2011

Bitter Bitch

2011, Books in Bed, Favorites, Feminism, Fiction, Women /

Who could pass up a book titled Bitter Bitch? Not me, that’s for sure – maybe because I am one? And I have good reason to be – so do you. So does the main character – a Swedish woman who rants about the patriarchy more than anyone I’ve ever read.

The book doesn’t always read like a novel – it reads more like a feminist rant that you might find on… well a blog. Or in a women’s studies class. It’s got just enough of novel in it that it doesn’t read like a textbook and that makes it just about perfect for anyone who feels like a good bitter bitch session about the patriarchy.

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Slow Love

2011, Books in Bed, Non-Fiction, Women /

I was looking forward to reading Slow Love because I was interested in what happened to Dominique Browning after Conde Naste closed Home & Garden — but the book didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

I can’t decide whether it was my expectations that were the problem or the book itself.

I expected to find, if not inspiration, at least something significant to think about and I didn’t get either of those things. Instead, I found myself wondering why I was reading a book about a smart, powerful woman wallowing around for a year after a job loss. Why I was reading a book about a smart, powerful woman in a really bad relationship that she didn’t seem to realize (or care?) was bad.

There just wasn’t anything inspiring for me. Sleep all day – no. Sell a house in the NYC suburbs and move to a second house in Rhode Island – no. Bake cookies and muffins – no. Pine away over a relationship that was never going to work out – no. The whole idea of “Slow Love”, which Browning does a good job of talking about on her blog (which I love, by the way), never really came through for me.

If I step back and think about it more as memoir and less as inspirational memoir, I like the book better – so maybe it was my expectations and not the book, after all?

Read more about Slow Love in the BlogHer Book Club and join the Slow Love discussions.

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Sisterhood Everlasting (The Final Book in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Series)

1 Comment / 2011, Books in Bed, Fiction, Women, Young Adult /

I cannot write about Sisterhood Everlasting without giving away spoilers – thankfully, Sassymonkey created a Sisterhood Everlasting spoiler thread on BlogHer.com. If you want to hear me rant, click over to that discussion.

I just cannot believe that this is the book Brashares gave us.

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Patti Smith: 1969-1976

2011, Books in Bed, Favorites, Non-Fiction, Women /

We picked Patti Smith: 1969-1976 right after Michelle moved back home because it looked fun and interesting and Michelle was in need of fun and interesting. So was I, for that matter. And it was. The pictures were fabulous and the essays at the end of the book, by the photographer, Judy Linn and by Patti Smith made it even more interesting. I had to look at the photos again after I read the essays.

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A Good Hard Look

1 Comment / 2011, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction /

I almost didn’t read A Good Hard Look. It was one of the books read by folks in the BlogHer Bookclub last month but @Sassymonkey didn’t need me to read it and provide a review – she had all she needed for the program. So. I thought I’d skip it because I was afraid I’d be disappointed.

I’m a Flannery O’Connor fan and a novel that includes Flannery O’Connor as a character scared the holy heck out of me.

But a funny thing happened, I started reading the reviews for A Good Hard Look in the BlogHer Bookclub and I couldn’t NOT read it. I had to see for myself. I figured if it wasn’t working for me within the first 100 pages, I’d just put it down. No harm, no foul (no pun intended…)

But I couldn’t put it down. Even after I finished the first part of the book and everything went horribly wrong in Milledgeville – I couldn’t put it down. And all the way til the end, I found myself thinking Flannery O’Connor would have approved of this book (if someone could have convinced her to read it in the first place, heh.)

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If You Were Here

1 Comment / 2011, Books in Bed, Chick Lit, Fiction /

It’s much harder to write about If You Were Here than I thought it would be. I have some issues with Jen Lancaster and those issues make it hard to write about her writing. Those issues make it a little hard to read her writing too, but I manage it and generally enjoy it because no matter what I might say about Lancaster (don’t worry, I’m not going to say much…) I have to say that she is a pretty darn good writer.

I still read her blog.

Which is why when I happened to pass her newest book sitting on the library shelf, I went ahead and picked it up. I wasn’t sure I would read it (see above Lancaster issues, and my TBR pile is HUGE) but I knew TW would and I knew she would think it was funny and that she doesn’t have Lancaster issues so it would be fine (for her.)

But Friday, after a very long week, I needed something I could laugh about (or at) – Jen Lancaster’s book fit the ticket perfectly. I laughed. (And I cannot imagine anyone who lives in the north suburbs of Chicago NOT laughing.) I snarked about Lancaster a bit in my head, which was fun for me.

We actually ate at the green barn McDonald’s on Saturday as we quite often do and I laughed some more.

I’ve seen the Jake Ryan house and several of the other John Hughes houses. I think I need a John Hughes movie marathon now, too.

I’ve also found the book to be a nice reminder of why I do not really want to buy a house.

And a nice reminder of why I do like Stephenie Meyer and Twilight and why Vampires are better than Zombies (even though I wish it weren’t so.)

The book – funny. Very funny.  

Like chick lit – you should read this.

Like John Hughes – you should read this.

Familiar with the north suburbs of Chicago – you should read this.

Like to snark about Twilight – you should read this.

Love home improvement TV – you should read this.

I should also say to Lancaster, should she read this… cut it out with the footnotes. That got really old, really quickly. I mean really really old really really quickly.

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The Chicken Chronicles

1 Comment / 2011, Books in Bed, Favorites, Non-Fiction, Poetry, short stories, Women /

I like Alice Walker. I like chickens. Or actually, I think I have learned that I like the idea of Alice Walker and the idea of Chickens. There’s a slight difference and I think it took Walker’s The Chicken Chronicles for me to learn it.

I’ve always been a fan of Walker’s writing but while reading her books or poems, I always find myself troubled by something. Some niggling little something that I shush away because I LIKE ALICE WALKER.

I’ve always been a fan of chickens and I’ve told TW and those kids who want chickens that someday we could have them. But some niggling something about that troubled me. But, I shushed that away too because I LIKE CHICKENS.

So reading The Chicken Chronicles, I have finally decided to those niggling little feelings that something’s not quite right or not quite as wonderful as I might wish. I no longer want chickens. I’d like to visit them. I’d like to babysit a few for awhile. But I don’t think I really want to own them. I’d get attached. They’re messy.  No. I’ve decided I don’t really want chickens.

I’ve also decided what it is that has troubled me about Walker – I still like her writing. I still admire her as a woman. I’ll keep reading what she writes. But I don’t think I’ll be overlooking the little things about her that do truly bug me. Like calling herself mommy while writing letters to chickens. That’s totally an Alice Walker thing and that’s fine, it’s who she is. Great. But I don’t really like it. I don’t feel it. I’m not that kind of woman. I’m ok with her being the kind of woman who writes that way, I just don’t have to pretend I like it.

Other than that, The Chicken Chronicles was interesting. I liked it – overlooking the mommy stuff, of course. I liked the idea of her writing to chickens. I like her honesty when it comes to learning how to live with the chickens, how to take care of them, how she didn’t always do the best job or take the best care because she didn’t know. Didn’t understand. Had to learn. That’s really what I like about Walker, that’s what always keeps me overlooking the little things that really bug me about her work. Underneath it all – she’s real and she’s honest and there’s not enough of that in the world.

And I’ve re-subscribed to her blog because I liked the book enough to want to keep reading more of Walker’s letters to her chickens. Check it out at Alice Walker’s Garden. (Thank goodness Agnes of God is ok… the most recent entry scared the holy hell out of me. Not Agnes of God!… )

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House Arrest

2011, Books in Bed, Fiction, Women /

I picked up House Arrest because of the title/cover combination. It ended up being not quite what I expected, but that’s not necessarily bad. It was interesting and I enjoyed it – particularly once all of the characters were introduced.  

Chad. Gina. -> both storylines/characters felt not quite right, or like there was more there but the more was cut out.

Cults, social justice, medical ethics, computer ethics, parenting, relationships. All in all, nicely done.

Nice, tidy wrapped up ending.

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Home to Woefield

2011, Books in Bed, Chick Lit, Favorites, Fiction /

I like the American title better than the Canadian… just thought y’all should know that. Home to Woefield is funny. Funny. Funny. Funny. But not stupid funny.

A boy blogger who hasn’t left his house pretty much since he was 17. He blogs heavy metal and celebrity gossip and he has a bit a drinking problem.

An old dude who is a member of a legendary bluegrass music family – but he hasn’t seen is still very famous brother in years.

An 11 year old girl who raises chickens, gets sucked into church, and has a really crummy family life.

A 20 something woman from New York who has always wanted to be a back to the land kind of woman and she just happens to inherit a “farm” on Vancouver Island.

Hah. Funny. Funny. Funny.

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