15 posts tagged “book reviews”

This is the third (okay fourth) book by Augusten Burroughs I have read. I started with Magical Thinking and then read Running with Scissors. And I followed that pretty closely with Possible Side Effects.

If you are unfamiliar, Augusten Burroughs has had a pretty crazy mixed up childhood. One of the highlights was that his mother turned him over to her psychiatrist (for adoption) when he was a tween - not a baby. And while some might think that would be a saner living environment, they would be wrong. Oh, so wrong.

In this book, Augusten deals with his alcoholism. Despite dropping out of school (around 8th grade, I think), he managed to score a great job with an ad agency. His drinking finally started to catch up with him, and his employer forced him into rehab. And so the story unfolds.

This is a much tamer version of rehab than A Million Little Pieces, which as everyone now knows, was a complete farce. In some ways it almost seems too tame and easy. We have been warned before the title page that while a memoir, names and incidents have been changed, and some of it is made up.

This probably wasn't the best book choice given that I have been a bit out of sorts lately. In my defense, I checked it out from the library. Books like these always bring up stuff. My Mom was in rehab. She referred to it as "Camp Cronin". Most of the folks there were given the choice between there and prison. They stole her shampoo. I still remember sneaking Girl Scout cookies to her. The counselors watched me like I might be sneaking in drugs. Crazy times.

If you liked Burroughs other works, you will probably like this one as well. He does have a way of explaining things. And somehow can make you laugh despite the fact that he is describing his life crumbling around him.

He has a new book coming out at the end of April. It's called A Wolf at the Table: Memoir of My Father.

I heard about this book on NPR. Shortly thereafter I managed to get my hands on a copy, but then I forgot about it. A couple of days ago I found it and read it in about three sittings. The story is mind boggling.

What would it be like to learn that you had a sibling when you were 30-something years old. What if you were told she was your twin, and identical? And if all that weren't enough, what if you then found each other and learned that you were part of a study? Can you even imagine?

But this is what happened. In fact there were several sets of multiples born in the late 60's and adopted through this agency in New York that had been separated in order to study them.

In this case Elyse decided to request information about her birth mother. In doing so she learned that she was an identical twin. Because Paula, her twin, had requested non-identifying information several years previous, the adoption agency was able to contact Paula and inform her of this news. The two were reunited shortly thereafter.

In addition to looking alike, they had much in common. Everything from their chosen professions to being allergic to the same medication. They made identical gestures with their hands, liked the same movies, and even traveled to some of the same places. Still, in the back of their minds each had some realization that despite all these similarities, they were strangers.

The women learned that the agency where they had been adopted decided it was best to separate twins. They first, however, had them placed in foster care for the first few months of their lives so that they could be studied. As best as they can tell, they were kept separate during their stay in foster care, although they were placed with the same caregiver.

They tell their story of how they each learned about the other and what happened since by taking turns sharing the narrative. It is interesting to glimpse each woman's perspective of the same events. It is just another way to reiterate how they are alike, and yet not the same.

In the course of their searching for answers, they learned that the data for the study was donated to Yale University and is sealed until 2066. They will be 98-years old. They made an attempt to have the records opened, but were unsuccessful.

Their story will make you think about everything from how much of our behavior is encoded in our DNA to what it means to be family. It will also make you think about what information should be disclosed to families adopting children. And of course, how far is too far to go in the name of science and research.

I will preface this by saying that I loved The Lovely Bones. I cried when I read it. Also, I didn't hear the bad reviews before I pre-ordered this book on Amazon.

I started reading the other night. I got to chapter five and called it a night. Then last night I just finished it. I didn't even realize it was 5:30 a.m. when I called it a night.

This is definitely one of those books where if you decide to continue, you most likely will just finish it because you want to see how it ends. I don't know that it is a page turner, per se, but once you have committed to seeing how it ends, you are probably not going to be willing to wait.

I am not giving anything away here. It is the opening sentence. The main character, 49-year-old Helen, kills her 88-year-old mother, Clair. It isn't pre-meditated. It isn't gory or brutal, but certainly something to consider before reading, although this is not the usual book about mother loss. The story takes place in the span of about twenty-four hours. Of course there are tales from the past told along the way, otherwise none of this would make sense.

Honestly, I think this would be a great book for a book group. It raises some interesting questions. Even beyond the whole mother-daughter relationship, there are larger questions about how your history contributes to who you are, and if you truly can escape it. There are also questions about taking responsibility for one's actions or if it is human nature to try and get away with things, even murder? And of course, what do you think happens next - the ending is well, pretty open-ended.

This is not The Lovely Bones, so if you are expecting that, you will be disappointed. Overall I think I would give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Sometimes you just need a silly poem of a book to make you smile. This is a true gem. A boy wakes up with a bunny (named Fred) on his head and comes to the conclusion that there is nothing he can't do with a bunny on his head.

I can't wait to read A Girl and Her Gator. The set up for it in this book was perfect.

There isn't anything really new in this book, but it is funny (at times). This isn't a how-to lose weight book, but more a how-I-did it book.

Jami Bernard is a movie critic in New York. And when she set her mind to lose 100 pounds (she later changed her goal, which could change again) she chronicled her progress in the paper. While many people wrote to wish her luck and share their own stories, many also wrote insulting mean-spirited and discouraging letters. It was really sad to see how cruel people can be, although I suspect most were reacting to their own fears and insecurities.

I checked this book out from the library after the awful 3-hour plus tag-team by B's parents which focused on weight loss (among other things). I think this is my favorite line from the book:

They assume you're fat because you're stupid, lazy, and morally bankrupt, as if you made a choice one day: You know, I think I'll get really fat so I'll suffer health problems, have trouble finding a job, be the butt of jokes and cruelty, court diabetes, endure society's wrath, and die young. That's the life for me!

I also loves how she pounds (no pun intended) some of the other diet books out there on the market. On Guiliano's French Women Don't Get Fat, she says:

I'm not inclined to take diet advice from a woman whose sole credentials on the topic are that she gained 20 pounds, when she was nineteen. Who doesn't gain 20 pounds at that age?

I can't be sure she was talking about Kevin Tredeau's, The Weight Loss Cure They Don't Want You To Know About*, but on diet books that claim to share nutritional secrets the government is suppressing:

The government can barely build a levee, let alone keep a burning secret about supplements or drugs that allow you to lose weight, cure cancer, and do window.

And lest you believe that these crazy weight loss books are a new thing, she points out that No More Alibis, a New York Times best seller in 1934, offered some of the following advice to the overweight:

Don't swim if you are fat, it will only develop you more. She (author Madame Sylvia) also claims you can get rid of a double chin by slathering cold cream in upward strokes.

So what can you do? There is a two page Cheat Sheet on pages 270-271 of the book. I think these are my favorite take aways from there:

• Lasting weight loss is about strategy, not willpower (plan for contingencies).
• Weight loss is a by-product of healthy living, not an end in itself.
• Being connected to a healthy lifestyle to some degree at all times is more efficient in the long run than being "perfect" a fraction of the time.
  
• Act as if you believe in yourself, and it will become so.
• Weight loss isn't about numbers, it is about change.
• You've reached your goal not when the scale hits the sweet spot but when you embrace the behaviors it takes to keep you there.
  
• Unwise, better, best: Losing weight involves a series of choices along a sliding scale.

Bernard is also a big fan of keeping a journal of everything you put in your mouth. She doesn't believe you have to weigh every ounce of food, but you should learn what a serving size is, and try and get it to equal your portion size. Finally, while it is possible to lose weight by calorie control alone, adding movement (aka exercise) to your daily routine not only helps with losing weight but also has several other good benefits.
 
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*Tredeau's book came out after this book, although it is possible she got her hands on an advanced copy. It remains among the top sellers on Amazon despite that in phase two of the program readers are encouraged to get regular injections of a drug that is not approved by the FDA, although for a fee, you can go to the Tredeau's website and gain access to doctors who are willing to nevertheless provide it.

This is my first Jerry Spinelli book, but I don't think it will be my last. This is his latest work though.

In this book a 9-year old boy who has lost his mother and a 12-year old girl who sleeps in an old car parked outside her mother's house find themselves together on multiple occasions and start hanging out together. The boy believes in following the rules; the girl, not so much. You can only imagine the resulting adventures.

In addition to exploring how children deal with grief, it also touches on themes of friendship and family. There is a most interesting cast of characters to join us on this journey, making the book funny and at times heart breaking.

I think what I liked most about this book is that it takes on hard issues in real ways. There isn't much sugar coating or talking down to the audience.

I think there is a bit of a theme to the books I have read recently. Reminders of how easy it is to take a mother for granted, how much a mother does goes unnoticed, and how much it hurts to lose one.

This book is by Berkeley Breathed. Yes, that Berkeley Breathed who wrote Opus and Bloom County. Seems he is now writing children's books.

As you would expect both the art and the story are amazing. The premise is that Martians don't have mothers and after watching earth realize they could use some. Thus they come to earth and snag one, who as it turns out, isn't all that appreciated by her son. Sounds pretty win-win, but of course, things are never quite that simple.

First a confession: I picked up Momzillas because I learned about it at The W. In fact, the author was doing a book tour in which she stopped at a couple of W hotels to talk and sign her book. I also thought the cover was cool - I am a sucker for Bugaboos.

Now onto the book. The characters were actually quite scary. I know that the book is fiction, but I know too that the author is from this part of the world. I also know that most works of fiction like this are "toned down" so that they seem more believable. Bottom line is that while I don't doubt people like this exist, I am certainly glad I don't have to hang out with them, and honestly I can only pray that their offspring learn from the mistakes of their parents and either don't breed or get lots of therapy before they do.

The story is told from the point of view of Hannah Allen, a west coast gal who suddenly finds herself and her toddler daughter, Violet, trying to figure out mommyhood in New York's Upper East Side. Her husband (a native) has seized upon a new job opportunity, and is pretty much unable to help her. Instead he appoints as her guides his mother, the esteemed Lila Allen Dillingham, as well as his best friend's wife, the MILTB*, Bee Elliott. Hannah wants to please but is baffled by the preposterous behavior of the women in this circle.

I will give Hannah credit. She does has gumption. For example, when one woman describes a service in which they come and snap hundreds of photos of your child's nursery so that they can replicate it at your hotel where you are vacationing, she has little hesitation about asking how much this costs ($10,000 depending on your fabrics, of course), although she knows it will be one more point against her. But she also takes her mother-in-law showing up unannounced at her apartment where she then shares her opinions of what she feels Hannah is doing wrong at the moment (in case you haven't guessed Hannah isn't from the same class as her husband). All the while Bee Elliott feels threatened and reverts to the antics of a sixth grade school girl in an attempt to have Hannah ostracized. Like I said, these folks are scary.

What I liked least about the book was the ending, although at the time I read it (while B's parents were here and things were awful) I needed it to be the way it is. So I certainly don't blame the author for taking that route. I just honestly doubt that it would ever happen that way. Also I just didn't feel like Hannah as a character was worthy of such an ending (in many ways I didn't feel she was much better than the others).

This is one of those books that is more funny hee-hee than funny ha-ha, if you know what I mean. Sure there are parts that will make you laugh out loud, but underneath is the reality that there are women - mothers no less - out there who may not act as wild as the characters in this novel, but exist. People who see children as fashion accessories. People who are more concerned with the name of the school than what is actually taught there. People who if they had to spend a day completely alone with their son or daughter wouldn't have a clue what to do.

So while it is a quick read and in many ways a fun one, I fear that too many people will read it and think that they are nothing like that. Or worse use it as ammunition to judge other mothers. I don't think this was the message of the book by any means. Unfortunately I just think it is how people are.

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*MILTF : Mothers I'd Like to F*#$. The front of the book has a glossary of terms.

This book is so funny because it is so true. I highly recommend it for moms and moms-to-be, and especially any of their friends. It will help you understand.

p.s. Don't let the cover fool you. Much of it isn't about actually giving birth.

I saw this at the library on my way out and figured, what the heck, and checked it out. I read the first half and then skimmed through the second. The author tells her story of how she went to the US as an exchange student (she didn't apply but was approached because the student who should have been selected came from a family of communists). The experience changed her life's course and her waistline. She arrived home embarrassed by her increased size (about 25 pounds). The scene where she describes her homecoming is heartbreaking.

At any rate she goes off to Paris and puts on a few more pounds as there are about a dozen bakeries on her way to school. Her mother steps in and sends 'Dr. Miracle' to pay her a house call (this is in the 60's, just FYI). He tells her to write down everything she eats and to report back next month. He then gives her a leek soup recipe and has her eat only that for a weekend and then a more sensible diet for a couple of months. Also she is to find a new route to school. The pounds come off and in no time she is back to her ideal weight and using the tips and tricks from 'Dr. Miracle' she has managed to maintain her weight despite living in New York, and eating out almost every day (as her job requires).
Here are my thoughts:

• One of the points made in the book is that the introduction of the mega-supermarket has caused problems for people's waistlines (even in France). If you can, shop for your meals only a day or two in advance. Best still, shop every day, but take home only what you will eat in the next 24 hours. Part of it too is that people would walk to the shops daily, which also helped. But more important is the fact that you don't have junk around to snack on.
• They drink lots of water in France. The author, who lives in New York but spends some time in her company's office in France, notes that instead of a water cooler, each morning a one liter bottle of water is left on the desk of every worker. And when they finish with that, there is a room where they can get more.
• They don't drink a lot of soda in France, diet or otherwise. This is something  Americans need to follow, especially given how people are now enjoying it more and more for breakfast. And diet soda isn't the answer. Artificial sweeteners are bad for you. They can cause skin issues plus liver damage. To wean yourself try adding fruit juice to sparkling water.
  
• They also don't drink a lot of coffee. Really it is the caffeine that is the issue, more than anything. Caffeine is a diuretic, meaning it makes you pee a lot. And that means that the water you are intaking is going right through you without having the benefit of hydrating your cells.
  
• Soup is good food, especially homemade soup. They aren't hard to make. The are low in fat and calories and loaded with vitamins. The book has several soup recipes. So when you are faced with what to have for lunch or dinner, think soup.
• Yogurt is another good food. Try adding it to your diet daily. [Try organic yogurt as it tends to be less bitter.]
  
• Fruit is important too. Having a fruit bowl where you can put out fresh fruit to enjoy is a great idea. And buying fresh, sweet smelling fruit will help entice you.

Here are a few more tips:

• Write down everything you eat for a week or two. Be honest and then sit down and look at what you ate. See if there are patterns you can break, or better choices you could substitute.
• Sit down and really enjoy your meal. Use nice plates and napkins. Don't watch TV and eat. Pay attention to what is on your plate and savor it.
• The author was concerned about the new cocktail craze. She favors a glass of wine or champagne, in moderation, of course.

So that is the good. Here is the other side, which really wasn't discussed in the book (unless I missed it in my skimming):

• The French are smokers, even the women.
  
• They are also drinkers. This was somewhat addressed in the book, but I suspect that given that the author works for a company that deals in alcholic beverages, she had to be careful in what she said.

And just so you know it isn't all in my head, NPR just ran a story about how obesity rates in France are getting close to those in the US. Click here to listen.