Alexis's bookshelf: 2011 en-US Fri, 27 Sep 2024 20:49:26 -0700 60 Alexis's bookshelf: 2011 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1)]]> 6705943
Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.]]> 402 Maggie Stiefvater 0545227259 Alexis 3 2011
The werewolfism in the book is rather creative. The werewolves are affected by temperature and shift when the weather gets colder. (And they are affected by seasonality and air conditioning, so they can't just move to a warmer climate)

Anyway, an interesting teen paranormal romance, and I'm interested to read the next two books.

The writing is not great and it's really quite cheesy and some of the plot twists appear out of nowhere, but you know what? I enjoyed the ride and it was good for what it was. It's a nice, light summer read.


Take that, Twilight!]]> 3.76 2009 Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1)
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2011/08/08
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves: 2011
review:
I read this in between sets/shifts at the Folkfest, which is NOT the way to read this book. It's a paranormal romance between a werewolf boy and a girl. I liked this a lot better than twilight, probably because it didn't have the whole abstinence thing, and was not even half as creepy. The girl ACTUALLY DID THINGS, unlike Bella in Twilight, who has no personality.

The werewolfism in the book is rather creative. The werewolves are affected by temperature and shift when the weather gets colder. (And they are affected by seasonality and air conditioning, so they can't just move to a warmer climate)

Anyway, an interesting teen paranormal romance, and I'm interested to read the next two books.

The writing is not great and it's really quite cheesy and some of the plot twists appear out of nowhere, but you know what? I enjoyed the ride and it was good for what it was. It's a nice, light summer read.


Take that, Twilight!
]]> <![CDATA[Food, Girls, & Other Things I Can't Have]]> 9646261 What’s worse than being fat your freshman year?
Being fat your sophomore year.

Life used to be so simple for Andrew Zansky–hang with the Model UN guys, avoid gym class, and eat and eat and eat.ĚýHe’s used to not fitting into his family, his sports-crazed school, or his size 48 pants.

But not anymore.ĚýAndrew just met April, the new girl at school and the instant love of his life!ĚýHe wants to find a way to win her over, but how?ĚýWhen O. Douglas, the heartthrob quarterback and high-school legend, saves him from getting beaten up by the school bully, Andrew sees his chance to get in with the football squad.

Is it possible to reinvent yourself in the middle of high school? Andrew is willing to try. But he’s going to have to make some changes. Fast.

Can a funny fat kid be friends with a football superstar? Can he win over the Girl of his Dreams? Can he find a way to get his mom and dad back together?

How far should you go to be the person you really want to be?

Andrew is about to find out.


From the Hardcover edition.]]> 320 Allen Zadoff 1606841947 Alexis 4 2011
The book was pretty funny too, and I'd definitely recommend that other people read it.]]> 3.71 2009 Food, Girls, & Other Things I Can't Have
author: Allen Zadoff
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/09/11
shelves: 2011
review:
A quick and easy read. At first I was sort of lukewarm on it, but it definitely picked up for me. The premise of this book is about a fat kid named Andrew, who decides to go out for the football team to impress a girl. It feels like something that's been done before, but it's actually a skilled book, because the author really uses the plot to make points about cliques and social order. I thought the main character was 100% believeable and interesting and intelligent, and I loved his observations.

The book was pretty funny too, and I'd definitely recommend that other people read it.
]]> The Collected Essex County 6096829
Award-winning cartoonist Jeff Lemire pays tribute to his roots with Essex County, an award-winning trilogy of graphic novels set in an imaginary version of his hometown, the eccentric farming community of Essex County, Ontario, Canada. In Essex County, Lemire crafts an intimate study of one community through the years, and a tender meditation on family, memory, grief, secrets, and reconciliation. With the lush, expressive inking of a young artist at the height of his powers, Lemire draws us in and sets us free. This new edition collects the complete, critically-acclaimed trilogy (Tales from the Farm, Ghost Stories, and The Country Nurse) in one deluxe volume! Also included are over 40-pages of previously unpublished material, including two new stories.]]> 512 Jeff Lemire 160309038X Alexis 4 2011, 2023
Lemire does a great job of capturing isolation and loneliness in this collection. I loved the reoccuring theme of the crow in this book and the way in which he was able to loop discoveries throughout the narrative.

I think the bonus material added to this collection was unnecessary.

Also, if you're going to carry this book home from the library, I'm going to warn you that it is REALLY big and heavy and that you should make sure you have a steady backpack and don't have to walk too far.



Read for book club. Found it very depressing.]]> 4.32 2009 The Collected Essex County
author: Jeff Lemire
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2011/01/22
date added: 2023/06/15
shelves: 2011, 2023
review:
Read for Canada Reads. I loved the gothic nature of this book and what the author/illustrator was able to convey with some simple line drawings. I did get a little confused about the characters' names, but that cleared up as I read more.

Lemire does a great job of capturing isolation and loneliness in this collection. I loved the reoccuring theme of the crow in this book and the way in which he was able to loop discoveries throughout the narrative.

I think the bonus material added to this collection was unnecessary.

Also, if you're going to carry this book home from the library, I'm going to warn you that it is REALLY big and heavy and that you should make sure you have a steady backpack and don't have to walk too far.



Read for book club. Found it very depressing.
]]> <![CDATA[The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love]]> 7841677 "This book is the story of the two love affairs that interrupted the trajectory of my life: one with farming—that dirty, concupiscent art—and the other with a complicated and exasperating farmer."

Single, thirtysomething, working as a writer in New York City, Kristin Kimball was living life as an adventure. But she was beginning to feel a sense of longing for a family and for home. When she interviewed a dynamic young farmer, her world changed. Kristin knew nothing about growing vegetables, let alone raising pigs and cattle and driving horses. But on an impulse, smitten, if not yet in love, she shed her city self and moved to five hundred acres near Lake Champlain to start a new farm with him. The Dirty Life is the captivating chronicle of their first year on Essex Farm, from the cold North Country winter through the following harvest season—complete with their wedding in the loft of the barn.

Kimball and her husband had a plan: to grow everything needed to feed a community. It was an ambitious idea, a bit romantic, and it worked. Every Friday evening, all year round, a hundred people travel to Essex Farm to pick up their weekly share of the "whole diet"—beef, pork, chicken, milk, eggs, maple syrup, grains, flours, dried beans, herbs, fruits, and forty different vegetables—produced by the farm. The work is done by draft horses instead of tractors, and the fertility comes from compost. Kimball’s vivid descriptions of landscape, food, cooking—and marriage—are irresistible.

"As much as you transform the land by farming," she writes, "farming transforms you." In her old life, Kimball would stay out until four a.m., wear heels, and carry a handbag. Now she wakes up at four, wears Carhartts, and carries a pocket knife. At Essex Farm, she discovers the wrenching pleasures of physical work, learns that good food is at the center of a good life, falls deeply in love, and finally finds the engagement and commitment she craved in the form of a man, a small town, and a beautiful piece of land.]]> 276 Kristin Kimball 1416551603 Alexis 3 2011
Question number one- I'm an agricultural journalist. WHY HASN'T THIS HAPPENED TO ME????

(Perhaps it is because I interview farmers all the time, but generally they aren't young, single or hot. Admittedly, some of the older farmers who like me often make a point of mentioning their single sons or grandsons.)

On the other hand, I can be poor and sit in my own apartment writing and enjoy the pleasures of the city, or I could be poor out in the country, get up at absurd hours and be covered with manure.

Anyway, this book made me smile a few times and it was a pretty interesting story. I really like how the author didn't glamourize farming and talks about how hard it is and how much of a financial crapshoot it is. She also talks about the difference between book smarts and farm smarts, and how being educated might not actually help you out on the farm.

I also liked how she was honest about her marriage. She admitted that at times she balked about her engagement, that it was difficult to run a business with someone you love (lots of farm couples get divorced in tough times), and that when you get married, you have to accept a certain lifestyle and say goodbye to some other options. I thought this was extremely refreshing, and honest and something that people don't talk about that much.

I also liked some of the farming details- particularily the details about her dairy cows. The Kimballs farm using draft horses and I have to admit that that didn't interest me as much as it should have.

These people also eat amazing food.



Updating in 2022- I've been with a lovely graphic designer for almost 10 years. Things work out. ]]> 4.07 2010 The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love
author: Kristin Kimball
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2011/01/20
date added: 2022/12/14
shelves: 2011
review:
This non-fiction book begins as a young journalist from the city interviews a hot, young, single farmer and falls in love with him. They move to the country, decide to get married and start up their own CSA.

Question number one- I'm an agricultural journalist. WHY HASN'T THIS HAPPENED TO ME????

(Perhaps it is because I interview farmers all the time, but generally they aren't young, single or hot. Admittedly, some of the older farmers who like me often make a point of mentioning their single sons or grandsons.)

On the other hand, I can be poor and sit in my own apartment writing and enjoy the pleasures of the city, or I could be poor out in the country, get up at absurd hours and be covered with manure.

Anyway, this book made me smile a few times and it was a pretty interesting story. I really like how the author didn't glamourize farming and talks about how hard it is and how much of a financial crapshoot it is. She also talks about the difference between book smarts and farm smarts, and how being educated might not actually help you out on the farm.

I also liked how she was honest about her marriage. She admitted that at times she balked about her engagement, that it was difficult to run a business with someone you love (lots of farm couples get divorced in tough times), and that when you get married, you have to accept a certain lifestyle and say goodbye to some other options. I thought this was extremely refreshing, and honest and something that people don't talk about that much.

I also liked some of the farming details- particularily the details about her dairy cows. The Kimballs farm using draft horses and I have to admit that that didn't interest me as much as it should have.

These people also eat amazing food.



Updating in 2022- I've been with a lovely graphic designer for almost 10 years. Things work out.
]]> Eating Dirt 12464152 Winner of the BC National Award for Non-Fiction, and short-listed for both the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction and the 2011 Hilary Weston Writer's Trust Award.

A tree planter's vivid story of a unique subculture and the magical life of the forest.

Charlotte Gill spent twenty years working as a tree planter in the forests of Canada. During her million-tree career, she encountered hundreds of clearcuts, each one a collision site between human civilization and the natural world, a complicated landscape presenting geographic evidence of our appetites. Charged with sowing the new forest in these clearcuts, tree planters are a tribe caught between the stumps and the virgin timber, between environmentalists and loggers.

In Eating Dirt, Gill offers up a slice of tree planting life in all of its soggy, gritty exuberance, while questioning the ability of conifer plantations to replace original forests that evolved over millennia into complex ecosystems. She looks at logging's environmental impact and its boom-and-bust history, and touches on the versatility of wood, from which we have devised countless creations as diverse as textiles and airplane parts.

Eating Dirt also eloquently evokes the wonder of trees, which grow from tiny seeds into one of the world's largest organisms, our slowest-growing ""renewable"" resource. Most of all, the book joyously celebrates the priceless value of forests and the ancient, ever-changing relationship between humans and trees. Also available in hardcover.

Published in partnership with the David Suzuki Foundation.]]> 272 Charlotte Gill 1553659775 Alexis 4 2011, 2021
My favourite part of the book were her personal experiences with planting. I planted for one year (I was TERRIBLE) and she captured the flavour and feeling of treeplanting life. THe writing in this book is exquisite; picturesque, dense and as beautiful and descriptive as a forest itself.

So glad that someone finally wrote about treeplanting :)]]> 3.90 2011 Eating Dirt
author: Charlotte Gill
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/10/28
date added: 2021/09/18
shelves: 2011, 2021
review:
Loved this! Charlotte Gill is a professional tree planter who has planted for more than 20 years. She weaves together a story about the logging industry, the history of planting, the history of the tree and human's relationship with trees.

My favourite part of the book were her personal experiences with planting. I planted for one year (I was TERRIBLE) and she captured the flavour and feeling of treeplanting life. THe writing in this book is exquisite; picturesque, dense and as beautiful and descriptive as a forest itself.

So glad that someone finally wrote about treeplanting :)
]]> Natural Order 11290015 “It’s beautiful,� I said, even though it wasn’t my style. It was cut glass and silver. Something a movie star might wear. Is this what my boy thought of me? I wondered as he fastened it around my neck. He called me Elizabeth Taylor and I laughed and laughed. I wore that necklace throughout the rest of the day. In spite of its garishness, I was surprised by how I felt: glamourous, special. I was out of my element amidst my kitchen cupboards and self-hemmed curtains. I almost believed in a version of myself that had long since faded away.
--From Natural Order by Brian Francis

Joyce Sparks has lived the whole of her 86 years in the small community of Balsden, Ontario. “There isn’t anything on earth you can’t find in your own backyard,� her mother used to say, and Joyce has structured her life accordingly. Today, she occupies a bed in what she knows will be her final home, a shared room at Chestnut Park Nursing Home where she contemplates the bland streetscape through her window and tries not to be too gruff with the nurses.

This is not at all how Joyce expected her life to turn out. As a girl, she’d allowed herself to imagine a future of adventure in the arms of her friend Freddy Pender, whose chin bore a Kirk Douglas cleft and who danced the cha-cha divinely. Though troubled by the whispered assertions of her sister and friends that he was “fruity,â€� Joyce adored Freddy for all that was un-Balsden in his flamboyant ways.Ěý When Freddy led the homecoming parade down the main street , his expertly twirled baton and outrageous white suit gleaming in the sun, Joyce fell head over heels in unrequited love.

Years later, after Freddy had left Balsden for an acting career in New York, Joyce married Charlie, a kind and reserved man who could hardly be less like Freddy. They married with little fanfare and she bore one son, John. Though she did love Charlie, Joyce often caught herself thinking about Freddy, buying Hollywood gossip magazines in hopes of catching a glimpse of his face. Meanwhile, she was growing increasingly alarmed about John’s preference for dolls and kitchen sets. She concealed the mounting signs that John was not a “normal� boy, even buying him a coveted doll if he promised to keep it a secret from Charlie.

News of Freddy finally arrived, and it was horrifying: he had killed himself, throwing himself into the sea from a cruise ship. “A mother always knows when something isn’t right with her son,� was Mrs. Pender’s steely utterance when Joyce paid her respects, cryptically alleging that Freddy’s homosexuality had led to his destruction. That night, Joyce threatened to take away John’s doll if he did not join the softball team. Convinced she had to protect John from himself, she set her small family on a narrow path bounded by secrecy and shame, which ultimately led to unimaginable loss.

Today, as her life ebbs away at Chestnut Park, Joyce ponders the terrible choices she made as a mother and wife and doubts that she can be forgiven, or that she deserves to be. Then a young nursing home volunteer named Timothy appears, so much like her long lost John. Might there be some grace ahead in Joyce’s life after all?

Voiced by an unforgettable and heartbreakingly flawed narrator, Natural Order is a masterpiece of empathy, a wry and tender depiction of the end-of-life remembrances and reconciliations that one might undertake when there is nothing more to lose, and no time to waste.]]> 384 Brian Francis 0385671539 Alexis 3 2011
The author did a good job of showing the tension inside his main character's head. He also did a good job of sounding like an old woman. It was very believable voice.

There were a few patches of humour in this book, but it had a sad tone. I'm sure there are lots of women out there like Joyce. ]]> 3.90 2011 Natural Order
author: Brian Francis
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2011/09/05
date added: 2019/02/05
shelves: 2011
review:
A beautiful book that I keep thinking about. This is quite different from "Fruit", which was a humourous first novel. This book is a story about an 86 year old woman and her relationship with gay men. The main character, Joyce, is in a nursing home and is remembering her life. She tells many stories about a childhood crush, and about her own relationship with her son, who was gay. Joyce struggles to accept her son for who he is.

The author did a good job of showing the tension inside his main character's head. He also did a good job of sounding like an old woman. It was very believable voice.

There were a few patches of humour in this book, but it had a sad tone. I'm sure there are lots of women out there like Joyce.
]]> <![CDATA[The Woefield Poultry Collective]]> 10366979 336 Susan Juby 1554687446 Alexis 3 2011
There were some good farming related stories here too.

Basically, Prudence moves to the land and has to find some way to make the farm viable. She attracts a weird cast of characters, including an old hired man with a past, a young alcoholic metal head and a young girl (probably about 10), who raises chickens. The book is a bit uneven, but it was still a pleasant read.

I liked the details about sheep shearing :)]]> 3.90 2011 The Woefield Poultry Collective
author: Susan Juby
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2011/03/28
date added: 2018/11/13
shelves: 2011
review:
I'm a huge fan of Susan Juby's teen/ya work and I'll read anything she writes. This was her first adult book, and it was a bit uneven. Still, there were still enough things in it to keep me interested. THe book is told in 4 voices. One of the characters, Prudence, moves from New York to start farming on her uncle's land on Vancouver Island. She was my favourite character and I thought she was funny, because she had an overall earnestness and belief in the beauty of small scale farming and quoted Joel Salatin, etc.

There were some good farming related stories here too.

Basically, Prudence moves to the land and has to find some way to make the farm viable. She attracts a weird cast of characters, including an old hired man with a past, a young alcoholic metal head and a young girl (probably about 10), who raises chickens. The book is a bit uneven, but it was still a pleasant read.

I liked the details about sheep shearing :)
]]> Drinking: A Love Story 73965
Caroline Knapp describes how the distorted world of her well-to-do parents pushed her toward anorexia and alcoholism. Fittingly, it was literature that saved her: she found inspiration in Pete Hamill's 'A Drinking Life' and sobered up. Her tale is spiced up with the characters she has known along the way.

A journalist describes her twenty years as a functioning alcoholic, explaining how she used alcohol to escape personal relationships and the realities of life until a series of personal crises forced her to confront her problem.]]> 286 Caroline Knapp 0385315546 Alexis 5 2011, 2016
1. An alcoholic's life generally has a major negative impact on the lives of at least 4 other people
2. 11 % of the US population drink 50% of the US alcohol

She describes how her drinking affected all of her relationships, her health and her choices and ties it it with her eating disorder and her personal revelations and why she eventually stopped drinking. I also learned a lot about how excessive drinking can cause isolation and wasted opportunities and bad relationship choices.

Knapp was a journalist, and that was obvious to me because of the way the book was written.

One word of caution- I would NEVER recommend this book to someone who was dealing with sobriety issues. The fetishization of alcohol at the beginning of the book is extremely seductive. While reading it, I craved a glass of white wine, and I don't even really like white wine.

Knapp was sober when she died of lung cancer in 2002. She was 42 years old. She wrote three other books, including one about the human relationship with dogs. I'll definitely be checking those out. I think it's a shame that she died so young.


Re-read in 2016. An amazing book. Knapp is a great writer. ]]> 4.08 1996 Drinking: A Love Story
author: Caroline Knapp
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/12/11
shelves: 2011, 2016
review:
Possibly the best book about alcoholism that I've ever read. Caroline Knapp drank for 20 years. She chronicles how and why she started. Her writing is clear, raw and personal. This explains the fear that alcoholics deal with, and helped me understand the alcoholic mindset. The writing was really good and there were tons of facts in here that helped me learn things like-

1. An alcoholic's life generally has a major negative impact on the lives of at least 4 other people
2. 11 % of the US population drink 50% of the US alcohol

She describes how her drinking affected all of her relationships, her health and her choices and ties it it with her eating disorder and her personal revelations and why she eventually stopped drinking. I also learned a lot about how excessive drinking can cause isolation and wasted opportunities and bad relationship choices.

Knapp was a journalist, and that was obvious to me because of the way the book was written.

One word of caution- I would NEVER recommend this book to someone who was dealing with sobriety issues. The fetishization of alcohol at the beginning of the book is extremely seductive. While reading it, I craved a glass of white wine, and I don't even really like white wine.

Knapp was sober when she died of lung cancer in 2002. She was 42 years old. She wrote three other books, including one about the human relationship with dogs. I'll definitely be checking those out. I think it's a shame that she died so young.


Re-read in 2016. An amazing book. Knapp is a great writer.
]]> What It Is 2086132 What It Is demonstrates a tried-and-true creative method that is playful, powerful, and accessible to anyone with an inquisitive wish to write or to remember. Composed of completely new material, each page of Barry’s first Drawn & Quarterly book is a full-color collage that is not only a gentle guide to this process but an invigorating example of exactly what it is: “The ordinary is extraordinary.”]]> 210 Lynda Barry 1897299354 Alexis 4 2011, 2015

I first read this book in 2011 and hated it, as you can see my review. I initially gave it 2 stars.

In 2015, I give it 4 stars. I loved the autobiographical sections and felt that she really described how she came to be an artist. I also liked the exercises and the sense of wonder and safety she got from creating her art. I also liked how she talked about her own doubt and discomfort.

This is a good book for visual artists or people who enjoy collage or creativity.]]> 4.16 2008 What It Is
author: Lynda Barry
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2015/07/07
shelves: 2011, 2015
review:
I liked the autobiographical stories, but I really didn't enjoy the collage/questions section of the book. I suspect I wasn't in the mood for it.


I first read this book in 2011 and hated it, as you can see my review. I initially gave it 2 stars.

In 2015, I give it 4 stars. I loved the autobiographical sections and felt that she really described how she came to be an artist. I also liked the exercises and the sense of wonder and safety she got from creating her art. I also liked how she talked about her own doubt and discomfort.

This is a good book for visual artists or people who enjoy collage or creativity.
]]> <![CDATA[Having Faith in the Polar Girls' Prison]]> 6422012 256 Cathleen With 0670068454 Alexis 3 2011
The novel is narrated through Trista's voice and is written in a weird sentence structure that forces the reader to really pay attention. Some parts are heartbreaking to read. I think the author does a good job of detailing some of the difficulties of living in the north, and I did learn some things about artic life.

(The author was a teacher in Inuvik, which is probably where she got a lot of her material).]]> 3.65 2009 Having Faith in the Polar Girls' Prison
author: Cathleen With
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2011/01/16
date added: 2014/01/09
shelves: 2011
review:
I'm not sure why this book didn't get more attention when it came out. The book is told from the point of view of 15-year-old Trista, who lives in the far north, past Yellowknife, in a place called Jackfish Bay. Trista has just given birth to a daughter, and is in a juvenile facility they call "the polar girls prison".

The novel is narrated through Trista's voice and is written in a weird sentence structure that forces the reader to really pay attention. Some parts are heartbreaking to read. I think the author does a good job of detailing some of the difficulties of living in the north, and I did learn some things about artic life.

(The author was a teacher in Inuvik, which is probably where she got a lot of her material).
]]> Tiger, Tiger 8979038
One summer day, Margaux Fragoso meets Peter Curran at the neighborhood swimming pool, and they begin to play. She is seven; he is fifty-one. When Peter invites her and her mother to his house, the little girl finds a child's paradise of exotic pets and an elaborate backyard garden. Her mother, beset by mental illness and overwhelmed by caring for Margaux, is grateful for the attention Peter lavishes on her, and he creates an imaginative universe for her, much as Lewis Carroll did for his real-life Alice.

In time, he insidiously takes on the role of Margaux's playmate, father, and lover. Charming and manipulative, Peter burrows into every aspect of Margaux's life and transforms her from a child fizzing with imagination and affection into a brainwashed young woman on the verge of suicide. But when she is twenty-two, it is Peter -- ill, and wracked with guilt -- who kills himself, at the age of sixty-six.

Told with lyricism, depth, and mesmerizing clarity, Tiger, Tiger vividly illustrates the healing power of memory and disclosure. This extraordinary memoir is an unprecedented glimpse into the psyche of a young girl in free fall and conveys to readers -- including parents and survivors of abuse -- just how completely a pedophile enchants his victim and binds her to him.]]> 336 Margaux Fragoso 0374277621 Alexis 3 2011
The book is a non-fiction retelling of the 15-year-relationship between Margaux and a pedophilic child molester. The relationship was basically sanctioned by her mother, and we're shown how Margaux's screwed up family really allows the relationship to continue and develop.

Some of the sexual scenes are extremely disturbing and difficult to read. What the author does well is show the whole grooming process and how she both loved and hated her molester. She's a good writer and the book is compelling. I did stay up late to finish it. The book seems very honest and the descriptions of what is happening, the people and the surroundings are all fleshed out.

However, I am the child of two social workers as well as a writer and so I wanted more from this book. I wanted more of an analysis about what the abuse did to her, how she dealt with it, and the methods that she used to write the book and the kind of therapy she had. I wanted to know whether she has a partner and when she had her daughter. I'm aware that other readers might not want this level of analysis or follow up after the events, but I really felt I wanted it.

I also felt that there were some pacing problems with the book and that the perp's death (not spoiling here because it's on the back jacket), just seems to be a blip rather than a major event.

Still, I felt it was a valuable book and that Fragoso is a talented writer. I applaud her on her level of disclosure and think that people can learn a lot from this story, even if it's a difficult read.]]> 3.75 2011 Tiger, Tiger
author: Margaux Fragoso
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2011/05/03
date added: 2014/01/02
shelves: 2011
review:
Disclosure- I was interested to read this book as my mom is a retired social worker who spent years counselling children who had been sexually abused. At first I really wanted my mom to read this book, but now I know that she has probably heard many similar stories over her years of working.

The book is a non-fiction retelling of the 15-year-relationship between Margaux and a pedophilic child molester. The relationship was basically sanctioned by her mother, and we're shown how Margaux's screwed up family really allows the relationship to continue and develop.

Some of the sexual scenes are extremely disturbing and difficult to read. What the author does well is show the whole grooming process and how she both loved and hated her molester. She's a good writer and the book is compelling. I did stay up late to finish it. The book seems very honest and the descriptions of what is happening, the people and the surroundings are all fleshed out.

However, I am the child of two social workers as well as a writer and so I wanted more from this book. I wanted more of an analysis about what the abuse did to her, how she dealt with it, and the methods that she used to write the book and the kind of therapy she had. I wanted to know whether she has a partner and when she had her daughter. I'm aware that other readers might not want this level of analysis or follow up after the events, but I really felt I wanted it.

I also felt that there were some pacing problems with the book and that the perp's death (not spoiling here because it's on the back jacket), just seems to be a blip rather than a major event.

Still, I felt it was a valuable book and that Fragoso is a talented writer. I applaud her on her level of disclosure and think that people can learn a lot from this story, even if it's a difficult read.
]]> <![CDATA[The Chemical Carousel: What Science Tells Us About Beating Addiction]]> 6465785 472 Dirk Hanson 1439212996 Alexis 5 2011
"The Chemical Carousel" should be read by anyone who is interested in drugs and addiction. It's an example of excellent scientific writing. Author Dirk Hanson has struggled with his own addictions to cigarettes and alcohol and his perspective is illuminating. He really goes into the biochemical nature of addiction and what the drugs do to the brain.

He also touches on the history of the drug wars, and why abstinence education in drugs might not work for some people. I am fascinated by neuroscience, and so I was quite interested in his explanation of how drugs work on the brain.

Also, I was stunned by the similarities between the drug addicted brain and the depressed brain, and the link between addiction, depression, sleep disorders and eating disorders. There are also tons of facts in this book-

1. Cocaine used to be used for dental surgery
2. Women who are more highly educated are more likely to be alcoholic
3. There has been VERY little research done on the effects of marijuana
4. Prozac and LSD are rather similar molecules

Hanson also spends a lot of time talking about SSRIS and depression medication, which will be fascinating for anyone who has ever had to take depression meds.

The book is highly scientific, so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't like reading words like "serotonin reuptake", "dopamine" or "hippocampus." It's still a pretty accessible read, though.

This book gives a really good explanation of the biochemical nature of addiction. Pair this up with Gabor Mate's emotional and social theories of addiction in "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts", and you'll have a pretty good understanding of why some people get addicted to drugs while other people don't. ]]> 4.42 2009 The Chemical Carousel: What Science Tells Us About Beating Addiction
author: Dirk Hanson
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2013/12/22
shelves: 2011
review:
I seem to have developed an obsession with reading books about drugs. My mom and I were talking about this, and I realized that this obsession has been there since I was 16. I started reading books about psychdelia and alternate states and counterculture, and have pretty much been very interested in these things my whole life.

"The Chemical Carousel" should be read by anyone who is interested in drugs and addiction. It's an example of excellent scientific writing. Author Dirk Hanson has struggled with his own addictions to cigarettes and alcohol and his perspective is illuminating. He really goes into the biochemical nature of addiction and what the drugs do to the brain.

He also touches on the history of the drug wars, and why abstinence education in drugs might not work for some people. I am fascinated by neuroscience, and so I was quite interested in his explanation of how drugs work on the brain.

Also, I was stunned by the similarities between the drug addicted brain and the depressed brain, and the link between addiction, depression, sleep disorders and eating disorders. There are also tons of facts in this book-

1. Cocaine used to be used for dental surgery
2. Women who are more highly educated are more likely to be alcoholic
3. There has been VERY little research done on the effects of marijuana
4. Prozac and LSD are rather similar molecules

Hanson also spends a lot of time talking about SSRIS and depression medication, which will be fascinating for anyone who has ever had to take depression meds.

The book is highly scientific, so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't like reading words like "serotonin reuptake", "dopamine" or "hippocampus." It's still a pretty accessible read, though.

This book gives a really good explanation of the biochemical nature of addiction. Pair this up with Gabor Mate's emotional and social theories of addiction in "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts", and you'll have a pretty good understanding of why some people get addicted to drugs while other people don't.
]]> And Me Among Them 11948140
Ruth grew too fast.

A young girl over seven feet tall, she struggles to conceal the physical and mental symptoms of her rapid growth, to connect with other children, and to appease her parents, Elspeth, an English seamstress who lost her family to the war, and James, a mailman rethinking his devotion to his wife. Not knowing how to help Ruth, Elspeth and James turn inward, away from one another. As their marriage falters, Ruth finds herself increasingly drawn to Suzy, the dangerous girl next door.

Ruth is not precocious, nor a prodigy, but her extraordinary size affords her extraordinary vision: a bird’s-eye perspective that allows her not just to remember but to watch her past play out. Possessing an uncanny ability to intuit the emotional secrets of her family’s past and present, Ruth gently surfaces Elspeth and James’s vulnerabilities, their regrets, and their deepest longings.]]> 208 Kristen Den Hartog 155481054X Alexis 4 2011
The book tells the story of Ruth Brennan, a girl who grew too fast. She is a giant, standing 5 feet tall by the time she is 7. The narration is a bit like Ruth herself; she is able to get into the heads of her parents, and see in all directions. The book explores how Ruth's gigantism affects her parents' marriage and relationships with each other.

The book is is really a meditation on what it is like to be different, and the human need for connection. The narration is a bit odd and otherworldly and at times, it has a fairy tale quality.

I found the writing to be really beautiful, and the story to be moving. It's more of a character study than a traditional novel- if you're looking for something plot based, you're not going to find it here.

I'd recommend this to anyone who was moved by "The Girls". It's not as strong as that book, but there are some qualities that are similar. In my opinion, "and me among them" works because it is a short book, and a longer book would have collapsed under its own weight.

I really liked this book and appreciated what the author was trying to do.]]> 4.24 2011 And Me Among Them
author: Kristen Den Hartog
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/07/19
date added: 2013/02/11
shelves: 2011
review:
This is the first book I've ever read by Kristen den Hartog and I intend to read more.

The book tells the story of Ruth Brennan, a girl who grew too fast. She is a giant, standing 5 feet tall by the time she is 7. The narration is a bit like Ruth herself; she is able to get into the heads of her parents, and see in all directions. The book explores how Ruth's gigantism affects her parents' marriage and relationships with each other.

The book is is really a meditation on what it is like to be different, and the human need for connection. The narration is a bit odd and otherworldly and at times, it has a fairy tale quality.

I found the writing to be really beautiful, and the story to be moving. It's more of a character study than a traditional novel- if you're looking for something plot based, you're not going to find it here.

I'd recommend this to anyone who was moved by "The Girls". It's not as strong as that book, but there are some qualities that are similar. In my opinion, "and me among them" works because it is a short book, and a longer book would have collapsed under its own weight.

I really liked this book and appreciated what the author was trying to do.
]]> Pierre Elliott Trudeau 7959666 210 Nino Ricci 2764606826 Alexis 2 2011
Part of the problem with the book was not Ricci's fault. Trudeau is a subject that merits a long, long book and this book was too short.
]]> 1.67 2009 Pierre Elliott Trudeau
author: Nino Ricci
name: Alexis
average rating: 1.67
book published: 2009
rating: 2
read at: 2011/08/21
date added: 2012/06/12
shelves: 2011
review:
I felt that I've read better things about Trudeau and that Ricci really just stuck to quoting and sourcing things that had already been written, rather than doing interviews or trying to find something new. I thought he did a good job trying to show how conflicted Canadians are about Trudeau.

Part of the problem with the book was not Ricci's fault. Trudeau is a subject that merits a long, long book and this book was too short.

]]> Anything Boys Can Do 1518737
Abdou's characters have an easy honesty, a dirty-kneed grace that reminds us of girls who climbed trees and pulled the wings off butterflies. Now grown up, they offer biting and insouciant revelations into sexual stereotypes, fear of intimacy, and anger management. Abdou's stories brim with the emotional, moral, and social conundrum of living GAP commercial feminism on a thrift store budget, and provide a deliciously self-effacing joyride through the girl slums of Boystown.]]> 183 Angie Abdou 1897235127 Alexis 3 2011
I thought it was interesting that many of the stories showed some of the themes which were later developed in Abdou's novel "The Bone Cage".]]> 3.91 2006 Anything Boys Can Do
author: Angie Abdou
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2011/02/08
date added: 2012/05/23
shelves: 2011
review:
Collection of short stories about modern day relationships. All of the stories are told from the point of view of women and many of them explore women acting aggressively, or trying to change or break free from unhappy relationships.

I thought it was interesting that many of the stories showed some of the themes which were later developed in Abdou's novel "The Bone Cage".
]]> The Canterbury Trail 10389095 It’s the last ski weekend of the season and a mishmash of snow-enthusiasts is on its way to a remote backwoods cabin. In an odd pilgrimage through the mountains, the townsfolk of Coalton—from the ski bum to the urbanite—embark on a bizarre adventure that walks the line between comedy and tragedy. As the rednecks mount their sleds and the hippies snowshoe through the cedar forest, we see rivals converge for the weekend. While readers follow the characters on their voyage up and over the mountain, stereotypes of ski-town culture fall away. Loco, the ski bum, is about to start his first real job; Alison, the urbanite, is forced to learn how to wield an avalanche shovel; and Michael, the real estate developer, is high on mushroom tea.

In a blend of mordant humour and heartbreak, Angie Abdou chronicles a day in the life of these industrious few as they attempt to conquer the mountain. In an avalanche of action, Angie Abdou explores the way in which people treat their fellow citizens and the landscape they love.

]]> 288 Angie Abdou 1897142501 Alexis 3 2011
I had problems keeping all of the characters straight, because there were a lot of them, and they were all interacting with each other during a few scenes. But that's my weakness and not the fault of the author. ]]> 3.54 2011 The Canterbury Trail
author: Angie Abdou
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2012/05/23
shelves: 2011
review:
Loved the characters and the mountain setting. There's also a lot of humour in this book, and the Canterbury analogy and theme worked well for me.

I had problems keeping all of the characters straight, because there were a lot of them, and they were all interacting with each other during a few scenes. But that's my weakness and not the fault of the author.
]]> <![CDATA[On the Outside Looking Indian: How My Second Childhood Changed My Life]]> 10178918
"I am 30 years old. I wore my hair in two braids every day until I was 12. I dressed more conservatively than most Amish, barely left my house until I was 18 and spent the last 12 years studying and working hard on my career like a good little Indian girl. The time has come; you are witness to the dawning of my Indian Rumspringa, a Ram-Singha if you will. But instead of smoking and drinking Bud Lights in a park while yelling 'Down with barn raising!' I plan to indulge in a different manner � by pursuing everything I wish had been a part of my youth. Things I always felt were part of most North Americans' adolescent experience. I will learn to swim, go to summer camp, see Disneyworld, take dance lessons, have sleepovers and finally get the pet I longed for my whole life.

"This is the story of the ultimate New Year's resolution, more akin to a new life resolution. Will it all be fun? Will my friends and family support my walk down memory-less lane? Will it all matter in the end? I don't know yet but much like my young Rumspringaed-out counterpart, I will decide whether or not there is any going back."]]> 272 Rupinder Gill 0771035934 Alexis 4 2011
At the age of 30, she decides to have some of the experiences that she missed as a child. This starts by signing up for tap lessons, and proceeds to swimming and driving. She volunteers at a camp for kids with cancer, in order to experience her own dream of growing to camp.

These experiences force her to re-examine her childhood and her childhood experiences.

I really loved this because it basically cemented my own life philosophy. I believe that people need to find happiness from themselves as well as from their jobs or personal relationships. When you allow yourself the chance to dream, explore new skills and develop new talents, you can really grow as a human being and become more confident. Of course, you have to realize that you have privilege in order to do these things and that not everyone has them.
The other thing I liked about this book was that it was light and funny and I could relate to the author. I don't think this book would resonate as much for people from other age groups, but it definitely hit a chord with me. As someone who is interested in race and ethnicity, I also found her experiences growing up Sikh in a mainly white community to be fascinating. I have one friend in particular that should read this book.]]> 3.27 2011 On the Outside Looking Indian: How My Second Childhood Changed My Life
author: Rupinder Gill
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/05/31
date added: 2012/02/28
shelves: 2011
review:
I started out thinking this book was okay, but by the ending, I really liked it. THe author is a 30 year old Sikh woman who grew up fairly sheltered. She was one of 5 children and her parents were new immigrants. She was not allowed to socialize outside of school, and didn't take lessons. She watched a lot of television as a child and thought she was missing out on a normal childhood.

At the age of 30, she decides to have some of the experiences that she missed as a child. This starts by signing up for tap lessons, and proceeds to swimming and driving. She volunteers at a camp for kids with cancer, in order to experience her own dream of growing to camp.

These experiences force her to re-examine her childhood and her childhood experiences.

I really loved this because it basically cemented my own life philosophy. I believe that people need to find happiness from themselves as well as from their jobs or personal relationships. When you allow yourself the chance to dream, explore new skills and develop new talents, you can really grow as a human being and become more confident. Of course, you have to realize that you have privilege in order to do these things and that not everyone has them.
The other thing I liked about this book was that it was light and funny and I could relate to the author. I don't think this book would resonate as much for people from other age groups, but it definitely hit a chord with me. As someone who is interested in race and ethnicity, I also found her experiences growing up Sikh in a mainly white community to be fascinating. I have one friend in particular that should read this book.
]]> <![CDATA[Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love, and War]]> 7665543 Day of Honey weaves history, cuisine, and firsthand reporting into a fearless, intimate exploration of everyday survival. In the fall of 2003, Annia Ciezadlo spent her honeymoon in Baghdad. Over the next six years, while living in Baghdad and Beirut, she broke bread with Shiites and Sunnis, warlords and refugees, matriarchs and mullahs. Day of Honey is her memoir of the hunger for food and friendship—a communion that feeds the soul as much as the body in times of war. Reporting from occupied Baghdad, Ciezadlo longs for normal married life. She finds it in Beirut, her husband’s hometown, a city slowly recovering from years of civil war. But just as the young couple settles into a new home, the bloodshed they escaped in Iraq spreads to Lebanon and reawakens the terrible specter of sectarian violence. In lucid, fiercely intelligent prose, Ciezadlo uses food and the rituals of eating to illuminate a vibrant Middle East that most Americans never see. We get to know people like Roaa, a determined young Kurdish woman who dreams of exploring the world, only to see her life under occupation become confined to the kitchen; Abu Rifaat, a Baghdad book lover who spends his days eavesdropping in the ancient city’s legendary cafés; Salama al-Khafaji, a soft-spoken dentist who eludes assassins to become Iraq’s most popular female politician; and Umm Hassane, Ciezadlo’s sardonic Lebanese mother-in-law, who teaches her to cook rare family recipes—which are included in a mouthwatering appendix of Middle Eastern comfort food. As bombs destroy her new family’s ancestral home and militias invade her Beirut neighborhood, Ciezadlo illuminates the human cost of war with an extraordinary ability to anchor the rhythms of daily life in a larger political and historical context. From forbidden Baghdad book clubs to the oldest recipes in the world, Ciezadlo takes us inside the Middle East at a historic moment when hope and fear collide.]]> 400 Annia Ciezadlo 1416583939 Alexis 4 2011
This book really tells you what life was like in Beirut and Baghdad. It's full of Middle Eastern history and culture. The author also spends a lot of time talking about the food and how food acts as a way to bring people together. Reading this book made me crave Middle Eastern food and I'm now obsessed with learning how to cook some of the dishes.

One of my good friends is living in Beirut and I learned more about the city from this book than from our conversations.

It took me a long time to read this book because there was so much in it, but I really enjoyed it and learned a lot.]]> 3.85 2011 Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love, and War
author: Annia Ciezadlo
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2012/01/02
shelves: 2011
review:
Loved this book. It's one of the first books that I feel really gave me a window into the lives of people living in the Middle East. The premise is simple. An American journalist from New York marries a Lebanese born man, and he gets a job working as an American correspondent in Baghdad in 2003, after the end of the war.

This book really tells you what life was like in Beirut and Baghdad. It's full of Middle Eastern history and culture. The author also spends a lot of time talking about the food and how food acts as a way to bring people together. Reading this book made me crave Middle Eastern food and I'm now obsessed with learning how to cook some of the dishes.

One of my good friends is living in Beirut and I learned more about the city from this book than from our conversations.

It took me a long time to read this book because there was so much in it, but I really enjoyed it and learned a lot.
]]> Submarine 2473454
“It’s in my interests to know about my parents� mental problems,� he reasons. Thus, when he discovers that his affable dad is quietly struggling with depression, Oliver marshals all the daytime-TV pop-psychology wisdom at his command–not to mention his formidable, uninhibited powers of imagination–in order to put things right again. But a covert expedition into the mysterious territory of middle-aged malaise is bound to be tricky business for a teenager with more to learn about the agonies and ecstasies of life than a pocket thesaurus and his “worldly� school chum Chips can teach him.

Ready or not, however, Oliver is about to get a crash course. His awkwardly torrid and tender relationship with Jordana is hurtling at the speed of teenage passion toward the inevitable magic moment . . . and whatever lies beyond. And his boy-detective exploits have set him on a collision course with the New Age old flame who’s resurfaced in his mother’s life to lead her into temptation with lessons in surfing, self-defense . . . and maybe seduction. Struggling to buoy his parents� wedded bliss, deep-six his own virginity, and sound the depths of heartache, happiness, and the business of being human, what’s a lad to do? Poised precariously on the cusp of innocence and experience, yesterday’s daydreams and tomorrow’s decisions, Oliver Tate aims to damn the torpedoes and take the plunge.]]> 320 Joe Dunthorne 1400066832 Alexis 3 2011 3.78 2008 Submarine
author: Joe Dunthorne
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2011/12/30
date added: 2011/12/30
shelves: 2011
review:
A coming of age story of a 15 year old living in Swansea. I really liked the setting and the dialogue. The main character was rather precocious and funny and reminded me of a less selfish, British version of Nick Twisp. There were some parts of the book that actually made me laugh out loud. The main plot deals with the teen's concerns around his parents' marriage, and his romantic misadventures. I enjoyed this book and look forward to seeing the movie.
]]> <![CDATA[The Walking Dead, Vol. 5: The Best Defense]]> 30065 136 Robert Kirkman 158240612X Alexis 0 2011 4.27 2006 The Walking Dead, Vol. 5: The Best Defense
author: Robert Kirkman
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at: 2011/12/29
date added: 2011/12/29
shelves: 2011
review:

]]> The Woman in White 5890 Librarian note: Alternate covers can be found here and here.

'In one moment, every drop of blood in my body was brought to a stop... There, as if it had that moment sprung out of the earth, stood the figure of a solitary Woman, dressed from head to foot in white'

The Woman in White famously opens with Walter Hartright's eerie encounter on a moonlit London road. Engaged as a drawing master to the beautiful Laura Fairlie, Walter becomes embroiled in the sinister intrigues of Sir Percival Glyde and his 'charming' friend Count Fosco, who has a taste for white mice, vanilla bonbons, and poison. Pursuing questions of identity and insanity along the paths and corridors of English country houses and the madhouse, The Woman in White is the first and most influential of the Victorian genre that combined Gothic horror with psychological realism.

Matthew Sweet's introduction explores the phenomenon of Victorian 'sensation' fiction, and discusses Wilkie Collins's biographical and societal influences. Included in this edition are appendices on theatrical adaptations of the novel and its serialisation history.]]> 672 Wilkie Collins Alexis 3 2011
This book was still a bit of a slog for me, but I enjoyed it a lot more than I did last year's pick, which was Vanity Fair. I loved the multiple narrators in this book, the detective work and the mystery. It did have a creepy element.

You can definitely tell that this book was serialized, as all the books that were serialized in newspapers tend to have a lot of extraneous information and weird tangents.

It's worth doing the research on WHY this novel was so important and interesting as you are reading it.]]> 4.00 1859 The Woman in White
author: Wilkie Collins
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1859
rating: 3
read at: 2011/12/28
date added: 2011/12/28
shelves: 2011
review:
Every year I read a classic book over the Christmas holidays, and this was my choice for this year. While I'm doing this project, I also do a lot of research to find out the significance of the book, the story etc.

This book was still a bit of a slog for me, but I enjoyed it a lot more than I did last year's pick, which was Vanity Fair. I loved the multiple narrators in this book, the detective work and the mystery. It did have a creepy element.

You can definitely tell that this book was serialized, as all the books that were serialized in newspapers tend to have a lot of extraneous information and weird tangents.

It's worth doing the research on WHY this novel was so important and interesting as you are reading it.
]]> <![CDATA[Extraordinary Canadians: Marshall Mcluhan]]> 6970488 251 Douglas Coupland 0670069221 Alexis 4 2011
I feel like I learned a lot about McLuhan as a person (HE TALKED A LOT), he was obsessed with Dagwood and he liked to eat steak, but not as much about his ideas. His ideas are actually a bit confusing, and I think I'd have to take a course to really feel that I understood everything he was saying. This is a short book, and so there isn't a lot of room for Coupland to get into the full gist behind McLuhan's ideas. Still, the very basics are there, and this was a good entry way into some of McLuhan's philosophies.

Excellent book. ]]> 3.89 2010 Extraordinary Canadians: Marshall Mcluhan
author: Douglas Coupland
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2011/12/28
shelves: 2011
review:
I think this is my favourite of the 4 books that I've read in the Extraordinary Canadians series. Douglas Coupland was the ideal person to write this book. It includes weird information and additions to the text like an autism text (I scored low), and comments from the Internet.

I feel like I learned a lot about McLuhan as a person (HE TALKED A LOT), he was obsessed with Dagwood and he liked to eat steak, but not as much about his ideas. His ideas are actually a bit confusing, and I think I'd have to take a course to really feel that I understood everything he was saying. This is a short book, and so there isn't a lot of room for Coupland to get into the full gist behind McLuhan's ideas. Still, the very basics are there, and this was a good entry way into some of McLuhan's philosophies.

Excellent book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland, #1)]]> 9591398 Ěý
With exquisite illustrations by acclaimed artist Ana Juan, Fairyland lives up to the sensation it created when the author first posted it online. For readers of all ages who love the charm of Alice in Wonderland and the soul of The Golden Compass, here is a reading experience unto itself: unforgettable, and so very beautiful.
]]> 247 Catherynne M. Valente 0312649614 Alexis 2 2011 3.95 2011 The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland, #1)
author: Catherynne M. Valente
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2011/12/27
date added: 2011/12/27
shelves: 2011
review:
A cross between Alice in Wonderland and the Wizard of Oz. You would think that this would make me love it, but it really didn't. I found this book to be really flat. There were a few things I liked, but all in all, I didn't enjoy it that much.
]]> <![CDATA[The Walking Dead, Vol. 4: The Heart's Desire]]> 138397 The Walking Dead.]]> 136 Robert Kirkman 1582405301 Alexis 0 2011 4.20 2005 The Walking Dead, Vol. 4: The Heart's Desire
author: Robert Kirkman
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/12/26
shelves: 2011
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Walking Dead, Vol. 3: Safety Behind Bars]]> 30069 136 Robert Kirkman 1582404879 Alexis 0 2011 4.30 2005 The Walking Dead, Vol. 3: Safety Behind Bars
author: Robert Kirkman
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/12/26
shelves: 2011
review:

]]> Chimps Of Fauna Sanctuary 10961630 288 Andrew Westoll 1554686490 Alexis 5 2011
Westoll does a great job revealing the personalities of the chimps and explaining their actions, yet he doesn't anthropomize (sp) them. This is a story that will really stick with you and make you think. I cried at the end of the book, and I rarely cry at books.

AMERICANS READING THIS- Invasive primate research is still performed in your country. Please learn about the Great Ape Protection Act, and try to end animal testing on apes. I was truly horrified to learn about this.







]]> 4.54 2011 Chimps Of Fauna Sanctuary
author: Andrew Westoll
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2011/12/22
date added: 2011/12/22
shelves: 2011
review:
A friend of mine read this book in one day, so I was excited to read it. I was not disappointed. This is a book that is mainly about chimpanzees, but it encompasses many different things. It's the story about a sanctuary that housed 13 chimpanzees who have been damaged by lab research, or abandoned by zoos or the circus. Primatologist turned journalist Andrew Westoll spends 10 weeks working at the Fauna Sanctuary, located in Quebec. He tells the story of the chimps, but also of the people who are working in the sanctuary. This is a story bout pain and hurt, but also about compassion and recovery. There are facts about animal research and such, but it's explained in a easy to read manner. There is both sadness and humour in this book.

Westoll does a great job revealing the personalities of the chimps and explaining their actions, yet he doesn't anthropomize (sp) them. This is a story that will really stick with you and make you think. I cried at the end of the book, and I rarely cry at books.

AMERICANS READING THIS- Invasive primate research is still performed in your country. Please learn about the Great Ape Protection Act, and try to end animal testing on apes. I was truly horrified to learn about this.








]]> <![CDATA[Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)]]> 9969571 Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found here

IN THE YEAR 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them.

But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.]]> 480 Ernest Cline 030788743X Alexis 2 2011
Basically, this is a book about a quest involving video games. I did like some of the 80s references, but sometimes all the explanation weighed it down. However, there were some neat plot twists and developments that I enjoyed and if I could get that part of the game that puts you in movies, I'd totally play it.

I don't have enough of an appreciation of video game culture to fully get into this book. At some points, I actually found the world disturbing, because they were basically sitting there, and falling into a virtual world. This was addressed a bit in the book, but I would have liked more of an exploration of what this actually did to people. (It was there a little, but I wanted MORE)

However, I do think this book would make a good movie, and I'll go see the movie when it comes out.]]> 4.21 2011 Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)
author: Ernest Cline
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2011/12/21
date added: 2011/12/21
shelves: 2011
review:
I was shocked to say that I was not actually nerdy enough for this book! There were some parts I liked, but during other parts I was like, "blah, blah, blah- this is the sound of a nerd masturbating."

Basically, this is a book about a quest involving video games. I did like some of the 80s references, but sometimes all the explanation weighed it down. However, there were some neat plot twists and developments that I enjoyed and if I could get that part of the game that puts you in movies, I'd totally play it.

I don't have enough of an appreciation of video game culture to fully get into this book. At some points, I actually found the world disturbing, because they were basically sitting there, and falling into a virtual world. This was addressed a bit in the book, but I would have liked more of an exploration of what this actually did to people. (It was there a little, but I wanted MORE)

However, I do think this book would make a good movie, and I'll go see the movie when it comes out.
]]> Graveminder (Graveminder, #1) 5957313
Now Maylene is gone and Bek must return to the hometown—and the man—she abandoned a decade ago, only to discover that Maylene's death was not natural . . . and there was good reason for her odd traditions. In Claysville, the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously connected—and beneath the town lies a shadowy, lawless land ruled by the enigmatic Charles, aka Mr. D. From this dark place the deceased will return if their graves are not properly minded. And only the Graveminder, a Barrow woman, and the current Undertaker, Byron, can set things to right once the dead begin to walk.]]> 324 Melissa Marr 0061826871 Alexis 3 2011
At the beginning, I was impatient for her to reveal the dangers/supernatural etc.

I don't want to give anything away, because it's best to go into this book knowing as little as possible.

This is a fun, creepy read and I'd definitely check out more of the author's books.]]> 3.48 2011 Graveminder (Graveminder, #1)
author: Melissa Marr
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2011/12/19
date added: 2011/12/19
shelves: 2011
review:
This book took a while to finally let us in our the secret/challenges faced by the characters. It was wonderfully creepy and I really enjoyed the world that she created and the challenges that the characters were given.

At the beginning, I was impatient for her to reveal the dangers/supernatural etc.

I don't want to give anything away, because it's best to go into this book knowing as little as possible.

This is a fun, creepy read and I'd definitely check out more of the author's books.
]]> Habibi 10138607 From the internationally acclaimed author of Blankets , a highly anticipated new graphic novel.
Ěý
Sprawling across an epic landscape of deserts,Ěýharems, and modern industrial clutter, Habibi tells the tale of Dodola and Zam, refugee child slaves bound to each other by chance, by circumstance, and by the love that grows between them. We follow them as their lives unfold together and apart; as they struggle to make a place for themselves in a world (not unlike our own) fueled by fear, lust, and greed; and as they discover the extraordinary depth—and frailty—of their connection.
Ěý
At once contemporary and timeless, Habibi gives us a love story of astounding resonance: a parable about our relationship to the natural world, the cultural divide between the first and third worlds, the common heritage of Christianity and Islam, and, most potently, the magic of storytelling.]]> 672 Craig Thompson 0375424148 Alexis 2 2011
There were some story elements that were interesting, but I felt sort of dirty while I was reading this book. I do have to say that the artwork was beautiful and there was some pictures that drew me in.

While I was reading this book, I also realized that my favourite graphic novels are the autobiographical ones.

I know some people who really liked this, but I was not one of those people.

That's too bad, because I LOVED Blankets.

-Very interesting to note that a lot of other readers had problems with the Orientalism, as well as the depiction of the female character. One person noted that although there is a lot of sex in this book, the sex is consensual ONCE in 700 pages.]]> 4.02 2011 Habibi
author: Craig Thompson
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2011/12/18
date added: 2011/12/18
shelves: 2011
review:
I had MASSIVE problems with this book, because I felt it was Orientalist. There was a lot of stuff that made me uncomfortable. Be warned- there's rape, and slavery etc. I'm not the only person who feels this way- if you google Habibi and Orientalism, you'll get a lot of hits.

There were some story elements that were interesting, but I felt sort of dirty while I was reading this book. I do have to say that the artwork was beautiful and there was some pictures that drew me in.

While I was reading this book, I also realized that my favourite graphic novels are the autobiographical ones.

I know some people who really liked this, but I was not one of those people.

That's too bad, because I LOVED Blankets.

-Very interesting to note that a lot of other readers had problems with the Orientalism, as well as the depiction of the female character. One person noted that although there is a lot of sex in this book, the sex is consensual ONCE in 700 pages.
]]> Beauty Plus Pity 11254767
In this tragicomic modern immigrant's tale, Malcolm Kwan is a slacker twentysomething Asian-Canadian living in Vancouver who is about to embark on a modelling career when his life is suddenly derailed by two near-simultaneous the death of his filmmaker father, and the betrayal of his fiancée who has left him. Soon he meets Hadley, the half-sister he never knew existed?the result of his father's extramarital affair?and as their tentative relationship grows, Malcolm is forced to confront his past relationships with women, including his own mother, an art teacher working through her grief as well as her resentment at her son befriending her husband's daughter.

Written with a winsome yet plaintive eye, Beauty Plus Pity is about a young man who's forced to reckon with the past as he works through his lifelong ambivalence toward his hyphenated cultural identity, and between two parents holding intolerable secrets.

Kevin Chong is the author of the novel Baroque-a-Nova (Plume) and the memoir Neil Young Nation (Greystone Books).]]> 256 Kevin Chong 1551524163 Alexis 4 2011
Things I liked-
1. The main character was Chinese without this having to be a story about him finding his heritage, coping with issues, blah blah. He was just Chinese and didn't seem to have to be dealing with Asian angst. He was dealing with his relationship with his father and his father's death, but it wasn't based around Asian angst.
2. There was a biracial Eurasian character.
3. The interaction between the characters was really interesting and the stories about how people came together were compelling.
4. His Vancouver resembles mine, and I recognized his Montreal too.
5. The writing was good.
6. The character had a sense of emptiness and was searching and grieving, and you really got a good sense of this.

Nice work, Kevin!]]> 3.55 2011 Beauty Plus Pity
author: Kevin Chong
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/12/16
date added: 2011/12/16
shelves: 2011
review:
There were a few things that I didn't agree with plot-wise, but other than that, I really enjoyed Kevin Chong's second novel.

Things I liked-
1. The main character was Chinese without this having to be a story about him finding his heritage, coping with issues, blah blah. He was just Chinese and didn't seem to have to be dealing with Asian angst. He was dealing with his relationship with his father and his father's death, but it wasn't based around Asian angst.
2. There was a biracial Eurasian character.
3. The interaction between the characters was really interesting and the stories about how people came together were compelling.
4. His Vancouver resembles mine, and I recognized his Montreal too.
5. The writing was good.
6. The character had a sense of emptiness and was searching and grieving, and you really got a good sense of this.

Nice work, Kevin!
]]> The Marriage Plot 10964693
As Madeleine tries to understand why "it became laughable to read writers like Cheever and Updike, who wrote about the suburbia Madeleine and most of her friends had grown up in, in favor of reading the Marquis de Sade, who wrote about deflowering virgins in eighteenth century France," real life, in the form of two very different guys, intervenes. Leonard Bankhead - charismatic loner, college Darwinist, and lost Portland boy - suddenly turns up in a semiotics seminar, and soon Madeleine finds herself in a highly charged erotic and intellectual relationship with him. At the same time, her old "friend" Mitchell Grammaticus - who's been reading Christian mysticism and generally acting strange - resurfaces, obsessed with the idea that Madeleine is destined to be his mate.

Over the next year, as the members of the triangle in this amazing, spellbinding novel graduate from college and enter the real world, events force them to reevaluate everything they learned in school. Leonard and Madeleine move to a biology laboratory on Cape Cod, but can't escape the secret responsible for Leonard's seemingly inexhaustible energy and plunging moods. And Mitchell, traveling around the world to get Madeleine out of his mind, finds himself face-to-face with ultimate questions about the meaning of life, the existence of God, and the true nature of love.

Are the great love stories of the nineteenth century dead? Or can there be a new story, written for today and alive to the realities of feminism, sexual freedom, prenups, and divorce? With devastating wit and an abiding understanding of and affection for his characters, Jeffrey Eugenides revives the motivating energies of the Novel, while creating a story so contemporary and fresh that it reads like the intimate journal of our own lives.]]> 406 Jeffrey Eugenides 0374203059 Alexis 4 2011
I have to admit that the ending of this book was absolutely perfect.

That said, I found the characters to be rather pretentious. These are characters that sit in Eames chairs, discuss Hegel and read Derrida. The number of allusions and literary references was almost over the top. It got to be a little much even for me. At one point, I thought- "These are the type of people who eat artisanal cheese." The next chapter, two of the characters went to a cheese shop. I shit you not.

I found it interesting that I related a lot more to the male characters in this book than I did to the female one. I think that's because she was abnormally wealthy. I really related to Mitchell and his spiritual quest and obsessive romanticization over someone who is out of reach. And I related to Leonard and his frustrations with his mental health, and his fear that he will never do anything extraordinary with his life.

I also think that Eugenides did a wonderful job capturing the angst of 20-something characters. I could relate to some of this, and I think most people will be able to. I will read anything he writes, but I think that people who go into this looking for another "Middlesex" may be somewhat disappointed. ]]> 3.46 2011 The Marriage Plot
author: Jeffrey Eugenides
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2011/12/14
shelves: 2011
review:
Eugenides is a really talented and compelling writer. He is wonderful at describing things and at creating characters. It was easy to picture everything that was happening and to see and understand the characters.

I have to admit that the ending of this book was absolutely perfect.

That said, I found the characters to be rather pretentious. These are characters that sit in Eames chairs, discuss Hegel and read Derrida. The number of allusions and literary references was almost over the top. It got to be a little much even for me. At one point, I thought- "These are the type of people who eat artisanal cheese." The next chapter, two of the characters went to a cheese shop. I shit you not.

I found it interesting that I related a lot more to the male characters in this book than I did to the female one. I think that's because she was abnormally wealthy. I really related to Mitchell and his spiritual quest and obsessive romanticization over someone who is out of reach. And I related to Leonard and his frustrations with his mental health, and his fear that he will never do anything extraordinary with his life.

I also think that Eugenides did a wonderful job capturing the angst of 20-something characters. I could relate to some of this, and I think most people will be able to. I will read anything he writes, but I think that people who go into this looking for another "Middlesex" may be somewhat disappointed.
]]> <![CDATA[The Man in Blue Pyjamas: A Prison Memoir]]> 12923968 From 1986–1989 poet and journalist Jalal Barzanji endured imprisonment and torture under Saddam Hussein’s regime because of his literary and journalistic achievements — writing that openly explores themes of peace, democracy, and freedom. It was not until 1998, when he and his family took refuge in Canada, that he was able to consider speaking out fully on these topics. This literary memoir is the project Barzanji worked on while in exile, and it is the first translation of his work from Kurdish into English.]]> 288 Jalal Barzanji 0888645368 Alexis 4 2011
When Jalal was introduced at the conference, everyone clapped and gave him a standing ovation. I think he spent a lot of time working on this book during his time as Writer in Exile>

This book is moving and a difficult read. Jalal talks about his life in Iraq, his imprisonment, and the torture he endured because he was a Kurdish writer who spoke out against Saddam Hussein's regime. He tells the story about how his family suffered and how he eventually managed to escape his country and move to Edmonton.

The book requires a lot of concentration. It's hard to read because it requires the reader to read scenes about torture, but also because there are many concepts and terms that will be unfamiliar to a Western reader.

This is an important and moving book. I intend to write a column about it this week.

Mom- Jalal was another person who benefitted from Linda Goyette's faith and expertise. I met her at the same conference. ]]> 4.30 2011 The Man in Blue Pyjamas: A Prison Memoir
author: Jalal Barzanji
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/12/12
date added: 2011/12/12
shelves: 2011
review:
This is an amazing book. I had the pleasure of being at the conference when it was announced that Jalal Barzanji was to be the first Edmonton Writer in exile at the Edmonton Public Library. (The conference was held in Grande Prairie that year) This position is the only one of its kind in Canada. The Edmonton Public Library provides support for a Edmonton based writer who has escaped persecution in their own country. This writer gets an office and a grant so they can work on their own writing.

When Jalal was introduced at the conference, everyone clapped and gave him a standing ovation. I think he spent a lot of time working on this book during his time as Writer in Exile>

This book is moving and a difficult read. Jalal talks about his life in Iraq, his imprisonment, and the torture he endured because he was a Kurdish writer who spoke out against Saddam Hussein's regime. He tells the story about how his family suffered and how he eventually managed to escape his country and move to Edmonton.

The book requires a lot of concentration. It's hard to read because it requires the reader to read scenes about torture, but also because there are many concepts and terms that will be unfamiliar to a Western reader.

This is an important and moving book. I intend to write a column about it this week.

Mom- Jalal was another person who benefitted from Linda Goyette's faith and expertise. I met her at the same conference.
]]> Girls in White Dresses 10047589
Isabella, Mary, and Lauren feel like everyone they know is getting married. On Sunday after Sunday, at bridal shower after bridal shower, they coo over toasters, collect ribbons and wrapping paper, eat minuscule sandwiches and doll-sized cakes. They wear pastel dresses and drink champagne by the case, but amid the celebration these women have their own lives to contend Isabella is working at a mailing-list company, dizzy with the mixed signals of a boss who claims she’s on a diet but has Isabella file all morning if she forgets to bring her a chocolate muffin. Mary thinks she might cry with happiness when she finally meets a nice guy who loves his mother, only to realize he’ll never love Mary quite as much. And Lauren, a waitress at a Midtown bar, swears up and down she won’t fall for the sleazy bartender—a promise that his dirty blond curls and perfect vodka sodas make hard to keep.

With a wry sense of humor, Jennifer Close brings us through those thrilling, bewildering, what-on-earth-am-I-going-to-do-with-my-life years of early adulthood. These are the years when everyone else seems to have a plan, a great job, and an appropriate boyfriend, while Isabella has a blind date with a gay man, Mary has a crush on her boss, and Lauren has a goldfish named Willard. Through boozy family holidays and disastrous ski vacations, relationships lost to politics and relationships found in pet stores, Girls in White Dresses pulls us deep inside the circle of these friends, perfectly capturing the wild frustrations and soaring joys of modern life.]]> 294 Jennifer Close 0307596850 Alexis 4 2011
There were also comical scenes in which the girls had to attend 6 bridal showers for the same person, and discuss some of their fears. I also laughed about their dating lives.

This is a very demographic specific book. I enjoyed this and actually laughed out loud with recognition, but I wouldn't necessary recommend the book to anyone from another demographic. The humour most resembles the type that was seen in "Bridesmaids."]]> 3.14 2011 Girls in White Dresses
author: Jennifer Close
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.14
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/12/08
date added: 2011/12/08
shelves: 2011
review:
I found that this book wasn't so much a novel as it was a series of vignettes about the lives of three women as they aged from 20-something to 30. The stories were utterly hilarious and truthful and followed the women as they dated, and watched friends get married and have babies. The author was very adept at pointing out the hilarity in everyday life. I actually found myself laughing out loud numerous times, such as when one character uttered, "You're pregnant, you fucker."

There were also comical scenes in which the girls had to attend 6 bridal showers for the same person, and discuss some of their fears. I also laughed about their dating lives.

This is a very demographic specific book. I enjoyed this and actually laughed out loud with recognition, but I wouldn't necessary recommend the book to anyone from another demographic. The humour most resembles the type that was seen in "Bridesmaids."
]]> <![CDATA[Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence]]> 332583 To some, marijuana is an insidious "stepping-stone" drug, enticing the inexperienced and paving the way to the inevitable abuse of harder drugs. To others, medical marijuana is an organic means of easing the discomfort or stimulating the appetite of the gravely ill. Others still view marijuana, like alcohol, as a largely harmless indulgence, dangerous only when used immoderately. All sides of the debate have appropriated the scientific evidence on marijuana to satisfy their claims. What then are we to make of these conflicting portrayals of a drug with historical origins dating back to 8,000 B.C.?
Understanding Marijuana examines the biological, psychological, and societal impact of this controversial substance. What are the effects, for mind and body, of long-term use? Are smokers of marijuana more likely than non-users to abuse cocaine and heroine? What effect has the increasing potency of marijuana in recent years had on users and on use? Does our current legal policy toward marijuana make sense? Earleywine separates science from opinion to show how marijuana defies easy dichotomies. Tracing the medical and political debates surrounding marijuana in a balanced, objective fashion, this book will be the definitive primer on our most controversial and widely used illicit substance.
]]> 344 Mitch Earleywine 0195182952 Alexis 3 2011
This book continues the theme that we don't actually know that much about marijuana, even though it has been used for over 3,000 years. Some sections of this book are quite interesting and some of the myths about marijuana are completely false. Very few people who use it go on to try other drugs. One third of Americans have tried it. There's one particular side effect that has occurred with one strain of cannabis that causes men to believe that their penis has retracted into their bodies. This effect seems largely to have happened in South East or South Asia and it's called "Koro".

Marijuana research is not considered sexy, which means that research on the medicinal uses have not been conducted. Research on long term effects has not been conducted, as there are many legal and ethical issues around researching marijuana. Those with migraines- Take NOTE- Marijuana has been shown to be beneficial!

Some parts of this book were really interesting, like the bits on perception, social effects, history of medicinal, recreational use and spiritual use, but other parts were just listing of studies, which got kind of repetitive and dull. The author does a really good job of summing up the main points of each chapter. I admit to skimming one or two chapters, because I didn't find them that interesting.

The US drug law chapter was one I skimmed. US drug laws and tests are really weird to me.

Basically, this book just reinforced the idea that we know very little about this drug, which is the world's most popular illicit drug, and the most commonly consumed drug after caffeine, alcohol and nicotine.

I now feel that I understand my neighbourhood better. Seriously, there are days when you can get a contact high just walking around my hood in summertime. ]]> 4.13 2002 Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence
author: Mitch Earleywine
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2011/12/07
shelves: 2011
review:
This year's reading theme= drugs. Seriously, I hadn't noticed that I was reading a ton of books about drugs, but after it was pointed out to me, I decided to embrace it. Anyway, I picked up this one because it was listed in "The Chemical Carousel."

This book continues the theme that we don't actually know that much about marijuana, even though it has been used for over 3,000 years. Some sections of this book are quite interesting and some of the myths about marijuana are completely false. Very few people who use it go on to try other drugs. One third of Americans have tried it. There's one particular side effect that has occurred with one strain of cannabis that causes men to believe that their penis has retracted into their bodies. This effect seems largely to have happened in South East or South Asia and it's called "Koro".

Marijuana research is not considered sexy, which means that research on the medicinal uses have not been conducted. Research on long term effects has not been conducted, as there are many legal and ethical issues around researching marijuana. Those with migraines- Take NOTE- Marijuana has been shown to be beneficial!

Some parts of this book were really interesting, like the bits on perception, social effects, history of medicinal, recreational use and spiritual use, but other parts were just listing of studies, which got kind of repetitive and dull. The author does a really good job of summing up the main points of each chapter. I admit to skimming one or two chapters, because I didn't find them that interesting.

The US drug law chapter was one I skimmed. US drug laws and tests are really weird to me.

Basically, this book just reinforced the idea that we know very little about this drug, which is the world's most popular illicit drug, and the most commonly consumed drug after caffeine, alcohol and nicotine.

I now feel that I understand my neighbourhood better. Seriously, there are days when you can get a contact high just walking around my hood in summertime.
]]> <![CDATA[On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears]]> 6499359 fascinations. In doing so, he illuminates the many ways monsters have become repositories for those human qualities that must be repudiated, externalized, and defeated.]]> 351 Stephen T. Asma 019533616X Alexis 0 2011 3.64 2009 On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears
author: Stephen T. Asma
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at: 2011/12/05
date added: 2011/12/05
shelves: 2011
review:
If you're looking for a light read, you're not going to find it here. This is a very dense, academic book at the history of monsters. It includes topics like "cartesian theory" and what Aristotle thought about centaurs. There are some interesting tidbits here, but this was a slog. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book for a casual reader. I read it because I have a special interest in monsters and monster lore, but there was still a bit of skimming involved.
]]> Before I Go to Sleep 9736930
So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep?

Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love - all forgotten overnight.

And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story.

Welcome to Christine's life.]]> 359 S.J. Watson 0062060554 Alexis 4 2011
The main character is a woman who awakes one day, and realizes that she has no memory. She can remember some basic things, but every day, she wakes with very, very little memory. She starts to keep a journal so she can remember what has happened to her, and unravel the mystery of her life.

The structure of this book is great. The writing is very immediate and the reader really feels as though they are discovering the mystery with the main character.

This is how you write a good thriller!]]> 3.90 2011 Before I Go to Sleep
author: S.J. Watson
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/12/03
date added: 2011/12/03
shelves: 2011
review:
This book was on so many lists that I finally paid attention to it, even though it isn't the type of book I normally read. I'm so glad I read it. It is a total mindfuck. On the book's jacket, Dennis Lehane refers to it as "Memento on meth." I actually found it much easier to follow that Memento.

The main character is a woman who awakes one day, and realizes that she has no memory. She can remember some basic things, but every day, she wakes with very, very little memory. She starts to keep a journal so she can remember what has happened to her, and unravel the mystery of her life.

The structure of this book is great. The writing is very immediate and the reader really feels as though they are discovering the mystery with the main character.

This is how you write a good thriller!
]]> The Virgin Cure 6131786
"I am Moth, a girl from the lowest part of Chrystie Street, born to a slum-house mystic and the man who broke her heart." So begins The Virgin Cure, a novel set in the tenements of lower Manhattan in the year 1871. As a young child, Moth's father smiled, tipped his hat and walked away from her forever. The summer she turned twelve, her mother sold her as a servant to a wealthy woman, with no intention of ever seeing her again.

These betrayals lead Moth to the wild, murky world of the Bowery, filled with house-thieves, pickpockets, beggars, sideshow freaks and prostitutes, where eventually she meets Miss Everett, the owner of a brothel simply known as "The Infant School." Miss Everett caters to gentlemen who pay dearly for companions who are "willing and clean," and the most desirable of them all are young virgins like Moth.

Through the friendship of Dr. Sadie, a female physician, Moth learns to question and observe the world around her, where her new friends are falling prey to the myth of the "virgin cure" - that deflowering a "fresh maid" can heal the incurable and tainted. She knows the law will not protect her, that polite society ignores her, and still she dreams of answering to no one but herself. There's a high price for such independence, though, and no one knows that better than a girl from Chrystie Street.]]> 356 Ami McKay 0676979564 Alexis 4 2011
The main character is named Moth, and she is a 12-year-old girl who is basically sold by her mother. The story is very Dickensian and populated by gypsies, beggars, thieves and whores. Moth is a strong and believable character and she has to keep her wits and a variety of strategies to survive a harsh life on the streets.

This reminded me a bit of Emma Donoghue's early work. I really liked this book, learned a lot and found it to be an easy and compelling read. ]]> 3.78 2011 The Virgin Cure
author: Ami McKay
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/11/30
date added: 2011/11/30
shelves: 2011
review:
Surprised by how much I liked this one. It was another historical novel, set in New York in 1871. Just like The Birth House, the author uses bits of newspaper stories and recipes, and notes etc, to flesh out the story.

The main character is named Moth, and she is a 12-year-old girl who is basically sold by her mother. The story is very Dickensian and populated by gypsies, beggars, thieves and whores. Moth is a strong and believable character and she has to keep her wits and a variety of strategies to survive a harsh life on the streets.

This reminded me a bit of Emma Donoghue's early work. I really liked this book, learned a lot and found it to be an easy and compelling read.
]]> Will Grayson, Will Grayson 6567017
It's not that far from Evanston to Naperville, but Chicago suburbanites Will Grayson and Will Grayson might as well live on different planets. When fate delivers them both to the same surprising crossroads, the Will Graysons find their lives overlapping and hurtling in new and unexpected directions. With a push from friends new and old - including the massive, and massively fabulous, Tiny Cooper, offensive lineman and musical theater auteur extraordinaire - Will and Will begin building toward respective romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history's most awesome high school musical.]]> 320 John Green 0525421580 Alexis 4 2011 3.70 2010 Will Grayson, Will Grayson
author: John Green
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2011/11/27
date added: 2011/11/27
shelves: 2011
review:
I'm not sure why I didn't read this sooner. I'm also not sure why I haven't read more books by David Levithan. I love John Green, and I did love "Nick and Norah's Infite Playlist", and this book reminded me a little of that, only more masculine and more gay. I loved the story and the characters and thought it was incredibly sweet. Some of the love stories made me tear up a bit. I also thought it was funny. A great YA read.
]]> <![CDATA[The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia de Luce, #1)]]> 6218281
For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. “I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life.”]]> 374 Alan Bradley 0385342306 Alexis 1 2011
It's probably a good thing that I had to miss the book club meeting, because someone else would have liked it and then I would have been a total grinch at the meeting.]]> 3.81 2009 The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia de Luce, #1)
author: Alan Bradley
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2009
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2011/11/27
shelves: 2011
review:
Hated. Hate, hate, hated. Hated the main character and her precociousness. Didn't care about the story. Felt tortured. We had to read this for book club. My mom disliked it, but I think I disliked it even more.

It's probably a good thing that I had to miss the book club meeting, because someone else would have liked it and then I would have been a total grinch at the meeting.
]]> <![CDATA[The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye]]> 138398 The world we knew is gone.

How many hours are in a day when you don't spend half of them watching television? When is the last time any of us really worked to get something we wanted? How long has it been since any of us really needed something that we wanted?

The world of commerce and frivolous necessity has been replaced by a world of survival and responsibility. An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living.

In a matter of months society has crumbled: no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. In a world ruled by the dead, the survivors are forced to finally start living.

Rick Grimes finds himself one of the few survivors in this terrifying future. A couple months ago he was a small town cop who had never fired a shot and only ever saw one dead body. Separated from his family, he must now sort through all the death and confusion to try and find his wife and son.

Edition MSRP: $9âąâą US (ISBN 978-1-58240-672-5)
Printed in USA]]> 144 Robert Kirkman 1582406723 Alexis 0 2011 Much better than the show. 4.27 2004 The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye
author: Robert Kirkman
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at: 2011/11/23
date added: 2011/11/23
shelves: 2011
review:
Much better than the show.
]]> <![CDATA[The Walking Dead, Vol. 2: Miles Behind Us]]> 138396 136 Robert Kirkman 1582404135 Alexis 0 2011 4.23 2004 The Walking Dead, Vol. 2: Miles Behind Us
author: Robert Kirkman
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/11/23
shelves: 2011
review:
Better than the tv show, which I don't like. I plan to read all the comic books because I have a friend who can lend them to me.
]]> <![CDATA[Sugar in My Bowl: Real Women Write About Real Sex]]> 10321830 Fear of Flying opened eyes and broke down walls—offers us a provocative collection of essays about sex from some of the most respected female authors writing today. “Real Women Write about Real Sex� in Sugar in My Bowl, as such marquee names as Gail Collins, Eve Ensler, Daphne Merken, Anne Roiphe, Liz Smith, Naomi Wolf, and Jennifer Weiner, to name but a few, join together to speak openly about female desire—what provokes it and what satisfies it. In the free, unfettered spirit of The Bitch in the House, Sugar in My Bowl explores the bedroom lives of women with daring, wit, intelligence, and candor.
]]> 256 Erica Jong 0061875767 Alexis 0 2011
The essays in this collection were great- there was one about casual sex, inappropriate sex, watching as a daughter discovers her sexuality etc. I liked the honest nature of many of these pieces. I also liked that Jong included a variety of women of different ages. I did feel like the collection was a little heteronormative and would have liked a couple of essays written by gay women, just to add a little to the mix.

I was also interested to read that women still have a hard time writing about sex. Many of the women who contributed to this book would only do so after their partners gave them permission to include the essay they had written! Wow!]]> 3.31 2011 Sugar in My Bowl: Real Women Write About Real Sex
author: Erica Jong
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.31
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2011/11/22
date added: 2011/11/22
shelves: 2011
review:
I'm not going to star this review because I had a weird reaction to it. I really did not want to read the fiction pieces, because I felt that they broke up the collection. If I had been editing this anthology, I would have only included essays. There was also bits of a stage monologue and a comic and those worked for me. I didn't like the fiction in with my essays.

The essays in this collection were great- there was one about casual sex, inappropriate sex, watching as a daughter discovers her sexuality etc. I liked the honest nature of many of these pieces. I also liked that Jong included a variety of women of different ages. I did feel like the collection was a little heteronormative and would have liked a couple of essays written by gay women, just to add a little to the mix.

I was also interested to read that women still have a hard time writing about sex. Many of the women who contributed to this book would only do so after their partners gave them permission to include the essay they had written! Wow!
]]> The Moth Diaries 1131133
And at the center of the diary is the question that haunts all who read it: Is Ernessa really a vampire? Or is the narrator trapped in her own fevered imagination?]]> 250 Rachel Klein 0571224636 Alexis 4 2011
Klein makes many references to classic horror and vampire fiction that numerous readers who are versed in the genres are sure to be able to identify.

I'm looking forward to the movie. ]]> 3.62 2002 The Moth Diaries
author: Rachel Klein
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2011/11/18
date added: 2011/11/18
shelves: 2011
review:
This book was absolutely genius. It is set in a girls' boarding school in the 1960s. The main character has a rather close friendship with another girl, and this friendship is ursuped by a creepy, vampiric seeming girl called Ernessa Bloch. There are a lot of themes in this- vampirism, and intense female friendships. It's creepy and dark, and I loved it.

Klein makes many references to classic horror and vampire fiction that numerous readers who are versed in the genres are sure to be able to identify.

I'm looking forward to the movie.
]]> Touch 9732929
Touch introduces you to a world where monsters and witches oppose singing dogs and golden caribou, where the living and the dead part and meet again in the crippling beauty of winter and the surreal haze of summer.]]> 264 Alexi Zentner 0393079872 Alexis 3 2011
The ax is practically a character in this book.

I loved the writing, the darkness of the story and the way that ghosts and creatures that live in the forest came to life. There are some images in the book that will stick in my memory.

This book is destined to be a winter classic (I actually found some of the harshness of winter difficult to read about) and I would definitely check out Zentner's next book.]]> 3.66 2011 Touch
author: Alexi Zentner
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2011/11/18
date added: 2011/11/18
shelves: 2011
review:
I sort of feel like I wasn't able to give this beautiful book the attention it deserved because I had a lot going on when I was trying to read it. It was the story of a family in a logging town called Sawgamet. Various tragedies befall the family, and they have to face the elements; snow, and fire.

The ax is practically a character in this book.

I loved the writing, the darkness of the story and the way that ghosts and creatures that live in the forest came to life. There are some images in the book that will stick in my memory.

This book is destined to be a winter classic (I actually found some of the harshness of winter difficult to read about) and I would definitely check out Zentner's next book.
]]> Life Itself 10836585 Chicago Sun-Times since 1967, and was the first film critic ever to win a Pulitzer Prize. He has appeared on television for four decades, including twenty-three years as cohost of Siskel & Ebert at the Movies.

In 2006, complications from thyroid cancer treatment resulted in the loss of his ability to eat, drink, or speak. But with the loss of his voice, Ebert has only become a more prolific and influential writer. And now, for the first time, he tells the full, dramatic story of his life and career.

Roger Ebert's journalism carried him on a path far from his nearly idyllic childhood in Urbana, Illinois. It is a journey that began as a reporter for his local daily, and took him to Chicago, where he was unexpectedly given the job of film critic for the Sun-Times, launching a lifetime's adventures.

In this candid, personal history, Ebert chronicles it all: his loves, losses, and obsessions; his struggle and recovery from alcoholism; his marriage; his politics; and his spiritual beliefs. He writes about his years at the Sun-Times, his colorful newspaper friends, and his life-changing collaboration with Gene Siskel. He remembers his friendships with Studs Terkel, Mike Royko, Oprah Winfrey, and Russ Meyer (for whom he wrote Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and an ill-fated Sex Pistols movie). He shares his insights into movie stars and directors like John Wayne, Werner Herzog, and Martin Scorsese.

This is a story that only Roger Ebert could tell. Filled with the same deep insight, dry wit, and sharp observations that his readers have long cherished, this is more than a memoir-it is a singular, warm-hearted, inspiring look at life itself.

"I believe that if, at the end, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn't always know this, and am happy I lived long enough to find it out."
-from LIFE ITSELF]]> 436 Roger Ebert 0446584975 Alexis 4 2011
Ebert writes beautifully. He can write intelligently without being inaccessible and he shows a great love for many things- dogs, food, walking, travelling, movies, books, and people. He has a lust for life and a passion for the world.

This book gives you a view into that world. I am a long time admirer of his work. ]]> 3.90 2011 Life Itself
author: Roger Ebert
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/11/15
date added: 2011/11/15
shelves: 2011
review:
Four stars for enjoyment of the essays I read. This is a collection of essays and memoirs, and some of them were way more interesting to me than others. I don't really care about his extended family, and I actually skipped a few essays. I loved reading abou this interactions with Martin Scorsese, his relationship with Siskel, his education, work at the newspaper, and his experiences with his struggle for help, his love life and current relationship with his wonderful wife, and his take on the movies.

Ebert writes beautifully. He can write intelligently without being inaccessible and he shows a great love for many things- dogs, food, walking, travelling, movies, books, and people. He has a lust for life and a passion for the world.

This book gives you a view into that world. I am a long time admirer of his work.
]]> Drummer Girl 12043117 192 Karen Bass 1550504622 Alexis 0 2011 Friend's book 3.32 2011 Drummer Girl
author: Karen Bass
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.32
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/11/11
shelves: 2011
review:
Friend's book
]]> <![CDATA[13: The Story of the World's Most Notorious Superstition]]> 1631221 Triskaidekaphobia: fear of the number 13

If thirteen people sit down at a table, will one die within a year? Why did five U.S. presidents join the Thirteen Club? What is the only major New York hotel that has a thirteenth floor?

In 13, a fascinating cultural history-cum-detective story, Nathaniel Lachenmeyer gets to the root of how one superstition—the fear of the number 13—developed among wildly divergent societies. A book about mythmaking, 13 explores why people believe what they believe, and the real reason Friday the 13th is the most unlucky day in the world.

]]> 240 Nathaniel Lachenmeyer 0452284961 Alexis 2 2011
I did learn a lot of fascinating things about the number 13 and the 13 superstitition. The superstition started because there were 13 people at the Last Supper. This spawned the popularity of Thirteen Clubs, where people would gather to risk invoking popular superstitions. These dangers would feature black cats, coffins, spilled salt etc. They were a big deal!

There were some pretty interesting things in this book, but other sections were pretty boring. This isn't necessarily a book that I would recommend to a lot of people.

Still, there was some cool trivia, and quotes about the number 13.]]> 3.28 2004 13: The Story of the World's Most Notorious Superstition
author: Nathaniel Lachenmeyer
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.28
book published: 2004
rating: 2
read at: 2011/11/09
date added: 2011/11/09
shelves: 2011
review:
If you write a book called "13", you will start seeing the number everywhere. This book was in the window of a used bookstore, so I had to buy it.

I did learn a lot of fascinating things about the number 13 and the 13 superstitition. The superstition started because there were 13 people at the Last Supper. This spawned the popularity of Thirteen Clubs, where people would gather to risk invoking popular superstitions. These dangers would feature black cats, coffins, spilled salt etc. They were a big deal!

There were some pretty interesting things in this book, but other sections were pretty boring. This isn't necessarily a book that I would recommend to a lot of people.

Still, there was some cool trivia, and quotes about the number 13.
]]> <![CDATA[This Dark Endeavour (The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein, #1)]]> 11992460 The purest intentions can stir up the darkest obsessions.

In this prequel to Mary Shelley’s gothic classic, Frankenstein, 16-year-old Victor Frankenstein begins a dark journey that will change his life forever. Victor’s twin, Konrad, has fallen ill, and no doctor is able to cure him. Unwilling to give up on his brother, Victor enlists his beautiful cousin Elizabeth and best friend Henry on a treacherous search for the ingredients to create the forbidden Elixir of Life. Impossible odds, dangerous alchemy and a bitter love triangle threaten their quest at every turn.

Victor knows he must not fail. But his success depends on how far he is willing to push the boundaries of nature, science, and love—and how much he is willing to sacrifice.]]> 384 Kenneth Oppel 0857560123 Alexis 2 2011
Oppel is highly creative and imaginative and that's why I come back to him again and again.

This book is a pre-quel to the story of Victor Frankenstein. Oppel takes us into the world and head of young Victor, who wants to save his twin after the twin becomes ill. Victor and his cousin Elizabeth and their neighbour Henry start delving into alchemy and meet a bunch of crazy characters. Victor starts to fall in love with his cousin. (Cousin love is one plot point that always turns me off. I try to get past it, but I just have a strong cousin-love taboo)

This book has a fast moving plot, but one of my problems with it is that Victor is really just an asshole. I know that Oppel was trying to show how Victor could become the mad scientist who created a monster, but in trying to show how he became that way, he succeeded in creating a main character who is a nasty person. I couldn't work up a lot of sympathy or compassion for him because he was such a dick.]]> 3.86 2011 This Dark Endeavour (The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein, #1)
author: Kenneth Oppel
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2011/11/08
date added: 2011/11/08
shelves: 2011
review:
I'll try anything that Kenneth Oppel writes, but he is hit and miss for me. I loved Half-Brother (one of my fave books of 2010) and adored the first three books in the Silverwing series (but didn't like Air borne).

Oppel is highly creative and imaginative and that's why I come back to him again and again.

This book is a pre-quel to the story of Victor Frankenstein. Oppel takes us into the world and head of young Victor, who wants to save his twin after the twin becomes ill. Victor and his cousin Elizabeth and their neighbour Henry start delving into alchemy and meet a bunch of crazy characters. Victor starts to fall in love with his cousin. (Cousin love is one plot point that always turns me off. I try to get past it, but I just have a strong cousin-love taboo)

This book has a fast moving plot, but one of my problems with it is that Victor is really just an asshole. I know that Oppel was trying to show how Victor could become the mad scientist who created a monster, but in trying to show how he became that way, he succeeded in creating a main character who is a nasty person. I couldn't work up a lot of sympathy or compassion for him because he was such a dick.
]]> Please Look After Mom 8574333 Please Look After Mom is a stunning, deeply moving story of a family's search for their missing mother - and their discovery of the desires, heartaches and secrets they never realized she harbored within.

When sixty-nine year old So-nyo is separated from her husband among the crowds of the Seoul subway station, and vanishes, their children are consumed with loud recriminations, and are awash in sorrow and guilt. As they argue over the "Missing" flyers they are posting throughout the city - how large of a reward to offer, the best way to phrase the text - they realize that none of them have a recent photograph of Mom. Soon a larger question emerges: do they really know the woman they called Mom?

Told by the alternating voices of Mom's daughter, son, her husband and, in the shattering conclusion, by Mom herself, the novel pieces together, Rashomon-style, a life that appears ordinary but is anything but.

This is a mystery of one mother that reveals itself to be the mystery of all our mothers: about her triumphs and disappointments and about who she is on her own terms, separate from who she is to her family. If you have ever been a daughter, a son, a husband or a mother, Please Look After Mom is a revelation - one that will bring tears to your eyes.]]> 237 Kyung-Sook Shin 0307593916 Alexis 2 2011
My enjoyment was limited because I have a very, very hard time reading books that are told in the second person. I really struggle with reading 2nd person because I always feel personally implicated. The second person was necessary for this story, but I still had a hard time with it.

The structure of the book is interesting. It's the story about a woman (a mother) who goes missing. Each section is told from a perspective- her daughter, her son, her husband and the mother. This results in a story about how much we really know about our families and our mothers. I thought it was a very smart book.

Oh, also her husband was a huge KNOB.]]> 3.89 2008 Please Look After Mom
author: Kyung-Sook Shin
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2008
rating: 2
read at: 2011/11/07
date added: 2011/11/07
shelves: 2011
review:
I thought this book was very well done, but my enjoyment of it was limited, so that's why it gets a two star rating.

My enjoyment was limited because I have a very, very hard time reading books that are told in the second person. I really struggle with reading 2nd person because I always feel personally implicated. The second person was necessary for this story, but I still had a hard time with it.

The structure of the book is interesting. It's the story about a woman (a mother) who goes missing. Each section is told from a perspective- her daughter, her son, her husband and the mother. This results in a story about how much we really know about our families and our mothers. I thought it was a very smart book.

Oh, also her husband was a huge KNOB.
]]> <![CDATA[Sex, Sin, and Zen: A Buddhist Exploration of Sex from Celibacy to Polyamory and Everything In Between]]> 7933082 304 Brad Warner 1577319109 Alexis 4 2011
I am happy to say that I really agree with the Buddhist attitudes toward sex as outlined by Warner. It's healthy! It's natural and not a sin! Who cares what you're doing as long as you're not hurting anyone! Treat sex and sex partners with respect; it is not something to be taken lightly.

This was a chatty, fun book and there's a lot of fodder here. I found myself nodding during some sections.

Great book.]]> 3.81 2010 Sex, Sin, and Zen: A Buddhist Exploration of Sex from Celibacy to Polyamory and Everything In Between
author: Brad Warner
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2011/11/03
date added: 2011/11/03
shelves: 2011
review:
I love Brad Warner. I've read all of his books and would happily attend one of his talks. Brad Warner used to be work at a Japanese monster movie studio, and played in a punk band. Now he's a Zen monk. In this book, he tries to give a Buddhist analysis of sex and the Buddhist attitudes to sex.

I am happy to say that I really agree with the Buddhist attitudes toward sex as outlined by Warner. It's healthy! It's natural and not a sin! Who cares what you're doing as long as you're not hurting anyone! Treat sex and sex partners with respect; it is not something to be taken lightly.

This was a chatty, fun book and there's a lot of fodder here. I found myself nodding during some sections.

Great book.
]]> <![CDATA[Sisterhood Everlasting (Sisterhood, #5)]]> 9461872
Despite having jobs and men that they love, each knows that something is missing: the closeness that once sustained them. Carmen is a successful actress in New York, engaged to be married, but misses her friends. Lena finds solace in her art, teaching in Rhode Island, but still thinks of Kostos and the road she didn’t take. Bridget lives with her longtime boyfriend, Eric, in San Francisco, and though a part of her wants to settle down, a bigger part can’t seem to shed her old restlessness.

Then Tibby reaches out to bridge the distance, sending the others plane tickets for a reunion that they all breathlessly await. And indeed, it will change their lives forever—but in ways that none of them could ever have expected.

As moving and life-changing as an encounter with long-lost best friends, Sisterhood Everlasting is a powerful story about growing up, losing your way, and finding the courage to create a new one.]]> 349 Ann Brashares 0385521227 Alexis 1 2011
I was so angry when I was reading this, and then I had to finish it. UGH>

I just looked at the other reviews and I found that there were 2 camps- People who loved the book and bawled, and people like me who HATED the book and felt that the characters acted like absolute crazy people. I feel justified in my reaction. ]]> 3.89 2011 Sisterhood Everlasting (Sisterhood, #5)
author: Ann Brashares
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2011
rating: 1
read at: 2011/11/02
date added: 2011/11/02
shelves: 2011
review:
If you like the other four books in the series, then I would advise you not to read this one. This one takes place 10 years later, when the girls are all 29. The book is depressing and characters act out of character.

I was so angry when I was reading this, and then I had to finish it. UGH>

I just looked at the other reviews and I found that there were 2 camps- People who loved the book and bawled, and people like me who HATED the book and felt that the characters acted like absolute crazy people. I feel justified in my reaction.
]]> Half-Blood Blues 12010459 336 Esi Edugyan 0887627412 Alexis 4 2011
Things that worked for me- the story, the characters, the use of language and the setting. It was an interesting story and I loved the use of race. I also didn't have a clue what was going to happen, which made the story richer for me.

Great writing. I think this might be my choice for the Giller. ]]> 3.71 2011 Half-Blood Blues
author: Esi Edugyan
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/10/31
date added: 2011/10/31
shelves: 2011
review:
I loved this and read it in one day. I liked it a lot more than I expected to like.

Things that worked for me- the story, the characters, the use of language and the setting. It was an interesting story and I loved the use of race. I also didn't have a clue what was going to happen, which made the story richer for me.

Great writing. I think this might be my choice for the Giller.
]]> Once You Break a Knuckle 12280115 256 D.W. Wilson 0670065749 Alexis 3 2011
That said, I do have some quibbles. I would have edited the hell out of the long story called "Valley echo", because it seemed to be all over the place. Or I would have placed it at the end, because it was more like a novella.

Many of these short stories feature the same characters, or are linked.

I would have put all the linked stories together. ]]> 3.67 2011 Once You Break a Knuckle
author: D.W. Wilson
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2011/10/31
date added: 2011/10/31
shelves: 2011
review:
I loved the style of writing in this book- that hard, minimalist, muscular and masculine prose with lots of repetition. I liked the characters and I liked the stories themselves. I also liked that they were set in Invermere, and that the location played such a huge role in these stories.

That said, I do have some quibbles. I would have edited the hell out of the long story called "Valley echo", because it seemed to be all over the place. Or I would have placed it at the end, because it was more like a novella.

Many of these short stories feature the same characters, or are linked.

I would have put all the linked stories together.
]]> Charlotte’s Web 24178 Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan, is a classic of children's literature that is "just about perfect." This high-quality paperback features vibrant illustrations colorized by Rosemary Wells!

Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte's Web, high up in Zuckerman's barn. Charlotte's spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who simply wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur's life when he was born the runt of his litter.

E. B. White's Newbery Honor Book is a tender novel of friendship, love, life, and death that will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come. This edition contains newly color illustrations by Garth Williams, the acclaimed illustrator of E. B. White's Stuart Little and Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series, among many other books.]]> 184 E.B. White 0064410935 Alexis 5 2011 4.20 1952 Charlotte’s Web
author: E.B. White
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1952
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2011/10/30
shelves: 2011
review:
Re-read for a writing project. An absolutely perfect book. Great use of language, story telling and imagery. Everyone should read this book.
]]> <![CDATA[Lola and the Boy Next Door (Anna and the French Kiss, #2)]]> 9961796 ISBN 9780525423287

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.]]> 338 Stephanie Perkins Alexis 4 2011
Lola is a girl who wants to be a fashion designer. She wears colourful clothing and wigs. She has two gay dads (very nice) and they all live in San Francisco. This book also made me realize that I desperately need to visit that city.

She has had a long time friendship/love interest with this one guy....


I love how the characters from Perkins' first book, Anna and St. Clair, serve as minor characters in this book.

Lola and the boy next door is cute and swoon worthy. My gosh, Perkins can create swoon worthy boys.

Recommended for sappy people who like teen romance. ]]> 3.90 2011 Lola and the Boy Next Door (Anna and the French Kiss, #2)
author: Stephanie Perkins
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2011/10/25
shelves: 2011
review:
Sweet Jesus, Stephanie Perkins writes some romantic books. This is another teen romance and it's just sweet and the ending is pretty darn HOT.

Lola is a girl who wants to be a fashion designer. She wears colourful clothing and wigs. She has two gay dads (very nice) and they all live in San Francisco. This book also made me realize that I desperately need to visit that city.

She has had a long time friendship/love interest with this one guy....


I love how the characters from Perkins' first book, Anna and St. Clair, serve as minor characters in this book.

Lola and the boy next door is cute and swoon worthy. My gosh, Perkins can create swoon worthy boys.

Recommended for sappy people who like teen romance.
]]> Creep (Creep, #1) 10088219
If he can’t have her . . .

Dr. Sheila Tao is a professor of psychology. An expert in human behavior. And when she began an affair with sexy, charming graduate student Ethan Wolfe, she knew she was playing with fire. Consumed by lust when they were together, riddled with guilt when they weren’t, she knows the three-month fling with her teaching assistant has to end. After all, she’s finally engaged to a kind and loving investment banker who adores her, and she’s taking control of her life. But when she attempts to end the affair, Ethan Wolfe won’t let her walk away.

. . . no one else can.

Ethan has plans for Sheila, plans that involve posting a sex video that would surely get her fired and destroy her prestigious career. Plans to make her pay for rejecting him. And as she attempts to counter his every threatening move without her colleagues or her fiancé discovering her most intimate secrets, a shattering crime rocks Puget Sound State University: a female student, a star athlete, is found stabbed to death. Someone is raising the stakes of violence, sex, and blackmail . . . and before she knows it, Sheila is caught in a terrifying cat-and-mouse game with the lover she couldn’t resist—who is now the monster who won’t let her go.]]> 357 Jennifer Hillier 1451625847 Alexis 3 2011
The author takes you on a psychological thrill ride, and you want to figure out what is going to happen. I think she did a great job of switching viewpoints of various characters. I also liked the Seattle setting, which she used well. I was even able to identify certain locations. I also liked that there were a variety of different ethnic backgrounds represented. One of the main characters was Chinese and there was an interracial relationship between a Black man and Chinese woman, which doesn't happen a lot in fiction and is sort of nice.

There was also a plot twist and a cliffhanger ending which were fairly well handled. I enjoyed my little foray into the thriller genre and I'd read more of what Ms. Hillier writes. It's good for me to venture outside my reading comfort zone sometimes.

I'm pretty sure I picked this one up after reading a review of it in the Globe or in the Edmonton Journal.]]> 3.88 2011 Creep (Creep, #1)
author: Jennifer Hillier
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2011/10/23
shelves: 2011
review:
I don't normally read genre books or thrillers, so it was really nice to read something different. This book was the debut novel of a Canadian who is living in the US. The main characters in this book are terribly flawed; one is a sex addict, the other an alcoholic. The sex addict is having an affair with one of her grad students, who is not all he appears to be. There are threads of sexual deviance and murder and mayhem...

The author takes you on a psychological thrill ride, and you want to figure out what is going to happen. I think she did a great job of switching viewpoints of various characters. I also liked the Seattle setting, which she used well. I was even able to identify certain locations. I also liked that there were a variety of different ethnic backgrounds represented. One of the main characters was Chinese and there was an interracial relationship between a Black man and Chinese woman, which doesn't happen a lot in fiction and is sort of nice.

There was also a plot twist and a cliffhanger ending which were fairly well handled. I enjoyed my little foray into the thriller genre and I'd read more of what Ms. Hillier writes. It's good for me to venture outside my reading comfort zone sometimes.

I'm pretty sure I picked this one up after reading a review of it in the Globe or in the Edmonton Journal.
]]> The Sisters Brothers 9850443
With The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt pays homage to the classic Western, transforming it into an unforgettable comic tour de force. Filled with a remarkable cast of characters - losers, cheaters, and ne'er-do-wells from all stripes of life - and told by a complex and compelling narrator, it is a violent, lustful odyssey through the underworld of the 1850s frontier that beautifully captures the humor, melancholy, and grit of the Old West, and two brothers bound by blood, violence, and love.]]> 328 Patrick deWitt 0062041266 Alexis 3 2011
I've also realized that I do like Westerns, because they deal with tough men, open range, great scenery, nard living, adventure, travel, nature and animals. These are all things I like.

I really liked the use of language in this book- it was slick and well written and it was the kind of minimalist writing that makes me quite happy. I liked the main character and his voice and there were some scenes that I really enjoyed reading. THe relationship between the two brothers and the actions and their hunt were also interesting.

This book reminded me of a movie, and I would definitely watch it if it was available in movie form. Hmm, maybe I do have more to say about this book than I thought. I just wasn't sure how it was innovative. I guess I need some more reviews....

(PS- As I was reading this book, I kept on thinking that my Dad would really enjoy it.)]]> 3.84 2011 The Sisters Brothers
author: Patrick deWitt
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2011/10/22
date added: 2011/10/22
shelves: 2011
review:
I read and liked this book, but I kind of don't really understand what all the hype was about. In many ways, it reminded me a lot of True Grit, and now I think I want to read that book.

I've also realized that I do like Westerns, because they deal with tough men, open range, great scenery, nard living, adventure, travel, nature and animals. These are all things I like.

I really liked the use of language in this book- it was slick and well written and it was the kind of minimalist writing that makes me quite happy. I liked the main character and his voice and there were some scenes that I really enjoyed reading. THe relationship between the two brothers and the actions and their hunt were also interesting.

This book reminded me of a movie, and I would definitely watch it if it was available in movie form. Hmm, maybe I do have more to say about this book than I thought. I just wasn't sure how it was innovative. I guess I need some more reviews....

(PS- As I was reading this book, I kept on thinking that my Dad would really enjoy it.)
]]> <![CDATA[Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #3)]]> 9409458 then.
When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their love moved from curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives.

now.
That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be killed in one final, spectacular hunt.

forever.
Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present, and the future are about to collide in one pure moment--a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.]]> 390 Maggie Stiefvater Alexis 3 2011 3.89 2011 Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #3)
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2011/10/22
date added: 2011/10/22
shelves: 2011
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?]]> 6303704
The son of a classical pianist straight out of the Bronx of old Archie comics, Steven Tyler was born to be a rock star. Weaned on Cole Porter, Nat King Cole, Mick—and his beloved Janis Joplin—Tyler began tearing up the streets and the stage as a teenager before finally meeting his "mutant twin" and legendary partner Joe Perry. In this addictively readable memoir, told in the playful, poetic voice that is uniquely his own, Tyler unabashedly recounts the meteoric rise, fall, and rise of Aerosmith over the last three decades and riffs on the music that gives it all meaning.

Tyler tells what it's like to be a living legend and the frontman of one of the world's most revered and infamous bands—the debauchery, the money, the notoriety, the fights, the motels and hotels, the elevators, limos, buses and jets, the rehab. He reveals the spiritual side that "gets lost behind the stereotype of the Sex Guy, the Drug Guy, the Demon of Screamin', the Terror of the Tropicana." And he talks about his epic romantic life and his relationship with his four children. As dazzling, bold, and out-on-the-edge as the man himself, Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? is an all-access backstage pass into this extraordinary showman's life.]]> 390 Steven Tyler 0061767891 Alexis 2 2011
Anyway, I must have been the last person on the planet to know that Steven Tyler had drug problems.

There were some good bits to this book, but I just felt it was largely disorganized and there was a lack of info and bits missing.

How did he reunite with Liv? How did he get with his present girlfriend? These questions were not answered. ]]> 3.52 2011 Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?
author: Steven Tyler
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2011/10/20
date added: 2011/10/20
shelves: 2011
review:
I read rock bios the way some people eat chips I started listening to this one on audio cd, but then I realized I could read it faster than the audio cd and save myself time (a weird realization)

Anyway, I must have been the last person on the planet to know that Steven Tyler had drug problems.

There were some good bits to this book, but I just felt it was largely disorganized and there was a lack of info and bits missing.

How did he reunite with Liv? How did he get with his present girlfriend? These questions were not answered.
]]> <![CDATA[The World of Winnie-the-Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh, #1-2)]]> 99111
This deluxe volume brings all of the Pooh stories together in one full-colour, large-format book. The texts are complete and unabridged, and all of the illustrations, each gloriously recoloured, are included. Here are the beloved stories of Pooh stuck in Rabbit's doorway, of gloomy Eeyore and his nearly forgotten birthday, of playing Poohsticks on the bridge, and so many more.]]> 353 A.A. Milne 0525444475 Alexis 5 2011
I was delighted by the whimsical nature and the wordplay! There was so much wordplay that I didn't pick up on as a child. I love the stories and the dialogue and description and the rhythm and use of language in these stories. Someone could write a Thesis on the Use of Capitalization in Winnie the Pooh.

There's really nothing much to criticize, except that the characters sometimes act like jerks. But don't we all?

Please note that I have the copy with the original illustrations. None of that Disney Winnie the Pooh garbage for me. ]]> 4.39 1926 The World of Winnie-the-Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh, #1-2)
author: A.A. Milne
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.39
book published: 1926
rating: 5
read at: 2011/10/16
date added: 2011/10/16
shelves: 2011
review:
I loved, loved this series as a kid. It is amazing how many of these stories have crept into my vague memories. I've had a hardcover copy of the books since I was 20. I don't know if I re-read it then, but I just picked this up one night this week and started reading it.

I was delighted by the whimsical nature and the wordplay! There was so much wordplay that I didn't pick up on as a child. I love the stories and the dialogue and description and the rhythm and use of language in these stories. Someone could write a Thesis on the Use of Capitalization in Winnie the Pooh.

There's really nothing much to criticize, except that the characters sometimes act like jerks. But don't we all?

Please note that I have the copy with the original illustrations. None of that Disney Winnie the Pooh garbage for me.
]]> The Little Shadows 10868799 The Little Shadows revolves around three sisters in the world of vaudeville before and during the First World War. We follow the lives of all three in turn: Aurora, the eldest and most beautiful, who is sixteen when the book opens; thoughtful Clover, a year younger; and the youngest sister, joyous headstrong sprite Bella, who is thirteen. The girls, overseen by their fond but barely coping Mama, are forced to make their living as a singing act after the untimely death of their father. All they have is their youth, beauty and talent.]]> 544 Marina Endicott 0385668910 Alexis 0 2011
That said, one of the reasons why I didn't like it was because I LOVED "Good to a fault." I find that sometimes when I love, love, love one book by an author, it makes it more difficult for me to love other books by them. (See Lynn Coady's "The Antagonist" due to "Mean Boy" love and Miriam Toews' "A complicated kindness", which makes everything else she does pale in comparison) This is unfortunate.

There are a lot of things that Endicott does right in this book. I loved the prairie locations, and the history in this book. I loved how the characters moved around and travelled and the history of vaudeville.

However, I had a really hard time telling two of the sisters apart and I couldn't keep them straight in my head. I read another review which said that the reviewer was distracted by the recounting of the vaudeville sketches- and I had the same problem. I think that this book would actually make a great movie.

I suspect that I would have enjoyed this book more if I'd read it at a different time. I've been sick and my concentration is off, and I felt like I needed to concentrate to follow this.

So, yes, there's a lot of good stuff here, but I wasn't in the mood to get into it. ]]> 3.32 2011 The Little Shadows
author: Marina Endicott
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.32
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/10/16
shelves: 2011
review:
Extremely mixed feelings about this one. It is probably quite good, but I just couldn't get into it. I ended up reading a multitude of books while reading this one, which is a sign that a book is not doing something for me.

That said, one of the reasons why I didn't like it was because I LOVED "Good to a fault." I find that sometimes when I love, love, love one book by an author, it makes it more difficult for me to love other books by them. (See Lynn Coady's "The Antagonist" due to "Mean Boy" love and Miriam Toews' "A complicated kindness", which makes everything else she does pale in comparison) This is unfortunate.

There are a lot of things that Endicott does right in this book. I loved the prairie locations, and the history in this book. I loved how the characters moved around and travelled and the history of vaudeville.

However, I had a really hard time telling two of the sisters apart and I couldn't keep them straight in my head. I read another review which said that the reviewer was distracted by the recounting of the vaudeville sketches- and I had the same problem. I think that this book would actually make a great movie.

I suspect that I would have enjoyed this book more if I'd read it at a different time. I've been sick and my concentration is off, and I felt like I needed to concentrate to follow this.

So, yes, there's a lot of good stuff here, but I wasn't in the mood to get into it.
]]> <![CDATA[Why I Am a Buddhist: No-Nonsense Buddhism with Red Meat and Whiskey]]> 6716321 There have been a lot of books that have made the case for Buddhism. What makes this book fresh and exciting is Asma's iconoclasm, irreverence, and hardheaded approach to the subject. He is distressed that much of what passes for Buddhism is really little more than "New Age mush." He loudly asserts that it is time to "take the California out of Buddhism." He presents a spiritual practice that does not require a belief in creeds or dogma. It is a practice that is psychologically sound, intellectually credible, and esthetically appealing. It is a practice that does not require a diet of brown rice, burning incense, and putting both your mind and your culture in deep storage.
In seven chapters, Asma builds the case for a spiritual practice that is authentic, and inclusive. This is Buddhism for everyone. This is Buddhism for people who are uncomfortable with religion but yearn for a spiritual practice.]]> 192 Stephen T. Asma 157174617X Alexis 4 2011

Did I mention that I LOVED it?

Stephen T. Asma is a man after my own heart. He came to Buddhism the same way I did- reading about mysticism, rock music and the Beats (Except he did a lot more drugs than I have ever done- hi mom!)

Anyway, this is a no-nonsense guide to how Buddhism and Buddhist philosophy helps him live his life and how it helps him strive to be a better person.

He describes the various avenues where Buddhism helps him- in his understanding of romantic relationships, his parenting, and how Buddhism and science intersect. This book is really easy to read and I would recommend it for any Western Buddhist.

I found that he has written books on a variety of topics, including one on our fascination with monsters, and another on his travels in Southeast Asia. I'm going to check them out!]]> 3.50 2009 Why I Am a Buddhist: No-Nonsense Buddhism with Red Meat and Whiskey
author: Stephen T. Asma
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2011/10/11
date added: 2011/10/11
shelves: 2011
review:
Four and a half stars. I love, love, loved this book. This was one of the books that I just pulled off the shelf during a recent visit to the library. So glad I did!


Did I mention that I LOVED it?

Stephen T. Asma is a man after my own heart. He came to Buddhism the same way I did- reading about mysticism, rock music and the Beats (Except he did a lot more drugs than I have ever done- hi mom!)

Anyway, this is a no-nonsense guide to how Buddhism and Buddhist philosophy helps him live his life and how it helps him strive to be a better person.

He describes the various avenues where Buddhism helps him- in his understanding of romantic relationships, his parenting, and how Buddhism and science intersect. This book is really easy to read and I would recommend it for any Western Buddhist.

I found that he has written books on a variety of topics, including one on our fascination with monsters, and another on his travels in Southeast Asia. I'm going to check them out!
]]> <![CDATA[Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #2)]]> 6654313 the longing.
Once Grace and Sam have found each other, they know they must fight to stay together. For Sam, this means a reckoning with his werewolf past. For Grace, it means facing a future that is less and less certain.

the loss.
Into their world comes a new wolf named Cole, whose past is full of hurt and danger. He is wrestling with his own demons, embracing the life of a wolf while denying the ties of being a human.

the linger.
For Grace, Sam, and Cole, life is a constant struggle between two forces - wolf and human - with love baring its two sides as well. It is harrowing and euphoric, freeing and entrapping, enticing and alarming. As their world falls apart, love is what lingers. But will it be enough?]]> 362 Maggie Stiefvater 0545123283 Alexis 3 2011
I am disappointed that I will have to wait so long to read the third book! There was a cliff hanger ending and the third book is still in hardcover and my library copy has 103 holds on it! NO! WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE TEENAGE WEREWOLVES!!!


Also, Sam is a total hottie and I'm a terrible romantic so these books are kind of torturous for me. I wish they got the attention that Twilight does, because they are much, much better. ]]> 3.89 2010 Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #2)
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2011/10/10
date added: 2011/10/10
shelves: 2011
review:
These books are a lot of fun and this one was a good continuation of what happened in the first book. I love Stiefvater's wolfy world and wolf mythology. I was surprised that Grace's parents suddenly realized that they had a daughter and became crazy-protective in this book when they'd ignored her completely in the first book. That didn't seem to work for me.

I am disappointed that I will have to wait so long to read the third book! There was a cliff hanger ending and the third book is still in hardcover and my library copy has 103 holds on it! NO! WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE TEENAGE WEREWOLVES!!!


Also, Sam is a total hottie and I'm a terrible romantic so these books are kind of torturous for me. I wish they got the attention that Twilight does, because they are much, much better.
]]> Monoceros 11010479
His parents are devastated. His secret boyfriend's girlfriend is relieved. His unicorn- and virginity-obsessed classmate, Faraday, is shattered; she wishes she had made friends with him that time she sold him an Iced Cappuccino at Tim Hortons. His English teacher, mid-divorce and mid-menopause, wishes she could remember the dead student's name, that she could care more about her students than her ex's new girlfriend. Who happens to be her cousin. The school guidance counselor, Walter, feels guilty—maybe he should have made an effort when the kid asked for help. Max, the principal, is worried about how it will reflect on the school. And Walter, who's secretly been in a relationship with Max for years, thinks that's a little callous. He's also tired of Max's obsession with some sci-fi show on TV. And Max wishes Walter would lose some weight and remember to use a coaster.

And then Max meets a drag queen named Crepe Suzette. And everything changes.]]> 272 Suzette Mayr 1552452417 Alexis 4 2011
Interesting characters. The language is very playful and non-traditional. There are fantastical elements in the work, but they fit into the piece. Other reviewers have called this book tragi-comic, which definitely fits.

There's a surprising depth to this book, which may not be apparent while you're in the process of reading it. It's not really about the suicide, but about the lives of the people who have to cope with the death. ]]> 3.74 2011 Monoceros
author: Suzette Mayr
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/10/09
date added: 2011/10/09
shelves: 2011
review:
One of the most creative books that I've read this year. This book deals with the aftermath of a suicide in a high school. One of the strengths of the book is Mayr's ability to show the grief of the faculty and other students, and how they struggle to deal with the student's death. The scenes in the high school are true to life and full of honesty.

Interesting characters. The language is very playful and non-traditional. There are fantastical elements in the work, but they fit into the piece. Other reviewers have called this book tragi-comic, which definitely fits.

There's a surprising depth to this book, which may not be apparent while you're in the process of reading it. It's not really about the suicide, but about the lives of the people who have to cope with the death.
]]> Waiting for Joe 8663390
On a chilly early morning in late spring, Joe Beaudry and his wife, Laurie, wake up in circumstances that would challenge they are on the lam in a stolen motorhome on the edge of a Walmart parking lot in Regina, Saskatchewan. They've gone bust, lost the house that was Joe's gift from his dad, lost the business Joe started when he got married, and stuck his ancient father in a nursing home in Winnipeg so they could flee their creditors. Joe knows the reality of the situation, and is trying to raise enough cash to get them both to Fort McMurray where he hopes he can find work. But Laurie, even though she watched Joe trash their high-end appliances with a sledgehammer when the yard sale didn't deliver enough cash, somehow thinks it's only temporary, and maxes out their last credit card on wardrobe and hair dye and wishes and dreams. For Joe, it's the last straw in a marriage that once seemed star-crossed and now seems simply unworkable.

Pushed to figure out what to do next, Joe simply takes off hitchhiking, leaving Laurie waiting for Joe, and Joe wondering how he will ever find meaning in a world that has disappointed his every expectation. The road for both of them provides surprising answers...]]> 288 Sandra Birdsell 0307359166 Alexis 3 2011 2.88 2010 Waiting for Joe
author: Sandra Birdsell
name: Alexis
average rating: 2.88
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2011/10/09
date added: 2011/10/09
shelves: 2011
review:
Read this for book club. Going to write a column about it. Since one of my fellow bookclubbers is reading, I'm going to refrain from posting comments.
]]> 13 12753826 96 Alexis Kienlen 1897181531 Alexis 4 2011
A worthy sophomore follow up.

Now available on amazon.ca.



Coming soon to a bookstore near you!]]> 4.50 2011 13
author: Alexis Kienlen
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2011/10/05
shelves: 2011
review:
A book with poems about childhood depression, board games, and the inner working of a beehive. This book is both funnier and darker than the author's previous book.

A worthy sophomore follow up.

Now available on amazon.ca.



Coming soon to a bookstore near you!
]]> What Makes You Not a Buddhist 409890 The Cup and Travelers and Magicians), this provocative teacher, artist, and poet is widely known and admired by Western Buddhists.

Moving away from conventional presentations of Buddhist teachings, Khyentse challenges readers to make sure they know what they're talking about before they claim to be Buddhist. With wit and irony, Khyentse urges readers to move beyond the superficial trappings of Buddhism beyond a romance with beads, incense, and exotic people in robes straight to the heart of what the Buddha taught.

In essence, this book explains what a Buddhist really is, namely, someone who deeply understands the truth of impermanence and how our emotions can trap us in cycles of suffering. Khyentse presents the fundamental tenets of Buddhism in simple language, using examples we can all relate to.]]> 128 Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse 1590304063 Alexis 4 2011
I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a good, modern day Buddhist philosophy book. ]]> 3.99 2006 What Makes You Not a Buddhist
author: Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2011/10/03
date added: 2011/10/03
shelves: 2011
review:
Loved this book! It's a good look at Buddhism and how people can practice Buddhist principles. It's more straight forward than most Buddhist books and uses modern day examples from the news and pop culture.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a good, modern day Buddhist philosophy book.
]]> Far to Go 9780676 Far to Go by acclaimed author Alison Pick is historical fiction at its very best.

When Czechoslovakia relinquishes the Sudetenland to Hitler, the powerful influence of Nazi propaganda sweeps through towns and villages like a sinister vanguard of the Reich's advancing army. A fiercely patriotic secular Jew, Pavel Bauer is helpless to prevent his world from unraveling as first his government, then his business partners, then his neighbors turn their back on his affluent, once-beloved family. Only the Bauers' adoring governess, Marta, sticks by Pavel, his wife, Anneliese, and their little son, Pepik, bound by her deep affection for her employers and friends. But when Marta learns of their impending betrayal at the hands of her lover, Ernst, Pavel's best friend, she is paralyzed by her own fear of discovery—even as the endangered family for whom she cares so deeply struggles with the most difficult decision of their lives.

Interwoven with a present-day narrative that gradually reveals the fate of the Bauer family during and after the war, Far to Go is a riveting family epic, love story, and psychological drama.]]> 312 Alison Pick 0062034626 Alexis 4 2011
This sounds like it could be dreary, but the storyline and Pick's writing style are quite beautiful and she brings in a modern day story mysterious narrator to tie the whole thing together.

I'm going to write a column about this one, so I'm not writing very much right now. ]]> 3.77 2010 Far to Go
author: Alison Pick
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2011/10/03
date added: 2011/10/03
shelves: 2011
review:
Some really beautiful stuff in here. Pick looks at the lives of a family living in occupied Czechoslovakia and their sacrifices and stress as the war intensifies.

This sounds like it could be dreary, but the storyline and Pick's writing style are quite beautiful and she brings in a modern day story mysterious narrator to tie the whole thing together.

I'm going to write a column about this one, so I'm not writing very much right now.
]]> <![CDATA[Bare: The Naked Truth About Stripping]]> 100970 Bare follows the author and her fellow dancers through Seattle strip clubs and bachelor parties, exploring in riveting detail Eaves’s own motivations and behavior, as well as those of her coworkers, as they make their way through the sometimes exhilarating, often disturbing world of stripping. This compelling, revealing memoir exposes the reader to that world behind the flashing lights and offers illuminating insights into the reasons women take up this work—and how it affects their identities and lives off the job.
In its unstinting honesty, Bare demands that we take a closer look at the way sexuality is viewed in our culture; what, if anything, constitutes "normal" desire; the ethics of swapping money—or anything else—for sex; and how women and men navigate the perilous contradictions and double standards that make up today’s socio-sexual conversation.]]> 344 Elisabeth Eaves 1580051219 Alexis 2 2011
This book was definitely interesting- I tore through. Elisabeth Eaves, who wrote Wanderlust, also worked as a stripper for a few years. She also tried a bit of table dancing.

I found Eaves' recounting of her experiences working at the Lusty Lady in Seattle to be really interesting. I liked the feminist analysis of some of the stories, and her honesty. I can understand why some women are attracted to sex work because of the feeling of power, but that this same work can also be degrading and jading.

One of the problems of this book is that Eaves throws in stories from other strippers and sex workers (not prostitutes) and decided to share their stories. Their stories are interesting too, but it's jarring to go from her story to these other women and then back.

There was one chapter where two women did a girl on girl show at a bachelor party that was particularly disturbing and gross for me.

There were a few interesting facts sprinkled throughout the book. Many women fall into this kind of work because the money can be pretty good, and that many women get out of stripping by 30 as it is a young woman's gig. Eaves said she also encountered a lot of lesbian strippers, and went into the reasons behind that. All in all, there was a lot of interesting stuff in here but the book really needed a good editor.
]]> 3.49 2002 Bare: The Naked Truth About Stripping
author: Elisabeth Eaves
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2002
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2011/10/02
shelves: 2011
review:
I'd definitely give the story and content 3 stars, but the organization deserved a 2.

This book was definitely interesting- I tore through. Elisabeth Eaves, who wrote Wanderlust, also worked as a stripper for a few years. She also tried a bit of table dancing.

I found Eaves' recounting of her experiences working at the Lusty Lady in Seattle to be really interesting. I liked the feminist analysis of some of the stories, and her honesty. I can understand why some women are attracted to sex work because of the feeling of power, but that this same work can also be degrading and jading.

One of the problems of this book is that Eaves throws in stories from other strippers and sex workers (not prostitutes) and decided to share their stories. Their stories are interesting too, but it's jarring to go from her story to these other women and then back.

There was one chapter where two women did a girl on girl show at a bachelor party that was particularly disturbing and gross for me.

There were a few interesting facts sprinkled throughout the book. Many women fall into this kind of work because the money can be pretty good, and that many women get out of stripping by 30 as it is a young woman's gig. Eaves said she also encountered a lot of lesbian strippers, and went into the reasons behind that. All in all, there was a lot of interesting stuff in here but the book really needed a good editor.

]]> Bossypants 9418327
She has seen both these dreams come true.

At last, Tina Fey's story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live; from her passionately halfhearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon—from the beginning of this paragraph to this final sentence.

Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've all suspected: you're no one until someone calls you bossy.]]> 283 Tina Fey Alexis 5 2011
This book was a blessing during my sickness. Tina Fey reads the audio book and she is a great reader and does some voices for parts of the book.

I actually laughed out loud several times while listening to it.

Fey covers a wide range of topics- stories about her life, body images, beauty standards, what it's like to be a working mom, breast feeding nazis who shame other women and what it's like to have her job. I loved the way she tackles sexism and how she addressed the challenges of what it is like to be a woman in comedy.


This book might not appeal to women of a different demographic, but it really did it for me, and I thought that there were parts that even my dad would enjoy (He's a big fan of Fey's portrayal of Sarah Palin, which is also discussed in this book)

I consider Fey to be a great role model, and I'm really glad I took the time to listen to this. Thank you Tina!]]> 3.97 2011 Bossypants
author: Tina Fey
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2011/09/30
date added: 2011/09/30
shelves: 2011
review:
I got really sick this week and wasn't able to do much. Fortunately, I had the audio cd of Tina Fey's new book, so I was able to lie in bed and listen to it this week.

This book was a blessing during my sickness. Tina Fey reads the audio book and she is a great reader and does some voices for parts of the book.

I actually laughed out loud several times while listening to it.

Fey covers a wide range of topics- stories about her life, body images, beauty standards, what it's like to be a working mom, breast feeding nazis who shame other women and what it's like to have her job. I loved the way she tackles sexism and how she addressed the challenges of what it is like to be a woman in comedy.


This book might not appeal to women of a different demographic, but it really did it for me, and I thought that there were parts that even my dad would enjoy (He's a big fan of Fey's portrayal of Sarah Palin, which is also discussed in this book)

I consider Fey to be a great role model, and I'm really glad I took the time to listen to this. Thank you Tina!
]]> <![CDATA[We All Fall Down: Living with Addiction]]> 9473116
In his bestselling memoir Tweak , Nic Sheff took readers on an emotionally gripping roller-coaster ride through his days as an addict. In this powerful follow-up about his continued efforts to stay clean, Nic writes candidly about eye-opening stays at rehab centers, devastating relapses, and hard-won realizations about what it means to be a young person living with addiction. By candidly revealing his own failures and small personal triumphs, Nic inspires readers to maintain hope and to remember that they are not alone in their battles. A group reading guide is included.

Nic Sheff's Tweak , We All Fall Down , and his father's memoir about him ( Beautiful Boy ) are the basis of the film Beautiful Boy starring Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet.]]> 345 Nic Sheff 0316080829 Alexis 3 2011
"We all fall down" is Nic's story about what happened after the events described in Tweak. He goes to a bunch of treatment centres, and relapses. He ends up drinking heavily and smoking pot every day. He struggles with despair, bad relationships, depression, manic depression and suicidal thoughts.

At times, Nic isn't very likeable. He's hugely judgemental and snobby and doesn't seem to want to help himself. He is INCREDIBLY manipulative and lies a lot. But for some reason, I find his writing compelling. He's honest and he doesn't hold back from sharing his feelings of hopelessness and self hatred.

There were some passages in here that caused reactions from me. In one scene, Nic goes to a treatment centre where he isn't allowed to have any books, writing materials, a computer or a guitar for an entire year. I was appalled by this. Not being able to write or read would torture ME and I don't even have a drug problem. I understand short periods of deprivation so that one can focus on oneself, BUT A YEAR. Even I wanted Nic to get on the bus and run away.

I also felt sorry for Nic since he has to go on tour and promote the new book, while he is relapsing. The first time that someone offers him cocaine after his relapse, I actually yelled, "Oh, hell no!" out of concern and frustration.

By the end of the book, Nic has made incredibly brave strides towards a drug-free, happy and productive life. This is a good, fast follow up to Tweaked. Nic Sheff, I hope you stay clean. I'm rooting for you. ]]> 3.96 2011 We All Fall Down: Living with Addiction
author: Nic Sheff
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2011/09/28
date added: 2011/09/28
shelves: 2011
review:
I was a big fan of Tweak and Beautiful Boy. Tweak is Nic Sheff's story about his addiction to meth, and Beautiful Boy is his dad's book about what it is like to have an addicted son. Both of those books are hard core, disturbing and graphic. I cried while reading Beautiful Boy.

"We all fall down" is Nic's story about what happened after the events described in Tweak. He goes to a bunch of treatment centres, and relapses. He ends up drinking heavily and smoking pot every day. He struggles with despair, bad relationships, depression, manic depression and suicidal thoughts.

At times, Nic isn't very likeable. He's hugely judgemental and snobby and doesn't seem to want to help himself. He is INCREDIBLY manipulative and lies a lot. But for some reason, I find his writing compelling. He's honest and he doesn't hold back from sharing his feelings of hopelessness and self hatred.

There were some passages in here that caused reactions from me. In one scene, Nic goes to a treatment centre where he isn't allowed to have any books, writing materials, a computer or a guitar for an entire year. I was appalled by this. Not being able to write or read would torture ME and I don't even have a drug problem. I understand short periods of deprivation so that one can focus on oneself, BUT A YEAR. Even I wanted Nic to get on the bus and run away.

I also felt sorry for Nic since he has to go on tour and promote the new book, while he is relapsing. The first time that someone offers him cocaine after his relapse, I actually yelled, "Oh, hell no!" out of concern and frustration.

By the end of the book, Nic has made incredibly brave strides towards a drug-free, happy and productive life. This is a good, fast follow up to Tweaked. Nic Sheff, I hope you stay clean. I'm rooting for you.
]]> The Night Circus 9361589
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.]]> 506 Erin Morgenstern Alexis 4 2011
Truly magical.

My one thing is that I am a person who is extremely linear and I found that I was craving more of a plot based story. This is an atmospherical novel, and if you're a plot based person, it may not be your thing.

That said, there are some parts that are truly beautiful and I loved the visual images and style of the book. ]]> 4.00 2011 The Night Circus
author: Erin Morgenstern
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/09/27
date added: 2011/09/27
shelves: 2011
review:
I loved the atmosphere, and sensual details and magic of the circus. It was a visual delight, and all my senses were engaged.

Truly magical.

My one thing is that I am a person who is extremely linear and I found that I was craving more of a plot based story. This is an atmospherical novel, and if you're a plot based person, it may not be your thing.

That said, there are some parts that are truly beautiful and I loved the visual images and style of the book.
]]> <![CDATA[Writers Gym: Exercises And Training Tips For Writers]]> 1353263 Eliza Clark 0143054279 Alexis 4 2011
There are some great exercises in here. I look forward to using some of them the next time I teach a class/workshop.]]> 3.57 2007 Writers Gym: Exercises And Training Tips For Writers
author: Eliza Clark
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2011/09/24
shelves: 2011
review:
This book contains little essays and writing exercises. I loved the sheer number of people who contributed to this collection- Margaret Atwood, Aimee Bender, Steven Hayward, Greg Hollingshead, Priscilla Uppal etc.

There are some great exercises in here. I look forward to using some of them the next time I teach a class/workshop.
]]> <![CDATA[Transition: The Story of How I Became a Man]]> 9662962
At first, America knew the only child of Sonny and Cher as Chastity, the cherubic little girl who appeared on her parents' TV show. In later years, she became famous for coming out on a national stage, working with two major organizations toward LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) rights and publishing two books. And just within the past eighteen months, Chaz Bono has entered the public consciousness as the most high-profile transgender person ever.

All through the hoopla surrounding his change, Chaz has insisted on maintaining his privacy. Now, in Transition , Chaz finally tells his story. Part One traces his decision to transition, beginning in his childhood-when he played on the boys' teams and wore boys' clothing whenever possible-and going through his painful, but ultimately joyful, coming out in his twenties, up to 2008, when, after the death of his father, drug addiction, and five years of sobriety, Chaz was finally ready to begin the process of changing his gender. In Part Two, he offers an unprecedented record in words and photographs of the actual transition, a real-time diary as he navigates uncharted waters. These chapters capture the day-to-day momentum of his life as his body changes.

Throughout the book, Chaz touches on themes of identity, gender, and sexuality; parents and children; and how harboring secrets shatters the soul. It is an amazing contribution to our understanding of a much- misunderstood community.

Listen to an Interview]]> 245 Chaz Bono 0525952144 Alexis 4 2011
It also made me happy to hear how happy he is living his life as a man. ]]> 3.36 2011 Transition: The Story of How I Became a Man
author: Chaz Bono
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/09/21
date added: 2011/09/21
shelves: 2011
review:
Chaz Bono has done a great service by writing this book. I was impressed by his honesty and his truth. He really shared what it was like to be transgender and his journey. I also liked hearing the bits about his relationship with his famous parents. Chaz doesn't shy away from admitting his mistakes- he was addicted to prescription drugs and had some pretty crazy relationships. He seems like a real sweetheart and a nice guy, and I hope a lot of people read this book and can learn from it. It's an easy read, but that doesn't make it less valuable.

It also made me happy to hear how happy he is living his life as a man.
]]> <![CDATA[Wanderlust: A Love Affair with Five Continents]]> 9808172
Wanderlust, however, is more than a chronological conquest of men and at its core, it's a journey of self-discovery. In the course of her travels, Eaves finds herself and the sense of home she's been lacking since childhood -- and she sheds light on a growing culture of young women who have the freedom and inclination to define their own, increasingly global, lifestyles, unfettered by traditional roles and conventions of past generations of women.]]> 304 Elisabeth Eaves 1580053114 Alexis 4 2011
This is a memoir about travel and escape. The author, Elisabeth Eaves, becomes obsessed with travel and adventure and needs to escape from shackles. This includes running away from men and sabotaging relationships. Dudes come out of the woodwork for this woman, and she keeps on smacking away all these relationships.

I could relate a lot to this book as I have a severe case of wanderlust, but even I didn't understand the rationnel behind some of her actions. Is it because I'm now in my 30s? Did she seem too selfish for me? I'm not sure.

I did enjoy all the travel details, though. If you don't have the desire to run or travel, you probably won't enjoy this book at all. ]]> 3.51 2011 Wanderlust: A Love Affair with Five Continents
author: Elisabeth Eaves
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/09/19
date added: 2011/09/19
shelves: 2011
review:
There are people who will GET this book, and people who won't. If you have a severe case of wanderlust, you'll understand.

This is a memoir about travel and escape. The author, Elisabeth Eaves, becomes obsessed with travel and adventure and needs to escape from shackles. This includes running away from men and sabotaging relationships. Dudes come out of the woodwork for this woman, and she keeps on smacking away all these relationships.

I could relate a lot to this book as I have a severe case of wanderlust, but even I didn't understand the rationnel behind some of her actions. Is it because I'm now in my 30s? Did she seem too selfish for me? I'm not sure.

I did enjoy all the travel details, though. If you don't have the desire to run or travel, you probably won't enjoy this book at all.
]]> Your Voice in My Head 8603925 Guardian when she realized that her quirks had gone beyond eccentricity, past the warm waters of weird and into those cold, deep patches of the sea where people lose their lives.

Lonely, in a dangerous cycle of cutting and bulimia, and drawn inexplicably to damaging and cruel relationships, she found herself in the chair of a slim, balding and effortlessly optimistic psychiatrist � a man whose wisdom and humanity would wrench her from the vibrant and dangerous tide of herself, and who would help her to recover when she tried to end her life.

Emma's loving and supportive family and friends circled around her in panic. Like Ophelia, Emma was on the brink of drowning. But she was also still working, still exploring, still writing. And then she fell in love.

One day, when Emma called to make an appointment with her psychiatrist, she found no one there. He had died, shockingly, at the age of fifty-three, leaving behind a young family for whom he had fought to survive. Processing the premature doorstep, a failed suicide, she was adrift. And when her significant and all-consuming relationship also fell apart, she was forced to cling to the page for survival.

Your Voice in My Head is spiked with wit, humour and unique perception. It not only explores the crashing weight of depression, mania and suffering, but also the beauty of love and the heartbreak of loss. It is also, fundamentally, about our relationship with ourselves.]]> 224 Emma Forrest 030735931X Alexis 2 2011
One of the messages that I learned from this book is that I should never ever date Colin Farrell. Lesson learned!

Read this book if you want to feel sane. I am very, very healthy and happy in comparison. ]]> 3.75 2011 Your Voice in My Head
author: Emma Forrest
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2011/09/19
date added: 2011/09/19
shelves: 2011
review:
Dear Sweet Jesus. This book was a car wreck. I gave it two stars because I literally couldn't stop reading it, even though I wanted to. Emma Forrest is a journalist who writes about celebrity. She's also bipolar, and cuts herself. In this book, she writes about her suicide attempts, numerous boyfriends and the death of her therapist. She also gets into a serious relationship with Colin Farrell, who she calls her Gypsy Husband.

One of the messages that I learned from this book is that I should never ever date Colin Farrell. Lesson learned!

Read this book if you want to feel sane. I am very, very healthy and happy in comparison.
]]> Don't Be Afraid 8675235
Meet Jim Morrison--not the lead singer of the Doors who died a rock 'n' roll death in 1971, but a chubby seventeen-year-old living in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, who was born days after the singer's death. Jim, or Jimmy, as most people call him, has been living a largely invisible life, overshadowed by his older brother, Mike, popular and charismatic, and his father, Fort, a stern and unyielding engineer. Jimmy spends his time avoiding gym, transforming his uneventful days into scenes from his favourite movies and occasionally going on banana diets (special banana carrier required).

But everything changes the night the library explodes, with pieces of books and catalogue cards falling like snow from the dark sky. Jimmy is first on the scene with his father and it's soon clear that Mike had been in the library when it exploded, possibly meeting a girlfriend after hours. Mike's death upends the Morrisons' suburban life and any sense of normalcy is destroyed. Their mother, Filomena, is nearly catatonic with shock, and Jimmy must become his much younger brother's nanny, taking him to preschool every day and uncomfortably hanging out with a gang of mothers, watching them breastfeed and talking about peanut allergies.

Life gets even more surreal. The cause of the library explosion remains mysterious, and Jimmy tries to help his father unofficially gather evidence at the site. Add to this his duties surrounding his mother's idea to have a birthday party for his dead brother, and Jimmy finds himself busier and, bizarrely, happier than he's ever been.

With generous humour and characteristic energy, Steven Hayward weaves a story of the undercurrents of family life and the unpredictable ways our paths can unfold.]]> 320 Steven Hayward 0676977367 Alexis 5 2011
The narrator is 17-year-old Jim Morrison, born 3 days after the death of the rock star. Jim lost his brother, Mike, when the town library exploded. The novel recounts the events leading up to the explosion and events after. Memory and present narrative go back and forth.

There's sadness in this book, but also humour and hope. Some of the writing is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful.]]> 3.57 2011 Don't Be Afraid
author: Steven Hayward
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2011/04/08
date added: 2011/09/15
shelves: 2011
review:
This book deserves a lot more press than it received. It's a very beautiful story about a family who is in mourning. It's about the loss of a sibling and a family member, but it's more about how life is absurd and how families communicate with each other.

The narrator is 17-year-old Jim Morrison, born 3 days after the death of the rock star. Jim lost his brother, Mike, when the town library exploded. The novel recounts the events leading up to the explosion and events after. Memory and present narrative go back and forth.

There's sadness in this book, but also humour and hope. Some of the writing is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful.
]]> <![CDATA[Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town]]> 6215979
Crystal methamphetamine is widely considered to be the most dangerous drug in the world, and nowhere is that more true than in the small towns of the American heartland. Methland tells the story of Oelwein, Iowa (pop. 6,159), which, like thousands of other small towns across the country, has been left in the dust by the consolidation of the agricultural industry, a depressed local economy, and an out-migration of people. As if this weren t enough to deal with, an incredibly cheap, longlasting, and highly addictive drug has rolled into town.

Over a period of four years, journalist Nick Reding brings us into the heart of Oelwein through a cast of intimately drawn characters, including: Clay Hallburg, the town doctor, who fights meth even as he struggles with his own alcoholism; Nathan Lein, the town prosecutor, whose caseload is filled almost exclusively with meth-related crime; and Jeff Rohrick, a meth addict, still trying to kick the habit after twenty years. Tracing the connections between the lives touched by the drug and the global forces that set the stage for the epidemic, Methland offers a vital and unique perspective on a pressing contemporary tragedy.]]> 272 Nick Reding 1596916508 Alexis 4 2011
The premise of this book is pretty fascinating. The author looks at how meth became entrenched in the Midwest and why it has flourished and become a major problem there.

I have a fascination with the American midwest, probably because I do meet many people from rural America through my work, and because it has some similarities to the Canadian prairies.

One of Reding's arguments is that the consolidation of agriculture and the loss of agricultural jobs in the midwest has led to depressed economic conditions that promoted the spread of meth as a drug that helped people work (with devastating results afterward) and led them to illegal income opportunities. I found this premise fascinating. I was also interested in his ideas about the problems of depressed rural communities and why meth can flourish in rural communities because agricultural fertilizer can be used to make it.

I have a background in sociology, but my main interest is always in people, and that was something that I found frustrating while reading Methland. I wanted to know more about the people that Reding introduced me to in the course of the book. He presented details about how meth had affected people living in one town in Iowa, and I wanted MORE about these people and fewer details about American politics, policies etc.

]]> 3.68 2009 Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town
author: Nick Reding
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2011/09/15
shelves: 2011
review:
I really wish that I hadn't read this book during a really busy work week, when my brain was sort of exhausted. I have a feeling that I missed some things that I wouldn't have otherwise.

The premise of this book is pretty fascinating. The author looks at how meth became entrenched in the Midwest and why it has flourished and become a major problem there.

I have a fascination with the American midwest, probably because I do meet many people from rural America through my work, and because it has some similarities to the Canadian prairies.

One of Reding's arguments is that the consolidation of agriculture and the loss of agricultural jobs in the midwest has led to depressed economic conditions that promoted the spread of meth as a drug that helped people work (with devastating results afterward) and led them to illegal income opportunities. I found this premise fascinating. I was also interested in his ideas about the problems of depressed rural communities and why meth can flourish in rural communities because agricultural fertilizer can be used to make it.

I have a background in sociology, but my main interest is always in people, and that was something that I found frustrating while reading Methland. I wanted to know more about the people that Reding introduced me to in the course of the book. He presented details about how meth had affected people living in one town in Iowa, and I wanted MORE about these people and fewer details about American politics, policies etc.


]]> <![CDATA[Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have)]]> 9266810 2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house - parents = 10 things April and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn't have.

If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe "opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: "Lied to Our Parents"). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Throwing a Crazy Party" (#8), "Buying a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um, "Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) at all is kind of a mystery to them.

In this hilarious and bittersweet tale, Sarah Mlynowski mines the heart and mind of a girl on her own for the first time. To get through the year, April will have to juggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart . . . one thing-she-shouldn't-have-done at a time.

]]> 368 Sarah Mlynowski 0061701246 Alexis 4 2011
One thing I liked was the way sex was dealt with in this book. The main character wants to have sex with her boyfriend of 2 years. She says they are in love and they want to have sex. She goes to Planned Parenthood and gets birth control- and then they do it! Shocking!! I really liked the way this was handled in a healthy, and normal and body aware way.

This was a fun book and I stayed up late reading it because I wanted to know what happened. ]]> 3.73 2011 Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have)
author: Sarah Mlynowski
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2011/09/15
shelves: 2011
review:
This book was a lot of fun. The main character starts out doing things she shouldn't do. Her dad and stepmother move away, and she decides to move in with a friend and they have NO parental supervision. Things slowly spiral out of control, in a way that is extremely believable.

One thing I liked was the way sex was dealt with in this book. The main character wants to have sex with her boyfriend of 2 years. She says they are in love and they want to have sex. She goes to Planned Parenthood and gets birth control- and then they do it! Shocking!! I really liked the way this was handled in a healthy, and normal and body aware way.

This was a fun book and I stayed up late reading it because I wanted to know what happened.
]]> The Antagonist 12343668
Rank gamely lives up to his role -- until tragedy strikes, using Rank as its blunt instrument. Escaping the only way he can, Rank disappears. But almost twenty years later he discovers that an old, trusted friend -- the only person to whom he has ever confessed his sins -- has published a novel mirroring Rank's life. The betrayal cuts to the deepest heart of him, and Rank will finally have to confront the tragic true story from which he's spent his whole life running away.

With the deep compassion, deft touch, and irreverent humour that have made her one of Canada's best-loved novelists, Lynn Coady delves deeply into the ways we sanction and stoke male violence, giving us a large-hearted, often hilarious portrait of a man tearing himself apart in order to put himself back together.]]> 337 Lynn Coady 0887842968 Alexis 3 2011
This book is about identity and about the assumptions we make about people.

The main character, Gord Rankin, is appalled to find himself as a character in a former friend's book. He composes a series of emails to send to the friend. This results in a rather non-linear monologue style and story.

I have to admit that I didn't like this book as much as "Mean Boy", but I seem to be in the minority for that one.]]> 3.60 2011 The Antagonist
author: Lynn Coady
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2011/09/13
date added: 2011/09/13
shelves: 2011
review:
Mixed feelings about this one. Coady is a very talented writer, and I think she does a great job at tackling the world of men,and the male psyche. I also loved her observations on Facebook.

This book is about identity and about the assumptions we make about people.

The main character, Gord Rankin, is appalled to find himself as a character in a former friend's book. He composes a series of emails to send to the friend. This results in a rather non-linear monologue style and story.

I have to admit that I didn't like this book as much as "Mean Boy", but I seem to be in the minority for that one.
]]> <![CDATA[After Canaan: Essays on Race, Writing, and Region]]> 10601653 176 Wayde Compton 1551523744 Alexis 3 2011
Disclaimer- I know the author of this book.]]> 4.13 2010 After Canaan: Essays on Race, Writing, and Region
author: Wayde Compton
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2011/09/13
shelves: 2011
review:
This is an extremely academic book on race, writing, and British Columbia. It mainly deals with Black Communities. I was most intersted in the essay on "passing" (not surprising since "passing" is a factor in my own life) and in Wayde's experiences publishing the work of black British Columbian writer Fred Booker.

Disclaimer- I know the author of this book.
]]> Various Positions 10803071 Ěý
This dynamic is nowhere more obvious than in Georgia's relationship with Artistic Director Roderick Allen. As Roderick singles her out as a star and subjects her to increasingly vicious training, Georgia obsesses about becoming his perfect student, disciplined and sexless. But a disturbing incident with a stranger on the subway, coupled with her dawning recognition of the truth of her parents' unhappy marriage, causes her to radically reassess her ideas about physical boundaries--a reassessment that threatens both Roderick's future at the academy and Georgia's ambitions as a ballerina.]]> 368 Martha Schabas 0385668767 Alexis 3 2011
This book follows the life of a young woman who is ballet school. I think the book really shows some of the competitiveness and the atmosphere at a dance show and in the dance world.

The young woman, Georgia, is also learning about her own sexuality and her parents' marriage. This theme is fairly compelling and really flows through the book. I believed the action and the characters were plausible, and I liked Schabas' style of writing. I would definitely read her next book.]]> 3.05 2011 Various Positions
author: Martha Schabas
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.05
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2011/09/11
date added: 2011/09/11
shelves: 2011
review:
Many things to like about this book. Sadly, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't seen Black Swan, because some of the themes are similar. (Not really the author's fault)

This book follows the life of a young woman who is ballet school. I think the book really shows some of the competitiveness and the atmosphere at a dance show and in the dance world.

The young woman, Georgia, is also learning about her own sexuality and her parents' marriage. This theme is fairly compelling and really flows through the book. I believed the action and the characters were plausible, and I liked Schabas' style of writing. I would definitely read her next book.
]]> The Basketball Diaries 682745
Jim Carroll grew up to become a renowned poet and punk rocker. But in this memoir of the mid-1960's, set during his coming-of-age from 12 to 15, he was a rebellious teenager making a place and a name for himself on the unforgiving streets of New York City. During these years, he chronicled his experiences, and the result is a diary of unparalleled candor that conveys his alternately hilarious and terrifying teenage existence. Here is Carroll prowling New York City--playing basketball, hustling, stealing, getting high, getting hooked, and searching for something pure.]]> 224 Jim Carroll Alexis 4 2011
I'm not really sure why I enjoy this book so much. I just really like Jim Carroll's stuff. Strangely, he was friends with Patti Smith for a while. THey may even have dated. (can't remember)]]> 3.99 1978 The Basketball Diaries
author: Jim Carroll
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1978
rating: 4
read at: 2011/09/08
date added: 2011/09/08
shelves: 2011
review:
This is probably the 3rd or 4th time that I have read this book. I am not sure why I like it so much. It's the diary of Jim Carroll, a 13 year old boy who becomes a junkie addicted to heroin. He runs around New York robbing people and shooting junk. It's really gross and sad. I think I must really appreciate the use of language in the book, or the slang.

I'm not really sure why I enjoy this book so much. I just really like Jim Carroll's stuff. Strangely, he was friends with Patti Smith for a while. THey may even have dated. (can't remember)
]]> Nellie McClung 3221020 224 Charlotte Gray 0670066745 Alexis 4 2011
I enjoyed this book a lot and loved learning about her Western Canadian roots and what Nellie did for women. This is a short book and a great primer for anyone who wants to learn more. ]]> 3.84 2008 Nellie McClung
author: Charlotte Gray
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2011/09/06
date added: 2011/09/06
shelves: 2011
review:
My third read in the Extraordinary Canadians series. This one is highly recommended. I think the author did a great job of getting into Nellie's life and head, and really explained what was happening in the time period.

I enjoyed this book a lot and loved learning about her Western Canadian roots and what Nellie did for women. This is a short book and a great primer for anyone who wants to learn more.
]]> <![CDATA[The City Homesteader: Self-Sufficiency on Any Square Footage]]> 10896752 272 Scott Meyer 0762440856 Alexis 4 2011
Thumbs up!]]> 3.70 2011 The City Homesteader: Self-Sufficiency on Any Square Footage
author: Scott Meyer
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/09/05
date added: 2011/09/05
shelves: 2011
review:
Unfortunately I do not have a backyard or a large kitchen, and I am not about to begin homesteading. Still, this book is a fascinating resource! The author gives you an overview on vegetable gardening, canning, preserving, raising backyard chickens, composting, and so on. I thought this was a great resource and it really ties into some of the things I learned in my urban agriculture class.

Thumbs up!
]]> <![CDATA[Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #1)]]> 9460487 9781594744761

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow-impossible though it seems-they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.]]> 352 Ransom Riggs 1594744769 Alexis 4 2011 3.92 2011 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #1)
author: Ransom Riggs
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/09/03
date added: 2011/09/03
shelves: 2011
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie]]> 8619825 For anyone who has ever wanted to step into the world of a favorite book, here is a pioneer pilgrimage, a tribute to Laura Ingalls Wilder, and a hilarious account of butter-churning obsession.

Wendy McClure is on a quest to find the world of beloved Little House on the Prairie author Laura Ingalls Wilder-a fantastic realm of fiction, history, and places she's never been to, yet somehow knows by heart. She retraces the pioneer journey of the Ingalls family-]]> 336 Wendy McClure 1594487804 Alexis 2 2011
There were things I did like about it though- I did enjoy some of her adventures, and I liked how she had to search out the truth about Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved the section where she and her partner slept in a covered wagon during a rain storm. I also thought that her partner was quite funny- when he eventually referred to something as "3 out of 5 sunbonnets", I laughed really hard.

So I might recommend this to a hard core fan, but it wasn't for me.]]> 3.47 2011 The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie
author: Wendy McClure
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2011/08/30
date added: 2011/08/30
shelves: 2011
review:
I wanted to like this book more than I did. I liked the Little House books as a kid, but obviously not as much as McClure. As I read this book, I kept on thinking, "You know, I don't really care." I felt horrible for thinking this, but I realized that it's just not the book for me.

There were things I did like about it though- I did enjoy some of her adventures, and I liked how she had to search out the truth about Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved the section where she and her partner slept in a covered wagon during a rain storm. I also thought that her partner was quite funny- when he eventually referred to something as "3 out of 5 sunbonnets", I laughed really hard.

So I might recommend this to a hard core fan, but it wasn't for me.
]]> The Compassionate Life 533996
Giving and receiving affection is the key to happiness, and compassion is the key that opens our hearts to affection. Illuminating themes touched upon in The Good Heart and The Art of Happiness , this generous and gentle book contains some of the most beloved teachings on compassion that the Dalai Lama has ever offered. Touching and transformative, The Compassionate Life is a personal invitation from one of the world's most gifted teachers to live a life of happiness, joy, and true prosperity.

Collected here for the first time are four of the Dalai Lama's most accessible and inspiring teachings on compassion. The purpose of life is to be happy, His Holiness reminds us. To be happy, we should devote ourselves to developing our own peace of mind; the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own peace of mind. Therefore, we must develop compassion for others in order to be truly happy.

In these four teachings--imbued with the gentle humor and extraordinary kindness of this incomparable teacher--His Holiness explores altruism and the need for compassion on an individual as well as a global scale. He offers specific practices for developing loving-kindness and compassion in even the most difficult situations.]]> 128 Dalai Lama XIV 0861713788 Alexis 0 2011
Food for thought.]]> 4.18 2001 The Compassionate Life
author: Dalai Lama XIV
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/08/30
shelves: 2011
review:
I have been craving Buddhist books and wanted to read about compassion. I love the Dalai Lama's books, but this was not the best one of them. Still, it reminded me to read more of his work.

Food for thought.
]]> The Thirteen 10281522 The Witches of Eastwick meets Desperate Housewives in Susie Moloney's The Thirteen, her new and long-awaited novel.

Haven Woods is suburban heaven, a great place to raise a family. It's close to the city, quiet, with great schools and its own hospital right up the road. Property values are climbing. The streets are clean, people keep their yards really nicely. It's fairly pet friendly, though barking dogs are not welcomed. The crime rate is practically non-existent, unless you count the odd human sacrifice, dismemberment, animal attack, demon rape and blood atonement. When Paula Wittmore goes home to Haven Woods to care for a suddenly ailing mother, she brings her daughter and a pile of emotional baggage. She also brings the last chance for twelve of her mother's closest frenemies, who like to keep their numbers at thirteen. And her daughter, young, innocent, is a worthy gift to the darkness.

AĚýcircle of friends will support you through bad times. A circle of witches can drag you through hell.


From the Hardcover edition.]]> 336 Susie Moloney 0679313818 Alexis 2 2011
]]> 3.15 2011 The Thirteen
author: Susie Moloney
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.15
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2011/08/27
date added: 2011/08/27
shelves: 2011
review:
Really disappointed by this. It was a story about witches in a small town, and it read like Stephen King light, combined with The Witches of Eastwicke, which is a lot gutsier than this book. I just wanted MORE from it. They kept on hinting that something terrible was going to happen, and the whole thing kept building up, and then nothing much seemed to happen.


]]> The Water Man's Daughter 9935957
The violent death of a Canadian water company executive in a black township of Johannesburg throws together a South African anti-privatization activist and the water executive's daughter, Claire, who arrives suddenly from Canada desperate to understand her father's death. The murder investigation -- led by an officer who is finding her own loyalties increasingly unclear -- and Claire's personal quest become entwined, and the young Canadian's involvement with the activist brings her ever closer to a shocking truth she might not be able to bear. The Water Man's Daughter , like its characters, is fierce and tender, thought-provoking and emotionally rich. It introduces Emma Ruby-Sachs as an enormously talented, original, and fearless new voice in Canadian fiction.]]> 320 Emma Ruby-Sachs 0771077971 Alexis 2 2011
What I loved about this book was its concept and setting. It was set in the South African townships and the major characters were all women. One of the main characters is an anti-water privatization activist named Nomsulwa. Another is a police chief named Zembe. The third is the water man's daughter, a Canadian named Claire Matthews.

Claire's father, a water man working for a company who privatizes water, is killed in a township. Claire comes to South Africa to try to find out more about his death, and Nomsulwa has to act as her tour guide. THis was a VERY interesting premise, but there were things that didn't work. The character of Claire appears completely vapid and spineless and it just didn't work for me. I also found that the plot- which is about WHO killed Claire's father, got lost in some of the details.

So my main points would be for the setting and themes of the story, which reminded me of some of the stuff that I studied in International Studies in uni. I would consider reading other books by this author, but have to admit that there were some major flaws with this one. ]]> 3.30 2011 The Water Man's Daughter
author: Emma Ruby-Sachs
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.30
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2011/08/19
date added: 2011/08/19
shelves: 2011
review:
Two and a half stars. Very, very mixed feelings about this book. It was so promising when it started out, and then it disintegrated over time.

What I loved about this book was its concept and setting. It was set in the South African townships and the major characters were all women. One of the main characters is an anti-water privatization activist named Nomsulwa. Another is a police chief named Zembe. The third is the water man's daughter, a Canadian named Claire Matthews.

Claire's father, a water man working for a company who privatizes water, is killed in a township. Claire comes to South Africa to try to find out more about his death, and Nomsulwa has to act as her tour guide. THis was a VERY interesting premise, but there were things that didn't work. The character of Claire appears completely vapid and spineless and it just didn't work for me. I also found that the plot- which is about WHO killed Claire's father, got lost in some of the details.

So my main points would be for the setting and themes of the story, which reminded me of some of the stuff that I studied in International Studies in uni. I would consider reading other books by this author, but have to admit that there were some major flaws with this one.
]]> Tommy Douglas 8838945 256 Vincent Lam 0670068519 Alexis 4 2011
He really tried to understand the man, and what shaped his life. When I first started the book, I felt that the author didn't really understand Saskatchwan, but this changed by the time I finished the book. I think he did a really good job.]]> 3.98 2011 Tommy Douglas
author: Vincent Lam
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/08/16
date added: 2011/08/16
shelves: 2011
review:
I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to learn more about Tommy Douglas, and the history of Saskatchewan. It was amazing to me to learn more about how the Saskatchewan I know and love came to be. I think Lam did a great job of researching and interviewing and connecting to people who were close to Douglas. I also liked how he didn't gloss over some of Douglas' shortcomings or weird idiosyncracies.

He really tried to understand the man, and what shaped his life. When I first started the book, I felt that the author didn't really understand Saskatchwan, but this changed by the time I finished the book. I think he did a really good job.
]]> House of Sand and Fog 359770 365 Andre Dubus III 0375727345 Alexis 3 2011
Basically, the story is about an alcoholic, downtrodden young woman who loses her house. It is bought up by a family of recent Iranian immigrants, headed by the Colonel, who was a man of highstanding in Iran.
The tension in this book is between the two characters- and their desire to own the house and all that this ownership stands for.

The author makes each character multi-layered, so that the reader can see how each character thinks and how they justify their actions. Even though the author was trying to justify both sides, I picked a side early in the book and couldn't seem to get away from it.

THe book starts slowly and the tension and danger increases, especially as the young woman gets involved with a policeman who is not entirely stable.

I found that Dubus' writing is very dense and multilayered and that it is not a type of writing that is easy for me to follow. He really packs a lot of information and description into his work. THe colonel's section was also full of Persian words which were not translated, which require extra attention from the reader. Sadly, the density of the writing in this book means that I didn't get into the story as much as I would have liked to.

I was really shocked and devastated by the book's ending, and I'm still thinking about it a day later.

]]> 3.72 1999 House of Sand and Fog
author: Andre Dubus III
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2011/08/11
shelves: 2011
review:
This is one of those books where the author succeeds at making it difficult for his reader to pick a side.

Basically, the story is about an alcoholic, downtrodden young woman who loses her house. It is bought up by a family of recent Iranian immigrants, headed by the Colonel, who was a man of highstanding in Iran.
The tension in this book is between the two characters- and their desire to own the house and all that this ownership stands for.

The author makes each character multi-layered, so that the reader can see how each character thinks and how they justify their actions. Even though the author was trying to justify both sides, I picked a side early in the book and couldn't seem to get away from it.

THe book starts slowly and the tension and danger increases, especially as the young woman gets involved with a policeman who is not entirely stable.

I found that Dubus' writing is very dense and multilayered and that it is not a type of writing that is easy for me to follow. He really packs a lot of information and description into his work. THe colonel's section was also full of Persian words which were not translated, which require extra attention from the reader. Sadly, the density of the writing in this book means that I didn't get into the story as much as I would have liked to.

I was really shocked and devastated by the book's ending, and I'm still thinking about it a day later.


]]> Tangled 6566558 308 Carolyn Mackler 0061731048 Alexis 3 2011
A rather cute story about four different teens. Each section, which covers a month, is narrated by a different teen. Mackler did a good job on the four voices and the characters.

The end of this story was quite cute. Mackler wrote "The earth, my butt and other big round things", which I absolutely love. I've read most of her other books, but none of them seem to measure up to that one. This was good, but didn't rock my world.]]> 3.56 2009 Tangled
author: Carolyn Mackler
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2011/08/08
shelves: 2011
review:
Read this in one sitting. I needed a short book to keep me awake until bedtime.

A rather cute story about four different teens. Each section, which covers a month, is narrated by a different teen. Mackler did a good job on the four voices and the characters.

The end of this story was quite cute. Mackler wrote "The earth, my butt and other big round things", which I absolutely love. I've read most of her other books, but none of them seem to measure up to that one. This was good, but didn't rock my world.
]]> <![CDATA[My Korean Deli: Risking It All for a Convenience Store]]> 8787466
It starts with a gift, when Ben Ryder Howe's wife, the daughter of Korean immigrants, decides to repay her parents' self-sacrifice by buying them a store. Howe, an editor at the rarefied Paris Review, agrees to go along. Things soon become a lot more complicated. After the business struggles, Howe finds himself living in the basement of his in-laws' Staten Island home, commuting to the Paris Review offices in George Plimpton's Upper East Side townhouse by day, and heading to Brooklyn at night to slice cold cuts and peddle lottery tickets. My Korean Deli follows the store's tumultuous life span, and along the way paints the portrait of an extremely unlikely partnership between characters with shoots across society, from the Brooklyn streets to Seoul to Puritan New England. Owning the deli becomes a transformative experience for everyone involved as they struggle to salvage the original gift--and the family--while sorting out issues of values, work, and identity.]]> 304 Ben Ryder Howe 0805093435 Alexis 3 2011
However, he does seem to be a little pretentious and snotty. Other sections of the book deal with his experiences working as an editor at The Paris Review, so the book ended up having an odd juxtaposition.

I did enjoy reading some of the deli stories, and some of them will be familiar to anyone who has worked retail in a convenience store. However, I also felt that there were some dimensions of the book that just didn't translate to me. I've been to New York once, and have lived in some of Canada's larger cities, but I felt as though I didn't understand some of the nuances and details of New York life. It would be interesting for me to read a New Yorker's opinion of this book.

As you can tell, I feel very conflicted. ]]> 3.41 2010 My Korean Deli: Risking It All for a Convenience Store
author: Ben Ryder Howe
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2011/08/05
date added: 2011/08/05
shelves: 2011
review:
Two and a half stars? I have very mixed feelings about this book. While I was reading it, I was compelled to read it, but there were parts of it that made me very uncomfortable. The author is clearly a white priviledged WASP, and he goes on to open a Korean deli with his Korean in-laws in Brooklyn. There are some obvious class things here, and I just kept on shaking my head as he didn't notice some of the things he was doing. I think this is actually part of the reason WHY he wrote the book- because he wanted to describe how his eyes were opened.

However, he does seem to be a little pretentious and snotty. Other sections of the book deal with his experiences working as an editor at The Paris Review, so the book ended up having an odd juxtaposition.

I did enjoy reading some of the deli stories, and some of them will be familiar to anyone who has worked retail in a convenience store. However, I also felt that there were some dimensions of the book that just didn't translate to me. I've been to New York once, and have lived in some of Canada's larger cities, but I felt as though I didn't understand some of the nuances and details of New York life. It would be interesting for me to read a New Yorker's opinion of this book.

As you can tell, I feel very conflicted.
]]> We Need to Talk About Kevin 80660 The gripping international bestseller about motherhood gone awry.

Eva never really wanted to be a mother - and certainly not the mother of the unlovable boy who murdered seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a much-adored teacher who tried to befriend him, all two days before his sixteenth birthday. Now, two years later, it is time for her to come to terms with marriage, career, family, parenthood, and Kevin's horrific rampage in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her estranged husband, Franklin. Uneasy with the sacrifices and social demotion of motherhood from the start, Eva fears that her alarming dislike for her own son may be responsible for driving him so nihilistically off the rails.

]]> 400 Lionel Shriver 006112429X Alexis 3 2011
Anyway, brilliantly written book about a mother whose son kills a group of other high school students in a massacre. THe mother is the narrator, and the entire book is written as a series of letters.

Well done. I don't want to say anything else for fear that I'll give something away.]]> 4.07 2003 We Need to Talk About Kevin
author: Lionel Shriver
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 2011/08/01
date added: 2011/08/01
shelves: 2011
review:
I think this book is brilliant, but I didn't ENJOY reading it. I like dark things, but this book might be even too dark for me, and I had read the spoilers. This is an incredibly dark book.

Anyway, brilliantly written book about a mother whose son kills a group of other high school students in a massacre. THe mother is the narrator, and the entire book is written as a series of letters.

Well done. I don't want to say anything else for fear that I'll give something away.
]]> Paying for It 10108380 A CONTEMPORARY DEFENSE OF THE WORLD'S OLDEST PROFESSION

Chester Brown has never shied away from tackling controversial subjects in his work. In his 1992 book, The Playboy, he explored his personal history with pornography. His bestselling 2003 graphic novel, Louis Riel, was a biographical examination of an extreme political figure. The book won wide acclaim and cemented Brown's reputation as a true innovator.

Paying for It is a natural progression for Brown as it combines the personal and sexual aspects of his autobiographical work with the polemical drive of Louis Riel. Brown calmly lays out the facts of how he became not only a willing participant in but a vocal proponent of one of the world's most hot-button topics—prostitution. While this may appear overly sensational and just plain implausible to some, Brown's story stands for itself. Paying for It offers an entirely contemporary exploration of sex work—from the timid john who rides his bike to his escorts, wonders how to tip so as not to offend, and reads Dan Savage for advice, to the modern-day transactions complete with online reviews, seemingly willing participants, and clean apartments devoid of clichéd street corners, drugs, or pimps.

Complete with a surprise ending, Paying for It provides endless debate and conversation about sex work and will be the most talkedabout graphic novel of 2011.]]> 292 Chester Brown 1770460489 Alexis 4 2011
I learned A LOT from reading this book and was fascinated by it. I am definitely not as cynical as Chester Brown and I don't agree with all of his opinions. He's a lot more cynical and disheartened than me, but I did like reading the sections about his arguments. The book did make me a bit uncomfortable, but it's definitely worth reading. ]]> 3.61 2011 Paying for It
author: Chester Brown
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/07/30
date added: 2011/07/30
shelves: 2011
review:
I thought this book was absolutely fascinating. Chester Brown is a cartoonist and graphic artist who wrote "Louis Riel". In this book, he writes about his own experiences as a john in Toronto. After being in 3 romantic relationships, he decides that he is going to become a john. He writes about his experiences with prostitutes. I did feel that he was respectful to some of the women that he slept with- he didn't tell a lot about their personal lives, changed their names and didn't draw their faces. But I was really bothered by his preference for very young women and some of the judgements he made about the women's bodies. I know that men make these judgements- but I can't say that they didn't make me feel uncomfortable. I also realized that I really hate the word "whore" and it bothered me when he referred to the prostitutes as whores.

I learned A LOT from reading this book and was fascinated by it. I am definitely not as cynical as Chester Brown and I don't agree with all of his opinions. He's a lot more cynical and disheartened than me, but I did like reading the sections about his arguments. The book did make me a bit uncomfortable, but it's definitely worth reading.
]]> <![CDATA[Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything]]> 6346975 The blockbuster phenomenon that charts an amazing journey of the mind while revolutionizing our concept of memory

An instant bestseller that is poised to become a classic, Moonwalking with Einstein recounts Joshua Foer's yearlong quest to improve his memory under the tutelage of top "mental athletes." He draws on cutting-edge research, a surprising cultural history of remembering, and venerable tricks of the mentalist's trade to transform our understanding of human memory. From the United States Memory Championship to deep within the author's own mind, this is an electrifying work of journalism that reminds us that, in every way that matters, we are the sum of our memories.]]> 307 Joshua Foer 159420229X Alexis 4 2011
Still, this is an enjoyable read, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes learning about the brain and how it works. Also recommended for anyone who enjoyed "Word Wars" or the documentary "Spellbound."]]> 3.86 2011 Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything
author: Joshua Foer
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/07/29
date added: 2011/07/29
shelves: 2011
review:
My dad read this book and then insisted that I read it. I'm glad that he did. It's an example of participatory journalism as Josh Foer (younger brother of novelist Jonathan Safran Foer), becomes immersed in the US memory championships. Josh becomes interested in the idea of memory and how we remember things. This takes him to the International Championships and into the world of competitive memory tournaments. He meets a lot of really weird people (like the dudes in Word Wars). He studies memory, how we remember things and meets individuals with unique memory related conditions (like Kim Peek, the inspiration for Rain man) I really enjoyed this book and thought it was interesting, occasionally funny and VERY nerdy. Foer proves that most of us have the skill to memorize really useless facts or strings of numbers. The book also has insight into the way we learn and some tricks that you can teach yourself if you want to memorize a deck of cards in a very short time period. (I am not interested in this)

Still, this is an enjoyable read, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes learning about the brain and how it works. Also recommended for anyone who enjoyed "Word Wars" or the documentary "Spellbound."
]]> Ten Miles Past Normal 10691825 224 Frances O'Roark Dowell 1416995870 Alexis 3 2011 3.54 2011 Ten Miles Past Normal
author: Frances O'Roark Dowell
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2011/07/29
shelves: 2011
review:
Very cute. It started off strong and then petered off a bit, but it was still kind of adorable. THe main character is just starting high school and is a bit of an outcast, partly because she lives on a goat farm. I loved the details about the farm and how she talks to the goats and finds her way in high school. This is really a book about finding your place and friends. I was a little dissatisfied with the ending.
]]> Cool Water 7811046
But the heart of the town beats in the rich and overlapping stories of its people: the foundling who now owns the farm his adoptive family left him; the pregnant teenager and her mother, planning a fairytale wedding; a shy couple, well beyond middle age, struggling with the recognition of their feelings for one another; a camel named Antoinette; and the ubiquitous wind and sand that forever shift the landscape. Their stories bring the prairie desert and the town of Juliet to vivid and enduring life.

This wonderfully entertaining, witty and deeply felt novel brims with forgiveness as its flawed people stumble towards the future.]]> 328 Dianne Warren 1554685583 Alexis 4 2011 3.67 2010 Cool Water
author: Dianne Warren
name: Alexis
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2011/07/29
date added: 2011/07/29
shelves: 2011
review:
I started reading this about a year ago, and was turned off by the prologue. I thought it was going to be a historical book, and I wasn't in the mood for it. Instead, it's a modern day book that sketches the lives of residents living in a small town in southern Saskatchewan. The events all take place in one day, and Warren examines the lives of many people who live in the town. She's great at evoking the feel of small town life, the geography of Saskatchewan and the fictional town. The real joy in this book are the characters and how well they are sketched. A friend said that this book is going to be a classic and I agree!
]]> One Crow Sorrow 6326781 96 Lisa Martin-Demoor 1897142315 Alexis 0 2011 4.73 2008 One Crow Sorrow
author: Lisa Martin-Demoor
name: Alexis
average rating: 4.73
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/07/27
shelves: 2011
review:
Beautiful poetry book about grief and losing parents. Lots of images featuring birds and some garden imagery.
]]>