom couldn't stand his show and that there was a rumor going around that he'd had a dishonorable discharge from the military. I wish I'd known sooner what a beautiful human being he was.

Tim Madigan is a journalist who had the good fortune of interviewing Mr. Rogers years ago. That interview blossomed into a lifelong friendship. There is little more beautiful to me than grown men sharing deep platonic love and theirs brought me to tears more than once.

It was so intimate that Tim shared the trouble that had been brewing in him since he was young. He felt limited and frustrated in life because his father had never been proud of him. He asked Mr. Rogers if he would be proud of him in a letter. Of course he would. Mr. Rogers signed off most of his correspondence from there on out "IPOY" (I'm proud of you.)

Mr. Rogers really was as wonderful as he was portrayed on his show. He was there for Tim when Tim's brother was dying of cancer and with the entire family throughout the ordeal offering his support and suffering right along with them.

When Mr. Rogers finally passed he did so quiety so as not to draw attention to himself even though he was in excruciating pain from stomach cancer. He is a great mentor who will live forever through his legacy.

General consensus: This book made me a better person and I believe everyone can benefit from reading it. (I now sign off IPOY in the intimate correspondence I have with one of my greatest friends.)

Book Report #106 - Pontoon

2009-06-26T18:41:00.000-07:00

Pontoon: A Novel of Lake Wobegone by Garrison Keillor

My dad used to play Garrison Keillor tapes for our family when we went on our car trips. My brother and I loved them--the Living Flag story where everyone in town has to be involved to get it done but then nobody can see it so they have to take turns going up to the top of the hospital to get a look, the over-dramatized story of Jim the Ant, the African safari gone awry. Keillor's voice was soothing and strong. We clung to his deep breaths, not being able to wait for what was next.

I had never read anything by him until Pontoon. I wanted to quote half of it, it was that hilarious and unique.

Keillor takes the time to really introduce you to every character so you understand who they are and all the little things in life that motivate them. Evelyn is the first and she passes away all too quickly but thank God she asked to be cremated and her remains dropped in the lake in a hollowed out bowling ball. It's almost too much for the good Lutherans to handle.

The drama is understated and delicious. Keillor's subtle humor is enough to make you burst out laughing no matter where you are. And the showdown at the end is absolutely ridiculous.

General consensus: The most satisfying humorous book I've read since Bill Bryson's The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid.

Book Report #105 - Buddha

2009-06-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment by Deepak Chopra

When I saw this at a bookstore I felt joy wash over me. I had to get it even if I had already read Siddhartha and felt the territory had been covered. I'd never read a book by Chopra and really wanted to give it a shot.

I just finished it this morning and am reeling from it. I was disappointed a lot of the way through because I felt that Guatama's (Buddha name as a prince) coming-of-age story was largely irrelevant. What I really wanted to know were the details of how he became enlightened. There was so much darkness and disappointment for him, not the way I'd previously imagined, and it got me down.

When he became awakened I was even more depressed. It seemed joyless to break out of the cycle of samsara (suffering) and reach Nirvana. This is allegedly a point where good and bad no longer exist. At that point Buddha could choose whether he would stay in this world or go. He chose to stay and help people.

Therein lies my question. If there is no good or bad why choose a life of compassion, kindness and non-violence? What does it matter? The writing after the awakening seemed inconsistent and therefore frustrating, especially when Deepak acknowledged that he is not a Buddhist or Buddhist scholar. Where's his credibility supposed to come from?

I'm confused, profoundly affected and more confused. The Epilogue answered some of my questions but not enough. That's fine because Deepak is probably not the best source for the answers. I'm sure they come from looking within although I'm convinced a Master is pretty necessary for an awakening.

General consensus: I'm still unclear on what I read. Trying to figure it out.

Book Report #104 - The Bookseller of Kabul

2009-05-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad

This is a true and gripping story of an Afghani family told from the perspective of a woman who was granted the right to live with and observe them.

Frankly, it's a maddening story. These women are so repressed it's hard to believe. Through arranged marriages and the need to wear burkas they hardly have any freedom at all. Of course, life after the Taliban should be freer but so many are trapped in the mindset of the civil war, kind of like Americans who lived through the Depression will never be fully free of the lifestyle it forced them into.

The life of the men is not necessarily a sweet one either. This story covers the lives of many members of a family in an intense and lyrical way.

General consensus: I will never forget this story.

Book Report #103 - You On Top

2009-05-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

You On Top: Smart, Sexy Skills Every Woman Needs to Set the World on Fire by Kate White

I'm a sucker for the bargain bin at Barnes and Noble. Thankfully I have a limit of three books per trip. This one managed to make it in my stack.

Kate White is the editor of Cosmopolitan magazine as well as a successful mystery writer. She condenses the best material she's gleaned from her years at Cosmo and shares it in this book.

It's helpful. Not as helpful as stuff the Dalai Lama might say but it's not bad. I'm kind of tired of thinking about how to please a man, though.

General consensus: Empowerment Sex & the City-style.

Book Report #102 - The Art of Happiness

2009-05-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living by the Dalai Lama & Howard C. Cutler

Did you know this written by a psychologist? It made for an interesting take on the Dalai Lama. It was kind of comical. He would hear the Dalai Lama say something and then furrow his brow as he tried to make it fit into what he knew about psychology.

The Dalai Lama had some fantastically helpful things to say about how to cope with suffering, how to have a sense of urgency in your life and how to approach romance. Basically when we are following our purpose it leads to happiness so that's how you can tell whether you're doing something good or bad. If it's bad it's going to lead to suffering and he says the whole point to life is happiness.

General consensus: Pretty great but you have to take it slow and really absorb it.

Book Report #101 - Outliers

2009-04-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

Gladwell is the author of Blinkand The Tipping Point. Here he dissects success and discovers that it is not the product of the usual "picked himself up by the bootstraps" story that we've heard a zillion times. Success is the product of talent along with fortunate circumstances and a lot of effort.

It is an entertaining read filled with interesting illustrations of his points. He shows us the most brilliant man in America who never achieved fame and wealth and the transcripts of pilots during plane crashes to explain why it would happen so much at Korean Air. He also shows why Bill Gates and The Beatles were able to achieve so much success. Turns out it's not that complicated but it may be out of reach for most of us.

General consensus: I am an outlier to this theory! I was the youngest in my class and I never felt disadvantaged for it. What the heck? Maybe it was because I was busy getting my 10,000 hours of reading under my belt.

Book Report #100 Mother Teresa: Living in Love

2009-04-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

Mother Teresa: Living in Love by Glenna Hammer Moulthrop

I read a book on the parallel sayings of Jesus and Lao Tzu this morning and this "compilation of Mother Teresa's teachings of love" this evening. They're all saying the same thing!

Quotations of Mother Teresa were interwoven with the writer's story. Glenna had suffered and been blessed through the love that Mother Teresa so generously gave.

It all comes from here: "We have all been created in the image of God to love and be loved."

"In order for us to be able to love, we need to have faith because faith is love in action, and love in action is service."

General consensus: Gorgeous. Makes life a lot less complicated.

Book Report #99 Jesus and Lao Tzu: The Parallel Sayings

2009-04-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

Jesus and Lao Tzu: The Parallel Sayings Edited by Martin Aronson

This book cleared a lot up. I grew up thinking that The Bible had to have been poorly written because I understood next to nothing of it (and apparently as a child I had an ego the size of France). When I picked up the Tao Te Ching later in life it all made sense. Now I see they're saying the same thing! The Tao Te Ching lays it all out plainly while The Bible says the same thing in story format with characters and plot and enough to confuse you beyond recognition if that's not how your brain works.

Here were a couple of selections that hit me over the head:

And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to the span of your life?
Luke 12:25

Love is victorious in attack
and invulnerable in defense.
Tao Te Ching 67

Ritual is the husk of faith and loyalty,
the beginning of confusion.
Tao Te Ching 38

General consensus: The light bulb finally went on!

Book Report #98 - Fat, Forty and Fired

2009-04-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

Fat, Forty, Fired: One Man's Frank, Funny, and Inspiring Account of Losing His Job and Finding His Life by Nigel Marsh

Nigel tells the story of having an ego-fluffing job in London along with a family that includes four children--two sons and twin girls--and an amazing, patient wife Kate. They are relocated to Sydney, Australia due to Nigel's work. Nigel couldn't love the city more. It is a miraculous change from dreary London but then he loses his job.

It is a choice. He is so wound up he decides to take a year off and spend time with the family. At first it reminded me of Bridget Jones. Nigel had the same British disgust in himself and same misguided attempt to bring himself out of the wreckage he'd made his life but then something changed. He found joy. It was a slow but sure process. Reminded me more of Jerry Maguire in the end.

Nigel never reaches perfection but his journey to better himself is inspiring and laugh-out-loud funny. I enjoyed every minute of it.

General consensus: Fantastic.

Book Report #97 - Breakfast with Buddha

2009-04-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo

This is the story of a happily married father with two teenage children who mean the world to him. He has that upper-middle class life that is considered an American success story yet he can't shake an intermittent nagging feeling that there is something missing.

His parents, the dutiful Protestants from North Dakota, are killed in a car crash and now he and his sister not only must sort out the estate but their emotion. Sister is a free spirit who practices regression therapy and does not like to fly. He proposes a car trip from the East Coast to North Dakota. She accepts. Yet when he arrives, it's not her who comes on the journey. It's Volya Rinpoche, the spiritual master who his sister is giving her portion of the land to.

Brother's first reaction to this arrangement is anger but slowly he opens up to what Rinpoche has to say and show him.

General consensus: Absolutely beautiful. Moves like a river.

Book Report #96 - At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances

2009-04-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances by Alexander McCall Smith

This is part of a series written by the author of The New No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. It follows Professor von Iglefeld of Germany to a visiting professor position at Cambridge University and then to Columbia (the country) where he receives an award for his work, Portuguese Irregular Verbs. Smith is charming as usual but can spend too much time on the mundane, like the drama between the professors in Germany. I didn't particularly care about all their trifles. The best part was definitely the end of the trip to Columbia where things got deliciously out of hand.

General consensus: Not Smith's best but fun to read in a John Cleese voice.

Book Report #95 - The Traveler's Gift

2009-03-25T21:50:00.000-07:00

The Young Traveler's Gift: Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success by Andy Andrews

I had high hopes for this. So much for New York Times Bestsellers.

The protagonist, whose name I can't remember and I just finished the thing, has that intense high-level corporate job that ends in a pile of rubble. He loses everything and slinks home to his wife and daughter with his sob story, crying, "Why did this happen to me?"

It's hardly tolerable at that point, especially with the dry writing, but wait! When his daughter needs her tonsils removed and he gets fired from his ridiculous part-time job at the hardware store he considers killing himself in his car. On impact he doesn't die but is whisked away to Potsdam to meet Harry Truman who has wisdom to espouse and a document to give him that has all the wisdom on it.

Need I go on?

General consensus: Has some moments of wisdom but is not the best self-help book out there considering the reader struggles to ever buy in to the story.

Book Report #94 - He's Just Not That Into You

2009-02-10T22:14:00.000-08:00

He's Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo

Behrendt, the only guy at the Sex and the City writers meetings, was shocked to find how many excuses women make to believe that guys are into them. Here he reveals just how wrong we are in an unyielding Dear Abby format. Tuccillo is there to cushion the blows.

Turns out that a guy is not that into you if he's mean to you, breaking up with you or married to another woman. Groundbreaking! No really. It somehow is. Maybe because we haven't graduated from that cruel sandbox flirtation in kindergarten?

General consensus: Was surprised to find that while it held obvious truths I loved it. It is funny and necessary.

(Saw the movie the day that I finished it and liked that too! I can't wait to discuss it with someone.)

Book Report #93 - The Book Thief

2009-01-24T10:02:00.000-08:00

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This is a tour de force about the Holocaust told by Death. It focuses on one family and particularly a little girl named Liesel.

The writing is not of this earth. It is beyond us.

General consensus: Profound. Courageous. Unique. An instant classic.

Book Report #92 - The Appeal

2008-12-29T12:29:00.000-08:00

The Appeal by John Grisham

Krane Chemical is a larger-than-life company that has no need to consider the fates of the country bumpkin people its toxic water touches. The town of Bowmore, Missisppi becomes known as Cancer Country when people become sick and even start to die from the poisoned water. The company is sued first by Jeannette Baker whose husband and little son died from drinking the water. She wins $41 million from Krane Chemical and the town is hopeful that it will be cleaned up--until the appeal. Now anything can happen.

The Appeal is written with a distaste for big business and its tort lawyers. Would they really go so far as to buy a seat on the State Supreme Court?

I've read most everything Grisham has written and it is in The Appeal and his prior work, The Innocent Man, where I really started to notice his disgust with certain aspects of the legal system. I can't tell if he was always this way and I was too young to notice before or if he's becoming older and more jaded. Maybe the system is becoming worse? I'd really like to discuss it with him.

General consensus: Interesting and enticing.

Book Report #91 - Getting Things Done

2008-12-16T13:02:00.000-08:00

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

If you take one thing away from this book it should be your newfound willingness to ask, "What's the next action?" This is the key to productivity. We amass To Do lists with amorphous tasks and avoid them like the plague because they stress us out. By breaking these down into Next Action lists we take away the stress and find that we're actually getting things done.

Allen has plenty more to say on the subject. I scanned the book because I was pretty organized when I started reading it but it definitely made an impact. I added the GTDInbox extension to my Gmail and LOVE IT!

General consensus: Worth a perusal. Possibly won't live up to the hype but has enough golden nuggets to make it worth your time.

Book Report #90 - The Tipping Point

2008-12-15T09:55:00.000-08:00

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell

Oh, the silly things we assume! The author of Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking never ceases to entertain in his follow-up work.

In this gripping account of what makes epidemics occur Gladwell looks at how Hush Puppies went from something a few kids in Greenwich Village were wearing to something the world was celebrating with fashion awards. How Blues Clues and Airwalks became such smash hits. How Paul Revere was able to mobilize his people in time to intercept the British.

It isn't at all what we thought. And boy, is it complicated. But with practice we can take things we learn from The Tipping Point and became the best marketers in the history of western civilization. We're all in sales, right? This book is guaranteed to make you better at whatever it is you're selling.

General consensus: I need more Gladwell! Thankfully Outliers: The Story of Success has been released.

Book Report #89 - Quiet Strength

2008-11-08T10:50:00.000-08:00

Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life by Tony Dungy

I picked up this book because I am going through a difficult time in my life and my friend recommended it as a source of strength. He said it was only about 15% football and the rest about Tony's life.

Tony Dungy is the coach of the Indianapolis Colts. He's a Christian guy who is vocal about his faith. I feel like a jerk saying this but the book made me uncomfortable. It made me think practically everyone in the NFL is Christian since they pray together before and after games. I never considered working for the NFL before and that's good because now I would never apply for a job within the organization. I have a strong feeling I'd be the odd one out.

Aside from all the Christian talk I did manage to extract some solid advice.

"Do the common things uncommonly well."

"Stay the course."

These will have an impact on my life. Thank you, Mr. Dungy.

General consensus: Best enjoyed by Christian football fans since the book is about 80% football and 100% Christian.

Book Report #88 - A Long Way Down

2008-11-02T08:24:00.000-08:00

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

Four people meet on a roof on New Years' Eve. They've each gone up there with the intention of killing themselves and didn't bargain on company.

A Long Way Down is from the perspective of each of these people. Their stories aren't dressed up or dressed down. They are put out there in their nakedness. We can judge for ourselves or not judge at all.

General consensus: Skillful and brilliant. Hornby captures rage courageously. (Maybe for him it's just the way it is but I know for a lot of writers it would be impossible to be that honest.) I felt weird laughing over suicide but Hornby makes it funny!

Book Report #87 - No One Belongs Here More Than You

2008-10-25T13:28:00.000-07:00

No One Belongs Here More Than You: Stories by Miranda July

This book of short stories is certainly well-written. It pays homage to those neurotic thoughts we have that we think are so unique. It is engrossing even if it makes the reader uncomfortable.

I found the sexual theme of it to be a little out of my comfort zone and it left me wondering if that's the way life is or if it's just the way this book is. When I closed the book I felt the same way I did at the end of Running with Scissors--sad, empty and like I wanted to heave into a toilet.

General consensus: A sure-fire hit for people who are nothing like me.

Book Report #86 - The Miracle at Speedy Motors

2008-10-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

The Miracle at Speedy Motors: The New Novel in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series by Alexander McCall Smith

I thought the series was over and then saw this at the library and was overjoyed! I was reading it while waiting on a job interview last week. When my interviewer came to get me he asked what I was reading. I showed him the cover. He thought it was a genre mystery and I told him no. It's a gentle story set in Botswana. It's like a vacation.

And of course the series can't be over! Mma Makutsi is not married yet. The interns are still at the shop. There is so much growing to do. So much to be learned and so many mysteries to be solved.

General consensus: Sweet. I'd almost describe it as a warm embrace from your mother.

Book Report #85 - Other Sorrows, Other Joys

2008-10-07T22:49:00.000-07:00

Other Sorrows, Other Joys: The Marriage of Catherine Sophia Boucher and William Blake by Janet Warner

"He who binds himself a joy
Doth the winged life destroy
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in Eternity's sun rise."

I love this quotation from William Blake. This book was given to me by the woman who represents the novel. I was curious to find out what the book had come to after it had been rewritten and drastically cut down in size to result in the agent crying out, "Now that's sex, drugs and rock 'n roll!"

Other Sorrows, Other Joys is the fictionalized story of William Blake's life through the eyes of his wife. It's beautifully written in the olde English-style and undeniably intriguing for detailing the personal lives of a famous artist who had a wandering eye for which he was not apologetic and his wife who felt horribly betrayed by his actions and then discovered that she, too, was guilty of the same sin.

General consensus: Glad I read it even if it felt a little slow at times.

Book Report #84 - Twilight

2008-09-22T00:41:00.000-07:00

Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) by Stephenie Meyer

I finally gave in to the hype and bought this at Target. I figured it had to be good considering how it was doing on the open market. Nope!

It was infuriating. On the back it tells you that the narrator is in love with a vampire yet the book drags on for 200 pages before she realizes he's a vampire. Ugh! The writing was simple and that's fine because it's a young adult novel but there was too much of it. I got bogged down in the mundane. I felt like this was completely amateur. In my humble opinion it would behoove Ms. Meyer to touch quickly on the details of a character's day and then go in depth into a particular moment to reveal personalities and plot. And the dialogue? Sheesh! Edward and Bella just talked about the same stuff over and over. Spare me.

General consensus: They're making this into a movie! I hope that the bulk of it is the showdown at the end. Otherwise snooze-fest.

Book Report #83 - Skinner's Drift

2008-09-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

Skinner's Drift: A Novel by Lisa Fugard

I spoke alongside Lisa at an author's forum and really liked her so I picked up her book. Lisa's from South Africa. Her first novel's title is the name of the farm in South Africa where most of the action plays out.

Lisa kept me hooked because I desperately needed to know what happened to the protagonist Eva's mother. For some reason she died and I got the impression that Eva's father was to blame but even with all the foreshadowing I couldn't figure out exactly what was going on. Eva was still bitter about it into adulthood and held it against her dying father.

The point of view switched a lot, oftentimes to characters that I thought were almost too minor to be deserving of a say. But hey, it worked in As I Lay Dying. She also used a lot of Afrikaans in the characters' dialogue. That was tough.

General consensus: Good suspense. Good imagery. Not really sure what the hell happened, though.

Book Report #82 - Blink

2008-09-07T21:25:00.000-07:00

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

Blink was a fast-paced, fun explanation of the phenomenon of making a snap judgment. It had a bunch of well-written examples of people and groups of people making judgments with a plethora of information and people making judgments instantly. Turns out there is a lot of power in the ability to make a quick decision.

The take home message was that when we are making complex decisions it is best to make them quickly, in the blink of an eye. But when we are making basic decisions it is best to weigh out the information we have and make an educated choice.

General consensus: I learned so much, had a blast and can't wait to read The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.

Book Report #81 - Beachglass

2008-09-01T15:57:00.000-07:00

Beachglass: A Novel by Wendy Blackburn

At first I was lost. I didn't know who Timothy was and I didn't know why the narrator Delia was so upset about something that had happened with him. The whole first chapter I just had question marks in my eyes. It made me wonder if the novel could be spared or if I'd just be too frustrated to go on.

As it turns out, the more I read the more engrossed I became. Reading about Delia recovering from her drug addiction was certainly inspiring but it wasn't until her best friend--and I mean best friend in the deepest sense possible--, Timothy, was dying of AIDS that I became consistently teared up due to being so moved.

General consensus: This is an amazing story of addiction and recovery that will shake you to your core.

Book Report #80 - The Female Brain

2008-08-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine, M.D.

A neuropsychiatrist explains the actions of women in a purely scientific fashion. I learned a lot, like women's feet have to be warm for them to want sex and they are oxytocin fiends. Made me realize that comedian I heard say, "Getting a woman to have sex with you is like starting a fire--all conditions have to be right" was correct.

My favorite part was learning about why men and women interpret some situations completely differently. Brizendine says we're actually hardwired that way. Our Stone Age brains haven't changed much.

I also enjoyed learning about how women's brains actually change through life, from childhood to adolescence to adulthood to motherhood to menopausal and post-menopausal. Our brains actually change! Gives us a lot of get out of jail free cards on acting like bitches...

The one thing I vehemently disagree about was the claim that women think about sex once a day and 3-4 times a day on their hottest days. I call bullshit.

General consensus: I recommend this book to anyone and everyone because even if you disagree some the subject matter alone will spark some great discussions.

Book Report #79 - Bird by Bird

2008-08-01T16:07:00.000-07:00

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

This was refreshing in that it was not pretentious in the slightest. Quite the opposite. Lamott puts her whole writing career out there--the good, the bad and the ugly--so we can learn from it. I loved her quotation about critics. These are the people that show up once the battle is over and kick the wounded.

Bird by Bird made me laugh out loud. As I read I shared I stopped to share selections with whoever was in the room. Lamott does not stutter when she states that writing has to be done for the sake of a personal journey, NOT for the sake of publication. Because if you weren't enough before the party, you're certainly not going to be enough after. But what a joy it is to write! To try, to stretch your limits and to reach that incredible moment where it becomes bigger than you.

General consensus: If you're a writer, you must read it.

Book Report #78 - The Open Road

2008-07-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama by Pico Iyer

I really liked hearing Pico read selections of this book. The Dalai Lama has been in his life since he was a boy and he's taken many journeys to Dharamsala and around the world to see him. That inspired him to write a book about the man from a secular perspective since he is not Buddhist.

It was a difficult read for me because there was no plot. It felt a little scattered and I had a hard time focusing. It took about two weeks to get through it.

General consensus: Not for me but maybe for you.

Book Report #77 - On Writing

2008-07-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

On Writing by Stephen King

At the Santa Barbara Writers Conference I was told I had to read this. It wasn't given an option. Since there's nothing I like more than being told exactly what to do I bought it and read it.

The first section, C.V., now salsa-spattered so you know I read it with gusto, was not fair. King has the charisma of ten people. The story of his childhood was as joyous as Bill Bryson's in The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. His honesty about his alcoholism was stunning and his ride to publication thrilling.

Then it kind of fell off for me. I appreciate that he went through the mechanics of writing as thoroughly as he did but I just have this thing where I don't like talking about the process of writing. I'd rather just write. Actually, King feels the same way. He was just trying to impart some knowledge to beginning writers who were asking for it.

The last section covered his brush with death when he was run over by a bus. What a bitch that was. It was a nice, albeit horrifying, peek into this larger-than-life writer's life.

General consensus: You have to read it for the first chapter. Then use what you can of the rest.

Book Report #76 - The Legend of Oescienne

2008-07-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

The Legend of Oescienne: Book 1 – The Finding by Jenna Johnson
(available on Lulu.com soon)

I don’t read fantasy. Ever. I only got through the first page of The Lord Of the Rings. It was just so confusing! But now I have one under my belt. Jenna made it easy.

Here’s the back cover copy:

When the dragon Jaax receives word that a human infant has been found in the province of Oescienne, he refuses to believe it. Humans have been extinct for centuries, purged from the world by the immortal Crimson King. Despite his doubts, however, Jaax journeys to the elfin village of Crie only to discover that what he has been seeking for so many hears has finally been found…

Jahrra is the answer to a prophecy, one that tells of a human child who will one day rise against the evil king and return peace to Ethoes. But before she can fulfill her destiny, Jahrrra must first survive the challenge of growing up. Little does she know that this is only the very beginning of a journey wrapped in danger, adventure, mystery and the greatest test of friendship, loyalty and love.

Don’t you love that last sentence?

Book 1 of The Legend of Oescienne is absolutely perfect to read to children ages about seven to eleven. It would be great on car trips or to be read as a reward in the classroom. The action at the end had me hanging on every word. What’s really interesting about this story is that the complexity of the writing increases with the age of the heroine.

General consensus: Jenna, finish the second one already!

Book Report #75 - Baby Proof

2008-06-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

Baby Proof by Emily Griffin

Claudia's 30 and doesn't want a baby. This makes her a dating pariah. Until she meets Ben who is just like her. But after a few years of their dazzling marriage something changes. Now all Ben can think about is how wonderful it would be to have a child. Deal breaker. Marriage is over. Until there's some post-divorce remorse.

I thought this was a flimsy plot but that's usually what chick lit is, right? Throw in some contrived scenes and a fast-paced plot and somehow you've finished reading the book in two days.

General consensus: Exactly what you expect, giggling included.

Book Report #74 - The Lady and the Monk

2008-06-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto by Pico Iyer

I saw Pico speak at UC Santa Barbara about his latest work on the Dalai Lama. I knew nothing about him. I just showed up because I love the Dalai Lama. Pico swept me away. He is a charismatic, engaging and charmingly self-effacing speaker. And his writing is something else entirely.

The Lady and the Monk recounted a year Pico spent in Kyoto. It doesn't even matter what happened to him while he was there. I rarely read a book without a care for the plot. Here I was entranced. I lost track of time as I read his descriptions that transcended everything I knew about writing. I no longer think that prose is too limiting for certain situations. I almost feel like when Pico uses it it's another medium entirely.

And then the other part I can't get over is that he recounted a year of travel in a way that made me feel like I was actually there. He captured all those feelings you have when you've spent a good length of time abroad and can never put into words.

Believe it or not there's still more. Pico's friend Sachiko is gorgeously portrayed. We fall in love with her right along with him.

General consensus: Breathtaking. I wish it was a painting so I could admire it on my wall. I never want to let go.

Book Report #73 - Teach Me

2008-05-10T23:37:00.000-07:00

Teach Me by R.A. Nelson

I read this even faster than I read Breathe My Name. Then I reported to the author that he has mastered the art of suspense.

I don't know how he's dead on writing from the perspective of teenage girls. It's eerie. I'm sure he has a better grasp on it than I do.

This time high school Senior Nine delineates from her path of the smart, responsible and quirky student. She becomes involved with her hot poetry teacher. I think we can all agree that that's never a good idea. But we'd love to read about it happening, wouldn't we? I couldn't get enough.

It became a story of betrayal (I wanted to kill him!) and obsession that I simply could not walk away from. I went to bed reading it Friday night and before I got out of bed Saturday morning I'd finished it.

General consensus: I only have one complaint - that Mr. Nelson hasn't finished his next book yet!

Book Report #72 - How To Stop Worrying and Start Living

2008-05-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

How To Stop Worring and Start Living by Dale Carnegie

This book is officially my textbook for life. I bought it for my mom and then I read it. Don't tell her. It still looks brand new.

Mr. Carnegie gives us clearly stated, obvious yet powerful methods for conquering worry. Then he gives us a bunch of reasons why we must conquer worry. Then he gives us so many inspirational stories about people who have done it themselves that we have no recourse. We have to throw up our hands and say, "All right! I'll do it!"

I can't wait until my own copy comes in the mail. I'm going to take it chapter by chapter and absorb every suggestion into my daily living.

General consensus: This book is a blessing.

Book Report #71 - Breathe My Name by R.A. Nelson

2008-04-30T17:42:00.000-07:00

Breathe My Name by R.A. Nelson

Wow. This was amazing. I absolutely could not put it down. And then I lent it to my co-worker and she read it even faster than I did.

The writing is spectacular. Please read it. Just because it's shelved under Young Adult doesn't mean you can't enjoy it.

Oh right. What's it about? This sweet junior in high school Frances has something ugly in her past. And she's just met this new guy at school who she's amazed to find out actually likes her back. Only her family and her best friend know about this horrible thing that happened to her and eventually Frances feels comfortable enough to tell her boyfriend the secret. I was blown away by it. And it just gets more and more engrossing from there because the day of reckoning is coming.

General consensus: Now I want to read more Young Adult stuff. And re-visit The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle! That and By the Great Horn Spoon! are some of my favorites. And The Phantom Tollbooth! I could go on for days.

Book Report #70 - Timeline by Michael Crichton

2008-04-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

Timeline by Michael Crichton

I've been blathering on for years that my favorite book by Michael Crichton is Travels but now I'm not so sure. Timeline was such a rollicking good time it's hard to say.

Timeline combined quantum theory with medieval times with a ton of action. It was everything you never knew you wanted. I loved learning about the Middle Ages this way. And I'm not one for gore but I suppose everything has its time and place.

I don't want to get into the plot because I want the whole thing to be a surprise. Just read it!

General consensus: Pure pleasure, especially in combination with The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End.

Book Report #69 - The Life and Times of the Thunderbot Kid

2008-03-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir by Bill Bryson

Reading this memoir was a pure joy. I don't think I've ever had so much fun reading a book. Bryson has such a happy memory of his childhood and the way he writes it makes you laugh out loud. For the first couple hundred pages I was all set to take a vacation to Des Moines. By the end of the book I discovered that the Des Moines of the 1950s no longer exists so now I have half a mind to re-create it.

General consensus: When I read the last page I naturally turned back to the first to start all over again. You just don't want to leave this beautiful world!

Book Report #68 - Lights On, Los Angeles

2008-03-05T20:41:00.001-08:00

Lights On, Los Angeles by Rachel Bird

I don't usually read chick lit because a lot of the time I end up wanting to beat an important character senseless. Since I wrote this book I thought the least I could do was read it. I gave it a couple of months since my final edit before I picked it up again. And I'm happy to report that I actually had a good time!

Lights On, Los Angeles is the sequel to Lights Out, Los Angeles. They are Laker-inspired novels about recent UCLA graduate Sara Banks finding herself cleaning the house of her favorite player on the basketball team she is an absolute fanatic about, the Los Angeles Celebrities. Her crush Jake soon develops a crush on her and it's game on.

There's enough ridiculousness to keep you entertained. The main character is actually intelligent and capable. However, she's young so she doesn't know what the hell she wants. Jake, on the other hand, manages to be that level of perfect that stops short of annoying. I was surprised to find that men think that he's just the greatest.

General consensus: Fun!

Book Report #67 - Eat, Pray, Love

2008-02-20T22:56:00.000-08:00

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert

This was fantastic. Phenomenal. One of my favorites. Gilbert takes us through a year after her divorce when she spends four months in Italy, four months in an Ashram in India and four months in Bali. It's full of magic. Her honesty is absolutely refreshing. She manages to be completely approachable while doing awe-inspiring things and changes your life in the process.

I cannot believe I have to wait a whole year for the sequel. My first reaction when I read that in the back of the book was, "NO! I need it now!!"

General consensus: You ever read a great book and then you read some ho-hum ones and you start wondering if there are any more good ones out there and then you suddenly find one and you want to tell everyone you know how great it was? That's kind of what this is like.

Book Report #66 - The Year of Magical Thinking

2008-02-16T12:53:00.000-08:00

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

I picked this up because the font-filled cover page sucked me in. It was a whimsical font and the title suggested a few hundred pages of floating around like angels and sprinkling fairy dust. This is why one should read the synopsis on the back of the book. The Year of Magical Thinking was actually the author sharing her first year of coping with her husband's death and the near-death of her daughter.

I appreciated Didion's honest account of her grief. I didn't expect to be so captivated by it. At one point I felt her sorrow enveloping me and I had to yield to the tears and found myself begging my husband not to die. I probably would have been happier floating around like an angel but I was too far into the book to bail out.

The problem I had with The Year of Magical Thinking, and it's a re-occurring problem for me, is that I felt like whatever words Didion chose to express herself were getting in the way of what she was actually trying to express. The words were horribly insufficient and even misleading at times. I have an overwhelming feeling that being in her head and having experienced what she did is vastly different than the words she wrote about it. I never write poetry but I think loss and grief are things that poetry can capture much better than prose. Prose can be frustratingly limiting.

General consensus: A solid account of grief.

Book Report #65 - The Innocent Man

2008-02-12T21:40:00.000-08:00

The Innocent Man by John Grisham

Grisham's first attempt at non-fiction is gripping and perfectly executed. I've read most everything he's written and this was the first time I sat back and thought, "This man is really in a league of his own." He has the legal thriller genre on lock.

Grisham tells the story of Ron Williamson, Oklahoma boy turned convicted murderer left to waste away on Death Row. There's just one problem--he didn't commit the murder. It's heartfelt and it's matter of fact. It's thorough. It has just the right degree of narrative disgust. I wouldn't change a thing.

General consensus: Bravo!

Book Report #64 - Twenty Questions

2008-02-09T18:00:00.000-08:00

Twenty Questions: A Novel by Alison Clement

I'm trying this new thing where I don't criticize others because it probably doesn't do much good so I'm going to have to be as diplomatic as possible about Twenty Questions. Actually, that probably says it all right there. I didn't love it.

Twenty Questions tells the story of June who was offered a ride by a man, which she refused, who she later learned went on to kill another women he offered a ride home that day. Her simple life is thrown into turmoil and a tangled web is woven.

The book is written in a simple manner with simple diction and short sentences from the third person perspective of June, leaving the reader with the impression that June is quite the simpleton and thus not very likable. I would have not been able to go on reading but at about page 90 something sordid occurred, and what can I say? I love the sordid. I finished the book rapidly but I'm not sure if that was because I was really intrigued or I just wanted to get it over with and move on. Probably a little of both.

General consensus: Not my favorite book.

Book Report #63

2008-02-02T16:59:00.000-08:00

Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick

Ever since I made some confused comment about Columbus not actually having discovered that the world was round at Cambridge University I've felt the need to revisit everything I learned in elementary school to figure out whether or not it was true. I don't want to be jeered in a hotbed of intellectual snobbery ever again. I'm sure you feel the same way.

That's why I suggest reading Mayflower. Even though it took me a couple months to get through it because it's so dense with information I did enjoy it but most importantly, I now feel properly informed about the founding of my country. I now know that Plymouth Rock really isn't a big deal, Squanto was kind of an asshole and the idea of Thanksgiving would make the Puritans cringe.

General consensus: A good read for a history dork, especially since the way Philbrick writes is charmingly British.

Book Report #62

2008-01-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People by Stephen R. Covey

I love self-help books. I think Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends & Influence People is fantastic. And I'd heard such good things about this one that I was looking forward to reading it.

What a disappointment. I can't stand when I pick up a book and it assumes I am riddled with deficiencies. The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People assumes that I need to make a zillion changes within myself and purports to tell me how to go about doing that. No thanks. I'm doing fine.

Covey did nothing to convince me that he was even an authority on these matters which made his assertions that much easier to disregard. Plus, his writing was a disgrace. He put no priority on efficient communication. His concepts were simple and the whole thing could have been done in ten pages rather than 300.

General consensus: I'm blown away that this guy has pages of credible sources saying his book is excellent. Now my reliance on these sources is in question.

Book Review #61

2008-01-05T11:40:00.000-08:00

Water for Elephants: A Novel by Sara Gruen

Starting with the perspective of an old man and then jumping back in time to his youth, Water for Elephants tells the provocative story of circus life in Depression-era America. Gruen's writing of the old man is phenomenal. She wrote the character with the dignity he deserved. As far as the main story, I found it disturbing. It was upsetting. I don't think it was necessary for the situations to be as dire as they were. But that's just me. I like pretty things. I also like neat, tidy things and I'm happy to report that this book's structure was exactly that.

General consensus: Very strange and absurdly fantastic at times but I couldn't put it down.

Book Review #60

2007-12-30T18:26:00.000-08:00

Atonement by Ian McEwan

I was absolutely delighted by the British wit that opened this novel. The honeymoon lasted for about fifty pages and then gave way to annoyance. I do not do well with books that dwell on a few mostly insignificant events for what seems like eternity. I prefer for things to happen than to be stuck in the character's head. Inevitably the character begins to over analyze situations and I end up throwing the book at the wall and ranting to my husband who all of a sudden will come out with, "I think I should go mow the lawn."

What made Atonement even worse was that the characters were in the wrong about something vitally important which could have been stopped had one person looked at the facts and come up with a reasonable explanation. But no. Lives had to be ruined. For the first time I read half the novel and then was so exasperated I skipped to the end and felt like I hadn't missed anything.

General consensus: It had a few Oscar Wilde-like moments of great insight but it just wasn't enough to hang in there.

Book Review #59

2007-12-28T19:22:00.000-08:00

World Without End by Ken Follett

Pillars of the Earth is one of my favorite books so when I heard that there was a sequel I was ecstatic. World Without End takes place after the building of the Knightsbridge Cathedral that was begun in Pillars of the Earth. It's not necessary to have read Pillars of the Earth to understand what's going on in World Without End since it takes place in a new century with new characters.

The story of Knightsbridge revolves around four characters who witnessed a violent moment together as children. Follett takes us through the bulk of their lives and shows how they continue to be intertwined. We become part of the town of Knightsbridge as well as the priory in the town. I became a part of the book so much that I started using 1300s English diction in my day to day conversations. And I favored simpler food like apples, bread and cheese.

I maintain that the character Caris is possibly the greatest heroine in all of literature. She was even stronger than Dagny Taggart from Atlas Shrugged. I loved having the opportunity to see her whole life unfold. As a younger person it allowed me to see that while we have what seem like insurmountable setbacks, if we're patient, for even decades at a time, things can have a way of working out.

General consensus: I can't see writing getting any better than this.

Book Report #58

2007-12-12T21:08:00.000-08:00

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

I became a fan of Jay's when he led my writers' conference workshop called Create a Buzz. Naturally I had to read his debut novel. Thirteen Reasons Why is young adult fiction dealing with suicide and is written in a unique format.

High school student Hannah Baker mails a box of tapes to a student at her school right before she kills herself. This student is involved in a story that Hannah tells on the first side of the first tape. On the opposite side is another story about another person that Hannah knew. The same is true for all the tapes, resulting in thirteen stories. Once the student has listened to all the tapes it is his job to pass the box on to the student in the next story and on it goes until thirteen lives are changed forever.

I suppose the point of the tapes is that Hannah will have explained how each person played into her decision to kill herself in the hopes that it will show people how the little things they do can really affect others. But I can't help thinking that Hannah was too weak and the things that led to her decision were actually pretty ridiculous. Furthermore, I was left believing that I was a freak for never having even gotten to third base in high school. Was everyone getting drunk and having sex? God, I was a geek!

General consensus: I am so confused.

Book Report #57

2007-10-18T22:46:00.000-07:00

Between Worlds: The Making of an American Life by Bill Richardson

It's no secret that I'm a big supporter of Bill Richardson's for the next President of the United States of America (second choice - Stephen Colbert). Bill would be over-qualified for the position if it were possible. That's why when I saw his autobiography at Costco I practically ran to the register to buy it. Since I like to think of myself as a well-informed voter I wanted to be able to spout off statistics about dear Bill should anyone ask.

The problem when I sat down to read the book was that it was horribly boring. It was basically a list of his accomplishments and the people he's met along the way. Since I've never met any of these people or experienced any of this stuff with him it made it pretty difficult to stay focused. I'm not sure I can blame all that on Bill, though. Non-fiction books these days seem to be the product of the publishers who structure how the books are written based on what the market requires. I'm afraid they got this one wrong, though. What people really want in a memoir are well-told stories that help the reader get an understanding of what shaped the person, not just categorical statements run together that you are supposed to accept as fact. So with that in mind I want to assure you that when I co-write John Isner's book you're going to have a hell of a great time.

General consensus: Bill definitely had his heart in the right place.

Book Review #57

2007-09-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs by Ken Jennings

He's the most adorable, dorky Mormon on the planet! Who would we trust more than Jeopardy champ Ken Jennings to impart the history of trivia? He interweaves that mission with his Jeopardy story. If you only read it to find out what Alex Trebek is really like it's worth it.

General consensus: For nerds it hits the spot.

Book Review #56

2007-09-16T17:58:00.000-07:00

Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Lifeby James Blake with Andrew Friedman

I love James Blake for a million reasons. I love his intense, entertaining tennis--how he hits his shots with so much power with his fans, the J-Block, 110% behind him. I love his beautiful, kind face. I love that he was brilliant enough to go to Harvard. I could go on for quite awhile but I'll just say that most of all I love James for what he overcame in the year 2004.

In Breaking Back James brings us along as he fractures his neck on a net post, explaining how that wasn't even the worse thing he'd ever experienced. For James it was a mild discomfort. He had battled scoliosis as a child and had to wear a brace except for when he was playing tennis. Then at night he got to rest on a bed as solid as bricks. It's amazing that he could play a sport at all.

While James was recovering from his neck fracture the rock of his life, his father, passed on. And shortly after that James discovered that he had zoster, a disease brought on by stress that paralyzed the right side of his face and forced him to wonder if he would ever play tennis again.

The fact that James has come back from 2004 to be one of the top tennis contenders in the world is a testament of his strength of character. I love what he had to say about how he battled through 2004 with his unwavering and sometimes charmingly psychotic optimism. James Blake is someone we can all look at to find the best version of ourselves.

General consensus: The writing was a bit formal but the content was incredible.

Book Review #55

2007-09-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynn Truss

Oh my lord. I read the back of this book in a Discovery Store at an airport and was enchanted. Then I read some of the inside and loved that too. I was deliciously horrified by Truss' accounts of people's misuses of commas and apostrophes.

The problem came when I sat down to read the book in its entirety. I mean, I'm in a Facebook group called "I judge you when you use poor grammar." I'm a heckler when I see people misusing their theres or withholding apostrophes from contractions--but I draw the line at going around town with an apostrophe on a stick to point out people's mistakes. I'm already weird enough as it is.

I think Truss could have saved things if she'd only stopped rambling. I can see swatting away at every ball coming at you on a tennis court because it might work out for you every once in awhile but I cannot see banging away at your keyboard with every silly thought you have if you don't intend to edit yourself later. And furthermore, I agree that good grammar is important for proper understanding of the written word but let's not be colossal nerds about it.

General consensus: Read the back and you're good to go. If you must learn some fun facts about grammar then feel free to crack the book open but don't feel pressured to read every word.

Book Review #54

2007-08-26T10:54:00.000-07:00

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis

There are two periods of time for a sports fan: before Moneyball and after Moneyball. Once you read it you'll never think the same way about professional athletes.

Lewis developed an interest in the Oakland A's when he discovered that they were having winning seasons with one of the lowest budgets in the game. He wrote Moneyball to explain how this was possible. GM Billy Beane, former ballplayer full of promise who had been rushed into the big leagues by scouts and then crashed and burned, puts into practice the theory of Bill James--that baseball players' worth can be realized through their stats. The drama comes when the rest of major league baseball thinks of this new approach as heresy.

General consensus: Not always full of excitement, but full of interesting points about statistical analysis of humans that can even be useful in disciplines other than baseball.

Book Review #53

2007-08-20T19:47:00.000-07:00

The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency 8) by Alexander McCall Smith

I just love the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series. I savor it and do my best to drink in every word. Mma Ramotswe's traditional Botswanan ways are absolutely delightful. There's not a lot of action in her world. Mostly there is a lot of discussing the obvious. And it's done in such a beautiful, relaxing way sometimes I think I'm on vacation. The only problem I have is that this is the last in the series!

General consensus: Sigh of contentment.

Book Review #52

2007-08-16T16:15:00.000-07:00

The Thorn Birds by Collen Mccullough

My mom had been badgering me for years to read it and I finally did. And I couldn't put it down. It was the same kind of epic, painful journey that Gone With the Wind was except it was set mostly in Australia. Tara became Drogheda. Scarlett became Meggie. Rhett became Father Ralph. Yeah! Meggie's love interest was a priest. That's what kept me coming back for more.

General consensus: Excellent!

Book Review #51

2007-08-10T16:37:00.000-07:00

Light on Snow by Anita Shreve

From the point of view of Nicky, a twelve-year old who lost her mother and baby sister in a car crash, Light On Snow tells the story of a girl and her father coming upon an abandoned newborn baby in the snowed in woods near their home in Vermont. Nicky's father rescues the baby and the State searches for the mother who abandoned her. Soon the woman appears at Nicky's home and must stay for a couple of days during a severe storm. Nicky takes us through the loss of her mother and sister, the grief she and her father continue to endure and her desire to have this woman raise her baby in her own home to give her back some of what's she's lost.

General consensus: Seems like it should be drowning in mundane details but you appreciate the opportunity to leave yourself to live in this other world for awhile, even if it is almost completely devoid of joy. At least it's somewhere else.

Book Report #50

2007-08-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris

David Sedaris has a way of taking the mundane and making it hilarious. I was reading in bed with my husband asleep next to me and things just got completly out of hand. I could not stop snorting with laughter over Sedaris' description of his sister's sympathetic parrot who can imitate crying and the blender and will ask you over and over, "So how are you, really?"

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim was a lot like Sedaris' Naked. You hum along at a rapid pace, laughing out loud at his descriptions of himself and his family and then without warning slam into a wall of awkwardness. You know that the way he's talking about his dumptser-diving sister is funny in a way, but it's more tragic than anything. You start wondering if he ever should have written about it in the first place.

General consensus: Reminds me of Little Miss Sunshine, sans the triumph.

Book Report #49

2007-08-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

Sixpence House by Paul Collins

There is a town straddling Wales and England that has forty bookstores and a population of only 1,500. San Franciscan Collins writes about his intended move to Hay-On-Wye and includes an abundance of silly references to obscure texts. At first, I was utterly confused. There was no clear plot. Still, this didn't make me put the book down. By the hundredth page I admitted that I was charmed. It had to have something to do with the plethora of dry, British humor.

General consensus*: Perfect Sunday reading for bibliophiles.

*According to a SAT grammar test I just took I'm a redundant arse for putting "general" before "consensus." Suck it, SAT. I don't need your judgment.

Book Report #48

2007-07-28T22:39:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) by J.K. Rowling

So I read it but I can't say a damn thing about it yet. I had an urge to plant myself next to the display at Borders and whisper confusing information to shoppers but the increased security made me balk. Instead I had fun by putting a signed copy of John Amaechi's book in the Gay & Lesbian section.

General consensus: Gripping, obviously!

Book Review #47

2007-07-21T15:17:00.000-07:00

What Is the What by Dave Eggers

When I heard that Angelina Jolie was reading it and that it was Dave Eggers' latest and that it was about Sudan, I had to get it. I read it in a whirlwind of three days so I could be all set to go when Harry Potter dropped. And now I feel like I've been drug through hell and spit back out.

What Is the What is the fictionalized memoir of of a Sudanese boy's coming of age and his travails as a refugee framed in a day of his adult life in Atlanta. It is inspired by a true story which makes it all the more difficult to bear.

How could God allow so many people to die with so little dignity? Boys taken in the jaws of lions, children shot dead because they ran from their captors, thousands of people perishing from dehydration, starvation and exhaustion. Was this so we could know what humans could endure? Even the person with the strongest will to live will wonder why these people kept going. And when you close the book you will still be wondering.

Probably the hardest part about it was that the narrator was an indisputably good man and those he loved were also honestly good people. And yet, there were no rewards in this life for them. Why?

General Consensus: Powerful and engrossing. Kudos to Eggers for writing something devoid of pretension.

Book Review #46

2007-07-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

The Okinawa Program: How the World's Longest-Lived People Achieve Everlasting Health--and How You Can Too by Bradley J. Wilcox & D. Craig Wilcox

I'd been meaning to read this book for years and I can't give you a good reason for why I only got around to it now. It was a life-changing experience that was highly enjoyable.

Twin Canadian doctors went to Okinawa to study centenarians and their amazing health. They talked to 400 of them and compiled the pertinent information in an easily readable volume designed to help you adapt the islanders' lifestyles.

Okinawans don't get colon cancer or breast cancer. Their diets rich in flavanoids from soy and other legumes prevent them from getting diseases that are so prevelant in Western culture. The Wilcox twins explain their diet in detail, describe the Okinawan food pyramid and delve into healing foods and herbs. They explain why being slender and staying active is so vital to health and offer a four-week program, complete with recipes to kick start your own Okinawan lifestyle.

But diet and exercise are only the tip of the iceberg. Socializing with family and friends as well as deep spirituality (not through dogmatic religion) is also crucial to lifelong wellness. The Wilcox twins recommend being active in your community as well as calming practices, such as tai chi and meditation. Gardening and walking also get exuberant thumbs up.

Through it all they remind us that moderation is key--except when it comes to optimism. Then load up! And we're also reminded that it's not the events that happen to you, since the Okinawans have had their share of tragedy, but it's how you react to them that makes all the difference.

General consensus: Booking my trip to Okinawa any day now. And I'm doing it on Okinawa time.

Book Review #45

2007-07-05T15:04:00.000-07:00

Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success: Building Blocks for a Better Life by John Wooden and Jay Carty

We all find John Wooden, the coach of UCLA's basketball dynasty, to be absolutely charming in his pure, country bumpkin, God-fearing ways. And what's more charming than him explaining his Pyramid of Success? It just gives you a good, warm feeling to hear him talking about developing your virtues. I could have done without all the Jesus talk and Bible verses that Jay Carty provided but hey, it takes all kinds.

General consensus: Read it whenever you need to a pep talk.

Book Review #44

2007-06-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

Seven Seconds or Less: My Season on the Bench with the Runnin' and Gunnin' Phoenix Suns by Jack McCallum

It would be tough to pick a better season to follow the Suns than 2005-2006. McCallum, while occassionally being guilty of an overshare, bares all in an exceptionally complimentary manner. Nash is the benevolent quarterback, Bell is the good guy with a bit of a temper issue, Marion's a superstar who doesn't get enough credit, Barbosa and Diaw are angels. And D'Antoni? I'm now his biggest fan. Meanwhile, opposing teams, namely the Lakers and Kobe Bryant are discussed as complete jerk-offs. It makes for some great drama. Plus, I bit and now I'm back to being a Suns fan.

General consensus: Fun for basketball fans. But be warned, Laker fans. You're not going to love Round 1 of the playoffs. Even Luke isn't spared.

Book Review #43

2007-06-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeanette Walls

This was a magical adventure. Jeanette, or Mountain Goat as her dad refers to her, tells us how she came of age in a household comprised of a brilliant yet alcoholic father, a dreamy, artistic mother, a precocious younger sister, an adventurous younger brother and a much younger lovable, confused sister. The father had the idea that the he was going to strike it rich, and even created his own mechanism to find gold. In the interim the family lived like paupers, never staying in a town too long because of debts or questionable exploits. The kids rarely bathed, always wore second-hand clothes and slept in refrigerator boxes. But the fun they had!

One time when the family was living in a train depot converted into a home the dad found a piano to move into the house. He rigged up a handy pulley system to get it in the door, hooking it up to the car to haul it in. His wife at the wheel, she drug that piano in at 25 mph because she'd been told that that was slow on the highway. The piano ended up next to a prickly bush in the yard and that was where it stayed. Better to entertain the neighbors!

There are so many heartwarming moments and moments of dire poverty that resonate with a certain undeniable dignity. And then there are the moments where you want to reach into the novel to throttle the father or the mother for their irresponsibility and abject stupidity. Yet you end up believing that if the kids can forgive these people maybe you can too.

General consensus: You owe it to yourself to read this book and become an honorary member of the family.

Book Review #42

2007-05-30T22:05:00.000-07:00

The Last Season : A Team in Search of Its Soul by Phil Jackson

Even though it was a New York Times bestseller I think it's safe to guess that you have to be a Laker fan, or at least an NBA fan, to enjoy this read. Phil's writing style is a little dry.

PJ takes you through the 2003-2004 season--the season after the threepeat where newcomers Payton and Malone alongside Shaq and Kobe can't close the deal in the Finals against the Pistons and also the season of Kobe's rape trial.

I liked getting all the info from Phil's perspective. I especially enjoyed seeing him in "retirement." The guy can't retire. He is basketball. The glimpses into NBA life were interesting like, "Bags at nine. Bus at ten. Plane at eleven." I'm a detials person. But more than details it offered a study of the NBA psychology. The narcissism that these men exhibit deserves a book of its own. And PJ didn't hold back when he discussed Kobe's.

I do not feel whole after this read. Something is missing. Or something was lacking. There was no victory. There was no clear end. Phil came back after a season sabbatical. Kobe calmed down. And I guess it's because we're still smack in the middle of the saga. Just today Kobe asked to be traded! I'll stay tuned for volume 2.

General consensus: Worthwhile for Laker fans.

Book Review #41

2007-05-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival by Anderson Cooper

Beautifully written and heart-wrenching. Anderson Cooper, now an anchor at CNN, writes his life story without holding back, entrusting his readers with his raw emotion. I didn't know he was Gloria Vanderbilt's son. I didn't know his brother killed himself in front of his mother. I didn't know that he threw himself into the heart of warzones for decades. And if you thought you knew all that, read his memoir because I guarantee you only knew the half of it.

General consesus: Brilliant.

Book Review #40

2007-05-04T19:07:00.000-07:00

All He Ever Wanted: A Novel by Anita Shreve

I'm starting to think Anita Shreve cannot dissapoint. Here the setting is early 1900s New England and our narrator is Nicholas Van Tassel, a pedantic man who prides himself on his conduct.

As professor at a small university at first Nicholas appears too dull a character to labor 300 pages over. Yet he develops an obsession with a local woman, Etna and must possess her. What follows is an intricate web of deceit and an explosive conclusion.

General consensus: Enthralling. Made me speak like an early 1900s New Englander for days. Also recommend Shreve's Sea Glass.

Book Review #39

2007-04-21T12:39:00.000-07:00

Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein's Brain by Michael Paterniti

It's exactly what it sounds like. The pathologist who performed Albert Einstein's autopsy took his brain and preserved it in a couple of cookie jars filled with formaldahyde for decades. It was an urban legend for the author until he made contact with Dr. Harvey and saw the brain for himself. The mere possession of this brain, chopped into pieces because he'd given bits of it to scientists over the years for study, gave the doctor a sort of rock star quality. This was demonstrated by the fascination of the people they met on their cross-country trip from Princeton to San Jose where the doctor gave a speech to high schoolers on the brain and then met with Einstein's daughter.

It started off perfectly. Great writing, lots of giggling and then something changed. It maybe got too serious for my taste. I'm young. I like a lot of action. Some introspection is fine. Some description is welcomed. But I think for me this became a little too literary. I just wanted a fun ride. I did like the background on collections of human body parts. I was not aware that Michael Jackson was an avid collector.

General consensus: Pretty interesting.

Book Review #38

2007-01-03T19:01:00.000-08:00

Running with Scissors: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs

Not for the faint of heart, Running With Scissors is a shockingly honest and sometimes hilarious account of Augusten Burrough's coming of age. It's one of those books that you want other people to read so you can make inside jokes about it--like bible dips, prophetic poop, sliding hotel furniture into the pool. It's also one of those books that people will not want you to recount to them due to repulsion and it may even make you want to go heave over the toilet when you finally close it.

When Augusten was just a boy his parents wanted to kill each other. They saw a psychiatrist and then parted ways. What followed is borderline unbelievable with Augusten's mother developing psychotic episodes, the psychiatrist treating her at motels, Augusten moving in to the phsychiatrist's home which doubles as a mental institution--and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

General consensus: An almost worthwhile trip through hell.

Book Review #37

2006-12-31T15:17:00.000-08:00

Insecure at Last: Losing It in Our Security-Obsessed World by Eve Ensler

This is the most important book of the year. The author of The Vagina Monologues holds nothing back as she discusses her abusive father and her trips around the world to places the average American avoids like the plague--places like Afghanistan, Kosova, and New Orleans after the storm.

By exposing herself to the things she fears the most she discovers peace in the undeniable insecurity of our existence. Through her journey we find that our nation's notion of security is leading us in the opposite direction. We find that despite the messages we are innundated with we are whole. We are enough.

General consensus: I highly reccomend this book for its courage and inspiration.

Book Review #36

2006-12-16T12:10:00.000-08:00

Tales Of A Drama Queen (Red Dress Ink) by Lee Nichols

This is the kind of book you stay up until 1am reading because it's so hilarious. Elle Medina, a 26-year old with no job experience and a fiance who married someone else, moves back to her hometown of Santa Barbara to get her life together. She's such a mess that at first you may want to clock her but she inevitably grows on you through her silly shennanigans.

General consensus: You'll enjoy it so much you'll feel obligated to pass it on.

Book Review #35

2006-12-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

Blonde: A Novel by Joyce Carol Oates

I don't know why I keep giving Joyce the benefit of the doubt. For one thing, her writing is too much. It's unforgivably verbose. Save it, lady!

This particular gem is a biography of Norma Jean Baker, also known as Marilyn Monroe. If you can handle unnecessary defamation of character and a series of romances, divorces and abortions this may be the book for you.

I read about a hundred pages in bed one morning and was surprised to find that the rest of my day was plagued by melancholy. Source? Could only be one thing--Blonde.

Book Review #34

2006-12-02T13:24:00.000-08:00

Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner

While a page turner, this book can send you into post-partum depression faster than an actual baby. The novel follows three women through their deliveries and early motherhood, and another woman through the grieving process of the death of her ten-week old boy. It's possible that it could be a charming read for someone who has had children. I'm no authority on that. For the non-parent I would say steer clear or you could find yourself experiencing more than a little earthquake. One thing's for sure, natural birth will never be an option again.

Book Review #33

2006-07-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd: A Novel by Jim Fergus

If you were ever curious about what would happen if the American government traded the Cheyenne nation one thousand white women for one thousand horses then this is the book for you.

The fictional journals of May Dodd who was put in a mental institution by her family for her "promiscuity" and as her last resort for freedom enrolls in the Brides for Indians program are absoutely captivating. So real and engrossing with so many actual events woven in, I'd never want to watch it as a movie because of the violence but it had a certain undeniable beauty about it. May Dodd is every woman's heroine.

My favorite line: "I believe happiness is a white man's invention."

General consensus: Will leave you changed forever.

Book Review #32

2006-06-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

Metro Girl by Janet Evanovich

If Jerry Bruckheimer wrote a book with a female protagonist it would be just like Metro Girl. With a sexist, yet sexy brute of a hero , a scantily clad, somewhat intelligent heroine and larger-than-life action, Metro Girl manages to be your typical literary summer blockbuster.

General consensus: Perfect if you're in the mood for fluff.

Book Review #31

2006-06-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

Something Blue by Emily Griffin

The sequel to Something Borrowed is geared toward the same audience as its previous volume and is just as enthralling. I will avoid an in-depth review since it would contain spoilers for Something Borrowed. However, I will say that it will leave you with a satisfied smile on your face and possibly even a tear on your cheek.

General consensus: Fun and filling.

Book Review #30

2006-06-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin

If you're a female in her twenties you are going to love this book--not because it's the next classic, but because of the enthralling and relatable characters living their immoral lives in happening Manhattan.

Rachel is appointed the maid of honor at the wedding of her two best friends, Darcy and Dex. Darcy is that perfect looking, must-be-the-center-of-attention-due-to-low-self-esteem, loyal-when-convenient friend that every girl had when growing up. You didn't know whether to punch her or envy her. Dex is that hot, super intelligent, well-spoken, fun and friendly guy you knew in college who you put on such a pedestal that when you even made eye contact you feared you'd faint. Rachel is the odd one out due to her perfectionist streak; she's always walked the straight and narrow path. She thinks of herself as an uninteresting, average Joe.

Dex completely disagrees with her self-assessment to the point where they find themselves having an affair. What unfolds is a soap opera that won't let you stop reading. Griffin keeps the action fresh and moving for an insatiable read.

General consensus: A lot of fun.