2011: Book 38

Torch by Cheryl Strayed

336 pages

Completed 4/23/11

The tale of a family left in the wake of their young mother's sudden death, Strayed manages to turn a work of fiction into a story that could easily have been ripped from middle America. From a step-father's disloyalty, to run-ins with the law, affairs, and crippling depression, the family left behind struggles mostly on their own; you have to wonder what they could have accomplished had they come together.

Rarely moved to tears, I found myself heartbroken for every member of the family. Rather than close it out with an atypical-to-the-family happy ending, the disjointedness revolving around the siblings at the end was so well-thought and ended the story in a great way.

2011: Book 25

The Truth Shall Set You Free by Sally Lowe Whitehead


272 pages

Completed 3/17/11

The memoir of a sixteen-year-old newlywed turned mother-of-six with a gay husband, you cannot help but be moved by this book. Knowing ahead of time that it was a book that revolved deeply around religion, I nonetheless was exhausted by all the talk of God. Nearly a decade immersed in Fundamentalism, the reader cannot help but forsee the judgement to be thrown down upon Sally and her outed husband.

That being said, this is one of the first books in a long while whose writing instilled emotion; if nothing else, Whitehead can put on paper true feeling. The epilogue was an extra I was not expecting, but oh-so-glad was included. If anything, I wish the memoir would have continued from one of their children's point of view.

2011: Book 14

How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale by Jenna Jameson


592 pages

Completed 2/18/11

As expected from a stripper turned porn star turned mogul, this was a raunchy tell-all with photos along the way. Venturing into her abusive relationships with men, her drug addictions, love affairs with women, unhealthy familial relationships, and a troubled adolescence, Jameson doesn't reveal much that isn't accessible on her IMDB page, other than the nitty gritty details of her sexual escapades. Surprisingly, her writing isn't half bad, and she actually came off more intelligent that you'd expect.

The last few chapters, about husband Jay and her quest to get pregnant, annoyed me, if only because I know that marriage dissolved in 2006 when she then went on to have children with her current husband. I also found myself wanting to erase my Google history, as I was curious about a lot of the people she mentioned throughout the book. Overall, an interesting read, but nothing to rave about.

2011: Book 11

Growing Up Jung: Coming of Age as the Son of Two Shrinks by Micah Toub


261 pages

Completed 2/13/11

If you are a fan of Carl Jung or Freud's early work, this is the memoir for you. Raised by two Jungian psychologists, Michah Toub finds himself relating to the outside world with a very Jungian point of view. The interludes of story are connected in a very research-paper way, so if you are not looking to feel as if this is a required reading book for your Psych class, I'd skip it.

I, however, as a Psych major, enjoyed this book thoroughly. Toub's humorous tales of coming of age, love and loss, and his parents eccentricities amused, and the history, background, and personal opinions of Jung and his approach to the field of psychology were informational. I did expect more eccentricity, I suppose, but Toub's well-adjusted self was much unlike what I was hoping for. Running With Scissors this was not.

2011: Book 8

Little Children by Tom Perotta

368 pages

Completed 2/7/11

Let me begin by saying that I am 95% positive I already read this book; as I got to a major turning point in the novel, I smacked myself when I realized that it was SO familiar, I must have read it. However, I'm also pretty sure I saw the movie with Kate Winslet...so, I couldn't really tell you. However, I guess I must have enjoyed both, because I read this cover to cover, barely pausing.

A town plagued by unhappy marriages, bratty kids, a paroled child molester, a vigilante, and illicit affairs, this novel was so, well, good. I really have nothing to complain about. Without giving away the story for those who have not read or seen the story, Perrotta somehow makes it possible to connect with all of the characters, good and bad.

2011: Book 5

War by Candlelight: Stories by Daniel Alarcon


224 pages


Completed 1/28/2011

Since reading the collection of short stories, Love Begins in Winter, my interest has been piqued towards a genre I normally am not drawn to. This collection of Central and Southern American-based stories are touching, but not moving.

Many of the stories left me wanting more; most seemed to have ended in such an awkward point in the story, that is was almost annoying. That being said, I did enjoy the book. With one exception; one VERY big exception. When a story began with a murdered dog and a group of boys chasing down more victims, I literally slammed the book shut and debated whether to continue. It took me three more days to pick the book back up and simply skip over the story. This is so not like me; I force myself to read books cover-to-cover, and so I felt so odd doing it. But the cruelness and unexpected violence mid-book was too much to handle.

2011: Book #3

Happens Every Day: An All-Too-True Story by Isabel Gillies 

261 pages

Completed 1/9/11


Honestly, I was drawn to this memoir simply because it is written by the actress who plays a detective's wife on one of my favorite television shows, Law & Order SVU. Even more honestly, I really enjoyed this book; Gillies manages a well-written book and managed to hold my attention. The wife of a poetry professor who moves her and her two young sons to Oberlin, OH (read: middle of nowhere), she seems to be living the idyllic life. New friends, a gorgeous dream-home, dabbles in the college community, Gillies is content.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, her husband decides it's time to leave the family. The aftermath that results - despair, anger, relocation, denial, an investigation - lends itself to an intriguing book. Meshed with her Wasp-y upbringing and insistence that her husband stay to work things out, Gillies manages to present quite the good book.

LIZ: BOOK #43

The Center of Winter by Marya Hornbacher

336 pages

Completed 12/18/10

I was already a fan of Hornbacher in part to her wonderfully written memoir"Wasted," and this book only solidified me as a fan. Revolving around the Schiller family - mom Claire, dad Arnold, son Esau, and daughter Kate - and how things are after Arnold's suicide. Mental illness, alcoholism, grief, the pain of small-town-living, friendships, and love are just part of the intricate story Hornbacher weaves.

Told in the alternating perspectives of each surviving family member, written in very different styles, the twists and turns and raw emotion of this novel had an effect. Evocative, fragile, and intriguing, I put aside other tasks just to finish reading this one.

While the ending chapter, told in Kate's voice, left me a bit disappointed, the remainder of the novel and it's wonderful, heartbreaking story, more than made up for it.

LIZ: BOOK #42

Love Begins in Winter: Five Stories by Simon Van Booy

256 pages

Completed 12/14/10

Typically, I avoid short stories; they don't often offer as much depth as I like in books. However, this one piqued my interest, and I decided to give it a go - and I am so glad I did. The short stories touched upon human emotion and life as no other collection has for me, but without being sappy as I had expected based on the title alone.

The isolation of the characters was moving; reading it, I was surprised how quickly Van Booy was able to draw me into the characters with just a brief few pages. Quirkiness, memories, and unrequited love reigns throughout all of the tales.

One of the most intriguing parts of this book was the interview with Van Booy in the prologue. He answers that he bases his characters on brief moments he sees between people. His eloquent way with words transforms these chance non-encounters if you will, into wonderfully-spun short glimpses into these "characters." As Publisher's Weekly put so well, "Each of these stories has moments of sheer loveliness."

LIZ: BOOK #29

Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch

272 pages

Completed 7/3/10

A story of a Southern debutante's life told in varying perspectives and focusing on a variety of topics - love, friendships, family, relationships, jobs, sex - you name it, it's in this book.

Sarah, the self-sabotaging main character, grows up in front of the readers' eyes - loving and losing almost everyone. A cute summer read with a little more intelligence and substance to it than most first-time fiction books.

I enjoyed Crouch's writing so much, in fact, that I searched on Amazon to see if she's released anything since. No, but I cant wait!

LIZ: BOOK #23

Crazy Love by Leslie Morgan Steiner

336 pages

Completed 5/6/10

The memoir of Steiner's fast-tracked relationship and subsequent marriage to the man of her dreams - who was physically abusive. Eloquently written and with the gift of retrospect, this book made me feel for the author. An intelligent, educated woman who ignored the signs of, and then the blatant domestic abuse at the hands of her husband until a near-death encounter made her leave.

The complicated relationship with her parents was not explained enough, in my opinion. Especially towards the end of the book, when a unthinkable betrayal occurs. Despite the horrific encounters with her battering spouse, I didn't feel very emotional until something unrelated to the troubled couple occurs.

This well-written account of abuse and subsequent escape is a good book for teens, in my opinion. Yes, a bit advanced and unrelatable to most teenagers (grad school rather than high school), but an account of things she missed, friends who betrayed, family who didn't understand, and strength in getting out would be indispensable for girls getting into new relationships.

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.