Posts Tagged ‘Review’

I actually managed to do quite a bit of reading in December.  I focused on the liesure aspect of reading and took my time to really enjoy my selections.  I didn’t even think about reviewing them after I read them.  I told myself that task can wait til the new year.  And so here I am with a small stack of books to review at the start of a new year.

I did not make a “Best Reads of 2011″ list because I didn’t feel like I read enough in 2011 to warrant such a list.  Even more, there weren’t many selections that really stood out to me in 2011.  But if I did make such a list, this book would definitely be on it if not at the top of it.

I loved reading this book.  I felt like every time I picked it up, I was unwrapping a gem.  Jonathan Safran Foer is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers.  I loved his language in this book.  He captured so many intense emotions in this book.

The story follows 9 year old Oscar Schell post September 11th.  Oscar’s father died on that horrible day but he left Oscar with an urgent mission, a mystery of sorts.  Oscar must find the lock that matches a mysterious key.  His only clue: the last name Black.  And so Oscar travels through New York in the hopes that the key will not only open a lock somewhere for someone but will also lead him to discovering more about his father.

As I sit here trying to describe exactly why I loved this book so much, words escape me.  Oscar is an amazing character.  He is adventurous, curious, caring, kind, but also fragile.  He feels pain.  He mourns.  But he carries on.  He is troubled but there is so much hope in him as he embarks on this journey.

And then there is the backstory of his grandmother.  At first, I just got lost in the words.  But as the story become clearer and clearer with each turn of the page, I was shocked, surprised, and satisfied all at the same time.

All I can say is that if you haven’t read this book yet, you should definitely make it a high priority.  It is an amazing story and beautifully written.  I don’t usually re-read books but I know that this book is worth re-reading and I will make it a priority to re-read it in the future.  I am also going to be making it a priority to read more of Foer’s work in the near future.  I already read his nonfiction piece of work entitled Eating Animals, which I enjoyed a lot.  He is a very talented writer!

I love getting the opportunity to take part in any TLC Book Tour.  Unfortunately, this one came along when I was incredibly busy with a very rigid schedule that isn’t leaving me nearly enough time for reading!  Still, as soon as I got this book, I desperately wanted to read it!  The subject matter is incredibly intriguing even if the writing is a bit dry at times.  I love history writing but this book is more of a psychological examination of some very prominent historical characters.  Even though it was a little different than I had originally expected, I really enjoyed it and I feel like I learned a lot!

Many of you have probably heard some talk about the close link between genius and insanity.  Ghaemi takes this claim and explores it more in depth.  He asserts that mental illness does not lead to genius per se, but it can lead to some really great leadership skills like creativity, realism, empathy, and resilience.  Many of my favorite historical leaders were successful because they were dealing with mental illnesses that provided them with this arsenal of valuable skills for leading during times of turmoil: Lincoln, Churchill Ghandi, Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr.

Ghaemi makes you rethink cause and effect relationships related to mental illness.  For example, many people think that Churchill was depressed because of his isolation when in fact it was more probable that his isolation was probably caused because of the depressive fits associated with his bipolar disorder.  Ultimately, this leads one to wonder, does genius lead to insanity or does insanity actually lead to the traits that we expect of a genius?

Also I found it really interesting to see a bit of the evolution of treatment options for those suffering from mental illness.  Luckily, as science has evolved, more treatment options for those dealing with mental illness have become available.  Back in Lincoln’s day, the most common treatment was … bleeding!  Unfortunately, one thing that hasn’t changed enough is the way mental illnesses are treated.  I have found that people are still hesitant to discuss mental illness (perhaps this is because the word illness automatically leads to the assumption that something is wrong!).  Anyway, my point is that I really enjoyed reading about some of the positive effects of these so called mental illnesses.  This book challenged some things that I thought I knew about depression and bipolar disorder and I will probably be doing more reading on this subject in the future (although maybe in a more fiction-based easier to read format).

For more information about the author, S. Nassir Ghaemi, you can visit his website by clicking here.

A special thanks to everyone at TLC Book Tours and apologies for getting this post up a little later than expected.  I found that after spending hours with my educational psychology reading, it was difficult for me to jump into some historical psychology reading.  I’ll have to plan better then next time I accept a book to review!

And lastly, because I love a little discussion, I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject of mental health/illness.  And if there was any historical figure that you could learn about the mental health of, who would it be?

After a short unexpected hiatus I return to you all with a short review of the book that kept me reading even when life got unbelievably hectic.

For a while now I have seen Jill Mansell’s name around the blogosphere.  There seems to be a general consensus that her books are fun light reads perfect for decompressing after a busy day.  Mansell also happens to be fabulously British and since I have developed a bit of an obsession with all things British I decided to pick up her book Miranda’s Big Mistake when my life turned hectic and my reading became infrequent.

I bought the book on sale via Amazon for the kindle app on my iPad a while back.  I can’t turn down books that are less than $5, it is just too good to be true!  However, I spent most of my summer trying to read some more challenging literature.  I had planned to read some more of the classics and a good dose of nonfiction.  But then school started and I discovered that I didn’t want for read nonfiction after spending hours and hours with my educational psychology book.  No, I wanted something fun that wouldn’t require too much deep thinking.

Miranda’s Big Mistake was the perfect book for me.  It is funny with lovable characters and a plot that actually has a few twists that I didn’t really see coming.  The general plot line is this: Miranda meets who she believes to be the perfect gentleman at a cocktail party.  Things with Greg get pretty seriously pretty quickly.  However, Greg isn’t being entirely truthful with Miranda.  While his falling for her, he also happens to be married (he abandoned his wife when she got pregnant).  So I think we can all agree that Greg sounds like a total jerk, but the question still remains — how do you recover when someone hurts you like that?  How do you trust again when you are breathed so brutally?

I saw bits and pieces of myself in Miranda.  She lets herself fall in love quickly.  She isn’t afraid to follow her heart but when it breaks, it shatters.  Mirada makes mistakes — a lot of them — but she doesn’t let those mistakes inhibit her.  She continues to take chances and I really admire that about her.  While this book was pretty light and fluffy, it did still get me thinking.  I was thinking about the mistakes that I have made and the effect that those mistakes still have on my life.  I believe that it is important to make mistakes and recover from those mistakes.  They make us resilient, which is important.  Life never really goes according to plan.  Things don’t always go according to plan.  However, in all of that chaos there is a sense of safety.  No matter how bad things seem to get, there is always the possibility of change.

Do you make mistakes?  How do you recover from your mistakes?  

Anyone who follows me on twitter probably knows that I have developed a fascination with a certain new member of the British royalty.  Oh, Kate Middleton how I adore thee.  It was not love at first sight though.  I didn’t really become fascinated with the Dutchess of Cambridge until the day of her wedding when I saw her in that absolutely stunning gown.  I’m pretty sure that the fist picture I saw of her online literally took my breath way.  From that moment forward, I have been following her fairy tale unfold.  I love that she is stylishly stunning with class.  You don’t see that much these days.

Don’t worry, this post isn’t a post about me ranting and raving about the wonderful princess.  This post is actually about a book about a wannabe princess named Jerramy Fine and her adventures (and misadventures) as she chases after her prince.  The book is aptly entitled Someday My Prince Will Come: True Adventures of a Wannabe Princes.  This book intrigued me because even though I have become slightly obsessed with Brits lately (Kate, Doctor Who, a newfound desire to visit London that I don’t think I ever had before, lusting after those sexy accents, ect), I don’t really know all that much about Britain.  I heard that this book could provide me with a bit of information on that front while also being hilarious and a bit of a grown up fairy tale.  Thanks to Jessica at Cover to Cover for the amazing recommendation and review that urged me to go out and buy this book, which I promptly did with some extra graduation money.  :)

And I was not disappointed.  Ms. Fine is a brilliant writer.  She was able to provide some basic facts about Britain while also keeping me engrossed in her incredibly engaging story about how from a young age, all she wanted to do was become a princess via marriage to a certain Prince Peter Phillips .  Born to hippie parents (she insists that she was actually switched at birth), Jerramy knew that she belonged in her beloved England, not where her current circumstances had her placed.  Now before you write this story off as some silly girl who needs a dose of reality, I must point out that Jerramy is not delusional or naive.  She is incredibly intelligent and hard working.  Sure, her dream was born as a little girl fantasy, but as she grows, it morphs into a concrete goal that she works toward.  And that is exactly what this novel portrays: a young woman on the journey toward finding not only her prince, but also herself.  Jerramy’s story is one of perseverence  and a deep focus on following your heart even when everyone around you thinks you are foolish.

I found this to be a delightful read.  I have always been the girl who has her head in the clouds.  I dream big and I don’t back down.  In high school, I was the lost romantic with my head stuck in a book.  I chased after boys like my life depended on it.  But even more than that, in my free time, I was obsessed with planning out my future, setting goals, and figuring out how I could make those goals a reality.  I am definitely not as much of a social butterfly as Jerramy, but I certainly have had some crazy romantic rendezvous (granted none of them took place in London with charming young Londoners with perfect British accents).  Still, this memoir is about so much more than Jerramy’s obsession with the British monarchy.  And that is why I loved it.  This book is as well rounded as the girl who wrote it.  I found myself savoring it in little bursts because every chapter provided me with a little food for thought to chew on.  Fine’s writing is crisp and insightful.  I highly recommend this one!

Ann Brashares is a fantastic writer.  Every time I read one of her books, I find myself falling in love with her use of words.  She understands language and weaves together some incredible passages.  I found myself highlighting quite a few memorable quotes as I read My Name is Memory on my kindle.  There is a lot about this book that will undoubtedly stay with me for some time to come.

“Love who you love while you have them.  That’s all you can do.  Let them go when you must.  If you know how to love, you’ll never run out” (297).

My Name is Memory is a love story at its core.  It explores the staying power of love; its ability to transcend time and place; to stay with us from one life to another.  For Daniel, love is a blessing and a curse.  He has the memory: a special ability to remember his former lives.  However, his memory is especially unique because he can not only remember his past lives, but recognize souls from one life to another.  There is one specific girl that he can never forget.  He lives for the chance that someday they will be together.  He knows her as Sophia and their past lives remain vividly replaying in his memory as a tangled web of missed opportunities.  He lives every life with the hope that one day, they will meet under the right circumstances so that they can be together.  Told through the perspectives of Daniel and Lucy (the current manifestation of Sophia), this book explores the power of love and time.

“She suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of danger.  She cared about him too much, and he was a dangerous person to love.  He wouldn’t love her back.  He’d suck her into pure confusion where he thought she was someone else.  And she would want so much to believe him that she wouldn’t know who she was anymore” (25).

I found myself falling head over heels in love with Lucy.  She is one of the most well-crafted characters I have come across in a while.  While she didn’t have the ability to necessarily remember her former lives in the way that Daniel does, she still carries herself like an old soul trapped in a young body.  She loves nature and had a way with plants.  She has suffered some pretty serious losses but still somehow manages to move forward with her head held up high.  What really connected me to her is the way that she is drawn to Daniel without really understanding why.  I have felt that inexplicable pull.  Some people call it love at first sight, but in this case it is deeper than that.  It is not just your body that is drawn to this other person but your soul.  And it is terrifying.  Opening yourself up to the possibility of love means also opening yourself up to the possibility of being hurt.  I found myself taking a trip into my own past as I read pieces of Lucy’s story.

I did not react as well to Daniel’s side of the story.  His love and devotion to Sophia was admirable, but it was also a bit frightening.  He was always so preoccupied with finding Sophia in every life that he never really lived.  He let his love for her become his only reason for existence.  He took something beautiful and tried to mold it into something it was never meant to be.  And I couldn’t help but grow increasingly frustrated with him.  He needed to take a step back and let things just happen instead of constantly trying to control everything.  Daniel never seems to really grasp a healthy understanding of love.  I felt a great sense of sorrow for him throughout the book because he chose to let his love for Sophia be a torturous reminder of what he cannot have.

I really enjoyed this book even though it was incredibly frustrating to read at times.  The ending was not what I expected and a bit of a cliffhanger, but I believe that this is supposed to be the first installment in a trilogy.  If that is true, I know that I will definitely be reading the next installment eager to find out what happens next in the saga of Daniel and Sophia.  Fans of Brashares’ former works, time travel/reincarnation, and love stories will likely enjoy this book.