I've been reading a lot...but the blogging thing has taken a hiatus. Here are books 10 - 13.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
I am an impulse buyer, so when this book kept getting rave reviews, I grabbed it with my Amazon One-Click and dug in. That one-click thing is a killer, right? The book was good and depressing. It centers around Rachel who takes the same train every day on her journey to nowhere. She's an alcoholic who's lost her marriage, job and friendships. Her train ride happens to take her by her former residence where her husband and his new wife and child are still living. She focuses her voyeuristic attentions on a set of neighbors for whom she gives fictitious names and backstories. Problem is, she thinks she sees something tawdry one day and when the Mrs. comes up missing, Rachel decides it is her responsibility to put herself in the middle of the investigation. As you can imagine, the police are less than thrilled with a drunk who claims to know something but can't say how she knows it. This book made me anxious. I swear. Nobody will listen to this lady. She can't make a good decision if her life depends on it (and sometimes it does). I just wanted to smack somebody...everybody...as I read it. That said, it kept my attention for sure. I saw the ending coming but recommend this book for those of you who like a good mystery.
NYPD Red 3 by James Patterson
Patterson writes easy, quick, entertaining stories. This is the third in his NYPD series. It's a tad predictable, but that's ok. The characters are believable and the storyline is good. I am a sucker for Patterson. While he's to the literary world what Nickelback is to the music industry, I don't care. I always find him enjoyable. This was no exception.
Dad Is Fat by Jim Gaffigan
From Dad Is Fat “I used to have a lot of faith in humanity before the advent of the website "comment" section.” Jim Gaffigan is one of those guys that makes me laugh out loud. I love him. His book is hysterical. His goofy, often spot on look at life draws me in and always leaves me wanting more. The only negative I have about the book is that I couldn't HEAR him read it. Part of the Gaffigan funny is watching him and hearing his inflection and tone. If you haven't experienced him, it's high time you did. “Bedtime makes you realize how completely incapable you are of being in charge of another human being. My children act like they’ve never been to sleep before. “Bed? What’s that? No, I’m not doing that.” They never want to go to bed. This is another thing that I will never have in common with my children. Every morning when I wake up, my first thought is, “When can I come back here?” It’s the carrot that keeps me motivated. Sometimes going to bed feels like the highlight of my day. Ironically, to my children, bedtime is a punishment that violates their basic rights as human beings. Once the lights are out, you can expect at least an hour of inmates clanging their tin cups on the cell bars.”
Another Piece of My Heart by Jane Green
This was my first experience with Jane Green. I grabbed a couple of her books at a used sale and I'm glad I did. She writes in a way that I immediately connected with the characters, even though I wanted to slap one of them repeatedly. ..ok, two of them. The book is about a blended family where the dad, Ethan (slappie number 1), and his daughter Emily (slappie number two) are in conflict with new wife Andi. Emily is a typical teen, but not one that I ever experienced in my house. (Praise. Be. To. God.) She is selfish, rude, a liar, does drugs, tries to turn Andi and Ethan against each other, and eventually ends up pregnant. To make matters worse, Andi can't get pregnant. The tension that Green created in this book was palpable. Add to that the fact that I wanted to throat punch Emily, even at the end of the book. She was truly one of the most detestable characters I've seen in a long time. The book was good. It brought up a lot of interesting things to think about and Green did a great job of showing all sides of the conflict.
Showing posts with label nonfiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nonfiction. Show all posts
Monday, March 30, 2015
Sunday, February 8, 2015
52 in 52 Book 4: "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed
“I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me.”
During Christmas break, I saw the movie version of the book Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Reece Witherspoon portrayed Strayed in a heart-wrenching, gritty autobiographical look at her life. It was a movie that I couldn't quit thinking about, so I decided to read the book. I’m glad I did.
While the movie was incredible, I found the descriptions and passages in the book drawing me in even more. The theme of the book is personal confrontation, as Strayed honestly tells about her life and all the mistakes that led to her to make the decision to hike the PCT.
Don’t forgo this read if you think it’s all about hiking. Strayed admittedly made huge mistakes when hiking; wearing shoes too small and carrying a pack that was more than half her weight. Obviously this is not a “how to” for hikers.
What this novel is about, however, is a journey of self-discovery and exorcising personal demons she’d let take over her life. Her physical perseverance is something to behold. When she talks about her bloody feet and all the sores on her body from her pack, I cringed. Each time she encountered another person on the trail, my heart was in my throat wondering what kind of psycho she was about the meet. I mean, it took guts and determination to do something like this alone. But it was the grief that she described that resonated with me. She was thoroughly undone when her mom died of cancer, and she spiraled out of control while trying to come to terms with that.
“I didn't get to grow up and pull away from her and bitch about her with my friends and confront her about the things I'd wished she'd done differently and then get older and understand that she had done the best she could and realize that what she had done was pretty damn good and take her fully back into my arms again. Her death had obliterated that. It had obliterated me. It had cut me short at the very height of my youthful arrogance. It had forced me to instantly grow up and forgive her every motherly fault at the same time that it kept me forever a child, my life both ended and begun in that premature place where we'd left off. She was my mother, but I was motherless. I was trapped by her, but utterly alone. She would always be the empty bowl that no one could full. I'd have to fill it myself again and again and again.”
The PCT hike is an effort to get control of her life back and to get back on the road to being the person her mom knew she could be. She leaves all her material possessions behind and gets back to nature where she reflects on her life, her choices and what she now knows is important. Her grief is gut-wrenching. Her writing is incredible. The nuggets of truth that can be gleaned from this book are many. Read it. You won't be sorry.
“I’m a free spirit who never had the balls to be free.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)