hollywood housewife

the keep by jennifer egan is the best book i've read in awhile

I mooched The Keep on BookMooch after a friend told me she had read it in her book club.  This friend is smart, and reads a lot, and since I had enjoyed the writing style of Goon Squad by Egan, I added it to my list. 

I read it in December and it took my breath away.  On the outset, this story seems almost simple.  But of course it's not.  It's complex not only in its design - it's a story within a story, although you don't know this until several chapters in - but in the most minute details of the characters, and even the meanings have meanings.  Like a funhouse mirror of plot. 

I said this about A Visit from the Goon Squad, but Jennifer Egan is such a clever writer.  I can't remember knowing so much about a character with so few words.  The Keep made a huge impression on me and is easily one of the best things I read in 2011.  I can't wait to read her most known book, Look at Me: A Novel, and along with Tana French she's becoming one of my new favorite writers. 

(I refuse to do any sort of plot summary in my book reviews, but describing The Keep here is sparse, even for me.  You're just going to have to trust me on this one.  It's ethereal, but not in a poetry way.  It's almost like a long short story.  See?  I'm still not making sense.  Just know that I loved it.)   

You can read all of my book review posts by clicking here, or see a list of my all-time favorites by clicking here. 

Have you read anything interesting lately?

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books make great gifts, plus a few bonuses

Stuck on what to get someone and increasingly panicked as the Christmas clock winds down?

Books are always a good gift.  And the bonus is that you can always find them at a bookstore!  No rushing around from this place or that to see if they have it.  Bookstores have books!  And all of my choices here are mainstream and should be found where you buy your printed word.

My picks for gifts:

For the father-in-law, history lover: Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand.  This book is well written and is a fascinating look into a specific side of World War II.  Read what I originally said about here.

For the college-age niece, or the frazzled friend you only see these days at school pickup: The Happiness Project.  It's interesting, with a cute cover, and you don't have to be a big reader to appreciate the nuggets of wisdom here.  Read what I originally said about it here.

tiger mother and monster of florence - mixed thoughts on two non-fictions

I started reading Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother on my phone, using the Kindle app, in a mall McDonalds one evening when I was huge pregnant and needed to escape the house for a bit.

After the widely circulated excerpt of the book in the Wall Street Journal (Why Chinese Mothers are Superior), this book has gotten a ton of buzz, most of it controversial.  The WSJ article didn't bother me - while I would never consider myself a Tiger Mom, I wouldn't consider myself the opposite of a Tiger Mom, either - and I couldn't really see what the fuss was about. 

We have good friends who are Chinese (she's the one who taught me the infamous noodle recipe) and when I asked them about Tiger Moms, their reaction to painting Chinese parenting in such broad strokes was mixed.  After I read the book, so was mine. 

It's so clear that Amy Chua loves her daughters and wants what is best for them.  She has a tenacity (towards everything, really) that I envy.  In many ways I wish I had the energy and discipline to be a more consistent parent, to hold a hard and fast line instead of bending with the day's temperature. 

No matter how you view being a Tiger Mom, I thought this was an interesting perspective on parenting, something I'm not reading anywhere else.  Her tactics were extreme, too extreme for the average Western parents, but it gave me something to think about.  Like limits and priorities and permissiveness, and, finally, about the complicated relationship between mothers and daughters.  Unless you think reading about this parenting style might upset you, I'd give it a go if you're interested.  It's a quick read, made for thoughtful discussion with my husband, and will almost certainly be different from anything else you've read on the subject.

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I downloaded The Monster of Florence after I made a flippant comment on facebook about Amanda Knox's release and a friend replied with this recommendation.  I do love a good murder story, and while I intended to finish it before Pirate was born, I ended up reading it during his first week of life.  A little morbid for such a happy time, and I'm not even sure I retained all the information.

In all, it was a very interesting story about an Italian serial killer.  My foggy brain while reading didn't let me get bogged down in the details, which means that the unfamiliar Italian names and justice system confused me at times.  What made this book different from your average non-fiction murder tale is that the author became involved after his investigations into the killings set the police sights on him.  Since it's told from such a personal level, I felt both close to the story and a little skeptical.  Not of the author himself, really, but maybe of those he was in close contact with?  Perhaps he was trying to make the reader feel suspicious at every turn - as he must have been - but it left me unsure of the whole story.

The Monster of Florence will most appeal to those who like a true mystery and forensics read or who closely followed the Amanda Knox trial, as some of the key players are found in both scenarios. 

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Neither of these are exactly holiday reading, but maybe keep them in mind for 2012.  Do you read much over the holidays?  Do you like a theme during this time of year?  I want to hear what you're reading now.

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the passage

This was not my normal sort of book.  First of all, I heard that it was about vampires (this isn't quite true).  Secondly, it's sort of science fiction, which doesn't usually connect with me. 

But The Passage by Justin Cronin is one of my favorite things I've read this year.  I thought about it all the time.  I dreamed about it.  It's really long (800 pages) and in many ways there are three sections that could almost stand alone.  It's one of those epic stories, like The Stand.  It's also one of the scariest stories I've ever read, but not in the traditional sense.  It's scary because it feels strangely real and for most of the book the scary things aren't actually happening, but the threat of them makes you even jumpier. 

The Passage was our summer book club selection, and I put it off until the last second.  But once I started reading, I just wanted to discuss it at every turn.  That's one of the only drawbacks to reading - it's so solitary. (Unless you have a book club, but in that case you have to have finished the novel before you go to the meeting or you'll end up sticking your fingers in your ears and that's annoying for all.)

I don't want to give anything away, but I'm telling you to take a chance on this book if it appeals to you even in the least.  It's a well-written great story.

What are you reading this Fall?  Anything I should add to my To Read list?

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this is where i leave you, 5 quarters of the orange, and the happiness project

The truth is that I haven't been reading as much as usual lately.  I mean, I am always reading something, but books take more brainpower than magazines and blogs.  So I've been letting my pregnancy-addled brain take a rest. 

(Except for the book that I just finished, which will get a post all on its own because it deserves it.)

Three things I've read over the past couple of months that are worth noting:

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper.  

I read this after it was mentioned by both Shauna Niequist and Nora Z., both reader-friends who I trust.  The writing was excellent, the story humorous and somehow relatable even to a female non-Jewish reader.  It felt very modern.  Irreverant and angsty and funny.  Like watching Garden State and Modern Family at the same time.  I wonder if these things will feel dated eventually or just "2000's" in a good way?

This Is Where I Leave You was what I wanted The Corrections to be.  I read The Corrections when it debuted a decade ago and I didn't connect to that particular dysfunctional family.  I was also tainted by Franzen's Oprah debacle, so maybe I should give that one another whirl since I was pretty taken with his recent Freedom.  

A notable warning: This Is Where I Leave You is pretty sexual.  There are several scenes that had me blushing and looking over my shoulder to make sure no one saw the page.  Though I mentioned that to a couple of people who had read it and that didn't stand out to them.  

Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris (author of Chocolat) was one of those books I picked up because it was sitting on the lake house bookshelf.  The story is haunting and creepy.  Harris is a beautifully poetic writer, but not in an annoying way.  There is a definite narrative here.  I liked the characters as much as possible, given that they're not meant to be lovable.  Then again I've always appreciated difficult people. 

This book was the opposite of the one above.  It's not modern.  I can see that some people might have trouble getting through it if you're not in the mood for an allegory or fairy-tale type of story.  It may not seem like it, but I tend to read predictable stuff for my tastes, so every now and again it's good to push myself out of the box.  Five Quarters was outside of my regular tastes, and it was nice to read a different style of writing.

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin has been on my radar for several years now, ever since I discovered her blog and marched right up to her and introduced myself at Blogher '10 in New York.  I really appreciate what she does on her blog, so I don't know why it took me so long to pick up her book.  

For those unfamiliar with the experiment, Rubin took a year to make tweaks in her life to see if they truly made a difference in her level of happiness.  There was a different subject each month (health in one, marriage in another) and she relied upon expert, friendly, and traditional advice.  What I liked most about the premise is that she wasn't coming from a place of despair.  She wasn't trying to become happier because she was sunk in depression or going through a divorce or anything similarly drastic.  She has a nice husband, charming children, and a job she loves.  It was a fresh take on "I know I should feel happy and content, what is missing here?"

The Happiness Project is a quick and interesting read.  I still think about a few of things she learned when they pop up in my day (it takes 6 seconds for a hug to genuinely connect, for example).  I understand some of the criticisms of the project - that "happiness" is a western, frivolous idea - but I think that most of us are looking for the little things that make our lives better.  Let's not pretend we're not all searching.

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I need to get back in the reading groove.  I'm happier when I read.  But, like exercise (which I don't do), it's easy to get out of the habit when you're feeling lazy or stressed. 

What are you reading or what have you read lately that you want to share?  We're all ears here!

You can read my past book reviews here or connect with me on GoodReads here. 

the 19th wife, unbroken, and the girls from ames

If you missed my favorite summer beach reads, you can read it here.  There are lots of great suggestions in the comments, too.

I haven't read anything this summer that has just blown my mind, but I have read a few things worth comment. 

I picked up The 19th Wife at Costco because I thought someone had recommended it.  Turns out I was mistaken on the recommendation, but the story still intrigued me since I am fascinated by all things Mormon. 

It was an entertaining read, with lots of Mormon history weaved throughout a modern day mystery.  The way that Ebershoff flashed back and forth between the present and the end of the nineteenth century was clever and not confusing. 

Though the story is fictional, if you're the type who likes historical fiction you'll probably enjoy The 19th Wife.  I found out later that it's a Lifetime movie starring the sister from Grey's Anatomy.  I didn't watch it, but maybe that's why I recognized the title?

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Unbroken was our last book club selection before we took a break for the summer.  It's a mesmerizing story by anyone's standard, but I found the Japanese prisoner of war tale a little tedious at times.  I will say that I learned so much about World War II that isn't taught in history class.  The war in the Pacific is something that was barely glossed over in my school learning, so I found myself constantly saying (to whoever was around), "Did you know....?!"

I question the exact details of this true story.  I know that years of research and interviews went into the book, but some parts just seemed a little too pat for the story especially all these years later.  But it was well written and very, very interesting. 

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The Girls from Ames appealed to me because it recounts the decades-long friendship between a group of women from their childhood into their 40's.  These non-fiction relationships struck a cord with me because I am still very close to many of my childhood and high school friends from my small town and I understand the layers and complications within such groups. 

There were certain parts of the book that I found hard to follow (I'd have to reference the women's pictures and short bios from the front page if I got lost) and midway through the book the author changes from one-girl-per-chapter to stories-per-chapter, and this put the focus on certain women more than others.  I didn't mind it, I just thought it was confusing and could have been arranged differently. 

I connected with the women enough to bring out the tissues several times, but I also felt a bit of a distance between myself and the subjects.  Maybe as a society we're just too used to the rawness of reality television or the "perfectness" of fiction.  This is a light read that makes you think about your own friendships, your own upbringing, and how that affects who you are now. 

 

What are you reading this summer?  I want to hear your steer-clears and your recommends. 

beach reads

I've read several things lately that I want to tell you about, but none of them seem like the light and fun reads that you crave during the summer.  At least "light & fun" is what I crave on vacation.  Some people, if the holiday is their first chance to read in awhile, want to tackle the best stuff in their book stack regardless of the challenge.  If you are one of those people, these are probably not the recommendations you want. 

If, like me, you want something that's well done but (mostly) just entertaining, read on. 

My favorite beach reads from over the years:

I'm not much of a fantasy reader, but I highly enjoyed the Harry Potter series.  I started reading them not long after they first appeared and read each one upon its release.  Don't be turned off that they're classified as "children's."  These books are incredibly creative, complex, and well-written.  I've stayed up half the night finishing these books because I just couldn't quite get to a stopping place. 

For something more advanced, but much shorter, try The Hunger Games.  I wrote more about my Hunger Games obsession here.

For the added benefit of learning a little history while also lounging poolside, I really loved The Other Boleyn Girl.  It's a real bodice-ripper, heightened by the fact you know there will be a decapitation at the end.  I also enjoyed Phillipa Gregory's other book The Constant Princess.

I'm not much of a chick lit reader.  I don't dismiss it, I just don't enjoy it.  But I know that many of you crave a good relationship story and one of my favorites is Melissa Banks' Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing.  It's hardly breezy, but I fell in love with her storytelling.  Another one that stands out from this genre was Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos.  That's a book I picked up at the airport and was completely surprised by.

If you're a non-fiction lover, you won't be able to put down the And the Sea Will Tell by Vincent Bugliosi.  It reads like your favorite page-turner (or Dateline ID) but it's completely real and completely unbelievable.  I am, admittedly, a major Bugliosi fan. 

Hands down, if you were to tap my arm at the book store and ask for a beach recommendation, this year my answer would be The Help.  I read it last year, but it has stayed with me as one of the recent best.  I read a lot of specific things, but The Help is something that I can universally mention across ages and lifestyles and believe the reader will take something away from it.  

Currently I'm reading The Girls from Ames while I actively avoid the heavier titles in my To-Read list.  And that feels just right for today.

What about you?  What are you reading or what do you recommend for the summer?  Share the literary wealth!

Photo by LWY

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sweet valley confidential *big sigh*

I took one for the team and read Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later last week.  It only took a few hours, and I tore through it not because it was so great but because it bubbled up a huge amount of nostalgia from my childhood reading years. 

Characters I didn't know I remembered were suddenly on the tip of my tongue, their high school struggles popping into my head with embarrassing clarity.  These first few minutes of wistfulness were worth the price of the download. 

They were the only thing worth the price of the download.

Goodness was this book terrible. The language and actions were inconsistent with the characters I loved, it switched less-than-seamlessly from third to first person point of view, and and there was some strange bias to the plot line.  On top of all that, author Francine Pascal either forgot aspects of her earlier books or hoped that we would, because there were inconsistencies not only from the original series but within SVC itself. 

Jessica and Elizabeth are twenty-seven now.  They have lots of sex, swear, and as the book opens they're in the middle of the feud of their life.  The only thing familiar was the melodrama and implausibility, which I could have overlooked if the writing was so terrible.  SVC makes Twilight look like Shakespeare.   

My final advice (and this is advice I so rarely give): Skip it.  Sweet Valley Confidential almost ruined the Wakefields for me.  I don't hate the evening I spent with the twins I used to love, but I wish I had done it by picking up one of the original books. 

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let's take the long way home & a visit from the goon squad

I've said it once, I'll say it again.  An e-reader makes me read more and faster.

I still love a good book in my hands.  The two things are satisfying in entirely different ways.  But if you're the type who reads less for recreation and more for lifeblood, then you will benefit from an e-reader.  (I read digitally on an iPad, but of course there are other options.)

Let's Take the Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell had been on my radar for title alone, but when my friend and fellow life-reader Shauna mentioned it, I downloaded it immediately.

"The false starts probably mirrored my tendency toward flight and longing.  Leave Texas, then miss it forever.  Love your family from two thousand miles away." - LTTLWH

It's a story about the kind of friendship that you only have once in your life.  The kind of soulmate that fills you up differently than your spouse or your sibling or any other of the wonderful friendships you have throughout your lifetime.  Maybe you experience it when you're young, and so then you spend decades trying to find a relationship that's comparable.  Or maybe, like in this memoir, you find it in the middle of your life, and it becomes an island.

The book is very, very sad.  And towards the end, the story becomes very dog-heavy (both women have and are obsessed with their canines), but I didn't mind either of these things. 

I read this non-fiction account with both nostalgia and hope.  I believe I've glimpsed what a friendship like this is about, and I also know that in this big ole city I don't have it. 

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan was my pick for book club this month.  I've been wanting to read it for months, since I saw a few respected book bloggers I follow on twitter raving about it. 

There seems to be some confusion about this book.  I've seen it discussed as series of short stories and this isn't true.  It is a series of vignettes, but it's always following through the same group of characters or extensions of characters.  What may be confusing for some readers is that it jumps back and forth in time and substance quite a bit. 

"'Rich children are always blond,' Jocelyn goes.  'It has to do with vitamins.'  Believe me, I don't mistake that for information.  I know everyone Jocelyn knows."

I thought it was excellent story telling and excellent writing.  I cared about even the characters that I only knew for a few pages.  And I liked how interconnected some of the characters were, many without knowledge.  I find that in my own life and it's always sort of a delight.  (Or a shiver, whichever.)

If I hadn't read a novel in years, this probably wouldn't be the one I would pick up.  But if I was bored with reading the same old type of narrative, Goon Squad is a fresh experience. 

What are you reading these days?

You can find a list of my very favorite books by clicking here or follow me on goodreads here.

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freedom, faithful place, and just kids

I've read quite a bit over the past several months, all three of these titles on my iPad.  I still like the feel of an actual book in my hand, but I really love the immediacy of purchasing a book on the iPad and how easy it is to tote around. 

Curiously, I prefer the Amazon Kindle app on the iPad to Apple iBooks.  Both are one-click to purchase, but the Amazon Kindle app syncs immediately with my iPhone (meaning I can read even if I don't have my actual iPad with me) while the iBooks app requires you to manually sync the two devices. 

Here are a few popular titles I've read recently that might peak your interest:

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

Freedom was THE book of 2010, but I was hesitant to read it after the Oprah kerfuffle of 2001 and the fact that I was underwhelmed with The Corrections at the time.  But I decided to give it a chance since it just kept popping up everywhere.  (Plus, if Oprah can forgive, why can't I?)

There is no doubt that Franzen is an excellent writer.  I was fully invested in the characters from the very early pages, even as their journey took twists that I wasn't expecting.  This book made me angry and sad and wistful, and I found myself crying over characters that I didn't even think I cared about. 

While I think this book was incredibly over-hyped, I still think about specific scenes months after reading.  The "freedom" theme was also too heavy-handed as if the reader wouldn't put together the layers of freedom that the author was painting. 

Then again, I guess we know how Franzen feels about his readers.

Faithful Place by Tana French

I have made no secret of my deep literary crush on Tana French.  I think she is one of the best new voices I've read in years. 

I liked Faithful Place because I love reading Tana French's writing, but I had figured out the murderer in the first quarter of the book, so that took away most of the whodunit thrill.  Still, I loved the characters, loved the neighborhood and completely escaped into this novel for days. 

Of all of Tana French's novels, I think this is second to The Likeness. 

Just Kids by Patti Smith

I read Just Kids, Patti Smith's memoir of her love affair with Robert Mapplethorpe, on the recommendation of several friends.  While I appreciated it, I have to admit that I didn't totally "get" all of her references, being relatively clueless about the New York art and music scene in the '60's.  I was constantly looking this or that artist to understand their relevance to Patti's story and the general time period.  

What I liked about the book was the specific art world that Patti lived in and was describing in such detail.  I listen to my husband's stories about his years in the skateboarding scene and I am fascinated by these pictures of subcultures that end up having such an impact on pop culture down the road, but at the time is just Life.  So for that, even if I didn't know anything about Patti Smith, the book was worth reading.   

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What have you read recently that is worth mentioning?  You can always see my current reading list in the sidebar, my absolute favorite books by clicking here, and my goodreads account is here. 

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