Can't Say No to Free Books

I work in a magazine publishing house. With an office full of editors, we tend to receive complimentary copies of new books or unedited copies of soon-to-be published books for review. Unfortunately, if I receive any free books in the mail, they're not necessarily on subject matter I'm all that interested in - especially for leisure. But fellow editors in other departments do receive novels from time to time, and every so often the counter in the kitchen will have a pile of books sitting there for the taking. Again, some aren't interesting at all, but sometimes, if you come across the pile first, you can get lucky. Last week, I think I got lucky:

I'm Sorry You Feel that Way: The Astonishing But True Story of a Daughter, Sister, Slut, Wife, Mother and Friend to Man and Dog, by Diana Joseph. I actually read a good review of this book in Entertainment Weekly a few months back, so I recognized the cover and the title as a book I was interested in reading at one point. Synopsis:

Meet the men in Diana Joseph's life: "The boy," Diana's fourteen-year-old son, who supports the NRA and dreams of living in a house with wall-to-wall carpeting; Diana's father, who's called her on the telephone twice, ever, and who sat her down when she was twelve to caution her against becoming a slut (she didn't listen); Diana's brothers, or, as her father calls them, "the two assholes"; Diana's ex-husband, a lumberjack with three ex-wives, yet he's still the first one she calls when she's in a jam; and Diana's common-law husband, Al, an English professor who's been mistakenly called mentally challenged. Ostensibly organized around the various men in Diana's life, this is really a memoir about what it's like to be a modern, smart woman making her way in the world.

Believe Me, by Nina Killham. I've never heard of this book, but I read the back cover and it sounded interesting enough to try (since it's free). Synopsis:

In the tradition of Jodi Picoult—a fresh, smart, and deeply moving novel about the power of faith, love, and family. Thirteen-year-old Nic Delano has a lot of questions. Like why does he have a babysitter at his age-and where did she get such long legs? But mostly, what exactly is the meaning of life? His mother, Lucy, an astrophysicist and atheist, has always encouraged Nic to ask questions. But lately she doesn't like the answers he's getting. Nic has been hanging out with a group of devout Christians and is starting to embrace the Bible—and a very different view of the heavens. But when unexpected tragedy strikes, Nic and Lucy's beliefs are truly to put to the test. And they need each other now more than ever. But will a mother and her son be able to find a common ground where faith meets understanding and love is, ultimately, what endures?

City of Thieves, by David Benioff. I picked up this book, very unsure about it, but when I saw it was written by the man who wrote The 25th Hour (and adapted his book into Spike Lee's screenplay) as well as wrote the screenplay for The Kite Runner, well, frankly, that's a talented man. Synopsis:

During the Nazis' brutal siege of Leningrad, Lev Beniov is arrested for looting and thrown into the same cell as a handsome deserter named Kolya. Instead of being executed, Lev and Kolya are given a shot at saving their own lives by complying with an outrageous directive: secure a dozen eggs for a powerful Soviet colonel to use in his daughter's wedding cake. In a city cut off from all supplies and suffering unbelievable deprivation, Lev and Kolya embark on a hunt through the dire lawlessness of Leningrad and behind enemy lines to find the impossible. By turns insightful and funny, thrilling and terrifying, City of Thieves is a gripping, cinematic World War II adventure and an intimate coming-of-age story with an utterly contemporary feel for how boys become men.

Has anyone read any of these? When, if ever, do you come across free books?

Me & Emma

My friend CMS borrowed this book to me last week. She enjoyed it and she thought I might too. Me & Emma is about a pair of sisters who live with a emotionally shaken mother and an abusive stepfather. The story follows just a short period of time in the lives of this family, though there are flashbacks to the time Emma and Caroline (the narrator) spent with their father, who passed away. The parts about the abuse are quite difficult to read - how can anyone do those things to women and children? - but there are also many sweet moments of imagination and hope. Kids are pretty resilient, which is probably a good thing. The book has a bit of a twist at the end, so that was fun, too. If you're looking for a quick read about a rough-and-tumble Southern family, I'd recommend it. Here's the synopsis:

In many ways, Carrie Parker is like any other eight-year-old—playing make-believe, dreading school, dreaming of faraway places.

But even her imagination can't shut out the realities of her impoverished North Carolina home or help her protect her younger sister, Emma.

As the big sister, Carrie is determined to do anything to keep Emma safe from a life of neglect and abuse at the hands of their drunken stepfather, Richard—abuse their momma can't seem to see, let alone stop.

But after the sisters' plan to run away from home unravels, their world takes a shocking turn—and one shattering moment ultimately reveals a truth that leaves everyone reeling.

Tallgrass

Last week I read Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas. Tallgrass is about a farming family living in Colorado during World War II. The oldest son is off fighting the war, the oldest daughter just moved to Denver, which leaves 13-year-old Rennie home with her mother and father, helping them farm their beets. In 1942, the government opens a Japanese internment camp near Rennie's small town. The town is now divided by those who symphathize with the Japanese and those who think they're the enemy. Hate fills the town, with Rennie's dad and a few others remaining the voices of fairness. When a girl is murdered, nearly everyone blames the town's newest residents and things start to escalate.

I enjoyed this book very much. It's a quick read, you get a bit of history and there's also a bit of mystery in it. I loved Rennie as a character. She was mature for her age, respected her parents (who respected her back) and seemed to be of great morals for a 13-year-old. The story is told from her point of view, which Dallas writes very well. (My only criticism is that she seems to repeat a few things throughout the book; and that's really something a good editor should catch.)

In college I read a memoir by a man who lived an a Japanese internment camp when he was younger. I don't remember the book all that well, but the basic themes stayed with me. It's really too bad that the U.S. government stooped so low during the war to imprison fellow Americans. People who were born here and had nothing to do with Pearl Harbor. But our history is our history, and I think it's important to remember it all, the good and the bad.

The Way Life Should Be

This week I read The Way Life Should Be. At just under 300 pages and pretty fluffy story-wise, this wasn’t a hard book to finish in less than five days. However, it’s just the book I needed after reading Dreams From My Father. It was a simple fictional story about a likable character and it didn’t take too much thinking on my part.

In just the matter of a few chapters, Angela finds herself without a job and with a strong online flirtation, and all of sudden this New York City woman is headed to Maine. What I liked about this book, whether realistic or not, is the adventure and risk Angela takes. She may go to Maine for the wrong reasons, but she sticks around for the right ones. I liked her new friends – even if some were barely fleshed out – and I loved the sound of Maine. It really made me want to find this little island of hers (in the summertime) and take a walk on the beach. She took her life down a notch stress-wise, and when real life feels out-of-control with economic crises, layoffs, etc., you can’t help but envy her and wish for a little corner of peaceful Maine for yourself. Especially when it seems the residents of that little town don’t get bothered by much. They just live.

Obviously, life in small town is only feasible for some, and I would probably get bored quite quickly. But who knows? Maybe a little trip to New England is worth a thought.

Angela also cooks a lot in this book, and while some of the cooking scenes can drag a bit with the recipes written out long form, I do love the thought of the home-cooking and learning about her relationship with her little Italian grandmother who taught Angela her way around a kitchen.

The Writing Class

I just finished The Writing Class, by Jincy Willett. I started this book last week and was enjoying it so much that I read more than half of it, and finished it, over the weekend. The story revolves around a continuing education writing class and its students. If you’ve ever taken a writing class – or any class for that matter, i.e. cooking, exercise, crafts – that’s offered up to anyone, you understand how many different personalities come together. You have the old man who thinks he’s the next Updike, you have the young woman who “has a memoir in her,” you have the creepy guy who’s just looking for women, etc.

I found this book instantly interesting because I’ve been in classes or situations like this, and I discovered myself nodding along at the different people. Their instructor is a washed-up novelist who hasn’t written anything is years. She asks them who their favorite authors are and can justly tell something about her students by their answers. (Some lie and say Hemingway and Fitzgerald. Some pick the likes of Stephen King or Dean Koontz. Some she can tell just don't read.) The goal of the class is to bring in your own pieces of fiction and then get critiqued in front of the class. You have to be pretty special in my mind to set yourself up for criticism from strangers. The teacher, sure, but these classmates of yours who you have no idea whether they even understand the basic fundamentals of the English language let alone what you’re trying to write about.

Soon the instructor and several classmates receive threatening notes/phone calls/pranks from someone within the class. Then, a class member is murdered. The class doesn’t cease to meet, yet meets to try to solve who among them is “The Sniper.” For once, I didn’t figure out the ending before I got to it. Willett did a good job making me question who the bad guy was from the beginning. I had one thought throughout the whole book, but I turned out to be wrong. So, that alone made the book fun to read. But I enjoyed all the characters for various reasons, and I liked how Willett gave us information about each of them sporadically throughout the book, not just in one shot like some authors do.

If you’re looking for a quick fiction read, this one is a lot of fun.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Ah, vacation is over. I've enjoyed a blissful 12 days off in a row and must go back to work tomorrow - which promises complete and utter busy-ness. I want to post today about the book I finished last week, as the coming days may not allow. How wonderful is vacation, how sad it is to see it end.

Last week I finished Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. Set in 19th-century China, this book is about two young girls who become "old sames," basically, through a matchmaking process that requires many life events to be in order, they become BFFs for life. The story takes us through the lives of Snow Flower and Lily, the narrator, as they get their feet bound (oh my, the horror, I can't even imagine), get promised to different men, marry, have children, live through an uprising, and suffer a misunderstanding.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, with beautiful imagery. And like with any historical fiction, I like learning about a different culture. I remember learning about this era in Chinese history in college, but most of the facts escape me now. As The Last Chinese Chef brought me bits of 20th-century China, this book brought bits of the previous 100 years.

Like with many paperbacks these days, this book came with "study questions" in the back. Even though I'm not part of a book club - outside this blog - I do like to look at the questions and see how I would answer them. One of the questions talked of Lily being ungrateful, mean, evil, etc., and I was just shocked. Sure, there were misunderstandings between the old sames, but there are misunderstandings between best friends all the time. It's the strength of your friendship that gets you through, that helps you forgive or beg for forgiveness, and just because you both suffer a situation like the one described in the book, that doesn't make one or the other of you bad. So, no, I don't think Lily was wrong or unkind in any way. I think this was a lovely story about friendship - female friendship. How it's different than your relationship with your husband, boyfriend or significant other. How important and how necessary it is. No matter what time in history.

The Host, Finale & Real Life Themes

When I read novels that I think are just novels, but then make me think about things on another level, I still get amazed. As someone who would love to write a novel one day, I think, Would I be able to do that? I don’t know. Or, maybe it just comes out of authors naturally, because that’s the only themes they know. Like, with Harry Potter - themes, include oppression, fear, bigotry, but also love and hope. Was Rowling purposely creating stories around these themes, or because that’s what our world is like in real life, it’s only natural for those themes to fill the Potter books?

Same goes for The Host. You think you’re reading a book about alien invasion, but then you start thinking that it’s about so much more. It’s about war, living underground away from the enemy, loving someone you shouldn’t, discrimination, but also kindness and acceptance.

To go off course just a touch, when he was doing press for I Am Legend, Will Smith suffered some bad PR when he made a comment along the lines of understanding that when it came to the Holocaust, in Hitler’s mind, he thought he was doing the right thing. Of course people flew off the handle, but Smith in no way meant he agreed with Hitler. If you watch the movie, you see Will Smith’s character capturing the creatures, trying to “cure” them through medicine, and then unfortunately killing them. In his mind, he was doing the right thing – trying to save humanity. However, in the minds of the creatures, he was murdering them when they could quite possibly coexist. Now, I’m not saying that Hitler was right – God, no – but from his perspective he thought he was and I can see how convincing him otherwise would be near impossible.

So, since I’ve given those themes a lot of thought because of that movie, a book about alien invasion strikes a similar nerve. As a human, I can’t possibly think that aliens invading our planet is good, however, these aliens think they’re doing the right thing. Then, when an alien befriends humans who she shockingly discovers are murdering her kind to try to stop the invasion, she’s upset. But, in the humans’ minds, that’s what they need to do. Keep fighting. So, how do you reconcile that?

Both I Am Legend and The Host, and many other books and films, reflect our real world. We don’t believe what you believe, so we’re going to put a stop to it. You have to protect yourselves, so now we’re at war. The stronger “team” wins.

Coexistence. Whether male or female, black or white, Christian or Muslim, straight or gay, alien or human: Why is that so hard?

On a bit lighter note, Do you believe in aliens? Will they come here someday? Have they already arrived? Maybe we’re all already aliens? I’m kidding with that last one. Sort of. ☺

The Night Gardener

I don’t read too many crime novels. I used to drink in my mom’s Patricia Cornwell books like water back in high school, but that seemed to be a phase. I also read a few Carl Hiassen novels – but those are more humorous takes on crazy crimes (and not focused on one character like Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta). However, I read some good reviews of George Pelecanos’ The Night Gardener, and put it on my Amazon wish list. A couple of weeks ago I found the book on the discount table at B&N for $5.95 and picked it up.

Here’s the synopsis from the publisher:

When the body of a local teenager is found in a community garden, homicide detective Gus Ramone relives intense memories of a case he worked twenty years earlier. When he was still a rookie, Ramone and his partner Dan "Doc" Holiday assisted legendary detective T.C. Cook as he investigated a series of killings involving young victims left overnight in neighborhood parks. The killer, dubbed, "the Night Gardener," was never caught. Since then, Holiday has left the force under a cloud of morals charges; he now works as a bodyguard and driver, taunted by his dreams of what he might have been. Cook retired, but he has never stopped agonizing about the unsolved case. Ramone is "good police," working as a homicide detective for the city's violent-crime division. He is also a devoted husband and father, and his teenage son, Diego, was a friend of the most recent victim, a boy named Asa." Could the Night Gardener be on the prowl again? Asa's death draws the three men together on a mission to finish the work that has haunted them for years. For T.C. Cook, it means solving one of the few cases that eluded him in his distinguished career. For Doc Holiday, the Night Gardener case is one last chance to prove - to Cook, to Ramone, and to himself - what kind of police officer he once was. For Gus Ramone, catching the killer means not only doing his job but knowing that his son will not be the next victim. The regret, anger, and fierce sense of purpose that once burned between them come rushing back as they race to lay to rest the monster who has stalked their dreams.

Because it’s considered crime fiction, I expected the book to sweep me up and become one of those can’t-put-it-down-type books. 150 pages in I don’t have that feeling. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t like the book, which is different for me. The book is very dark. It speaks of all the conflicts between races in Washington D.C., cops and parents and children. How do some of these kids keep it on the straight and narrow when there are so many forces pulling them to the dark side? How do parents help and hinder the situation? And what’s the role of law enforcement (or the local government)? Because all these questions and the sad, dark feeling the book gives me, I think that’s why it is taking me a little longer to digest.

There’s also the mystery. Those who know me know I like to try and figure it out before the big reveal. The mystery is good here, and there are so many characters in play, it’s definitely a challenge to try and place where they all fit in the end. This is the part that keeps me reading, for sure.

In a related note, we watched Gone Baby Gone this weekend. Another missing child-type mystery, filled with good cops and bad cops, race relations, and “right” and “wrong.” A very good, but very dark movie. Put that on top of reading The Night Gardener and it’s no wonder I had a bad dream last night.

What about you? What books did you like, but took a while to digest? Did a book ever give you nightmares?

Breaking Dawn

I wasn't sure I'd have the time to buy and read Breaking Dawn this weekend, but I couldn't put it down. And I couldn't go to bed last night until I finished it. Trying to get through today waiting to finish it tonight just didn't seem bearable. :)

This was a great final book to the series. I read last week that Meyer thought about putting a warning on the book, because it was a bit more adult than the other three. And that's the truth. Much more gory, much more sexy - and very good. The book held some surprises for me, most definitely, which I'm always happy about. Meyer also detoured a bit; the middle section of the book was narrated by Bella's bff Jacob, instead of by Bella. When I got to this part, I was a little disappointed (I stand firmly on Team Edward), but in the end I thought it was a great storytelling technique, particularly for that section of the book. Jacob is the funny sidekick who can lighten any mood, so him as narrator just worked.

Danger and secrets were around every corner of the book, which made it that much more suspenseful. The reader gets to meet many more vampires from around the world, many with special powers of their own (Edward can read people's minds; Alice can see the future, etc.). I really enjoyed meeting these new characters as they gathered in Forks for a very important reason. The book ended perfectly, in my eyes, tying up loose ends and truly providing a happily after after conclusion. I'm extremely glad I gave these books a try this summer; it's been a very entertaining two weeks.

UPDATE (same day): I just listened to a brief interview with Meyer on B&N. She talks about her inspirations for each book and other stories these books circle around. Twilight: Pride & Prejudice; New Moon: Romeo & Juliet; Eclipse: Wuthering Heights; and Breaking Dawn: A Midsummer Night's Dream and one more book she wouldn't mention, afraid to give something away. OK, Twilight saga readers, what do you think it is? I'm not sure...

Twilight, Final Bite

I finished Twilight last night, if anyone had any doubt. I really enjoyed it. The story captures you from the first page and holds on to you throughout the story. I found myself captivated by the vampire family, which is weird because I never thought I was into vampire stories. I know there are readers out there who just love vampire books - so maybe I've been missing something? Or maybe Harry Potter and the LOTR trilogy opened my eyes to fantastical story lines? Whatever it is, I liked the book for the romance, the suspense and the action.

There are so many people out there who love these books. If you peruse B&N customer reviews, nearly everyone gives is five stars. I do agree with some of the semi-negative things I've read about the book. Meyer tends to repeat aspects of the story; the characters seem to have similar conversations or arguments throughout the book. However, this seems to be a similar event with other teen books, especially series (Harry Potter, Traveling Pants, Sweet Valley Twins, etc. all "review" throughout each book and/or the series). I don't know if publishers think teens need the reminders (I don't think they do), but I'm not sure it should be considered bad writing necessarily.

I can also see the point that the all-consuming romance between Bella and Edward is a little unhealthy. If she were my daughter, at 17 I wouldn't feel she's ready to devote her life to a boy. However, we've all been teenagers ourselves and felt that pull toward friends or boyfriends or girlfriends. It's the hormones and I'm not sure anything can be done about it. (Fortunately, though I'm only through one book so I don't know for sure, I don't think the two can get too close and mistakenly have a little half-vampire baby!)

All that aside though, if you read this and just let your real-world thoughts leave your mind and don't think too hard about the logistics (I had to do this with The Time Traveler's Wife, too, before I could enjoy it), Twilight is a wonderful escape. Plus, it's gotten kids to keep reading after Harry graduated. I'm all for that.

The Abstinence Teacher

This book starts out telling us about Ruth, a high school sex ed teacher who gets into hot water when she talks about oral sex in her class. When the school falls to the pressures of the Bible-thumping members of the community and instates a curriculum teaching abstinence and nothing else, Ruth is forced to go along with it.

Tim is a former rock ‘n’ roller druggie who has found God and gotten clean. He’s a member of the most conservative church in town, as well as the coach of Ruth’s daughter’s soccer team. When he leads a prayer after a game, Ruth flies off the handle and demands that it never happens again.

The book follows the two characters separately and in situations together. It’s quite interesting because each person is right in his or her own way. I strongly believe teenagers should learn about safe sex, and teaching only abstinence is doing a disservice to the students in the long run. However, I can see why some parents would be upset with such candid conversations about certain aspects of sex. I also don’t think it’s right to subject a whole soccer team to prayer, especially when it’s a community-run team. However, if certain girls want to take a knee to pray, is that so bad? Others can sit out. Though yes, it may seem exclusive to those who don’t want to pray.

I think this is what Perrotta was trying to accomplish with this story. The world is gray, and everyone needs to have a little more understanding. You shouldn’t succumb to the pressures (schools feeling forced to switch to abstinence-only teaching; having your child be a part of prayer if you don’t want her to be), but find a medium (encourage your teacher to keep the anecdotes to a minimum and stick to the true facts; don’t force children to pray who don’t want to, respect the parent’s wishes).

The book has several characters who really come to life: Ruth’s gay best friends, Tim’s over-the-top pastor or his much younger, conservative, somewhat boring wife. I think this is one of Perrotta’s strong suits – creating characters who are a lot of fun to read about. I’ve never read his books before, but I may want to try Little Children (which was a 2006 Oscar-nominated movie with Kate Winslet.).

I really enjoyed this book. It’s nothing too groundbreaking, but it’s also not too formulaic either. Some reviewers state they hated the way it ended. I personally liked it a lot. It spoke more to real life. I think my only criticism of the story is that there’s not enough Ruth. I like her as a mother and a person with strong convictions. I wanted to learn more about her feelings. But overall, it was a very entertaining story. I read it in three days.

Favorite Perrotta quote: "Keep writing. Don't be discouraged by rejection. When things don't go well, it helps to think of yourself as a genius and the rest of the world as a bunch of idiots."

Fun Fact: Perrotta became big after his book Election was made into a cult movie classic with Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick. Great movie. He'd written several other books, but never really became known until Election came out in 1999.

Life of Pi, The End

This was a busy week that left little time to read, hence the infrequent posts. However, I only semi-enjoyed Life of Pi, so the urgency to want to read it wasn't there either. But, I finally finished the book last night. I wrote in my previous post that some reviews I read said there was a "payoff" at the end. I was actually more disappointed at the end then I was throughout the entire book.

The book follows Pi, a young Indian boy, whose ship sinks on the way to Canada. Son of zookeeper, Pi is left on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean with a zebra, hyena, orangutan and a giant Bengal tiger. Soon, because of the obvious food chain, Pi is left alone with the tiger. A majority of the story follows the survival of the two, surviving the elements and surviving each other. Reading about some of Pi's survival techniques were interesting. Being of a zookeeping family, Pi also had much knowledge about animals, and those passages were interesting, too.

In the end though, I found the book too drawn out. Part I barely intertwined with Part II or III. All the set up of Part I seemed to mean nothing for the rest of the story. The author spends much of Part I exploring Pi's religious beliefs. As Part II is about his survival in the middle of the ocean, I was expecting more reflection on Pi's feelings about God. Part II was too long and Part III was, in all honesty, kind of lame. I found the ending predictable, but I don't want to go into it in case it would spoil the book for someone. In the beginning, the author claims the story "will make you believe in God." He didn't deliver on that promise. (Not that a novel would necessarily have that impact on someone, but I don't even find it believable that it might.)

I know there are plenty of people out there who probably disagree with me about the book, and I'm open to hearing why people like the book. Or, if you feel the same as me, let me know that, too.

Life of Pi

I've just started reading Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. I'm into Part II, at about 120 pages. Here is a book that, when it was released, seemed to get much acclaim and awards. I picked it up at bookstores, reread the jacket at libraries, but for some reason I just didn't know if I would like it. I heard a few good reviews from people whose opinions I respect, so this past holiday season I put it on my Amazon Wish List and got it from the hubby.

After nearly 28 years of living with my gut, I should know it's usually right. There was a reason why I hadn't read the book yet. So far, I've found it to be just OK. It's getting a little more engaging, but I'm still feeling mediocre about it. This frustrates me, especially when I have the impression that everyone else loves it. Am I missing something? The hubby could tell I was a little disconcerted when I wasn't super enthused to read last night. When I love a book I'm reading, I can't wait to get back to it. This one - eh.

Being frustrated, I perused Amazon reviews. More than 1,800 people have reviewed this book on Amazon. Nearly 1,000 gave it 5 stars, however more than 400 gave it 3 stars or less. I read a few reviews from each category, and while the 5-star givers made me feel like I was missing something great, the 3-star givers spoke to my feelings so far.

Now, several reviews said it was a tough book to get in to, but at the end is the pay off. So, I'm going to keep reading it - like I said, it's getting a bit more engaging - and we'll see how I feel in the end.

So, my question to you: Have you ever gone against popular opinion when reading a book? Either you hated a book everyone loves, or loved a story everyone hates? If you have insights to Life of Pi, feel free to post them here, or wait until I've delved deeper and write my next post.

Judy Blume

What can I say about Judy Blume? My most favorite book of sixth grade, Just as Long as We're Together - she wrote it. I think over the next few years, I read that book 10 times. The book that every 11-year-old girl should read, Are You There God, It's Me Margaret - she wrote it. The best books for little kids, The Pain and The Great One, Freckle Juice, Tale of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Superfudge - Judy Blume again. Seriously, generations have grown up with her books - the first was published in 1969. (She also writes for adults - I recently mentioned Summer Sisters in this post.)

There's a great story in our local paper about Blume. She talks about her writing, her three marriages, her father, her children, her fight against censorship and her philosophy of life. She's 70 years old, living in Key West most of the year, owning a local cinema with her husband and taking tap dance lessons (there's video of this if you're interested - lady can dance!). One of my favorite quotes from the article, Blume says, "When I started to write, I vowed I would never write books that kids would do book reports on. I wanted them reading me on window seats, under the covers with flashlights."

That's exactly what I did. I read them before bed, on the boat during the summer, in the car on long trips. She spoke to me as a young girl, as a new teenager. She knew what it was like to be (and demonstrated through her characters) teased by a brother, fighting with your best friends, confused by your body. She's truly a classic. Her books will never go out of style.

What about you? Are you a Judy Blume fan? Do you have a favorite book she's written? Were there other authors who spoke to you during your adolescent years?

[More notes: Judy Blume also makes a stop at our local Fitzgerald Theater next week, June 12, to talk about her new series of The Pain and the Great One books. You can also listen to a great interview with Blume on B&N's Meet the Writers. Her Web site is a kick, too, with her blog, her advice for writers and an archive of titles.]

Songs Without Words

This story, by Ann Packer, was mostly focused around Liz and Sarabeth, two friends from high school. The book starts with the girls in high school, when Sarabeth lived with Liz and her family after her mother committed suicide. Flash forward to present-day, when Liz is a mother of two and Sarabeth lives alone. They get together often.

When Liz’s 16-year-old daughter Lauren falls into a depression, Liz and Sarabeth’s relationship hits a rough patch. The rest of the book follows the Liz’s family and Sarabeth separately and together as they deal with Lauren’s depression. The book speaks from the perspectives of Liz, Sarabeth, Lauren and Liz’s husband Brody.

I liked the book, but it wasn’t those ones that I couldn’t put down. I wasn’t extremely attached to the characters, so I wasn’t absorbed in how I wanted it to end, or how I didn’t want it to end. However, the issues the book raised did make me think. It focused a lot on depression, particularly teenage depression, but also adult depression. I’ve always felt this is a real illness and it’s so important to treat if possible. So, it was informational to read about these situations, even if it was in a fictional book.

The book also studied Liz and Sarabeth’s relationship deeply. This was interesting to read about because, as a woman, I’ve always been fascinated by the way we manage relationships. Many of us have a hard time telling our good friends if they make us mad, if they hurt our feelings. Then we steam and stir to ourselves, act indifferent, cut off communication, etc. Why do we act this way? It’s hurtful to everyone involved and it really doesn’t solve anything. I even just read an article online the other day about ending friendships – that sometimes giving your friend the cold shoulder is the only way to break off a friendship, even if she never learns the reason why.

The book and the article made me think back to previous friendships I’ve had that didn’t work out in the end. Sometimes my intuition just told me to let it go, sometimes distance did it, sometimes a boy. Oftentimes I ended these relationships by just stopping contact. It just seemed easier – but it never provided closure. Obviously. I still think about them to this day. But, both the book and the article also made me value and thankful for the true friendships I have now.

If for only that reason, it was a good book.

The Dive From Clausen's Pier

I'm currently reading Ann Packer's second novel, Songs Without Words. Before I post about this book though, I thought I should post about her debut novel, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and which had me anxiously awaiting her next novel. Here is the review from Publisher's Weekly:

Packer's engrossing debut novel begins without ostentation. On Memorial Day, Carrie Bell and her fiance, Mike Mayer, drive out to Clausen's Pier for their annual ritual, a picnic with their friends, a trip they make the way a middle-aged couple might, in grudging silence. Before their resentments can be aired, Mike dives into too shallow water, suffering injuries that change their lives. If Mike survives, he will survive as a quadriplegic, and Carrie faces unexpected responsibilities. Ultimately, Carrie does what is both understandable and unthinkable. She leaves her hometown of Madison, Wis., and shows up on the doorstep of a friend in New York City. There she discovers a different world, different friends and a different self. The hovering question what will Carrie do? Abandon Mike or return to him? generates genuine suspense. Packer portrays her characters both New Yorkers and Madisonites deftly, and her scenes unfold with uncommon clarity. But if Packer has a keen eye, she has an even keener ear. The dialogue is usually witty; more important, it is always surprising, as if the characters were actually thinking one of the reasons they become as familiar to the reader as childhood friends. The recipient of several awards, Packer is also the author of Mendocino and Other Stories. Clearly, she has honed her skills writing short fiction. What is unexpected is the assurance she brings to a larger canvas. In quiet but beautiful prose, Packer tells a complex and subtly constructed story of friendship, love and the hold the past has on the present. This is the sort of book one reads dying to know what happens to the characters, but loves for its wisdom: it sees the world with more clarity than you do.

Can you imagine the dilemma? She's feeling restless in her relationship and thinking about leaving and then - wham - he's in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. I think it's very brave of her to move on without him. So many people had to think she was hugely selfish for making that move, but seriously, if she stayed with him, that could've meant a lifetime of unhappiness. It's a wonderful story - not a necessarily happy one - and it's written well and studies interesting issues.

Fun Fact: It took Packer 10 years to complete this novel, and it's partly autobiographical, for her father suffered a paralyzing stroke when she was young.

Change of Heart, The End

I finished Change of Heart last night. I was right about the ending, which is disappointing. I was still holding out hope that Picoult would surprise me in the end. However, the way she wrapped things up in a pretty little bow, well, I still have questions. I won't go into detail so I don't spoil it for anyone who wants to read the book, but I think there could've been a bit more detail in the epilogue. After the way things played out, I think there should've been a bit more of an aftermath.

Would I recommend it? If you don't already read Picoult's books, then no. I would suggest reading My Sister's Keeper first. If you're already a faithful reader, then it's hard not to read her latest books. This I know. Plus, as with any author I like, I always want to find out for myself if I agree with the reviews I read. And, I usually don't.

Like I said in my previous post, I did appreciate the discussions of capital punishment and religion. Some of the characters would go on these long rants about one view or the other, and it got me thinking: Do you ever think the views expressed by characters in fiction actually reflect how the author feels in real life? One protagonist openly detests capital punishment, while a few others question organized religion. It makes me wonder if Picoult has these feelings as well, or if she's just able to write from different points of view.

Unaccustomed Earth

I've been breezing through Unaccustomed Earth, by Jhumpa Lahiri. As with Interpreter of Maladies and The Namesake, I'm in love. Each story is so completely different from one another, yet they're based along the same themes.

The book opens with the title story, probably my favorite so far. Unaccustomed Earth is about a young Bengali woman who's married to an American. Her widowed father comes to visit. The story studies their relationship from both points of view (POV), so the reader can see all the miscues each person gets from the other. It was so moving.

Hell-Heaven explores a friendship between a married woman and a brother-like friend. It's told from the POV of the woman's young daughter.

A man and his American wife return to his high school alma mater for a wedding of a friend in A Choice of Accommodations. The man deals with many emotions during the weekend, including abandonment, resentment, love and loneliness. This was particularly interesting to read from the male perspective. Also impressive how Lahiri could write from that perspective as well.

I was most surprised (for reasons I won't say) by Only Goodness, a story about a brother and sister and how they grow up, sometimes close, sometimes not. The family dynamics in this story were very intriguing - parents feeling shame, the sister (the most Americanized) having to grow up so much quicker to help her parents, etc.

Nobody's Business actually takes the POV of an American watching the comings and goings of his female Bengali roommate. This was also an interesting perspective, though I would've liked to know more about what was going on in the roommate's mind during her time at his apartment.

I've now moved on to the second half of the book, which comprises three stories about the same family. I'd rather read all of them first, before sharing my thoughts. The stories are so good, it's nearly impossible to put the book down without at least finishing each story.

Interpreter of Maladies & The Namesake

I've just started Jhumpa Lahiri's latest collection, Unaccustomed Earth, but I thought I'd precursor my thoughts on that with my feelings of her first two books. Lahiri won a Pulitzer for her debut collection of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies. Her stories revolve around Indian Americans, those who have either moved here from India and must face adjustment, or those who were born here, yet feel somewhat out of place at home, within their own culture, or out in the world. I was moved by each and every one of these stories, especially the title story. Lahiri's talent is so true and so great, I'm in love (and a bit jealous). I went through a phase a couple years ago where I read as many novels about India that I could get my hands on (see here and here for examples). This book fell in the midst of that phase, and after just posting about it, I want to pick it up again.

Many people are probably familiar with The Namesake because it was a recent Hollywood movie, starring Kal Penn. While the movie was good, as in most cases, it doesn't do the book justice. The Namesake was Lahiri's second book, but instead of a collection of stories, this is a full-length novel about an Indian couple who get married, move to the United States and have children. The book spends much time on both the mother's struggles with her new American life (I love the passages about her driving) and Gogol's, the son, struggle with his identity as well. It's a beautiful story. While I preferred Interpreter of Maladies just a bit more, The Namesake is also extremely good.

Middlesex: Finale

I finished Middlesex this week. The book was very engaging. As I previously stated, the language was rather beautiful and descriptive, but not so overdone that you're like, "C'mon already, get to the dialogue," like some books can be. I enjoyed reading about the family over the generations - it was an interesting way to tell the story.

Now, the ending. Particularly the last 50 pages. A little bit of a disappointment. I won't go into great detail, and I don't know what I was really expecting or hoping for, but those last pages just didn't do it for me. It seemed overdone. It felt like the author took it one or two steps too far. It was too dramatic. Again, I know it's fiction, but part of me thought it really could've been a true story. Until the end.

Despite this, the final five pages redeemed the previous 45, and I closed the book satisfied. So, check it out.

For those who've read it - do you agree about the ending, or am I off track?