Today I read "Sweet Charlotte's Seventh Mistake" by Cori Crooks. Artist and writer Cori Crooks decided to write this book based on her blog, "A Gag Reflex" detailing her difficult life with her mother and the search to learn who really was her biological father.
Cori was her mother's seventh and final child, almost all her brothers and sisters had different fathers and only 2 of them lived with her growing up. When she was a young girl her mother told her that the man she thought was her father may not be her father, and so Cori struggles to learn who her biological father is and where she belongs in the world. She details her story through photographs, art, diary entries, and phone conversations. No one should ever go through life like Cori, but somehow she broke the cycle and has used those life experiences to enhance her art and writing.
This book was tragic and beautiful all at the same time. The page layouts and art work were fantastic and posed an beautiful contrast to the pain Cori writes about. It's not a traditional book by any means, it is almost like a diary pasted into a scrapbook. I highly recommend this book. If you are interested in reading "Sweet Charlotte's Seventh Mistake" by Cori Crooks, you can find it at your local library or Barnes and Noble. You can also check out Cori's blog "A Gag Reflex" or her new home "The Swaying Hips of Cori Crooks"
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The Saga of Darren Shan
This week I read "Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare" (or for those of you in the UK: "The Saga of Darren Shan") by Darren Shan.
I'll be honest, the reason I picked this book was because the first trilogy of the 12 book series was made into a film opening on October 28, titled "The Vampire's Assistant". I wanted to see want all my friends in the UK have been talking about.
"A Living Nightmare" begins with young, ordinary Darren Shan. His best friend and he are granted the opportunity to see the secret show Cirque du Freak. This show would change Darren Shan's life forever. A series of events lead Darren to make the choice to let his friend die or become a vampire to save his friend.
The book itself is a really quick read, essentially it is an introduction to the rest of the series. It's really hard to make a judgement about this book because it seems unfinished, and in a sense it is, we only get a tiny glimpse at what lies ahead for Darren and the people he meets in his travels. I am really looking for to reading the next two books, and I think I will review them together if they timeline is similar to the first book.
If you are interested in reading "Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare" by Darren Shan, you can find it at your local library or at Barnes and Noble. I highly recommend getting the first three books at the same time.
I'll be honest, the reason I picked this book was because the first trilogy of the 12 book series was made into a film opening on October 28, titled "The Vampire's Assistant". I wanted to see want all my friends in the UK have been talking about.
"A Living Nightmare" begins with young, ordinary Darren Shan. His best friend and he are granted the opportunity to see the secret show Cirque du Freak. This show would change Darren Shan's life forever. A series of events lead Darren to make the choice to let his friend die or become a vampire to save his friend.
The book itself is a really quick read, essentially it is an introduction to the rest of the series. It's really hard to make a judgement about this book because it seems unfinished, and in a sense it is, we only get a tiny glimpse at what lies ahead for Darren and the people he meets in his travels. I am really looking for to reading the next two books, and I think I will review them together if they timeline is similar to the first book.
If you are interested in reading "Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare" by Darren Shan, you can find it at your local library or at Barnes and Noble. I highly recommend getting the first three books at the same time.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Hasty Bet Reaps Big Rewards
This week I read "Round Ireland with a Fridge" by Tony Hawks. The story begins with comedian/writer Tony Hawks describing a man with a fridge standing by the road in Ireland. His friend doesn't believe that anyone would hitch a ride with a fridge. So many drinks later the bet is laid down - Tony will hitchhike around Ireland in one month with a mini-fridge as his traveling companion.
What started off as a drunken bet becomes a life changing adventure for Tony. He meets the wonderful people of Ireland and learns that there are truly good and wonderful people in this world if you open yourself up to meeting them. Hawks does a fantastic job describing the joys and difficulty that can arise when you are lugging a fridge around the countryside. Each person he meets along the way has some unique story or perception of life, but all treat Tony and the fridge with kindness and admiration.
I highly recommend this hilarious and moving narrative. If you are interested in checking out "Round Ireland with a Fridge" by Tony Hawks, you can find it at your local library or at Barnes and Noble.
What started off as a drunken bet becomes a life changing adventure for Tony. He meets the wonderful people of Ireland and learns that there are truly good and wonderful people in this world if you open yourself up to meeting them. Hawks does a fantastic job describing the joys and difficulty that can arise when you are lugging a fridge around the countryside. Each person he meets along the way has some unique story or perception of life, but all treat Tony and the fridge with kindness and admiration.
I highly recommend this hilarious and moving narrative. If you are interested in checking out "Round Ireland with a Fridge" by Tony Hawks, you can find it at your local library or at Barnes and Noble.
Forgotten History
Okay, I admit it, I love history, but what I really love is reading about the interesting personalities that aren't mentioned in the history books. That is why I love Michael Farquhar and his most recent work "A Treasury of Foolishly Forgotten Americans". In it he brings to the surface thirty forgotten lives who played an important role in how our country is today. For example the mentally unstable mother of Mother's Day, who then tried to get it repealed when people didn't celebrate it the way she wanted.
Farquhar writes of each person in a plain spoken factual way. He doesn't play favorites or try to revise history, he just let's the reader know that there is more to history than what you are taught in school.
I highly recommend this book. It's a great book to read over the weekend or to pick up and read a chapter every now and then. If you are interested in reading "A Treasury of Foolishly Forgotten Americans" by Michael Farquhar, you can find it at your local library or at Barnes and Noble.
Farquhar writes of each person in a plain spoken factual way. He doesn't play favorites or try to revise history, he just let's the reader know that there is more to history than what you are taught in school.
I highly recommend this book. It's a great book to read over the weekend or to pick up and read a chapter every now and then. If you are interested in reading "A Treasury of Foolishly Forgotten Americans" by Michael Farquhar, you can find it at your local library or at Barnes and Noble.
The Lobotomist
After reading Howard Dully's memoir detailing his life before and after the lobotomy performed on him at age 12, I felt like I should read more about the infamous Dr. Walter Freeman. To learn more about him I read Jack El-Hai's "Lobotomist" a study of Dr. Freeman and his quest to rid people of crippling mental illness.
Jack El-Hai did a great job discussing Dr. Freeman's drive to suceed and make waves in the medical field, but the book itself is very dry. Dr. Freeman was interesting and unusual on his own, but El-Hai often interupts a chapter to discuss someone else in the medical or psyciatry field who may had some minor role in Dr. Freeman's development. While this would be good information to have in a text about the history of lobotomy, it takes up too much space in what is supposed to be a biography about Walter Freeman. El-Hai also would repeat information, often within the same chapter, I would often pick up the book to read and within a few sentences I would think I was rereading something I had read the previous time. I don't understand why El-Hai felt the need to do this, Dr. Freeman was known for keeping extensive records on everything he did - personal and professional.
What I did take away from the book was that Dr. Walter Freeman was a man driven to become an inovator in his field. He trully did want to help those with mental illness, but somewhere along the line he gave up on trying to find better therapy for mental illness and instead focused on what is now seen as a brutal and imprecise method.
If you are interested in reading Lobotomist, by Jack El-Hai, you can find it at your local library or at Barnes and Noble.
Jack El-Hai did a great job discussing Dr. Freeman's drive to suceed and make waves in the medical field, but the book itself is very dry. Dr. Freeman was interesting and unusual on his own, but El-Hai often interupts a chapter to discuss someone else in the medical or psyciatry field who may had some minor role in Dr. Freeman's development. While this would be good information to have in a text about the history of lobotomy, it takes up too much space in what is supposed to be a biography about Walter Freeman. El-Hai also would repeat information, often within the same chapter, I would often pick up the book to read and within a few sentences I would think I was rereading something I had read the previous time. I don't understand why El-Hai felt the need to do this, Dr. Freeman was known for keeping extensive records on everything he did - personal and professional.
What I did take away from the book was that Dr. Walter Freeman was a man driven to become an inovator in his field. He trully did want to help those with mental illness, but somewhere along the line he gave up on trying to find better therapy for mental illness and instead focused on what is now seen as a brutal and imprecise method.
If you are interested in reading Lobotomist, by Jack El-Hai, you can find it at your local library or at Barnes and Noble.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Delayed Reviews
Ack! It has been an incredibly busy summer! I have been reading, but it's been difficult finding the time to update the blog. I currently have three books sitting on my desk waiting for me to finish their reviews. Alas I have run out of time tonight to do the job properly so tomorrow I plan on post some much delayed reviews and possibly finish the book I'm currently working on. Of course since no one reads this, this post is completely irrelevant!
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