Books are cheaper than heroin, but they DO add up....
Amy, Carrie, Chanin and Sarah buy (and read and review) their own stuff. They've been known to shop around from dealer to dealer looking for the best price. If you're interested in slipping them something to try out, just contact us.
A passenger on a plane watched two people in front of her interact and decided this would make a great "meet cute". (That's a staple in romance novels and movies.). She chronicled her version of the exchange during a plane ride (cross-county, maybe? I forget.), and the tweet thread garnered serious interest. The first tweet had over 800,000 likes and 300,000 retweets.
That's a lot. Consider this: when Lin-Manuel Miranda tweeted that Hamilton would stream on Disney+ on July 3, that tweet received 92,300 retweets and 238,000 likes. And he has over 3 MILLION followers on Twitter.
So, again, a LOT.
And many people were swept up in the potential romance of it without considering what an invasion of privacy that really was or that not everyone involved wanted that kind of attention for merely being politely friendly in the forced confines of an airplane. In fact, the female passenger who was being tweeted about eventually shared a statement through an attorney that pointed out all the not-so-cute elements of the situation.
And, that, my friends, is the set up for Alisha Rai's Girl Gone Viral. Katrina King reluctantly shares her table in a crowded coffee shop with a handsome man. They have a seemingly benign conversation about cute pets and local pizza places. When the man turns the conversation into a gambit to ask Katrina out, she turns him down. He's handsome, but he doesn't make her "zing". THAT guy, the one that makes all her parts zing is sitting in the cafe, too, working as her bodyguard.
What Katrina doesn't realize is that a woman sitting nearby is sharing the whole experience (including pictures) on Twitter with a salacious twist. And like the real world story from the plane, this Twitter thread goes viral.
The woman who tweeted it all out, her husband, and the handsome guy who was sitting with Katrina all lean into the story; they lap up the attention.
Katrina does NOT, for multiple solid reasons, and she and her zing generator, Jasvinder, the aforementioned bodyguard, take off to hide away on his family farm. While they're there, it becomes clear that Katrina's longing for Jas isn't unrequited.
But they both have family, professional, and up, up-close-personal issues to deal with with before they can find their happily-for-now together. Like always, Alisha Rai provides that for her characters through heat, affection, amazing friends and family support. I basically read this in one sitting--annoyed when I needed to pause to do basic things like eat and answer nature's call. I want to be part of Katrina's friend group and have her cook for me!
Alisha Rai is a one-click auto-buy for me, and if you like contemporary romance, she'll be one for you, too.
A couple of weeks ago, I had the BEST news from NetGalley--approval for an ARC for a book that I was CRAVING.
In 6 B.C-19*, I wrote my first review of a Kit Rocha story. You can read it here. It's fair to say I'm a straight-up Kit Rocha Fan Girl. So you can imagine my response when I found out that I'd been approved for an ARC of the first book of the new Kit Rocha series, Deal With The Devil, in exchange for a review.
It was VERY dignified. *cough* Very.
Deal With The Devil is a Mercenary Librarians novel, and it's set in the same post-apocalyptic timeline that the O'Kane books are set, but the location is different. So far, there are no character connections, but everyone is dealing with the same "how do we live now that everything is broken" situation. (There was a nice Easter egg mention of the whisky from Sector Four from their last series, though.)
The Mercenary Librarians are actually quite more benevolent than their name sounds. They're not hoarding knowledge and texts (remind me to review Rachel Caine's Great Library series soon, would ya?), but they do need to support themselves and help a few neighbors while they're at it. So when the leader, Nina, gets an offer to go after a rogue Library of Congress bunker, she gathers up her team and heads out with The Silver Devils--a team of elite soldiers formally employed by the local tech giant--despite the possibility that this offer is too good to be true. She wants to save all the knowledge that's been lost and find a way to make is accessible to the people around her.
Garrett, the leader of the Silver Devils, doesn't have quite that altruistic of a goal in mind. He's actually setting a trap for Nina; he's desperate to trade Nina for another woman who can stop the Silver Devils from dying. Their former tech giant employer has been augmenting its soldiers for years, and once the Silver Devils left the company they were cut off from the upgrades and necessary maintenance to keep their hearts and brains functioning correctly.
So the two teams set off toward the rogue bunker, and have some adventures, and get to know each other better. And Garrett is in a bind. He likes Nina, and, oh, man, does he want Nina, but he's about to betray Nina. So there's interpersonal tension to go along with the post-apocalyptic danger, and there's just a lot of really compelling stuff going on.
Which I liked and will probably love on the re-read.
Why didn't I love it the first time through?
Because I HATE hate hate hate books where the inevitable betrayal is baked into the plot. While I was all *Kermit arms* about getting the ARC, I also speed read the whole thing like this:
I mean, I trust Kit Rocha to make everything work out in the end, but Garrett was taking TOO LONG to tell Nina what was going on. And then there was this TWIST that I did not see coming, and, oh, yeah, Garrett was screwed. It was also pretty unclear how it was going to all work out in the end.
Because, as I said, there was a lot of really compelling stuff going on.
So, if you want to know how it works out for Nina and Garrett, and you're more comfortable with sturm und drang than I am, you should definitely read Deal With The Devil. Even if you're wimp like I am, you should read it. It's good, and finishing it just made me greedy for the next one.
Gasp! I do actually still read books. And then I, even more sporadically, write reviews! I have read many good, and even a few great, books in my long absence, but I always seem to write more reviews in my mind than I actually sit down and write here on the family blog. But in the short minutes of the perfect storm of cooperation that my children are currently displaying, I thought I'd let you know about this gem of a book.
The Book of Speculation was reviewed as recommendation for people who loved The Night Circus. I thought: "You should write that down. You won't remember the name of it and you LOVED The Night Circus. Go ahead. Write it down. Or even pre-order it. DO IT!" Then I didn't. Until it popped up on another list and I finally pulled the trigger and bought the book. I read it in its entirety during a long weekend trip to the Great Wolf Lodge. And though the subject matter is distinctly aquatic, I did not take the book to the water park, which means I gave up precious moments of sleep to read it. I don't regret that decision. Remember how East of Edenrevived Oprah's Book Club? Well, it did. And though I wouldn't compare this to a classic literary work (East of Eden is really good and I'm not always a lover of Hemingway), this revived my desire to review.
There are similarities between The Night Circus and The Book of Speculation in that they both follow family lines for generations, carnivals and circuses do play a large part in the setting and the plot, and much is forfeited to fate and destiny. However, The Book of Speculation centers on the past affecting those in the present while the The Night Circus doesn't make it that far in its mythology. The Book of Speculation centers its magic around sirens (or mermaids or rusalkas) and tarot rather than the use of magic and sleight of hand as The Night Circus does. They are indeed different stories with similar overarching themes: both great reads.
In The Book of Speculation, a librarian receives a very old and water-damaged book from a stranger who had purchased it at an estate auction in a larger lot of other items (hence the book purchased on speculation). Simon starts digging into the people and the history of the images in the book all while his life is figuratively and literally falling apart. He lives in his childhood home which is on its last days of being on land as it sits precipitously on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Simon does not have the money to save the house from its demise and must ask a neighbor and family friend for help. Which becomes even more difficult as Simon learns more about the people in this mysterious book and the more recent history of his parents and their relationship with these neighbors. To further complicate things, Simon's sister is coming back to town for a visit and she seems unwell. She's obsessed with her tarot cards (her current profession in a traveling carnival) and seems haunted by what the cards show her. All of this as Simon discovers a pattern to the tragic deaths: there is a succession of suicides by drowning in his family. All women, all circus/carnival performers, all "mermaids", and all dead around a certain time period, now Simon is compelled to learn more to try to break this inheritance of tragedy.
The book jumps from century to century fairly seamlessly, and I loved that each time it jumped I missed the other storyline while I was reading about the other characters. I also enjoyed the description of the towns and cities up and down the East Coast frequented by the traveling circus during colonial times. I imagine the amount of research that went into writing this book is staggering, but well worth the time in my opinion. Just as giving up precious moments of sleep to read this selection is well worth the extra cup of coffee you'll need the next morning.
I could sit in that chair
for days. With coffee, of course.
This is for all of you Nicholas Sparks lovers out there. You are out there, aren't you? I love his stories. They are chock-full of emotion, feeling, connection and love. But they are also chock-full of sadness. Heavy, heavy sadness. That is why I can only read one of his works every year or so.
This year I decided on The Best of Me. It features two high school sweethearts with the odds HEAVILY stacked against them. Dawson is from the wrong side of the tracks and hails from a family known for violence and numerous run ins with the law. Amanda comes from money and a family that expects her to marry nothing less. After a mostly secret courtship during high school, Dawson pushes Amanda to go to college and forget about their relationship. The pain endures over the years as Dawson endures a stint in prison (for a traffic accident that killed a man) and as he performs his lonely duties on an oil rig in the middle of the ocean. Amanda on the other hand, fulfills her families wishes, marries well and goes on to have three children. Her adult life is consumed by child rearing and charity work with Dawson always in the back of her mind. And then one day they are both summoned back to Oriental, their hometown. Unbeknownst to each of them, a man they had in common in their past included them in his will with very specific instructions. Their feelings and desires are still present after all of the years apart and their future will be determined by the how they spend the next 48 hours.
For those of you that are frequent Sparks readers, this book will not disappoint. It has all the marks of a classic Sparks tale. You have your love, your serene surroundings for more love, and the tell-tale family drama for even more love. What I do love about Nicholas Sparks is his ability to paint such a clean, clear picture. Whether it was the dusty garage where Dawson and Amanda would sit for hours and talk while Dawson fixed old cars or if it was the field of wildflowers they discovered hidden away next to a flowing stream, I was there. It was THAT real. And I'm not sure how he does it time after time, but his characters are also always so very real. He creates such seemingly normal people. Could I picture myself as Amanda? Totally. Is it easy to imagine falling for a guy like Dawson? Again, yes. And that is what I think makes this book (and all of his others) so hard for me to read. If I can put myself there, then it could actually happen! I don't want to have someone I love taken from me. I don't want to live a life full of regret. And I certainly don't want to live through having to make such heart-wrenching choices over and over again. The sadness is just too overwhelming!
Every time I read a Nicholas Sparks book I cry my eyes out. This time was no exception. I can't imagine what would happen if I actually watched one of the movie adaptations. I think I will stick to reading them in the privacy of my own home....once a year.
I'm somewhat of a book nerd. Ok, who am I kidding? I blog about books I've read. I'm not SOMEWHAT of a book nerd, I AM a book nerd. Need more proof? Check the picture. That's right. That is an autograph (and an 'xoxo' thank you very much) from one of my new favorite authors, Lisa Scottoline. She was at the National Book Festival in September and when I was supposed to be in the Mary Pope Osborne line with my kids, I snuck over to see her. Her line was relatively short (everything was short compared to Ms. Magic Treehouse), my kids had water, and their aunts were kind enough to wait with them...so why not? She relayed to me some of her personal experiences surrounding her work in Save Me and even gave me a hug! A hug! It was pretty cool, if I do say so myself.
I swear I had already reviewed Save Me here at TFA, but it seems I did not. (Ugh, I hate getting old and forgetting things. I'll have to review it in the next month or so.). But anyway, after meeting her and having my book signed, I wanted more. Meeting an author does that to you, I think. I went to the library the next day and checked out Devil's Corner.
So did I like Devil's Corner as much as Save Me? Yes. Possibly even more. Devil's Corner is Scottoline's 12th novel and tells the story of US Attorney Vicki Allegretti in the midst of her most recent case. The book opens with Vicki and her ATF partner Morty, calling on an informant for a scheduled interview. The informant is home but so are the thugs who are robbing her. Vicki then falls victim to a robbery, watches her partner die in the ensuing firefight and finds her pregnant informant dead upstairs. All of that is just in the first two chapters, my friends. The deeper Vicki digs however, the more she finds that Morty's death may have not been an accident. Her findings lead her to one of the most notorious drug rings in Philadelphia. There, she finds an unlikely accomplice/ally in an ex-con just released from prison. oh, and did I mention she gets the added pressure of trying to suppress her deep desire for a married man who is also her best friend? In short, Vicki is one busy gal.
This book reminded me of some of the older Patricia Cornwell novels that featured Kay Scarpetta, only with less technical jargon and more likeable characters. With Scarpetta I got a rough-around-the-edges feel versus a tough but also more sensitive vibe from Allegretti. I like the tough and sensitive better. I thought it was refreshing to let your lead female character show her vulnerabilities every once in a while without letting it sacrifice her professionalism. Allegretti also had the influence of her parents (both lawyers) in the story. That was an interesting twist that allowed us to see a more complete picture of Allegretti.
I am pretty sure (Google told me) that this is the only one of Scottoline's novels that features Vicki Allegretti. I'm bummed, but maybe I shouldn't be. There are plenty of other Scottoline novels out there that sound like they would make for some great reads. I will probably save some of those to read next summer. For now, I'm researching who will be attending the 2013 installment of the National Book Festival. Who needs a hug?
Scary; in a completely different way than the books we've been reviewing this month.
So.....anyone want to talk about the weather? Anyone? Yeah, me neither. Hurricane Sandy was comparatively kind to us in Maryland, though my in-laws are struggling with her wrath in New Jersey. I just want to say that I'm very grateful that we have advance warning, emergency service providers, and sturdy structures here. It's not like that everywhere in the world, and I'm grateful that I didn't have to experience a hurricane any other way than I just did. I'm sending positive thoughts and prayers for quick recovery to parts of the East Coast that are just now able to assess the damage.
Enough about Frankenstorm, let's talk about scary books. You may have noticed that I'm an official fan of Stephen King. I think he's a master at building a mood and scaring you with the mundane to then later terrify you with the other-worldly. I've been known to read some of Mr. King's stories with only one eye open (those of us not capable of reading braille really can't read with both of our eyes closed) while curling up into a tight ball and squealing. I'm not too proud to admit that. Of course, I haven't yet thrown my book in the freezer either. And if you don't know what I'm referencing, watch the clip below. (Lobster, I know you need no explanation.) In honor of All Hallow's Eve, I present to you my all-time scariest Stephen King book. All of his stories are scary in some way; like pee-a-little-in-your-pants scary and even I-didn't-realize-I-was-clenching-every-muscle-in-my-body-and-my-fingernails-may-never-come-out-of-my-palms scary. Some of them will haunt you and some of them will ruin your dreams for a couple of nights. That's what makes them fabulous. The Shining was Stephen King's third novel and first hardback bestseller. It was adapted into a movie and later a mini-series. I have read it twice, seen the movie four times, and watched the mini-series. I know this story. There are no more surprises in it for me. Yet it still makes me want to turn on all the lights and make the dog stay indefinitely at my side.
Yep. He looks crazy.
I'm sure you saw my pick for the culmination of our scary books month coming from a mile away. And there's a reason for it. It's mad scary. And don't just watch the movie, cause that's not even the half of it. From the animated topiary to stealthily stalking fire extinguishers and ballrooms filled with spirits and madness from years past, this book made me re-evaluate my feelings about elevators and vacations. The back story: A struggling writer, Jack, gets hired as a care taker at a mountain resort for the winter. The resort closes when the weather no longer allows access to the rest of civilization, and someone must remain there in order to keep an eye on things and dump the massive boiler system that must run to keep the pipes (and any inhabitants) from freezing. So Jack packs up his wife Wendy and son Danny, and all their different forms of baggage (Jack is a recovering alcoholic with a tendency to rage: he was scared into sobriety after he broke Danny's arm in a drunken rage. Jack took the job as a way to re-connect with his family and finish his book. Then there's Danny who happens to be telepathic, though his parents are unaware of that.) and heads to Colorado.
When the family arrives, Danny realizes that the hotel itself, The Overlook, has a spirit of its own and it's not a good kind of spirit. The chef there sees that Danny has a rare ability that he shares, and he takes Danny aside and explains to him that the hotel can only show him "pictures" that aren't dangerous. Halloran, the chef, is leaving for his winter gig in Florida but Danny will be able to communicate with him through "the shining" that they share. Things quickly go sideways for the family. Danny realizes that the hotel is trying to use him as a way to feed its need for death and destruction. Danny is strong enough to ward off the increasingly aggressive and spooky power plays (party hats how up in elevators, animal topiary chase him through the hedgerow maze, some kids who haven't actually been alive for years show up in the hallway...you know, all in a day of haunting and possession), so The Overlook changes its focus.
Even the original cover is creepy!
Jack has been struggling with several things. The book is not going well. The insane amount of snow has forced the family indoors and cabin fever is setting in. Jack is trying hard to stay calm but he has inherited a great deal of anger and it's about to split him at the seams. The hotel knows a good opportunity and makes some things happen. Though the hotel was void of alcohol when the Torrance's arrived, Jack mysteriously finds a fully-stocked bar in a ballroom that he didn't know was there. Not in the mood to over analyze, Jack starts drinking away his troubles. He is so successful that he doesn't question it when he notices that he's no longer drinking alone. The bartender keeps the drinks flowing and the sympathetic ear open: Of course, Jack is angry. His wife is completely unappreciative and his son is annoying. As a matter of fact, that sort of thing happens in the hotel all the time. And there are things Jack can do about it. The hotel understands. The hotel can help if Jack will let it.
Turns out that another caretaker had the same sort of issue one winter. That caretaker murdered his family and then took his own life, so that caretaker never really went anywhere. And now that other caretaker is happy to pour drinks for Jack Torrance and let him in on all the things he should be doing to take care of his familial problems. First, Jack should disable communications (goodbye radio). Then take out the only way down the mountain (snowcat gets dismantled). Make sure the boiler gets dumped (we would hate for the hotel to blow up since it's being so nice and all). Then explain his frustrations to his wife and kid. With a mallet. Or a knife. Whatever gets them to listen. Jack is all too eager to put this particular plan in motion.
When Danny realizes that his dad really isn't his dad anymore, he sends out a distress signal to Halloran. Then he goes about doing his best to keep his mom and himself out of Jack's way as jack slips further and further into madness. Then finally Jack snaps. Halloran shows up only to be grievously wounded by Jack. He goes after Wendy. She manages to lock him in the walk-in pantry and run away. Unfortunately, The Overlook doesn't give up easily and Jack is freed from the pantry by none other than the ghost of Delbert Grady, friendly bartender and murderous caretaker. Jack manages to wound and Wendy and goes after Danny who appeals to any part of his father that may still be present. Jack then wounds himself in an effort to give Danny time to get away from him. Danny reminds Jack that the boiler needs to be dumped; the pressure has been building all this time. Jack goes down to safe the hotel (essentially trying to save himself as he is now completely possessed by The Overlook) and Wendy, Danny, and Halloran escape to the snowcat Halloran used to get to the hotel. Jack tries to dump the pressure in the boiler system but he's too late. The boiler explodes, taking Jack and all the other spirits who were loathe to leave the hotel with it.
OK. So now I have cold sweats just writing about this. It's that scary. And I read a twitter rumor that there will be a sequel(esque) that visits an adult Danny Torrance. The possibilities! Did he inherit his father's predilection to drink? Or his quick and vicious temper? Is he haunted by what happened? Does he still have the shining? I hope the rumor is true. I hope I get to meet Danny again. And if I do, I hope there's room in my freezer. Happy Halloween!
Scary books are not my thing. In all honesty, scary anything is not my thing. Just ask my husband about the time he made me ride Stitch's Great Escape (formerly known as Alien Encounter) at Magic Kingdom. The "Happiest Place on Earth" was not so happy that day. So when I had this brilliant idea we decided to make October all about scary books here at TFA, I didn't think I would have much material to contribute. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the book that I was currently reading (I Googled scary books and it was one that came up!) would end up qualifying for a review this month.
Scary. But good.
Gardner writes a disturbing tale of marriage gone horribly wrong. After she uncovers that her husband Jim is a serial murderer, Tess takes matters into her own hands and goes to the police. Jim, a respected police officer, is eventually jailed but he escapes (of course..don't they always in scary-type stories?). Tess knows that Jim will stop at nothing to kill her once he is released so she finds a safe place to hide her young daughter and treks across the country to hire and train with a present-day mercenary. As an ex-Marine, J.T. is perfect for the job. He's fit. He's tough. Yeah, he has a drinking problem, but that is a minor detail. At least Tess hopes it is.
So where is the scary? Everywhere. Just the fact that she might not convince J.T. to help her train/get stronger is scary because he is her ticket to staying alive. What if Jim finds where she hid their daughter? Would he use her to lure Tess to him before she was ready? What if J.T.'s sister, a FBI agent, blew her cover? The biggest scare factor, though, is that Jim had a police background. He had old uniforms, he knew the vernacular, he could assimilate himself into virtually any situation unnoticed. I feared every new character Gardner introduced because I was certain that Jim was going to appear at any moment and continue his killing spree. When the police found a severed head of one of their own in the ceiling duct of the headquarters conference room, things got particularly eerie. Jim was a master of disguises too, which didn't help my nerves.
All in all, my first venture at reading a scary novel was a success. It wasn't so scary that I had to quit reading it but it was scary enough that I had to take short breaks between chapters. So, I think that means I may be ready for more scary books. That does not mean however, that I am ready to ride Stitch's Great Escape (formerly known as Alien Encounter) again. Dumbo ride, anyone?
This week happens to be Banned Books Week. I thought I should draw a little attention to that because censorship is not at all ok with us here at The Family Addiction. Not to mention some of the books on the list are amazing. As it turns out, I read a lot of banned books. Without really knowing it. I'm a rebel like that. And then, Carrie and Amy had the genius idea that we should review some scary books. As it turns out, I read a lot of scary books. And then, I found a book that fits both categories. I'm awesome like that.
You may have noticed that I've reviewed two other Toni Morrison novels. I think (and I'm not alone, you don't get to be a best-selling author by just having one person as a fan) she's one of the best at setting a mood. In Beloved, the mood is heavy, frantic, desperate, and woeful. In this story, like many of Miss Morrison's, focuses on the lives of slaves and how they lived as slaves and as free people in the northern parts of the United States. Sethe has found her way across the Ohio River to her mother-in-law's house in Cincinnati. She's fleeing the plantation in Kentucky where she's been enslaved for years. Once in Cincinnati, she lives with her mother-in-law and her four children until the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 gives the owners of the plantation the right to "reclaim" her and her children. When Sethe sees men from the plantation appear, she takes her children to the tool shed and tries to keep them safe. Safe from the men who are there. Safe from going back to a life where there is no chance of being anything other than someone's property. Safe from never having a voice. Safe from never being human. Safe from constant work with no reward. Safe from the physical world. Sethe tries to kill her children because that's the only way to keep them safe. She succeeds in killing her two year-old, who is later buried in a grave marked only as 'Beloved.'
That's a heavy kind of love. It's the kind of love that doesn't go away. And neither does Beloved. She becomes the haunting spirit in the house in Cincinnati. She throws two-year old tantrums and chases people from the house. Sethe's boys run away from home as soon as they are old enough, and so it is Sethe and Denver (Sethe's other daughter) who bear the stigma of this heavy love that won't leave. But when Paul D shows up at the house, as a connection to the old plantation life, things start to change. Paul D gets the family out in public for the first time in years. He helps Sethe see that Denver, who is alive but might not be well, won't be able to live any kind of life if they constantly try to appease the whims of an invisible two year-old. Beloved is no longer the focus. And like any two-year old who is being ignored is wont to do, Beloved brings the focus back to her. She shows up. It is creepy and heart-breaking and terrifying.
I'm not going to tell you the rest. You need to get a copy and read it for yourself. Beloved is often banned from classrooms because it contains seriously difficult concepts. It does not treat slavery with kid gloves. Beloved talks openly and sadly honestly about the parts of slavery that are even more difficult to discuss than living conditions and cruel conditions. The book tackles the psychological impact of being seen and treated as sub-human and how that way of thinking leads to horrific things. But it's an amazing book, and banning it won't erase that part of history. So go get a copy. Read it with all the lights on and then look at the other books on the Banned Books list and read one of those too.
This is not what Llama Llama looks like. It's not even what my kids look like. But it's what a llama looks like.
I know, I know! This is the fourth book by Christopher Moore book I've reviewed. I can't help it, I REALLY like him. You might be thinking that I actually am Christopher Moore assuming an alternate identity to anonymously hock my own books. For one thing I have yet to write anything negative about any of his books. Not to mention I loved Sacre Bleu so much I nearly wrote a love letter instead of a review. But trust me, I'm not Christopher Moore. For one thing, I just had to tell my tell my kids to stop fighting over the Llama Llama Time to Share book (oh the irony) and I'm pretty sure Christopher Moore doesn't have the foggiest clue about Llama Llama. But mostly you know I'm not Christopher Moore because these reviews would be a lot funnier if I were.
Practical Demonkeeping is not a new book. It was Moore's debut, and the more (pun not intended but still fun) I read the more I realized I had already read this book before. You know, back in my former life when I wasn't a Llama Llama referee. I had forgotten the name of the book but I hadn't forgotten that I really liked the story and the humor and the absurdities and the fancifulness. In the small community of Pine Cove, California, things are mostly the same day in and day out. The locals know everyone and everyone's business, and how to hustle a tourist. But when a handsome twenty something that seems older than his looks and with a penchant for talking to the air around him shows up, Pine Cove is in for some surprises. Travis is in town on his quest to find some important candlesticks. He's been looking for them for about 70 years. He really wants those candlesticks.
This is what the book looks like.
Travis mostly wants the candlesticks to rid himself of his road companion Catch. A demon bound to Travis and under his control.....well, mostly under his control. Catch gets hungry sometimes and when he eats he becomes visible to others. Which would be a problem if he didn't eat the witnesses. In Pine Cove, Travis runs into a number of characters including a pretty, newly divorced waitress with an unknown connection to his past. Then there's Augustus Brine, the hardware store owner who really just wants to enjoy his red wine and go fishing without being pestered by the King of Djinns (who can literally swear a blue streak). And of course, there's the reason Travis shows up with his demon in the first place; Effrom and Amanda. They just might have those candlesticks.
There are a lot of characters, a lot of plot twisting, and a lot of fun. I'm surprised I forgot I had read this before. But I'm not surprised that I liked it twice. And I'm sure you won't be surprised the next time I review another Christopher Moore book.
I don't know what my problem is lately. For the past month or so, every time I go to pick out a new book the only ones that look good to me are ones about animals. I reviewed A Dog's Purpose back in June. I read War Horse one afternoon last week. And now I read this. For whatever reason, books about animals totally appeal to me right now. So if they don't appeal to you, I apologize. I will try very hard to make my next book review to be animal-free.
I couldn't resist.
Enzo is a special dog. And what's funny is that he knows it. He walks the earth with the spirit of a human trapped in a dog's body. And oh how he wished he had thumbs! He watches TV (he loves to watch racing), hears private conversations and experiences true emotions. He knows he is trapped in his canine form, but that doesn't stop him from doing his best to soothe, comfort and stand by his human family. His master, Denny, is an up-and-coming race car driver with a wife and small child. When Denny's wife is diagnosed with cancer, Enzo is her comfort. When a subsequent custody battle over the daughter ensues, Enzo is a soothing constant for the girl as well as a faithful friend for Denny. Enzo sees from Denny that just as in racing, it isn't always about speed. As he sees it, it is more about the big picture. Humans should focus on what is ahead and the techniques they need to get there (just like race car drivers do on the track) that makes this life easier and more rewarding to navigate. Enzo is positive that he will return in his next life as a human and cannot wait to explore the human world as a human instead of a four-legged creature.
If I gave away too many more details I would be spoiling some of the best parts of the book. I will say that the special relationship Enzo maintains with each different family member was remarkable. He knew when to play gentle with the toddler, how hard or soft he should nuzzle Eve after she returned home from one of her cancer treatments and even how to offer solace to a grieving husband and father. The Art of Racing in the Rain makes it seem totally plausible that animals (well, dogs) can understand our conversations and even our relationships. The absurdity of a dog processing human language and interactions takes a back seat to the profound insight being offered. Loyalty, love and even some humor make this book a wonderful lesson in what is important in life. All through the eyes of a dog, that is.
While researching the book, I found that Garth Stein used to be a documentary film maker. It was in his role as a film maker that he heard about a famous legend in Mongolia. It is a legend about what happens to a dog once it dies. It was this legend that lead Stein to write this book some ten years after he initially heard it. I think when an author has something gnaw at him or her like that for such a long time, it usually leads to something extraordinary. You can click on the video book trailer below and see for yourself.
Yes, this is kind of a cheater post. I have already reviewed this book for our other book blog BeTween Books, but it's good enough to review again here. Plus, the emergency plumber just left, my kids are still awake and I'm day one into a 30-day Paleo diet challenge. Cheater post beats no post at all, right?
My good friend Sharlene politely shoved this book at me loaned me this book to read. Being that her living room is literally three walls of bookcases (and it even contains this really cool lamp made out of books) when Sharlene says a book, "is something every human being on this planet should read" I take note. I also make note to hurry up and finish said book because along with Sharlene's book recommendations come Sharlene's timelines. I got right to work and finished this one in three days, although I could have read it in one. Please don't tell Sharlene.
Written in 2007, The Wednesday Wars is about an 11-year-old boy growing
up in Long Island. The year is 1967 and because Holling Hoodhood is
neither Catholic nor Jewish and does not have a Hebrew or Catechism
class to attend on Wednesdays, he finds himself the only student in 7th
grade. Just Holling the Presbyterian, and his teacher, Mrs. Baker every
Wednesday for the entire school year. At first, Mrs. Baker has him
keep himself busy by cleaning the classroom, the coat room and even
worse, the desks. But as time passes, she has him start reading
Shakespeare and writing essays. Clearly annoyed and starting to hate
her even more, Holling has no choice but to comply. His compliance
leads to an eventual appreciation of Shakespeare which in a round-about
way gets him the starring role in a local play. Although he must wear
tights as the star of the play, the rest of his year is filled with
normal 7th-grade-boy things. A girl crush. Sneaking away from school
to watch Yankee baseball games. A love/hate relationship with his older
sister. But what is not normal and the most wonderful part of the book
is the warm and inspiring bond he forms with Mrs. Baker. They navigate
the year together one Wednesday at a time and find that more often than
not they are all each other has. They are exactly what the other one
needs during some of the most difficult moments in their lives. It is
a beautiful relationship and a very well-written book.
One major highlight for me was Holling and his love of baseball. I
couldn't help but think of my dad as a young Holling. I was reminded of
the baseball stories my dad would tell me about when he was growing up around
the same time. Being a baseball-aholic myself, I loved that Holling and his teacher shared their love of
the game.
As I mentioned before, the book is set in 1967. That means the Vietnam
War was center stage as were air raid drills and telegraphs from the
front. Mrs. Baker's grown son is serving his first tour, air raid
sirens go off almost daily and telegraph deliveries arrive at the school
way too often. Again, the war part of this book touched home to me
but it was also extremely relevant to the time period.
I can't say enough good things about this book. It's touching and sweet and appropriate in so many ways. My almost 5th-grader
did read it last summer without me knowing and absolutely loved it.
However, I wish she would have waited a year or two. She is an advanced
reader, so that was not the problem. The problem was that a lot of the book
went right over her head. She had no clue what Vietnam was (sadly, she
just figured it was another war like the ones we are in now), thought
the air raid drills were something they made up, and didn't see what all
the fuss about the main character meeting Mickey Mantle was all about (obviously I have failed her in the baseball history department).
Basically, the historical parts of the book were wasted on her. I
think for that reason it is more appropriately suited for 12-18
year-olds.
As you all know, Ray Bradbury passed away in early June of this year. When that happened, Carrie and I were discussing some of his work (Carrie has read more than I have and I'm pretty sure she's a card-carrying member of his fan club) and I mentioned that I had yet to read this particular book. Carrie eye-slapped me for this gross oversight and we found ourselves at the poor excuse for a book store in my previous location's metro area to rectify the situation. If you've read any of my other reviews, then you've likely read a review of something Stephen King authored, and Carrie informed me that Something Wicked This Way Comeswould appeal to the dark and mysterious genre I enjoy. She was right.
The carnival rolls into town a week before Halloween in the middle of the night. All manner of things seem not quite right, but not completely wrong; the steam engine seems to be a relic, there was no advanced advertising, the music from the carousel calliope seems to be running backwards, smells waft through the air downtown several miles from the carnival itself, and all of that happens before the carnival is open for business. But two boys know. Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade bore witness to the carnival's entrance to town, not just because they saw it with their own eyes but because they sensed it to a certain degree. Will and Jim live next door to one another and best friends the way only twelve year old boys know how to be best friends. They are inseparable. They can communicate without words. They know their way around town in the dark as well as they know the way in full daylight. They keep no secrets from one another and their pockets are full of the world's forgotten treasures. As they grow up they are becoming more aware that they might not be the same, and then the carnival comes to town and that becomes more evident than ever.
Jim and Will go to enjoy the carnival and end up discovering more than they want to know. Some of the attractions are too real. There's a maze of mirrors with true reflections.....of the days past or the days ahead. There is, of course, the sideshow tent with its myriad traveling population: The Skeleton, The Dwarf (who looks all too familiar), The Dust Witch blind by all-seeing, and The Illustrated Man whose tattoos are much too real to be the product of needles and ink. But most disturbing of all is the after hours ride the boys see one of the owners take on the carousel. As the ride spins backwards, so do the years from the man riding it and he leaps off the carousel as twelve year old boy. The boys realize that one of their teachers is being played by the new twelve year old and go after him. A chase ensues and the boy ends up back on the carousel, this time to replace the years he took away and then deal with Jim and Will as an adult, but the boys break the carousel's control panel. The co-owner ends up spinning and spinning on the magic carousel and ends up ancient and unable to move. Now the Jim and Will know too much and are enemies of the carnival. But who can help them with such a fantastic chain of events?
Don't worry, the boys find a friend and hero in Will's father. They all learn many things about themselves and how the world of the "autumn people" works. Most importantly they learn that life is only worth the living they do. Though the story is (wonderfully) frightful, sometimes I found myself admiring the prose more than the plot. Mr. Bradbury had an unparalleled way with words. I would re-read passages just to hear the words in my head one more time. And this was his way of describing the dark actions taking place, not pastoral scenery or love scenes. Basically, it was a great story told greatly. That's probably why it's a classic. That's definitely why I should have read this sooner. And you? Have you read this? Are you a Bradbury fan?
I know, I know. Never judge a book by it's cover. But I couldn't help it. It was so "Jodi Picoult-ish" that I couldn't help myself. (Don't tell my fellow book club members, but I am a closet Picoult fan). Plus, I was doing a double shift at the school book fair and had already read the first few chapters. I had to buy it. (It's for the kids, ya know).
I had prepared myself for heart-wrenching drama, sadness and extreme emotion, but I really didn't need to. In Fly Away Home, Sylvie Woodruff is a devoted senator's wife who has successfully raised two daughters. She plays the part dutifully for over 20 years by helping with speeches, making social appearances and putting her own career on the back burner. All of that falls apart when the media gets wind of her husband's affair with a 20-something staffer. Couple that with her daughter Diana (a well-respected ER surgeon) admitting to cheating on HER husband and her other daughter Lizzie fresh out of yet another stint in rehab and the Woodruff women are a hot mess. Eventually, they migrate to Connecticut and the summer home where they used to spend quality time together. The three women spend several months reconnecting, reevaluating and reorganizing their lives. They help each other forgive and set new priorities, some of which are different than ones they had in the past.
Meh. It was sad. I can do sad, but sad needs to have a purpose. You know, like a terminal illness or a suicide. This was just boring sad. Sad because these three women made a series of bad decisions and neither one of them had the guts to tell the other one to "get out of your loveless marriage" or "put down that joint" or "quit hiding in your work and be engaged with your family." There was no purpose to this sad other than to highlight some bad choices and three somewhat boring characters.
Speaking of characters, I wish Weiner would have focused more on the grandmother and the rehab-rebound boyfriend. The grandmother made me want to stand up and cheer especially when she gave her daughter regular bouts of unsolicited advice. Go grandma! As for the boyfriend, he was sweet. He accepted Lizzie for who she was and didn't run when she ended up getting pregnant by him and then trying to push him away. He was the only stand-up guy in the novel and it was a shame he was only written in at the halfway-ish point.
Since book covers seem to be so misleading (at least to me) I think I will stick to downloading ebooks. They don't really qualify as having covers, do they? Either that or I let Sarah and Carrie (my fellow TFA bloggers) pick out books for me to read. On second thought, I'll stick to ebooks. It will be safer for everyone that way.
I think my last post set a new record. Six comments on the blog, numerous comments on my personal Facebook page and the blog's Facebook page (have you "Liked" us on there yet?) and something like 175 pageviews. Thankfully, many of you were in agreement with my review of FSOG (that's right, it has it's own acronym now) and I didn't feel half as silly as I thought I was going to feel for thinking the book was a waste of my time. This time around, I hope the same holds true.
After my review of FSOG I went Facebook stalking. You know, when you read something that someone wrote on your wall so you click on their page and see where another person commented on their page then you click on that person and read stuff on their wall? Yeah, well I did that and ended up finding a recommendation for Slammed. A bunch of people on that page insisted Slammed was a "must read." Pretending that conversation was intended for me, I downloaded it that night.
Slammed is really kind of a tragic story. Layken is 18 years old and has recently moved to Michigan from Texas due to the unexpected death of her father. Her mom works the night shift as a nurse so Layken must balance starting a new school at the beginning of her senior year as well as caring for her nine-year-old brother. She handles being thrust into responsibility very well and even finds a fast friend in the same situation across the street. Her neighbor Will is also raising his younger brother due to tragic circumstances. They quickly fall for each other and just when Layken thinks Michigan might not turn out to be SO horrible, she sees Will at school the next day. As in he is her third period teacher. Oops. In the best interest of both parties they decide to end their relationship but we all know it's never that easy, is it? Tragedy strikes again and Layken and Will have no choice but to lean on each other. At the risk of Will losing his job and his only means of financial support and Layken being expelled from school they continue their relationship. Is it the right choice? Can they make it through together? Will love really conquer all? I liked the book enough not to spoil it for you, so I won't.
Like I said, I did like the book. I was surprised at how much I liked the characters seeing as I have such strong feelings about student/teacher relationships. (They are icky and wrong. Did I mention they are icky?). It was a bit unbelievable that the subject of school and jobs didn't come up in the days their relationship was new, but the author did a good job of covering for it in the book. Layken and Will were very normal and real though, so I was able to look past it.
I think I would have liked the book more if it wasn't so sad. Both families involved have been kicked in the gut with some really unfortunate circumstances and that's just not what I was in the mood to read. (Disclaimer: I haven't seen my kids in four weeks and that might have just a little bit to do with it..maybe.) The writing was good, so please don't think it's not. And I did read it in three days. There is a sequel to this book called Point of Retreat that was released in April. I will read that one too, just not right away. I need something happy and uplifting right now seeing as I don't pick up my kids for another week. Anyone have any recommendations or do I have to start Facebook stalking again?
As I get older, no matter the subject matter, I can't STAND to know that some piece of pop culture is passing me by. Remember when I (embarassingly) read a Sookie Stackhouse novel thinking that she and Snooki were the same person? If you need a refresher, click here. Ever since that mishap, I am so determined to keep up with times that I even plan on suffering through a matinee showing of Magic Mike. ;) So when everyone was posting about Fifty Shades of Grey on Facebook, I immediately leapt into action. Well, that's not entirely true. I called Sarah and Carrie to make sure they were not planning on reading it for the blog (they assured me they were not) and THEN I leapt into action. (Here's hoping my mother and mother-in-law never read this review).
He ties her up with that,
you know.
I think everyone gets the gist of Fifty Shades by now but just in case, here is a quick synopsis. Anastasia (Ana for short) is a 22-year-old girl that is weeks away from college graduation. As a favor to her ill roommate, she agrees to interview Christian Grey for the school newspaper. Grey is an entrepreneur and huge benefactor to the school so his interview is key to the next edition. At the interview Ana learns that everything she has heard about Christian Grey is true. He's rich and he's beautiful. (According to the author that is all there is to him, people.) Thinking he is way out her league she finishes the interview and goes on her way. Obviously Christian feels differently and a series of chance (?) encounters occur over the next week or so. This is how their relationship begins and Ana begins to finds out about Christian's sordid past and unique sexual desires. As you probably know by now, Christian presents Ana with a contract. In order to be with him (sexually and likewise) she must agree to be his Sub. As in Submissive. She gets her own room at his mansion, all of the clothes money can buy, a personal trainer, spa appointments, and pretty much anything else she wants...as long as he okays it. Christian, as the Dom or Dominant, gets complete access to every.single.inch of her from Friday evening until midday on Sunday. Every week. No questions asked. It seems that as a teenager and young adult Christian was a Sub and this type of relationship is his normal. Ana struggles with her decision (the entire book) as to whether she wants to sign the agreement or not. It is her deep desire that Christian will eventually come around and agree to live a more traditional sexual lifestyle. I won't spoil it for you and I'll just let you read it for yourself to see if Ana gets her wish.
It should be known that Fifty Shades of Grey and the entire trilogy in fact, developed from a Twilight fan fiction originally titled Masters of the Universe. It was written under the pen name Snowqueen Icedragon and was loosely based off of the characters Bella and Edward from Twilight. It's a long story (feel free to Google it, it's really not THAT central to this review but I thought you needed to know a bit of background) but eventually all of that evolved into Fifty Shades of Grey. This is just my nice way of saying that if you liked Twilight you'll most likely like, if not love, Fifty Shades. I did not care for Twilight so you can probably guess how I felt about this book.
At the risk of sounding lame, old and like a big, fat prude...I didn't like it. First, it was not written well. At all. The character of Ana was so underdeveloped, the author actually wanted me to believe that she was a 22-year-old college virgin who had never been drunk before and didn't even own a computer. Really? I didn't buy it. And then there was the sex. Non-stop sex. I'm pretty sure you could open the book to any page after the second chapter and it would be about sex. And while I am at it, am I really supposed to believe that a virgin would be up for um, well, all of that? And that each and every time would be complete and utter earth-shattering satisfaction? Come on! All of the sex aside and as was the case with Bella in Twilight, I wanted to shake Ana until the two brain cells in her head crashed into each other in the hopes that an actual intelligent thought might be produced. Do you really have to think about staying in a relationship where your partner gets his kicks by whipping you until you bleed? Must you really have to decide if it is okay to be chained to a bed in a "Red Room of Pain" in order for your mate to feel fulfilled sexually? Ugh. Could I please have a female lead character with just a little less lust on the brain and a little more of a backbone?
I do appreciate the fact that Fifty Shades of Grey and the two other books in the trilogy have set all sorts of records. Last week it became the number one best-selling book for the Kindle in the U.K. The trilogy even topped The Hunger Games trilogy for June, according to the USA Today's Best-Selling Books list. Economics experts are even predicting a baby boom accredited to Fifty Shades in the next 9 months or so. Oh lordy. No matter the subject matter, I will admit that those are impressive numbers. And I am all about people reading books. (Reading is the hobby I always list first on job applications, you know). I just wish that when a book tops a best-seller list it could be about something besides a young woman being emotionally and physically controlled by a man or men with commitment issues.
Ok, now it's your turn. I know most of you have read it. Don't be shy. Let's hear it. Except for you, Binnie and Lynn. Remember, in my mind you've never had sex. :)
From The Guardian. Apparently the storm is called a derecho. Everyone here just calls it "bad."
Late again. This time, it's was Mother Nature making it difficult. I would take some time to complain about not having access to the Internet (5 days! I forgot everything I knew!) but that would be really petty considering there are still tens of thousands of people without power in the area. Last Friday, the metro DC and greater Baltimore areas were hit with a severe thunderstorm. It lasted about 20 minutes. But that's all it takes to wreak havoc. (I suppose tornadoes don't last 20 minutes and can produce greater damage, so I'm not sure why it surprises me that chaos happens in minutes rather than hours or days.) For 1.5 million people, the power went out and didn't come back on for days. This would have been an inconvenience at any time, but it became a public health threat because of the temperatures. It's been over 95 degrees every day since the storm, and it hasn't been cooling off that much at night. Trees were uprooted, power lines were toppled, roads were blocked by debris: it was a serious storm. And it killed the power box for my FiOS. It got replaced yesterday. I did a happy dance. Then I felt like a heel, because there are still people without power. So I sent out some positive thoughts and prayers for the linemen working on getting power back to everyone and did a much more subdued happy dance.
I love Toni Morrison. She and I have very little in common, but we both love words. She just happens to put that love into making beautifully crafted novels and I, instead, pass off puns as jokes. Clearly, we don't run in the same circles. But if we ever meet somewhere, I would tell her that I love her writing. I would tell her that I appreciate how she makes ordinary words seem beautiful and full of magic. I would tell her that I am able to understand and empathize - as opposed to sympathize - with her characters despite not having one thing in common with them. I would thank her for making the experiences of others accessible to me through her novels. Then I would keep my mouth shut for fear that I would tell her a bad joke. I can't help myself, they just come out of my mouth before I can stop them. I blame my dad. If we've ever met and I've told you a bad joke, you can blame my dad too.
Home is short and bittersweet. It's a bit of a departure for Ms Morrison in that it's set in the early 1950s; post Korean War. Frank Money came home from Korea without his two best friends and without any idea of how to live life after that sort of loss. Not just the loss of his childhood pals, but the loss of his self-perception. War can make people see the best and the worst in other people and, even more difficult to bear, the best and the worst in themselves. Frank has seen and done things he didn't know he was capable of withstanding, and now he has to learn how to be a part of society while shouldering that knowledge. It's not going particularly well when he receives a letter telling him his sister is gravely ill. Now he can no longer wander aimlessly and he heads south to the tiny town where he grew up protecting his sister from the harsh world surrounding them.
Cee, Frank's sister, has learned some tough lessons since leaving Lotus, Georgia. Newly married, she learns that some men aren't worth the car they were given as a sort of dowry. She learns that money can be hard to come by. And in finding what she thinks is a good job as a doctor's assistant, she learns that dangerous ideas can be wrapped up and presented as good deeds. Sarah, the maid for the doctor and his wife, realizes that Cee is not going to recover from whatever it is the doctor has been doing without an intervention. She feels powerless to stop it herself without risking her job and/or safety, so she sends a letter to Frank. The good doctor has strong feelings about race and eugenics which he has incorporated in his practice. Neither Sarah nor Cee know what that implies, but Frank knows that it would have killed his sister if he had shown up any later to take her out of the doctor's home. Frank takes Cee back to Lotus where the women of the town nurse her back to health. Cee lives, but she'll never be able to have children; something she didn't know she'd miss until it was gone. From there, both Frank and Cee have to come to terms with their pasts in order to figure out a future. They both have to understand how their experiences have shaped their identities so they can be comfortable in their own skin. Home is not always a building, but a place of comfort and a mind at ease; something you take with you once you find it.
This is not what I'd call a beach read. It's short but it's powerful, just like the storm we had here. Some of the images hurt. But that's not to say they should be ignored. And, in all honesty, it's one of the easiest of Ms Morrison's to read. Beloved ( which is in my All-Time Top Ten) is hard in every sense of the word: the language is dense, the story is complicated, the dialect is heavy, the images are often cruel, and the harshness of that world hits you full force again and again and again. Yet it's an amazing story with beautiful words and strength beyond anything I've known. Home is easier than that, but that doesn't make it light beach-reading material. Well, I suppose it depends on the beach. :) Everyone have a happy and safe Fourth of July!
"So you got a dog, huh? You know she's gonna break your heart when she dies." Those were the words spoken to me by my father when he met our dog Sadie, for the first time. Way to spoil my moment, dad. How could he say that about such an adorable puppy? I was so enamored with Sadie that I dedicated an entire scrapbook album to her. I thought I had never seen anything as funny as when she would bark at leaves that blew past her. I remember watching Joshua trying to get her leashed trained and laughing hysterically. Today, Sadie is approaching 14 years-old, hard of hearing and becoming more and more like an house guest that has overstayed her welcome. We love her, but her health is steadily declining and there have been times recently when I have questioned her purpose after having been with us for so long. And then I read this book.
A Dog's Purpose spent 49 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List. That is pretty impressive seeing that it is written from the perspective of the dog and like the title says, is a novel "for humans." This is just not the sort of book I think of when I think of bestseller material. But I think what made it bestseller material was the fact that it WAS written from a dog's perspective. Cameron tells the story as Baily, a homeless mutt of a dog that dies tragically only to be reborn as a energetic golden-retriever. As a retriever, Bailey is adopted by Ethan, an 8-year-old boy. The two are inseparable and we get a front seat to all of their many adventures. It is with Ethan that Bailey finds how to be a good dog and becomes a well-loved family pet. Unfortunately, Bailey doesn't live forever (they never do, darn it) and is reborn yet again. (Stay with me here...it sounds tiring, but it's really not). Bailey approaches life the same way this time, but with caution. His mood is increasingly pessimistic and frankly he's a bit tired of being reborn. Can you blame him? Each rebirth has him questioning his purpose even though down deep all he really wants is to be with Ethan again. Bailey is resigned to be a good pet though and carries on with yet another new owner and new life, but he never stops yearning for Ethan and the life he had with him.
It is obvious that animal lover's would really, really like this book, right? So, what if you are not one of those? You should read it anyway. Once you can get over the fact that you are inside a dog's head and the book is being narrated by someone with four legs, you cannot help but be impressed with dog's take on human relationships. You see (through a dog's eyes) the ugliness of hatred, marital stress, sickness, sorrow and aging from an entirely new perspective. Not only do you see all of that, you see how even as a dog, Bailey uses his experiences (good and bad) to adapt to each new life. That is something that we can all learn from and for me was really quite enlightening.
And if you ARE an animal lover (especially one partial to dogs) and decide to read this book, get your tissues ready. Bailey is the perfect dog in each of the lives he lives. He is loyal. He is funny. He is protective. He is loving. I wanted nothing more than for him to find his purpose in life and be happy. He was everything I wanted a dog to be, if that dog could process human thoughts and emotions, that is. That made it all the more heart-breaking to read and watch as Bailey had to learn some hard life lessons at his own expense. It did come with it's fair share of humor though, which did well to lighten up some of the more somber moments. And the ending? Well, let's just say it was a three-tissue ending. In a good way.
Unfortunately, reading the end of this book won't be the only three-tissue ending in my near future. Sadie and her aches and pains (and the other many things the vet says is wrong with her) are a constant reminder of that. I just hope Sadie can take comfort in knowing that she has fulfilled her purpose in this life. And for that, I am forever thankful. Can somebody pass me a tissue?
Humpback whale, but the kind that doesn't eat people
I completely missed my last post's deadline. In my defense I was without Internet with the exception of the free wifi available at the motel in Bristol, Virginia. I chose not to write a post there because it was 11:30 at night when we pulled in (after being turned away at a hotel because we had a dog in our party, even though they advertised they were pet-friendly); I was tired from loading all our possessions on a moving truck earlier that day (well I didn't do any of the loading, but I was there cleaning the two tons of dog hair and various flotsam and jetsam that surface when moving any kind of children's toys) and then driving away from our home of two years. When we got here to Maryland, we had a house to stay in but no possessions, so typing out a post while I had dinner with my family on the living room floor right before I went to sleep on the bedroom floor with either my two year old or my four year old was not that appealing. But then last Thursday, my new love Maurice called to say he would be there with all of our stuff that morning. He's a good man, Maurice; a shining example of Steve Miller Band lyrics. Anyway, my point is that we've been in flux. We are now slightly less fluxful. So I will now stop whining and briefly tell you about yet another Christopher Moore book, and then I will go unpack some more (because those damn boxes multiply if you leave them unattended too long).
Fluke by Christopher Moore made me laugh in places, taught me a few things, and gave me pause in a couple of instances. It was a good book. Action nerd, Nate, studies the song of humpback whales. He does this with money from a generous if eccentric philanthropist and with a slightly goth research assistant. He's been hanging out in Hawaii studying the whale song for awhile, and he and his marine photographer friend Clay have got a good system going. Then they hire a fake-Rasta surfer, Kona (ne Preston Applebaum of New Jersey), to help with the boats, and things starting getting weird. The navy is doing something mysterious, Nate's research gets mostly destroyed, Clay's boat (his boat!) is sunk, a whale flukes Clay and Amy (goth research assistant) makes a rescue of mermaid quality. And, oh yeah, Nate gets eaten by a humpback whale. I know what you're thinking: that's bound to give the whale indigestion. Don't worry. Turns out this whale is actually a ship....or an alien species of whale....or a combination of the two. Regardless, it's not your average, run-of-the-mill 40 foot/40 ton endangered swimming creature. Most notably it has "Bite Me!" written on its flukes and it can eat people without killing them. I've seen several episodes of Octonauts and have been to Sea World at least a half-dozen times (making me a marine biologist), and I have yet to see such a creature.
It becomes apparent that Nate was chosen for faux death because he was getting too close to finding out about these faux whales. There's a whole network of them swimming the world's waterways, and they're piloted by a hybrid species of "whaley boys", with crews of humans all of whom the rest of world believes to be mysteriously lost at sea. Nate is taken to Gooville (whale ship central) and learns about the origins of the whale ships and their purpose. In summation, the whale ships were created when humans started killing whales. There's a lot more to the back story there, but I can see the box in the corner making eyes at the box by the desk and the faint sound of Barry White is in the air so that explanation will have to suffice. If you like books that don't follow a prescribed formula and where the conflicts are original, pick up this book. Once I get unpacked, I'll be reading the latest Toni Morrison novel and then I'll probably read another Christopher Moore book. You have been warned. Now I'm off to herd my children and take down some boxes. Try not to be jealous.
I was never a big fan of stuffed animals when I was little. Sure, I had a few go-to standby's....there was Tami, the stuffed dog my Dad got me for my 5th birthday. Pete, my stuffed dragon from the movie by the same name and when I got older I think I spent a few good months with my Cabbage Patch doll, Gretchen. I was more of a reader and board game girl, I guess. Fast forward 25 years or so and I am now the mother of two children who each have more stuffed animals than I have coffee mugs. That's a lot of stuffed animals, people.
So I was a little surprised that I liked The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane so much. A friend suggested I read it saying, "it's quick, it is well written and you might tear up a bit at the end." Sold. Plus, I already knew I liked Kate DiCamillo. Her Mercy Watson series is a hit at our house and so is her most famous book The Tale of Despereaux. In short, my friend was right. Here's the longer version.
Even though I was not one to play with stuffed animals much when I was young, it was easy to like this book right from the start. Edward Tulane is a china rabbit living a rather posh lifestyle with the Tulane family in their home on Egypt Street. Abilene, the young girl who cares for him, likes to dress him up, sit him at the dinner table and even tuck him into his own bed at night. All is well until Abilene and family set sail one day on the Queen Mary and Edward is accidentally thrown overboard by a group of rowdy boys. This is where the "miraculous journey" part comes in. Edward's journey includes being caught in a fisherman's net, spending time in a hobo camp and living out some heart-wrenching days with a dying young girl. Edward never forgets Abilene though and yearns to be with her again. It is a sweet story with a simple message and one I think everyone can relate to.
If nothing else, this story has made me a bit more tolerant of my messing living room floor. So what if my children hoard their stuffed animals (currently they are all in suitcases headed for New York to see the Statue of Liberty) like a crazy lady hoards cats? I know that the days of the stuffed animal game, "Bed State Area" are limited. And who knows? Maybe their time in our house is the beginning of their very own "miraculous journey."
