Saturday, July 30, 2011

i checked out

Of the blogosphere for a bit, sorry about that pals, but now I'm back in the game.  And I don't have too much to say except give you some reviews of the books I've been reading lately.  So here goes...

 Good book.  Cute book.  Easy read.  Based in Charleston.  It was entertaining and you can pretty much bet that I'm going to enjoy anything taking place in the South...Charleston, nonetheless.  It's a good summer read and compared to the next books I read it seemed pretty simple in the sense of dilemmas going on in the book.  By the way, I think I like reading because I crave drama and there's always so much drama going on in the books I read (well, the ones that I really enjoy at least). 

Hi-freaking-larious!  Jen Lancaster always rises to the occasion and meets my expectations.  She never fails to make me laugh, if not snort in the process.  I listened to this on audio book and I know that there were people thinking I was going a tad crazy while I was driving (insert laughing and snorting here).  I definitely recommend it, but again, as I always say with Jen Lancaster books, this is not for the faint of heart.  She has no filter.  And I kinda love it.  Oh and by the way, I had a chance to meet her at a book signing a couple of months ago...which I turned down.  Because I found out while I was getting my hair did (and yes I was in gym shorts and a t-shirt...never wear clothes that are too nice while getting hair highlighted because some dye may run onto your shirt...may or may not be speaking form experience here) and I was not about to meet the Miss Jen Lancaster in shorts and a t-shirt.  I poked around the outside of Barnes and Noble and saw many Lacoste and pearl clad women to which I felt inferiorly (yes it's a word) dressed and high-tailed it home.  But you should totally check out this book for a good (big) laugh!

Whew.  This book is deep.  Like a lot is going on and it can be kind of difficult to choke down.  I'm going to copy the description so I don't give anything away:
To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.
Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, ROOM is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.
 The book is very well written and definitely not the type of book I usually pick up.  I had heard a lot about it and decided that I must read it to see what all the fuss was about.  So if you're stuck in a rut with the books you're reading I would definitely suggest picking this up.   It's worth the read and really good.

And last but most definitely not least is my man, Pat Conroy.  Like seriously, love this man.  He can write a freaking book.  Annnnnd it's another book set in Charleston.  And while reading this I became really pissed that I don't live in Charleston, but that's another post for another day.  I actually found that this book had a lot of similar things as Beach Music did.  The story is told from a boy/man (spans a couple of decades) who was raised fiercely Catholic, focuses on the tragedy surrounding his friends/family, has a wife that's suffering mental illness, set in Charleston (and surrounding area) and there's all these little twists and turns that you don't see coming.  Although, I'm definitely not complaining.  I don't think I could ever get tired of reading Pat Conroy.  And I'll say it again, the man can write a book (read sentence with emphasis, please and thank you).  Ohhhh I loved it and it definitely makes my top 10 best books I've ever read list.  Thank you Mr. Conroy.  I love you (in a totally platonic, can you please write me into a book and have that become my life but not one of the crazy characters please, kind of way).

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