Review: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Bethlylou

I did it. I have completed my summer’s Pop Culture Homework Assignment and still have a couple more weeks before the kids go back to school. (Kids in NYC go back ridiculously late.) I’ve read four books. Wild by Cheryl Strayed, Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott, 13 Blue Little Envelopes and Last Little Blue Envelope (extra credit) by Maureen Johnson and A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. I feel very good about all of this. I’ve read three non-fiction books, which is three more than I read all of last year. I read about two brave women and how they overcame their struggles and came out stronger. I got a feel for what it’s like to hike and camp and it still has no appeal to me but I can see how it might appeal to others. I also got to read a new book form an author I really like. I would say it was a productive summer.

So A Walk in the Woods was enjoyable. I can definitely see why Kate loves it so much. Bill and his friend Stephen Katz are two people who probably shouldn’t be hiking but they did and they made it. Ok, maybe Bill but definitely not Katz. Bill moves to New Hampshire and finds out it’s right by the Appalachian Trail and decides, he’s going to hike it because why not. Out of no where, his long lost friend Katz decides to do it with him. Like Cheryl in Wild, they have no idea of what they are getting themselves into. Sure, they’ve done some hiking before but nothing like this. Reading their misadventures was a delight. From their struggles with their packs, the people they meet and their run-ins with animals that were real or imaginary was amusing. The best part of the book is when they are together. In the middle, Katz has to go back to Des Moines for a job and Bill continues on his own. It’s not that I don’t like Bill, it’s I liked him more when he had Katz to play off. If they were a comedic duo, Bill would be Desi to Katz’s Lucy. The book read faster and I was more interested. When it was just Bill, I felt like he spent more talking about history and other tangents and while interesting, it slowed the pace down. Maybe he spent so much time talking about other things because he was by himself he obviously didn’t have any witty dialogue to include. The Appalachian Trail is older then the Pacific Crest Trail that Cheryl hiked and so it had a lot more places to stop. Also, it’s surrounded by more towns and people, so Bill and Katz had more chances of interacting with people on and off the trail. It was interesting to see how they were treated when they left the trail. In some cases like Gods and others indifference. All and all it was an enjoyable read. I’m glad I read it.

Review: Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Bethlylou

Warning: Spoilers will happen

I’m not even sure where to begin! There is always a risk that when you loved a book so much and waited so long for the sequel that when it finally comes out, it doesn’t live up to your expectations. I’m happy to say that didn’t happen here. Lair of Dreams is same mixture of humor, creepiness, suspenseful mystery and 20’s glamour. The stakes are much higher since Evie announced to all of New York City and the world that she is a Diviner. This of course brings up new opportunities for her and her friends but also new complications. The mystery man in the stovepipe hat is gaining more ground and even though we still don’t know much about him, the fact he lingers in the background only makes everything else that much more of a mystery. Why now are Evie, Sam, Theta, Memphis, Henry and others just discovering their powers or their powers getting stronger? And what is Project Buffalo? There is so much to talk about so let’s get to it. Continue reading →

Review: Reawakened by Colleen Houck

Posted on August 4, 2015 by Bethlylou

Reawakened is a fun adventure but for anyone who has read Colleen Houck’s other series, Tiger Saga there may be far too many similarities. It’s pretty much the same story but instead of taking place in India, it’s in Egypt. They both have a teenage girl heroine, an ancient cursed Prince and interactions with Gods. We switch Kelsey for Lily, Ren for Amon and Durga for Horus and Anubis. Like in the Tiger’s Curse, Lily is just minding her business when she is thrust into a world myth and magic to help an ancient Prince with his task. The difference being that Amon’s curse is to save the world. Every 10 years, he and his brothers fight the evil Set to keep him from gaining power in this world. Lily meets Amon when she’s hiding out in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He awakes from his sarcophagus and attaches himself to her until he is able to gain his strength back. They are soon on their way to Egypt to wake his brothers and complete the ceremony to push evil back. Lily starts to have feelings for Amon but he does everything to push her away. Despite the drama, they continue to work together to finish the ceremony, fight those who are working against them and explore a little bit of Egypt.

I’m sure for fans of the Tiger Saga will enjoy it. It has the same romance and adventure and the nice mix of mythology to give it a more epic feel. Egyptian mythology isn’t as well known as many of the mythologies out there. If I hadn’t read Rick Riordan’s The Kane Chronicles, I wouldn’t know most of the Gods and Goddess mentioned and who was supposed to be good and who was bad. But like I said, it did feel a little bit of a retread of what Miss Houck has already done. She has even set up a possible love triangle between Lily, Amon and one of his “brothers” for the sequels. All that being said, I enjoyed reading it. I do want to see what happens next and see if she can do something else with her characters.

Review: Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott

Posted on August 1, 2015 by Bethlylou

I remember years ago, Madonna was quoted as saying that she wasn’t a religious person but a spiritual one. For the life of me I can’t find the actual quote. Internet, you have failed me! This seemed strange to me at the time because Madonna was very much in her Kabbalah phase and it seemed like everything in her life was influenced by it. Just listen to albums Ray of Light through Confessions on a Dance Floor for more evidence. She has since have moved on from Kabbalah. I’m not sure if she is still practicing or not but the presence is not as prevalent in her music as it used to be. Does one have to actively practice a religion to be that religion? The one thing that stuck with me from my Introduction to Islam class I took in college (taught by New York Times Bestseller, Reza Aslan. Yep, I’m totally name dropping!) was that in Islam, if you don’t practice you really can’t be really considered Muslim. Now, I took that class *gulp* over 10 years ago, so I apologize if that is not entirely accurate but I do remember that Islam is a very practical religion as well. As Mr. Aslan explained, if you couldn’t pray five times a day at the right time that’s ok, as long as you get those prayers in sometime during the day. If you can’t fast during Ramadan because of work, illness or other circumstances, that’s fine, too, as long as you make time to fast later to make up for it. That last point was illustrated to me when a former co-worker had to skip a week of fasting during the month of Ramadan because she was having stomach pain. As soon as she was feeling better, she completed that week of fasting. This makes sense to me. If you think about it, you really don’t have to go to church or read the bible to call yourself a Christian.

Why do I bring all this up? Well, both of these things were going through my mind as I was reading this book. Anne Lamott talks to openly and honestly about her faith. She puts to paper all her failings, fears and shortcomings. Even after finding a church and Christianity, she still struggles with keeping faith. She still has moments of “Dear God, why is this happening?” I’m a big fan of her two favorite prayers of “Help Me Help Me Help Me” and “Thank You Thank You Thank You”. I appreciate how she talks about her journey but makes it clear that this is her journey. She’s not forcing her beliefs on the reader but is more saying “this is what happened to me and this worked for me and maybe something like it will work for you”. I appreciate that. I was truly touched by her story. I haven’t been to a church going person since I completed confirmation when I was 13. I’ve found many things that people who say they are Christians to be incredibly offensive and contrary to the Christianity that I grew up with. I also studied a lot of Medieval History in college for my major and well, I haven’t really been able to look at Christianity the same since. We seem to think that religious institutions are unchanging and infallible but anyone who has studied history has seen how much the church has changed to fit in with the times it was in. Religions are always changing, growing and to say otherwise is just, well, naive and ignorant. This is why at times I have called myself agnostic because I do believe that a God exists or at least a higher power exists. I wasn’t sure I could really call myself a Christian knowing all these things. I didn’t want to be associate with the likes of the Duggars and Westboro Churches of the world or have people think that I was like them. I sort of backed way from all religions for awhile. Now, that Madonna quote from the beginning makes sense to me. I wouldn’t say I’m religious or even spiritual but I would say that I have faith. I would say I still believe in the basic Christian belief that God loves all his children when it comes down to it. I don’t need to go to church or read the bible to be a good Christian. I just need to be a good person and treat people with love and dignity because isn’t that what Jesus would do? I came to this realization a couple of years ago so reading this book didn’t really change my mind but it did cement my thinking. Miss Lamott found a certain peace in her faith and I have found it in mine. We are practicing it differently but ultimately we have come to the same place and I know Miss Lamott would respect and love that. So Thank You Thank You Thank You

Now I am halfway through my Pop Culture homework assignment. I’m looking forward to something that hopefully won’t make me cry while I’m on the subway.

This Month in Reality: Love and Revolution

Posted on July 31, 2015 by Kate

So, Russell Brand’s third book is about the state of the world and what we can all do to change it. He does his usual comedy schtick but he also presents the views of public figures, past and present, who are advocating for change. I checked this book out from the library to listen to while I cleaned my apartment and but I found myself often just listening. There were many touching and poignant things in the novel. Brand gets personal and talks about painful breakups and relationships and his history of addiction. He gets global and he talks about alternative energy and failures in many governmental systems world wide. One of the things that he keeps coming back to is small groups of people coming together to take care of themselves and effect change.

To be quite honest, I was very touched by this book. I found that it stuck with me long after I had put it down.

When people have to take to the streets because they are being injured or killed by a police service that is not part of the community and not serving the community the system isn’t working. When congress can spend an entire session not passing bills, not appointing people to positions that need to be filled, not taking care of veterans, and not debating or discussing any issues that affect the lives of the people that they actually represent, the system isn’t working. When we expect students to get a college degree to get a good job but that college degree will set them back thousands and thousands of dollars into debt (and when that degree is no guarantee that a good job will ever be available), the system is broken. When apples are shipped to another continent to be processed and then shipped back to be sold (or fish are caught, frozen, shipped to another continent thawed, scaled and boned, refrozen and shipped back) the system isn’t working. Or, maybe it is working and it is just a stupid system.

I think we can all agree that at least some of those things sound crazy. I mean, at least the fish and the apple thing. I hope the other things as well.

So, the question is, if the system isn’t working, how do we as people, come together and fix the system or change the system or make the system work? The big question that we all have ask ourselves is what are the things that are important to us? How do we center those important things in our lives and in our policies? How do we create a government that is on the same page as we are?

Brand has some suggestions but three of the things that he keeps coming back to are meditation, people coming together to change something, and love.

These are things that have been on my mind recently. Meditation because I have become increasingly aware of how some sort of meditation practice could benefit me. People coming together because of all of the movements that are rolling and changing things (#blacklivesmatter, #sayhername, and #lovewins as possible examples). Love for a possibly bizarre reason. I have about one year left on my PhD and I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’m going to do next. All of that thinking about the future has really highlighted what is important to me and it turns out that what’s important to me is a need to be near people I love. One of the things I took from reading this book was that, yes, the world is in an awful state and it can be an awful place. But, it doesn’t have to be. We can work together to make it better. We can be there for each other, we can support each other and we don’t have to take any of this as, “that’s just the way the world works.” Naw. The world works the way we work and if we want to change something, we should.

This book was full of a lot of really quotable things that as a listener I kept coming back to like: “Sometimes you have to realize that the only power you have in a situation is the power to make it worse.” (Or, not.) I could not have heard this quote a better time. Sometimes, you just have to be reminded that your only options are to be a dick or to be a compassionate human being.

In a discussion of suffragette Emily Davison who worked the get women the vote in England, Brand pointed out that were former leaders of past revolutions to be magically transported in time to now that they might not be encouraging people to vote but rather to riot. It is important to remember that even leaders of peaceful movements did not countenance peace in all instances and that we need to be very careful not to take their life’s work out of context. (We especially need to be careful not to take their life’s work out of context in order to silence a vocal minority that is looking to be heard or that is looking for justice.)

But, the best part of this book for me was maybe how personal it was. Brand reminds you over and over again that you don’t need a perfect solution now, that you can start where you are, that you can do something small and that you, right now, are enough and that you do not need to change. You are okay. I was a little surprised at first by how affected I was to hear that. But, I think we get messages every day about how inadequate we are and we are so habituated to seeing and hearing them that we don’t even question them. Having a weirdo comedian who has had many hilarious (possibly unintentionally so) hairstyles remind me to begin where I am was oddly comforting. Knowing that this guy, who is probably a total dick, is trying his best for his community, was moving. Listening to Brand talk about his many fuck ups and shortcomings was oddly empowering.

Brand reminds us that, “This is your planet, you can change it if you want to. You can change it by doing loads of drug or having it off with loads of women or going on a murderous rampage with a licensed weapon. Doesn’t it make more sense though to change it by binding together with your fellow man and working to create a society that is fair and just? Of course it does!”

So, if you’re interested in hearing a comedian discuss the work of forward-thinking people and talk about revolution, meditation, and power structures, I highly recommend this book.

I checked the audio for this book out from the Buffalo and Erie County Public Libraries.

Quick Review: Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Bethlylou

In another retelling of a fairy tale, Mechanica takes on Cinderella. Nicolette is forced to be a servant in her own home and is called Mechanica by her evil stepsisters. Nicolette is an inventor and thanks to her mother’s secret workroom, she starts to invent inventions that could one day buy her way out of her servitude. Along the way she meets the Prince and his best friend and they help her sell her wares. It’s a good idea for a novel. I like many changes from the story. Nicolette isn’t at home waiting for the Prince to come rescue her. She uses her own brain to create inventions that will help her win her freedom and there is a surprising twist at the end that has to do with her and the Prince. I won’t spoil it but it really took me by surprise. Either then that though, there isn’t really anything else to make this stand out. I kept waiting for the something more to happen. I like the message of the novel, though. That girls don’t need a boy to rescue her. They can do that themselves by using their own skills and smarts and that alone might be worth the read.

Quick Review: Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

Posted on July 18, 2015 by Bethlylou

I’m going to be brief because I don’t want to be spoilery and also want to wait until Kate finishes it to talk in more detail. I will say it was a truly powerful novel. A dystopian novel set on the African continent. Onyesonwu is born from rape and because of it is an outcast but she has a destiny that will change the world. I admit that I haven’t ready many books that take place in Africa so this was a new voice for me. At times it confusing and it was also horrifying. Nnedi Okorafor does not shy away from the ugliest and violent moments of the novel and it’s equal parts terrifying as it is uncomfortable. It’s an unflinching portrait of racism and sexism and how both corrupt a society. Onye is not only a woman but also Ewu, a child born of violence from an Okeke women and Nuru man. She is shunned by most and seen as both worthless by many more. When it becomes clear that she is more then normal, she repeatedly turned away from the local sorcerer not because she isn’t extraordinary but because she is a woman. One has to wonder, how differently things would have turned out if she started training when she first asked to but I guess we will never know. When she finally unleashes her power and saves the day it’s a sight to see. My favorite part of the novel is the friendship from Onye and Luyu. At first, they are just two girls who are in the same class, who are forced together thanks to a common experience shall we say but as they grow they become closer. They give each other strength and support. They each show bravery and different ways. I truly don’t believe that Onye would have made it through without her. Mwita may be the love her life and soulmate, more then a soulmate really but it’s Luyu who is the back bone. She keeps everyone grounded in a way. Her bravery is truly inspiring because unlike Onye and Mwita who have varying degree of powers, Luyu is nothing but human but she knows there are bad things happening and will do anything to help Onye stop them. This isn’t an easy book to read but what the characters go through are not meant to be easy. If you feel uncomfortable because it’s supposed to be uncomfortable. You should be horrified at the lengths people will go for an idea and belief. It truly was a great book.

Review: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Kate

I am halfway through my Pop Culture Homework Assignment!

This book repeatedly punched me in the stomach.

Eleanor and Park meet when Eleanor gets on the bus for her first day at the new school. Eleanor immediately gets on the wrong side of the cool kids on the bus by almost sitting in someone else’s spot. Park growls at her to just sit down next to him. Everything after that awkward and totally real meeting is beautiful and painful and awkward and wonderful. Eleanor and Park are so fucking cute together I actually just swore at you in a review of a YA novel. This was a beautiful, painful and real novel about teen romance. It was also a novel about negotiating identity (when you’re not really sure how to be what people think you are. Are you that thing? Are you not? Does it matter?), being there for your loved ones, and dealing with crappy things in your life.

This book was great also great because of the main characters. Eleanor is a chubby red head and Park is half Korean. Others have talked about the need for diverse characters in teen novels and I think this is a good example.

Spoiler alert and trigger alert: This book deals with domestic violence in a very honest and very real way.

More spoilers ahead.

Eleanor and Park’s relationship grows slowly over a few months. At first, they are just sharing a seat on the bus. Then, they are sharing comic books. Then, they were sharing comic books and music. (I’m actually making a mix tape inspired by the music mentioned in the book.) It just snowballs from there. Eleanor loves her time on the bus because she hates being at home with her Mother’s husband, who is an alcoholic and a wife beater. The story builds until it becomes obvious that the creepiest of the awful things that have been happening to Eleanor aren’t being done by the awful girls in Eleanor’s gym class but are being done by Eleanor’s step dad.

I cried and cried and cried throughout this book. The relationship between Eleanor and Park was wonderful. Eleanor’s relationship with DeNice and Beebi was great. Park’s parents were A+ and their attempts to interact with their son’s first real girlfriend were awkward and beautiful and also very real. Sabrina, Eleanor’s mom, was heartbreaking. (At one point she tells Eleanor she’s so lucky and good for staying away from boys and then implies that there are two types of women in the world: women who are with a man and brave women who aren’t. I think my heart is still breaking from that interaction between mother and daughter.) Eleanor’s brothers and sisters were also heartbreaking.

God, this book. It was so good. It was so good, I’m still crying over it.

Review: Losing at Love by Jennifer Iacopelli

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Bethlylou

This was a good follow up to Game. Set. Match. With the French Open now behind them, Penny, Indy, and Jasmine look to make the quick turn around of Wimbledon. Probably the most underrated difficult thing to do in any sport, go from the super slow clay courts of Roland Garros to the lightning fast grass courts of Wimbledon. True, over the years, The All England Club has slowed down their courts in an attempt to encourage more rallies but it’s still unbelievable achievement to win the French Open and Wimbledon back to back. Borg did it multiple times, Nadal has done it twice and Federer only once. Ok, so you get the point.

All three girls are in very different places. Indy had a successful French Open, in more ways than one. She won the juniors and got Jack. Penny beat the World number 1 again but sprained her ankle in the process. And poor Jasmine, crashed out the first round of the juniors and now is being pushed to play college instead of going pro. All of their careers are going in different directions and the stakes are getting higher. How does one balance friendships when your playing for thousands of dollars in the most prestigious tournament in the world?

Now, there are a few things I do have a problem with from a tennis fan perspective. Indy and Jasmine have to qualify to make the women’s doubles field but when Indy is given a wildcard, she pulls out. The reasoning is her coach and agent think that she can’t play qualifying and focus on her singles. For someone who has followed tennis as long as I have I feel this in inaccurate, for lack of a better word. Young players are often encouraged to play doubles when they are younger. It gives them more match play, a chance to get real life experience of playing in tournaments. It gives young players a chance to compete and learn how to compete on a more consistent basis while their singles game improves. Winning is winning. However, I understand from a drama point of view, why Miss Iacopelli would decide to go this way and really, I’m being nit picky here.

I do like the friendships. I like that they are messy. I like that for the most part, when they do fight, it’s not about boys but about their games. They all may have dramatic love lives but for all three of them their tennis comes first. I think it’s important to show that girls can be ambitious, that they can have drive but also have the love and respect of a man. I hope that there are more of these because now that Wimbledon is over I can’t wait to see what happens at the US Open.

Review: The Walls Between Us by Nova Ren Suma

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Bethlylou

There are some authors that other authors just swoon over. Nova Ren Suma is one of them and I really don’t get it. Her prose is quite beautiful but I’ve always had a hard time getting into her books and they are not that memorable after I have read them. The only thing I remember about the other book I have read by her, Imaginary Girls was that it had a good ending and I think one of the girls died for the other. The common thread of these books is that her characters are shrouded in mystery. I’m not sure what I’m missing. It’s not that I don’t like her books but I don’t find them to be as wonderful as I they are supposed to be. Then again, reading is subjective. What someone likes someone else might not.

The Walls Around Us is the story of three girls. Amber is in a juvenile dentition center for girls, serving time for a crime she may or may not have committed with little chance of getting out anytime soon. Violet is a ballet dancer, who is on the verge of getting everything she has ever wanted. She just graduated high school and is about to start at Julliard for more training. Orianna is the link between the two of them. As the story unfolds, we discover who did what and who is innocent and who is guilty.

Major spoilers ahead Continue reading →

2 Women, So Many Books

Our "to read" stacks way exceed our life expectancy

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