Sunday, October 28, 2012

The Middlesteins (Jami Attenberg)

This book turned out to be just okay for me. I really liked the review of it when I first heard of it but have to say I was a little disappointed. I guess the story wasn't full enough (no pun intended). It was cute in some parts the whole Jew-Personality (think: Linda Richman character on SNL) but that was about it. I didn't really like any of the characters and was even a little bored. There was something there, I kept reading it was just that interesting, but only just. The Middlesteins area Jewish family breaking apart because Edie, the mother, keeps eating and eating and gaining weight and then her husband leaves her during the time she has surgeries and pre-diabetes etc. and it all just doesn't come together. I'm not even sure what the main plot was. I guess it culminated during the twins b'na mitzvah but I just felt there was so much missing. The ending was kind of off too. The more I think about it the more I thought the author could have done so much more. I can tell she's capable but perhaps the story lost it's steam or something. Maybe she gave up or maybe the deadline was too short. Anyway, it's an okay book but could have been a lot better.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

How To Be A Woman (Caitlin Moran)

Ms. Moran is fabulous. I didn't know her before I saw someone else's review on goodreads but after the summary I thought, this book is for me and it mostly was. She's from Britain and there are a lot of British references that went over my head but the humor was there and after I got past the whole pubic hair bit I was on board with her. Actually she had me at the pubic hair bit but I have to say she might have went on just a little bit long (no pun intended). She's crass and a little vulgar and sassy as hell. I love her message and her chapter on bodies. I will admit I skimmed some sections as not every single thing was calling out to me but i read at least 90% of the book and do recommend it to females galore and some very secure in their sexuality males as well.

Inside (Alix Ohlin)

Gush gush gush... swoon swoon swoon. I have a readers crush. I read Ohlin's Signs and Wonders, a superb book of short stories (and i'm usually not one for shorts) so I thought I would give her full novel a try and am soooooo glad I did. It follows 4 characters someone connected throughout a ten year period. The stories are great but the writing sucks you in. It's not pretentious or oversimplified, just good. We witness what it's like to love, hide, runaway, accept, ignore, feel or not feel and it's so achingly beautifully written I dare call it poetry. (i hate poetry but hear that when people use this word it's normally a good thing). Ohlin is a keen observer of the world and transfers what humans experience perfectly on the page. It's about men and women, jobs, kids, losing someone, gaining someone and everything in between. Wish I took more time with it but could not put it down. I highly recommend it.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Tales of The City (Armistead Maupin)

Guilty pleasure. Heavy on dialogue and explanation for things done or thought or anything substantial. What it will do is keep you turning the page. It's 1970's San Francisco and everyone wants to be in love or hook up or both. We are introduced to a case of quirky colorful characters in this 1st in a 6 book series of Pre-Friends/Sex and the City type people.I know it wasn't anything "literature-like" because I can't even remember anything significant about the book ie, no heavy philosophy or morals etc. But it was a book I carried around for 2 days while I read it every time I got a chance cuz it was like a soap opera.

Friday, October 12, 2012

A Surrey State of Affairs (Ceri Radford)

A slightly Sorry State, indeed!! It was cute. I liked the British girl who is just clueless and slightly dim-witted take on a year in the life of a housewife. I thought it was a Wodehouse meets Adrian Mole meets Fawlty Towers all mashed up. Meet Constance Harding, upperclass wife to lawyer Jeffrey who is only known to the reader through her descriptions of him. He seems slightly boring and mechanical and typical. They have 2 children, Sophie and Rupert and they are either going through the general angst of early adulthood (taking off with middle aged Russian thugs or coming out of the closet respectively) Constant starts a blog and chats about her life for a year. The reader is privy to what she knows, which isn't much, and through her stumbles and slightly snobby perceptions of life we can laugh along with her and at her and if you have nothing better to read perhaps become immersed in her thoughts about life and her children and her constant efforts at matchmaking. She has a few friends and has a heart despite her preoccupations with the luxuries of life and people's manners etc. It was sort of predictable but something kept me reading despite having like ten other books going at the same time. I think because I enjoyed Jeeves and Adrian Moles adventures and likened them to be more original I was a little annoyed at this, but not even to DNF it. If you like brit humour this is for you!

Monday, October 8, 2012

The Casual Vacancy (J.K. Rowling)

Lot's of characters and lots of juicy gossipy dysfunctional family stuff with a background of political slime; and class elitism and drugs and fowl language Oh My! In a nutshell, this is a big book just like the little blurb insists and it's full of lots of stuff going on, not a dull moment. I really got into it. I am so tired of reading reviews, split between the ones expecting more Howarts and the other saying that they're so glad it wasn't more Hogwarts. I fall into the latter camp, not that I don't appreciate Harry Potter and all his Potter-ness but I didn't read past the first book. It's not my thing. Now this one is more my thing. The Casual Vacancy centers around one Barry Fairbrother, specifically his death and all the lives he touched and the aftermath of a town called Pagford and it's connected, The Fields and Yarvil. He was on the Parish Council and now there is a 'casual vacancy' and people, the main characters of this novel are wanting to fill it to fulfill their own ideals of what a town should. And of course it's of no noble cause. We have the children of the main characters who have their own grudges against their parents and their prejudices and their yearnings to be free or understood or at least left alone. We have marital infidelities and unrequited love and a woman who lusts after a boy band. It's full of dark humor and reflects the human condition in every scene. I loved how perfectly crafted and how much of a story it was. It didn't seem like it could be real. I did have some issues with the ending and how, without creating a spoiler, one of the characters was done away with without much reason but it didn't affect my enjoyment at all. What did bother me a little bit was all the hype and secrecy of the book. There are no acknowledgments and that just comes across as stuffy and pretentious but i really loved the book. And that's what's important. I hope for more non-wizardry from ms. rowling.