Some NON-DEPRESSING Book Reviews!

My last post revealed that I tend to read some books that don't exactly take you to a happy place.
This is true. I read a lot of Historical Fiction and some of those books take place during difficult times.

I also read a lot of books about people with physical and psychological illnesses because I had a medical background and education and I find these topics fascinating.

I have read a few books in the last 4 months that were not at all deep or depressing.

FOOD MATTERS by Mark Bittman.
Since becoming Diabetic I have done a lot of reading about healthy eating plans. Bittmans's book is a good guide for learning where your food comes from, how the production of food affects the environment and how to pay better attention to your food choices. He also provides some good recipes that I have actually tried.

Jen Lancaster cracks me up! I read PRETTY IN PLAID and MY FAIR LAZY. Jen's memoirs have taken us through job searches, weird neighbors, losing weight, blog friends that we share(!) and now, with these two books, she takes us down memory lane again. In PRETTY IN PLAID we find out what she was wearing during some critical times in her life. MY FAIR LAZY shares her love of reality shows. Every one of Jen's books makes me laugh out loud and snort whatever I'm drinking out of my nose!

KEEPING FAITH was written by a Massachusetts father and son, John and Frank Schaeffer, after the son decided to join the Marines. Both of my kids have friends who went into the Marines. One came back from Iraq. The other one did not come back from Afghanistan. My Mom's good friend has a grandson in the Marines. I knew a little bit about the Marines, but not a lot about their training. John, the son, takes you day by day through his Marine boot camp and how he grew as a person from his training. Frank, the dad's chapters give you the point of view of a parent who was worried about his son. I found the book fascinating. Although I already had a healthy respect for members of the military, this respect grew after reading about their training.

I think I've professed my Celebrity Crush on Alan Alda here before. I love people with a wry sense of humor. The title, NEVER HAVE YOUR DOG STUFFED, comes from an episode from Alda's childhood. In this memoir he tells us about his upbringing as the son of a vaudeville star, his long-term marriage to his wife and his time on the TV show M*A*S*H. 

 Maybe it was just because I love Alan Alda so much, but I LOVE THIS BOOK!!

Very Short Book Reviews

When 2 people live in a very small apartment that can be cleaned in about 90 minutes and one of the people has been non-employed for 5 months, the non-employed person  I get to read a lot of books.

THE LOVE WIFE by Gish Jen. A non-Asian woman is married to an Asian man. A Chinese "cousin" comes into their lives as a nanny. I thought the characters were pretty boring.

THE HERETIC'S DAUGHTER by Kathleen Kent. I LOVED this book, even though it was really sad. It takes place during the Salem Witch Trials. I am familiar with the history and all the locations in the book so it was an enjoyable read.

ROOM by Emma Donoghue. When this book first came out there were so many articles and blogs about it. The subject matter...a young woman and her son who have been held captive in one small room for many years...was difficult. The son is loved and well-cared for by his mother, despite the circumstances. I was a little confused by a child who seemed so smart, but spoke like a much younger child. This was one of those books that I read in 24 hours because I couldn't put it down.

HOUSE RULES by Jodie Picoult. I read the whole book, even though I had figured out what had happened by page 56. Picoult usually keeps me guessing much longer than that.  The main character is a boy with Asperger's that is fascinated by crime-solving. Could he be involved in a murder?

TWO KISSES FOR MADDY by Matt Logelin. If you don't already know the story about Matt and Liz and Maddy, he's been blogging for about 3 years (this is the backstory). Liz gave birth to Maddy, then died 27 hours later. Matt has been doing a kick-ass job of raising Maddy in the past 3 years. He has had some challenges and they have had some great adventures.

In the book, which is a recount of the first year of Maddy's life, he reveals more of the story than what he has previously told us in his blog. Even though I knew so much of the story by following Matt's blog, I still cried when I read the details of the day Liz died. Matt has channeled his grief into a foundation to help others that are sharing his position as a parent of a child that has lost their other parent.

Although I usually get my books at the library, I bought this one so that I could contribute to the foundation by my purchase of the book. I read this one in about 12 hours and I am planning to read it again.

More Very Short Book Reviews

Books come to me in a few different ways.

I have been a fan of the public library since I was a child with a basket on my blue Schwinn Breeze. In the 1980's, my best friend and I would go to a used bookstore, each get a bag of books and then trade bags when we finished reading our choices. About 8 years ago I worked at Barnes and Noble. That job was a hazard to my paycheck!

These books came to me in 4 different ways.

ANGELA'S ASHES by Frank McCourt~ My brother frequents a used bookstore, north of Boston. They have hardcover books for a dollar and once or twice a year he ships a boxful to Florida for Mom and I to share. I picked this one up in the Summer, when I broke my face.
Dear Lord, this was the dreariest book I've ever read. I know people were inspired by McCourt's survival of his horrific childhood poverty, but most of it made me queasy.

A FAREWELL TO ARMS by Ernest Hemingway~ I found this in a box of books my kids read in high school. I don't know why I dragged this 1300 miles, but I dug into the box during the Summer Of The Broken Face. Since I like historical fiction, I enjoyed this one. Hemingway's writing style is different from a lot of modern writers. He's a man of few words.

WEST WITH THE NIGHT by Beryl Markham~ This book was part of a Christmas gift from my above-mentioned best friend. I had never heard of Beryl Markham but I thoroughly enjoyed her story of being brought up in Africa. She became a horse trainer and solo pilot. She was a really spunky girl and I think this would be a great book for a high school reading list.

CUTTING FOR STONE by Abraham Verghese~ I can't tell you how much I loved this book. It was recommended by Meg, who writes The Member's Lounge, one of my favorite blogs. It's historical fiction, love story, medical story, family story all rolled into one. It takes place in India, Ethiopa and the United States.

Very Short Book Reviews

SACRED HEARTS by Sarah Dunant
Historical Fiction is probably my favorite genre. Historical Fiction from the 13th to the 16th century is especially enjoyable. Historical Fiction about nuns in that era is right up my alley.
I loved this story about Serafina, who is placed in a convent against her will, in 1570 at age 16.
You learn so many details about the reasons that families put their daughters into convents and the day to day lives of these women who are dedicating a life to God.
Loved it!

THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett
I was fascinated and horrified by the lives of black women who cooked, cleaned and raised the children of white women, before the days of civil rights, and the way they were treated by the women they worked for.
I was able to easily get into the feel of the dialect of the women telling the story.
Loved it!

SING THEM HOME by Stephanie Kallos
This is the story of 3 siblings who are forever changed by the disappearance of their mother in a tornado when they were children. It's a very quirky story with very quirky characters. I finished it, but I'm still not sure I liked it.

AGAINST MEDICAL ADVICE: ONE FAMILY'S STRUGGLE WITH AN AGONIZING MEDICAL MYSTERY by Hal Friedman and James Patterson
Friedman's son has Tourette's and OCD. The book is a brutally honest telling of their struggle to find the right treatment for him. When he appears to get worse, they aren't sure if it is the illness or a side effect of the medications. Despite the subject, it is not a difficult read and I learned from the story.

THE BOOK OF MYCHAL: THE SURPRISING LIFE AND HEROIC DEATH OF FATHER MYCHAL JUDGE by Michael Daly
Father Mychal Judge is one of my personal heroes. He was a priest who was not afraid to be close to the people that society has most often scorned...the homeless, addicted and ill. He held dying AIDS victims when even their family would not. Father Mychal was the New York City Fire Dept. Chaplain and died at the WTC on Sept. 11th.

8 Books I Liked....and Why.

I read. A LOT. One year when I was off work with a very unstable back, I read 56 books. I don't read Mysteries, Thrillers or Romance. I read an equal amount of Fiction and Non-Fiction.
I've read some Bestsellers that I didn't like at all. I have also LOVED some books that no one else liked at all.
All of the books here, have links in the LibraryThing over there on the right.

1) What Remains by Carole Radziwell.
Carole was married to Anthony Radziwell, who was a cousin of JFK Jr. She and her husband were very close to John and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. I lived on Cape Cod when John's plane crashed and he, Carolyn and her sister were lost.
It was sad couple of days until the wreckage was located. Carole's book outlines their friendship and that sad time, when her husband was also dying of cancer.
Reviews said the book was melodramatic, but it allowed me to see a side of Carolyn Bessette that was not portrayed by the media.

2) Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral by Kris Radish
Annie informs a group of women (after her death) that she wishes a "traveling funeral". These women take off on a cross-country trip to places that were important in Annie's life. There are small scenes from the stops along the way.
I loved the book, and have given it to a few women. None of them liked it.
I don't have 5 friends who would have a traveling funeral for me. Do you?

3) Lying Awake by Mark Salzman
A nun has amazing visions, accompanied by severe headaches. There is a cure for the headaches, but it could mean an end to the visions. As a former Catholic school student taught by nuns and had one nun in the family, and have known a couple of really interesting nuns, I'm just a little fascinated by the life.
Reviewers didn't really like the book. I found it to be a quiet book that made me think.

4) Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock
This is an often confusing story about child neglect from the child's point of view. It's terribly sad but one moment at the end of the book made me immediately go back and re-read the entire book in one night.

5) Soul Of A Chef by Michael Ruhlman.
Ruhlman writes books that are inside looks at people and their occupations.
I loved this one. It follows a group of chefs who are testing to be certified as Master Chefs by the Culinary Institute of America. He also introduces us to 3 famous chefs. As much as I love cooking and baking, this is the book that made me see that I didn't want to do it for a living.

6) Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.
When I worked for B&N, I read a lot of Young Adult Fiction. I often worked at the info desk and so many parents and grandparents would ask me for suggestions, and I wanted to be able to give them a good list.
Stargirl is about the girl who didn't conform to the "popular" kids at school, but she changed lives. If you like Stargirl, you might also like Loser.

7) A Trip To The Beach by Bob and Melinda Blanchard.
The Blanchards left their life in Vermont to open a restaurant on the Caribbean island of Anguilla. This book made me write my first fan letter to an author (yes, I'm a dork) and made me put Anguilla on my "bucket list".

8) A Walk In The Woods by Bill Bryson
He makes me laugh out loud! He walked the Appalachian Trail, maybe a little unprepared for the rigors of the trip. I have walked a few short trails and climbed a few VERY small mountains along the trail. Doing the whole trail is NOT on my "bucket list".

What I'm Reading Now.
Mozart's Sister by Rita Charbonnier. I really love Historical Fiction

What's Next.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver