When Isabel Gillies’s husband got a job she packed up her two toddlers, and belongings and moved from New York City to Ohio.  After only a few months of doing so her husband informed her that he was leaving her and their two boys.  A friend told her it “happens every day.”  The story doens’t even have the slightest hint of self pity, Isabel writes candidly as if speaking with a close friend.  With divorce rates close to 60% this memoir hits close to home for many of us.

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Marie Brenner writes in her new memoir Apples and Oranges, “It is the tone I know well, hate and love, rage and need, all scrambled together.”  A sister’s desire to understand her older brother takes her out of the city and into Washington State, better known as apple country.  Coming from a journalistic background the book reads like Brenner is in a hurry, chapters are short, sentences even shorter, facts are thrown on to the pages in a flurry.   The story itself is intriguing especially for those of us who have siblings, even more so with those that have a difficult relationship with their siblings.  Apples and Oranges never fully grasped my attention but did continue to entertain and intrigue which made me return to the book until the end.

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Who killed Wellington?  This is the question that spurs Mark Haddon’s debut novel on a wild murder mystery adventure.  Wellington is Mrs. Shears dog, and when her neighbor Christopher is found standing next to the dead dog he becomes a suspect in Wellington’s murder.  No charges are pressed but Christopher, knowing it was not he who committed such a crime, sets off in search for the true culprit.  

The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night-Time is told from the perspective of Christopher, a fifteen year old boy with Autism.  The author does a particularly fascinating job portraying this voice of character.  Christopher’s story is not only entertaining but educational, it allows the reader a unique chance to experience life through the eyes of someone with autism.  It might feel slightly awkward at first but a few chapters in the plot builds and evolves leaving you restless to find out what happens next.

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Tags: autism, books, curious incident of the dog in the night time, Fiction, Literature, Mark Haddon, murder mystery, novel, read, teenager

From the start of Melanie Lynn’s novel I was unsure and frankly, quite skeptical of Jumble Pie‘s appeal.  The story tells of two unlikely friends and the pie that brings them together.  Immediately I placed this work of fiction in the category of a light drama such as “Ya-Ya Sisterhood” or “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”. True, the story is emotionally charged, yet halfway through I found myself entertained by the twists and turns played out by the characters.  People are not as they appear and life is anything but “a piece of pie”.  

If you are looking to amplify your philosophical intellect this is not the read for you, but on a rainy day, if you have nothing better to do, pick up Jumble Pie.  You just may end up with a surprisingly satisfied afternoon.

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Matthew Chapman, a screenwriter and journalist, wrote a novel in 2007 about the Kitzmiller v. Dover trial in Pennsylvania where the school board attempted to teach intelligent design in the classroom.  It’s no coincidence that the author is the great-great grandson of Charles Darwin himself and although Chapman does not divulge his personal view on the matter, he acquaints the reader with a step-by-step, in depth following of the trial.  From creationist theory to darwinism, the most convincing arguments of each perspective were relayed.  

Galileo once said, to “never look for scientific information in any theological source” and although genetics is one of the strongest pieces of evidence for evolution, is it not possible to have the same genetic material in different animals? For example, nuts and bolts make up a car and they also make up a plane, but a plane does not come from a car.

Kitzmiller v. Dover trial lasted 40 days and 40 nights and Judge Jones ruled in agreement with the theory of Galileo.   When the Judge was asked about the duration of the trial he stated, “it is an interesting coincidence, but it was not by design.”

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“It’s a fine line between clever and stupid.. Yesterday I was clever.  Beautiful notes flotaed from my fingers up towards the heavens.  Today I was a wimp. Soft. Limp. Tasteful.  Where did I go wrong? What were my crimes?”  The Union Hall Basement, home to concerts, readings, magic shows, spelling bees etc, is a small, dark room decorated with random old paintings that makes you feel like you have just walked into a great aunt’s spooky living-room, minus the furniture.  

The erie portraits and stale aroma of the joint can set up a book reading better than light dimmers and comfy chairs.  I had barely heard of Dean Wareham and his bands Galaxie 5000 and Luna, but I knew just from the cover of the book that it would be an interesting night.  I know, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but lets be honest everyone does, a good cover can lure you into reading a book you wouldn’t normally read.  And so here I was, standing in a dark, dank basement, squished against a couple dozen strangers, waiting to hear a reading from a guy I knew little to no background about just because of a book cover. 

Black Postcards gives the reader an inside scoop into the music industry, Dean’s recollection of growing up listening to rock-n-roll, personal struggles on the road and his family life, and a bands strife to become successful.  

Rating: PG13

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 Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress is a stroll through Susan Jane Gilman’s life. The book is one of spontaneous hilarity, honest human emotions, and a sarcastic session of reminiscent memories.  It appears as if Susan has had one of the most well rounded experiences life has to offer.  Hyppie Communes, Capital Hill, Jewish newspapers, and switzerland are some of the few settings the reader will travel to while breezing through this masterpiece.

Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress  is divided into three parts: “Grape Juice and Humiliation,” “Not Just Horny, but Obnoxious too,” and “Reality Says Hello.”  It is through these sections that Susan covers christmas pageants, sex, Mick Jagger, marriage and the Maharishi.  ”We were a legion of balllerinas, and from then on, we spent virtually our entire time in Kindergarten waiting to pee.”

Book Rated Mature, for adult content.

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I confess I picked this book up because I love elephants. It had nothing to do with any prior knowledge as to what the book is about.  Turns out, it is a clever fictional depiction of old school circus life, told from the perspective of a 93 year old man. Sara Gruen does a fantastic job in research. Working through the book you find yourself reading words such as “grifters” and “roustabouts”.  The book takes you behind the scenes of the mysterious circus life during the great depression of the 1930s.  Water for Elephants is extremely moving and is a great way to get a taste of history through a fictional story.

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Tags: 1930s, books, circus, elephants, Literature, read, sara gruen, water for elephants

In 2003 Middlesex won the Pulizter Prize for Fiction, and rightly so.  The story is told from the perspective of a 41 year old man whose life began as a female.  The book explains the creation of his recessive gene through family history, the struggle for self identity, sexual desire, and a journey for acceptance.  Middlesex is an incredible read and if you have not picked it up I highly recommend it.

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It is common knowledge that this popular author has not had a dull life, and as this book illustrates not an easy one either.  The author of Running with Scissors Augusten Boroughs offers up another peek into his disturbing upbringing.  A wolf at The Table is a soul wrenching piece about his experiences growing up with an alcoholic, abusive, manipulating father.  The story never ceases to hold your every emotion on edge and at times had me calling up my own father just to say thanks for loving me. 

If you have the time to have your mind held tightly by Augusten’s every word then pick up this book and begin.

Planning on road tripping it?  This book is also a killer audiobook complete with some pretty rockin tracks by some of my fav music artists.

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Tags: a wolf at the table, augusten boroughs, books, Literature, read