The Rosie Project was a book I read about in People Magazine. It was in their book column one week as a must-read, especially now that the sequel, The Rosie Effect has been published. I can't say that I am rushing out to get The Rosie Effect, but may be enticed to pick it up the next time I need and easy read.
The Rosie Project is the story of genetics Professor Don Tillman, who I feel can be liked to Dr. Sheldon Cooper of "The Big Bang Theory." In fact, I imagined Sheldon Cooper on each page. Don talks like Sheldon, acts like Sheldon, and is hilarious, as a result, just like Sheldon. The plot is simple: Don has created a survey in hopes of finding the perfect wife (The Wife Project). When student Rosie Jarman enters his life (as a bit of a joke played on him by his good friend Gene) his life gets turned upside down as he and Rosie work together to find Rosie's biological father (The Father Project) and he realizes that maybe a wife can't be found through a survey.
The book is funny and it is a quick read (despite how long it took me to finish it--I blame exams last week and busy weekends with my family for the long duration it took me to finish this less than 300 page book). The film-rights for this story have been optioned by Sony Pictures (no idea what that really means) and I would happily go see this book turned movie in the theater.
Cute story! A beach-bag book for sure!
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Thursday, January 15, 2015
#3: The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
A good friend of mine suggested that I read The Red Tent. She was reminded of the book, one she had read several years back, when she realized that The Red Tent had become a TV mini-series on Lifetime in early December. A second friend texted me one day a few weeks ago as she was sobbing watching the mini-series On Demand. I knew this was a book I needed to read and was overjoyed to have a snow-day yesterday in which to do so. However, about 100 pages in, I decided that my snow day was best served watching the movie version. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that the movie had been removed from Lifetime's On Demand list and that I'd have to wait until March (the 10th to be exact) to see the movie version of this amazing story. UGH. Well...I am just going to have to be patient. But, just in case Lifetime hears my cry (and those of others, I have no doubt), I have added "The Red Tent" to my viewing queue on Lifetime.com and am hoping that it appears online before March 10. Fingers crossed!
The Red Tent is the story of Dinah, daughter of Jacob and sister to Joseph. While all of these characters, and the rest of the family tree, we know from the Bible, this account of Dinah's life is fictional, but still quite inspiring and very touching. The Red Tent is the tent for women only, used each month or during times of childbirth. It is in this tent that Dinah hears stories told by her mother, Leah, and her aunts: Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah. It is in this tent that Dinah learns about her family and the expected roles of women in her time and the importance of female relationships in her own life. It is here that she also learns about love and the intimate relationships between men and women and how to care for children, once they arrive. It is a truly amazing and inspirational novel. I really want to see the movie version. (Lifetime...are you listening???)
What I walked away from this book thinking about most was how I wished modern society was a bit more like Dinah's. I wished modern families lived together, even extended families, so that children could learn not just from their parents, but also from their grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins. I wished modern women had a true fellowship like the women who loved and cared for Dinah throughout her life. I wished that the modern society wasn't so isolated or self-involved. I guess some would argue that modern families are more evolved and are who they are because of what modern life dictates. That may be true, but I would prefer close-knit families and families that live close by. I grew up on a family farm, with aunts, uncles, and cousins all within walking distance. We had big family meals every Sunday and had a special dinner once a month to celebrate birthdays. We took trips together on occasion, and I loved it! I loved having family so close all of the time. But, now we are all spread out. Times have changed, I guessed. But The Red Tent reminded me how important these relationships are and I feel certain that this is a lesson I will carry with me for a long time.
Read The Red Tent, if you haven't already. It's a great read, and a quick one. I read all but 20 of the 400 pages yesterday and finished it up quickly this morning. It's an amazing story!
Happy reading, everyone!
-Dodie
The Red Tent is the story of Dinah, daughter of Jacob and sister to Joseph. While all of these characters, and the rest of the family tree, we know from the Bible, this account of Dinah's life is fictional, but still quite inspiring and very touching. The Red Tent is the tent for women only, used each month or during times of childbirth. It is in this tent that Dinah hears stories told by her mother, Leah, and her aunts: Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah. It is in this tent that Dinah learns about her family and the expected roles of women in her time and the importance of female relationships in her own life. It is here that she also learns about love and the intimate relationships between men and women and how to care for children, once they arrive. It is a truly amazing and inspirational novel. I really want to see the movie version. (Lifetime...are you listening???)
What I walked away from this book thinking about most was how I wished modern society was a bit more like Dinah's. I wished modern families lived together, even extended families, so that children could learn not just from their parents, but also from their grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins. I wished modern women had a true fellowship like the women who loved and cared for Dinah throughout her life. I wished that the modern society wasn't so isolated or self-involved. I guess some would argue that modern families are more evolved and are who they are because of what modern life dictates. That may be true, but I would prefer close-knit families and families that live close by. I grew up on a family farm, with aunts, uncles, and cousins all within walking distance. We had big family meals every Sunday and had a special dinner once a month to celebrate birthdays. We took trips together on occasion, and I loved it! I loved having family so close all of the time. But, now we are all spread out. Times have changed, I guessed. But The Red Tent reminded me how important these relationships are and I feel certain that this is a lesson I will carry with me for a long time.
Read The Red Tent, if you haven't already. It's a great read, and a quick one. I read all but 20 of the 400 pages yesterday and finished it up quickly this morning. It's an amazing story!
Happy reading, everyone!
-Dodie
Monday, January 12, 2015
#2: The Goldfinch by Donna Tart
I read an article last October/November in the Richmond-Times Dispatch that listed all (well...10) of the must-reads of 2014. The Goldfinch was on the list. After reading the quick and dirty summary of the book, and being intrigued but it's subject matter (a famous painting), I added it to my reading list. To be honest, I bought it in 2014, but after receiving the book and noting that it is 771 pages long, I pushed it to 2015, knowing that I'd have a hard time reading a Pulitzer Prize winning novel that's almost 800 pages long right before Christmas. It was a good call on my part. This is no easy read.
The Goldfinch is the story of Theo Decker and spans a good portion of his life, from age 13 to his mid-20's or so. What we don't find out until the very last section of the book is that the story, the entire story, he has written in journal form with no intention of anyone ever reading. The Goldfinch is his story of self-discovery, wiring becomes his way of coping with the death of his mother--an event that spurred the entire story into existence in the first place.
The book is dense, every word filled with meaning and emotion. This is no beach bag book, folks. This is a book you want to read in a literature class, or in a book club, so you can discuss each section with someone. There were times when I wished I was Theo, warm and safe in a Park Avenue apartment surrounded by people who want nothing more than to take care of you. Then, there were times when I wanted to take Theo by the shoulders and shake him for taking a life with amazing potential and drinking and smoking it all away. There were friends of his that I loved: Pippa and Hobie, Andy, and Kitsey. And friends that I disliked all the way to the end: Boris.
Without question, losing your mother at age 13 is hard and recovering from that loss, when you really have no one else, is doubly hard. Unfortunately, Theo really never recovers and becomes, in my mind, quite jaded and cynical about life. I have page after dog-eared page of quotes of Theo going on and on about how life sucks (my words, his are way more eloquent and long-winded) and how life is just one disappointment after another. It isn't until the very end, when his life takes some what of a positive turn (finally) that he admits that life is hard (Agreed.) and that perhaps the real beauty of life is in finding little joys to make all of the hard stuff seem bearable (Agreed.) Finally, an idea his mother would be proud of.
As I was finishing the novel this morning, I realized that The Goldfinch, the real Goldfinch, in many ways was not just a beautiful painting, but was Theo himself. Theo, like the beautiful golden bird, spent much of his life chained to a place where he didn't want to be (in a Park Avenue apartment without his mother, in Vegas with no place to go, engaged, working for Hobie) staring back at life that other people were living. Not knowing too much about his mother, I have to wonder if she wasn't a bit of a Goldfinch herself, feeling chained to a bad marriage and a life she didn't quite ask for. I wonder of we all feel a bit like The Goldfinch at some point or another in our lives. Something to think about, I guess.
I am glad that I read this one. It wasn't easy, but it was good. Some sections were fast reads; some required a lot more patience. But, it was never the writing that was treacherous. No...just the subject matter. Reading about Theo takes patience and dedication. But it's all worthwhile in the end. I have a feeling that I will still be thinking of Theo in 10 years. His story is one that will stick with you.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
The Goldfinch is the story of Theo Decker and spans a good portion of his life, from age 13 to his mid-20's or so. What we don't find out until the very last section of the book is that the story, the entire story, he has written in journal form with no intention of anyone ever reading. The Goldfinch is his story of self-discovery, wiring becomes his way of coping with the death of his mother--an event that spurred the entire story into existence in the first place.
The book is dense, every word filled with meaning and emotion. This is no beach bag book, folks. This is a book you want to read in a literature class, or in a book club, so you can discuss each section with someone. There were times when I wished I was Theo, warm and safe in a Park Avenue apartment surrounded by people who want nothing more than to take care of you. Then, there were times when I wanted to take Theo by the shoulders and shake him for taking a life with amazing potential and drinking and smoking it all away. There were friends of his that I loved: Pippa and Hobie, Andy, and Kitsey. And friends that I disliked all the way to the end: Boris.
Without question, losing your mother at age 13 is hard and recovering from that loss, when you really have no one else, is doubly hard. Unfortunately, Theo really never recovers and becomes, in my mind, quite jaded and cynical about life. I have page after dog-eared page of quotes of Theo going on and on about how life sucks (my words, his are way more eloquent and long-winded) and how life is just one disappointment after another. It isn't until the very end, when his life takes some what of a positive turn (finally) that he admits that life is hard (Agreed.) and that perhaps the real beauty of life is in finding little joys to make all of the hard stuff seem bearable (Agreed.) Finally, an idea his mother would be proud of.
As I was finishing the novel this morning, I realized that The Goldfinch, the real Goldfinch, in many ways was not just a beautiful painting, but was Theo himself. Theo, like the beautiful golden bird, spent much of his life chained to a place where he didn't want to be (in a Park Avenue apartment without his mother, in Vegas with no place to go, engaged, working for Hobie) staring back at life that other people were living. Not knowing too much about his mother, I have to wonder if she wasn't a bit of a Goldfinch herself, feeling chained to a bad marriage and a life she didn't quite ask for. I wonder of we all feel a bit like The Goldfinch at some point or another in our lives. Something to think about, I guess.
I am glad that I read this one. It wasn't easy, but it was good. Some sections were fast reads; some required a lot more patience. But, it was never the writing that was treacherous. No...just the subject matter. Reading about Theo takes patience and dedication. But it's all worthwhile in the end. I have a feeling that I will still be thinking of Theo in 10 years. His story is one that will stick with you.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
Monday, January 5, 2015
#1: Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope that 2015 brings lots of new and interesting books into your life!
As for me, the bar has been set extremely high with Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult. What an amazing story this is! It is one you HAVE to read at some point this year.
I am never disappointed by Picoult and I rarely close one of her books without learning some sort of new information about a topic that I had never considered. This time, it's elephants. Yes, elephants. Leaving Time is the story of Jenna Metcalf, daughter of Alice and Thomas Metcalf, and her search for the truth about her mother's mysterious disappearance when she (Jenna) was only 3 years old. Jenna's parents are scientists who spend their lives researching and taking care of elephants. Alice specifically focuses her research on grief and how elephants show grief and she conducted much of her research in Africa, before meeting Thomas and moving with him to New Hampshire to work in the elephant sanctuary there. Jenna grew up in this sanctuary, watching the elephants, watching her mother take care of these amazing creatures, with all of the adults being extra careful not to let her ever get too close to the elephants, as one never knows exactly what these animals might do.
As is typical of Picoult's writing style, she tells the story through a series of alternating chapters: Jenna, Alice, Serenity (the psychic Jenna employs to help her find out what really happened the night her mother disappeared), and Virgil (the police officer who began the investigation into Alice's disappearance). Through their recollections, we also meet Thomas (Alice's husband and Jenna's dad), Jenna's grandmother (Alice's mother) as well as a few others who work in the elephant sanctuary: Giddeon, Nevvie, and Grace. And we also meet Maura and a number of other elephants that have been the subject of Alice and Thomas' research.
Before reading this novel, I will admit that elephants did not interest me in the slightest. OK...the little babies on the safari ride at The Animal Kingdom at Disney World are precious, but aside from seeing them once a year, I never really gave them much thought. After reading Alice's chapters, which always detail her elephant research (and which function to show the parallel lives of the elephants and the elephant caretakers), I find these creatures, specifically the females, to be fascinating. They really seem to be more evolved than humans. They show emotion, particularly grief, like no other animal I have ever learned about. Elephants never forget--they really don't. And they will protect those they love.
Aside from learning about elephants, which really was fascinating, I was personally touched by Jenna's determination to find her mother, or at least find out what happened to her mother. As one who grew up knowing very little about my father, I know what it's like to wonder. Although, Jenna was motivated by the hope of finding her mother, after all, her mother simply vanished one night. However, towards the end of the story when Jenna, convinced that her mother has died, declares
But the truth is, I don't have my mother. I never will. I don't get to rewrite my story; I just have to stumble to the end of it.
I felt a connection to her, to this character, that only a child who has lost a parent before their time ever could. It's absolutely heart-wrenching and I find myself starting to hope more than ever that Alice is found before the story is over.
I won't say anymore about the plot but I will say that I was very surprised by the outcome. I thought I had it all figured out (I mean, after all, Jenna tells us almost from the first chapter that some stories don't have happy endings), that I had been paying attention to Alice's details about the elephants enough to have connected the dots and filled in the gaps. I was very wrong. The story literally turns on a dime and gives you the "No Way!" moment we often hope for in books.
I am tempted to one day read this story again, now that I know what happened. I think I probably took a lot of details for granted that would make more sense now that I know the truth. Of course, it's hard to justify re-reading a book when there are so many books out there waiting for me to read them! :)
This is definitely a book that you need to read in 2015. I can already see this one being in my top 10, if not my #1 for 2015. Yes, it's that good!
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
As for me, the bar has been set extremely high with Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult. What an amazing story this is! It is one you HAVE to read at some point this year.
I am never disappointed by Picoult and I rarely close one of her books without learning some sort of new information about a topic that I had never considered. This time, it's elephants. Yes, elephants. Leaving Time is the story of Jenna Metcalf, daughter of Alice and Thomas Metcalf, and her search for the truth about her mother's mysterious disappearance when she (Jenna) was only 3 years old. Jenna's parents are scientists who spend their lives researching and taking care of elephants. Alice specifically focuses her research on grief and how elephants show grief and she conducted much of her research in Africa, before meeting Thomas and moving with him to New Hampshire to work in the elephant sanctuary there. Jenna grew up in this sanctuary, watching the elephants, watching her mother take care of these amazing creatures, with all of the adults being extra careful not to let her ever get too close to the elephants, as one never knows exactly what these animals might do.
As is typical of Picoult's writing style, she tells the story through a series of alternating chapters: Jenna, Alice, Serenity (the psychic Jenna employs to help her find out what really happened the night her mother disappeared), and Virgil (the police officer who began the investigation into Alice's disappearance). Through their recollections, we also meet Thomas (Alice's husband and Jenna's dad), Jenna's grandmother (Alice's mother) as well as a few others who work in the elephant sanctuary: Giddeon, Nevvie, and Grace. And we also meet Maura and a number of other elephants that have been the subject of Alice and Thomas' research.
Before reading this novel, I will admit that elephants did not interest me in the slightest. OK...the little babies on the safari ride at The Animal Kingdom at Disney World are precious, but aside from seeing them once a year, I never really gave them much thought. After reading Alice's chapters, which always detail her elephant research (and which function to show the parallel lives of the elephants and the elephant caretakers), I find these creatures, specifically the females, to be fascinating. They really seem to be more evolved than humans. They show emotion, particularly grief, like no other animal I have ever learned about. Elephants never forget--they really don't. And they will protect those they love.
Aside from learning about elephants, which really was fascinating, I was personally touched by Jenna's determination to find her mother, or at least find out what happened to her mother. As one who grew up knowing very little about my father, I know what it's like to wonder. Although, Jenna was motivated by the hope of finding her mother, after all, her mother simply vanished one night. However, towards the end of the story when Jenna, convinced that her mother has died, declares
But the truth is, I don't have my mother. I never will. I don't get to rewrite my story; I just have to stumble to the end of it.
I felt a connection to her, to this character, that only a child who has lost a parent before their time ever could. It's absolutely heart-wrenching and I find myself starting to hope more than ever that Alice is found before the story is over.
I won't say anymore about the plot but I will say that I was very surprised by the outcome. I thought I had it all figured out (I mean, after all, Jenna tells us almost from the first chapter that some stories don't have happy endings), that I had been paying attention to Alice's details about the elephants enough to have connected the dots and filled in the gaps. I was very wrong. The story literally turns on a dime and gives you the "No Way!" moment we often hope for in books.
I am tempted to one day read this story again, now that I know what happened. I think I probably took a lot of details for granted that would make more sense now that I know the truth. Of course, it's hard to justify re-reading a book when there are so many books out there waiting for me to read them! :)
This is definitely a book that you need to read in 2015. I can already see this one being in my top 10, if not my #1 for 2015. Yes, it's that good!
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
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