LIZ: BOOK #11

The Man of My Dreams by Curtis Sittenfeld

269 pages

Completed 2/27/10

After listening to Sittenfeld's "Prep" on audio a few months ago, her light writing style drew me in. She is not a literary genius by any means, but she tells a good story without too many annoying extras.

This novel revolves around Hannah - beginning when she is fourteen up until her late twenties. With an unbearable cousin, separated parents, her love of love, and a complicated relationship with her sister, Hannah's self-discovery is non-specific enough to apply to almost every young woman. I was pleasantly pleased by Sittenfeld's way of incorporating love and relationships without this being a chick-lit book.

At the very end, I was surprised by how emotion-full the story became; perhaps it's only because I could so deeply relate to Hannah. While I did not like Sittenfeld's way of using a letter as an ending, I don't see how else it could've been done. I will definitely keep my eye out for new Sittenfeld books.

LIZ: BOOK #10

Swing Low by Miriam Toews

208 pages

Completed 2/18/10

This book's writing style convinced me to pick it up; Toews wrote this book as if she were her father. An interesting concept, but one that failed to impress me. Her bipolar teacher father, who committed suicide later in life, left his family, and especially the author herself, with unanswered questions. A cathartic way of coming to terms with who her father was, I'm sure, but it never reeled me in enough to be moved by this book.

Coining this book as a memoir is deceiving, I think. Although told from the perspective of the main character, there's no way Toews could have truly entered her father's world and his lifelong struggle within it. I think that my own wariness for such an iffy way of presenting the story never allowed me to fully believe it. I can see, however, how this book could be a great resource for family members who have lost a loved one to mental illness - either living or dead.

An extremely talented writer, Toews did manage to churn out a very well-written book with "Swing Low". From early adulthood up until the day of what would end up being his last, Toews does cover her father's life in depth. I guess it just wasn't personal enough for me to enjoy it.

LIZ: BOOK #9

Tales From the Bed by Jenifer Estess

256 pages

Completed 2/11/10

Diagnosed with ALS in her early thirties, Jennifer Estess decided to not wallow in her fatal diagnosis, but instead used the bond with her two sisters to realize the truly important things in her life. Founding Project A.L.S., the Estess sisters show what rallying behind a loved one really is.

As any book revolving around illness does, this was chock full of medical terms, but in a way that didn't make you feel lost and unintelligent. While the story of Jenifer Estess was inspiring, her bond with her sisters is what touched me the most. As someone who is forging a stronger bond with my own sister, I was moved to tears on more than one occasion during this reading.

The ending is predictable; the epilogue not so much. All in all, I was not overly impressed with this memoir. The dropping of celebrity names, the blurry line between Jenifer's and Valerie's writing, the lack of impression it made on me; all led me to conclude that I do not recommend this one, regardless of it's heartbreaking storyline.

LIZ: BOOK #8

I'm Perfect, You're Doomed: Tales from a Jehovah's Witness Upbringing by Kyria Abrahams

352 pages

Completed 2/2/10

Religions - especially ones surrounded my controversy - fascinate me. My own maternal grandmother briefly practiced alongside the Jehovah Witnesses and it was, especially to my 10 year old mind, odd. No recognition of birthdays, Halloween, cereal brands; this is religion?! So when I picked up Abrahams' book on her own JW's upbringing, I was intrigued. A self-described precocious child, Abrahams reveled in her religion and its meetings, rules, and family dynamic.

Once she reached her teens, however, the author's story takes a dramatic turn with rebellion, a bout of OCD, and a marriage at eighteen. Drugs and alcohol make a brief appearance (as in most memoirs) and she struggles with her religious identity.

While religions do pique my interest, I was not necessarily intrigued by this memoir. Expecting a dark, humorous account a la Augusten Burrough's "Running With Scissors," I was deeply disappointed. The humor is lacking after the first third of the book, and the ending - which can only be described as abrupt - leaves you with nothing.

LIZ: BOOK #7

From Baghdad, With Love by Lt. Col. Jay Kopelman

216 pages

Completed 2/1/10

Both heartwarming and heartbreaking, this book revolves around Lava, a pup found in Fajullah by a Marine battalion in the height of the Iraqi conflict, and Kopelman's desire to breach rules and save this helpless pup from a war zone.

I, as usual, was drawn into this book by the beyond adorable cover; I am sucker for puppies. War, not so much. So it was difficult for me to get into this read; a lot of it focused around battle zones, suicide bombers, transporting between bases - bureaucracy. If there's anything I hate as much as I love puppies, its droning. This book seemed to do a lot of that.

While the story is touching - a tough Marine is so touched by the little pup that even after leaving Iraq he fights to bring him to the United States - it seemed to have the opposite effect on me that what most readers probably have experienced. I felt a deep sadness for the multitudes of other animals - especially dogs - that were not helped; that were left behind, wounded, hungry, alone. Yes, Lava stumbled upon a battalion who ignored the rules and adopted her, but couldn't there be something else that could help more? For all of the effort and teamwork that went into bringing this dog all the way to the U.S., how many dogs were lost?

Well, I knew I would go off on a woe-are-sad-puppies tangent, but that's mostly what this book left with me. I would recommend this one more towards a male audience - the war descriptions were a little much for me - and to animal lovers who can keep perspective on the issue at hand.

JOHN: BOOK #1

Ok...so here this goes. First, let's start with a little background on me. I just joined the blog - the read-a-thon as I like to call it. I got suckered in by my friend Liz.. just kidding, I voluntarily joined. Liz and I are gym partners and I thought it would be a good idea if I worked out my mind over the next year as well as my body; we'll see how it turns out. Also, this is my FIRST blog ever!!! Big step! So without any more babble, here it goes...





I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max

277 pages

Completed 1/31/10

Last night, I finished"I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell" by Tucker Max. This is the book that actually got me to do this; I couldn't put it down. Now I must add a warning: this book is not for the faint of heart! Centered around hooking up with women and verbally abusing complete strangers, Tucker recounts the stories of his early twenties. Being in that same age bracket, I could easily relate to the scenarios Tucker speaks of...well, semi-relate. One redeeming quality about Tucker is he says and writes it like it is. On the back jacket of the book, the first line is, "My name is Tucker Max, and I am an asshole." True to form, this sentiment is echoed throughout the book.

I must admit, in the beginning I often asked myself "Is this stuff true?" but as I finished the book I realized one thing: if Tucker is anything like the way he writes then everything HAS to be true. Tucker writes with pure admiration for himself, disregard for other people and their feelings, and lets his penis run his brain. Some may ask how this would be tolerable. I will tell you: along with these "endearing" qualities Tucker is smart! He writes with wit, insight, and honesty. Anyone can be mean and insult people; not many can do it via hilarious and intelligent comments. This is the exact reason that without question - not because he hooks up with so many girls or has crazy nights - I would be friends with Tucker.

I'll be honest...if this book was just about sexual conquests and crazy nights of a twenty-something and only that, I would have put the book down as quickly as I picked it up! In addition to these stories, though, Tucker writes at the end of each one his reflections, what he would have done again and what he wouldn't. This older, more wise conscience makes Tucker human, even - dare I say it - likable.

Like I said, great book... loved it, but not for everyone. The twenty-somethings of the world will love it;others...not so much.