Book Thoughts - catching up!

Whew! Even though I felt like I was way ahead of the game on holiday prep, somehow those days just flew past! I did manage to get a couple of books read, though - here are some quick thoughts on what I read.

 The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
560 pages
published 2010

Synopsis from publisher:

A lost child...
On the eve of the first world war, a little girl is found abandoned on a ship to Australia. A mysterious woman called the Authoress had promised to look after her — but the Authoress has disappeared without a trace. A terrible secret...
On the night of her twenty-first birthday, Nell O'Connor learns a secret that will change her life forever. Decades later, she embarks upon a search for the truth that leads her to the windswept Cornish coast and the strange and beautiful Blackhurst Manor, once owned by the aristocratic Mountrachet family.
A mysterious inheritance...
On Nell's death, her grand-daughter, Cassandra, comes into an unexpected inheritance. Cliff Cottage and its forgotten garden are notorious amongst the Cornish locals for the secrets they hold - secrets about the doomed Mountrachet family and their ward Eliza Makepeace, a writer of dark Victorian fairytales. It is here that Cassandra will finally uncover the truth about the family, and solve the century-old mystery of a little girl lost.

 My thoughts:

 Oh, this was a great winter read. The pace and atmosphere was perfect for dark evenings under a blanket. I'd read Morton's previous novel (The House at Riverton) and remember having a bit of trouble initially getting into the story, but this one grabbed me from the first. I really enjoyed the shifting narrative - Eliza, Nell, and Cassandra were each fascinating women, and their stories complemented each other well. I did figure out the BIG PLOT TWIST about 2/3 of the way through the novel, but it didn't make the story feel disappointing. Recommended if you like a good, character-driven mystery.

 Finished: 11/24/11
Source: library
MPAA rating: PG-13
My rating: 7/10

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and other concerns) by Mindy Kaling
(Kindle edition)
published 11/11


Synopsis from publisher:

Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?”
Perhaps you want to know what Mindy thinks makes a great best friend (someone who will fill your prescription in the middle of the night), or what makes a great guy (one who is aware of all elderly people in any room at any time and acts accordingly), or what is the perfect amount of fame (so famous you can never get convicted of murder in a court of law), or how to maintain a trim figure (you will not find that information in these pages). If so, you’ve come to the right book, mostly!

In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka.

My thoughts:

This was really funny, and a great way to end 2011/start 2012. I am one of the (probably) 10 people in the US who don't watch "The Office" regularly, but after reading Kaling's book I might have to start, because she is darn funny. Here are some of my favorite quotes:

"...I don't think it should be socially acceptable for people to say they are 'bad with names'. No one is bad with names. That is not a real thing. Not knowing people's names isn't a neurological condition; it's a choice. You choose not to make learning people's names a priority. It's like saying, 'Hey, a disclaimer about me; I'm rude.' " (location 82)

"When most people sing karaoke, they think of themselves as contestants on American Idol, and they sing and perform their hearts out. But I really think people should be thinking of themselves more as temporary DJs for the party. It's kind of a responsibility....And it kind of behooves you to pick a short song. I don't care if Don freakin' McLean shows up in a red-white-and-blue tuxedo, no one is allowed to sing 'American Pie.' It's actually kind of hostile to a group of partiers to pick a song longer than three minutes." (location 817)

"Skinny girls like Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen look ethereal and gorgeous in hippie clothes with lots of volume. I love the bohemian look, but when I try it, I look like a chubby gypsy. Also, chubby people can never truly pull off ethereal the same way skinny people can never be jolly. The only fat ethereal person I can think of was Anna Nicole Smith, and in her case, ethereal might have meant 'drugged.' " (location 2461)

My only complaint with the book is that I wanted a lot of the bits to be longer - perhaps I would have liked fewer, longer chapters. I had a lot of fun with it, though, and her homage to marriage is worth finding a copy just for that section. Good stuff - recommended!

Finished: 1/1/12
Source - Christmas present from my sister!
MPAA Rating - R - probably not for kids
My rating: 7/10

Book Thoughts - Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi

Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi
audiobook - narrated by Will Wheaton
published 2005
audiobook release date 12-7-10

Synopsis from publisher:

The space-faring Yherajk have come to Earth to meet us and to begin humanity's first interstellar friendship. There's just one problem: They're hideously ugly and they smell like rotting fish. So getting humanity's trust is a challenge. The Yherajk need someone who can help them close the deal. Enter Thomas Stein, who knows something about closing deals. He's one of Hollywood's hottest young agents. But although Stein may have just concluded the biggest deal of his career, it's quite another thing to negotiate for an entire alien race. To earn his percentage this time, he's going to need all the smarts, skills, and wits he can muster.
My thoughts:

1. I can listen to audiobooks on my Kindle?? Life just got a little bit better.

2. Apparently John Scalzi wrote this novel for "practice". I would imagine that makes struggling writers want to punch him, just a little.

3. How can a novel that is one part Jerry Maguire, one part Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and narrated by Wesley Crusher go wrong? It can't.

Agent to the Stars was just plain fun. I listened to most of it on my commutes to and from work, and often didn't want to go inside because I was having too much fun. In true Scalzi form, there are moments of serious emotion, and moments of philosophical introspection, but this more than any of his novels was complete entertainment. As the story reached its inevitable conclusion - and, truly, how else could it end? - I really didn't want it to be over. I would love to see this story portrayed in a visual medium of some kind - perhaps as an HBO or AMC series, since we have seen how well they do book-to-tv translations. These characters found a spot in my heart, and I'd love to walk another chapter with them.

Since I'm not terribly seasoned as an audiobook listener or reviewer, I don't yet know how Will Wheaton compares to other narrators, but I thought he was absolutely perfect for this novel. He was able to give each character his or her own voice, while still maintaining the tone of the overall story. He had me laughing out loud as he delivered Scalzi's sarcastic, pure-hearted Joshua. His timing and phrasing felt exactly right for the story he had to tell.

I cannot tell you how excited I am that I am able to read audiobooks on my Kindle! We have a subscription to Audible.com, and my library also allows me to check out audiobooks, so I am very excited about this new adventure in my reading life. If you have recommendations, I would love to hear them! I know a couple of bloggers who regularly read and review audiobooks, so you can bet I will be scouring their blogs for good stuff.

Finished: 10-13-11
Source: audible.com
MPAA rating: R for language and adult situations
My rating: 8/10

Review - Bossypants by Tina Fey

Bossypants by Tina Fey
275 pages
published April, 2011

Synopsis from publisher:

On her way to becoming an award-winning superstar, Tina Fey struggled through some questionable haircuts, some after-school jobs, the rise of nachos as a cultural phenomenon, a normal childhood, a happy marriage and joyful motherhood. Her story must be told! Fey’s pursuit of the perfect beauty routine may actually give you laugh lines, and her depiction of her whirlwind tour of duty as the Other Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live takes you behind the scenes of a comedy event that transfixed the nation. Now, Fey can reflect on what she’s learned: You’re no one until someone calls you bossy.

My thoughts:

I should preface this by saying that I do believe Tina Fey is one of the funniest people working in show business today.

I think her social commentary is spot on, and her political satire second to none. Also, I know that nobody watches 30 Rock – really, I don’t watch it during its actual season, so I’m looking at myself here, too – but it is a pretty darn funny show. So when I saw this book at the library, I didn’t even hesitate.

This is not a memoir, so readers looking for a gossipy, tell-all about the shenanigans of the SNL cast are going to be disappointed. Instead, it’s a collection of essays, with topics ranging from summer jobs at a theater company, to body image, to marriage and family, to gender and sexism in Hollywood. Tina gives her painfully honest opinion about all, and doesn’t hesitate to point out her own shortcomings when called for.

The book reads much like I would imagine listening to Fey tell these stories would be like – in fact, I’ve seen a few reviews of the audiobook, and I am sure it would be a fantastic experience. Her style is conversational and loose, as if she was sitting across the kitchen table relating her nearly tragic honeymoon tale over a glass of red wine. She doesn’t hold back from calling people on their bad behavior, but she also doesn’t try to foist bad behavior on people – she gives them the benefit of the doubt until they prove themselves a d-bag, and even then she doesn’t necessarily always name names.

I really enjoyed her perspectives on parenthood, sexism and feminism, and body image, and found myself marking many passages to save. Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

“No one was ever turned gay by being at Summer Showtime, because that’s not possible. If you could turn gay from being around gay people, wouldn’t Kathy Griffin be Rosie O’Donnell by now?” (p. 32)

“I only hope that one day I can frighten my daughter this much….How can I give her what Don Fey gave me? The gift of anxiety. The fear of getting in trouble. The knowledge that while you are loved, you are not above the law. The World-wide Parental Anxiety System is failing if this many of us have made sex tapes.” (p. 53)

“We should leave people alone about their weight. Being skinny for a while (provided you actually eat food and don’t take pills or smoke to get there) is a perfectly fine pastime. Everyone should try it once, like a super-short haircut or dating a white guy.” (p. 116)

“Politics and prostitution have to be the only jobs where inexperience is considered a virtue. In what other profession would you brag about not knowing stuff?” (p. 220)

I had a great time with this book. I found it to be smart, funny, and enlightening – a rare combination these days. I highly recommend it.

Finished: 7/24/11

Source: South Side library

MPAA Rating: R for language and adult situations

My rating: 8/10