The Memory Keeper’s Daughter Sunday, Jan 28 2007 

Fiction bookblog2006 9:08 am

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
by Kim Edwards

Why did I read it?

This was one of those books I’ve just “heard about” and the premise sounded really interesting. I ordered it in my enrollment package for the Quality Paperback Book Club, and after zooming through “Baby Proof” last weekend I felt for something a bit heavier.

What’s it about?

The book starts in 1964, when young Norah is in labor with her first child on the night of a snowstorm. Due to the storm, David, her surgeon husband, is forced to deliver the baby with only the assistance of a nurse, Caroline. Those days, women were often unconscious during birth, and after delivering a health baby boy, David is surprised to see another baby coming – a girl. But when he see’s the girl he recognizes immediately that she “isn’t right,” she has Down Syndrome. Having grown up with a sister who died young due to a heart condition, and being in shock, David directs Caroline to bring the baby girl to a “home” and tells Norah that she died shortly after birth.

But Caroline is appalled by the state of the “home” and ends up taking the baby girl (named Phoebe) and raising her herself, in Pittsburgh. The rest of the book follows both Caroline and Phoebe’s lives, and the Henry’s (Norah, David, and their son, Paul) from that fateful day, through the day that Norah and Paul finally find out about Phoebe, meet her, and begin to form a relationship with her (hey, you knew it would happen.)

Did I like it?

Ya know, for having such an interesting premise, the book was unbelievably boring and slow-moving. I didn’t think the characters were very well-developed either, and some of them seemed particulary contrived. That, and the authors way of writing was really tedious and uninteresting to me. She was WAY too descriptive and tried too hard with constant metaphors and such. I have to say, I was sorely dissapointed in this book and wouldn’t be interested in reading anything by Kim Edwards in the future.

Rating:
D

 

Baby Proof Saturday, Jan 27 2007 

Chick Lit and Fiction bookblog2006 3:25 pm

Baby Proof
by Emily Giffin

Why did I read it?

After “Memoirs of a Geisha” I was back in the mood for some chick lit (some good chick lit, hopefully.) Emily Giffin’s books had been recommended to me by several people on thenest.com when I asked for some chick lit suggestions. I had ended up buying her three books (“Something Borrowed,” “Something Blue,” and “Baby Proof”) on E-bay for pretty cheap, but since the first two go together I thought I would start with “Baby Proof.” I also thought it might be interesting, since I am currently pregnant.

What’s it about?

Although I’m sure I’d read a description of the book at some point, I was still a bit surprised when I started it. It really didn’t have much to do with babies at all. It’s about Claudia, a hip new york book editor, and her husband Ben. Claudia knew her whole life that she didn’t want children and was delighted when she fell in love with Ben, who didn’t either. But all that changed (in the first two chapters of the book) when Ben decides that he DOES want kids after all, so he and Claudia get divorced.

Most of the book then follows Claudia through the next several months. There are plotlines involving her sisters (one, a mother of three whose husband repeatedly cheats on her, one a happily married teacher who is having trouble conceiving) her best friend Jess (who’s having an affair with a married man) and a major plotline involving Claudia’s relationship with the office stud, Richard. Pregnancy and/or babies are involved in most of the plotlines. Claudia repeats pretty much through the whole book that she’s certain she doesn’t want kids. However, in the end (MAJOR SPOILER) she decides that she wants Ben more than she doesn’t want kids, (he, simultaneously decides he wants her more than he DOES want kids) and they get back together, while we never do find out if they end up having any children.

Did I like it?

I have to say, I was a little dissapointed because I had such high hopes for Emily Giffin. Part of it could have been my mindset (a book about not wanting kids doesn’t resonate well with a pregnant woman) but that’s not the only thing that bothered me. I didn’t like how quickly and lightly the divorce happened (couldn’t they have just seperated or something?) and the ending was predictible yet kind of unrealistic. HOWEVER, this was still a million times better than the last chick lit I’ve read, and I’ve heard that Emily Giffin’s first two books are much better, so I’m still looking forward to reading them.

Rating:
B

 

For One More Day Monday, Jan 22 2007 

Fiction bookblog2006 1:05 pm

For One More Day
by Mitch Albom

Why did I read it?

This book was a gift from Steve’s Grandma this past Christmas. I’ve read both “Tuesdays with Morrie” and “The Five People You Meet in Heaven,” both by Mitch Albom, so I wanted to read this one too. It was Saturday and I’d mistakenly left “Memoirs of a Geisha” at work for the weekend, and I needed something to read (I didn’t feel like reading a book about work anxiety over my hopefully non-stressful weekend.) So I picked up “For One More Day” Saturday evening and finished it in an hour or so.

What’s it about?

“For One More Day” is about a middle-aged guy named Chick, a former professional baseball player whose life is now in shambles, mostly due to his alcoholism. One night Chick decides to end his life, and while driving to his childhood home where he plans to shoot himself he gets into a horrific car accident. Chick flees the scene, and a few minutes later he encounters his mother – who died several years ago. Chick ends up spending the day with his mother, accompanying her on various errands, eating with her, and talking with her. Interspersed in the day, Chick reflects on childhood memories involving his mother. Needless to say, there’s some paranormal/after-life stuff going on, and there’s a small “twist” at the end of the book. The epilogue says that Chick straightened his life out, most of it anyway.

Did I like it?

It was pretty good. Like the other Mitch Albom books I’ve read, it was a bit depressing and nostalgic. And it was probably my least favorite of the three – the plot just wasn’t as interesting to me. But overall, I would recommend it, and I’m glad I read it.

Rating:
B-

 

Memoirs of a Geisha Thursday, Jan 18 2007 

Fiction bookblog2006 12:53 pm

Memoirs of a Geisha
by Arthur Golden

Why did I read it?

After slogging my way through two particulary mindless (and not very good) chick lit selections (see below) I was in the mood for something a bit deeper and more challenging. I had ordered “Memoirs of a Geisha” as one of my introductory selections in the Quality Paperback Book Club. The concept sounded interesting and it passed the ultimate test for me – the first two sentences caught my interest (I’ve ruled out many books that didn’t pass this test.)

What’s it about?

This is a historical fiction piece taking place in the early to mid 1900’s in Japan. The story is presented as an elderly geisha telling her life story to a writer. It starts when she is “Chiyo” a poor young girl in a small fishing village in Japan. Her mother is dying and she and her sister get “sold” by her father to a man who takes them to Kyoto, where she (as the much prettier sister) lives in an okiya and trains to be a geisha, while her sister is forced to be a prostitute.
The story progresses from there, following her through her training, her geisha years, a terrible post-WWII period where she is forced to live as a peasant, then back to Gion where she resumes being a geisha once again. There are several other important characters, from her “big sister” geisha Mameha, to her snotty okiya-mate, Hasamoto, to the man she harbors intense romantic feelings for over several years, known as “the Chairman.” Their story is central to the plot of the book, but it isn’t the only plotline.

Did I like it?

I did like it. The language was different than most books I’ve read (many Japanese words were used) and the author tended to get a bit descriptive, (which usually annoys me) but the book did keep my interest. I have to say, I was very dissapointed in the ending (spoiler: Sayuri ends up with the chairman, in a way anyway.) It wasn’t what I expected and was a bit cliched. Overall though, I thought this was a good, interesting book and it definitely satisfied my longing for something other than chick lit.

Rating:
B

 

Anxious 9 to 5 Thursday, Jan 18 2007 

Instructional/Self-Help and Non-fiction bookblog2006 12:53 pm

Anxious 9 to 5
by Larina Kase, PsychD, MBA

(Currently reading)
2/9 – ON HOLD (had to return to library)

 

The Ivy Chronicles Sunday, Jan 14 2007 

Chick Lit and Fiction bookblog2006 3:03 pm

The Ivy Chronicles
by Karen Quinn

Why did I read it?
Well, I was waiting for my package from the “Quality Paperback Book Club,” which I had just joined, and I needed something to read. I picked it up at a discount book store near my house because I’d heard of it, and the premise sounded interesting (and it didn’t sound like it would center on a romance, which I generally don’t like in “chick lit.”)

What’s it about?
The Ivy Chronicles is about a woman named Ivy Ames who gets fired from her job and finds out that her husband is cheating on her, in the same day. She’s a rich New Yorker and needs to find a way to support herself and her two daughters. So she starts a business helping other rich New Yorkers get their children into very selective prestigious kindergarten schools. The book also follows her romantic pursuits – namely, a young writer named Philip and a nice Jewish guy named Michael. Other characters, like her best friend Faith, and her former co-worker, Tipper, have minor storylines.

Did I like it?
Oh wow did this book SUCK! I really can’t think of any other word to describe it; if I thought “The Next Big Thing” was bad, this was so much worse. The characters were completely contrived, cliched, and unrealistic. The writing style was extremely annoying. And the plot was boring, predictible, and at times just downright stupid. I could not wait to finish this book – I made myself finish it since I had bought it. The last several chapters I pretty much skimmed through as fast as I could. This book is NOTHING like “The Nanny Diaries” – which I loved. I think the author tried to capitalize on that book’s success though, since the cover looks so much like it (not to mention the similarities in the title.)

Rating:
E

 

The Next Big Thing Sunday, Jan 14 2007 

Chick Lit and Fiction bookblog2006 3:02 pm

The Next Big Thing
by Johanna Edwards

What’s it about?

Basically, this is about Kat, an overweight twenty-something who goes on a reality show (like “The Biggest Loser”) to lose weight – in large part because she has an Internet “boyfriend,” Nick, who thinks she weighs about 70 lbs less than she does.
Well, of course things don’t go quite as planned. Nick eventually shows up as a “twist” on the show and he is nothing like he was over the phone/Internet. Kat ends up with the host of the show, Jagger.

Did I like it?

Nah, not really. I was looking for some “chick lit” to hold me over until my package from the Quality Paperback Club (which I just joined) arrived, so I picked up this and “The Ivy Chronicles” from a discount book store. I’m glad I only paid $3.49 for this. It was OK – an easy, (thankfully) quick read. The story and writing were OK. But it was entirely too predictible, relied too heavily on cliches, and the dialogue was at some points very cheesy and unrealistic.

Rating:
D+

 

What the Animals Tell Me Sunday, Jan 14 2007 

Instructional/Self-Help and Non-fiction bookblog2006 3:02 pm

What the Animals Tell Me
by Sonya Fitzpatrick

What’s it about?

Well, first of all, this is written by Sonya Fitzpatrick, otherwise known as “The Pet Psychic.” She had a show on TV a while ago that was pretty popular, where people would bring in their pets and she would “talk” to them, usually telling their owners things she couldn’t have possibly known. (Like, “Muffin says she liked her old red food bowl better.) Let me say that I liked the show, and I do believe that she really can communicate with animals. That’s why I picked up her book at a discount book store for around $4.

The book starts with a short history of Sonya’s life, which was familiar to me (I must have read it somewhere before.) Then she goes through various aspects of pet care and behavior, like feeding, exercise/play, elimination problems, even the death of your pet. Each chapter provides practical advice for pet owners while including several relevant stories of her experiences communicating with animals. She also includes a chapter at the end with guidance on how YOU can communicate with animals too.

Did I like it?

Yea, it was O.K. I was expecting more of her experiences and tips and less general pet care advice. I’ve read alot of animal care books and other resources, so much of this was nothing new at all to me. It was good advice though, and her experiences made it easier to understand why we should do these things (because we could hear it from the animals point of view.)

Let me say though that she gets pretty out there. Like I said, I’m pretty open to animal communication, but even I was just a teensy bit skeptical when she was telling stories of her miraculous healing, using lights radiating from her hands and her spirit guides, sometimes even done from afar.

Rating:
C+

 

Chick Lit Recommendations.. Sunday, Jan 7 2007 

Chick Lit and Random bookblog2006 7:57 am

Lately I’ve been totally in the mood for “chick lit” – it all started with The Devil Wears Prada, but it’s unusual for me because I don’t tend to even read alot of fiction (but I have read and loved some chick lit in the past, so it’s not totally new.) I think my mind is in such overload with work and baby stuff that it craves something funny and (at least somewhat) mindless.
But I hate bad chick lit, and I don’t like books that revolve around “girl gets guy.” So the other day I asked for some chick lit recommendations on this message board for pregnant people that I frequent. Here’s what they had to say:

Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series are great.

Not really chick lit, but I’ve become completely addicted to Jodi Picoult’s writing. I had read My Sister’s Keeper and loved it, then I got The Tenth Circle at Christmas and loved it. Since then, I’ve read two more of her books and have ordered all her others from amazon to keep me company on bedrest.

24 Karat Kids by Judy Goldstein

Save Karyn by Karyn Bosnak

These are two good “chick lit” books I have really enjoyed! And they don’t focus on a relationship.

I also really liked Little Earthquakes and Goodnight Nobody.

If you loved in her shoes – try Good in bed – same author… really great book :)

Also Janet Eveanovich Stephanie Plum series if you like the mystery/thriller types. Absolutely hysterical! This series will have you rolling on the floor laughing

I second the Stephanie Plum series. Fantastic!
Also 24 karat kids was greatness.
check out thebookbio and the book board is always full of good recs (seriously just do a thread search for “chick lit”)

I agree with the Stephanie Plum Series books. She also wrote some short romance novels. I just finished Sophia Kinsella’s Undomestic Goddess and loved it.
Also, Emily Griffin’s Something Borrowed; Baby proof; and Something Blue–all good reads

I absolutely LOVED the Bridget Jones books, have you read those yet? Also the same author wrote “Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination” and that was awesome too. I also liked a book called “Farm Fatale” which was really entertaining and funny. Can you tell I like Brit Lit? ;)

I just finished Sam’s Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson. There are relationships in it, but it is more centered around a grandmother/grandaughter relationship.

I’m reading Prep right now, and so far it is very good

Also loved:
Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner
The Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella

Not really chick lit, but I just finished The Secret Lives of Bees and The Lovely Bones and they were both phenomenal.
anything by Jane Green – Jemima J is a MUST READ, I’m reading Bookends right now (so far so good!) and Babyville is next on the list :)
Citizen Girl (same authors as Nanny Diaries) was decent.
Most books by Jennifer Weiner are pretty good – I liked “good in bed” a lot.
Other faves (mostly brit lit) – Neurotica (can’t remember author!), Apocolipstick (Sue Margolis), The Trials of Tiffany Trott (by Isabel Wolff) and Isabel’s Bed (Elinor Lipman)

I recently finished “Dixieland Sushi” by Cara Lockwood. I got it in Target’s book section. I really enjoyed it.

I second the recommendation to read anything by Emily Giffin. I sat down to read her first book, Something Borrowed, and didn’t get up until I finished!
I’ve read all three of her books and am anxiously awaiting her fourth, Love the One You’re With, this summer.
They’re so good I could eat them…

These are some great recommendations and I definitely intend to look into reading alot of these!

 

Also reading… Sunday, Jan 7 2007 

Random bookblog2006 7:45 am

I’m reading the Bible. No, I’m not religious but I do have an interest in religion. I actually don’t really agree with alot of what Christianity (or at least some forms of it) say. But I do believe in Jesus, and I feel like reading the bible is something I should do, for curiousity and learning’s sake.
So a few months ago I picked up a used copy of “The One Year Bible” (New Living Translation.) It’s basically the bible broken down into 365 daily readings (denoted by date.) Each day you read part of the Old Testament, part of the New Testament, Proverbs, and Psalms.
I was supposed to start on Jan. 1 but didn’t, so now I’m a few days behind but so far it’s went OK. The daily readings are short, and I have to say that while I know the NLT isn’t one that’s generally approved by bible scholars or anything, if it wasn’t for it’s super plain, everyday language I probably wouldn’t be sticking with it. I actually can follow what’s happening, which is really nice.
I’m not actually going to go as far as to review the Bible, but I may post a comment or two about how my year-long Bible read is going.

 

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