Ackerman, Allison, Anderson, Armstrong (x2), Blume, Patterson and Picoult
Here are thoughts on my recent reads:
One Hundred Names for Love by Diane Ackerman -- The true story of two married authors. One of them has a stroke and loses his ability to communicate. Traditional speech therapy doesn't help, so his wife (and author of this memoir) employs unconventional means to restore his connection to words. The book successfully mixes science with love of language.
Long Drive Home by Will Allison -- I absolutely recommend this novel! The main character causes a devastating car accident, but doesn't confess. And I spent the rest of the book rapidly flipping pages wondering how and/or if and/or when he was going to get caught...!
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson -- Another terrific read! The story deals with heavy subject matter but I warmed to the narrator almost immediately. I love internal dialogue that is so real, that makes me say, "Yeah, I get it.". I rented the movie afterward and young Kristen Stewart was the perfect casting choice.
The Things I Learned About My Dad by Heather B. Armstrong -- Anthologies are always risky because you're getting a mishmash of writing styles. This was an amusing book of essays about fatherhood, and most importantly, it introduced me to the talent of author Alice Bradley! I am now obsessively reading all of her blog entries at finslippy.com, going back to 2004.
Bitten by Kelley Armstrong -- This is remarkable because it marks my first foray into the supernatural genre. Is it a genre? What I mean is, IT WAS ALL ABOUT WEREWOLVES! AND IT WAS SET IN TORONTO! AND I'M HOOKED! AND THERE ARE TWELVE MORE BOOKS IN THE SERIES! AND I CAN'T STOP TYPING IN CAPITALS!
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume -- I recently discovered Judy Blume's awesome webpage judyblume.com so I thought I'd travel down memory lane, even though I relate the most to Sheila Tubman, not Margaret. Now I love Judy Blume forevermore and her novels are considered groundbreaking for a reason. But here is the plot: Margaret wants her period. Margaret gets her period. The End. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, no, okay, there's a bit more in there, but the ending is just as abrupt.
Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet -- I didn't make it past the third chapter, so I don't think it counts that I've actually "read" this. Too many unnecessary descriptions of people's clothes. In any case, you should check out the (surprisingly cute!) movie with Alyssa Milano, which made me want to try the book. Oh well.
Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult -- Excellent, with lots of twists and turns! Jodi rarely disappoints me, but I try not to read her books back-to-back because they are all structured the same way. But I definitely recommend this one, even though it'll probably be about six months before I attempt another.
One Hundred Names for Love by Diane Ackerman -- The true story of two married authors. One of them has a stroke and loses his ability to communicate. Traditional speech therapy doesn't help, so his wife (and author of this memoir) employs unconventional means to restore his connection to words. The book successfully mixes science with love of language.
Long Drive Home by Will Allison -- I absolutely recommend this novel! The main character causes a devastating car accident, but doesn't confess. And I spent the rest of the book rapidly flipping pages wondering how and/or if and/or when he was going to get caught...!
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson -- Another terrific read! The story deals with heavy subject matter but I warmed to the narrator almost immediately. I love internal dialogue that is so real, that makes me say, "Yeah, I get it.". I rented the movie afterward and young Kristen Stewart was the perfect casting choice.
The Things I Learned About My Dad by Heather B. Armstrong -- Anthologies are always risky because you're getting a mishmash of writing styles. This was an amusing book of essays about fatherhood, and most importantly, it introduced me to the talent of author Alice Bradley! I am now obsessively reading all of her blog entries at finslippy.com, going back to 2004.
Bitten by Kelley Armstrong -- This is remarkable because it marks my first foray into the supernatural genre. Is it a genre? What I mean is, IT WAS ALL ABOUT WEREWOLVES! AND IT WAS SET IN TORONTO! AND I'M HOOKED! AND THERE ARE TWELVE MORE BOOKS IN THE SERIES! AND I CAN'T STOP TYPING IN CAPITALS!
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume -- I recently discovered Judy Blume's awesome webpage judyblume.com so I thought I'd travel down memory lane, even though I relate the most to Sheila Tubman, not Margaret. Now I love Judy Blume forevermore and her novels are considered groundbreaking for a reason. But here is the plot: Margaret wants her period. Margaret gets her period. The End. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, no, okay, there's a bit more in there, but the ending is just as abrupt.
Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet -- I didn't make it past the third chapter, so I don't think it counts that I've actually "read" this. Too many unnecessary descriptions of people's clothes. In any case, you should check out the (surprisingly cute!) movie with Alyssa Milano, which made me want to try the book. Oh well.
Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult -- Excellent, with lots of twists and turns! Jodi rarely disappoints me, but I try not to read her books back-to-back because they are all structured the same way. But I definitely recommend this one, even though it'll probably be about six months before I attempt another.