"A Curious Man" by Neal Thompson was a curious book about LeRoy Robert Ripley, behind the famous "Believe it or Not!". Ripley got his start as a cartoonist, and when he began collecting odd artifacts and facts, the whole Ripley's Believe it or Not! took off. Ripley traveled all over the world, collecting and adding to his collection, including a harem of women who lived at his mansion. Oh, and he was a handball champion. Sure, why not? It was an interesting book about a very interesting fellow.
"After Dead" by Charlaine Harris was a quick tying up of loose ends. Did you wonder what happened to all the characters in the Sookie Stackhouse books after the last one? Do you even remember most of them, because I sure didn't. Whoops. I'm going to have to reread the series someday.
"Downtrodden Abbey" by Gillian Fetlocks was an amusing parody of Downton Abbey (I'm a big fan of the show). If you like the show and have a good sense of humor, it was fun.
"Dead Reckoning" by Caitlin Rother was the opposite of fun. It was very well written, and interesting, I couldn't put it down, but man was it tough. It's a true crime about a young couple so desperate for money that they kill a nice couple on their yacht outside of Newport Beach and then try to drain the couple's accounts. Luckily they don't get very far and the cops are able to build a strong case against them. I hope they're in jail forever. The way they killed that poor nice couple was just devastating. I'm pretty battle hardened by true crime, having read so much of it, but wow, this one really hit me.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Thursday, December 26, 2013
When Did White Trash Become the New Normal?; Sycamore Row
Charlotte Hays' book "When Did White Trash Become the New Normal" was hilarious, but it's sad that society has deteriorated to this point. Why do we celebrate what we used to tsk over? Why are people famous for nothing more than acting like fools on camera? I don't watch a lot of reality TV, and most so called "celebrities" are nothing more than scum, and it's just sad that it takes so little to be famous. I wish intelligent people were given television shows and talked about on talk shows and in magazines. It would be great to celebrate people with class and manners again. Remember when girls wanted to be like Grace Kelly? Sophisticated and charming and classy? Or even Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Polite, well bred women who would no more swear in public than they would appear nude. Those ladies were role models. Alas, the world has moved on.
I haven't read a John Grisham book in a long time. They all started to sound similar, so I stopped. I did however really enjoy "A Time to Kill", and when I found out that his latest, "Sycamore Row", featured the same lawyer, Jake Brigance, I wanted to read it. It was very good, I enjoyed it. Jake receives a handwritten will in the mail and a note from Seth Hubbard the day after Seth kills himself, asking Jake to defend his new will and prepare for a fight, because he's cut his children out completely, and it turns out Seth was quite wealthy, worth over $20 million. The worst part of the new will? He's left the bulk of his estate to his black housekeeper whom he's known for only 3 years. Of course when his children find out a hue and cry is raised and Jake prepares for a court battle to defend Seth's wishes. I sort of figured out before the big reveal why Seth wanted to leave all his money to his housekeeper, but it was a good story just the same.
I haven't read a John Grisham book in a long time. They all started to sound similar, so I stopped. I did however really enjoy "A Time to Kill", and when I found out that his latest, "Sycamore Row", featured the same lawyer, Jake Brigance, I wanted to read it. It was very good, I enjoyed it. Jake receives a handwritten will in the mail and a note from Seth Hubbard the day after Seth kills himself, asking Jake to defend his new will and prepare for a fight, because he's cut his children out completely, and it turns out Seth was quite wealthy, worth over $20 million. The worst part of the new will? He's left the bulk of his estate to his black housekeeper whom he's known for only 3 years. Of course when his children find out a hue and cry is raised and Jake prepares for a court battle to defend Seth's wishes. I sort of figured out before the big reveal why Seth wanted to leave all his money to his housekeeper, but it was a good story just the same.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Takedown Twenty; My Story; Fireball
Janet Evanovich's latest Stephanie Plum book, "Takedown Twenty", was pretty good. Stephanie is looking for a popular older man named Uncle Sunny, and no one in the Burg is cooperating because he's related to almost everyone. Fed up with her job and having her whole neighborhood hate her, Stephanie quits and goes to work for a butcher, which lasts all of two days. Ranger and Morelli are still giving her fits, and there's a giraffe on the loose that Lula has named Kevin.
"My Story" by Elizabeth Smart was pretty amazing. Her courage, and bravery, to not only survive her horrible kidnapping ordeal but go on to thrive and live a happy life, is pretty inspirational. I'm happy for her and her family, and I'm amazed that she's able to be so grateful.
"Fireball" by Robert Matzen is about what happened to Carole Lombard's flight that crashed into a mountain in Las Vegas. Was it really an accident, or was it sabotage? Turns out it was just an unfortunate accident. Such a shame that so many young people died, and of course Clark Gable was never the same after losing his "Ma". Neither was Hollywood.
"My Story" by Elizabeth Smart was pretty amazing. Her courage, and bravery, to not only survive her horrible kidnapping ordeal but go on to thrive and live a happy life, is pretty inspirational. I'm happy for her and her family, and I'm amazed that she's able to be so grateful.
"Fireball" by Robert Matzen is about what happened to Carole Lombard's flight that crashed into a mountain in Las Vegas. Was it really an accident, or was it sabotage? Turns out it was just an unfortunate accident. Such a shame that so many young people died, and of course Clark Gable was never the same after losing his "Ma". Neither was Hollywood.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Queen's Bastard; 45 Pounds (More or Less); Firecracker; Bellman & Black
Robin Maxwell's "The Queen's Bastard" was interesting but really long. Much longer than it needed to be, I thought. She imagines that Queen Elizabeth I and Dudley conceive a child out of wedlock, and when that child is born while the Queen was tucked away on progress, Kat Ashley substituted a dead boy for the Queen's son and had her old beau take the prince away to be raised as a normal child. I swear I'd read it before, but I couldn't find a record of it. I may have started it and never finished, because the first third or so was very familiar. At any rate, I'd love to read more nonfiction about the idea that Queen Elizabeth may have given birth at some point, but it seems scarce.
One of the blurbs on the back of K.A. Barson's "45 Pounds (More or Less)" said that you'd want a friend like Ann, the protagonist. For me, I *was* Ann. Or might still be Ann, sadly enough. Ann is a high schooler and she's overweight. She's too embarrassed to do things she enjoys, like swim and dance in front of people, for fear of how bad she looks. Her mom is stick thin, and constantly talks about fat and food. Ann notices her little sister, who is four, is starting to develop some unhealthy attitudes towards food and she's worried about the example she's setting. She's tried every fad diet but always ends up falling off the wagon and getting discouraged when she doesn't see the results she wants. This book really hit home, and I was so proud of Ann at the end for doing so well. I suspect that teens (and adults) who have never struggled with their weight won't really get this book, but for those of us that have and still do it really was great.
"Firecracker" by David Iserson was great: funny and snarky and sarcastic without being too mean. Astrid comes from a crazy rich family, and when she gets kicked out of yet another private school, her parents decide to send her to *GULP* the local public school. Astrid quickly discovers that she hates it there and wants to go back to her old school. Her therapist says he'll consider it if she'll do three nice, selfless things. It was funny and sweet without being too sappy.
"Bellman & Black" by Diane Setterfield was really haunting and Gothic-y. In Victorian England, young William Bellman kills a rook with a slingshot and thinks no more about it. We follow William throughout the rest of his life: the highs, the lows, everything in between. It seemed to me to be a message about how not to be so busy living that you forget to actually live. Never forget your days are numbered. An incredibly cheerful thought :)
One of the blurbs on the back of K.A. Barson's "45 Pounds (More or Less)" said that you'd want a friend like Ann, the protagonist. For me, I *was* Ann. Or might still be Ann, sadly enough. Ann is a high schooler and she's overweight. She's too embarrassed to do things she enjoys, like swim and dance in front of people, for fear of how bad she looks. Her mom is stick thin, and constantly talks about fat and food. Ann notices her little sister, who is four, is starting to develop some unhealthy attitudes towards food and she's worried about the example she's setting. She's tried every fad diet but always ends up falling off the wagon and getting discouraged when she doesn't see the results she wants. This book really hit home, and I was so proud of Ann at the end for doing so well. I suspect that teens (and adults) who have never struggled with their weight won't really get this book, but for those of us that have and still do it really was great.
"Firecracker" by David Iserson was great: funny and snarky and sarcastic without being too mean. Astrid comes from a crazy rich family, and when she gets kicked out of yet another private school, her parents decide to send her to *GULP* the local public school. Astrid quickly discovers that she hates it there and wants to go back to her old school. Her therapist says he'll consider it if she'll do three nice, selfless things. It was funny and sweet without being too sappy.
"Bellman & Black" by Diane Setterfield was really haunting and Gothic-y. In Victorian England, young William Bellman kills a rook with a slingshot and thinks no more about it. We follow William throughout the rest of his life: the highs, the lows, everything in between. It seemed to me to be a message about how not to be so busy living that you forget to actually live. Never forget your days are numbered. An incredibly cheerful thought :)
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
8 Bit Christmas; Ender's Game; I Suck at Girls; Ava Gardner: the Secret Conversations; Seven Deadlies; The Spanish Queen; Walking Dead: the Fall of the Governor Part One
"8 Bit Christmas" by Kevin Jakubowski was great, hilarious and nostalgic. If you grew up in the 80s and remember what it was like to want a Nintendo more than anything else in the world, this book will speak to you. Young Jake's neighborhood is rocked when one of his friends gets a Nintendo for his birthday. He lords it over the other boys, making them compete for the privilege of playing on his game. All Jake and his friends want for Christmas is machines of their own. Jake's parents think it's too violent and won't buy him one, and they're not the only parents in town who feel that way. Jakubowski nails the spirit of the 80s.
I enjoyed the movie "Ender's Game" much more than I thought I would when I saw it a few weeks ago, so I read the book by Orson Scott Card and was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked the book, too. I'm not a huge sci-fi person, but it was pretty good. Young Ender is training to be a soldier, a leader, a commander, through a series of war like games. I can't say too much without giving away major plot points, but it was great.
"I Suck at Girls" by Justin Halpern was pretty funny. Halpern wrote "Shit My Dad Says", and in this new collection he talks about how he's fumbled with the opposite sex his whole life, with of course some sage advice from his old man.
"Ava Gardner: the Secret Conversations" by Peter Evans was a bit disappointing. It was less about Ava and more about Peter's struggles to get her to talk to him and write her memoir in the first place. In the late 1980s Ava was pretty broke and decided to publish her story in order to make some money. Peter met with her, and talked with her on the phone late at night. The parts of the book that are actually about Ava are interesting, but there's not much there and Peter's voice gets redundant.
"Seven Deadlies" by Gigi Levangie was pretty clever, I liked it. There was an unexpected little twist at the end that I thought was neat. Perry Gonzales tutors half the kids at the swanky private academy she attends, where all the kids are spoiled and rich. She details some of her more interesting clients by relating their behaviors to the seven deadly sins. It was pretty funny, and a quick read.
"The Spanish Queen" by Carolly Erickson was an interesting imagining of Queen Catherine of Aragon. Erickson imagines that Catherine so hated Anne Boleyn that she actually did her harm, which of course is ridiculous but it's just fiction.
And finally, Robert Kirkman's latest Walking Dead novel "Walking Dead: the Fall of the Governor Part One". We get to see Rick, Michonne, and Glenn arrive at Woodbury from the Governor's point of view. I must admit, the graphic description of Michonne torturing the Governor got to me a little, and normally I can read pretty dicey stuff without getting icky, but this was bad. Well done! Extra points for grossing me out.
I enjoyed the movie "Ender's Game" much more than I thought I would when I saw it a few weeks ago, so I read the book by Orson Scott Card and was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked the book, too. I'm not a huge sci-fi person, but it was pretty good. Young Ender is training to be a soldier, a leader, a commander, through a series of war like games. I can't say too much without giving away major plot points, but it was great.
"I Suck at Girls" by Justin Halpern was pretty funny. Halpern wrote "Shit My Dad Says", and in this new collection he talks about how he's fumbled with the opposite sex his whole life, with of course some sage advice from his old man.
"Ava Gardner: the Secret Conversations" by Peter Evans was a bit disappointing. It was less about Ava and more about Peter's struggles to get her to talk to him and write her memoir in the first place. In the late 1980s Ava was pretty broke and decided to publish her story in order to make some money. Peter met with her, and talked with her on the phone late at night. The parts of the book that are actually about Ava are interesting, but there's not much there and Peter's voice gets redundant.
"Seven Deadlies" by Gigi Levangie was pretty clever, I liked it. There was an unexpected little twist at the end that I thought was neat. Perry Gonzales tutors half the kids at the swanky private academy she attends, where all the kids are spoiled and rich. She details some of her more interesting clients by relating their behaviors to the seven deadly sins. It was pretty funny, and a quick read.
"The Spanish Queen" by Carolly Erickson was an interesting imagining of Queen Catherine of Aragon. Erickson imagines that Catherine so hated Anne Boleyn that she actually did her harm, which of course is ridiculous but it's just fiction.
And finally, Robert Kirkman's latest Walking Dead novel "Walking Dead: the Fall of the Governor Part One". We get to see Rick, Michonne, and Glenn arrive at Woodbury from the Governor's point of view. I must admit, the graphic description of Michonne torturing the Governor got to me a little, and normally I can read pretty dicey stuff without getting icky, but this was bad. Well done! Extra points for grossing me out.
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