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I've been out of town for a month, visiting my mom in Florida and Detroit, and there doesn't seem to be an easy way to blog from an iPad. I was reading the entire time, though.
Nose Down, Eyes Up by Merrill Markoe - I do love a book that takes place in Southern California, and it seems that I am enjoying the thinking talking dog genre lately, too. This is a fun read about a contractor with a bunch of problems and four dogs with distinct personalities and with whom he communicates. One dog is super smart, one is like a three year old and the other two I don't remember! The book is amusing and could be a different kind of a beach read than your usual mystery or chic lit fare.
Little Known Facts by Christine Sneed - Why was this book even on one of my lists? Was it on a list or did I like the idea of a cover with a swimming pool? As I wrote in the other two places where I write even shorter thumbnail reviews than I do here, Sneed writes like Danielle Steel. Repetitive, and in the characters' heads all the time. This was like a Danielle book but without the great life tragedy. It's about a famous 50 or 60 something movie star and his family and the women he dates. I kept waiting for something to happen but it never really did. The book doesn't deserve the title; it can have the cover.
The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht - Here's another one I didn't like. This one is all over the place as a good book to read. It's about a grandfather and a granddaughter and a tiger and the grandfather when he was a boy, and some stories about jerky village people and being behind the iron curtain, and nothing ever happens, so I thought it might be going existentialist, but it never did that either. At least not for me.
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple - The cover and title suggest fun chic lit which is exactly what Bernadette is. A frustrated Seattle mom with a precocious daughter and techie husband, she has multitude of issues in all areas of her life. She finally reaches rock bottom (for her) and disappears into thin air. It's one of the year's hottest books and it's a page turner..... most people are raving about it, but for me, although it's not rave-worthy, I can see why they're loving it. It's an easy story with a fun voice. 
Walden on Wheels by Ken Ilgunas - On the Road from Debt to Freedom - Ken Ilgunas graduated from college with an unmarketable degree and $32,000 in debt. He had no idea about how he was going to pay down the debt, he just knew that he had to do it as fast as possible. And he did it. In about four years. The only way it gets done. By being single-minded and conscientious about his goal. I'm with Ken when it comes to debt. It's a bad bad thing. I only buy what I can afford to buy with cash. If I don't have the cash, then I don't buy the thing. Simple. If the thing costs more than I have, then I save up for it. I've been like this my entire life, and the few times I've borrowed money, I've always paid it back super fast while denying myself all kinds of other things so that I could erase the debt. Ken's story is interesting because he actually took it back in the other direction by simplifying his life down to basics, which I never did. I like more than my basics! Thanks to Christina Askounis for the recommendation on Facebook. She is also acknowledged by the author which was cool to read, because during the time he was at Duke University, mentioning his classes, I was wondering if any of them were Christina's classes, and they probably were. The whole story is good. Ken goes to live in Coldfoot Alaska, he hitchhikes, he becomes a Vandweller and a really good story teller.
Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt - In addition to the obvious brilliance of the title and the cover, this is my current best book and top recommendation if anyone asks. And maybe even if they don't ask, because I just wanted to savor each and every page, and I did for the past 4 days. Tell The Wolves I'm Home is beautifully written, and about love, and our narrator and protagonist is a 14 year old who is both clueless and wise beyond her years. She has this wonderful honest voice, though; it's the kind of story I've been loving since I was that same 14 year old girl, on the edge of adulthood, and so smart, but still so far away from my future. It's about June, Finn, Greta and Toby, New York, and secrets and misunderstandings, but these few words don't capture the magic and emotion that make up this beautiful story.
Cool, Calm & Contentious by Merrill Markoe - I love books by comedy writers. Merrill Markoe writes about growing up, college, "dating", guys, dogs and other stuff. She makes the best observations and even gives some advice. I needed a book like this when I was twenty. This was the perfect followup to The Art of Racing in the Rain, because she writes about conversations with her dogs, who aren't as smart as Enzo, but who definitely have a viewpoint. Funny and enjoyable. I think I want to read the rest of her books.
Behind the Candelabra - Michael Douglas plays Liberace and Matt Damon plays his lover, Scott, in this sparkly don't miss HBO movie. The movie is surreal in terms of these actors playing these roles; and then the story, the acting and the Liberace lifestyle are all over the top. It's a great, albeit strange story, and it feels a bit voyeuristic to watch. Which is what probably makes it so compelling. The clothes! The diamonds! The cars! The pianos! The decorating! Who doesn't love Liberace? And P.S., how about Rob Lowe?
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein - Finally. The best book I've read in a long long time, and I recommend it to anyone. First and foremost, like all the best stories, this one is about love, enduring and unconditional love. It's also about a dog, a race car driver and race car driving, and those elements come together to get our hero through some very tough times. Enzo is the narrator, and he tells his story with exceptional detail and emotional intelligence. The funny thing is, I'm not a dog person, and race car driving is really loud and repetitious, and Seattle, although beautiful, is rainy and overcast. With all that being true, this is still the best book.
The Odd Life of Timothy Greene - Somehow I just had to see this movie with the great trailers. It's a sweet movie about a sweet couple and the sweet boy who appears in their lives just when they need him most. It's all good, but not as good as some of the Oscar contenders, because I was able to doze off, wake up and still follow the story. It didn't need a special rental night of its own; this would have been a good one to watch on an airplane or on the iPad.
Boy 30529 A Memoir by Felix Weinberg - This is the true account of a Czech survivor of the Nazi Concentration Camps. Felix's wrote his story 60 years after the fact, and his recollections are amazing. He covers not only his experience, but he also philosophizes in a simple way about what happened. There was a small discussion about fictionalized accounts versus true life stories, and on that he and I agree. Fictionalized accounts can be very uncomfortable. I'm still upset about "Sandcastle Girls", especially the casual title given to a book set against the background of very real and tragic history. That said, it's a free country, and writers are free to write whatever they want. I recommend Felix Weinberg's experiences as good reading and good history and wish it could be a book that Peter's class would study in high school english or history. Nothing can replace the truth of eye witness survivors to history. Notwithstanding the fact that it's difficult material, it is warmly, wonderfully and thoughtfully written.
Love Water Memory by Jennie Shortridge - This is a story about amnesia and how a person might change when all of a sudden they snap and they have no past. Think about it. No past. In an amnesia story, we pull for the person and hope that they can find their memories and move forward. The fear is always about whether the protagonist and the reader can handle the memories that have caused the block. Love Water Memory is a warmly written story with an uncomfortable twist and it's good reading. Plus, don't you love the cover?
The Great Gatsby - I'd been seeing the reviews on Gatsby, not reading them of course, but noting the 2 1/2 stars it's garnered from the "professionals". Just forget that. These snarky reviewers who give away movies and stand in judgement baffle me. Peter read The Great Gatsby earlier this year for school, and he and his class liked it and really delved in. We decided on 3D since I'd never seen a 3D movie; it was fantastic! I don't know where to begin. Tobey Maguire is Nick Carroway Think Cider House Rules rather than Spiderman. His friend Leonardo DiCaprio plays Gatsby with more personality and aplomb than any who have gone before. The mysterious gajillionaire doesn't partake in the shenanegans of the wild parties he hosts at his mansion with the sole purpose of attracting his long lost love to the mansion and back into his arms. (now there's a run-on sentence! - I feel like italicizing today) 3D is really great. From the Valley of the Ashes to the opulence of Long Island to the eyes of TJ Eckleburg, you'll have to see for yourself what happens.
Thousand Pieces of Gold by Ruthanne Lum McCunn - This is the biography of a girl born in China to peasant farmers in the mid 1800s. She lived her difficult life with dignity and strength and generosity, and when you think of all she survived it doesn't seem possible. Her name was Polly Bemis, and she lived in Idaho, but she was born Lalu Nathoy. It's a look into what life was like in those years and for those people, and it was a rare Chinese woman who accomplished what Polly did during difficult times. Really good.
I, Rhoda A Memoir by Valerie Harper - Valerie Harper is the actress who played Mary Richards' friend and neighbor Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. As she quotes her friend Nicole Barth on the original three female characters on the show, "Mary is who you wish you were. Rhoda is who you probably are. And Phyllis is who you're afraid you'll become". The book is an autobiography of Valerie's life, and it's as sweet as can be. She went on to star in her own sitcom and to act in countless TV movies and shows. She seems to be a genuinely lovely person, and someone you'd like to have as a friend. I love a Hollywood book as much as the next person, but this one is too nice to be typical. Which is refreshing. So if you're a fan, read and enjoy.
Survivor - After 13 years, one of my favorite TV shows is still Survivor. I never miss it, and on last night's finale, one of my absolute favorite Survivors won the million bucks. Cochran had previously played as a Harvard Law School student and ultimate Survivor fan. He didn't last long that season - he was unseasoned - and by his own description, nerdy and insecure. This time around, still a bit self-deprecating, but more self aware, he played a masterful game. He was up against some powerful favorites and group of hard core fans. He's now 26 years old and knows who he is and was able to play the game with intelligence and, in a crazy way, kindness. He rarely put anyone down, but didn't shy away from giving his opinions. It was a great season and the ultimate fan played as a favorite and won. Perfect.
The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout - No. Just no. In a minute I was annoyed by the characters, the things they thought and said and everything about what the story was going to be. I was annoyed by Olive Kitteridge for the same reasons but finished it. This time I wasn't going to waste my time. No.
Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty - Three sisters celebrate their 34th birthday with personality and drama. It's light reading about lifestyles and serious choices, which makes the reading somewhat un-light after all! Still there is something engaging and chatty about this author's voice that I find very relaxing. The sisters are Cat, Lyn and Gemma, and their relationship is complicated but loyal as they struggle with the modern day concerns being 30 something in the big city.
