I love Thompson Square. If you aren't familiar with their works, they are a country duo, husband and wife, who sing some of my favorite songs. One of their most well-known is a song called "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not?" It was this song and the story told in the song that inspired them to write, with Travis Thrasher, the novel by the same name. I was so excited to read the book and quite honestly I expected great things. They are, after all, amazing songwriters/singers.
Well...the book was good, not great. I kept waiting for something to happen and while things rolled along, they did so slowly. Eventually the plot got to where it was going but it took a long time. And it took me a long time to finish the novel, as a result. The story was cute. I liked Casey and Daniel. It just took a while to get to their story out there.
I guess the bottom line for me about this particular book is this: if you've heard the song, stop there. If you haven't heard the song, download it, listen to it, and stop there. Thompson Square is way better at writing and singing songs than writing novels.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
#36: Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
I finished Go Set a Watchman about a week ago and am just now getting around to blogging about this story. The truth is, I was, and still am, a bit fearful about what to actually say about Lee's novel. I mean, what can I say about her book that others haven't already said? I knew mostly what the book was about before the box from Amazon containing the novel hit my front stoop. I knew that people were sad because their images of Atticus were destroyed. I know that Go Set a Watchman made Atticus out to be a racist. But, like every good reader, I read the book and formed my own opinions. It is those opinions that I am fearful to share.
For those of you who might not have heard, Go Set a Watchman is a novel written by Harper Lee, and it's being billed as a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird. The truth is, Go Set a Watchman was written before To Kill a Mockingbird but it was rejected by publishers. Lee put it aside, at some point wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, rocked the world with this amazing story that deals with lots of white vs. black issues, and recently someone found Go Set a Watchman and now it's on store shelves and coffee tables everywhere as people devour Lee's second and sure to be final novel.
In Watchman, Scout, who was about 8 or so in Mockingbird, is now in her late 20's and is coming home for a visit to check on her aging father (Atticus is now 72) and to deal with a persistent boyfriend (Henry/Hank) who wishes to marry her. During her time at home, Scout is reminded that she is an out-of-the-box sort of girl that no one in Maycomb really quite knows how to handle, even as an adult. Scout truly believes her place in the world is NYC because she can just be herself there and no one cares. However, she knows that her roots are in Maycomb and she seems to enjoy "woolgathering" as she calls it--remembering good times and good stories about her young life with Atticus and her neighbors and friends.
While she attempts to make sense of her relationship with Henry, a young lawyer that Atticus mentored, Scout stumbles into a situation, a Maycomb County Citizen's Council meeting, where she realizes that Atticus isn't exactly who she thinks he is. I have read and re-read this part of the book and Rob and I have talked about it until we realized that we were never going to agree (I feel compelled to add that he has read neither of Lee's books) and finally stopped talking about it altogether. I see what readers are talking about, I do. I see Scout's concern with Atticus, too. Upon hearing the discussion at the Citizen's Council meeting, it does seem as though Atticus has some racist/segregationist ideas which is alarming when you recall that he was the white lawyer defending a black man in Mockingbird. How is it possible that he could be racist? How? Well...when you hear the men talking about keeping blacks and whites separate, it seems clear. I just personally think there's more to it. And so does Scout's uncle, Atticus' brother, who tries to explain to Scout that the issue isn't quite as clear-cut as Scout believes it to be.
I know that I have a bad habit of reading and creating characters in my head to be more than they really are. They become real to me and I do know that Atticus is fictional. Lee created him and over the years he became God-like not just to Scout, but to readers, as well. Atticus Finch became the moral standard by which millions of people measured themselves and others. In Go Set a Watchman, Atticus is not the perfect man from Mockingbird. He's a human who has lived a long life and who has seen many things, but I just think there's more to the story. I just can't believe that Atticus is a racist man. I think he is a man trying to make sense of a confusing time the best he can. I think he is a brilliant lawyer who is trying to uphold the law the best he can while helping those who are wronged, regardless of their color. And I think he is trying hard to make sure that the US government doesn't make decisions based solely on color (which we all know is never a smart choice). Maybe I am Scout...maybe I have put Atticus on a pedestal, too...but I just don't think people can call Atticus a racist and have it be that simple. I just don't agree.
I also don't agree with the publishers who rejected this novel the first time around. It is quite a good story and well-written for a first time author. Truthfully, I question their reasons for denying publication of the book and I strongly suspect it has little to do with a poorly written first novel and more to do with the content and subject matter it explores from a governmental standpoint. Furthermore, I am beyond impressed that Lee was able to, within the body of Watchman, write a 1-2 page synopsis of Atticus's by now well-known trial and then was able to create an entire book (The Kill a Mockingbird) based on these few pages. That is truly amazing! It is also amazing to me that he nailed Scout's character both times--the little girl in Mockingbird is absolutely the same girl in Watchman. Same voice, same personality. Lee truly has a gift.
I hope that everyone out there reading this chooses to read Watchman, if they have read Mockingbird. If you haven't read either, do yourself a favor and read these books. Read Mockingbird first, but read them. They are brilliant. Harper Lee is brilliant. I hope that she realizes what an impact her books have made upon American society. She is deserving of every award and prize (including a Pulitzer and the Presidential Medal of Freedom) she's earned. And I feel lucky to have read both of her works. I am better for it.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
#35: Grey by EL James
I had to read it. I had to. How can you read the other three and not read this one? And I swore that I was going to read it on my Nook so that no one knew I was reading it and yet I bought a copy at COSTCO because it was cheaper than the Nook price. So, I've left it at home several times so no one would know I was reading it. Why? Because I was avoiding the swoons and the eyebrow raising that so often accompanies a reading of this book. Oh, I do so wonder what Dr. Hampton, my Human Sexuality professor from college, is making of this text?
Here's my take...
I read all of the 50 Shades books and I even watched the terrible movie adaptation of the series (yes...I found it to be ridiculous). I am not afraid to read these books, or others like it, and they do not embarrass me. People's reactions embarrass me because I feel as though outsiders who have never read a single one of the book are making assumptions about women who read them. That women are sex-starved, or are closet submissives. That we really yearn for sexual domination. Good grief. And what real gets my goat is the number of people who blog about or comment about the books (and movie) who have never even read them. Seriously? How you can have any opinion about a book you've never experienced?
So, in light of all of that, I go back to my original take on 50 Shades and Grey corroborates my initial reactions and feelings. EL James is brilliant because she has made a fortune capitalizing on a basic human emotion--our need to be wanted. Women love Christian Grey because he makes Ana feel wanted and we all want a man in our lives who makes us feel as wanted and as special. When we read these books, we are not thinking about Christian's weirdo fetishes, we are thinking how amazing it must be to be wanted so much by another human being. How amazing it would be to have someone buy you a new car because he fears yours isn't safe enough. How amazing it must be to have someone fly clear across the country to see you because he misses your face. How amazing it must be to have someone stare at you like you are the most beautiful sight he's ever seen. THIS is why women read these books.
Well...that and the romantic idea that women can change men. We know we can't really change men. Not really. But, but the end of the 50 Shades Trilogy, Ana sure has changed Christian. Ana and love changed him. Love took over and changed a truly disturbed man and women all over the world are eating this story up because proves that love can conquer all.
But ladies, it's fiction. And we have to remember that it's fiction. I have to remind myself the same thing when I read any book by Nicholas Sparks. Those men don't really exist. Neither does Christian Grey.
However, I will admit that it was interesting to read the first part of a very long story (Grey is 50 Shades of Grey told from Christian's point of view) from his point of view. Through Grey, you catch small glimpses of what made him turn to his controlling lifestyle and I do feel terrible that such a small boy had to see what he did for so long before Grace rescued him. As I was reading, I wondered if EL James ever considered telling the original 2 books from alternating chapters in order to capture both perspectives as the story was told. I also wonder if she will write two more books to finish out the story from his perspective. If so, I want to go on record as saying that I will NOT read those. I am finished reading about Christian Grey and Ana Steele.
My next book is Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman. I can't wait for it to arrive today. History in the making.
Happy reading, everyone!
-Dodie
Here's my take...
I read all of the 50 Shades books and I even watched the terrible movie adaptation of the series (yes...I found it to be ridiculous). I am not afraid to read these books, or others like it, and they do not embarrass me. People's reactions embarrass me because I feel as though outsiders who have never read a single one of the book are making assumptions about women who read them. That women are sex-starved, or are closet submissives. That we really yearn for sexual domination. Good grief. And what real gets my goat is the number of people who blog about or comment about the books (and movie) who have never even read them. Seriously? How you can have any opinion about a book you've never experienced?
So, in light of all of that, I go back to my original take on 50 Shades and Grey corroborates my initial reactions and feelings. EL James is brilliant because she has made a fortune capitalizing on a basic human emotion--our need to be wanted. Women love Christian Grey because he makes Ana feel wanted and we all want a man in our lives who makes us feel as wanted and as special. When we read these books, we are not thinking about Christian's weirdo fetishes, we are thinking how amazing it must be to be wanted so much by another human being. How amazing it would be to have someone buy you a new car because he fears yours isn't safe enough. How amazing it must be to have someone fly clear across the country to see you because he misses your face. How amazing it must be to have someone stare at you like you are the most beautiful sight he's ever seen. THIS is why women read these books.
Well...that and the romantic idea that women can change men. We know we can't really change men. Not really. But, but the end of the 50 Shades Trilogy, Ana sure has changed Christian. Ana and love changed him. Love took over and changed a truly disturbed man and women all over the world are eating this story up because proves that love can conquer all.
But ladies, it's fiction. And we have to remember that it's fiction. I have to remind myself the same thing when I read any book by Nicholas Sparks. Those men don't really exist. Neither does Christian Grey.
However, I will admit that it was interesting to read the first part of a very long story (Grey is 50 Shades of Grey told from Christian's point of view) from his point of view. Through Grey, you catch small glimpses of what made him turn to his controlling lifestyle and I do feel terrible that such a small boy had to see what he did for so long before Grace rescued him. As I was reading, I wondered if EL James ever considered telling the original 2 books from alternating chapters in order to capture both perspectives as the story was told. I also wonder if she will write two more books to finish out the story from his perspective. If so, I want to go on record as saying that I will NOT read those. I am finished reading about Christian Grey and Ana Steele.
My next book is Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman. I can't wait for it to arrive today. History in the making.
Happy reading, everyone!
-Dodie
#34: A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
I first read Anne Tyler in college in a class taught by the most southern woman I have ever met. Tall, blonde (well...probably gray, but blonde once upon a time), polished, proper, and very southern in her old-fashioned ways. I could just see her sitting on a porch swing sipping sweet tea as she read book after book. I loved her class. And because of her (her name escapes me, sadly) I loved Anne Tyler. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant was the first book by Tyler that I read. I still categorize people as either "feeders" or "eaters" because of Dinner. I am an eater. Try as I might, I will never be a feeder. My good friend Pam is a feeder. So is my mother. So is Rob.
Anyway, I love reading Tyler's novels. They are slow, deliberate, and chock full of the most beautifully orchestrated words you will ever read. A Spool of Blue Thread, her newest novel, is no different. The novel is divided into four parts and it tells the story of the Whitshank family: Red and Abby and they children: Denny, Stem, Amanda, and Jeannie. It also tells the story of their Baltimore home, a home built by Red's father and cherished in a way that only Tyler can describe, and its legacy in their family and in their town.
As often happens when I read, Rob asked what the book was about and I found that I couldn't really tell him. It was so full of familial descriptions and background information on each family member that nothing really happened plot-wise for a long time. And then, even when something big did happen, I realized that the events of the Whitshank family was secondary to the family itself. This book isn't about what happens to the Whitshank family. This book is about the existence and importance of the Whitshank family. It reminded me of descriptions of the TV show "Seinfeld." People always said it was a show about nothing in particular. A Spool of Blue Thread is the same. It's a book about nothing in particular as it surrounds the day-to-day life of the Whitshanks. Yet, as we learn more and more about this family and their heritage and their love for one another, we realize that the real message is that families are special and important just simply because they are families. And each person in the family, while seemingly never really doing anything out of the ordinary, is a critical part of the overall family unit. After reading this novel, I felt special to have been a part of the family that surrounds me, as crazy as some of my relatives are, they are my family. They made me who I am.
A Spool of Blue Thread won't be devoured in a day, and it's not a real page-turner. But, it is a beautiful story that will open your mind and heart in a way that only Tyler can do. I am anxious to read more of her books that I picked up recently at the Green Valley Bookfair in Harrisonburg. If you've never been, you should go. It's worth a boring drive on 64 to get there. :)
Happy reading, everyone!
-Dodie
Anyway, I love reading Tyler's novels. They are slow, deliberate, and chock full of the most beautifully orchestrated words you will ever read. A Spool of Blue Thread, her newest novel, is no different. The novel is divided into four parts and it tells the story of the Whitshank family: Red and Abby and they children: Denny, Stem, Amanda, and Jeannie. It also tells the story of their Baltimore home, a home built by Red's father and cherished in a way that only Tyler can describe, and its legacy in their family and in their town.
As often happens when I read, Rob asked what the book was about and I found that I couldn't really tell him. It was so full of familial descriptions and background information on each family member that nothing really happened plot-wise for a long time. And then, even when something big did happen, I realized that the events of the Whitshank family was secondary to the family itself. This book isn't about what happens to the Whitshank family. This book is about the existence and importance of the Whitshank family. It reminded me of descriptions of the TV show "Seinfeld." People always said it was a show about nothing in particular. A Spool of Blue Thread is the same. It's a book about nothing in particular as it surrounds the day-to-day life of the Whitshanks. Yet, as we learn more and more about this family and their heritage and their love for one another, we realize that the real message is that families are special and important just simply because they are families. And each person in the family, while seemingly never really doing anything out of the ordinary, is a critical part of the overall family unit. After reading this novel, I felt special to have been a part of the family that surrounds me, as crazy as some of my relatives are, they are my family. They made me who I am.
A Spool of Blue Thread won't be devoured in a day, and it's not a real page-turner. But, it is a beautiful story that will open your mind and heart in a way that only Tyler can do. I am anxious to read more of her books that I picked up recently at the Green Valley Bookfair in Harrisonburg. If you've never been, you should go. It's worth a boring drive on 64 to get there. :)
Happy reading, everyone!
-Dodie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)