Thursday, June 23, 2011

Gone with a Handsomer Man; American Lightening; Fables V. 15: Rose Red; Girl's Guide to Homelessness; A Love that Multiplies; If You Were Here

Oh boy I've been reading a lot lately. That's all just one week! Good grief. Okay, here we go...
"Gone with a Handsomer Man" by Michael Lee West was a decent and amusing murder mystery set in Charleston. Teeny catches her fiance playing naked badminton with two women and calls off their engagement. When the ex, Bing, turns up dead a few days later, Teeny is the obvious suspect. With the help of her first boyfriend who is now a lawyer, Coop, his P.I., Red Butler (no kidding), and Bing's stepmother Dora they turn Charleston upside down trying to figure out who really did Bing in and keep Teeny safe before the killer can come after her. It was fun but not hysterically so. There is obviously going to be a sequel (if not then the ending was WTF times 10) so I'll read it but I'm not chomping at the bit.
So I finally broke down and bought a Nook. I love the idea of having a whole bunch of books available on a light, portable device, and the new Nook is perfect for me. I really do love it, but I haven't bought any e-books for it, I've just borrowed from my library. Love it! I downloaded Harold Blum's "American Lightening", and it is officially the first book I've read on my Nook. It was a fairly interesting true crime story about the 1910 bombing of the Los Angeles Times building. It focused mainly on the detective's hunt for the bombers, since they pled guilty there was no long drawn out trial. It was interesting but he threw a little too much in there all at once for my taste, trying to draw in the water crisis that the movie "Chinatown" made immortal, as well as D.W. Griffith and some other extraneous stuff which I felt bogged down the story.
"Fables V. 15: Rose Red"--Bill Willingham and company return with another marvelous entry into the Fables canon. Rose Red is finally persuaded to get up out of bed and stop her self destructive mourning for Boy Blue, and we get her and Snow's backstory, which was really interesting. Frau Totenkinder has transformed into the young and lovely Bellflower, and it looks like she has found a successful way to trap Mister Dark, until he escapes. The Fables flee the Farm for the Frog Prince's safe Haven and Ozma girds up to be the one to fight Mister Dark as Bellflower retires. Can't wait to see what happens next! I have to wait until December, though, for the next volume. Bah!
Brianna Karp always worked hard, and in 2009 she was another casualty of the Great Recession. She lost her job and her rental house, and her crazy whack job mother threw her out onto the streets. Determined not to lose all hope, Brianna ended up in a trailer in a Walmart parking lot in Brea and started a blog called "The Girl's Guide to Homelessness" detailing her struggles, fears, and optimism in the face of crushing challenges. Her book was well written and charming. I hope she continues to write, because she has a real talent for it, I think. Her bravery and determination is awe inspiring to say the least. I am reminded every day of how precarious my own life is, especially a few months ago when it looked like I might be laid off. Thankfully I have normal (okay, *somewhat* normal) loving parents who would take me back in in a heartbeat, were it ever god forbid necessary. It's just scary to think that you can do everything right: go to school, work hard, earn a degree, get a good job, pay all your bills on time and live within your means and STILL be completely wiped out by having just one bad thing happen to you. Scary stuff.
I love the Duggars. I've been watching them on TV since their first Discovery Channel specials. Jim Bob and Michelle are quite possibly the most awesome people in the world. In their new book "A Love that Multiplies" they talk about their strong faith and love for each other and the challenges with raising such a large family. I literally cried my way through this entire book, because I'm so jealous of them. I know, it's terrible, but all you have to do is watch their TLC show for five minutes and you can see how truly blessed they are. Jim Bob thinks Michelle is the most amazing woman in the world and he's a great husband and father, and dammit, I want a Jim Bob of my own! I want babies. Not 19, of course, but one or two would be nice. Oh, well, I'll try to be content with the life god gave me. Of course, maybe if I actually started capitalizing his name he might be more inclined to look upon me with a bit more favor...oh well :) I think the whole "me being on good speaking terms with god" ship sailed a long time ago.
And finally Jen Lancaster's first foray into fiction "If You Were Here". Like her nonfiction, it was witty and charming and I loved it. Mac and Mia buy a money pit in the suburbs of Chicago (three words: Jake Ryan's house. Yep, I would have bought it, too) and proceed to renovate it to the point of livability without much luck. What a treasure Jen Lancaster is, and for that matter, John Hughes. Rest in peace, good sir. I feel like watching "Sixteen Candles" for the umpteenth time now.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

If You Ask Me; Stay; Reading Promise

I was glad I borrowed Betty White's new book "If You Ask Me..." because it felt like a total ripoff. If I'd actually paid for it I probably would have taken it back and gotten a refund. The margins were around two inches on all sides, and the font was huge. It seriously took me an hour to read, and it was all just filler nonsense, nothing really interesting or revealing about her life at all. Just churned out to capitalize on the recent resurgence in her career, which is just sad. Betty's better than that. I have one of her older books on hold, so I hope it's a little more interesting.
"Stay" by Deb Caletti was amazing. It's a YA book about a girl named Clara who is hiding out in a sleepy beach town, avoiding her crazy, jealous ex-boyfriend, Christian. She can't even tell her friends back home where she's at for fear Christian will find out. Clara and her dad (her mother died when she was little) find themselves enjoying their new home away from home, and they both meet potential romantic interests. Caletti alternates between the present and what happened with Christian, so about 2/3 of the way into the book the reader, like Clara, is jumping at every noise and expecting Christian to pop out from every corner. It was really tense, and I just kept waiting for the payoff. I'd like to read more books by her, it was just so nicely written.
Alice Ozma and her dad decided to read for 1,000 nights straight, and in her memoir "The Reading Promise", she details in loving memory their "Streak" as well as her special relationship with her dad, who was a single man trying to raise two daughters. He did an excellent job, in my opinion: Alice is funny and articulate and very charming. Reading her book is like sitting down and chatting with her over lunch: she just comes across as so real and so friendly and pleasant to be around. And her dad is awesome! An elementary school librarian in an impoverished neighborhood, he is a champion of books and readers everywhere. Alice and her dad read together every single night for over 9 years, until she left home to go to college. It was a beautiful book, so sweet, I really loved it. Back when I was a kid I wanted to be part of the Ingalls family because I loved Laura's books so much, and I knew Pa would always look out for me. Now I want to be part of Alice's family :)

Friday, June 10, 2011

Desert Gift

"Desert Gift" by Sally John was a bit of a departure for me. It's Christian fiction, which I usually don't read, but the ones I have read I've liked. I used to read Bodie and Brock Thoene's books when I was a teen and I really enjoyed them. Sometimes it's nice to read something without all the sex and foul language. Not always, mind you, but occasionally. I liked the plot of this book: on the brink of their much anticipated vacation, Jill's husband, Jack, announces that not only is he not going with her, but he wants a divorce. Jill is a radio host with a program on marriage counseling, and the trip was a working vacation where she was going to promote her new book on how to make a marriage last. Whoops. Jill was totally blindsided by Jack's announcement, and is of course a distraught wreck. While in California she visits with her parents and her sister, and wonders about what went wrong.
There were a lot of little side issues in this book that never really panned out, like meeting up with her old boyfriend, Ty, and her relationship with her mother, while other parts of the book were stretched thin. Jack's revelation near the end of the book about his ex girlfriend aborting their baby seemed superfluous to me: it served no real purpose and they didn't even really discuss it. It felt like the author just tossed a whole bunch of things in to see what would stick. The characters were likeable enough and the dialogue felt real, but I couldn't get over the nonsensical plot elements to really say I enjoyed it.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Sound and the Fury; Intruder in the Dust; Sanctuary; Edison's Concrete Piano; The Black Moth; Untied

So I decided to have a bit of a William Faulkner retrospective this weekend and reread "The Sound and the Fury", "Intruder in the Dust", and "Sanctuary". I've reread "The Sound and the Fury" quite a few times now, and every time I find something new to love about it. I hadn't read the other two in quite a while now, so it was almost like reading them brand new. I remembered the basic generalities of the stories but not the specifics. "Intruder in the Dust" is a darkly humorous murder mystery. A black man, Lucas Beauchamp, is accused of shooting a white man in the back. Lawyer Gavin Stevens' nephew Chick is racing against the lynch mob clock to prove Lucas is innocent. The ending is brilliant and dry, and I loved how the murdered man's grave was robbed three separate times in the same night.
"Sanctuary" is grimmer, darker. It's the book that had all of polite society in Oxford asking William's mother why Bill had to go and write such a book. Temple Drake, a pretty young coed, is stranded at a gang's hideaway by her loutish, drunk boyfriend. The leader of the gang, Popeye, kills one of his cohorts in order to kidnap and rape Temple. It's graphic and ugly but so well written. I can imagine how shocking it was, especially for 1931 Mississippi, especially the courtroom scene at the end. I'd love to reread some more of Faulkner. I have a vacation coming up in a few weeks, so I just might do that.
On to new books! "Edison's Concrete Piano" by Judy Wearing was a fun look at inventions patented by famous inventors that never went anywhere. Sometimes it got a bit too technical for me to fully grasp everything she said, but it was interesting.
"The Black Moth" by Georgette Heyer was of course light and fluffy, and a much needed break after the heaviness of Faulkner. Jack has given up his rightful place in society as Earl after taking the fall for his brother's cheating at cards. He becomes an outlaw, a highwayman. But then he falls in love with Diana, and he knows he cannot marry her because of his shameful situation. Diana doesn't care, but Jack won't let her throw away her life on a scoundrel like him. Of course everything works out in the end and Jack gets to play the hero and rescue Diana from peril and the whole truth comes out about how he sacrificed for his brother. She's so much fun.
And finally, Meredith Baxter's memoir "Untied". Like most people my age, I grew up loving "Family Ties" and idolizing Meredith's character, Elyse. I thought she was beautiful and smart and talented and so lucky to have such a wonderful family, and my god was she thin! After having so many kids, too! I figured Meredith, in her own life, was just as perfect. Actually, no, her ex-husbands come out looking especially bad but she also relates her own shortcomings, so instead of sour grapes it seems fair. Like everyone else I was shocked when she came out a few years ago, but she finally seems happy now, so I'm glad for her and her real life family.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Stories I Only Tell My Friends; The Hollywood Sign

A couple of quick reads for today. Rob Lowe's autobiography "Stories I Only Tell My Friends" was interesting but he did not dish any dirt, which was lame. We all know he has really good dirt, too. And he kept talking about how certain people did him wrong without making specific accusations. So, if you're at all curious about how he got his lucky breaks in show business (mostly knowing the right people and being incredibly lucky) then this is the book for you. If you want to know about his infamous sex tape scandal, it's all of one vague paragraph.
"The Hollywood Sign" by Leo Braudy looked at the history of the now iconic sign, how it got its start as a billboard advertisement for "Hollywoodland", a community of new homes, and how it aged and was rescued and refurbished over the years. It was nicely done without excessive padding.