This Is Where I Leave You (the book, not a personal statement)

Wow.  I heart this book. 

It's all about the life of Judd Foxman, a non-practicing Jew (it comes into play!) whose wife cheats on him with his boss.  Oh, and Judd's father has just passed away.  He returns to his New England childhood home to observe the shiva (see?) with his mother and siblings.  In case you're not familiar, which was me until reading this book, shiva is a Jewish tradition in which the close relatives of the departed person mourn his death and welcome co-mourners for seven days. 

It was fascinating enough just to learn more about this practice, but throw on some family drama, childhood memories, and a ton of hilarity, and you have a real winner.  This was seriously a book that pained me to put down; I have since checked out Tropper's Everything Changes, which is very much in the same vein of being addictive.  (See what I did there.  Vein.  Addiction.  Drugs.  Hehe.)

Favorite quote from this book, spoken by Judd's older brother:

At some point, being angry is just another bad habit, like smoking, and you keep poisoning yourself without thinking about it.

April & Oliver

If you're looking for a particularly season-specific book, I think I've found it.  

This is Tess Callahan's story of April and Oliver, childhood friends whose lives remain intertwined, for better or worse.  Upon the sudden death of April's younger brother Buddy, the title characters are reunited after growing apart post-high school.  Oliver is the preppy, quiet law student, who is engaged to the seemingly perfect blonde Bernadette.  April is the tough-exteriored bartender whose dark hair matches her mood.

As you can probably tell from the rather striking composition of the cover, this is not a feel-good story.  But it's not a total downer, either.  What happened in their respective pasts that caused them to turn out the way they are?  Are they ever going to just hook it up and end the suspense?  Way before the end of the story, I wanted both of the main characters to succeed, in spite of their challenges.  And even though part of it takes place at a beach house, you still get that sort of crispy, cool feeling that's present throughout most of the book.  I read it in bed, as I often do, and it was a nice one to snuggle up with.

What are you reading right now?

Lost

Gregory Maguire is a name that you may not be very familiar with.  It's one of those that you've probably heard a few times (like Mitt Romney or Barry Diller) but are not quite sure who they are.  Well, I have a word for you.  Wicked.  Wicked, to be more precise.  He's the author who inspired the hit Broadway musical with his version of the Oz tale.

Maguire takes classic children's stories and reworks them in a way that is fairly unique.  He usually throws in a dash of intrigue, a romance, and a deeper, more grown-up sense of magic. 

Lost was the last of his big-people books that I had not read.  (He also writes truly kiddy books, which I'm sure are great.)  It seemed to hold the same promise as his other stories, but it fell flat.  And quick.  It was sort of a pastiche of Ebenezer Scrooge, Jack the Ripper, and a modern-day writer who travels back to her ancestral home in England.  Quite simply, there were too many references and not enough cohesion in the storyline.  I did make it to the end, but I really didn't care how it turned out.  (See also: this season of Project Runway.)

Let me say that I really enjoyed the Wicked series.  Ok...the third book (A Lion Among Men) could have been completely left out, but the first two books more than make up for it.  I loved Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and Mirror Mirror, too.  You can see his other books here.  I definitely recommend reading from his catalog, but don't start with Lost, or you may not get much further.

The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag

Do you happen to remember this post on the first Flavia de Luce novel?  Well, I'm happy to report that I picked up the second book, and it was equally entertaining. 

Just like last time, Flavia is up to her old tricks, but now there's a new mystery afoot.  It all starts when a shady puppeteer and his mysterious female companion show up (or rather break down) in the town of Bishop's Lacey.  Of course Flavia senses that something is fishy from the first minute, and she's completely right.  Throw in some good, old-fashioned town gossip and a rich, visiting aunt, and you've got a few hours of entertainment.

Again, this is a fun story of intrigue, science, and humor.  Best line of the book: Boil me dry!  Flavia is always using really odd expressions, and I'm into it.  Alan Bradley continues to do an excellent job of writing from the perspective of a young girl, even as she begins to mature and see the world in two different ways. 

If you have not read the first book, then, really, what are you waiting for?  The weather is about to get cool, and these would be the perfect start to your hibernation. 

What are you reading now?  Do tell.



Lottery

The last book I read was good, but this one was so much better. 

This is the story of Perry L. Crandall.  Age?  32.  IQ?  76.  Family situation?  Not ideal.

Net worth?  $12 Million.

Perry is quick to tell you that he's not retarded.  He's slow.  Retarded means an IQ of 75.  His is 76.  He is the narrator and main character in this really engrossing novel about people with special needs as well as the effects of money on people.  Although he has several relatives, no one really wanted Perry as a child.  His grandparents, however, jumped at the chance to raise him.  Of course everyone comes out of the woodwork when Perry gets his novelty-sized check and lands in the headlines.

His Gram always told him that words were the key, and she set him on a schedule of learning all the words in the dictionary.  One of my favorite things about the book is that Perry often explains what a word or phrase means.  Example: Convenient means that other people do not have to work so hard.  I found this link that scrolls through some of these gems.

I can't really say too much else about the book without giving away the story, except that it is really great.  Like many of my favorite books, movies, and TV shows, this one strikes a nice balance between being funny and poignant.  Plus, you should be able to find it at your local library for free.

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County

Confession: I really had no idea what this book was about, but the cover sucked me right in.

It's a simple but unusual picture, so I had to find out more. 

This is Tiffany Baker's story of Truly Plaice, the title character of the novel, and the events that happen during the first 40 or so years of her life.  For starters, she has a slightly older sister who is beautiful and thin, which is a stark contrast to her bulky lines and plain features.  Of course they rarely get along.  Oh, and then their mother dies while giving birth to Truly.  And then their semi-crappy dad dies.

Easy, peeps.  I'm not giving away anything that the book jacket doesn't already tell.  Truly's life takes some interesting turns as she gets older and larger.  She gets involved with a strict, semi-mysterious doctor whose family has always been involved in medicine--and possibly witchcraft.  But not involved like that.  She's more of a housekeeper.  She also tries to help townspeople with their problems in a special sort of way.   

Now, before you get all enough-is-enough with the magic stuff, I'll say that Baker doesn't harp on it or get too cutesy with it.  Think more Salem witch trials than Diagon Alley.  

Although this book probably won't win many awards or a spot on my must-read-again list, it was a fairly enjoyable story.  There are some nice plots involving friendship, sisterhood, perception, and relationships in general, and the tone is rather interesting.  It never got too schmaltzy or boring, but it wasn't life-changing, either.  If you're looking for a decent way to pass a few hours, then give Truly a try.  

And I Don't Love You Anymore...

...so says weary Joanna Kramer to workaholic husband Ted.

In my quest to (slowly but surely) catch all of those movies that I've only heard about for years, I recently recorded Kramer vs. Kramer from a movie channel.  Have you seen it?  It's Dustin Hoffman versus Meryl Streep in a divorce case for their son Billy. 

This movie came out in 1979, which was a time when divorce was just picking up steam in America.  I don't want to say too much about the plot, for fear of getting over-excited and ruining it.  Honestly, it's not as epic as I had anticipated, but on second thought, that's a good thing.  

Although my own child-of-divorce story is not much like Billy's, I could definitely relate.  The director steered it toward the more believable.  Also smart.  Plus, it takes place in New York, and it's great to see that sort of late 70s urban style. 

Both of the stars won Oscars and Golden Globes for their roles, and the movie itself won Best Picture at the Oscars in 1980.  I highly recommend catching this movie the next time you get a chance.  It made me laugh at times and cry a little bit, too, I'm not ashamed to say. 

Finally, Lorne!

They got it (mostly) right for a change!  Did you see Betty White host SNL this weekend? 

She's a living legend, as far as I'm concerned, and she was joined by some of the great recent female cast members of the show.  They brought back skits like Delicious Dish and Sally O'Malley.  And, praise Jesus, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler on Weekend Update.  And Whitney. Houston.  (Yes, AM, I got your text.  Loved it!)

To top it all off, Jay-Z turned it out with a medley of some of his greatest hits, followed by a surprisingly sweet rendition of "Forever Young," dedicated to Betty White herself.  I was a little disappointed that Beyonce did not make a surprise appearance, but there were plenty of those to go around. 

This is how the show needs to be done.  Please, Lorne Michaels, take notes if you haven't already.

And here's a sketch that didn't make it to the broadcast.  Shhh....it's Debbie Downer.  I laughed until I (almost) cried.

I'm Not Gonna Be Ignored, Dan!

Have you seen this movie? If not, then you should.

I was only 4 when it premiered, but I've always heard so much about it. Then, just a few weeks ago, Michael Douglas and Glenn Close were on a pre-Oscar special. Curiosity? Piqued.

A quick search through the channel guide turned up a listing on Encore or some free movie channel, and I recorded it. Whoa. It's definitely rated R. But it's also a stellar performance by Glenn Close. She plays this lonely lady who becomes obsessed after a one-night stand.

I had already seen the famous clips and heard about the ending (which I won't spoil, in case you haven't), but it didn't matter. I was glued to the TV. It took none other than Cher in Moonstruck to beat Ms. Close to the Oscar that year. Hmm...maybe I should search that one, too.

Do you ever run across movies you heard about as a child and later watched as an adult? I recently watch Norma Rae, as well, and it was excellent.

The Right Flavia

Amazon and several magazines that I read recommended this book, so I recently checked it out and finished it yesterday. A murder mystery at heart, this novel by Alan Bradley is set in rural England in 1950 and is narrated by Flavia de Luce, the awesome protagonist.

She's 11, loves chemistry (especially poisons and antidotes--yikes!), proves to be extremely astute, and is completely, endearingly British. Her mother died before Flavia could remember her, and now she's sort of stuck with a standoffish father and two older, dramatic sisters. When the dead body of a shady stranger turns up in the cucumber patch of her family's stately mansion, Flavia immediately goes into sleuth mode to solve the crime and protect members of her household who could possibly have had a motive.

The author writes so convincingly from a girl's perspective that I often forgot that Alan = male. It's a wonderful read, and I was pumped to learn in the author's notes at the end that it's in the process of becoming a series. Give it a whirl, won't you?

I also wanted to share an excerpt from the book (page 85) that especially stood out:

I detected instantly that she didn't like me. It's a fact of life that a girl can tell in a flash if another girl likes her. Feely says that there is a broken telephone connection between men and women, and we can never know which of us rang off. With a boy you never know whether he's smitten or gagging, but with a girl you can tell in the first three seconds. Between girls there is a silent and unending flow of invisible signals, like the high-frequency wireless messages between the shore and the ships at sea, and this secret flow of dots and dashes was signaling that Mary detested me.

A female co-worker of mine told me (basically) this exact thing several years ago, and reading this passage brought back that idea and made it real for me. Do you agree with this assessment?

Just In Time

The first day of fall is only a few days away, but it has felt like 500 days of summer. Ok, I exaggerate a bit, but a good segue is hard to find.

As I've mentioned before, going to Maiden Alley Cinema is one of my favorite things to do. Yesterday my pal Ann Marie and I headed out and watched this movie, which is correctly billed as not a love story. It follows the relationship of Tom and Summer, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, who happen to meet at work and start dating.

There's a cool storytelling device that switches up the timeline throughout the movie, and it alternates between some very funny and very sobering parts. The soundtrack and costumes are also quite good, which never hurts a movie's chances with me. That's the sugar. Here's the medicine.

It was sort of annoying that certain characters act the way they do, but I feel like it does approximate real life. This was irritating, even though it may have been the intention of the filmmakers. And I hope that Ms. Deschanel evolves as an actress very soon. She seems to play roughly the same quirky character in every movie of hers (that I've seen).

This is still one to watch, though. I have not seen a movie quite like it before, and I recommend catching this at least once.

A Million Little Years Ago

I'm just a few years late on this one, but it's ok. And my picture (from realsimple.com) doesn't really have anything to do with this post, except I think it's what James may have looked like in rehab. Well, plus a few bruises and stitches and scowls.

Anywho, I'm talking about A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard, both by James Frey. Yes, he lied about some of his experiences in rehab. Yes, Oprah first endorsed and later lambasted him. But he also survived a very dangerous lifestyle. His first book is about his addictions to every kind of drug and alcohol imaginable and how he made it through rehab. The second one is about his best friend from rehab, an intriguing character that he calls Leonard.

At several hundred pages each, the books may seem intimidating at first, but I promise that they're pretty fast reads. It's difficult to say much without stating the obvious or giving anything else away, but I recommend trying them out. If you're offended by f-bombs and run-on sentences, then you should look elsewhere. Honestly, though, these books are stories of survival, and they're moving and funny while having tons of heart. Although he should not have embellished his story, I'm glad he shared the gist of it with us.

Just Go Already!

I just got home from watching Away We Go, and all I can say is just go and watch it. It was totally worth the hour-plus drive to Maiden Alley Cinema in Paducah (Kentucky). The cast is top-notch; I can't even begin to name all of the wonderfully talented actors, aside from the headliners. Maya Rudolph plays drama as well and as easily as the comedy we all know and love from SNL, and John Krasinski is definitely not just a re-heated version of Jim. These characters go on a journey that changes their lives forever, and my only complaint was that the movie had to end after about 90 minutes.

How rare is it that you can find a movie that will make you laugh out loud one minute and want to shed a few tears in earnest in the next, all over a flippin' awesome soundtrack?! These don't come along very often, and I recommend seeing it at all costs...although $4.50 with a student discount (shhhhh...) was worth every penny and then some. Even if it's not in your town, put it on your mental list for Netflix or the local video store or library for when it hits DVD. You won't be sorry. (Sidenote: It's pretty language-heavy, for those who may, for some reason, think of watching it with parents, ultra-conservative relatives, or Quakers.)