Recent Reads

I've fallen behind -- again! Despite the fact that I haven't been able to post as consistently as I have in the past, I still love book blogging and want to post when I can. Thank you to those readers who are still here with me -- I don't interact as much as I used to but I am so grateful you are here. And now, on to the reviews.

Jennifer, Gwyneth, & Me by Rachel Bertsche

I had to snag this title off NetGalley when I saw that it was by Rachel Bertsche, the author of MWF Seeking BFF, a book I adored last year. A stunt memoir along the lines of The Happiness Project, in Jennifer, Gwyneth, & Me, Bertsche takes eight celebrities that have an aspect of life that she admires and she tries to put that element of life into practice. Her writing style is extremely readable, and I binge-read the book in a 36 hour time frame like I was having a lightning-quick weekend with an old friend. An added bonus was learning interesting tidbits about the celebrities Bertsche seeks to emulate -- I am now excited to check out Gwyneth's cookbook, and I might take the Honest Company up on their offers of free diaper samples when baby #2 comes around. Sometimes inspiring, sometimes silly, always entertaining, Jennifer, Gwyneth & Me is a great, light-hearted read that will still teach you something.

4 stars

Warnings: None

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

I fell in love with Sarah Addison Allen's magical realism in Garden Spells, and was excited to see this novel show up on NetGalley. Lost Lake doesn't live up to the enchantment of Garden Spells for me, but was still an enjoyable little romance. A young widow, Kate, visits her great-aunt Eby's lakeside camp when she finds an old postcard of the place. However, she little expects the transformation the place will enact in her life.

Lost Lake employs the magical realism present in Allen's other books, but in Lost Lake, it mostly manifests as ghost stories. I was a little disappointed in this -- I love the way magic imbues every little aspect of life in the other novels. In addition, I felt that the dialogue was a bit one-dimensional. While the characters were all interesting and had strong back stories and development, the conversations they had seemed somewhat stilted. The book also wrapped up some pretty big issues with a wave of a magic wand, so to speak, which seemed a little too easy. For this reason, I didn't find the book especially compelling, but it as still an enjoyable, romantic read.

 3 stars

Warnings: Some brief, non-explicit references to sex, brief descriptions of violence, language

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

If you read my "Pick-Me-Ups" post, you know that one topic that always interests me in a book is cancer. I am a pediatric bone marrow transplant nurse, and I always feel compelled to gather stories about people similar to my patients. I think part of it is because I am interested in it in my real life, and that interest remains for my reading life. I also always hope that the stories I read will be realistic and help me to have more compassion and empathy for the families I work with.

My Sister's Keeper has been on my radar -- and literally my night stand -- for a long time. As in, a couple of years. It took me a while to pick it up, I think in part because the movie made me so hysterical with tears that I was worried the book would wreak even worse havoc, and partly because the only other Jodi Picoult novel I'd ever attempted to read had ended up a DNF. However, once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. I binge-read the last hundred pages after telling my husband I would do the dishes "after one chapter." Whoops.

If you've somehow missed all the hype around this book, it is the story of Anna, who was conceived in order to donate umbilical cord blood to her sister, who had a rare form of leukemia. As both sisters grow and Kate's leukemia relapses over and over again, Anna is asked to give more and more of her body to her sister. Finally, she sues her parents for the right to make her own medical decisions.

Picoult definitely knows how to draw a reader in, with constant twists and emotional gut-punches. She has also done her research. While I've never cared someone with Kate's particular diagnosis, many of the procedures and medications are the same, and Picoult was very well-versed. This definitely commanded my respect. I also thought the writing was great for the genre. My Sister's Keeper is a plot-driven novel constructed to shock the reader and draw out emotions, and it is incredibly effective. I have heard outcry (aka negative Goodreads reviews) about "emotional manipulation," but I feel like that is what you are asking for when you read any book, not just one of this genre. Am I right? Don't we read so we can feel things we wouldn't otherwise feel?

Anyway, My Sister's Keeper was an interesting read and definitely a page turner. It has convinced me to possibly try another Jodi Picoult, and given me a window into the outside-the-hospital life and devastation of families that deal with cancer.

4 stars

Warnings: Language, violence, thematic material, some innuendo, one non-explicit sex scene

Mini-Reviews: Memoirs and Biographies

Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo

Heaven is For Real is the story of a little boy who had a near-death experience and went to heaven, where he met Jesus Christ, his grandfather, and experienced many other things. I'm not going to get into the validity of the book -- religion is based on faith, and if you don't have faith, you're going to say this book was a lie, and if you do, you're going to say this book was amazing. For me, I enjoyed the story and thought Colton's experience was very interesting and left quite a bit to ponder. 

3.5 stars

Warnings: None

Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy

Lucy Grealy was diagnosed with cancer as a young child and spent much of her life undergoing surgeries, chemo, and radiation. While she survived the cancer, it left her face transformed -- much of her lower jaw was removed and despite numerous surgeries, was never fully reconstructed again. Grealy explores the way the pain and fear of cancer affected her, as well as the way her face affected the way others treated her and the way she viewed herself.

I read this book after reading Ann Patchett's memoir of her close friendship with Grealy, Truth and Beauty (which I recommend reading first if you plan on reading both books). Thus, I already had an idea of what Grealy had been through and the way her life played out. However, hearing it in her own voice, so to speak, was incredibly powerful. I am a nurse for children with cancer, and reading this firsthand account of the oddness of her early life was so heartrending. For a while, she didn't even know she had cancer -- obviously she knew there was something wrong, but no one gave that appellation. Her family constantly pressured her to be strong and positive, which left her believing that her fear and pain was not legitimate or acceptable. Later, she always noticed people staring at her, and believed herself unworthy of love due to the fact that she believed she could never be considered beautiful. 

These explorations are dark at times, and the end of Grealy's story is not a happy one, but her thoughts do broach many questions that are important in this society -- a society that values physical appearance very highly and makes lightning judgments based on first impressions. I think Autobiography of a Face poses important questions. And it's a bonus that Grealy is a poet, and her writing is gorgeous. 

3.5 stars

Warnings: Some sensuality, language, thematic material

French Milk by Lucy Knisley

French Milk is a graphic novel of a twenty-something's six week trip to Paris with her mother. I love Paris, and I love the idea of graphic novels, but here's the thing -- this one didn't give me enough. I liked Lucy's random observations, her drawings of art and food, and her voice, but the book just didn't feel like enough. I wanted more details. I'm not sure if that is me not appreciating the art of the graphic novel or the graphic novel not doing a good enough job, but it left me wanting. Also, sometimes Knisley made me mad by doing stupid things, like starting to smoke so she would fit in in Paris. It's not just because I'm a parent that is closer to thirty than twenty that causes me to want to shake some sense into her, is it? Doesn't everyone know that smoking is the worst health decision you could possibly, possibly make? Okay, throwing yourself off a bridge is probably a worse health decision, but seriously, smoking cigarettes is the most preventable risk factor in just about EVERY chronic disease. Okay, taking deep breaths, end of rant. Other than that, I thought she was funny and witty, and I liked her honesty about her grumps and enjoyments.

3 stars

Warnings: Language, endorsement of cigarettes!!, some drawings of nude paintings, talking about non-graphic sex

MWF Seeking BFF by Rachel Bertsche

I've heard a lot of mixed reviews of MWF Seeking BFF, which disappointed me, because from what I'd heard about it, I thought I would love it, being a recently married twenty-something in a new city myself. Fortunately, for me, this book was everything I hoped it would be and more. I absolutely loved it. I understand the issues that some people had with the book -- at times Bertsche gets too focused on the letter of her quest, frenetically seeking her 52 friend-dates at the risk of her own sanity and at times even her marriage. She also at times bothered me with her desire to find "the" best friend instead of appreciating the great friendships she had (and she had many), and she had a laundry list of what she didn't want. However, first of all, I think she genuinely grows throughout her quest, learning new things about friendship, its importance to her, and the fact that she is able to be friends with people she never would have approached originally. Secondly, as someone trying to make new friends, I appreciated the insights she had on the best places to make friends as well as the research she performed on what causes people to stay friends and make friends. I thought the entire book was engaging and fascinating, and I adored it. Rachel, be my BFF? (Even though I don't meet your distance requirements?)

5 stars

Warnings: Can't think of any

Taylor Swift: An Unauthorized Biography by Liv Spencer

Okay, okay, laugh all you want. Yes, I requested a Taylor Swift biography on NetGalley. I saw it there and just couldn't resist. Don't tell me that you haven't wondered who all those songs were about. That was definitely my primary motive in reading the book.

It was mildly interesting. I liked reading about Swift's pathway to success, and especially her determination and goal-setting. I think she is a good role model for girls, which is refreshing because most teen/young twenties celebrities are making poor decisions. I also loved learning the details about each of her songs. There are chapters that go through information on who each song is about, how Swift came to write it, and other "fun facts." Because my main interest in reading the book was who all those songs were written about, those chapters (entitled "Swift Notes") were definitely interesting to me.

The writing of the book was pure cheese. The author took an almost worshipful stance at Taylor Swift, calling her "Swifty," "The Swift One," and "The Sparkly One." I might have thrown up in my mouth a few times. Also, when describing a line in the song "Picture to Burn," in which Taylor Swift sings, "That's fine, I'll tell mine you're gay," the author quickly explains that on the radio edit, the line has been changed, because "Taylor would never offend anyone." Okay... but she did write the line. I'm not defending or condemning her -- just thought the line was cheesy.

Basically, it did what I wanted it to. But it was cheesy. 

2.5 stars

Warnings: You might throw up in your mouth when you read about "The Sparkly One."