A Land More Kind Than Home

After last year's effort, I wasn't intending to keep a pace of reading a book every week in 2018. I knew I would keep reading, but was not going to keep the pressure on to keep up that pace. 

Then, I picked up Wiley Cash's book.

You can see from the sticker on the cover that this book was highly acclaimed. And, the cover describes the book as if "Cormac McCarthy decided to rewrite Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird". I mean, how could you NOT read it after it was described that way?

Well, it did not disappoint.

This book isn't going to uplift you in any way. But, it will move you. The subject matter is difficult, but the writing is exceptional.

It begins with death by snake inside a radical southern church. Do I have your attention? Yeah. Then, it describes the rifts that often permeate small towns. Rifts in religious, rifts in families, rifts inside ourselves. And, while things end in a very final way, those rifts don't necessarily resolve in any sort of productive way. Sometimes you just get too damn tired to fight anymore.

The story bounces between narrators, the most compelling being a young boy subjected to absolute pain and horror. When his brother stumbles across something he should never have seen, the repercussions come swiftly. This younger brother is left to see it happen and feels powerless to stop it. Surrounding those young boys: a woman who saw this type of horror coming years before, a mother who sacrifices her family for a religious zealot and a couple of angry, grieving fathers. Their stories intertwine in powerful ways that will leave you aching for the characters throughout.

This is the kind of book that you get lost in. When you're reading for awhile and you look up and feel disoriented - jolted back to reality. The writing is so good, the story itself sticks to your ribs. It's not pleasant or uplifting or joyful.

But, I'd take powerful and well-written over that any day.

Review: The Dry

There's nothing about the title or even the cover of this book that would jump out at you and make you want to read it. I mean, when the word "dry" is in the title, you'd expect that it would be just that. But, the description of the book (and the fact that it was one of only 30 titles or so available in the tiny book section of the store in the Oakland airport) made me look past the title to a story that was mostly fast-paced and interesting.

I bought this book because I couldn't stand the idea of a two hour flight with nothing to read. I ended up falling asleep on the flight anyway, but before that, I moved quickly through nearly 100 pages. The setup and pace in those opening chapters had me thinking I'd finish the book in a couple of days. But, the pace slowed quite a bit and, for 100 pages or so, the title lived up to its name.

Let me backtrack.

This debut novel is set in a small town in Australia. They may live on other side of the globe, but small town folks are small town folks and their drama and their deep, dark secrets transcend geography. The book opens with the discovery of a terrible tragedy; a man is found dead in his truck of an apparent suicide and his wife and young son are brutally murdered in their home. Only the baby survives. The town immediately believes the man could no longer handle the pressure of farming in what has been a years-long drought. They think he snapped, killed his family, then himself. That man's old friend returns from the big city for the funeral and because he's a federal agent, the dead man's family wants him to investigate, believing there must be more to the story.

As he begins his investigation, he's revisiting ghosts of his past. Layer by layer, the author reveals the secrets that have haunted this small town. She introduces characters and backstories that have the reader questioning everything and everyone, all leading up to a somewhat surprising conclusion and a potentially catastrophic climax (*note: catastrophic climax would be an awesome name for an album. Don't steal it.) 

The story was compelling, the conclusion was surprising, but still believable. It's a decent book. The only problem was that some of those red herring tangents took up too much time and space. I like following a thread even when it turns out not to be significant, but this book spent a little too much time on too many of those storylines. I think if this book was about 75 pages shorter, I could more enthusiastically recommend it. As is? I'll let Larry David tell ya.

One Week, One Book: What I Learned

So, I'm almost two weeks past my grand experience and looking back at 2017 with some perspective. I set out to read a book a week, every week, for the entire year. And, I blogged reviews of every one. I thought it would be nice to look back and even offer advice for those of you who are trying it now (which is AWESOME) and for those who say it can't be done.

Let's be clear: I realize I didn't do anything spectacular. I read books; I can't think of many things more lazy than turning off the world, curling up and getting lost in a book. And, there are a lot of people who read more books than this every year and don't feel the need to tell everyone about it. But, looking back, it really is pretty cool. It's cool because I made a commitment to do it, followed through and learned a ton along the way. Also, I'm a TV journalist and a Twitter addict, it's in my nature to want attention for things. 

If you've followed this blog at all, you know my taste in books is all over the place. In the 52 weeks of 2017, I read about serial killers and starlets and sharks and grandmas and serial killers and football and cannibalism and more serial killers. That's what was really cool about this experiment. I never have a hard time finding a book I'd like to read, but finding 52 (ultimately, I read 56) books that I wanted to read forced me to look outside of my typical genres. It also got me back to the library; there was no way my husband was going to be cool with me spending all that money on books. Checking out about 30% of the books from the library instead kept him quiet - and, saved more money for shoes! 

Especially since I've had kids, I crave the quiet that comes with reading. Most of my days are loud - at home and at work. So, this cranked up that solitude. Rarely did I turn on the TV after everyone went to bed. I spent less time mindlessly scrolling through my phone (though, I still spent a ton of time doing that.) The bottom line is, did I miss some tweets? Sure. Have I still not finished House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and about 5 table flips worth of Real Housewives seasons? Yeah. But, those are still on my DVR. I'll get to them. In exchange for numb TV watching, I got an increased sense of calm, better sleep and the satisfaction of having read some pretty amazing stories.

Several friends have told me I inspired them to read more, which is awesome. My favorite thing has been to share reviews and hear that people tried out a book I read (even if they hated it.) And, a couple of people say they're trying a book a week this year. I wish them well! It can be really hard. If you aren't used to reading that much or you struggle to find books that intrigue you, it's even more of a struggle. But, just the commitment to read more is good for your soul. That, at the very least, is worth a try.

(side note: I learned through this process that I really am a fast reader. A friend asked me how long it takes me to read a page and I had never even given a thought. So, I looked into it. Turns out, the average person takes about two minutes to read a page. On a cross-country flight, I set a timer and figured out I read a page every 45 seconds or so. That explains a lot. Am I retaining info, you ask? Yep. I've just always been a fast reader.)

So, now what?

I thought maybe I'd take a long break, finish those TV shows and read the stack of magazines that are piling up on my kitchen table. I did buy a book on January 2nd in the airport on the way home from a trip. I started it that day and finished on January 11th. 9 days - and, it felt like it took forever! So, clearly, this experiment has become a habit. Plus, I really like writing these reviews so I can really think what about what I've read and not forget about the book a month later. So, I will continue to read more without the pressure of forcing one book a week. And, I'll continue to write reviews. Hopefully, someone will get something out of reading those reviews. If nothing else, it will keep me from buying books I've already read!

I changed the name of this blog to reflect not my 2017 experiment, but my true identity as an admitted book snob. Change those bookmarks. Tell your friends. Shout it from the rooftops. Alert the media. Wait, no, I should do that.

If you're trying to read more and want some advice or just want some book recommendations that aren't in my blog, drop me a message here. I'm happy to enable your new habit :) 

10 Best of 2017

So, I read a lot of books in 2017. 56 of them, to be exact. It was my goal to read a book a week and I did it, with a few multi-book weeks thrown in to juice the final number. Reading that many books was a challenge, but I absolutely loved it and plan to continue at a similar pace. I'll also continue to blog my reviews, because it's the easiest way to remember what I've read. 

Truly, one of the best parts of this year's reading challenge was how many people have asked to suggest a book to them. I don't always love doing that - taste is so subjective. But, this blog has gave me the confidence to hopefully guide the right book to the right person. And, several people have asked me to make a Top 10 of the year list so they don't have to sift through 52 reviews. 

Now, I know MOST of you have followed along and read every single review. Right? No? Well, geez, jerks. Even though I feel slighted by you, I want to be helpful. So, here are my top 10 of the year. They weren't all released this year, in fact most of them weren't. But, I read them this year, so you get the point.

These aren't ranked - that's too hard. Books speak to you based on when you read them, where you read them, etc. But, I give you 10 in no particular order. Though, they'll be numbered. Whatever. You get it. The links send you back to my original review.

1. Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford 

I know I said these wouldn't be ranked in order, but this is my favorite book of the year. It's one of my favorite books ever. It tells the story of young boy brought to America and left as an orphan in Seattle. In a bizarre fact based loosely on historical events, the child is auctioned off at the 1909 World's Fair. He ends up living in a notorious brothel, surrounded by loose women who care for him. The novel jumps between that boy's life as a child and his adulthood, as another World's Fair is underway in Seattle. There's northwest history and smut, which alone would make for a compelling read. But, there's also a deep and abiding love story that burrowed its way into my heart. It's my favorite book of Jamie's (his wife grew up with my sister and he lives in my hometown, so I'm going to casually drop his first name like it's NBD.) I also read it during a vacation in Lake Chelan, so my own setting made it even more special. It's just a fantastic book.

2. Close to Shore by Michael Capuzzo

I read this on yet another vacation this summer to Lake Chelan, so there's a very definite theme here. But, this story is so powerful, it actually had me nervous about sharks. In a lake. In landlocked north central Washington! This book is about a series of shark attacks in the Northeast in 1916 - attacks on which the premise of Jaws is loosely based. At a time when people truly believed sharks would never attack humans, sunbathing was all the rage for heat-ravaged city dwellers. Those beach-goers are on a collision course with a wayward shark who comes close to shore and starts attacking people. The book is as much about the history of a post-war America as it is about the shark attacks themselves. It often switches to the perspective of the shark and, if you're a little twisted like me, you  begin rooting for the shark. Great read - unless you're near the ocean. Or, apparently, any body of water.

3. Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I didn't know I could love a book like this. The synopsis reads more like a romance novel: an aging starlet famous for leaving men in her wake finally opens up to tell her story. Yawn, right? No. NO. It is so much deeper and more beautiful than that. It's hard to write about this book without giving too much away, but imagine that everything you know about the private life of Elizabeth Taylor was totally wrong. And, imagine it's being revealed to you for the first time. This book is deep, memorable, vivid and lasting. I read it in one day and every person I've loaned it to comes back with that same wistful smile. You know what they say about books and their covers... 

4. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

I've got a thing for Abe Lincoln. Whatever, it's weird and I know. But, reading this book was about more than my creepy presidential crush. This book was so highly anticipated, I had to read it. And, I'm thankful I read it before there was too much hype and debate. This book is not for everyone. It's written in a very bizarre way and isn't the kind of book with which your curl up in a hammock in the sunshine. This book makes your brain work - and, not everyone I recommended it to liked it as much as I did. Some people I suggested it to absolutely hated it, even though they were too polite to say that (or, they didn't want to get into an argument over it. Which I can appreciate.) The book is set in a cemetery in Washington, DC right after the death of Lincoln's son Willie. The bardo is a Buddhist notion of the space between the living and the dead and that's where we find Willie and the other inhabitants of the cemetery. Much of the story is told from their perspective, which is written in a way that's so unique, it took me quite a few pages to catch on. The other half of the story is from the land of the living and sees Willie's death from their perspective. It's based on the old story that President Lincoln would wander to the cemetery at night to be with his son. Saunders takes that idea and goes off the rails with it. I loved this book and it's listed by many as a top release this year. But, I concede: it's not for everyone.

5. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman

Oh man. This one's hard for me to write about, even nine months after I read it. This book cracked open my heart and crawled inside on the very first page. Mostly, because my grandmother is one of the most important people in my life and she's very slowly slipping away. This story tells of the special relationship between a girl and her grandmother and the secrets her grandmother reveals after her death. I don't want to say much more than that because there's so many great adventures in these pages. We were on a road trip to Montana when I read it and my husband stared at me with concern when I cried on page one, then again after I closed the back cover at the end. If you have (or had) a grandmother that was special to you, read this book. It's magical.

6. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie

Here's another book that had me holding my breath, until all the emotion escaped in a flood of tears. Alexie had me for about 250 pages before I lost it; I never got it back after that. I didn't know if I wanted to read this book because a memoir of an often cruel mother and her impact on her son sounded really depressing. But, it kept showing up on "best of list" after "best of list" and I gave in. I am so glad I did. Alexie weaves stories of his mom throughout this story of his life on and off the Spokane Indian Reservation. He talks about that reservation life as poverty-stricken and destitute. But, he also talks about how it shaped him - and, how the way his mother treated him stayed with him and surfaced in earnest after her death. Alexie is a poet and this book weaves his poems throughout. It's incredibly powerful and unforgettable and deserves its place among the best in the genre - or any genre - this year. (side note: a coworker is listening to the audio book that Alexie narrates and, even though I've read pain in the chapters already, I want to hear Alexie read his words himself. Next road trip.)

7. Death in the City of Light by David King

Okay, these selections are starting to sound depressing. An uplifting book next, I promise. But first, a serial killer! But, not just any serial killer.. this is the story of a doctor in Paris at the time of the Nazi occupation. Instead of helping people escape to South America, he was stealing their belongings and killing them. It's a true story I'd never heard of and it was absolutely fascinating to read about. Not only are the mysteries of his death house disturbing and intriguing, you learn a lot about Paris under Nazi control. While the murders themselves and the search for the killer make for interesting reading, the best part of the book is the second half. The doctor goes on trial in what have to be the most bizarre legal proceedings you've ever heard of. It's a dark, but wild ride and I would recommend this to anyone who's fascinated by crime. 

8. Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker

Do you have to love wine to love this book? I don't know. If you don't love wine, what's your problem? Sorry, that got away from me. This book does require a very basic appreciation for wine. More than that, it requires a little bit of curiosity to try and understand the world of really high-end wine and the people who build their lives around it. Bosker is a journalist who goes so deep into her research, she ends up training to me a sommelier. Along the way, you learn a ton about how to taste, what to taste, the differences between a bottle to split with friends and a bottle over which to wage a war. There are sections on restaurant etiquette, the role of smell, the rise of the "fruit bomb" and, so much more. It's a really fun read with which to sip your favorite red. Or white. Or rose, because it was summertime when I read it and sometimes, the $10 Washington special will do the trick.

9. Approval Junkie by Faith Salie

This was another "one sitting" read, so it had to be on the list. I loved so many things about this book. Mostly, I love the authentic voice of Faith Salie, who shares what life is like as someone who wants so much to gain the approval of others, often at her own expense. I didn't know much about her before a friend brought me this book, but I knew she had my two dream jobs: being on CBS Sunday Morning and being on Wait! Wait! Don't Tell Me the NPR News Quiz. She's honest, hilarious and heartfelt and this book spoke to a place inside of me that I didn't exactly know was there. Then, Salie read my review and tweeted that she loved it and now I'm a fan forever.

Okay, there are four more books I want to add to this top 10 list. Is that cheating? I'm not good at math. Or, apparently, commitment. But, it's my blog, so I'll do what I want. I'll keep these ones short, but I'll label them all #10 so if I get audited, we'll blame a clerical error...

10. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

The first book I read in 2017 and it was damn near perfect. A sweet story about a crotchety old man I'll never forget.

10. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Imagine The Jungle Book, but set in a graveyard with ghosts instead of animals. That's this. Unique and imaginative and unforgettable. Loved it.

10. Columbine by David Cullen

It's the story about Columbine beyond what you were told about two loner kids in the Trenchcoat Mafia. It's what really happened, what really led up to it and how law enforcement and the media allowed a false narrative to change the way we look at school shootings. Compelling, thoughtful and raw.

10. Love is a Mixed Tape by Rob Sheffield

"You can hide, but the song comes to find you." I love that line from this fantastic book because we can all relate. We all have those songs that shake us back to another time, another place, another person. Sheffield grieves the death of his wife through the songs they loved. It's more sweet than depressing and the book feels even better to me the further removed I am from reading it.

56. Molly's Game

This was it. The last book of the year. And, though I'm writing this review on January 2nd, I finished this one under the wire. Actually, I finished a few hours before the ball dropped to usher in 2017. 

56 books in 52 weeks. My reflections on that, coming soon in a separate post.

For now? Molly's Game.

A well-read friend recommended this book to me and, even though it's about to be released as a movie, I hadn't heard of it. It seemed like the perfect selection for a quick flight to San Francisco for an end-of-the-year getaway with my family. Something light and easy enough to read on a flight with my kids (on which I knew I'd be interrupted frequently), yet something satisfying to end this year of books.

It was just that.

Molly's Game is written by Molly Bloom, the woman described in the press as a "poker princess." I've kept myself from Googling her until after I finished the book because I first wanted to hear her story from her perspective. I expect that when I do read about her from other sources, I'll discover more of her inherent bias to to her own story. But, for now, it's her book; I have to trust her word.

Molly Bloom grew up in a competitive family where losing wasn't an option. She was brought up to be as fast and successful as her brothers, one of whom became a world champion skier. She, too, was a successful competitive skier, so you know from the jump that she's chasing that high. She finds a way to fuel that adrenaline rush running elite high-end poker games in Hollywood. 

With a mix of celebrities, billionaires and athletes, she curates the ultimate escape. Powerful men can't help but come to these games, chasing their own greed and risk. As the stakes get higher, so does Molly's risk. You feel her climbing too fast, careening towards danger - a danger that's foreshadowed in the opening pages of the book.

This book is a mix of poker, power, luxury, greed and Hollywood gossip. You know the guys at her table - and you'll find yourself really angry with one major Hollywood movie star. 

It's not Shakespeare by any means, but this book kept me interested and the pages flew by. I found myself rooting for Molly, while also being annoyed at the choices she makes. The men in the game need her - until they don't. You realize well before Molly does how little they value her as a person. You want her to make better choices, while simultaneously loving how ballsy she is, quite literally betting on herself.

It's a fast read and a fascinating one and it's about to be released as an Aaron Sorkin film. I just watched the trailer, which seems to go beyond what Molly reveals in the book. Looks to be a Jessica Chastain cleavage-heavy movie as well, and you can't be mad at that.

Here's the trailer.