Fall Book Reviews
Hey everyone! Literacy and Longing in LA by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack. I tend to be extremely suspicious of a book written by two people. I just don't see how this works. Though I've never written a novel (it's on my todo list), it seems like it would be intensely personal. I get how you'd bounce ideas off people, but actually share in the entire writing of the book? Weird. Thanks to the description, I decided to give this one a shot and I'm really glad I did. The protagonist, Dora, is a 35 year old woman obsessed with books. Whenever she gets down, which is fairly often, she goes on a book binge and locks herself in her apartment spending several days devouring books. Anyone who's an avid reader has probably done this, fantasized about it, or can at least imagine it in concept. Luckily for Dora, she is living on the remnants of an inheritance that supports this type of behaviour. She also has a rich, kind ex-husband, a crazy Teamster friend named Darlene, and a crush Fred, the local book store's literary guru. The plot meanders a bit, covering Dora's half-hearted quest to get her old job back, her conflicted feelings for both her ex and Fred, her thoughts on all sorts of books and authors, and her compulsion to help out friends and even acquaintances in need. If you're a booklover, you'll probably enjoy this one for both it's heroine and it's many great quotes. Here are a few of my favorites:
"I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train." Oscar Wilde
"I divide all readers into two classes; Those who read to remember and those who read to forget." William Lyon Phelps
"People say that life is the thing, but I prefer reading." Logan Pearsall Smith
There are many, many more. But L&L had me for good when it referenced Eudora Welty's, "Why I live at the P.O.", my all time favorite short story. Like most pieces of fiction, I was introduced to it by my English-teaching mom. She gave me a shot at cutting it for one of her speech students. I loved it so much that I was envious beyond all belief of the girl that got to perform this piece because it felt like it belonged solely to me. To this day, I sometimes dream of becoming a postmistress. If you haven't read this piece, you are missing out on one of the funnier reads of your lifetime. As the authors in L&L note, "Reading her (Welty's) stuff is like watching slapstick - the timing is impeccable", and "Next to Shakespeare, she has the best high comic dialogue I've ever read."
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Baby Proof by Emily Griffin. Now that Helen Fielding is no longer writing diaries for Bridget Jones, Griffin has fast become my favorite chick lit writer. The reason is simple: her books are so realistic. Many chick lit books tend to go over the top with their characters and their plots. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy many of these, but every once in awhile, realism is called for, even in your escapism. And Griffin delivers it in spades. Her first novel, Something Borrowed remains my favorite and will likely be one I re-read. Her new book, Baby Proof tells the story of Claudia Parr, a woman in her 30s who is surrounded by all things baby, but is determined not to join the club. Initially she is joined in this sentiment by her husband Ben, but he ends up changing his mind. Not wanting a child makes her a bit of a pariah to her friends and family. Everyone is convinced that she will grow out of it, but Claudia stubbornly holds her ground. Griffin succeeds in covering all sides of this prickliest of issues and does a good job in creating a multi-faceted protagonist. One that has good and bad traits and one that is all too real. She also provides several secondary characters who have interesting storylines. This is the fatal flaw of all too many books and Griffin bypasses it with ease. I anxiously await her next novel.
Boulder Bumpersticker of the Day: Josiah Bartlett for President
-sunday
"I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train." Oscar Wilde
"I divide all readers into two classes; Those who read to remember and those who read to forget." William Lyon Phelps
"People say that life is the thing, but I prefer reading." Logan Pearsall Smith
There are many, many more. But L&L had me for good when it referenced Eudora Welty's, "Why I live at the P.O.", my all time favorite short story. Like most pieces of fiction, I was introduced to it by my English-teaching mom. She gave me a shot at cutting it for one of her speech students. I loved it so much that I was envious beyond all belief of the girl that got to perform this piece because it felt like it belonged solely to me. To this day, I sometimes dream of becoming a postmistress. If you haven't read this piece, you are missing out on one of the funnier reads of your lifetime. As the authors in L&L note, "Reading her (Welty's) stuff is like watching slapstick - the timing is impeccable", and "Next to Shakespeare, she has the best high comic dialogue I've ever read."
---------------
Baby Proof by Emily Griffin. Now that Helen Fielding is no longer writing diaries for Bridget Jones, Griffin has fast become my favorite chick lit writer. The reason is simple: her books are so realistic. Many chick lit books tend to go over the top with their characters and their plots. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy many of these, but every once in awhile, realism is called for, even in your escapism. And Griffin delivers it in spades. Her first novel, Something Borrowed remains my favorite and will likely be one I re-read. Her new book, Baby Proof tells the story of Claudia Parr, a woman in her 30s who is surrounded by all things baby, but is determined not to join the club. Initially she is joined in this sentiment by her husband Ben, but he ends up changing his mind. Not wanting a child makes her a bit of a pariah to her friends and family. Everyone is convinced that she will grow out of it, but Claudia stubbornly holds her ground. Griffin succeeds in covering all sides of this prickliest of issues and does a good job in creating a multi-faceted protagonist. One that has good and bad traits and one that is all too real. She also provides several secondary characters who have interesting storylines. This is the fatal flaw of all too many books and Griffin bypasses it with ease. I anxiously await her next novel.
Boulder Bumpersticker of the Day: Josiah Bartlett for President
-sunday
posted by Sunday at
3:15 PM
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