Soo I’m moving in a week…which means I have to pack up all my s*&t.  And a lot of that s*&t is books.

Which is my not so-smooth segue into my book review post!  I’ve put it off for awhile, so forgive the brevity & lack of specific recall…

1.  Are You There Vodka?  It’s Me, Chelsea. – Chelsea Handler.  The follow-up to a book I previously reviewed, My Horizontal Life.  This book focuses less on Chelsea’s struggles with relationships and more on her struggles with…life in general, I suppose.  It was a quick, easy read, and fairly entertaining.  I agree with other reviews that determine it to be “disjointed”, but I still think her sense of humor makes up for it.  Plus, I mean, if she can get on the Forbes 100 list through her crazy family, love of alcohol, and absurd mistakes, isn’t there hope for us all?

2.  Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Create Peace…One School at a Time. – Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin.  Holy.  Cow.  This book was spectacularly amazing and inspiring.  Greg Mortenson is truly a unique & bold individual.  This book made me want to a) catch the next plane out of the country.  b) join like 17 different mission projects.  c) go back and fix pre-9/11 problems in the Middle East.  d) whack a lot of people over the head for their ignorance and lack of willingness to help.  e) personally thank generous donors of time and money for all they do.  Seriously, how the heck did he do all of this?  It involves such great personal sacrifice that I can’t even imagine.  And his mission is totally on point – education is the key to solving our international crises, specfically those involving the Taliban.  But, I’ll let you come to your own conclusions through reading the book on your own.  This is, once again, a story that merits being read simply because it needs to be heard – no matter what conclusion it leads you to.  The sheer dedication this man has is astounding, even if you disagree about the direction of his dedication.  Also, it’s incredibly badass that he made it as far on K2 as he did.  And his childhood stories alone are gripping.  And I still can’t believe he and his wife got married after one week.  C-razy.

3.  The House of the Scorpion. – Nancy Farmer.  This book was actually recommended to me (read: demanded to be read by me) from a client.  So, I took it with me on my vacation.  And proceeded to way over-analyze her connection to the main character.  But I digress.  As it is, it was a pretty good book.  Definitely an engaging plot.  Certainly not handled with the greatest finesse – in particular I felt as though the exposition was disproportionately large compared to the wrapping up of the story… – but definitely entertaining.  To sum up, it creates a fictional world in which cloning of human beings exists, and Farmer actually creates a semi-believable (altho terrifying) futuristic world in which to debate the ethical dilemmas of this, and other issues.  Pretty good.

4.  The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Volume I. – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Ok so first of all, the title of this bothers me.  How can it be the “Complete” Sherlock Holmes when it’s only Vol. 1?  But anywho.  So this included 3 of the Holmes novels, as well as about 40ish of the short stories Conan Doyle published serially in newspapers/magazines.  Needless to say, it was a rather large book, and I was rather tired of Holmes by the time I completed the book – altho this should not imply that I did not enjoy the book, or that it was not excellent, as it predictably was.  The Hound of the Baskervilles particularly lived up to the hype.  True, my thought processes became a little muddled as I was reading this book while being caught in the midst of a Criminal Minds obsession via TV media, so I began over-analyzing any situation and evaluating it in a criminal capacity…but still.  Soooo good.  Really had some very funny moments at times too.  To be sure, that vague predictability of style and method that frequently taints mystery novels did occur at times (say, around the 38th story…) but not on too large a scale.  And truly, the final novel really was excellent.  I highly recommend picking this up to read at some point (especially as you can pick it up and put it down multiple times…) especially if you enjoyed the movie.  Fun fact?  Holmes only says “Elementary my dear Watson” one time in one story. 

5.  Have a Little Faith. - Mitch Albom.  I know most people have strong opinions on Mitch Albom, and I do see how his voice can sometimes come across in a…condescending? manner.  But.  I loved this book.  I read it in approximately 36 hours.  It really spoke to me where I was, and as I enjoy personal stories, I definitely enjoyed the interview style approach to the story.  Albom’s rabbi sounds like an dear, wonderful, wise man, and Pastor Henry also has a wonderful testimony.  Essentially the book looks at the lives of two “men of faith” – one a Jewish rabbi, and one an evangelical pastor, and the effect they have on the lives of those around them.  In particular the life of Albom.  To that degree, it does chronicle a bit of Albom’s faith journey, tho not as much as I expected.  Still, some great points are raised throughout the book.

6.  Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. – Vincent Bugliosi & Curt Gentry.  Ooh dear.  So, remember how I talked about being obsessed with Criminal Minds during my review of Sherlock Holmes?  Yeah, I had to not allow myself to watch that show while reading this book.  Because this book is insane.  Those people were absolutely 100% out of this world C-R-A-Z-Y.  Now, I had heard the name “Manson” and the phrase “Manson Family” and definitely grew up associating them with a) insanity  b) cults  c) murder  d) evil, but I really had no idea what had happened.  Helter Skelter is an in-depth look at the entire experience – the brainwashing, the murders, the hapless investigation, the trial, and the aftermath.  Additionally it takes the time to explain Charles Manson’s philosophy and motive.  It was largely unbelievable and disturbing, but excellently written, and a large kudos must be given to Vincent Bugliosi for his part in ensuring that these severely disturbed murderers were not allowed to walk free.  I highly recommend it…but not if you are prone to nightmares or live alone.

7.  Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy and Commitment. – Steve Harvey.  Ok.  I’m duly embarrassed to admit I read this.  But first of all, it was a birthday present.  Second of all, I DESPERATELY needed to read something light-hearted after all of tha Sherlock Holmes, Criminal Minds, and Helter Skelter business…particularly as my roommate was out of town and I still needed to be able to sleep.  And in that regard, Steve Harvey totally delivered.  I certainly laughed a bit and did not feel emotionally involved in the reading material.  Now, granted, I did not always fully and totally agree with what he was saying, but I do think he raised some good/interesting points.  Plus, he is a funny man.  A quick & easy read.  I didn’t really walk away with much from it, but I wasn’t exactly trying to for anything overly-stimulating at the time.  Still, some of the material could easily lend itself to spirited debate, if you so chose

So it looks like you’ll get an actual post faster than I anticipated…because I finished the batch of books due for a book review post!  Except it’s going to be mostly a quote post because I’m a little tired.  Plus these books just have some pretty fabulous quotes.  So enjoy!

1. My Horizontal Life:  A Collection of One-Night Stands – Chelsea Handler.  I actually owe you an apology for this one – I read it in the middle of the last batch of books to be reviewed, but completely forgot about it once I started writing.  Which is horrible because this is definitely a book to remember.  Spectacularly hilarious & I highly recommend it

“I was seven years old when my sister told me she’d give me five dollars to run upstairs into my parents’ room while they were having sex and take a picture.  At that age I had heard of sex but had no idea what it looked like.  I knew for sure that my parents were sexually active.  My father had impregnated my mother on six different occasions, all of which she decided to keep, so it was clear to my siblings and me that there was a definite attraction. ”

2. Dead in the Family - Charlaine Harris.  As you know, I already reviewed the first 9 books in this, the Sookie Stackhouse series.  I had only reviewed 9 because at that time, that’s all that had been released.  But lo & behold on May 4th the 10th book was released, and I received a gift card to Target, which I promptly spent on said book.  And it was just as fabulous and just as much fun as before   GO READ THIS SERIES.  Done.

“‘Dead things love you,’ Dermot told me, and I made myself keep smiling.  ‘Eric the vampire?  He says he does.’ ‘Other dead things, too.  They’re pulling on you.’  That was a not-so-welcome revelation.  Dermot was right.  I’d been feeling Eric through our bond, as usual, but there were two other gray presences with me every moment after dark:  Alexei and Appius Livius.  It was a drain on me, and I hadn’t realized it until this moment.  ‘Tonight,’ Dermot said, ‘you’ll receive visitors.’  So now he was a prophet. ‘Good ones?’  He shrugged.  ‘That’s a matter of taste and expedience.’  ‘Hey, Uncle Dermot?  Do you walk around this land very often?’ ‘Too scare of the other one,’ he said.  ‘But I try to watch you a little.  I was figuring out if that was a good thing or a bad thing when he vanished.  Poof!  I saw a kind of blur and then nothing.  His hands were on my shoulders, and then they weren’t.  I assume the tension of conversing with another person had gotten to Dermot.  Boy.  That had been really, really weird.  I glanced around me, thinking I might see some other trace of his passage.  He might even decide to return.  But nothing happened.  There wasn’t a sound except the prosaic growl of my stomach, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten lunch and that it was now suppertime.  I went into the house on shaking legs and collapsed at the table.  Conversation with a spy.  Interview with an insane fairy.  Oh, yes, phone Jason and tell him to be back on fairy watch.  That was something I could do sitting down.”

3. The Known World - Edward P. Jones.  This book is quite a switch from the other, more light-hearted ones I had been reading.  It was a little heavy, but nonetheless excellent.  It was difficult to get into at first, but eventually I did get caught up in the plot.  It’s a very unique account – a fictional story of a black slaveowner in Virginia.  Creates a very detailed and specific picture of life in the time of slavery.

“Fern Elston had chosen not to follow her siblings and many of her cousins into a life of being white.  She stayed in Manchester County where everyone knew what she was – a free Negro, though she was as white as any white person.  Part of why she stayed was Ramsey Elston, a free Negro who came from north of Charlottesville.  Had she gone anywhere else and passed as white, the color of her husband would have made her suspect.  While he was quite light-skinned, he was not as light as she was and it was most evident that he was colored.  She would have been a white woman in the rest of the world with a Negro husband, and that would have limited her world almost as much as their just living as a colored man and his colored wife.  And being a white wife might have gotten her husband killed.”

4. Generation Me:  Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled – and More Miserable Than Ever Before. – Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D.  This is a PHENOMENAL book.  Go buy/read it now.  Seriously.  ASAP.  It’s dead-on accurate and she has done an excellent job of backing up her research while presenting a relatable account of the more recent generations (specifically in contrast to the Baby Boomers).  Outstanding.  Loved it.

“Today’s young people…take these changes for granted and thus do not face this problem [of being overwhelmed by the pace of cultural change].  Instead, we face a different kind of collision: Adulthood Shock.  Our childhoods of constant praise, self-esteem boosting, and unrealistic expectations did not prepare us for an increasingly competitive workplace and the economic squeeze created by sky-high housing prices and rapidly accelerating health care costs.  After a childhood of buoyancy, GenMe is working hard to get less.”

5.  Gather Together in My Name – Maya Angelou.  This is the continuation of Maya Angelou’s autobiography (following I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which I actually have yet to read…).  Her life story is, beyond a doubt, incredible.  It’s difficult to believe she can have gone through so many different and dangerous experiences, especially given the image I have of her from the Wake Forest orientation video.  She is truly an incredible woman, and hearing her incredible story is only made easier by her gifted writing and way with words.

“My head stayed high from habit, but my last hope was gone.  Every way out of the maze had proved to be a false exit.  My once lively imagination would not come up with one more fantasy.  My courage was dwindling.  Unfortunately, fortitude was not like the color of my skin, given to me once and mine forever.  It needed to be resurrected each morning and exercised painstakingly.  It also had to be fed with at least a few triumphs.  My strength had fallen away from me as the pert features fade from an aging beauty.  I didn’t drink and had run out of pot.  For the first time in my life I sat down defenseless to await life’s next assault.”

Um well and on that note…time to scrape up some fortitude and head into work.  Another day, another dollar…and the start of another book

Here it is!  Finally!  Another book review post!  Because I know you’ve been desperately anticipating one.  Ok, maybe “desperately anticipating” is a little strong.  Maybe waiting for one.  Maybe not.  Maybe you just happened to notice that I’ve updated.  Maybe you’re reading this weeks later, or not at all.  But whatev.  Because we’re going to move on with the post.  I don’t think there’s one over-arching theme for this collection of books…maybe love?  But that’s kind of cheap, because most books are about love.  At any rate, here we go.

1.  The Meaning of Sex: Christian Ethics and the Moral Life – Dennis P. Hollinger.  Well, I actually enjoyed this book.  I didn’t really expect to enjoy it, seeing as how I disagreed with more than half of what the author was saying, but it was so well-written and intellectually stimulating that it didn’t matter that I disagreed with various points.  True, it was frustrating to be like “I’m with you so far, but I’m not sure I’m reaching the same conclusion as you” but it certainly helped me articulate my own views that much better because of my disagreements.  This book not only discusses the obvious issues of premarital sex, sex within marriage, and homosexuality, but also asks ethical questions about things like reproductive technologies, polygamy, masturbation, celibacy, our over-sexed culture, etc etc.  Again, while I ended up not seeing eye to eye with the author on most points, I really appreciated the way he approached his arguments.  It was all very logical, and he made sure to present a variety of arguments – not just the one he agreed with.  Furthermore, he looked at sexuality in the context of its purpose and how we as humans tend to distort that purpose and take a good thing and mess it up (which I agree with).  His arguments were, for the most part, not incisive or angry or even self-righteous.  So while I disagreed, I could respect his opinion.  Which was nice.  Definitely a good read if you’re interested in a sound debate.

2.  The Fifty Greatest Love Letters of All Time – ed. David Lowenherz.  First of all…yes, this is the book Carrie Bradshaw is reading in the Sex and the City movie.  Secondly, I loved it.  I really enjoy reading other people’s letters (I guess I’m nosy like that…oh hello internet…).  I also really enjoy the time when letter-writing was an art.  I borrowed this book from Lovell, and she asked me to pick a favorite letter after I finished, and while I couldn’t achieve that task (indecisive to the maximum) I do believe my favorite section of the book was the “Fire and Ice” one.  It had the most interesting and passionate letters, I believe.  The “Tender” letters were sweet, but didn’t quite stir me the way the F&I ones did.  But on the whole, this was a quick enjoyable read that looks at a variety of types of loves and a variety of great loves throughout the ages.  You should definitely pick it up at some point.

3.  A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier – Ishmael Beah.  Ummm freaking EXCELLENT book.  Also horribly tragic and disturbing, but a necessary read.  This memoir tells the story of Sierra Leone’s Civil War and its specific effects on the young men of the country – many of whom were forced to become boy soldiers.  It’s horrific to think of the amount of trauma these kids (and they were just kids) went through and the terrifying crimes they were forced to commit against each other and themselves.  There is no way to read this book and not care about the state of affairs in Africa, and to take seriously the devastation Civil War can impart, no matter how small a country.  However, what is even more amazing than the horrors Beah survived is the fact that he survived them.  He got out.  And was rehabilitated – no small feat.  I don’t even know what all to say about this book, except that I think we all have a responsibility to read stories such as these – no matter how astounding and devastating they are – because they are stories that have earned the right to be told, to be heard.

4.  Everything Is Illuminated – Jonathan Safran Foer.   This was a re-read, but one I’d been wanting to re-read for awhile.  It definitely did not disappoint.  In fact, it exceeded my expectations as I guess it fell in my estimation over time.  There was a lot of the book that I forgot – mostly because I didn’t realize it had been so long since I’d read it.  Still, it almost made me cry at the end.  I had only remembered the Brod storyline, and had forgotten how intense the main storyline was.  Yet even tho the multiple storylines are wonderful, the best part of this novel is the way Foer plays with words.  He truly is a gifted writer, capable of creating vivid images and giving new meaning to our everyday language.  The novel begins in the form of an epistle, and is framed as the exchange of stories between two men – one in the Ukraine, and one in the United States.  It becomes clear through the letter writer, Alex, and his stories, that Jonathan has journeyed to the Ukraine to discover what happened to his Jewish grandfather during World War II prior to his escape to America.  Jonathan’s storyline is more complex, relating the history of the town of Trachimbrod.  Difficult to describe, but definitely should be read.

5.  The Screwtape Letters – C.S. Lewis.  This was also a re-read, and another excellent one.  Lewis is, of course, an outstanding writer.  The premise of this book is that a senior demon, Screwtape, is writing letters of advice to his nephew, Wormtail, about the best way to secure a human soul through temptation.  It’s a really unique representation of spiritual warfare, and one only a writer as deft as C.S. Lewis could properly handle.  If you haven’t read it, you should.

6. The Voice That is Great Within Us: American Poetry of the Twentieth Century – ed. Hayden Carruth.  So, I’m still working on this book.  I made it through ten more poets, and definitely enjoyed the majority of them.  This batch of poets included Stanley Kunitz, Kenneth Rexroth, Robert Penn Warren (of All the King’s Men fame, which is an EXCELLENT book), Richard Lattimore, Theodore Roethke – fabulous poet – Robert Fitzgerald, Charles Olson, Winfield Townley Scott, Elizabeth Bishop, and J.V. Cunningham.  All were excellent, but I’d have to say I most enjoyed Roethke & Olson.

And that was it for this time around…happy reading again

I know that you’ve been missing my book review posts.  It’s ok.  Today, you shall finally have one.  And hopefully at least one of these books will appeal to you   After my last book post, I actually spent some time rereading the Harry Potter series, but I believe I’ve sung its praises more than enough times to review it here for you.  So we’ll just pick up after that

1.  The Sacred Romance – Brent Curtis & John Eldredge. So, I really really really enjoyed this book.  The general idea is that our lives are part of a larger narrative than just the individual story of our lives.  In this narrative we encounter both the Hero, who desires to romance us (God) and we are also attacked by Arrows, that try to keep us from living our lives as fully as we can.  These Arrows can be large, direct wounds that cripple us, or they can be small Arrows lodged deep inside that we carry daily and live with.  Unfortunately, since it’s been like a full month since I’ve read this book, I can’t remember all the details; but, I do remember that pretty much every part I read was dead-on applicable to my experiences so far.  It was one of those books where I’d read a paragraph and have to put it down to really process what I read.  And it truly does help you appreciate the way things have a way of weaving together, the good & the bad.  At any rate, I highly recommend it.

2.  There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in the Other America – Alex Kotlowitz. So.  This book was very good…but very, very heavy.  And wearing.  But still, very well written and insightful, as well as a revealing look at the derth of the environmental problems that keep people living in poverty and violence.  While many of the stories in the book were shocking in and of themselves, the aspect I found the most shocking was simply that, while this book was published in 1992 or so, I don’t believe much has changed.  I am still hearing stories like this.  Or, where there has been progress, it has not been the amount of progress you would expect for over 20 years (while the book was published in the early 90s, the research & interviews took place in the mid-1980s).  I do believe any socially responsible person should most definitely read this book.  It is a travesty that anyone has to live in this environment, and I see the effects of extreme situations like these in the kids I work with.  However, because I work with kids who are facing such difficult experiences, it was extremely hard to read this book.  I mean, it just kind of reinforced how deeply mired we are in these societal problems, and how complex the solutions are.  Which further illustrates how difficult it is to enact change in individual lives…which is pretty much my job lol.  It was extremely emotionally exhausting…but, I pushed through.  And it was worth it; I would just advise reading it when you have time to get righteously angry and everything else in your life is going relatively well lol.  Otherwise, it’s a bit much.

3.  Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

This book completely lived up to the hype.  Ok, well, as much hype as there is about classic Latin American literature.  But in terms of it being my first Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel, he totally lived up to the hype.  And the book was great.  Beautifully written, and extremely sensuous.  I loved his approach to the love story, and I thought it was a completely believable account of people’s behaviors.  However, it was another book that required a lot of effort to read.  I’ve heard it described as a “journey” to read, and I have to agree with that representation.  It was quite the journey, and one that definitely weighs heavily on your emotions.  It wasn’t like a tearjerker or anything (at least, I didn’t think so) but it certainly carried a healthy dose of melancholy with it.  Beautifully written.

4. The Sookie Stackhouse Novels (1-9) – Charlaine Harris.  So, after alllllll that heavy reading (even tho it was all extremely good and thought provoking) I was pretty much done.  I was ready for a break.  I had been ambivalent about reading the Sookie Stackhouse novels/beginning the series because while I love the show that’s based on the books, True Blood, I knew the books would be different.  And I didn’t want to hate the books, or begin to hate the TV show.  But, for my birthday, I decided I would begin the series and just give it a chance, as well as give myself a break from the heavier side of writing.

It became a long break.

I started the books on a Thursday, and had read all of the 9 that are currently released by the following Saturday.  I could not put them down.  I had been thinking of True Blood (and thus the books) as the adult version of Twilight…and by adult I mean basically some soft-core action and involving people who are actually grown.  While this is true, I think these books are simply better.  The plots & mysteries are better, and Sookie is a much more kick-ass heroine than Bella.  I mean, shello, she actually thinks for herself. Praise God.  Also, she’s funny and not melodramatic.  And instead of constantly *being* saved, she’s always saving everyone else.  Much much better.  Also, she is not totally and unhealthily obsessed with one man.  Granted, there were some points when it was difficult to count up Sookie’s various love interests (I think at one point there were 6 different men who were ready to be exclusive with her).  But actually, I was surprised by how little of the series was focused on the romance aspect.  I mean…the first couple of books were guiltly delicious, don’t get me wrong.  But I was most impressed by Harris’ seemingly seamless blend of the genres of romance, mystery, and science fiction.  I can’t wait to read the 10th one (altho, I hope the series does end soon…I can’t keep being dragged back & forth between Bill & Eric…).  As for the differences between the TV series & the books…definitely obvious.  But good changes on either part.  The TV show works, and the books work.  The only um, concern? I have is the Bill-Sookie-Eric triangle, because I feel like the show (so far) definitely biases you towards Bill, whereas I’m kind of on Eric’s side in the books.  But hey, since Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin are engaged, I guess I can forgive them that.  It is, at least in this case, nice to have the visuals of the actors to match with the characters.  But both the books and the show maintain their humor and light-heartedness at the same time that they weave compelling mystery and gratifying action sequences.  With beach season approaching, I definitely recommend these to enjoy in the sun.  Phew.  That was a long one to write on, but to be fair, it was nine books.

And there you have it!  That’s what I’ve been up to reading-wise the past couple of months.  Happy reading to all for the coming summer season (after all, where did spring go??)

So I have this kind of incredible best friend/hetero-lifemate, Cat.  I’ve shouted out to her blog before.  But today I wanted to let you know that she has, with one of her co-workers, opened up her own etsy store!  As a proud owner of some Gata originals, I can assure you that her products will liven up your living space   Check out their store, politesocietyinc, as soon as possible!

(This is my Cat original)