The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (Books & Banter and Evening Edition book clubs)
I will never understand the comparisons of this book to Gone Girl. This book was like a bad made-for-TV Lifetime movie. Rachel takes the same commuter train into London every day and on the way she passes her old neighborhood where she lived with her ex-husband Tom. A few doors down from her old house Rachel makes up names and a life for a couple she sees regularly on her commute. One day she sees the woman with another man, not her husband, then a few days later the woman Megan goes missing. Rachel thinks she has information about the case because she was there the day, but was drunk and doesn't remember the details. While trying to work out her memory of that night Rachel inserts herself into this missing person case and becomes a little too involved. When she does remember what happened that night it might be the end of her too.
While I did want to see what actually happened that night, this was a TERRIBLE book. If it hadn't been for both of my book clubs reading this book I would have quit after the first few chapters. And while I didn't guess the ending after the first few chapters, it was pretty clear well before the end. And the end was so over-the-top that I literally thought, did the author totally rip this off from some Lifetime TV movie?! Ugh. Don't waste your time on this one.
While I did want to see what actually happened that night, this was a TERRIBLE book. If it hadn't been for both of my book clubs reading this book I would have quit after the first few chapters. And while I didn't guess the ending after the first few chapters, it was pretty clear well before the end. And the end was so over-the-top that I literally thought, did the author totally rip this off from some Lifetime TV movie?! Ugh. Don't waste your time on this one.
Anne of Green Gables, My Daughter & Me by Lorilee Craker
When Lorilee Craker is reading the picture book version ofAnne of Green Gables with her daughter Phoebe, Phoebe asks her what an orphan is. This inspired Lorilee to explore what it means to be an orphan. Lorilee was adopted and adopted her daughter Phoebe, but she didn't want Phoebe growing up feeling like an orphan. Lorilee also LOVED Anne of Green Gables and so she decided to combine all three - Anne, herself, and her daughter Phoebe and what it means to be an orphan. The book explores many aspects of adoption and how they were explored in the Anne of Green Gables books, as well as her own experiences with her adopted and birth families and then adopting her daughter Phoebe. She also ties this all in from a Christian perspective and the belief that God is always "our Father [who] is waiting for us, reaching out His arms. And we are orphans no more." (p. 223)
Even though I have no personal ties to adoption, this was an interesting book and it definitely made me want to re-read the Anne of Green Gables series!
Even though I have no personal ties to adoption, this was an interesting book and it definitely made me want to re-read the Anne of Green Gables series!
The Way Life Should Be by Christina Baker Kline
I LOVED Orphan Train by this author, so I was excited to read this one thinking it was new, but when I got it I realized it was published in 2008. The story follows Angela who's working as an event planner in New York City. After a catastrophe at an event she planned, Angela is fired. Around this same time she connects with a guy on an online dating website who lives in Maine. On a whim Angela decides to go visit him for a few weeks and see what happens. What happens is completely predictable - he's a jerk, but she finds that she loves the small-town life in Maine and ends up accidentally doing what she really loves which is cooking. While the story was OK, nothing was so awesome that I just HAD to keep reading to see what happened next like with Orphan Train. I would be willing to read a new novel by this author, but I wasn't super impressed with this one.
The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck by Sarah Knight
This book is laugh-out-loud-while-reading HILARIOUS! After the author read the organizing book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo and it helped her organize her belongings, she realized that she could help people in a similar way by helping them organize and prioritize their fucks - or things they invest time, money, energy in. Knight's plan is simple 1) Decide what you don't give a fuck about, then 2) Stop giving a fuck about those things - she calls her plan the NotSorry Method and it will work! While you can actually change your life by caring less about stupid stuff/people and owning who you really are and what you really care about, this is obviously a hilarious parody of Marie Kondo's best-selling book. It should be obvious from the title, but there is LOTS of bad language throughout this book - but it's still hilarious! Here are some quotes that were particularly funny to me:
"In our society, Sorry! is used as shorthand for anything from 'I'm not really sorry, I'm just saying that to smooth over whatever I just did/am about to do to you.' all the way to a nail-biting 'Oh shit, what have i done???'" And not to put too fine a gender-biased point on it, but women, especially, tend to say it way too much in an attempt to preemptively or actively defend themselves against perceived slights in the workplace, among friends, or in relationships. When you've actually behaved badly, you should be sorry, and you should say so. And if you're about to behave badly and think that a quick Sorry is going to ameliorate it, you're wrong. Maybe stop being such an asshole for a change. But if you've done nothing to be sorry about, you can (a) stop feeling sorry and (b) stop telling people you are! In other words, the NotSorry Method achieves eponymous results. Following it encourages and enables you to act in a way that doesn't require your saying - or being - sorry at all." (p. 33)
"We all know these people. You can be as honest and polite as the day is long and they just don't get it. They can't stop themselves from arguing with you, coaxing you, and trying to change your mind. Whatever it is that you don't give a fuck about, it is so important to them that they can't accept your difference of opinion. It could be anything from SEC football to improvisational jazz to the fact that you don't participate in your family's religious rituals. They won't be swayed by honesty or politeness. These people are begging for confrontation. IT'S LIKE THEY WANT THEIR FEELINGS HURT. In cases like these, you have to consider the long-term drain on your Fuck Budget. It may actually be beneficial to be/look like a bad person if it means you can put an end to this conversation once and for all. Hey, if somebody has to tell them to fuck off, it might as well be you." (p. 37)
[From the author's personal list of things she does not give a fuck about]
4. Being a morning person. For most of my life I was ashamed of being useless in the early hours, of not wanting to schedule anything before noon, and of frequently arriving just in the nick of time to morning meetings. Society really seems to value morning people and look down on those of us who don't (or can't) fall in line. Once I embraced the freelance life, I stopped giving a fuck about being a morning person once and for all. Snack on it, morning people.
5. Taylor Swift. Everybody be all, 'Tay-Tay!' and I'm like 'Nope.'" (p. 53)
I agree with the author on both of these counts!
"Steve Jobs had strong opinions about meetings too, including the use of PowerPoint in said meetings. In Walter Isaacson's biography Steve Jobs, the late Apple CEO argued, 'People who know what they're talking about don't need PowerPoint.' He's right. Fuck PowerPoint." (p. 63)
"It is a truth universally acknowledged that family members tend to think other family members have to give a fuck about their lives just because they share DNA. Think about that for a second. Does it make any sense at all? No, it does not. One of the central tenets of fuck-giving is choice over obligation...And as we all know, you don't get to choose your family. So at the very least, you should get to choose how and why you interact with them. Right?" (p. 103)
"Remember what I said about choice? Well, unless you are born into a culture that enforces arranged marriage, you do get to choose your spouse, but you do not get to choose your in-laws...Yes, by getting married, you've essentially doubled your family fuck-giving in one fell swoop. It's sort of like when you get a bonus at work, and you're like 'Awesome!' and then the IRS proceeds to tax it at 50 percent, and you're like, 'WTF?'" (p. 115)
"Don't give a fuck about your friends' children? First, you need to make it clear that it's not just their children - it's all children. In that way, it's somewhat of a personal policy. (And if you're a parent yourself, 'all children except mine' works too.) However, literally saying the words 'I do not give a fuck about your children' is unlikely to yield positive results. You may never have to deal with those kids again, but you've also probably lost a friend...An occasionally lollipop or So cute! shout-out on social media can be very effective. It's the whole 'spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down' philosophy. (Mary Poppins: NotSorry since 1934.)" (p.133)
"At the time of this writing, more than 10 percent of responders singled out the Kardashians or a specific member of the Kardashian family (I'm looking at you, Kimberly) as something they don't give a fuck about, with another 10 percent responding reality TV, reality-TV stars, or people famous for being famous. I don't know what to tell you guys - this problem is bigger than all of us. I've spent a little time pondering the existential question If so many people don't give a fuck about the Kardashians, then why are they all over my television set? but I quickly concluded: I don't give a fuck. Moving on." (p. 138)
"In our society, Sorry! is used as shorthand for anything from 'I'm not really sorry, I'm just saying that to smooth over whatever I just did/am about to do to you.' all the way to a nail-biting 'Oh shit, what have i done???'" And not to put too fine a gender-biased point on it, but women, especially, tend to say it way too much in an attempt to preemptively or actively defend themselves against perceived slights in the workplace, among friends, or in relationships. When you've actually behaved badly, you should be sorry, and you should say so. And if you're about to behave badly and think that a quick Sorry is going to ameliorate it, you're wrong. Maybe stop being such an asshole for a change. But if you've done nothing to be sorry about, you can (a) stop feeling sorry and (b) stop telling people you are! In other words, the NotSorry Method achieves eponymous results. Following it encourages and enables you to act in a way that doesn't require your saying - or being - sorry at all." (p. 33)
"We all know these people. You can be as honest and polite as the day is long and they just don't get it. They can't stop themselves from arguing with you, coaxing you, and trying to change your mind. Whatever it is that you don't give a fuck about, it is so important to them that they can't accept your difference of opinion. It could be anything from SEC football to improvisational jazz to the fact that you don't participate in your family's religious rituals. They won't be swayed by honesty or politeness. These people are begging for confrontation. IT'S LIKE THEY WANT THEIR FEELINGS HURT. In cases like these, you have to consider the long-term drain on your Fuck Budget. It may actually be beneficial to be/look like a bad person if it means you can put an end to this conversation once and for all. Hey, if somebody has to tell them to fuck off, it might as well be you." (p. 37)
[From the author's personal list of things she does not give a fuck about]
4. Being a morning person. For most of my life I was ashamed of being useless in the early hours, of not wanting to schedule anything before noon, and of frequently arriving just in the nick of time to morning meetings. Society really seems to value morning people and look down on those of us who don't (or can't) fall in line. Once I embraced the freelance life, I stopped giving a fuck about being a morning person once and for all. Snack on it, morning people.
5. Taylor Swift. Everybody be all, 'Tay-Tay!' and I'm like 'Nope.'" (p. 53)
I agree with the author on both of these counts!
"Steve Jobs had strong opinions about meetings too, including the use of PowerPoint in said meetings. In Walter Isaacson's biography Steve Jobs, the late Apple CEO argued, 'People who know what they're talking about don't need PowerPoint.' He's right. Fuck PowerPoint." (p. 63)
"It is a truth universally acknowledged that family members tend to think other family members have to give a fuck about their lives just because they share DNA. Think about that for a second. Does it make any sense at all? No, it does not. One of the central tenets of fuck-giving is choice over obligation...And as we all know, you don't get to choose your family. So at the very least, you should get to choose how and why you interact with them. Right?" (p. 103)
"Remember what I said about choice? Well, unless you are born into a culture that enforces arranged marriage, you do get to choose your spouse, but you do not get to choose your in-laws...Yes, by getting married, you've essentially doubled your family fuck-giving in one fell swoop. It's sort of like when you get a bonus at work, and you're like 'Awesome!' and then the IRS proceeds to tax it at 50 percent, and you're like, 'WTF?'" (p. 115)
"Don't give a fuck about your friends' children? First, you need to make it clear that it's not just their children - it's all children. In that way, it's somewhat of a personal policy. (And if you're a parent yourself, 'all children except mine' works too.) However, literally saying the words 'I do not give a fuck about your children' is unlikely to yield positive results. You may never have to deal with those kids again, but you've also probably lost a friend...An occasionally lollipop or So cute! shout-out on social media can be very effective. It's the whole 'spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down' philosophy. (Mary Poppins: NotSorry since 1934.)" (p.133)
"At the time of this writing, more than 10 percent of responders singled out the Kardashians or a specific member of the Kardashian family (I'm looking at you, Kimberly) as something they don't give a fuck about, with another 10 percent responding reality TV, reality-TV stars, or people famous for being famous. I don't know what to tell you guys - this problem is bigger than all of us. I've spent a little time pondering the existential question If so many people don't give a fuck about the Kardashians, then why are they all over my television set? but I quickly concluded: I don't give a fuck. Moving on." (p. 138)
Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner
Rachel Blum and Andy Landis first meet by chance in an ER waiting room. Rachel is in the hospital following another surgery for the heart defect she was born with and Andy has a broken arm. Rachel grows up in an affluent Florida suburb, while Andy grows up poor in Philadelphia with a single mother. While their lives and circumstances couldn't be more different, Andy and Rachel formed a bond in the ER that night and over the next 30 years their paths will cross for a variety of reasons. While Andy and Rachel grow up and create their own lives, they still think about each other and wonder what things would have been like if they had stayed together. This is a beautiful love story that shows that no matter how much time and circumstances change true love never changes. This might be my new favorite book by Jennifer Weiner!
My Organic Life by Nora Pouillon
Nora Pouillon grew up in Vienna and even during WWII her family managed to have access to fresh food from a local farm. After she was married and moved to the US in the early 1970's, Pouillon was appalled to discover the lack of available fresh food in grocery stores. She was used to buying fresh food daily in Europe. Soon she started teaching cooking classes out of her home and finding ways to locate fresh, local food. She was eventually asked to work as the cook for a new local restaurant. After a year doing that she decided to open her own restaurant with a partner. Over time Pouillon managed to find more local farmers to support her vision for fresh, locally grown food and in the late 1990's even had her restaurant certified organic - the first in the nation to do so.
While I applaud her drive to find and serve local, fresh food, I don't agree with the certified organic movement. I'm with Joel Salatin when it comes to that kind of stuff - getting the USDA involved with food is always a mistake and will make things MUCH harder for smaller farms to meet their criteria. So, the end of the book was a little disappointing to me when she was going on and on about certified organic everything.
I also wondered about her children. She had 2 children with her first husband Pierre and she rarely mentioned them in most of the book. Then she went on to have another child with her partner Steven and later adopt another child with him - all while still married to Pierre. After 30+ years with Steven he had a long-term affair and that ended too. Her personal life seemed like a disaster and I felt sorry for these 4 children who were left in the wake. I do wish there had been a little more about her family life and how she did manage that along with her obvious success in the restaurant and organic food worlds. Overall, still a good book that highlights the importance of eating good quality, local food.
While I applaud her drive to find and serve local, fresh food, I don't agree with the certified organic movement. I'm with Joel Salatin when it comes to that kind of stuff - getting the USDA involved with food is always a mistake and will make things MUCH harder for smaller farms to meet their criteria. So, the end of the book was a little disappointing to me when she was going on and on about certified organic everything.
I also wondered about her children. She had 2 children with her first husband Pierre and she rarely mentioned them in most of the book. Then she went on to have another child with her partner Steven and later adopt another child with him - all while still married to Pierre. After 30+ years with Steven he had a long-term affair and that ended too. Her personal life seemed like a disaster and I felt sorry for these 4 children who were left in the wake. I do wish there had been a little more about her family life and how she did manage that along with her obvious success in the restaurant and organic food worlds. Overall, still a good book that highlights the importance of eating good quality, local food.
Emma: a Modern Retelling by Alexander McCall Smith (Books & Banter book club)
I've never read the original Emma by Jane Austen and after reading this retelling I don't think I've missed out. Basically Emma is a bitch who thinks she SO much smarter than all her rural neighbors that she MUST help them out by subtle matchmaking - even after she claims to have no interest in love herself. She even compares herself to God! "There was, she decided, a very particular pleasure in bringing two people together and seeing what would happen; in a way, it was rather as God might feel - if he felt anything." (p. 140) Then of course all her meddling backfires and she actually realizes that she's been a bitch and tries to make some amends. If not for book club I would have NEVER read this one and I just don't like Alexander McCall Smith. He is too cutesy and everything works out a little too well in the end. Also, this was supposed to be a modern retelling, but it could have just as easily been set 100+ years ago. Except for a few mentions of cars and laptops there is NOTHING that makes you think it's set in modern/current times. While I didn't like it at all fans of McCall Smith will probably love it, so it's not without merit - just NOT at all my taste.
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