The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory

 How I didn't know about Jasmine Guillory before one of my badass co workers introduced me to her is absolutely beyond me.  To be completely up front, she graduated from my Alma Mater, in June of the year that I began (abeit I was there in September, she graduated in June prior to me beginning - I graduated in 2001 so we just missed each other). I'm so glad that I learned about her though.

In this novel, which is actually the second in the series (I read them out of order!), Nikole is a successful writer that we meet for the first time at Dodgers Stadium in LA. She's attending a baseball game with her boyfriend, Fisher (a hipster!) and his friends in honor of his birthday.  Fisher catches Nik completely by surprise by then proposing to her at the game, and the proposal is up on the Jumbotron as it's occurring. Nik says no for a few reasons - they had been dating for only five months and had never even discussed this route (Nik had no desire to marry Fisher). Nik declines and Fisher leaves very irately, while Nik is swarmed by cameras. Also in the stadium are Carlos, a doctor, and his sister Angela. Carlos and Angela, seeing Nik's distress, assist Nik in getting away from the cameras.

The book then details Nik's and Carlos' interactions with one another and each other's friends.  I enjoyed this book. I really liked Nik - she is someone that is very real and could be someone you meet anywhere. I liked Carlos too and both he and Nik were dealing with issues that were particularly realistic. The book itself moved quickly and was broken down into quick little snippets that made it easy to digest. I also loved that the characters were all so diverse. The friendships between the women were especially strong too - we need to see more of the women supporting women material that was encapsulated in these books instead of the insidious competition between women that seems to often jump out at us.

Loved this book.

Election Day 2020

 I have voted in every single election since I turned 18 in March of 1997.  My first Presidential Election was the ill-fated election of 2000 that gave us Bush v. Gore. I was a senior in college and cast my ballot as an absentee ballot.  I don't think that at the time, I thought that casting my vote in that way held as much weight as I gave my ballot today or subsequently.  Today's vote felt much heavier.  I arrived at my polling place fifteen minutes before the polls opened and the line to get into the polling place stretched around the very large building.  The turnout was astronomically large, but people were trying their hardest to socially distance while in line.  People were kind and respectful and said hello to their neighbors, friends and acquaintances.  

I was so happy at how orderly everything went. Once the polls opened, it was clear where I had to go to get my ballot and then cast my vote.  I knew how to fill my ballot out and knew where to place it.  The poll workers were informative, kind and professional.  I wasn't surprised by that. I was surprised by my reaction to actually filling out my ballot. I actually teared up.  I felt like it was momentous.  And like I was making history and an impact all at the same time. 

Still Here...

 I've been in a terrible reading slump and it's completely and utterly depressing the living hell out of me.  I've re-started the Outlander books - I'm on Snow and Ashes - and they're helping but it's so hard to just read right now.  

How have you managed?

Seeking Suggestions

 

So I have a lengthy TBR list - it seems like the moment that one comes off, there are like legit, three or four to take that completed book's spot.  I am, however, terrible at figuring out what books I should get my kids to read and so I'm going to respectfully ask everyone here!  A littel bit about my kids and what they like:

My son is 12 - he'll be 13 in December. He is currently tearing through Harry Potter everything - the movies, books, you name it. He liked The Hunger Games books, the Divergent Books, Ender's Game and the Scythe books.  He enjoys reading but isn't a particularly fast reader.

My daughter is a bit more tricky. She's 9 and it's more of a struggle to get her to read. Where my son will pick up books and read (he was reading in the car on the way to ziplining and camping, and at camping would often prefer to sit at camp and read), it's definitely a battle to get my daughter to read. She loves graphic novels best. She reads at grade level.

Of course I'd love to hear recs for me - but this is about getting suggestions for my son in daughter. That being said, I'm not going to discourage you from leaving three recs in your comments - one for each of us! 

Covid Positivity

 

In this day and age, it's so easy to think that 2020 has just been a kick in the balls. And in some ways, it absolutely has. We've had the Covid, killer hornets from outer space, asteroids, earthquakes and Joe Exotic (you're either Team Carol or a traitor). But there has honestly been some positivity here right? Right?! Who is with me?!

This weekend was, for me, one of those positive moments.  I took my children tenting for the first time on my own.  A few summers ago, we had rented an RV but this year, tenting seemed the better option for us. We stayed at The KOA Twin Mountain/Mt Washington on a tent site and it was wonderful (although I highly recommend bringing pads to sleep on otherwise you'll be in pain and also good instant coffee!).  While there, we visited below:

I took that picture of Echo Lake Beach in Franconia Notch State Park. The kids and I spent most of the afternoon there.  We love swimming and paddle boating here.  We also managed to visit Littleton, NH

where we visited the candy counter (shoutout to Chutters for keeping everyone safe during the visit!), got some coffee (for mom and blueberry lemonade for the kids) and stopped in the bookstore.  The weather was perfect and my son even taught me how to cook sausage and green peppers in aluminum foil on coals!  Sweet!  We're headed back in September for a weekend and the kids have requested to go back next year for a longer period of time.  I have a KOA membership, and we have talked about RV'ing/camping through the country next summer, so we may end up doing that. 

Another positive thing is that tenting normalizes my weird circadian rhythm of waking up at 5 as the light is starting to get gray and light.  The red squirrels were REALLY loud and chittery too.  We had one that regularly visited us and spent some time by our fire with us on Saturday night.  Also, reading! I finished a book on Ted Bundy (maybe not the best choice for reading on a camping trip but whatever). I will review it shortly.

Anyways, lots of positive things.  I'm looking for suggestions for things to do with the kids this weekend. I already have on the list: hike, beach (Rye or York), blueberry picking, biking.  The things must be outdoors and we must be able to socially distance or safely wear masks.

Thanks!

Defending Jacob by William Landay

This novel by lawyer and novelist William Landay was a re-read for me.  I read it for the first time a few years ago I think.  And I enjoyed it then, but wanted to read it again to see if there was anything new I could learn from it. It's also a series now so if I was ever going to watch it, I should probably re-read it - I'm a purist (or snob?) like that.

In this book, the story is told from Andy Barber's perspective.  He is a First Assistant DA (not the DA, but the one that manages the office) and he is married to Laurie. They have a 14 year old son named Jacob. One day, their son's classmate, Ben Rivkin, is found murdered in the park along a popularly traveled path - one that most of the neighborhood kids take to school. Jacob is arrested for it and goes to trial. 

I loved the issues that were dealt with in this book - everything from love for your child that blinds you, to the stressors that are placed on a marriage and what families do for each other. I still really enjoyed it. And even though I read the book in the past, I honestly didn't remember the last part of the book and I was still shocked and surprised. 

What I've Been Reading Lately

So I haven't been posting a whole lot but I'm reading I promise!!!

I've currently got a couple of books that I'm actively reading:

1. Defending Jacob by William Landay. This is a re-read for me - it's been a few years since I read it but I'm interested in seeing Chris Evans in the series so I wanted to re-read.

2. The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I grew to love him after reading The Shadow of the Wind and I'm just continuing on.  Any book that combines mystery with bookstores is all right with me.

3. The Teenage Brain because you know, soon I will have a teenager - what the hell?!

I've also been obsessed with new podcasts and new (to me) shows.  THe positive of Quarantining is that you can totally catch up and get into new things.  Here's what I'm listening to and watching:

1. Schitt's Creek  - this is literally a family affair with Eugene Levy and his two hilarious children getting inovled in this along with an amazing cast.  The episodes are bite sized - twenty minutes - so you can get two in right before bed.

2. Twin Peaks - not to be confused with New Hampshire's Twin Mountain. I'm gearing up to watch the third season on Starz but needed to get reacquainted with everyone.

3. Dirty John - the Betty Broderick story - Amanda Peet and Christian Slater.  Need I say more?!  So good. Amanda Peet nails it.

4. Slow Burn - this podcast season is about David Duke - yes THAT David Duke. The first season was about Watergate. 

5. Women and Crime - combines two of my interests - true crime and how women experience it differently.

What are you listening, reading or watching?!

Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West

So, I've been really making an effort to read novels by or about women of color because I realized that my reading experience has actually been somewhat limited.  And this particular novel seemed really interesting when I read a synopsis of it, so I picked it up.

Ruby King is a young woman of color living in Chicago whose mother is found murdered in their South Side home. While the police just dismiss it as another act of senseless violence, Ruby knows that it will mean she's forced to live now with her violent father. The only one that seems to understand her is her best friend, Layla, who she has been friends with for her entire life. They are more like sisters, than friends.  When Layla;s father, the pastor, tells Layla to stay away, she becomes determined to help her friend no matter what. In the course of helping, she learns about murky loyalties that have run between families between generations and begins to see how trauma can be shared amongst families as well as communities.

I was very surprised to learn that this was West's first novel because it was so magnificently well written and takes on a number of important themes that are particularly relevant to today's world including racism, abuse, love, trust, faith and friendship. West effectively uses shifting first person and shifting time narratives to connect the reader to the characters. I may not have really liked the characters themselves or their choices but I felt like I was connected with them. This is an important book that is timely and relevant to the issues that our country is still experiencing to this date.  Highly recommended.

What I've been reading lately and some of my favorite links

It's been a while since I posted and for that I'm sorry - although Rodham was wonderful, I have yet to complete a reviewable book (I've read the third book in a series and in my humble opinion, it's hard to review a book within a series because it has built upon the books that came before!).  That being said, I'm finishing up the fourth of the series of books written by Elena Ferrante. She is the talented (and anonymous!) author of the Neapolitan Novels, a quartet of books written in Italian about two young women that come of age in Naples and how their lives progress through adulthood.  I'm just about done in English.  My mom got me the first one in Italian, so I will likely read a chapter a night in Italian starting when I'm done.  

I'm also currently reading The Teenage Brain and Masterminds and Wingmen in the hopes that they will give me a better understanding of what the hell is going on in my (almost) teenager's brain. I mean, how do I have an almost thirteen year old!

***********************************************************************************

The last few weeks have been increasingly intense as far as the social fabric of our country. We are at a turning point insofar as race relations and public health stuff.  I'm not blind to it.  I've accumulated some of my favorite links related to not just reading and books but about the things that are going on in the world today that hopefully can give everyone some insight.  Please be kind to each other!

1.  What Does it Mean to be an Ally?
2. The Hate U Give is now streaming. For Free.  Go Watch.
3. Start here to begin the process of listening and understanding - it's a start only.  
4. The Talk.
5. The King of Staten Island and the Pain of Moving On from the Atlantic,
6. Behind the Scenes of the Shining.

Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld, a review

I stumbled upon this book almost by accident. I had been talking to a friend about books that we enjoyed reading and found out that it was coming out - Curtis Sittenfeld is one of my most favorite authors and I re-read her novel, Prep, often.  So when I heard that she was coming out with a retelling of Hill's life, I was all in!

This book literally imagines what Hillary Rodham Clinton's life would have been like if she had never married Bill Clinton. This book is, in a single word: mesmerizing.

So, Hillary at Wellesley (full disclosure:  I graduated from Wellesley in 2001) is still the same, down to the Commencement address she gave in 1969 - she was the first student commencement speaker at a graduation in Wellesley history. She goes to Yale Law, meets Bill and travels some with him, but instead of marrying him, she leaves him and goes back to Chicago. What is brilliant about this novel is that it's a a fictional re-telling of Hillary's Living History.

I found myself experiencing a lot of emotions here - I found myself charmed by the early romance and then horrified in turn at how Bill acted, but I still couldn't tear myself away. I felt uncomfortable with some of the compromises that were made by Hillary - particularly when it came to Donald Trump (who plays an interesting role here). I felt a little squeamish reading about the fictional Hillary talking about sex and other bodily functions, much as I would any other person talking about that - I'm sure Hillary is reading it - can you imagine HER reaction?!

And yet, in spite of this, (or maybe because of it), I couldn't put the book down. It's the most technically perfect book I've read in a very long time and I was absolutely enthralled and mesmerized by it.  Definitely recommended. 

Origin by Dan Brown - a review

It has been such a long time since I posted a review in large part because it has been so hard to just read during this public health crisis. My life has been turned upside down quite frankly - what with working remotely, my actual job undergoing some changes and my children remotely learning for the rest of this year.  I don't even know if I will get to see my family in Connecticut or New York this summer.  It's been very stressful and difficult for me to deal with.  I've since gotten back to reading because I'm trying to get some self care in and reading has always been that for me, so here I am.

Dan Brown is high on my list of readable authors - I love mysteries, steeped in history and religion and he hits all of those marks.  The fact that he is from New Hampshire is an added benefit - I can say I'm supporting a local author other than John Irving. I have loved Dan Brown since my mom handed me a copy of The Da Vinci Code and insisted I read it (thanks mom!).

For those of you that have read other Dan Brown books, specifically Inferno, don't worry - this is a standalone. This should also appease all of the people that haven't read a Dan Brown book too - go ahead and pick this one up to start. Origin is the Fifth in the Langdon series - although you don't need to have read the previous books in order to appreciate and love this book. THis book is set in Spain with Langdon's former student and Elon Musk wannabe Edmond Kirsch giving a talk that is probably going to really, really piss off the religious folk - because all of these books are about pissing off the religious folk. As Kirsch is giving the talk, an assassin shoots him and Langdon and his female companion (who always changes, James Bond style) have to get the talk out!

At the time that I was reading this book - right when our lives were changing in massive ways - this book was exactly what I needed.  The chapters were short to match my overanxiously short attention span and I didn't have to really "think" or concentrate in my sometimes preoccupied and sometimes down state.  It took me away when I needed to be taken away and provided entertainment.  I enjoyed it, even though it was somewhat predictable.  It was fun and earnest and I loved it. It transported me to Spain and into lives and places that I had never been to before and if that's not the mark of a good book, then I don't know what is.

A review: Little Children by Tom Perrotta

So I've been a big fan of Tom Perrotta since I found out that he penned Election, which was made into a movie starring Reese Witherspoon (I actually saw the movie before I read the book, which is really unheard of for me!!).

THis was one of the Perrotta books that I had yet to read, so when I saw it at a Library book sale, I grabbed it. The novel revolves around Sarah, a radical feminist who can't believe she is "only" a stay at home mom married to a much older man and going to the playground with her three year old. She, while hanging out at the playground with the other moms, meets Todd, aka the "Prom King" a stay at home dad that has not been able to pass the bar exam no matter how many times he's tried to take it. Sarah and Todd become intertwined when she accepts a bet to talk to him.  We also meet Kathy, Todd's filmmaker and breadwinner gorgeous wife, Larry - the ex cop who is out to get the neighborhood sex offender and the neighborhood sex offender himself.

It has been very, very hard for me to read a book lately in large part due to the stress of the Covid-19 pandemic and yet this book managed to draw me in. In large part, it was because of the pacing of the novel. I could easily split it up into little chunks of reading time.  The chapters themselves were short but were also split into subsections themselves, which allowed me "soundbytes." I actually really liked that there wasn't a neat, tied up ending where I felt that the characters resolved all of their issues.  I get really annoyed with books like that.

Generally a good book!

Live events that are fun to do with the kids

With kids and parents and adults alike being told to stay home, there's often something besides going for a walk in the woods that has to happen to make things tolerable. Here are some ideas:

• New England Aquarium Virtual Visits
• The Columbia Zoo has come cool live shows too.
• National Women's Museum has digital classroom resources and online exhibits
• Visit MoMA, the Anne Frank House, the Palace of Versailles and more on the Google Arts App
• Scholastic is offering learning at home.
• Free concerts! Make sure to check out offerings on Facebook live too!
• Minecraft has a coding education program for grades 3-5. Mystery Science has scienc lessons for K-5. 
• Yellowstone has a virtual tour. So does the Boston CHildren's Museum.
•  Frozen Actor Josh Gad reads online to kids every night on Twitter. Find the past ones here: https://www.ktnv.com/news/national/coronavirus/frozen-actor-josh-gad-reading-to-kids-on-twitter-to-provide-entertainment-during-outbreak.  For those who don't know, he's Olaf and was also in the live action Beauty and the Beast as Lefou.  His twitter account is @joshgad
• DJ Mel has kid friendly dance parties and DJ luis has parties too! 
• I have been to the Aquarium in Monterey and it's amazing. It has an otter cam up too!
• Check out the Great Wall of China.

So, if you're like me and a gym rat, it's also been really, really hard to get your steps in.  We have been walking in the woods a lot.  But a lot of companies are offering online streaming classes too.

• Planet Fitness has in home workouts once a  day usually at 7PM EST.
•  Beachbody brings you P90X and all those workouts 14 days for free.
• YouTube has a ton of workouts 
• DailyBurn too!

For Adults - in addition to the streaming services, these look fascinating:

•  Broadway * 

I'm sure I'm missing a lot - add in the comments!!  

• 
  

Review: Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow

I'm going to out myself right now - I have a huge celebrity crush on Ronan Farrow.  Even though he could easily have used his parents' money, he put himself through law school. He was a UNICEF spokesperson for women and children who were suffering in Darfur and he most recently, as a journalist, outed  Weinstein, Lauer and the practice of catching and killing stories.  This book is his memoir as to how he broke the Weinstein story while beginning at NBC and then, eventually, at the New Yorker Magazine.

I loved this book. It moved quickly and I devoured it in a way that I didn't devour She Said, a book I reviewed here about the same topic.  In large part, I think, Farrow narrates this as almost a spy novel where he's followed a lot, his sources go dark and his bosses at NBC stop him at every turn. The bite sized snippets that are chapters are helpful too.

The book does a masterful job capturing the feelings that Weinstein has (the sheer panic!) and his victims feel. It does a great job in describing the potential consequences people had in coming forward - Farrow himself got fired from NBC for pursuing this story. I loved learning about his process of reporting and what he had to do to ensure that he got things just so.  He was able to talk about all of the aspects of this story - personal impact, professional, victims, perpetrator - in a way that was balanced and informative without being too heavy handed. This is an important book to read as it memorializes a turning point in our culture insofar as power dynamics, sexual harassment and assault and the workplace go.

Definitely worth reading. 

Review: The Third Rainbow Girl by Emma Copley Eisenberg

OMG, so NPR has some of the BEST book recommendations. And this one was no exception. Generally speaking, this book is about the murder of two women who were hitchhiking to a music festival in West Virginia in 1980.  It's broad theme is about restless women and how society handles them. As a restless woman myself, how could I possibly resist.

The two women: Vicki Durian and Nancy Santomero (who was from Long Island, NY - yet another connection), were hitchhiking from Arizona to West Virginia in 1980 for the Rainbow Gathering, a hippie-type peace and music festival that was being held in the woods and mountains in West Virginia (I had no desire to go W.V. before this book, but now I totally want to go!). Their bodies were found in an isolated clearing in Pocahontas County, near the festival. The women had been shot, but there were no signs of other assault or sexual assault.

Rumors flew around. Everyone had a theory about who did it but generally, everyone seemed to agree that the people that committed these acts were locals, based upon where the bodies were located. One local farmer in particular, Jacob Beard, was arrested and tried because he was a mean drunk in particular. He was later acquitted when a notorious serial killer confessed to the killings (it was actually the same guy that shot Larry Flynt of Hustler fame!). Because he was already on death row, there was never any trial for him on the Rainbow murders.

I loved this book. Eisenberg was as close as you can get to being a native without actually being a native having educated young women in the area on and off for years. This gave her a level of access generally reserved for insiders. She takes on things like the "missing white girl" syndrome and the scary hick myth popularized by movies and books like Deliverance. I loved learning about Eisenberg's own story about working in West Virginia as well and she managed to weave that into the narrative of the two murdered women seamlessly. She weaves the narrative of how women want to travel to learn about themselves into the true crime story of two women who sadly lost their own lives.

So good.  Go get it NOW!

Review: She Said by Megan Twohey and and Jodi Kantor

So, this book, along with Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow are really credited with starting the avalanche that is the #MeToo Movement.  She Said chronicles how Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey broke the Weinstein story for the NY Times.  I literally devoured this book in large chunks because it's very readable and ego free and lends itself to binge reading. The book itself is timely since Harvey Weinstein is in the middle of his criminal trial in NYC on sexual assault and abuse allegations.

There were many things that I learned in reading this that I didn't know before - how it was Rose McGowan's infamous tweet that caught their eye and began the process and how Lisa Bloom (who is the daughter of Gloria Allred) pretty much worked for Weinstein, helping him to discredit the women that she build her career and reputation helping. I also learned, although I wasn't surprised, that the two reporters struggled for at least a year to get people to go on the record - while they learned of many women that had been abused at Weinstein's hands, all of them were either scared or had received settlements (or both), putting the two persistent reporters in a bind.

The persistence of the reporters was inspirational as were the stories of the ordinary women who eventually came forward.  The last part of the book focused on the Kavanaugh hearings - those hearings were ones that I was obsessed with because of what I do in real life for work and my interest in gender issues - they seemed to intersect in those hearings.  I wish that this section of the book were as fleshed out and detailed as the Weinstein parts, but it was still really wonderful to read.   I enjoyed this book and what it reveals about the power struggles, the ambiguity of sexual harassment reporting (by actual reporters and the people that suffer it at the hands of powerful people) and where we are at as a society currently.

Definitely worth the read. 

The Sunday Post

The Sunday Post is hosted by The Caffeinated Reviewer every Sunday. 

This week found me busy at my job and also doing child care stuff.  My daughter came home sick on Monday (thanks to Sara for helping out) and then on Tuesday, we were busy at home doing homework and after school stuff.  I've not been sleeping very well and sometimes just want some time where people aren't constantly asking for attention - whether it be asking to hang out or constantly texting or something to that effect.  Don 't get me wrong, I don't mind the checking in but sometimes I feel like it's constant and my boundaries aren't always respected, which makes it difficult. 

Yesterday, the kids and I had fun - we went to the Children's Museum in Boston. They seemed to like it even though there were parts that were pretty busy and crowded. Our local library got us discount tix so it was well worth it.  We took public transportation in and then walked the five minutes from the T stop to the museum.  I am going to look into doing something similar the next time that I have the kids - we've already done the Aquarium and Museum of Science. 

This past week, I only really reviewed two books: Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel and The Furies of Calederon, but this week will likely see a review of Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan and She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey.  I'm also very excited that Netflix has the fourth season of Better Call Saul, which I'm eagerly watching. Bob Odenkirk is great in it.

Furies of Calederon by Jim Butcher review

I had never heard of Jim Butcher before I received the suggestion to read this book and the subsequent series. I was looking to start another series of books and one of my Facebook group members suggested this.  He also has a series of books called The Dresden Files
that I'm seriously considering reading at some point.

The People of the Valley of Calderon, and the world of Alera in general, have naturally ingrained talents referred to as furycrafting. As a result of this talent, the people have been able to train the furies to assist them in their lives. Alera is governed by the First Lord Gaius, who is getting older and doesn't have an heir to assume his position once he passes. War is brewing as a result of the anticipated void that will be left by his death. Fairly early on, we meet Tavi - a boy that is considered to be disabled because he can't summon or control any furies. Tavi lives in the Valley on Bernardholt, with his aunt and uncle - the owners of this land. Tavi and his uncle discover that the Valey is under attack by a horde like group of people called the Marat and their human, mercenary allies that seek to assume power before Gaius' death. The resulting adventures and  battles happen quickly and intensely.

Butcher's 600 plus page introductory novel jumps right in to the action and I greatly appreciated that.  While I understand that most authors like to take the time to set the stage, the often 100 pages that it takes can be somewhat dry. There's always something going on, such that it might be helpful for the reader to keep notes. The characters are easy to identify with in spite of their magical talents and the sorts of things that they are trying to accomplish.  I appreciated that Butcher took time to have us focus on the characters and their struggles as much as the plot that he was trying to forward.  Characters learned things about themselves and/or the world around them.

Highly recommended.

Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel

I read Prozac Nation for the first time when I was in High School. I don't remember why - maybe because the cover intrigued me by showing a girl that was like me or someone I wanted to be. Anyways, I remember devouring it then and I wanted to read it again because Elizabeth Wurtzel recently passed away.

Much like The  Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (also a book I adore!), Prozac Nation graphically details Wutrzel's struggles with depression in the eighties and early 90's - the book was published in 1994. She attended Harvard, where many of her battles took fruition. Initially, I don't think that the book got the attention it deserved.  This is a rich memoir of how Wurtzel pulled herself up by her bootstraps, won numerous awards, got into Harvard and yet, was plagued by a deep seated depression that traces back to her youth.

This book changed the world of writing in many ways, but most notably, it was unashamed and unabashed and allowed people to really talk about things like mental health without shame.  Wurtzel was one of the first to use Prozac to treat depression successfully and she told us her stories without shame.  I loved it.  And I loved reading about her.

This book is just as good as it was when it was released over twenty years ago and is just as important and relevant now as it was then. 

Book Sale Haul

I absolutely love my local library. I'm pretty sure that they love me too because I'm there so often taking books out that they know my name!  Anyways, today, they had their semi-annual book sale, and I brought the kids to it. As you can see, we brought home a bunch of things - this haul cost me a whopping five dollars.  My son is excited to start the Eragon series (I already have the second book and now have the complete set) and Gabby got a Nancy Drew book and a Judy Blume book - neither of which you could go wrong with! 

I'm excited to get cracking on these. Just so you know, there's a resource to find local booksales in your neighborhood.  If you go to this site, you can select your state and will be able to find one in your area!  :)  Happy book hunting!

The Red Daughter by Jonathan Burnham Schwartz

For such a short novel, this book packed a huge punch.  Schwartz tells the story of the defection of Svetlana Alliluyeva Stalin's only daughter to the United States in the form of diary entries written by her. At 41, she abruptly defects to the United States, leaving her two oldest children in the USSR, hoping that they will be able to forge an identity separately from her and their notorious grandfather. Alliluyeva spends some time in Princeton, NJ giving lectures and writing and then moves to Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West in Arizona and has another child.  

Svetlana has written her own books: Twenty Letters to a Friend, Only One Year and another that wasn't very widely published.  Obviously, this is a fictionalized account of Svetlana's life and her experiences but I found myself drawn to her story and her experiences so much that I plan on reading Twenty Letters to a Friend. Interestingly, Schwartz had access to the file of the lawyer that went to Europe to escort Svetlana back because that lawyer was his father!  

This book was fascinating because of the themes that it explored. Svetlana never really had a life or identity of her own - either in the USSR or in the United States.  Stalin controlled her every move, including who she could marry and when and where she had to ve and then, in the United States, she had CIA minders with her all the time. Ultimately, Svetlana herself and by extension her children were used as pawns in the Cold War. Burnham does a great job in exploring this theme.  She was constantly seeking connection to people in order to fill the void that had been left within her by her leaving her two eldest children - this included imprinting on her lawyer (there was never a real romantic relationship but the possibility was definitely there) and marrying an architect at Taliesin West, in addition to having another child.  There was also significant and prolonged guilt about having to leave her two eldest children behind and her desire to have a relationship with them.

This book was impressive and a pleasure to read.  

The Memory Police by Yogo Odawa - review

This is a Japanese novel in translation by Yogo Odawa and which I heard about in one of the blogs that I read. It takes place on a small island, where we learn that random things are disappearing.  These things are everything from perfume and roses to boats and novels and even people. The goal is that the remaining people will slowly forget the items and people that are gone. And yet, it's not like 1984 or The Handmaid's Tale.  It's very, slow. 

The protagonist is a young woman who is a novelist and she floats along, not caring if things are happening and not making things happen. She is hardly an agent of ANYTHING, whether it is for change or advocating for the state. It's like she doesn't care about anything. Nothing happens - she doesn't learn anything and the plot doesn't move. I kept waiting for something but nothing happened and I was left unsatisfied and disappointed. 

I would pass on this one. 

Review: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

Do Therapists have their own therapists to help them with their life stresses?  How about when they absolutely fall apart in a situation that some other people wouldn't?  Lori Gottlieb, a therapist based in beautiful, sunny California - where therapy is almost the norm - details her search for a therapist when her boyfriend and she break up (and she wasn't expecting it!). As she searches for and attends her own therapy sessions, Dr. Gottlieb continues to see her own patients and parent her youngish son at the same time. Her patients and she battle painfully through their sessions, struggling through self realization.

The book is split into 58 separate chapters, which are short and are addictingly readable. There are biographical chapters in which Gottlieb talks about her breakdowns and her distractions related to her breakup, her inability to complete a book about happiness because she is profoundly unhappy and how she began her career working on shows like ER and did a stint in medical school before realizing that she liked people and stories. We also learn about her patients and their struggles - and what a motley crew they are!

I loved reading this book but I can see how she can be too provocative for some and her use of the jargon, without translating or using normal "English," can turn a reader off. I didn't mind it at all.  I enjoyed getting insight into how therapists operate and I appreciated that she was a "normal" person that happened to be helping people in the way that she too was being helped.  I found her extremely relatable. Yes, it's also voyeuristic to some degree.  Let's be honest. But it was also insanely fun to read and insightful as well.

A really good read. 

New Review: Blue Moon Promise by Colleen Coble

I'll be honest: this isn't my "normal" go-to type of book. It's about subjects that I don't normally read about or enjoy, but I wanted something lighter right now - ok, to be honest, I needed something that was light and quick to read right now.  So I picked this book up and read the description of the story, and it seemed right, under the circumstances. I wasn't let down by it, considering the goals and expectations and needs that I had in picking the book up to begin with.

Blue Moon Promise by Colleen Coble takes place in both Indiana and Texas (mostly, the latter).  When we first meet Lucy, her brother, and her sister, they are living in Wabash, Indiana in the late 1700's or early 1800's. Lucy's life is absolutely falling apart - she is a seamstress that has just lost her job and only means of supporting her family financially.  When she arrives home, she learns that her father has died, their house has been sold and there are people that seem to be out to get them or something in their possession. Additionally, her no good stepmother has abandoned the family in their time of need and after the death of her husband, Lucy's father. 

Lucy is quite fierce and determined to make sure that her family is cared for.  When she learned that her father's death may have been a homicide, she determines that it is safest to leave town. In order to do so, she conveniently accepts a proxy marriage to a young Texan ranch owner named Nate and uproots the family, moving them to the ranch in Texas. However, trouble follows her there. This novel follows her troubles as well as her relationship with Nate as they get to know each other.

I was most surprised by the amount of Christian education in this novel - I think that I missed that this had some of that in the book. I wasn't expecting any and there was some (not as much as in other books that I have read, but it was there - the main subjects were definitely the mystery and the romance, with only minimal attention being made to the Christian parts).  That being said, it was the sort of book that I enjoyed at the time I read it because it was what I was looking for and what I needed to read under the circumstances - I can't read heavy all the time!

I felt very involved in the book right from the get go.  And I read it quickly - it took me two or three days tops to complete and it was an easy, uncomplicated read. The plot moved along and at the end, seemed to resolve in a very quick and succinct way, almost as if the author had panicked about finishing up and thought to herself, "oh, I need to tie this up now and neatly!" There were times when I thought that Lucy's brother and sister's dialogue was more mature for their ages as far as word choice and syntax.  Lucy's sister in the book is, I think supposed to be three and I felt that she was speaking at a developmental level similar to that of my 9 year old.  This wasn't anything that made or broke anything though.

Generally, an ok read - nothing to rush out for, but perfect for me in the moment.