Recalculating by Jennifer Weiner
eBook - short story
first of all, i REALLY hated reading this on my phone kindle thing. my eyes were going nuts. maybe i needed to adjust the brightness or something, but i had to hold the phone a mile away and squint to see the words. it was awful. that said, i'm not sure this counts toward my fiftyfifty goal because it was a short story, but as i see myself reading greater than 50 books at my current pace, i will include it anyway.
Recalculating is a short story that Jennifer Weiner released only on eBook format, hence my earlier complaints. i didn't know it was going to be quite as short as it was. i thought it was good, but i wasn't spectacularly impressed. i love Weiner's writing style and her characters are typically likable, but this time i felt like i was left wanting more. the writing style was great as usual, but Maureen was not exceedingly likable and the premise was more than a little unbelievable. i am a pro at suspending disbelief, but in this case i had a little bit of a hard time.
overall i just wasn't that impressed with the story. and, as a side note, when all books go electronic and i have to deal with reading on a screen i will give up reading all together and be the saddest woman in the world.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
book 7
What Came First by Carol Snow
356 pages
I was really disappointed with this book. I didn't like ANY of the characters. I was bored. Usually when I read any books in the chick lit genre I plow through them in a matter of 1-3 days, but this took me a week because I was undermotivated to pick it up.
What Came First is the story of three women, their lives connected by one man. Laura is a single mother who has an 8 year old son from a sperm donor. Wendy has twins also from a sperm donor, though she is married. Vanessa has a boyfriend, Eric, who might want to marry her but probably not. The story follows these women, each chapter told through one of their perspectives.
Nothing in this story made me particularly joyful or sad. I was not moved even a little. Sometimes I could empathize with Vanessa, especially toward the end, but the other women were very annoying. Wendy was a model of the type of mother I never want to me. Laura seems very selfish. Ugh.
I do not recommend this book. I'm giving it two stars only because it held my attention enough to finish it.
356 pages
I was really disappointed with this book. I didn't like ANY of the characters. I was bored. Usually when I read any books in the chick lit genre I plow through them in a matter of 1-3 days, but this took me a week because I was undermotivated to pick it up.
What Came First is the story of three women, their lives connected by one man. Laura is a single mother who has an 8 year old son from a sperm donor. Wendy has twins also from a sperm donor, though she is married. Vanessa has a boyfriend, Eric, who might want to marry her but probably not. The story follows these women, each chapter told through one of their perspectives.
Nothing in this story made me particularly joyful or sad. I was not moved even a little. Sometimes I could empathize with Vanessa, especially toward the end, but the other women were very annoying. Wendy was a model of the type of mother I never want to me. Laura seems very selfish. Ugh.
I do not recommend this book. I'm giving it two stars only because it held my attention enough to finish it.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
book 6
With a Little Luck by Caprice Crane
303 pages
i loved this book from the start. seriously, i always say that, but really truly loved it. when i came to it in my pile, i was a little eh about reading it because caprice crane is an author i have never read before. sometimes that causes me a little hesitation, since i'm unsure if it's going to be horrible.. another amazon recommendation. but wow, i was completely blown away. i was so into this book that when we were watching a movie this morning, my boyfriend got up to use the little boy's room and i picked it up and read during the two minutes he was gone. that how good with a little luck was.
with a little luck is a story about a woman named Berry (short for Beryl), who is a radio DJ in LA. She is very superstitious. she is also VERY funny. i really wanted her to be happy in the end (although, let's face it - this is chick lit. she would be happy in the end). she totally buys into all the hype and superstitions about everything - black cats, rabbits feet, horseshoes, and bad things happening in threes, just to name a few. when she meets man number three, she is sure it won't work as he would be the bad third, so it's almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy. i won't give anything else away, but suffice it to say that she is very funny, very real, and someone i would definitely want to be friends with if she were a real person.
i will be adding every other book written by caprice crane to my amazon wishlist today, and possibly ordering them when i get paid next week. i cannot wait to read everything she's written, and i am hopeful that they are all just as amazing as this book was!
303 pages
i loved this book from the start. seriously, i always say that, but really truly loved it. when i came to it in my pile, i was a little eh about reading it because caprice crane is an author i have never read before. sometimes that causes me a little hesitation, since i'm unsure if it's going to be horrible.. another amazon recommendation. but wow, i was completely blown away. i was so into this book that when we were watching a movie this morning, my boyfriend got up to use the little boy's room and i picked it up and read during the two minutes he was gone. that how good with a little luck was.
with a little luck is a story about a woman named Berry (short for Beryl), who is a radio DJ in LA. She is very superstitious. she is also VERY funny. i really wanted her to be happy in the end (although, let's face it - this is chick lit. she would be happy in the end). she totally buys into all the hype and superstitions about everything - black cats, rabbits feet, horseshoes, and bad things happening in threes, just to name a few. when she meets man number three, she is sure it won't work as he would be the bad third, so it's almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy. i won't give anything else away, but suffice it to say that she is very funny, very real, and someone i would definitely want to be friends with if she were a real person.
i will be adding every other book written by caprice crane to my amazon wishlist today, and possibly ordering them when i get paid next week. i cannot wait to read everything she's written, and i am hopeful that they are all just as amazing as this book was!
movie 2
In the Loop
This was a very funny satire of politics and war in the UK and US. I laughed out loud lots and lots. The plot of the film was that the US is spearheading getting involved in the Middle East and it really revolves around the British policy people and the US State Dept.
I really don't know what to say about this film except that it was hilarious. There was a lot (A LOT) of foul language, which I am ok with but just a head up to any of the (non) people reading this blog.
I definitely would recommend this film to anyone who wants to laugh out loud for 106 minutes. It was a really good portrayal of politics and how stupid they are, which is something I completely agree with. Put it in your film queue!!!
This was a very funny satire of politics and war in the UK and US. I laughed out loud lots and lots. The plot of the film was that the US is spearheading getting involved in the Middle East and it really revolves around the British policy people and the US State Dept.
I really don't know what to say about this film except that it was hilarious. There was a lot (A LOT) of foul language, which I am ok with but just a head up to any of the (non) people reading this blog.
I definitely would recommend this film to anyone who wants to laugh out loud for 106 minutes. It was a really good portrayal of politics and how stupid they are, which is something I completely agree with. Put it in your film queue!!!
book 5
Been There, Done That by Carol Snow
270ish pages (I forget!)
As I understand, Been There, Done That is the debut novel by Carol Snow. I've read one or two of her other books, and I enjoyed them, so when Amazon recommended others, I gobbled them up. I really enjoyed this book. It was not as predictable as I'd expected (although there were no huge surprises). I didn't want to put it down. The book had just enough characters to be interesting, but not so many as to where you lose track of who is who in the overpopulation. The premise is not entirely believable, but it is *somewhat* believable. I am incredibly good at suspending disbelief, though, when reading.
Been There, Done That is the story of a 32 year old journalist named Kathy. Previously, she had been in an 11 year relationship with this dude Tim, who reappears when he gets a lead about a supposed prostitution ring at a liberal arts college in the suburbs of Boston, MA. Since Kathy can easily pass for a teenager, Tim asks her to go undercover at the school to see if she can find out the skinny on the ring and break a huge story. She enrolls in the college and the story follows her through about eight weeks. She meets some interesting people and gets to live the life of a college freshman with the wisdom of a 30-something. I think this was a very interesting premise, though there is definitely more that could have been done. I am not holding this against the book, though, because overall, it may have added to the density and changed the story.
Carol Snow is a great writer with some very nice ideas, and I am looking forward to reading more of her novels as soon as possible! In fact, I have two more at home (though I have them a little spaced on my list so as not to either OD on Snow or run out if they're amazing!)
Been There, Done That comes highly recommended by me for my usual recommended group: people who enjoy a breezy, if not fluffy, read for an escape or on vacation. There isn't much to not like about this novel!
270ish pages (I forget!)
As I understand, Been There, Done That is the debut novel by Carol Snow. I've read one or two of her other books, and I enjoyed them, so when Amazon recommended others, I gobbled them up. I really enjoyed this book. It was not as predictable as I'd expected (although there were no huge surprises). I didn't want to put it down. The book had just enough characters to be interesting, but not so many as to where you lose track of who is who in the overpopulation. The premise is not entirely believable, but it is *somewhat* believable. I am incredibly good at suspending disbelief, though, when reading.
Been There, Done That is the story of a 32 year old journalist named Kathy. Previously, she had been in an 11 year relationship with this dude Tim, who reappears when he gets a lead about a supposed prostitution ring at a liberal arts college in the suburbs of Boston, MA. Since Kathy can easily pass for a teenager, Tim asks her to go undercover at the school to see if she can find out the skinny on the ring and break a huge story. She enrolls in the college and the story follows her through about eight weeks. She meets some interesting people and gets to live the life of a college freshman with the wisdom of a 30-something. I think this was a very interesting premise, though there is definitely more that could have been done. I am not holding this against the book, though, because overall, it may have added to the density and changed the story.
Carol Snow is a great writer with some very nice ideas, and I am looking forward to reading more of her novels as soon as possible! In fact, I have two more at home (though I have them a little spaced on my list so as not to either OD on Snow or run out if they're amazing!)
Been There, Done That comes highly recommended by me for my usual recommended group: people who enjoy a breezy, if not fluffy, read for an escape or on vacation. There isn't much to not like about this novel!
Monday, January 16, 2012
movie 1
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
so, um yeah. i didn't get it. i mean i know what happened, but only at the end. was it supposed to be like that? i have no idea. most of the time i was just confused. mind you, steve warned me in an advance that i was likely to be confused. he said it would probably be "boring and cerebral" which is right up his alley and nowhere near mine.
i enjoyed the two hours in the theatre. the last movie we saw in the theatre was unstoppable, and that was probably over a year ago. i very much enjoyed my nachos!
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a film based on the books by John le Carre, which i am to understand is a pen name for someone who actually was a British spy during the Cold War. the premise of the film is that there is a mole among the "circus" which apparently is the spy organization, and this dude Smiley is called out of retirement in order to figure it out. i basically got all that. the story is told in layers, it moves around a lot, in the past and in the present. sometimes i had a hard time following the switching, although that is all me, and probably will not affect the casual viewer.
anyway, i would say i was bored, but that was really only in the beginning, and then i couldn't be bored because i was very busy trying to figure out what was happening. i think it was well worth my time, and it helped that steve explained a lot to me afterward. i'm no dummy, i just have a hard time following complicated movie plots. i have a short attention span.
if you are into spy films (not spy THRILLERS.. this was no thriller though there was a handful of gore), you should see this. also if you like confusing films that are critically acclaimed. i will stick to shallow fluff and dark comedies :)
Saturday, January 14, 2012
book 4
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
251 pages
I did not like this book. I mean, I get that it's a classic, and that everyone should read Hemingway, but eh. Nothing happens. There is so much description of the land. The whole time I was thinking of that chapter in the Grapes of Wrath where the turtle crosses the road. I was bored out of my mind.
I understand that this was the lost generation. I am a social studies teacher, and I understand the feeling encapsulated in the story. I get the Lost Generation. I appreciate the sentiments, the angst, the hopelessness, and the "tomorrow we die" attitude. I just don't think I needed 251 pages of it. Some of the description was nice, like the bull fights and all that, but overall I just wanted to be finished with the book so I could start a new one as soon as possible.
My favorite annoying part of the book was the following line: " The girl came in with the coffee and buttered toast. Or, rather, it was bread toasted and buttered." Really? Isn't that time same thing? I read it out loud to everyone I could.
251 pages
I did not like this book. I mean, I get that it's a classic, and that everyone should read Hemingway, but eh. Nothing happens. There is so much description of the land. The whole time I was thinking of that chapter in the Grapes of Wrath where the turtle crosses the road. I was bored out of my mind.
I understand that this was the lost generation. I am a social studies teacher, and I understand the feeling encapsulated in the story. I get the Lost Generation. I appreciate the sentiments, the angst, the hopelessness, and the "tomorrow we die" attitude. I just don't think I needed 251 pages of it. Some of the description was nice, like the bull fights and all that, but overall I just wanted to be finished with the book so I could start a new one as soon as possible.
My favorite annoying part of the book was the following line: " The girl came in with the coffee and buttered toast. Or, rather, it was bread toasted and buttered." Really? Isn't that time same thing? I read it out loud to everyone I could.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
book 3
Leaving Unknown by Kerry Reichs
358 pages
This was a lovely book. Definitely a great read, and, as usual, I couldn't put it down. A much better story than the first book by Kerry Reichs - this book didn't take 100 pages to get into. Although there was a lot of attention to detail again, and there were also quirks among characters that were really annoying, such as Maeve always rhyming stuff even when they don't necessarily rhyme (What's up, duck").
Maeve Connelly decides to take a road trip to start over in L.A. On her way, her car breaks down in Unknown, Arizona, and she is stuck there for a very long time. First she has to wait for the town's only mechanic to return from a gambling binge, then she has to raise the money to pay for the part to her 1970s car (a 1978 plymouth road runner, admittedly a very hot car!!!). The town's many characters are endearing and very cute. The whole time, you totally want Maeve to stay, although it is clear she wants to finish what she starts and make it out to L.A. HEt long pit stop is definitely an unfortunate accident, where she discovers much about life, people, and mostly herself.
There are parts of the plot that were unexpected and others that were very expected. Overall, it was a pleasant mix of the two. This book didn't make me cry (a sign of an amazing story!), but it did make me laugh and definitely warmed by heart.
A few gripes: like the debut novel by Reichs, there were some typos and misprints that made me feel like her editor or publisher kind of blows it on the details. The drawings for the picture book were very dark. This annoyed me to no end, because I'd have liked to see the details and not have to strain to see what was going on in some of the pictures. And, of course, my earlier gripe about the stupid rhyming. The dialogue was better than the first novel, though, and totally less forced. The wit came easily, instead of forced, as it had seemed in The Best Day of Someone Else's Life.
I'd recommend this book for anyone looking for a light read that has some seriousness to it. Enjoy!
358 pages
This was a lovely book. Definitely a great read, and, as usual, I couldn't put it down. A much better story than the first book by Kerry Reichs - this book didn't take 100 pages to get into. Although there was a lot of attention to detail again, and there were also quirks among characters that were really annoying, such as Maeve always rhyming stuff even when they don't necessarily rhyme (What's up, duck").
Maeve Connelly decides to take a road trip to start over in L.A. On her way, her car breaks down in Unknown, Arizona, and she is stuck there for a very long time. First she has to wait for the town's only mechanic to return from a gambling binge, then she has to raise the money to pay for the part to her 1970s car (a 1978 plymouth road runner, admittedly a very hot car!!!). The town's many characters are endearing and very cute. The whole time, you totally want Maeve to stay, although it is clear she wants to finish what she starts and make it out to L.A. HEt long pit stop is definitely an unfortunate accident, where she discovers much about life, people, and mostly herself.
There are parts of the plot that were unexpected and others that were very expected. Overall, it was a pleasant mix of the two. This book didn't make me cry (a sign of an amazing story!), but it did make me laugh and definitely warmed by heart.
A few gripes: like the debut novel by Reichs, there were some typos and misprints that made me feel like her editor or publisher kind of blows it on the details. The drawings for the picture book were very dark. This annoyed me to no end, because I'd have liked to see the details and not have to strain to see what was going on in some of the pictures. And, of course, my earlier gripe about the stupid rhyming. The dialogue was better than the first novel, though, and totally less forced. The wit came easily, instead of forced, as it had seemed in The Best Day of Someone Else's Life.
I'd recommend this book for anyone looking for a light read that has some seriousness to it. Enjoy!
Friday, January 6, 2012
book 2 - finished!
Perfect on Paper by Maria Murnane
Perfect on Paper roped me in from page one. I was a little unsure at first because I just recently read a different book that began with someone being left at the altar, but the casual way in which the story was written grabbed my attention immediately. The main character is a woman in her late 20s named Waverly Bryson. I was really able to relate to her in that many of the things she said are things I would say. In fact, more than once I read a line or two from the book to my boyfriend because I was so surprised by the coincidence!
A few things I really liked about this book: It was really funny and fast-paced, I never wanted to put it down! I love how the story didn't focus on Waverly and one particular love interest, although one man, Jake, makes several appearances. I enjoyed that it wasn't just constant Jake action or constantly running into each other all the time insanity. Murnane did a fantastic job of creating likable characters, and you didn't like the ones she probably didn't want you to like. Something that I noticed that I found really unusual was that I didn't feel like I had to root for Waverly.. she kind of just did stuff, and you knew whatever happened, she'd be ok, even if in the end she fell on her face. I think what I mean is that I never had to pity her, or find myself hoping she would end up happy, because, although the character was insecure, you never had to really feel bad for her. I enjoyed that!
A few things that kept me from going five stars: The characters have annoying catch phrases. Like Andie (one of Waverly's two best friends) always says "Way." after another character says "No way!" I get that that's like real life, but it sort of niggled at me. Also, Waverly has a habit of saying "Have we met? I'm Waverly Bryson." A lot. It's in situations where she's like "duh, isn't it obvious?" or "you should know this about me" kind of thing, but maybe if she said it twice it wouldn't have been so annoying.. However, it happened like nine times. These are petty, I know, but they were little thorns in my side that didn't really keep me from enjoying the story, but stood out enough to make me think more than once that it was worth dropping a star. There are a couple of other things, but I don't want any spoilers here, so I shall omit them!
Perfect on Paper is a perfect beach read, vacation read, or just a breezy light story for any day, really. I would highly recommend it despite the little annoyances I suffered. Enjoy!
Four stars!
Perfect on Paper roped me in from page one. I was a little unsure at first because I just recently read a different book that began with someone being left at the altar, but the casual way in which the story was written grabbed my attention immediately. The main character is a woman in her late 20s named Waverly Bryson. I was really able to relate to her in that many of the things she said are things I would say. In fact, more than once I read a line or two from the book to my boyfriend because I was so surprised by the coincidence!
A few things I really liked about this book: It was really funny and fast-paced, I never wanted to put it down! I love how the story didn't focus on Waverly and one particular love interest, although one man, Jake, makes several appearances. I enjoyed that it wasn't just constant Jake action or constantly running into each other all the time insanity. Murnane did a fantastic job of creating likable characters, and you didn't like the ones she probably didn't want you to like. Something that I noticed that I found really unusual was that I didn't feel like I had to root for Waverly.. she kind of just did stuff, and you knew whatever happened, she'd be ok, even if in the end she fell on her face. I think what I mean is that I never had to pity her, or find myself hoping she would end up happy, because, although the character was insecure, you never had to really feel bad for her. I enjoyed that!
A few things that kept me from going five stars: The characters have annoying catch phrases. Like Andie (one of Waverly's two best friends) always says "Way." after another character says "No way!" I get that that's like real life, but it sort of niggled at me. Also, Waverly has a habit of saying "Have we met? I'm Waverly Bryson." A lot. It's in situations where she's like "duh, isn't it obvious?" or "you should know this about me" kind of thing, but maybe if she said it twice it wouldn't have been so annoying.. However, it happened like nine times. These are petty, I know, but they were little thorns in my side that didn't really keep me from enjoying the story, but stood out enough to make me think more than once that it was worth dropping a star. There are a couple of other things, but I don't want any spoilers here, so I shall omit them!
Perfect on Paper is a perfect beach read, vacation read, or just a breezy light story for any day, really. I would highly recommend it despite the little annoyances I suffered. Enjoy!
Four stars!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
book 1 - finished!
Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkanen
I have a tendency to buy any book that Amazon recommends to me. This usually works in my favor, though occasionally I am very disappointed with the recommendation. At the outset of Skipping a Beat, I was convinced this book fell into the disappointed category. The story is about a woman named Julia who is in her mid-30s. She has essentially gone from rags to riches, and is now living the life in her DC mansion. Julia is (surpise!) an event planner (which seems to be the career of choice in women's fiction lately) who owns her own business, and her husband is also an extremely successful entrepreneur. I pretty much wrote the book off immediately, thinking I could never relate to these characters, which is a MAJOR part of reading for me. I am never one to give up on a book, however, so I gave it a chance.
The book opens with her husband going into cardiac arrest. After being dead for 4 minutes and 8 seconds, he realizes he's done it all wrong, and wants to give all of his money away. The rest of the story revolves around Julia's feelings in trying to reconcile a broken marriage when the gravy train is also coming to an abrupt halt.
Despite my original misgivings about Skipping a Beat, I quickly became really involved in the story. Sarah Pekkanen created nuanced characters who have very real emotions. Although some aspects of the book did require a suspension of disbelief, overall I was very satisfied with the development of the personalities, the feelings, and the ultimate resolution. I was even a little surprised at times. I plowed through this book in anticipation of the ending, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in character development. I felt the story was untraditional, although perhaps it was simply unfamiliar to me as I usually read more frou frou literature.
Five stars!
I have a tendency to buy any book that Amazon recommends to me. This usually works in my favor, though occasionally I am very disappointed with the recommendation. At the outset of Skipping a Beat, I was convinced this book fell into the disappointed category. The story is about a woman named Julia who is in her mid-30s. She has essentially gone from rags to riches, and is now living the life in her DC mansion. Julia is (surpise!) an event planner (which seems to be the career of choice in women's fiction lately) who owns her own business, and her husband is also an extremely successful entrepreneur. I pretty much wrote the book off immediately, thinking I could never relate to these characters, which is a MAJOR part of reading for me. I am never one to give up on a book, however, so I gave it a chance.
The book opens with her husband going into cardiac arrest. After being dead for 4 minutes and 8 seconds, he realizes he's done it all wrong, and wants to give all of his money away. The rest of the story revolves around Julia's feelings in trying to reconcile a broken marriage when the gravy train is also coming to an abrupt halt.
Despite my original misgivings about Skipping a Beat, I quickly became really involved in the story. Sarah Pekkanen created nuanced characters who have very real emotions. Although some aspects of the book did require a suspension of disbelief, overall I was very satisfied with the development of the personalities, the feelings, and the ultimate resolution. I was even a little surprised at times. I plowed through this book in anticipation of the ending, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in character development. I felt the story was untraditional, although perhaps it was simply unfamiliar to me as I usually read more frou frou literature.
Five stars!
Monday, January 2, 2012
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