- We Thought You'd be Prettier: True Tales of the Dorkiest Girl Alive, by Laurie Notaro
The dorkiest girl alive? I thought that was me! Notaro's essays are laugh-out-loud funny and completely relatable (inner-thigh chub rub, anyone?). She has a gift for finding humor in everyday situations and annoyances: attempting to capture a rat in her house (only to discover that he's really a cute little mousie once he's immobilized on a glue trap), being locked out of the house, trying to find boots that fit her calves (been there). I definitely plan to read more of Notaro's work.
- The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien
Most of my reading diet is pretty lighthearted, so every once in a while I try to remedy that with a book like this semi-fictional, semi-true tale of O'Brien's experiences in Vietnam. The story in which he describes his aborted attempt to escape the draft by fleeing to Canada is heart-wrenching. An excellent companion piece to this would be Keith Walker's A Piece of My Heart: The Stories of 26 American Women Who Served in Vietnam.
- Stepmonster: A New Look at Why Real Stepmothers Think, Feel, and Act the Way We Do, by Wednesday Martin
This was an interesting read. In some ways, Martin's message is a downer: unless you encounter exactly the right conditions (age of stepchildren, situation with parents pre-divorce), chances are good that the whole stepfamily thing isn't going to go well. However, her main message is that it isn't your fault, and that everyone experiences this. The anecdotes in the book made me appreciate my step-situation, which really is pretty mild. I was lucky enough to get most of the right conditions.
- The Year of Fog, by Michelle Richmond
It was interesting to read this in conjunction with Stepmonster. The protagonist, Abby, is out for a day at the beach with her soon-to-be stepdaughter Emma when the girl disappears. As the weeks pass with no clues, the police and even Emma's father start to believe that she drowned in the ocean. Abby never gives up hope, though, and searches obsessively for almost a year. It was odd to read of a woman who claims to love the little girl more than she loves the girl's father when Stepmonster goes to great pains to establish that this sort of love between stepparents and stepchildren rarely happens. Also, after reading Martin's book, I was surprised that more people, especially the general public, didn't blame Abby for what happened (though she blames herself enough, and so does Jake). The book is pretty good, though--a real page-turner. It also serves as a fantastic advertisement for both San Francisco and Holga cameras. Seriously, who would not want a camera that takes pictures like this? http://microsites.lomography.com/holga/galleries
No comments:
Post a Comment