Because I refuse to not finish a book, I pushed my way through this, but it was pure torture. Apparently, I'm not a fan of the "unauthorized biography" because everything about this book annoyed me. After approximately 50 pages, I gave up and got the audio version...and yes, it was just as annoying. What a disappointment.
Kitty Kelley has a way of repeating herself that I have a hard time with, especially when a book is this long. If every story didn't circle back around so many times, the book probably could have been half the length and possibly slightly less annoying...but then again, maybe not. The author complains about Oprah's over exposure as well as her self-selected personal revelations...I'm sorry, but don't we ALL choose what we share with others? Especially in a public format?? And as far as being over exposed, DUH! She is on national television and has been for many years, she is also the most successful woman in the world, what do you expect?
Maybe it's just me, but I really don't care about all the guys Oprah dated or any of the lies she may have told, arguments she had with classmates, if she did drugs, none of that. I don't think those petty details make a person. In fact, I think it might say something about the author that she prefers to write "unauthorized" biographies about people without their input or consent...what makes you want to dig up every person someone has ever been at odds with and try to make a book about that? Just because you aren't giving them money doesn't mean they aren't getting something out of having you put their name and story in your book. Not my style...guess I'm just not into shady "non-fiction"...especially when it's read by the author who happens to have a really annoying voice.
Would I recommend this book? HELL NO!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Heart of The Matter by Emily Giffin
Emily Giffin has a gift for making readers connect with and even love the type of characters we normally wouldn't like much--the woman who sleeps with her best friend's fiancee, the one who doesn't want children and divorces her husband when he decides he wants to be a father, and in this case, the single mother who falls in love with and has an affair with her son's married doctor.
I have liked each of Giffin's books, and enjoyed the style of this one. Told from two perspectives, we see both sides of this story. The doctor's wife, Tess, is the main narrator and speaks in first person...the boy's mother, Valerie's story is told in third person. I like the dual narration and Giffin's ability to invoke sympathy for characters most authors portray simply as evil, conniving bitches.
Would I recommend this book? Of course. Emily Giffin maintains her position on my list of favorite authors...I suspect one of the secondary characters in this book will be the star of her next novel and am anxious to see if I'm right!
I have liked each of Giffin's books, and enjoyed the style of this one. Told from two perspectives, we see both sides of this story. The doctor's wife, Tess, is the main narrator and speaks in first person...the boy's mother, Valerie's story is told in third person. I like the dual narration and Giffin's ability to invoke sympathy for characters most authors portray simply as evil, conniving bitches.
Would I recommend this book? Of course. Emily Giffin maintains her position on my list of favorite authors...I suspect one of the secondary characters in this book will be the star of her next novel and am anxious to see if I'm right!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel
I loved Life of Pi, Martel's first book and was waiting anxiously for this one to be released. I'll admit that at first, I was confused by this book. I wasn't sure where it was going, and I wasn't feeling much of a connection to the main character. However, as it went on, I truly enjoyed Martel's distinct storytelling style and elaborate attention to detail.
The main character, Henry, is a successful author whose second book was ruled a failure (pre-publishing) by 3 of his editors, a bookseller and a historian over a luncheon. After this, he gave up his career and moved to a nondescript city to start a new, nondescript life. In this new life, he continues to answer mail that is forwarded from his editors...and responds to one that is written by a man named Henry who requests help and happens to live in his current home.
After deciding to deliver the response himself, he discovers that the other Henry is a taxidermist who has been writing a play. The play, it is eventually discovered, is a fictional tale starring animals that is essentially about the Holocost...the very subject Henry proposed in his 2nd book. The characters, Beatrice the Donkey and Virgil the Howler Monkey, primarily spend their time talking about how they will talk about what happened to them, which they have decided to call The Horrors. Martel's descriptions are so vivid and real that at points I was literally brought to tears by what Beatrice and Virgil experienced. During the scene where Beatrice is telling Virgil what happened to her while they were apart, I was so revolted that I had to stop and come back multiple times.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. If you liked Life of Pi or enjoy vivid imagery, you should like this book. This author has a gift for description that anyone should be able to appreciate!
The main character, Henry, is a successful author whose second book was ruled a failure (pre-publishing) by 3 of his editors, a bookseller and a historian over a luncheon. After this, he gave up his career and moved to a nondescript city to start a new, nondescript life. In this new life, he continues to answer mail that is forwarded from his editors...and responds to one that is written by a man named Henry who requests help and happens to live in his current home.
After deciding to deliver the response himself, he discovers that the other Henry is a taxidermist who has been writing a play. The play, it is eventually discovered, is a fictional tale starring animals that is essentially about the Holocost...the very subject Henry proposed in his 2nd book. The characters, Beatrice the Donkey and Virgil the Howler Monkey, primarily spend their time talking about how they will talk about what happened to them, which they have decided to call The Horrors. Martel's descriptions are so vivid and real that at points I was literally brought to tears by what Beatrice and Virgil experienced. During the scene where Beatrice is telling Virgil what happened to her while they were apart, I was so revolted that I had to stop and come back multiple times.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. If you liked Life of Pi or enjoy vivid imagery, you should like this book. This author has a gift for description that anyone should be able to appreciate!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Mennonite In A Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen
This was part of a package I received from my friend Sherrie who knows me as well as anyone in the world when it comes to books. It was HILARIOUS! Rhoda Janzen's memoir is everything I like in a book--honest, funny, engaging, educational--and I could NOT put it down!!! Janzen grew up in the Mennonite community, and returned after a series of life-changing events.
The author literally made me laugh out loud (which can be embarrassing when you're in the waiting room at the Dr's office with 20 other people) multiple times with witty tales of her family, friends, relationships and the Mennonite community. I especially liked her mother, Mary, who is of "good Mennonite stock" with an eternally positive outlook and a love of frugality and home making. I loved her spirit and wisdom.
I really enjoyed the information on the history of the Mennonite religion and the changes that Janzen has witnessed in her, and her parents', lifetimes; it was very diferent from the way I grew up. The Mennonite position on peace and caring for community as well as their overall passion for helping the less fortunate all over the world is admirable.
My favorite quote in the book is from Mary Janzen,"When you're young, faith is often a matter of rules. What you should do and shouldn't do, that kind of thing. But as you get older, you realize that faith is really a matter of relationship--with God, with the people around you, with the members of your community." I think that sums it all up...focus on the relationships, not the rules!
Would I recommend this book? Definitely!
The author literally made me laugh out loud (which can be embarrassing when you're in the waiting room at the Dr's office with 20 other people) multiple times with witty tales of her family, friends, relationships and the Mennonite community. I especially liked her mother, Mary, who is of "good Mennonite stock" with an eternally positive outlook and a love of frugality and home making. I loved her spirit and wisdom.
I really enjoyed the information on the history of the Mennonite religion and the changes that Janzen has witnessed in her, and her parents', lifetimes; it was very diferent from the way I grew up. The Mennonite position on peace and caring for community as well as their overall passion for helping the less fortunate all over the world is admirable.
My favorite quote in the book is from Mary Janzen,"When you're young, faith is often a matter of rules. What you should do and shouldn't do, that kind of thing. But as you get older, you realize that faith is really a matter of relationship--with God, with the people around you, with the members of your community." I think that sums it all up...focus on the relationships, not the rules!
Would I recommend this book? Definitely!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Half-Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls
Second of Walls' books, this is story of her grandmother, Lily Casey Smith. I absolutely loved her memoir, The Glass Castle, and was excited for this one to be released. Walls calls it a "true life novel" since it's based on her own memories of her grandmother, tales passed down from her mother and historically verified events. Lily Casey Smith was a very tough, smart, and hardworking woman who lived a very interesting life. Walls, via her grandmother, gives an accurate depiction of ranch life in the south in the early 1900's.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, and I can't wait for her next book.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, and I can't wait for her next book.
Friday, June 4, 2010
The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
I haven't loved all of Alice Hoffman's books, but I did really enjoy this one. I should disclose that I am a HUGE fan of Chaos Theory (the idea that every action, no matter how small, has consequences and incites change...without change, an organism/organization/culture will die/fail/become extinct). This author had a very interesting way of incorporating this theory into the novel...she also wrote of wishes, fairy tales, death and meteorology.
At it's core, this book is about love in the many forms it can take, and the bonds that secrets and shared experiences can create. The author writes that true love ruins you, and opens your heart to possibility...this is just one statement that illustrates the narrator's complete metamorphosis from a hermit-like librarian to the person she becomes after being struck by lightning. It took a while for it to develop and in the beginning I just wanted the narrator to stop whining and get on with her life, but I loved all the symbolism in this book, all of the complexities of the characters.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, but it definitely takes some patience in the beginning. Seriously, how could I not recommend a novel that references Chaos Theory??
At it's core, this book is about love in the many forms it can take, and the bonds that secrets and shared experiences can create. The author writes that true love ruins you, and opens your heart to possibility...this is just one statement that illustrates the narrator's complete metamorphosis from a hermit-like librarian to the person she becomes after being struck by lightning. It took a while for it to develop and in the beginning I just wanted the narrator to stop whining and get on with her life, but I loved all the symbolism in this book, all of the complexities of the characters.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, but it definitely takes some patience in the beginning. Seriously, how could I not recommend a novel that references Chaos Theory??
Thursday, June 3, 2010
The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
I can't recall the specifics, but this book was recommended so I added it to one of my lists. Recently, a package arrived from some friends and included this book (which I had forgotten about. Anyway, I read it...and now am curious about the source of the suggestion.
This book is odd. Not bad, just odd. It is a series of letters written by a teen named Charlie, simply addressed "Dear Friend" so we do not know anything about the recipient. Charlie is a strange boy, and as the book progresses, it becomes more obvious why, but nonetheless, he is strange. At different points in the book, I had a hard time following his letters--his thoughts are often quite scattered and/or distracted, or maybe he is just VERY different than I--either way, it wasn't an easy read.
Would I recommend this book? Maybe. I can think of at least one person I know whom I am sure would really like this style and the story--if only because my friend is just as scattered and confused as Charlie.
This book is odd. Not bad, just odd. It is a series of letters written by a teen named Charlie, simply addressed "Dear Friend" so we do not know anything about the recipient. Charlie is a strange boy, and as the book progresses, it becomes more obvious why, but nonetheless, he is strange. At different points in the book, I had a hard time following his letters--his thoughts are often quite scattered and/or distracted, or maybe he is just VERY different than I--either way, it wasn't an easy read.
Would I recommend this book? Maybe. I can think of at least one person I know whom I am sure would really like this style and the story--if only because my friend is just as scattered and confused as Charlie.
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