Sharp Objects

I have developed an obsession with Gillian Flynn. This woman has easily, and quickly, become one of my favorite authors. Not an easy place to earn.
This is actually not the book that I planned on writing about this week, but after rapidly finishing Sharp Objects, I couldn't wait to write about it. For those of you who read my post on Gone Girl, you know how much I loved it. I was anxious to read other books by Flynn, and Sharp Objects was definitely a worthy follow up.
When Camille Preaker, a journalist from Chicago, is sent back to her hometown of Wind Gap, MO, to cover what appears to be a serial murder of two little girls, she is reluctant to face the dysfunctional family that she has avoided for years: an overbearing, neurotic mother, a half-sister who is practically a stranger, and the ghost of a sister nearly 30 years dead. Flynn intersects the mystery at hand with mysteries of Camille's past, and you are desperate to solve them both.
This book was fantastic. It was dark and disturbing, but mysterious, and at times, oddly hopeful. Flynn is witty and makes things that should disturb you to your core almost relatable. She paints a descriptive picture of the emotions and struggles, and brings to life each dysfunctional character.
I absolutely recommend Sharp Objects. Like Gone Girl, you spend the whole time trying to predict the ending, trying to solve the murder, and every prediction you make is wrong. Even when you think that everything is solved, you are again surprised by the ending.

Recipe for a Happy Life

I am pretty sure that I have already explained what happens to me when I go into a bookstore. I get lost. I feel this overwhelming desire to read every single book on every single shelf, and it gives me anxiety that I can't do that. So now, in order to limit the time and money that I spend wandering the aisles feeling incredibly inadequate, I try to prepare a list of books to look for. But every once in a while, when I have nothing to do and no place to be, I let myself roam. And it was while I was roaming that I found Brenda Janowitz's Recipe for a Happy Life.

I picked it out when I was feeling a little down, and the recipe for a happy life would have been very nice to have. It is the story of Hannah Goodman, a New York City lawyer who retreats back to her grandmothers Hampton home after an unfortunate incident and bad break up with her boyfriend. 

Throughout the course of the summer, Hannah learns that sometimes you have to stop waiting to be happy and just be happy. 

I thought that this book was cute. It was a nice, easy read, and a great pick me up when you are feeling like your life is not going the way you want it to. It was relate able, and I grew attached to Hannah and her grandmother. 

That being said, it was often hard to know what the story line was. There was always so much going on. There is Hannah's relationship with her mother, her dead husband, her grandmothers past, a pregnancy and a choice she must make between two men. Although this gave the story a lot of depth, I was constantly looking for what the story was about. Was it about the relationships between three generations of women? Was it how Hannah survived and moved on after the loss of her husband? Or was it about her choosing the right man?

But then again, maybe that was the point. Maybe there wasn't supposed to be a specific issue, it was just supposed to be life. It is messy, and complicated, and there isn't a story line. 

I did really enjoy this book. It makes you feel like it is normal to be afraid and want to run away, or to constantly feel like you are looking for something more. But the truth is, you can't spend your life trying to be happy or waiting to be happy. The recipe for a happy life is that there is no recipe. Your life is what you make of it. So stop waiting, stop trying, stop worrying, and just be happy. 

The Red Garden

I absolutely love history, and there is nothing better than when it ties into my reading. In The Red Garden, Alice Hoffman traces the history of the town of Blackwell Massachusetts from it's founding in 1750 through the present. Although fiction, The Red Garden was incredibly believable. Hoffman ties in real historical facts and events with realistic and likable characters, and it is easy to forget that the stories aren't real.
Each chapter chronicles a different story in a different year, and Hoffman subtly intertwines the stories and characters as time goes on. You hear mention of characters from the previous stories and it is sad to see young girls grow old and magical moments forgotten.
You are able to see how the town grows from it's original four families, as well as the cultural changes of 250 years. From the Civil War, to the World Wars, to the hippie days of Vietnam and the fashions of the 80's, you see the times change in one small town.
The Red Garden was full of captivating stories of love, passion, tragedy, and survival. They were stories of fiercely strong women, and people struggling to discover who they are and who they are meant to be. It was both dark and magical at the same time, and when I wasn't halfway through I already knew that I would miss it.
I think that this book was fantastic. There is at least one story and one character for everyone to relate to. It makes you appreciate history. It makes you believe in fate.

Gone Girl

The main thing to remember about Gone Girl is this: Whatever you think, you are wrong.

I've been hearing about this book for months, and I finally bought in on my post-Christmas book binge. I knew the story line: A woman disappears on her 5 year anniversary. It had to have been the husband. Right?

I got into the story immediately. It switches between present day Nick (husband) and past diary entries from Amy (wife), and what made it so great was that I sided with each character as I was reading their story. I never knew whether or not Nick killed her, even when it sounded like he was blatantly admitting it. He wanted to connect with his wife, but she had changed. She was cold and nagging, and honestly just a big ol' b-word. 

Then I'd read her chapters. And I found her incredibly relatable. I thought that she was laid back and down to earth. Sure, her marriage had it's problems, but she wanted to fix it. She loved Nick and she was willing to fight for him. She was trying. And he was a sexist a-hole. I couldn't pick a side. I was constantly on my toes. 

And everything that you think is wrong. 

This book was fantastic. There is really no other word to describe it. Every time I formed an opinion, every time I thought I could predict what would happen next, I would be proven wrong. 

Gillian Flynn is a genius. Her writing is easy and witty, and even in the midst of a high anxiety, terribly dramatic scene, she could still make me laugh. Every single character became real to me and I couldn't put the book down. 

I cannot say enough about it. My mind is blown. This is a book that I am going to need to recover from, like when I read Gone With The Wind. It is going to take me some time to come out of this story. 

The Art of Racing in the Rain

I have been hearing about The Art of Racing in the Rain for years now and when I finally got around to picking it up, I wasn't sure what to expect. I honestly didn't even really know what it was about it, but within pages, I was hooked. This is the story of a man fighting a dramatic custody battle, as told by his dog, Enzo.
In the last days of his life, Enzo reminisces about his time with Denny, remembering the very first moment he was chosen out of his liter. He watches Denny fall in love, get married, and start a family, and builds a special and individual relationship with each member of that family. He adores them. They are his. And I grew attached to the characters, too. I felt for them. Whether I loved them or hated them, they were real to me. I appreciated those that were kind to Denny and Enzo, and I was angry at those who weren't.
When Denny's life begins to fall apart, Enzo remains a silent comfort. He repeatedly longs for the words to express his thoughts, but is resigned to nudges and barks, as "gestures are all he has".
It was so heartwarming to see the way that Enzo idolizes Denny. He constantly sees the best in him and believes in him even when he is at his lowest point. It made me look at my dogs and wonder what they were thinking, and spend a little extra time scratching behind their ears.
The Art of Racing in the Rain makes you look at your life and your relationships, because this innocent and enlightened mind of a dog makes you want to be a better person. Enzo has so much to teach about treating others and appreciating the little things, like thumbs and small tongues.
There is something so special about the relationship between a dog and his human, and Garth Stein illuminated that in The Art of Racing in the Rain. Amidst the heartache and drama, the ups and the downs, there is always someone loving and believing in you, even if they don't have the right tongue to form the words.

Little Women

Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year. And yes, I realize that most people feel the same way, but I would honestly be perfectly happy if every day was Christmas season. I love the lights. I love the music. I love curling up by the fire, drinking hot chocolate and watching It's A Wonderful Life. I love wrapping presents, and I bake enough cookies to feed a small army. I love the smells of cinnamon and pine. And I love taking my copy of Little Women down off my shelf, officially marking the beginning of the Christmas season.
I honestly can't remember the first time I read Little Women or how I started reading it every year, but I have been reading it every Christmas for as long as I can remember. I must have read the Great Illustrated Classic's version when I was 9 or 10, but it wasn't until I was in junior high that I read the original. And I guess I just fell in love.
Each year, I notice things that I never did before. Different quotes stick out to me depending on what is going in my life at the time I read it. I never get tired of it, because I never feel like I am reading the same book. This year was also different, because I read March. After reading so much about the absentee patriarch from Little Women, I felt him where he wasn't. When the girls received his letters, I knew what he was doing and where he was. It gave a story I was so familiar with a whole new depth. That is the best part about re-reading a book so often: it changes every time.
Little Women is like Sex in the City for bookworms. Girls that read it can tell you whether they are a Jo or Meg, or maybe they're an Amy, just as easily as a girl can tell you if she is a Carrie or a Charolette. They are characters that you bond and grow with. As a 10 year old who ran with the boys and needed to be called "Sam", Jo was my absolute favorite. I would sometimes even skip over the parts that weren't about her, and I no matter how many times I read the book I always wanted Laurie to end up with her. Then, as I grew, I became more of an Amy. It was as if one Christmas I picked up this book I had read a thousand times and was suddenly drawn to this character who used to be my least favorite. My miranda. And now, I'm a Meg.
The thing that makes Little Women so special is that it teaches real life lessons that will never be dated or irrelevant. Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy are characters that girls will always be able to relate to and grow with. They learn lessons of humility, honesty, and selflessness. They learn the value of hard work, the importance of family, and to realize their self-worth. Things that every girl should learn, whether it's 1864 or 2014.
It isn't easy finding a book that you are able to read over and over again. You can't just pick one that you like, or that is easy to read. You honestly can't just pick on at all. I think that that epic, life-altering book chooses you. You fall in love. It's feels easy. You just know. And those are the books that make you who are.

Phil Robertson and the Thought Police

I am well aware that I already posted this weeks book this morning, but in light of circumstances I felt the need to write again.
This morning I posted a review of George Orwell's 1984. For those of you that are still unfamiliar with the story, it is a dystopian novel written in 1949 predicting a world in which inhabitants are no longer able live freely. They have lost their freedom of speech, and even the freedom to think. They have no freedom to practice religion, form opinions, or earn an education. They no longer have the freedom to even form their own thoughts. Their every word, action, and emotion is constantly observed by those in power. Their every freedom is obliterated.
I, like many others, found this concept extremely frightening. We have all seen 1984 come and go without any such transformation, but Orwell's concept is not as far fetched as many people may assume.
This morning, I was completely outraged to hear that Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson had been banned from A&E for expressing his beliefs. I find it horrifying that an individual in our society is no longer able to express an opinion without being condemned for it. Many people are aware that the Robertson's are practicing Christians. They are aware that the family has already been under fire for concluding each episode of their show with prayer. And they are aware that gay marriage is not supported in the Christian faith.
This is not an issue of homosexuality. This is about a man who is being attacked and punished for practicing his chosen religion and expressing his beliefs. Regardless of your stance on gay marriage, this should terrify you.
We all argue for the freedom to express ourselves. To protest abortion or to support a woman's choice. To support gay marriage or to believe in a union between a woman and a man. To believe in God, or Allah, or Jesus Christ, or to not believe in a higher power at all. We all want that right. And for one group of people to silence another is a tragedy.
We cannot silence an individual for expressing one opinion and expect to draw the line at another. Maybe Orwell's Oceania still seems like a figment of his imagination, but how long will it be until others are silenced? Until Christians are no longer allowed to express their beliefs anywhere. What religion will be targeted next? And is it possible that it won't stop at religion? How far is too far? Where do we distinguish the line between our free society and the world of 1984, where every mind is engrained with the same beliefs.