Many, many years ago, I read Wally Lamb’s first book She’s Come Undone. I can honestly say that the only thing I remember about that book is that the main character’s mother is killed when a tractor trailer crashes in to her tollbooth. Consequently, I think about that every time I drive through a toll booth. Anyway, when I read it, I happened to live with two other girls, one of whom had had the pleasure of knowing Wally Lamb as a teacher in her […]
Not everyone has to be the Chosen One. Not everyone has to be the guy who saves the world.
Growing up in a small town somewhere in America (schools, family-themed restaurant, lots of cars, a bunch of huge churches, a Wallmart, a couple of multiplexes, so many trees), Mikey and his sister Mel (don’t call her Melinda) are just trying to get through their final year of high school, hoping that something so momentous happens that the indie kids have to blow up the school gym again. Who are the indie kids, you ask? The indie kids are the ones that all the YA […]
Welcome to the island of misfit (or taxidermied) toys.
A friend of mind introduced me to the weird and zany humor and darkness that is Jenny Lawson in her first book and I’ve been an avid blog reader ever since. I was excited for the new book, but my friend was less enthused about it so I went into it with tempered expectations. Overall, the book worked but I think I like her more in blog form. I think this book is best enjoyed if you reads few chapters, put it down, and come […]
Less painful than I thought it’d be
My book club picked Still Alice and I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t excited to read it. My grandmother with dementia died not too long ago and reading a book about early onset Alzheimer’s disease sounded unbearably grim. It took me longer to get through than most books, but I’m glad I read it. While sad, it wasn’t nearly as depressing as I thought it’d be. I think what saved it from being maudlin was the way Genova set up the book. As readers, […]