Another group of books

I was on vacation last week (well, not last, but the one before) so I had a lot of time to read...here are all the books I read while on vacation. I was afraid I wouldn't remember all the titles so I took a picture before I returned them all to the library yesterday:


Already wrote about GirlCook in the last post. The day after GirlCook, I read Dedication by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (the pair who wrote The Nanny Diaries). Dedication tells the story of a young woman whose heart was broken by a boy who went on to become a pop sensation. It's a fun read, a great vacation read - and the BEST PART OF THE BOOK (in my humble opinion) is the section in the middle that describes the main character's years at the illustrious University of Virginia! The book describes UVA as only a student could - using words like O'Hill and the Corner, First year and Second year - but I checked and neither McLaughlin or Kraus attended the University. In fact, they met when they were both attending NYU. I'm not sure who they know who was in fact a Wahoo, but it added a lot to my enjoyment of the book. Yes, I would have preferred that they draw that portion of the book out a little longer, but just like Nanny Diaries, the story was dishy enough to keep my attention beyond the portion set in Charlottesville (ah, Charlottesville). Recommended to readers in general, highly recommended to fellow Cavaliers.


After Dedication, I read There's No Place Like Here while sitting on the beach in Hilton Head (mmmm). There's No Place Like Here was written by Cecilia Ahern - daughter of the Prime Minister of Ireland and author of PS I love you (previously made into a movie). I read PS I love you a long time ago, but from what I can recall, this book was completely and utterly different - which is something to be said for a modern author. Recently I've found that an unfortunate trait many modern authors share is the inability to create multiple unique works (more on that later)...but it seems that Ahern has managed to accomplish that feat. At age 28, or something similarly ridiculous that makes me kind of hate her. My petty hatred aside, the story was interesting - about a private investigator obsessed with finding the Place where all the Lost Things go. Whimsical and occasionally moving - all in all a good read.

And, most recently, I finished Things I want my Daughters to know by Elizabeth Noble. The story of a mother who has four daughters...as well as terminal cancer. She writes letters to each of her daughters leaving them with her final words of wisdom. The story follows the girls after their mother passes away...and I am partly but not wholly embarrassed to say that I was left crying on the beach, on the plane, and at the pool when I returned to Columbus. There are a number of funny parts of the book, but overall it's just a touching story.

So I really liked the book - but the problem is that I just started reading a 2nd novel by Noble and it appears to use almost exactly the same contextual details to familiarize the reader with the characters as she did in the other book...which just makes me squirm a little bit. I guess Noble didn't intend for her readers to read the books back to back, but still, I don't like wondering if I'm thinking about the characters from the first book or the second. I guess I should stop reading books by the same author one after the other, but if I liked the author's work, why wouldn't I want to continue reading it as soon as possible?

Anyway. Will keep you posted.

Gah, another one of those times...

Ok so let's see if I can recall the books I've read since I last posted...

I know I was reading Dear John by Nicholas Sparks as I flew back to Columbus one night...so I guess that means I was reading it as I flew back from DC where I spent Mother's Day wknd. So, Dear John - a reliable Sparks book. You know what you're getting when you pick up one of his books. I'm not quite sure I have to write much more. Boy meets girl, complication, see each other again after a period of time, etc. I will say that this one isn't quite the same as all the rest, there is a bit of a twist, but it still won't change your opinion of Sparks as an author - which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I'm relatively sure that there was a book between the last one I posted about and Dear John but if I can't recall it I'm not really sure that it's a big deal that I don't post about it.

So in Vegas I read two books on my Kindle - I was a little more than excited about the fact that Ruth Reichl and Jennifer Lancaster were releasing new books and knew I'd buy both - so it was perfect to download them on the Kindle before jetting off to Vegas - not lugging books in a carry-on = good.

Pretty in Plaid by Jennifer Lancaster:
I hate to admit it, but this was my least favorite of all of Lancaster's books so far. It was kind of a prequel to the rest - telling the reader about her life before she got it all and then lost it all - a lot of stuff about the 80s. The basic premise of the book was that you are not what you wear...I've gotta be honest, Jen - I liked it more when you wrote snarky but ultimately meaningless commentary on society. That's your bread and butter. Why try to change? Anyway, I suppose I should remind you how much I liked Lancaster's first three autobiographical novels - so that you realize that "not as good" does not necessarily mean bad. It just means not as good.

Not becoming my mother by Ruth Reichl:
Eeeh, sorry, but same as above - the least favorite of all of Reichl's books so far. I was relatively more disappointed in this book than Lancaster's, though. Reichl's first three books (reviewed separately on this site) were so obscenely good that I probably shouldn't have hoped for something quite as good at this point, a few years later...but I so desperately did. Ruth, how could you do this to me? This book wasn't about Ruth Reichl or her relationship with food at all. It was about her mother, her mother's life, her mother's influence (or lack thereof) on Reichl's life. And - I must say - I'm pretty sure it was a pamphlet rather than a book...(I just checked amazon.com and it is 128 pages. wtf). Anyway. Check it out at the library rather than buying it.

So that was the Vegas trip. Since Vegas, I've been to Nashville and back (will write about my trips on my other blog). I'm on vacation all this week and intend to read a few books - today I read Girl Cook by Hannah McCouch.

Girl Cook -- must admit I considered putting this book down at page 55 and not looking back. I found the description of an erection early on in the book and its comparison to a certain vegetable unnecessary and crude. I felt that McCouch lost herself in the first hundred pages of the book and relied upon shocking descriptions to convince the reader that she was an edgy and sensational author...it didn't work for me. Anyway, I pushed on and finished the book in one day (so, no mind-bending challenge between the covers, but not so horrible that I did end up abandoning it). Obviously, being a book about a girl in the food industry, I enjoyed it - but I got the sense as the main character (Layla) made her way through her confusing career and even more confusing love life in Manhattan, that McCouch had written this book as a thinly veiled autobiography meant to wound some loser from her past (the inspiration for the character Frank in the book). Kind of like going to a new restaurant, ordering your favorite meal, and wishing you had just ordered something new because this version does not live up to the standard in your mind.

A few books on tap for this weekend and my trip to Hilton Head. Do I travel as much as I read? Apparently.

I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucci

The title of this blog should say it all - I like books more than people. Those who know me might not think that's such a big deal given my distrust towards people in general, but it really does mean something. I promise.

This book was one of my favorite kinds - food combined with chick lit. Really, what could be better? The (few? imaginary?) male readers of this blog are probably thinking "Ummm...anything?" but I loved it...and I think you would too.

Melucci's story is autobiographical. It describes how she learned to cook through the important (yet failed) romantic relationships of her adult life. Her desire to be able to cook for the men in her life taught her the way around the kitchen. I know, I know, I get it. We're supposed to be educated, evolved women of 2009, no longer deriving pleasure from cooking for men...but I've gotta say, there is little I enjoy more than cooking for the loved ones in my life and watching their faces as they enjoy the food. I can burn an extra bra for that if you want, but I love it. And I loved that Melucci unapologetically wrote an entire book about how much she loved it. Granted, it wasn't entirely about how she loved to cook for men - rather it was about the effect her romantic relationships had on her evolving self - but it was honest and interesting.

She described the men in her life, their relationships, and the food she cooked for or with them. I enjoyed reading the recipes she included and her descriptions of how cooking made her feel. I am glad that I am able to say that as a reader, I appreciated learning more about her relationship with herself and her cooking than I did learning about her relationships with the men in her life. Granted, maybe it's just because I didn't think any of the men in the book sounded particularly appealing (one of them was over 60 years old) , but I think it says something about where I am in my life and what interests me. Something I like.

The book is a quick and easy read. It has food and sex. Quick, easy, food, sex. Now are the men interested?

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

Unaccustomed Earth is another collection of short stories by Lahiri, similar to Interpreter of the Maladies. Both are amazing. Interpreter was a book assigned in AP English my senior year of high school - and granted, I was a big nerd in high school who usually completed my assignments, but I'm going to admit fully and completely that I would sometimes read the beginning and ending of chapters within books I wasn't interested in actually reading. There are so many amazing books out there - why waste your time reading those that don't interest you? I read every last word in Interpreter of the Maladies.

I've always been interested in Indian culture, so I suppose that has something to do with the reason I like Lahiri's books so much (her work also includes The Namesake, which is moving and grand and so...remarkable). But it also has something to do with Lahiri's rich descriptions that make you feel enveloped by the scenes she describes. I love Indian food because it is flavorful and spicy and exotic and rich...the experiences of eating Indian food and reading Lahiri's words are quite similar. They feel like falling into pillows covered in jewel toned velvets.

Who doesn't want that?

Side effects of Lahiri's work include an intense craving for naan.

One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell

This may go without saying, but Bushnell's fame and success comes from writing the book that inspired the HBO Series, "Sex and the City." She's like JK Rowling for women of that undefined, amorphous age between college and your first child. Except, let's be honest, for a lot of those women (myself included) JK Rowling is JK Rowling because they love the fantasy world of Hogwarts and Harry Potter as much as they love the fantasy world of Manhattan where men like Mr. Big make Carrie Bradshaw an honest woman. I'm not quite this cynical yet, but I do wonder if at some point I will consider Harry's world to be more likely than Carrie's. Check back in a few years. We'll chat then.

Anyway, Bushnell has made a name for herself writing somewhat satirical social commentaries mostly focused on women in Manhattan - among her other books are Lipstick Jungle (which spawned a wonderful but unpopular series on NBC), Four Blondes (less highly regarded by women of my generation) and One Fifth Avenue. I've read all of them, but most recently I read One Fifth. It tells the story of a somewhat incestuous social circle in Manhattan - kind of a Small World, six degrees of separation tale. Bushnell has found her sweet spot as an author, her niche. She knows her characters and writes about them in a refreshingly biting tone, shedding light on the less savory parts of the Fabulous Life in Manhattan towards which so many aspire. I, for one, appreciate that...but I wonder if it is because I have never felt inclined to chase the Fabulous Life, and always wondered whether that meant that there was something inherently wrong with me. Seeing it through a less enamored eye is reassuring. Now, I hate to think what Bushnell would write about a 25 year old trying to find herself in Columbus, Ohio, but I think I'm safe from her scrutiny for the time being.

I think I liked One Fifth for the same reason so many women loved SATC. It was honest. It didn't try to convince you one way or the other - to love the life of the characters or to not. It just presented the facts in an honest light and allowed you to make the decision for yourself. That's one thing I find to be rather sickening about all the saccharine sweet chick lit novels out there today - they are trying so hard to convince you of something, to sell you on a fantasy. Bushnell is confident enough in her own storytelling abilities that she doesn't need to rely on the Fairytale Ending. Some might argue that Carrie and Big ending up together in the end was a departure from Bushnell's commitment to all that is Real - but I disagree. There was never any disguising how hard it was for the two of them to be together. There was work to be done.

I guess it comes down to this - Bushnell's writing isn't patronizing, and it isn't written in a way to shield you, dear reader, from the unfortunate truths of life. Rather, it finds a way to highlight the entertaining ironies of everyday Truths. It's clear that Bushnell respects her readers in a way that authors of typical chick lit (I'm talking to you, Lauren Weisberger) do not. She appreciates the idea that they will not shy away from the honest light.

So, with that said, I'd take Mr. Big over Prince Charming any day.

Dear John...or Calamity Physics.

Alright, I give up. I should have realized that I wasn't going to win this battle, but I didn't want to admit defeat...and I have to at this point.

Calamity Physics, you win. Or maybe you lose, I don't know. Point is, I cannot stand to finish you right now. I'm about halfway through you, and I just can't deal with it. Don't get me wrong - when I'm reading you, you maintain my interest. But when I am not with you, you don't stay in the back of my mind, keeping me thinking about when I'm going to be able to spend more time with you. The thing is, I do feel this way about other books. I hadn't even started reading other books, and I was already thinking about when I could. That isn't fair to either of us. So I'm moving on.

So, anyway, now I'm reading One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell...I will probably finish this week....I'll let you know how it goes. I think it will serve as a good rebound book.

I promise I haven't forgotten about you

I am still reading Calamity Physics. Work has been insane lately. I am repeating this for about the 20th time, but I had worked 40 hours this week by the time I left work last (Tuesday) night. So you get a general idea of how busy I've been lately. Not much time for reading.

I promise I'll write about Calamity Physics when I am done. I am trying to finish ASAP because I have books lined up to be next that I'm excited about...among them:

1. One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell
2. Oxygen by Carol Cassella
3. Sway: The irresistible pull of irrational behavior by Ori and Ram Brafman
4. Being released May 5th -- Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster. I will definitely be adding this one to my collection!