Be Back Soon!

Sorry for the hiatus! We just moved, and I have had enough time to read, but not enough time to write about it!  I have several posts I need to make... stay tuned...

Just Finished: Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

This is the sexiest book ever written.  Ever.

I can't even think of where to begin. Glamour simply oozes from every page. 

I was given a copy of this book in a Birthday Basket by one of my closest friends; she hadn't read it, but the basket had a pink theme, so she added it last minute when she saw it matched the soap and bunny slippers.  The book has been sitting on my bookshelf for about a year, and I finally cracked it open a few weeks ago.

I am not one to go GAGA over Chick Lit (in fact, I try to make a point NOT to read it), but Valley of the Dolls is to the 60's what Sex and the City is to my generation.

The story chronicles three young women, making their start in New York City just after World War II: Anne, a native New Englander breaking out on her own; Neely, a vaudeville actress trying to make it on Broadway; and Jennifer, a model turned actress.  These women become fast friends, and the book follows their own separate ascents to stardom. 

As usual, I don't want to give too much away.  But this book is easily one of the best I have read all year.  Go out and get yourself a copy.

This book is a literary Chocolate Truffle. So decadent, a totally calorie-ridden guilty pleasure.

TITLE: Valley of the Dolls
AUTHOR: Jacqueline Susann
Copyright: 1966

Just Finished: The Life You Longed For by Maribeth Fischer

TITLE: The Life You Longed For
AUTHOR: Maribeth Fischer
COPYRIGHT: 2007

I found a copy of this book in the markdown rack at Borders for $2.99, so I thought, why not?  I began reading it about four days ago, and I gotta tell ya, I still don't know what to make of this book, even though I'm finished. Maybe writing about it will help me process it!

The Life You Longed For is the story of Grace Connelly, a mother of three who finds herself being investigated by Child Protective Services for abuse of her youngest son, three year old Jack.  Jack has a rare mitochondrial disease that affects the way his organs function, and Grace had been by his side from the beginning, bringing him from specialist to specialist hoping for a definitive diagnosis, trying her best to be the best mom she can be, given the circumstances.  So, when Grace finds out she is being investigated by CPS for Munchausen Syndrome by proxy, she finds her life spiralling out of control. 

My knowledge base of Munchausen syndrome by proxy before reading this book was limited to an episode of ER where a mother kept bringing her son into different hospitals. If memory serves me, she was injecting him with something to keep him sick.  The ultimate gist of the episode was the mom was psychotic and making her son ill to gain attention from the hospital staff.  The main character of the book, Grace, didn't seem to fit into the psycho mom profile, but slowly, you start to think, what if she is that crazy?  A stressed out mom with a medical background, an "inappropriate sense of humor", and an affair with an old boyfriend?  Doesn't seem so far fetched, but the author keeps drawing not so subtle parallels with the Salem Witch Trials, and the story started to fall apart for me. I started to get pretty sick of Grace and the whole situation long before the last page of the book.

Ultimately, the only thing that kept me going, kept me reading the book was wondering if the author was gonna pull something over on me, if there was going to be a twist.  But there really wasn't.  I think there was too much going on with the book.  There were so many directions the plot could have gone, the author's real message got kind of lost. Life is complicated, and my feeling, walking away from the book, is that was what the author was trying to portray. 

I don't have children.  Maybe I should revisit this book later, after I have a few of 'em, to see how I connect with the story at that time.  I honestly think that would help me appreciate the book, to view it in a different light. But there are other books out there that deal with mothers losing their children that have made me cry like a baby (think Handle with Care or Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult). 

The Life You Longed For is literary Salt and Vinegar potato chips.  You think it's a good idea at first, but after a few chips, you wish for Sour Cream and Onion.

Recently Revisited: Persuasion by Jane Austen

After watching Becoming Jane for the first time a few weeks ago, I decided to revisit my second favorite Jane Austen novel, Persuasion, which is a strong contrast from Pride and Prejudice, her most beloved (and my all-time favorite) novel.  Although both books deal with the everyday lives of genteel society in early 1800's England, there is a light-hearted tone throughout Pride and Prejudice,  that is lacking in the more serious Persuasion. 

Let's think for a moment, on Jane Austen's life, and when she wrote the two novels.  Although Pride and Prejudice wasn't the first manuscript that Austen wrote, she began writing the drafts for it in 1796, when she was just 20 years old. Austen was still relatively young and optimistic, and it is evident that some of this worked it's way into the feisty and playful heroine, Elizabeth Bennett.  Elizabeth flies in the face of convention, and still manages to catch the man of her dreams.

Austen too, had flown in the face of convention, but instead remained unmarried, and living with her mother and sister Cassandra, fell ill in 1816 while completing Persuasion.  The story, although fantastic, just doesn't sparkle the way that Pride and Prejudice, or her other earlier works seem to do.  The last two chapters had been re-written by Austen, perhaps hastily, just eight months before her death when she was noticibly ill. You can almost feel the urgency of the final two chapters, and ultimately, the last minute redemption.  It is the only time, in any of Austen's books, that I have noticed a disjointedness.  Maybe, Austen was looking out for Anne Elliot, the heroine of Persuasion, and just wanted to hurry up and give her the happy ending that Anne deserves, or perhaps, the happy ending Jane Austen longed for in her own life.

I believe that the love story of Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth is fantastic in its own right, standing alone from Austen's other works.  It's the kind of story I love to read as Fall approaches, bittersweet and reflective, full of insight, and if you look closely enough, a mirror into the author's own heart.

Persuasion is like literary Hot Chocolate, the kind made from melted chocolate bars and milk, not that powdery stuff.

                   

  

For more information on the life and times of Jane Austen, please visit: http://www.janeausten.org/

JUST FINISHED: Strawberry Shortcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Being the foodie that I am, I was instantly drawn to Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen Mysteries.  Her first book, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder was a kick in the pants. Hannah Swensen, the feisty red haired heroine, is the owner of The Cookie Jar, a bakery in her hometown of Lake Eden, Minnesota.  Hannah instantly winds up in the middle of a murder investigation, and with some twists and turns, solves the who-dun-it. Fast paced, the Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder was fun, and included some great recipes, so I ordered the next book in the Hannah Swensen series, Strawberry Shortcake Murder, for a little light Summer reading.

Strawberry Shortcake Murder brings us back to Lake Eden, and this time, Hannah finds herself at the grisly murder scene of Lake Eden Basketball coach, Boyd Watson.  Determined to clear his widow's name, Hannah juggles baking and investigating, and always manages to stay one step ahead of the police.

All in all, I like the Hannah Swensen mysteries, but Strawberry Shortcake Murder falls a little flat.  Not enough action, too much character development. The story felt like it was missing something, as if it was attacked by a sloppy, slash happy editor.  (I like Joanne Fluke too much to discredit her- besides, the recipes she wedges in between the chapters are phenomenal!).

I would have to rate Strawberry Shortcake Murder as Literary Tuna Casserole: a little predictable, but will still make you feel warm and cozy inside.

TITLE: Strawberry Shortcake Murder

AUTHOR: Joanne Fluke

Copyright: 2001

For more info on Joanne Fluke and the Hannah Swensen series, visit http://www.murdershebaked.com/

  

JUST FINISHED: Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz

Confederates in the Attic is one of those books that played a cat and mouse, Enemy at the Gates-type game with me.  I first noticed it when I was wandering through the US History section at the local Borders.  I'd just laid down the last of my monthly book budget at the checkout, and was looking for my fiance when it caught my eye.  After flipping through a few pages, it looked good and entertaining, but was it purchase worthy, or should I pick it up from the library? The internal debate waged, and I waffled back and forth every time I hit up the bookstore.  It wasn't until a few months and one B&N gift card later that I finally bought it. 

Confederates is a look at the Civil War and its aftermath through the people of the Modern South.  Horwitz begins the book by introducing us to a rag tag group of Civil War Reenactors that are so hardcore they starve themselves before a reenactment to look more like POW's.  Horwitz seamlessly intertwines the hilarious with more serious issues that still plague the Southern States, like race relations, the rebel flag and even more scary, curriculum taught at the schools. 

The greatest thing about the book was that Horwitz, a Yankee transplant living in Virginia, enthusiastically throws himself in the deep end, so to speak, and opens a window to a world that outsiders often don't get to see.  Some of the people he comes in contact with would make me run straight for the hills in real life, but he digs deep and shows the humanity in even the craziest crackpot, in the "Oh, don't mind him, that's just crazy Uncle Joe" kind of way. (C'mon, everyone has a crazy Uncle Joe, right?)

History is always written by the victors, but sometimes you need to look at it from another (and this time, more amusing) angle.  I give it two thumbs up.  OK, forget that, I'm not Siskel and Ebert.  I am a foodie, though.  I would equate it to Literary Banana Nut Muffins. Yummy and distinct, with some unexpected crunch.

Title: Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War

Author: Tony Horwitz

Copyright: 1998

For more on Tony Horwitz's adventures with the CSA Reenactors, visit the Random House website.

Books, books, and more books!

Welcome to my new blog, "My Life in the Shelves".  I love a good book, and also love to share them, but don't like the hassle of a monthly book club meeting.  So, this is my new outlet!  As I finish a book, I will post a little something about it, and also try to revisit some old favorites.

Happy Reading!