The Year of the Flood

Okay, post 2 for the day. This time it's The Year of the Flood, by Margaret Athwood. She wrote, most famously, The Handmaid's Tale.

The story focuses on two characters in a cult called God's Gardeners in the future- not too distant future, but probably 100 years or so from now. The God's Gardeners believ that a Waterless Flood is coming and that they know the way to survive it and what God has called them to live like.

So, the story is written both from a past and current perpective, essentially showing through these character's perspectives how the Waterless Flood comes about (and it does! Those guys were right!) and how they survived. It's written like a typical Atwood book, if you're at all familiar with her- clever, socially poignant, and with enough surprises to keep the plot interesting. Overall, the pace is slow, but still interesting enough to keep your attention.

Honestly, I don't have any complaints about the book. I didn't love it, but oh well. It was amazing for what it was, but it just isn't my favorite style.

There you have it- recommended for sure, but it's certainly not for everyone.

Happy Reading!

The Signal

Next one up (last week) was The Signal by Ron Carlson.

I finished this book like a week ago, and I just never got around to the post. I guess that lack of motivation says something about the way I feel about this book.

It was... okay. The plot is centered on a divorced couple going on a fishing trip that's been a tradition of theirs since before they were married. Not a drama necessarily, the book was more of an "ode to nature" and the Wyoming wilderness. It was written in this slow and steady pace that makes me think of an old cowboy... or Hemingway. And let me tell you, I canNOT stand Hemingway. So picturing the author as a cowboy made it easier. :)

Now, the good stuff. I really liked the plot. I liked the simplicity of the work and the way it unfolded. It was refreshing to read something that wasn't in your face- it was filled with the couple's nuances and hurt feelings.

Unfortunately, it was forgettable. That's all I really have to say... to elaborate would probably be to put the book down, and I don't want to do that. I really did like it.

So, the recommendation. Yes, of course, I would say read it. It didn't change my life, but it was interesting and endearing. If you like Hemingway's pace, Carlson's a good idea for you. If you don't like Hemingway or cowboys... well, then, skip it.

Happy Reading!

I See Rude People

Hey there! Next one up was I See Rude People by Amy Alkon. She's a syndicated advice columnist that also has a blog that apparently is really successful.

So anyways, it's a lot like the title makes it sound. Alkon, a fiery little redhead, sees rudeness and tries to make it right in some way or another. Either she calls the person out, sues telemarketers, sends bills to stores that try to survey her, or she implores others to do the same.

Now, here's the issue. Yes, some of the stories are funny, and one is downright hilarious. Alkon tracked down the person that stole her car when she wasn't getting police cooperation, and started calling him. She even got a friend of hers, MARLON BRANDO, yep, the real one, ask the guy to return her car. And he did!

So even though some stories were good... she's kind of mean. Scratch that- really mean. And she's pretty much just an angry person, giving people what she thinks they're earning. I can't get on board with that, sorry! I don't want that hunt for rudeness to define who I am, thanks.

Anyways, some of the stories are really, really funny. Some are annoying. Some are more than annoying, they're irritating. I do NOT recommend the book, unless you feel like heading straight to the story on the guy that stole her car.

So, do you disagree? Have you read this, or her column? Happy Reading!

In the Valley of the Kings

Alright, this one was In the Valley of the Kings by Terrence Holt. It was a collection of short stories (and reading short stories is a square on my library bingo card, yeah!).

Holt writes these stories that are all fascinating and a bit macabre, definitely off their collective rockers. He writes like Edgar Allen Poe, a bit, though I didn't like all of his stories as much as I tend to like Poe... So anyways. One story is about a guy whose dad is literally just a beating heart (?) that he carries around in a mayo jar... he can hear the heart talking, moving, laughing, and the heart responds to him. It's... weird. My two favorites were the first one, the title of which I can't write unless I learn how to write in Greek, and the title piece, the short story In the Valley of the Kings. The first was about a girl who has a word printed in bruises all over her body, and it was heartbreaking and endearing. In the Valley of the Kings was also heartbreaking, but extremely relatable... and majorly creepy. At least, I thought so.

So, while I really liked some of the stories, I'll be honest. I didn't "get" some of the others. I would kind of love to read this with some other people and really dissect the stories, a la high school and college English classes. But just reading them through left me scratching my head a bit, you know?

The good news is that I absolutely recommend this. I think Poe is considered a "classic" author so people say they like him, but if you reallllly enjoy the twisted mind that comes through in his work, read these stories immediately. They're thought provoking and wondrous. If you only know Poe for marrying his 13-year-old cousin, well then, you might want to pass.

So, what are your thoughts? Would you read these? Know of any authors like this? Happy reading!

Some Things That Meant the World to Me

Okay, back to the adult books, shall we? Next one on the list was Some Things That Meant the World to Me by Joshua Mohr.

I hate expectations. Unfortunately, I'm also a daydreamer, so by the time I get a book that I order for-ev-er ago, I've thought through what the book might be about, why the waiting is so long, why so many people like it, etc. Especially when a book has a title that seems so sappy, my mind runs wild. Most often I'm wrong, but rarely am I so dead wrong that I think I may have accidentally had a lobotomy. Thanks Mr. Mohr for making me feel crazy.

I pictured something totally different, something gushy and thankful, a memoir perhaps, maybe the diary of a Depression-era girl... I don't know! What I didn't expect, however, was the fictional story of a man, reliving his terrible past through nightmares and hallucinations that have made him CRA-ZY. Like, certifiable. I almost put the book down more than once, but I had accidentally read the acknowledgements in the back first (and let me tell you, I recommend it. They're funny), and that was literally the only reason I kept reading. I'm glad I did though, and here's why. Rarely have I found a book that is so... tweaked, so messed up, so sad... and with such heart. Really. And it's not sappy AT ALL! Mohr finds a way to cruelly show the abuses the character (a boy named Rhonda) goes through in all their vulgarity and still give you hope that, in some messed up way, we'll all find where we're meant to be. It was nice in a twisted sort of way.

So, there you have it. I definitely recommend it, but with a catch- it's not for those with weak stomachs, you know? It's not terrible, but I would absolutely say that you should approach it with caution. If you think you're interested, give it a shot! Happy Reading!

Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me?

Okie doke... next one on the list is... Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me? by Louise Rennison. It's the tenth and final book in the diary series of character Georgia Nicolson.

It basically shows you how much I love you all, because I canNOT believe that I 1)got this book from the library, 2)read this book, 3) confessed to you that I read this book, and 4) am trying to analyze this for you. WOW.

I'll start by saying that this was better than I expected- when I saw the list, I couldn't believe that I was going to have to read a book with the word basoomas in the title, and I thought the worst. It wasn't raunchy or anything like that, so already, I was happy. Essentially, the book is the diary of a 15-year-old British girl's life. Think being one of the plastics in Mean Girls, only British.

Yeah.

Here's the problem: I literally got dumber reading this. I felt important information I gained during college slipping away, replaced by words like "basoomas" and "nunga-nungas" (a synonym to "basoomas", in case you were wondering). It was... indescribable. And really difficult to read. First of all, being the tenth in the series, there were a ton of inside jokes I had missed. Secondly, she's 15. At fifteen, my friends and I made up words too (coughcoughMelissaMealeyJulieGuerreroKatieCowanJenMosscoughcough), so that was way confusing. Then, she's British, and while I know lots of British slang (or so I thought), I don't seem to know enough. So... it took some decoding. If I had started from the first book, I might have gotten more. To her credit, Rennison puts a glossary in the back of the book, which I discovered AFTER, sadly. It would have made my life easier, but alas... So if you're reading the book, look for that. So here's an example of something she said, so you understand.

"9:17 am.
If he gets the numpty about a bit of twisting, what number on the Having a Hump Scale would he get to for accidental snogging?"

or,

"Mabs said, 'It's his hot Pizza-a-gogo blood. They get vair jealous.'
Rosie said, 'You might have to eschew Dave the Laugh with a firm hand for a bit.'
Ok, well, I can knock it on the head laaarfwise with the Hornmeister.
It's a shame.
But ho hum, pig's bum."

See how much I love you all? I kept reading this stuff. And, much to my chagrin, I kind of enjoyed it. Don't get me wrong, it was ridiculous. Absolutely unadulterated ridiculousness. But... it was quite funny. Fifteen-year-old me would have laffed her arse off. Twenty-five-year-old me laughed quite a bit as well. As a character, Georgia is funny and oblivious and opinionated and confused, and read very true as a 15-year-old. Her friends are similar, with their own awkward tendencies. They're all discovering who they are in ways that they'll be embarrassed to tell people about when they're older, like one girl and her boyfriend going to a concert in matching unitards and starting a conga line. The weird drama teacher's interpretation of Romeo and Juliet gets funnier and funnier with each passing practice, and I genuinely wanted to see what the play would look like.

So, there you have it. Unbelievably, I really liked the book... but it wasn't thought provoking or anything. So, if you want to remember being 15, if you want to give your mind a break and just be entertained, or if you know someone that would like this, I recommend starting at the beginning of the series.

Has anyone read this? Could you ever bring yourself to try it? Lemme know your thoughts!

Brooklyn

Okay, back from vacation. While away, I finished Brooklyn, by Colm Toibin. It's a story of a girl from Ireland that comes to Brooklyn in the 1950s for the work opportunities.

So, the main character, Eilis, is in her late teens/ early twenties when she moves to the US, and I loved the book's depiction of the actual moving process and how much having people you know helps. I've never moved from Ireland, I've never been across the Atlantic on a sealiner, I've never lived in Brooklyn, etc... but I still felt like this was an unvarnished, although PG-13 of what a young woman's experiences might be doing all of these things. After the actual move, the book delves into how she acclimates herself to life in America.

Alright, the verdict. I really, really liked this book. I loved the descriptions of Ireland, the travelling, the hope that she felt, the United States through Eilis's eyes... it was all interesting, refreshing, and enjoyable. It didn't change my life, but I would absolutely recommend it.

So there you go. Give it a shot, really! It was quite good. Lemme know what you think!