Martha's So-Called Life

october & november book report

Some how October (and most of November) got away from me...I guess that's what happens when you are a traveling fool! There were some good reads packed into these last couple of months.  In fact, I think there are more than what I've listed below, but my recall isn't particularly great right now so they will have to go unmentioned for now. 

Incendiary by Chris Cleave // A few years ago, The Little Bee was recommended to me by a friend and I loved it.  While I was in the San Antonio airport waiting for my flight home at the beginning of October, I ran across this earlier work by the same author.  I bought it on a whim and read almost the entire thing on the flight home.  

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan // This book was much better than I expected it to be...and I think there will be a sequel at some point.  Rich Asians getting into and causing trouble, family drama, and some humor.  All the makings of an entertaining read!

Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith // I read the first couple No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books a couple of years ago and found them entertaining.  They were quick reads and had good stories.  I didn't like this one as much as the first two, but I'm not sure why.  I just wasn't into the story.  I still plan on reading more in this series because I'm hopeful that most of them are as good as the first two books.  

Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes // This book is exactly as advertised Mean Girls meets the Perks of Being a Wallflower."  Although it's not quite as funny as Mean Girls, and not quite as good The Perks of Being a Wallflower.  It was a pretty good book, but by the end I kind of stopped caring about the main character.  That happens to me sometimes.  Overall it was a good book.  

Night Film by Marisha Pessl // I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it was not at all what I got.  This book was creepy, a little bit scary, kind of messed up, but really good.  Not something that I recommend reading while in the dark or alone.  I had to read a couple of chapters of other things prior to going to sleep while reading this one...

A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout // A memoir about a woman whose love of adventure and travel led her to Somalia, and then fifteen months of captivity.  Definitely not a light read, although the first few chapters read more like a novel than a memoir.  

september book report

I read a lot of books in September...I'm a fast reader, but I'm not sure how I managed to pull off a 5 book month while also reading school books and working...but I did...and it was awesome.  

First Comes Love Then Comes Malaria by Eve Brown-Waite // I was intrigued by the title of this book, and then by the premise.  Girl falls in love with a Peace Corps poster boy, and lives abroad to make him happy.  It was a super quick read, funny, and really interesting.  I'm sad that she hasn't written anything else nor does she really have much on her blog.  As someone who suffers from a serious case of wanderlust, I want to read more about their life abroad!

City of Lost Dreams by Magnus Flyte // I read the first book of this series, City of Dark Magic, on the way home from Africa because I needed something entertaining and relatively mindless to get me home.  I got exactly that.  I didn't like the second book as much as the first (and the first was ok, not superb, but better than average), but it served it's purpose.  Sometimes I get stuck in a reading rut and can't finish a book (I often read more than one book at once) until I find something mindless to read.  Definitely out of the rut.  

The Paper Magician by Charlie Holmberg // I bought this book because it sounded decent and was only $4.99 for Kindle.  I needed something to get me through until I could get back to the library.  Again, it definitely served it's purpose.  I read it in about a day.  I was not thrilled with the story, but I didn't hate it.  It was an ok story, but I'm not exactly sure who the intended audience is.  It seems a little too mature at times for young adults (maybe not for older young adults), but a little childish for adults.  

Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen // Carl Hiaasen is always a good read...and this book was no exception.  It was a little repetitive at times, but overall an entertaining story and a quick read!

Mr. Penumbra's 23-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan // A little bit sci-fi and a little bit mystery.  Overall a good story with some good plot twists.  An entertaining and mostly upbeat read.  

august book report

I read a lot of books in August.  I've been stuck in a reading rut (i.e. haven't been able to finish a book to save my life) so this is good.  And thanks to my rediscovery of the library, this didn't break the bank!  

The Marriage Plot by Jeffery Eugenides // This is a super detail rich story about three characters.  You get to learn about the same years of their lives from each of their perspective.  This book hooked me from the beginning, and although there are some slow points (mostly the perspective of my least favorite character), I loved the whole thing.  I also enjoyed The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex by the same author.  

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See // A few years ago I read Shanghai Girls by Lisa See and thought it was good, so I was looking forward to reading another book by the same author.  I was pretty disappointed in this book though.  I just never really got into the story or the characters.  It's the story of a woman in a village in China and follows her as she grows up.  I don't have much else to say about this book.  It wasn't bad but it was not my favorite.  

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan // I thoroughly enjoyed this book (I read it in just under 48 hours), but also found it a little confusing and disappointed in the ending.  It follows a cast of characters from various points of view throughout their lives.  I found this hard to keep track of and I think it left me wanting more of certain aspects of their lives that were never touched on again.  Overall a good and entertaining read though!

july book report

July was kind of sparse as far as reading books goes.  I did a lot of textbook reading...but not much of anything that anyone else would be interested in.  

Pilgrim's Wilderness: A True Story of Faith and Madness on the Alaska Frontier by Tom Kizzia // When this book first came out there were some excerpts published in the newspaper.  I read them, was fascinated, and then swore I would probably never read the book because I didn't want to contribute the the hype.  However, when I saw the book at Costco for $7, I decided it was time to read it.  I read it in three days.  While the story is not a particularly happy one, I have a fascination with eccentric people.  This book was written well and read more like a suspense novel than a true story.  I learned a little bit about the history of Alaska and its appeal to eccentric outsiders.  

Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan // In June I posted about cleaning up your cleaning and mentioned that I had ordered this book.  When it came it turned out to be a super fast read.  There is a ton of information about why the chemicals in commonly used cleaning products are bad (or ok), which I skimmed more than read as I was already familiar with a lot of the information.  What I really wanted to get to was the recipes for alternative products.  She lists some essential ingredients to keep on hand (baking soda, vinegar, lemon) and has tons of recipes for an alternative to almost any cleaning product you can think of.  This book is especially good if you have little kids of pets as I think you can eat almost all of these recipes with no ill effects (other than they might not taste very good)!

well fed 2

Well Fed 2* by Melissa Joulwan is of my favorite cookbooks.  I own both Well Fed and Well Fed 2, but I think Well Fed 2 is by far my favorite.  Melissa definitely outdid herself with this one.  

In addition to the amazing recipes (I've already proclaimed my love for SB&J burgers multiple times), one of my favorite things about it is that it gives you lots of options and ideas for variations, but still walks you through the recipes in detail if you are afraid to experiment.  

I bought the Kindle version of this book (and her first cookbook, Well Fed*) because I am all about instant gratification...but now I kind of wish that I had the actual books as I think I am missing out on some of the experience by owning the electronic version. Plus, it's much easier to make notes on paper books than it is to try an do so in an electronic book...and electronic books are harder to flip through when and flip between recipes when making multiple things from the same book.   

I am generally hesitant to buy cookbooks since there is so much available for free on the ol' interwebz.  But, I was looking for some new inspiration and not just some iteration of the same stuff that's flowing through the tubes of the internet (the internet IS a series of tubes after all).  I definitely got it with this book.  The recipes are delicious and the possibilities are endless (there's a section at the end of almost every recipe with ideas for variations and substitutions).  

You really can't go wrong with this book, especially if you need a little inspiration in the kitchen (she has a section just devoted to burger toppings...yum)!

*Affiliate links.  Click here to see what that means.  

new things!

Since I've been confined to the couch for the last few days with some sort of bug, my fingers have been very busy on the internets.  

I have added a couple of new pages to my little blog.  I have noticed that my book review posts don't get a lot of views...and let's be honest, I'm not very good at writing them (summarzing has never been easy for me).  So I decided that I would simply create a page with books that I've read and would recommend.  They are sorted by category and have links to Amazon.

I have also created an Amazon store full of products that I use and love.  Please note that all links are affiliate links and I will make a very small profit if you purchase something via these links.  Also, no one is paying me for my opinion, they are all my own (and I have a lot of them).  

good read: where'd you go, bernadette

Where'd You Go, Bernadettee by Maria Semple is about Bernadette, an increasingly anti-social stay at home mom who hires a virtual assistant from India to do everything from grocery shopping to planning the vacation she and her husband promised their daughter.  Bernadette's husband is a Microsoft-guru who is loved by his co-workers.  

Bernadette disappears surrounding the family's upcoming trip to Antarctica.  Her daughter Bee is determined to find her.  

I loved this book for several reasons.  First, it was funny.  It pokes fun at the "Subaru parents" of Seattle, which is always good for a laugh.  I also enjoyed the format of the book.  It is comprised mostly of emails, letters, and "official" documents collected by Bee to piece together the story of Bernadette's disappearance.  

It was a very quick read for me (two days), and I would highly recommend this to anyone.  

Here's the link to the Kindle version (currently only $4.66!) on Amazon or the paperback version if you prefer real books!

good read: south of broad

(photo from amazon.com)

Last year, I read Prince of Tides* by Pat Conroy while on a cruise (here's the link to the review I posted).  I can't remember what compelled me to read it, but I really liked it even though it was extremely depressing (massively dysfunctional family).

While I was at the used bookstore a month or two ago, I was perusing their selection of $3.99 books, and I picked up South of Broad*.  The blurb on the back sounded good enough, I had liked my previous selection by the same author, and you definitely can't beat $3.99!  

Long story short, I liked it more than Prince of Tides.  It was overall pretty dark, but there was a lot of humor, and of course excellent writing.  

I knew I would like this book from the very beginning.  One of the best passages in the whole book occurs three paragraphs into the first chapter.

But fate comes at you cat-footed, unavoidable, and bloodthirsty. The moment you are born your death is foretold by your newly minted cells as your mother holds you up, then hands you to your father, who gently tickles the stomach where the cancer will one day form, studies the eyes where melanoma's dark signature is already written along the optic nerve, touches the back where the liver will one day house the cirrhosis, feels the bloodstream that will sweeten itself into diabetes, admires the shape of the head where the brain will fall to the ax-handle of stroke, or listens to your heart, which, exhausted by the fearful ways and humiliations and indecencies of life, will explode in your chest like a light going out in the world.  Death lives in each one of us and begins its countdown on our birthdays and makes its rough entrance at the last hour and the perfect time. 

Not particularly bright and cheery, but good writing that made me want to know how the story was going to end!

Many of the reviews say that this is not one of his better books.  They said the dialogue was "stilted" and the characters were cardboard and unrealistic.  I disagree and I loved this book!

good read: tell the wolves i'm home

A couple of weeks ago I picked up Tell The Wolves I'm Home** by Carol Rifka Brunt, from Costco.  I read on a blog (I don't remember which one) that someone was reading and enjoying it.  I've been having a hard time getting into a book lately (hence the reason I'm reading four at once), so I thought I'd give it a shot.  

Turns out it was a good chance to take.  I blew through the first half pretty quickly (I had six days off work to do nothing but sit around and eat bon bons and read), then I slowed down.  It did get a little slow in the middle, but the ending was totally worth the wait.  

This book set in 1987 and is about a girl, June, her uncle who dies of AIDS, and the unlikely friendship she creates after his death.  

The one thing that really bothered me about this book was the way everyone felt about AIDS.  June's family insisted that her uncle's partner should go to jail because he murdered Finn (the uncle) by giving him AIDS.  I realize that in 1987 that's how it was.  Very different from the way people understand the disease today.  But it still bothered me.

I'm not sure what's next on my list to read.  I can't decide if I should keep plugging away at one of the books I'm not really in to, or start something new.  

And I'm always open to recommendations!

**Disclaimer

books i've read but been too lazy to review

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - An intriguing story about a circus that is only open at night.  I thought I was going to be disappointed by this book, but I wasn't.  Maybe it was because I had low expectations (for some reason I have low expectations for popular books…don't ask, I have no explanation), or maybe it's because I spent the first half of the book not really liking it and not realizing that I thought it was great until I was finished.  

11/22/63 by Stephen King - I bought this from Amazon for my Kindle because it was on sale.  I figured it would be worth a shot to read it since it is a twist on a historical subject I know almost nothing about.  There were parts that dragged on too long, and parts that left me confused as to why Stephen King spent 500 pages doing something when it was just going to get undone…or undone and then redone differently, or whatever.  I think I most enjoyed the love story (gross, I know), and learned a little bit about history too. 

Little Bee by Chris Cleave - I read this book on the recommendation of a co-worker.  It was not at all what I expected.  I don't think I know what I expected because the blurb about it pretty much says nothing other than it's a really good story.  It was a good story, but it wasn't magical or life changing, it was kind of like a train wreck that I couldn't take my eyes off of.  

Mystic River by Dennis Lehane - I think this was an Amazon Kindle Daily Deal, so I bought it on a whim, but I was not disappointed.  The lives of three childhood friends cross paths again when the daughter of one friend is found murdered.  I figured out who did it before it was revealed in the story, but I still enjoyed it.  Now I have to watch the movie.  

The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly - Another book I bought on sale, and enjoyed very much.  It reminded me of an episode of Law & Order.  It's a little cliched, but the story is engrossing and keeps you guessing.  I think I've mentioned before that I'm not a huge fan of reading books in a series, I like a solid (or not solid as the case may be) ending, but I feel like a series is an excuse not to end a book (not all series, some are done well and have endings, but still make an interesting series).  Anyway, this was a good read, and another movie I will have to watch.  

Next by Michael Crichton - I think we inherited this book from John's mom as she was getting rid of books.  I like Michael Crichton and had been wanting to read this since I first saw it at Costco.  It was a quick and easy read, but not very good.  I get that there's an overarching theme/message, but there are too many characters and too many subplots and that made it seem like a bunch of (kind of lame) interrupted short stories with no point.  

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick - After reading rave reviews of this book, I decided to give it a try.  Bad idea.  Maybe there is something about it that I didn't get or did not appreciate, but I really did not like it.  It was kind of sad, and I was annoyed by most of the characters.  Maybe I'll like the movie better.  

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss - About one-third of the way through, I decided to stop reading.  After I quit, I read several reviews where people said they were disappointed by the ending and thought the plot was no good.  I agree.  I never got to the ending, but I was annoyed enough about the slow moving plot (which is hard to do in a 260 page book, so I guess that's impressive).  I found it sloppy and convoluted and I developed absolutely no connection to the characters.  There are too many good books out there to waste my time reading books I can't get into.