LIZ: Book #16

Tweaked by Patrick Moore

215 pages

Completed 3/27/10

Another addiction memoir; this one not as intriguing as most I've read. More of a focus on his 10 year sober life, Moore didn't really succeed at making me connect with the story. After losing his lover to AIDS in the early nineties, and already in love with drugs, Moore spiraled into the world of meth. Now, having escaped NYC to California and moonlighting as a drug addiction counselor, he tends to flashback to some moments in his addiction-fueled life, but just not enough, in my opinion.

The most interesting parts of the book, for me, focused on Moore's relationship with his grandmother. Early in life with her idiosyncrasies, and later in life as she's dying. Her character left me wanting more, as opposed to Patrick's story.

To summarize, this memoir simply left me underwhelmed.

LIZ: Book #15

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

544 pages

Completed 3/25/10

This novel took a novel - no pun intended - approach. Ebershoff successfully mansges to merge a current day story with a grad student's thesis, a nineteenth century autobiography, news reports, and letters into a wonderful story.

Polygamy and FLDS has fascinated me for quite some time, but most memoirs I have read are pretty similar. So when I came across this fiction book regarding the same topic, I was pleased. It didn't disappoint. A present-day 19th wife of a FLDS man is pinned with her husband's murder and her estranged gay son ventures back into the world he had left so long ago to find out the truth. Meanwhile, the mystery is juxtaposed with the 19th wife of Brigham Young - FLDS leader in the later 1800s.

At some points, I was almost bored to tears; early in the novel, it's almost an information overload. But by the end of the book, I could not put it down. The intricate connections between characters was so well written I nearly forgot that this was only a work of fiction.

LIZ: Book #14

Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult

464 pages

Completed 3/19/2010

Well, I have been slacking on reviews, so here is the first of a few!

My teenage sister is a big fan of Picoult's novels. I, on the other hand, could take her or leave her. When I listened to "My Sister's Keeper" on audio, I did enjoy the story, but was reluctant to pick up anymore of her books. This storyline, however, reeled me in.

A murder leaves a pregnant woman bereft of her husband and daughter. The murderer is apprehended and sentenced to death. Years later, the child is in need of a heart and the man who killed the family she never knew wants to give her his. Enter a variety of characters - a priest who served on the jury, a lawyer brought up in a religious environment, a bitter widow, an AIDS affected inmate - and an attempt to change a NH law, you have a story that lasts almost 500 pages (which could have been edited down...a lot.). When religion got to be a main storyline, I have to admit that I was bored.

This was a typical Picoult novel; predictable, medically-based, and heart-wrenching. If you are a fan of hers, or a believer in miracles, this is a must-read. Those who aren't, don't bother with this one.

LIZ: BOOK #13

The Year of Yes by Maria Headley

288 pages

Completed 3/10/10

By the age of twenty, the author was fed-up with dating in NYC and somehow came to the assumption that it was because she was being too picky. Hence began her resolve to say yes to every man - and woman - who asked her on a date for a year.

This book reminded me of Danny Wallace's "Yes Man," and not only for the obvious similarities in title. Annoyingly so, in fact. Headley writes about her adventures - but too briefly to really feel connected to the author. She goes on dates with a maintenance man, a classmate, even a homeless man; most are seedy. How this helped Headley feel better about the dating pool escapes me. But, as in a book hoping to become a movie (which is how I felt throughout its entirety), there is a happy, albeit predictable, ending.

Although a memoir, this book reminded me too much of a chick-lit novel to really draw me in. Fans of Jennifer Weiner would enjoy Headley's book, but those looking for a gritty memoir should skip this one.

LIZ: BOOK #12

Symptoms of Withdrawl: A Memoir of Snapshots and Redemption by Christopher Kennedy Lawford

416 pages

Completed 3/3/10

The Kennedy family seems to intrigue many people; I myself tend to focus more on Jackie O.'s fashion sense than the family 'curse'. But when I stumbled across this memoir of the nephew of JFK, I figured it was worth a shot. I actually began this book as an abridged audio; I was not only bored, but also felt that I was missing a lot of important things that had not been included, so I picked up a physical copy of the book.

This memoir ended up being more of a recovery-discovery set in a notorious family dynamic, rather than a tell-all. Yes, there were some dirty details and fascinating details, but all in all, this was a depressing memoir. Overdoses, deaths, broken relationships - you name it, Lawford writes about it. And not very well, in my opinion.

All in all, I say that this is an account to skip. Someone I had spoken with regarding this book was intrigued by the name-dropping: Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Sammy Davis Jr., and of course, the immortal Kennedy's, all make an appearance. But, in my opinion, this is not enough to carry this book.