Lisa's Review: Delicate Edible Birds

Review:
I can't think of many people I know who seek out short stories or short story collections as consistent reading material. I can count on three fingers the number of short stories, I've sought out in the past few years, maybe even my post-college/adult life. Brokeback Mountain and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Lame. I know and as much as I would like to prove that I'm not that lame, I can't remember the name of the 3rd story.*

Suffice it to say I came to Delicate Edible Birds a little unsure what to expect, so this was an interesting read. As I read, I noticed a theme emerging tying the stories together. None of the stories are similar to another, even the tone of the opening paragraph of each story is very different. Each story revolved one main female character, each from a different walk of life, living in a different time period and their story told from a different point of view. These are some of the attributes that made me love the entire collection, with Lucky Chow Fun, L. DeBard & Aliette, and Blythe standing out as favorites.

And though each story on it's own isn't a winner, it's clear that Lauren Groff is exceptionally talented writer and this collection of short stories is all the evidence needed.

Final Take: 3.75/5

* Remember that 3rd short story I mentioned further up? In short, it's about a guy who is on some sort of journey and somehow comes to the realization he's dead. I'll give you a $20 gift certificate to Amazon if you can tell me the name of it.

Books, Books, More Books ...& a Contest

I've never done it before, taken a picture of my TBR pile that's on top of my nightstand. Well on Sunday I did it and WOW!! There are 2 really thick books in that pile.

Then I was possessed to take another picture of the books that are in my nightstand just waiting to be put on top of my nightstand...

Quite a lot of books, eh? So in order to make this more than just a random musing, I thought it would be fun if I made a contest out of it. So, whomever picks the closest or the correct date for me to finish all these books will get a prize. What is the prize you asked? Well what do book lovers love....yup a gift card to either Barnes and Noble or Borders for $20.

I thought I would help you out though by giving you some hints on my life and my reading habits:

• Married with 2 children under 4 and work a full time job


• I try to read at lunch, when my job allows


• I am leaving for vacation in 10 days; vacation will include a 3.5 hour flight both ways, but with a 3.5 year old, and will last 6 days


• I'm currently reading my 9th book of 2009


• I read 55 books in 2008

So leave your guess/estimate for my completion date of the 17 books pictured. Guesstimates need to be posted by Monday March 16th to be eligible.

Julie's Review: Sag Harbor

Summary: The year is 1985. Benji Cooper is one of the only black students at an elite prep school in Manhattan. He spends his falls and winters going to roller-disco bar mitzvahs, playing too much Dungeons and Dragons, and trying to catch glimpses of nudity on late-night cable TV. After a tragic mishap on his first day of high school—when Benji reveals his deep enthusiasm for the horror movie magazine Fangoria—his social doom is sealed for the next four years. But every summer, Benji escapes to the Hamptons, to Sag Harbor, where a small community of African American professionals have built a world of their own. Because their parents come out only on weekends, he and his friends are left to their own devices for three glorious months. And although he’s just as confused about this all-black refuge as he is about the white world he negotiates the rest of the year, he thinks that maybe this summer things will be different. If all goes according to plan, that is. There will be trials and tribulations, of course. There will be complicated new handshakes to fumble through, and state-of-the-art profanity to master. He will be tested by contests big and small, by his misshapen haircut (which seems to have a will of its own), by the New Coke Tragedy of ’85, and by his secret Lite FM addiction. But maybe, with a little luck, things will turn out differently this summer. In this deeply affectionate and fiercely funny coming-of-age novel, Whitehead—using the perpetual mortification of teenage existence and the desperate quest for reinvention—lithely probes the elusive nature of identity, both personal and communal. ~amazon.com

Review:Sag Harbor: A Novel is a delightful and heartfelt coming of age story from a unique point of view that we don't normally see in this genre, a young black male or at least I haven't seen much of it. If you've read this blog with any regularity you will know that I'm not a big coming of age or memior type book person but I thought that this book sound interesting. The premise intrigued me, a young black male experiencing his adolescence on the "shore".

I would say that I'm in heavy like with this book. It's a great piece of nostalgia for those of us who experienced our adolescence in the 80s but I'm not sure I loved it. I routed for Benji but at the same time I thought that Benji's voice was confusing at times. Was he writing this in retrospect as an adult or were we supposed to believe that Benji was that intuitive at 15? For most of the book I was say it's the former. It feels that at times the book is written in a journal like fashion. What I mean by this is that it seems as if the author found a journal from that time period in his life and began to write chapters about his experience. It's an interesting way to write but at times it left me scratching my head.

Benji's life is not without problems. Throughout the book it is hinted at that there are problems in his parents marriage and we never get to truly meet his sister, although the absence of her is explained in the later part of the book. There are some disturbing situations that the young boys get themselves into but nothing that I thought was out of the ordinary. I figured it was what happened when kids were left alone and pretty much had to fend for themselves.

Colson Whitehead is a gifted writer; there is no doubt about that but at times he was a bit wordy. I felt myself skipping over paragraphs at a time to move the story along in a speedier fashion. Mr. Whitehead is the featured author this month at Barnes and Nobles First Look club and is happily fielding questions from us readers. One of the question was "Why did you write this book as an autobiographical novel instead of a memoir?" His answer, so he could make the characters do what he thought they should do and so he could take liberties with the truth. Frankly, since I'm not a big memoir fan I found this statement delightful. Reading some of Mr. Whitehead's responses I find him to be quite humorous and witty.

What makes Sag Harbor: A Novel distinguishable in this genre is that it is about affluent black people who create their own community and how it shapes one young man's life.

Final Take: 3.75/5

Jenn's Review: Sophomore Undercover

Summary: For fifteen-year-old, adopted Vietnamese orphan Dixie Nguyen, high school is one long string of hard-to-swallow humiliations. He shares a locker with a nudist linebacker, his teachers are incompetent, and he's stuck doing fluff pieces for the school newspaper. But Dixie's luck takes a turn when he stumbles across one of the jocks using drugs in the locker room; not only does he finally have something newsworthy to write, but the chance to strike a blow against his tormentors at the school as well.

However, when his editor insists he drop the story and cover homecoming events instead, Dixie sets off on his own unconventional--and often misguided--investigation. He soon discovers that the scandal extends beyond the football team to something far bigger and more sinister than he ever thought possible. Once he follows the guidelines of his hero, Mel Nichols (journalism professor at Fresno State University and author of the textbook Elementary Journalism) this high school reporter just might save the world. That is, of course, if Dixie can stay out of juvenile hall, the hospital, and new age therapy long enough to piece it all together.

Part social satire, part teen-mystery parody, and wholly hilarious, Sophomore Undercover is a dazzling debut that will make headlines with teens everywhere.

Review: If you don't have anything nice to say... perhaps you shouldn't blog. I have very little 'nice' to say about this book. It's character's are utterly unsympathetic due to severe underdevelopment. There isn't a single responsible adult to be found, including the sheriff, Dixie's adoptive father. The plot is ludicrous. The characters never grow and certainly seem to learn nothing from their escapades. The antics are out of a Three Stooges act gone horribly wrong (and that's not a slap at Misters Howard, Howard, and Fine; I LOVE those guys!). I was almost routing for the protagonist to loose. The humor was sophomoric at best, no pun intended.

Obviously, I'm not the target audience for this book; this may thoroughly appeal to a nebbish adolescent male somewhere...

1.5/5

My NEW Rating System

Looking back over the history of our blog, I find that I'm a little soft when it comes to ratings. As I was having a dilema rating our next group book, I came to the decision that my ratings system needs further definition:

1. 1 - I intensely disliked the book



2. 2 - I disliked the book, and I won't read the author again



3. 3 - It was ok. I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it. I might give the author another chance.



4. 4 - I liked it.



5. 5 - LOVED it!!!

This gives me better structure for rating and still gives me wiggle room... in decimals.

Movie Review: P.S. I Love You

Summary: Cecelia Ahern's debut novel, PS, I Love You, follows the engaging, witty, and occasionally sappy reawakening of Holly, a young Irish widow who must put her life back together after she loses her husband Gerry to a brain tumor. Ahern, the twentysomething daughter of Ireland's prime minister, has discovered a clever and original twist to the Moving On After Death concept made famous by novelists and screenwriters alike--Gerry has left Holly a series of letters designed to help her face the year ahead and carry on with her life. As the novel takes readers through the seasons (and through Gerry's monthly directives), we watch as Holly finds a new job, takes a holiday to Spain with her girlfriends, and sorts through her beloved husband's belongings. Accompanying Holly throughout the healing process is a cast of friends and family members who add as much to the novel's success as Holly's own tale of survival. In fact, it is these supporting character's mini-dramas that make PS, I Love You more than just another superficial tearjerker with the obligatory episode at a karaoke bar. Ahern shows real talent for capturing the essence of an interaction between friends and foes alike; even if Holly's circle of friends does resemble the gang from Bridget Jones a bit too neatly to ignore (her best friend is even called Sharon). ~amazon.com

Movie Review: I haven't read the book PS, I LOVE YOU MOVIE TIE-IN EDITION but I've had the movie on DVR for quite a while and I finally got around to watching it. I liked it but I didn't love it. Let's just say I'm glad I recorded it and didn't see it in the theatre but I don't feel like it was a waste of 2 hours.

We meet Holly and Gerry as they are having a horrible fight about how he told her mom that she wasn't ready to have kids. We'll we know that's a bad move and they fight and make up. Flash forward and Gerry's dead. Not a shock we know that's the premise. Obviously Holly is devastated as any wife would be if her husband passed to early in life. But the story is more about Gerry's goal after his life it over to get Holly to live hers and live it without him. He leaves her these letters that give her specific instructions on what to do. See Gerry is one of those fictional male characters who thinks and plans ahead and that us women swoon over.

I have to say the person who redeemed this movie for me was Harry Connick Jr. Not only am I a fan of his music but he had me in the acting arena years ago when he was in Hope Floats. He was hilarious as Daniel, the guy vying for Holly's attention. He had me cracking up during the movie when the movie needed a good joke or a funny moment. Another one who is just great in this movie is Lisa Kudrow. Let me tell you that woman has great comedic timing. She's perfect in her role as one of Holly's best friends.

Now I generally think Hilary Swank is a great actress but I just don't think that Romantic Comedies are her thing. Put her in a serious drama and she rocks it but this I just didn't "feel" her as Holly. I get that Holly was supposed to be a stick in the mud but I didn't empathize with her and I feel that I should have. Now a girlfriend and I think Jennifer Garner would have been perfect in this movie as Holly bringing her a bit of warmth that I feel was lacking. That being said I didn't find it completely hard to believe that her and Gerard Butler were madly in love. They had decent chemistry together and it was fun to see their relationship in flashbacks.

Overall, if you want a good cry this if your movie but you won't be blown away.

Movie Review: 3.5/5

P.S. - They go to Ireland in the movie not Spain.