This is How You Lose Her (3.5)

“And that's when I know it's over. As soon as you start thinking about the beginning, it's the end.” - This is How You Lose Her

Well, this is one of those books that makes me feel like I’m either an idiot or a terrible person. I liked it but I didn’t love it. And the more I think about it, the less I like it.

This is How You Lose Her is the story of Yunior, his family, and his pathetic attempt at a love story. I didn’t find Yunior relatable for most of the novel. And while most of the novel is from his perspective, there are some random chapters in the middle from other characters’ perspective, and I’m not sure how they fit into the story. Those chapters were lovely, and when we went back to Yunior’s story for the end of the novel it was a bit of a disappointment.

“She's sensitive, too. Takes to hurt the way water takes to paper.” -- This is How You Lose Her

****SPOILERS AHEAD*****

like this, but better.

Now I didn’t actually hate the novel as much as it's about to sound like I did. Diaz’s prose is beautiful. The short story in the middle of a Latina washwoman trying to make her way in America was lovely.

Her lover, Ramόn, has a wife who won’t move to America. He talks of buying a house where they can live together but is still writing home to the wife. That relationship is foreign to me, why keep a wife while you’re really with another woman? But at the same time I can understand it, a cross-continent divorce is probably difficult, and culturally may not be something Ramόn views as an option. At least they are honest with each other.

Yunior's story is less palatable. Yunior is devastated when the love of his life leaves him. She leaves him because she finds out he has cheated on her with over fifty different women. Call me a feminist (please), but I have no pity for him. And I barely feel like he learned his lesson. He couldn’t get over her and took to running, which gave him plantar fasciitis so he had to quit, which lead to yoga, which lead to a bad back and blah blah blah his life is so hard. 

His friends think his actions are entirely reasonable. His married friend knocks up a girl back in the Dominican Republic. And I think it was supposed to be sweet how excited he was to have a son, but I was a little more concerned about his wife and daughter back home. 

Call me a feminist, but I just couldn't like these men. 

As a complete aside: I just checked the holds I need to go pick up. I have five books to go get. whoops. I PANICKED when I finished my last book because I "only" had three books from the library. ONE of which was the second in a series and came before the first in the series (whoops) the SECOND is a Philippa Gregory and I didn't suspend my hold fast enough because I like Philippa Gregory. She's like my go-to author every time I have time to read because she generally has an amount of researched historical facts, which makes me feel smart, and it's about women and usually about who their in love with which is satisfying. But Philippa is no Jo, I do not have to read every book she's ever written. She's just kind of where I go when I don't know what to read. 

But I'm only 1/3 of the way through the Third book...so I feel like I have a long way to go. Picking up 5 books seems like a lot. Especially since I have 2 2/3. 

I have a problem. 

J.K. Rowling has a new book!

Well, I have a stack of books as tall as me that I want to read but it looks like a new one has risen to the top of the list.

Published in April under pseudonym Robert Galbraith and receiving some acclaim, it was recently revealed that J. K. Rowling was in fact the author. She sounds a bit sad that the pseudonym only lasted this long, but apparently there will be a new book in the series next year!

"I had hoped to keep this secret a little longer because being Robert Galbraith has been such a liberating experience. It has been wonderful to publish without hype or expectation and pure pleasure to get feedback under a different name." -Jo on being found out

Clearly I was not the first to figure it out. I went to my trusty library and there are already over 100 hold requests on six copies.

Anyone read it before it became famous?

I found the news here after my friend Kristina Horner posted it to her facebook.

Bonus: have a picture of Jo
looking like a Hogwarts teacher

Pottermore article "How J.K. Rowling Was Uncovered as the Author of "The Cuckoo's Calling"
 "The newly released crime novel, The Cuckoo’s Calling, was believed to be written by ex British Army officer Robert Galbraith until yesterday, when the Sunday Times broke a story that is arguably one of the greatest literary cover-ups ever and a mystery that’s as intriguing as a detective story."

NY Times This Detective Novel’s Story Doesn’t Add Up
"“The Cuckoo’s Calling,” in which a war veteran turned private detective investigates the possibly suspicious suicide of a young model in London, made barely a ripple in the commercial world but received lavish praise. "

According to the NY Times, it was an anonymous Twitter account that first said Jo was the actual author of The Cuckoo's Calling. My money's on one of her kids as an act of rebellion.
Jessica: Mom, buy me a house.
Jo: No honey, my new book isn't selling that well. After Casual Vacancy I may never have another best seller* so we have to make smart investments.
Jessica: Fine
(JESSICA runs upstairs to her room, slams the door, and makes a Twitter account)
Jessica: Now she'll have no excuses.

*I don't actually think this. I also have no idea if her daughter still lives at home. This is a joke. I hope Jessica doesn't get grounded for my lowly accusations. haha. Like J.K.Rowling would ever read my blog. BUT WHO KNOWS, Lynn Cullen liked my review of The Creation of Eve on Goodreads, so I'm basically famous. 

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty (4.5)

 I thought I was going to hate this book. I literally only got it from the library because it was on the Goodread's Choice list from last year. And I figured I didn't have to finish it if it was as dumb as it sounded. The title, the cover, the author's name (Joshilyn? What is this, 19 and counting?) all annoyed me. The book "is a powerful saga of three generations of women, plagued by hardships and torn by a devastating secret, yet inextricably joined by the bonds of family." (Goodreads book description). Kill me. Please.

But I gave it a chance out of sheer desperation. And it was Gone Girl kind of page turner, but with more likeable characters. I was hooked by page 3. Yes, 15-year-old Mosey Slocumb deserves to be slapped for her teenage use of the English language. But seeing the story from her, her mother Lisa, and grandmother Jenny's points of view was a perfect balance.

Slight spoiler alert (like chapter 3): while building a pool in the backyard they find a dead baby buried under Lisa's favorite willow tree. Here's the spoiler...it's Mosey. No, Mosey isn't some weird ghost we're following around for a third of the book. She's real too, but she's not Lisa's biological daughter.

definitely not 19 & counting

Lisa ran away when she was 15 and Mosey was a few weeks old. Jenny assumed that Lisa had run off with Mosey, but real-Mosey was buried in the backyard and Lisa went on a drug-addled tour of the US and came back with a new Mosey. That is what this book is about. Who is Mosey? How did real Mosey die? Can they keep this secret from the town or are Lisa and Jenny going to be prosecuted for murder?

And did I mention that Lisa had a stroke so she can't actually talk to anyone about what is going on? Her chapters are a rollercoaster through the past, revealing piece by piece what really happened while Mosey and Jenny try to figure everything out on their own.

And yes, Mosey knows she's not real-Mosey, and Jenny knows...but both are trying to hide this information from the other, which leads to...

I'm not telling you that. Go read the book.

upcoming books

I think the biggest problem with this book is that it was billed as fiction and sounded like it was going to be some sort of family bonding story, and I felt like it read more like a mystery. Perhaps if it had been billed as mystery/suspense it would have gotten more attention? 

I liked this book so much I have to restrain myself from binge-reading everything Joshilyn Jackson has ever written. Because I do that, but then I get sick of them and never want to read them again (Dan Brown, prime example. J.K. Rowling only exception). Instead I put a hold on her next book. Which is coming out in November. Which would be super pathetic but I'm actually 7th in line. Six people thought of this before me. I am a failure.

The Creation of Eve (4)

I was just in Moon Over Buffalo, which was delightful, but I had 30 pages offstage in Act 2, so I desperately needed a book, but I haven’t been having any luck. Basically, I’ve been going through this phase where I don’t want to read on my Kindle. I know! Quel horreur. I seriously wish there was a way that I could have a physical copy and a Kindle copy of every book. The world would be a better place if books could be ripped like CDs.

the only time Eileen smiled in the entire show

 Anywho, it was Friday, I was about to go to my show, and I had enough time to go to the library, but not enough time to actually think through what I was going to get from the library. I put several things on hold, but none that were physically at the library and I needed something, so I just started walking down the aisles. All I knew was that I wanted a satisfying love story. Like Pride and Prejudice level satisfying but without all the work of reading a classic novel.

I picked up many books before The Creation of Eve. Mostly they were the one’s on display. Nothing sounded good. The Creation of Eve looked pretty. Maybe a little like Girl with a Pearl Earring, which I liked. And printed across bottom-right on the cover were two words: “enormously satisfying” – Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants. Sold.

Sofonisba "Sofi" Anguissola is a student of Michelangelo when she falls in love with Tibero, her fellow student. After they are caught alone together, Sofi runs home, hoping that he will send for her. Instead, the King of Spain invites Sofi to be lady-in-waiting and painting teacher to his third wife, 15-year-old Catherine de Medici. Sofi quickly becomes Catherine's closest friend and sole confidant, and Sofi helps the young queen to learn how to make Felipe happy. Meanwhile, Felipe's sole child Carlos begins to fall in love with the queen. And the queen has her eye on a courtier...

I am a sucker for good historical fiction and what I will call "tasteful romance novels" and this satisfied my need for a love story with real heart. I loved Sofi, I loved the impetuous queen, and I wanted desperately for them to each get everything they wanted.

Lynn Cullen crafted this book well, weaving dramas and flushing out the facts of history into a beautiful story. I wished that the novel had lasted to a more satisfactory ending, as Cullen unfortunately had to stick to the facts, but only the best books leave you wishing that there were more pages to come.

If you like Philippa Gregory, you will LOVE this book. I would compare it most to The Virgin's Lover, because that one felt the most well balanced. I think I have to contain myself from reading everything Lynn Cullen has ever written and burning myself out and never wanting to read her again. 

And if you haven’t read Girlwith a Pearl Earring, go read that too. And The Lady and the Unicorn. Both by Tracy Chevalier. Maybe I just really like books based on paintings. I wonder if there’s one about the Mona Lisa? Oooh, I loved Da Vinci Code.

Has anyone read the new Dan Brown? Should I bother? Or is it as bad as The Lost Symbol (#3)? Anyone?

Gone Girl (4)

“She wasn’t on the water, she wasn’t in the house. Amy was not there. Amy was gone.” – Gone Girl

GoneGirl surprised me, and I like to think that that’s hard to do. Not only was the plot relatively unpredictable, the characters and what they’re each hiding is thrilling. Gillian Flynn surprised me by not being your run-of-the-mill mystery/thriller author. Flynn’s characters were not only dynamic, they brought to mind a person that you knew and never understood before. There was an amount of Humbert Humbert (from Lolita) in them. I won’t say how much, that would spoil the novel, and the subject matter is thankfully quite different. In Gone Girl, Flynn discusses our ideas and ideals of marriage. But I digress, here’s a synopsis for you:

            The book starts with Nick, a married man in his 30s celebrating his fifth anniversary with his wife, Amy. They live in Nick’s hometown of North Carthage, Missouri, where they moved almost two years previously, after each losing their jobs in New York City and Nick found out his mother was dying. Amy resents Nick for having moved them away from her hometown, and Nick resents her resentment.

            And then, Amy disappears. The novel switches to a diary entry from Amy from seven years before, when she met Nick. From then on we see Nick’s story unravel in present time while we get to hear Amy’s side of the story through her diary.

                        “Give me a man with a little fight in him, a man who calls me on my bullshit. (But who also kind of likes my bullshit.)” – Gone Girl

            I don’t know how much I can say without ruining some plot twist for you, but do be warned it is a bit slow for a thriller. I would not say it was boring, or that you could leave it for long, but you are physically capable of putting the book down, as opposed to The Hunger Games. I might even classify it in the Song of Ice and Fire realm…you can put it down, but inevitably you want to know who done it!

            All of the characters seemed like possible suspects: from old stalkers to jealous in-laws, the husband or too-good-to-be-true parents possibly masquerading as psychotics? this is where my mind goes. And while the suspect was on my list of suspects…when every character you’ve heard mentioned even once is on your list, it’s rather likely that you’ll at least guess. But the method, and the story behind Amy’s disappearance…just wait until you get there.

                        “It’s a very difficult era in which to be a person, just a real, actual person, instead of a collection of personality traits selected from an endless Automat of characters.” Gone Girl

Faster read than: A Casual Vacancy (which I loved), The Thirteenth Tale (which was sweet)

Slower read than: Cinder, The Hunger Games, The Da VinciCode

Another reason to read it: Reese Witherspoon is booked to star in the film adaption. So you can read the book before the movie, which is always a better choice than the alternative. And more importantly you can read the book before the movie is being talked about, which will make you look smart. Which means its happening. And also that Reese Witherspoon is about to make a movie worth watching, which I’m excited for. Maybe I can get famous and dye my hair in time to play Andie.

            I’m actually kind of curious to see how this plays out in the movie…I feel like it could be made into a decent thriller but won’t have the same lovely psychological insanity unless the adapter is really good at his/her job.

Rehearsing has taken over my life

Acting is my addiction. That is my only excuse for not having updated in the past six weeks. Between filming a short film, rehearsing for Jesus Christ Superstar and getting ready for TPS auditions, I haven't sat down and thought through a blog post. I I also haven't had time to go to the library, and was trying not to go on too much of a book buying spree...so I steadily attempted to plod through "A Prayer for Owen Meany."

I don't know why I keep quitting that book. It's rich and compelling, while I'm reading it, but then after a few weeks I wander into the abyss of Facebook and can't force myself to pick it back up. Perhaps one day I can admit to myself that I love love stories, and Johnny's lack of a romantic interest makes me lose interest. Maybe it's because my brain is tired, and all I can handle is some good old junk food reading, the kind where you can sit on the couch and devour the book in one sitting instead of, you know, actually thinking.

Judas give us your info

These are the books that made the ADD cut:

Cinder: a scifi YA Cinderella novel set in the future. Cinderella's a cyborg, the prince likes her but politics and all that...definitely an entertaining, fast read but the plot is a bit obvious.
Scarlet: the sequel. Adds a little red riding hood and big bad wolf character. I found this plot less predictable, but I also felt that it was very much a second-book-in-the-series, where characters are added wit their own plot and histories are revealed, but the plot itself has merely inched along.
I read them both in the span of...four? Maybe five? days in the midst of tech for JCS. The next book doesn't come out until 2014, I think I'm going to jump off a bridge. Lol

Night Circus: awesome. Love it. Want to play Celia in the movie version desperately. I'm not joking, I seriously started reading up on moving to LA in time to get discovered. It had everything you need: romance, magic, threat of death hanging over your favorite characters' heads. The book's about a circus which is only open at night which becomes the arena for two young illusionists to compete.
That being said: if a character dies in a book I want to cry my eyes out. This book did not make me cry, but maybe I've just become heartless in my old age. You be the judge.

The Thirteenth Tale: at first I kind of hated the main character, Margaret Lea, because she was quiet and mousy and just sat around and read books, but I think you're supposed to. Margaret gets chosen by the reclusive, best selling author Vida Winters to pen the authors biography.
The real story is, of course, the biography, which at times becomes so fantastical you wonder if its fiction after all. What begins as a slow, quiet novel about a shy, quiet girl morphs into an enticing mystery.

A Stolen Life (3)

I read a lot of sad books, which seems to be kind of unfortunate since my readers like to read about my life more than they like to read about what I think about sad books that I read. Picking up this book from the library made me feel like I was getting a giant People magazine, I felt voyeuristic and a little gross that I would even want to read this tale.

            A Stolen Life tells the story of Jaycee Dugard, who was kidnapped at the age of 11 by a stranger named Phillip and his wife Nancy. They kept her in their backyard for 18 years where they forced her to become their “family.” Phillip told her that she was helping him with his sex addiction by letting him repeatedly rape her so that no one else had to suffer…as she was suffering. Jaycee begins her story by stating that writing it she felt free from her captor. She was denying his commands she had kept for so long by telling the world the secrets he made her keep.

            Jaycee writes her story in her own words, from the day she was kidnapped up to the time she was writing her memoir, two years later. After a story, she’ll reflect upon how she currently is feeling. It is amazing to read such a devastating tale and how much Jaycee has been able to grow into her newfound freedom.

            I feel uncomfortable really reviewing this book, because it is so personal. Her writing is a bit childish, but what do you expect of a girl who was taken out of school at 11 to basically be a sex slave? She was more or less not allowed to leave the confines of the backyard and only had contact with her kidnapper, his wife, and the two daughters she bore. Her greatest joy was in the many pets that came and went during her life. Since being freed she has gone on to start her own foundation to help families dealing with similar situations and helping abandoned animals.

            What makes this book almost a joy to read is that you, the reader, get to watch this woman go from a scared victim to a free woman both physically and mentally. It is not an easy path and it is incredible that you, for a moment, almost see Phillip and Nancy as her “family” and her life as almost happy before she is freed. Jaycee has such a wonderful, happy spirit that she sounds almost content some of the time.

            Considering the content, this book is not too painful to read. She doesn’t go into too much detail about the horrors she was put through, only really explaining them in the beginning, when it is most painful because she is so young. As the book continues, the pain is more mental than physical, but it has a happy ending! It is a powerful story of the resilience of the human spirit and the healing power of family love, caring strangers, and professional therapy.

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