Friday Book Review

Night Road by Kristin Hannah

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I had a lot of trouble starting this book as the character of Jude was really annoying. A helicopter mom of the highest order, I just didn't like her. I am so glad I stuck it out because I literally couldn't put the book down last nighth and stayed up way past my bedtime to read it. This book explores what can happen to a family after a major tragedy and how each individual comes to terms with the changes in their life. There are some tough scenes to take in this book- several chapters had me sobbing so have your tissues handy. At parts I began to wonder if the author was going to start a Jodi Picoult-ish plot line but I was relieved that she did not. The ending was a little weak as it seemed to try to wrap things up with a neat little bow but it didn't detract from the story and I found myself wishing that the book had not ended. Good writing, good story and I highly recommend it.



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Friday Book Reviews

Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage by Hazel Rowley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


There has always been talk of FDR's affairs and Eleanor's possible lesbianism so I expected this book to be salacious and catty. Instead, I was pleased to find that this was a great read about a very interesting and unorthodox couple. FDR may have been president but Eleanor was instrumental in getting him elected and helping him help others while president through the New Deal and WWII. The author made a strong case that Franklin and Eleanor deeply cared for one another, even as they expanded their relationship to include many others. I think they might have been the first polyamorous President and First Lady! FDR's struggle and concealment of his polio is inspirational and Eleanor's deep concern and caring for African-Americans is stunning. Frankly, this book is a must read for anyone interested in History as it really brings the couple to life. I've always admired FDR and Eleanor but after getting a glimpse into their personal life, I feel like I am admiring real humans and not just the image we see in the historical footage.



Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


If there was ever a book that would grab you while at the same time making you never want to travel to a foreign country, it is this one. In this book, Gilman tells of the post-graduation around the world trip she is making with a friend from college. The book starts out as a typical two girls on the road and then startles you as you realize, at the same time as Gilman, that her friend is not really who she (and we) thought she was. While at times you want to throttle the two girls for their naivete (roughing it is fine but not if it puts your health, safety and sanity in danger) you are also privvy to Gilman's realization that all of her fierce beliefs of herself, others and the world around her may not be as realistic as she thought. Very interesting coming of age story!



Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I know that some people think of Picoult's book as the literally equivalent of McDonald's, but I have always found her books to be absorbing, her characters realistic and the stories quite timely. The last few books of Picoult's seemed to be following a pattern and I could almost predict where the story was going to go, but this book took me by surprise several time. I could not put this book down- finishing it in a day and a half. The story is so current- gay rights, fundamentalism, IVF, what happens when best laid plans go awry that you really get attached to the story. This book comes with a bonus cd that is supposed to act as Zoe's voice but since I got my copy from the library I didn't listen to the CD but I didn't feel like I was missing anything by not hearing the songs. While the ending seemed a bit too neat and tidy to me it didn't detract from the overall story.

Blood for Dignity: The Story of the First Integrated Combat Unit in the U.S. Army by David P. Colley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I am a huge WWII History buff but one thing I haven't read much about is the role of African-American soldiers, mainly because they were relegated to the service units rather than combat. Thanks to that horrible idea- segregation- able bodied and patriotic men were forced to stand by despite a strong desire to fight. This book tells the story of the first combat unit in the Army and how these brave, strong men proved all the naysayers wrong. I found the story gripping, infuriating, heartbreaking and fascinating. There were times while reading this book and seeing how yet again racism reared its ugly head when I wondered why these soldiers would fight for a country that often treated German POWs better. This book is not for the squeamish as it doesn't hide the hard part of war but I couldn't put it down.

Friday Book Review

Nemesis by Philip Roth

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Oh how I wanted to love this book. The story was so promising: a polio outbreak in Newark during the summer of '44 and the man who was in the center of it, and the reviews were fantastic. Unfortunately, I couldn't connect with any of the characters. Even the main character, Bucky, seemed more like a sketch than a fully realized person, which may have been the author's intent as Bucky is portrayed as a very stoic person. I have never lived with the fear of polio, thanks to the vaccine, but this book did little to make me feel the characters' terror at the disease. The ending felt rushed, I would have liked to have read more of Bucky's story (I will not go into that here as it contains some spoilers.) While this wasn't a terrible book, and Mr. Roth has a lovely way with words, I felt it lacked great emotion.

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Friday Book Review: Scratch Beginnings by Adam W. Shepard

Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream by Adam W. Shepard

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I didn't really know what to expect when I started reading this book- would it be sympathetic to the less fortunate while railing on the powers that be? Would it blame the homeless for their predicament? Would it be heavy-handed and holier-than-thou? I was please to find that this is a relatively even-handed account of one man's experiment to see if the old addage of pulling one's self up from his bootstraps could really be accomplished in this day and age. As someone who has grown up in comfortable surroundings and only seen shelters and the homeless through volunteer work, it was nice to see the perspective of someone who has lived the life and walked the walk. One incredibly frustrating thing to read about was how the hard workers were being taken advantage of by the temp and day laborer agencies. The author talks at length about the often demeaning and thankless tasks that are handled by blue collar paycheck to paycheck workers and he has a point that those workers are what really make American business run. Thanks to this book I'll never look at movers and day laborers the same way again! Most of the men featured in this book were hard workers who by choice or circumstance fell on hard times. The author is quick to both praise and scold those who deserve it, sometimes doing both in the same paragraph. While the excuse can be made that of course the author was successful because he has a middle class background, he also shows us that those who have come from difficult circumstances want the same things everyone wants: respect, love, a roof of their heads and a chance at the American dream. I especially liked how the author gave possible solutions to the problem, solutions that could work for members of the entire political spectrum.

Friday Book Review

Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The blurb for this book is very misleading- read it and you think you are going to get a horror story about zombies on the level of Stephen King. Instead, you get a well-written book that has a compelling story, albeit one that leaves you with unanswered questions. Why do the dead (called reliving in the book) come back? What caused the headaches and power surges in the living? Does the living's desire to never let their loved ones go cause the deceased to suffer in a sort of netherworld? At first I wasn't sure I was going to like this book but I found myself drawn into the book and the philosophical questions that were posed. If you go into this book with no expectations you will enjoy it but if you are looking for a King-ish horror story, look somewhere else.


Kiss My Tiara: How to Rule the World as a SmartMouth Goddess by Susan Jane Gilman

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I really wanted to like this book. I was a fan of Gilman's book Hypocrite in a Poufy White Dress and the premise of Kiss My Tiara is a good one: empowering women to be the best they can be. Well, apparently no one told Gilman that women come in all shapes and sizes and political leanings because this book is geared towards women who think exactly like her. I thought the feminist movement gave women many choices in what they could do in their lives and news flash Gilman- even Conservative women can be feminists. I am pretty open-minded, socially liberal and fiscally conservative but this book just angered me because it tried so hard to be politically correct while actively working to denigrate and ignore an entire subset of people. Reading this book is like sitting next to that bore at a party who thinks everything coming out of their mouth is gold, that their opinion is the only one that matters and they won't let anyone else talk. This is ironic as Gilman urges the reader to step out of their comfort zone and befriend people they normally wouldn't, even Republicans! *gasp*! How kind of her! In trying to debunk the idea of what a feminist should be she completely catered to every feminist sterotype. In keeping with the style of this book, praise the Goddesses that I warned you that this book is a waste of time and energy. If you want to learn to be a strong woman, look somewhere else.

Happy reading!

Friday Book Review

I have always been a voracious reader, even going so far as to read a cereal box when I couldn't find anything else. Books are like friends to me, they don't talk back, they take me to other places and they are always there. I don't watch a lot of tv so I usually read a book or two a week and really enjoy sharing my finds with others so I thought why not have a Friday book review? And our books are...

32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter
Amazon Information

When the blurb on the book mentioned the heroine's love of Molly Ringwald movies (especially 16 Candles), I know I had to pick it up. I was expecting a nice nostalgia trip and a clever story but unfortunately it was just another chick-lit type of book which isn't to say it was bad, just not super original. The heroine wasn't your typical downtrodden character, matter of fact in the middle of the book she does some things that are just downright despicable. I never felt that any of the characters had a lot of depth and things just seem to be wrapped up in a tidy little bow at the end. Speaking of the end, the estate of John Hughes should know that one of their plot lines was stolen, but in a good way as it really works with the tone of the book. I think Ernessa T. Carter is a talented author and I would love to read more from her, I just hope next time she does something better than chick lit.

With Love and Laughter, John Ritter  by Amy Yasbeck
Amazon Information

Sometimes you just want an easy read and this biography will fit the bill. I know so many of us grew up with John Ritter in some fashion, for me it was when he was on "Three's Company" but for some it due to the  "Problem Child" movies. This book confirms the fact that John was the nice, funny and decent guy he portrayed in the movies and on TV. The book was written by his widow Amy Yasbeck, an actress (who can forget her as Maid Marion in "Robin Hood: Men In Tights"?) and surprisingly good author. If you are looking for any celebrity dish you won't get much but if you are looking for a true love story about a person who was taken from all of us way too soon, this is your book. There is a chapter dedicated to aortic dissection, the cause of Ritter's death and if you are like me it made you want to go get a heart scan. I hope Yasbeck writes more about her journey as she has a great voice and is very funny!

Happy reading!