wily wiley reads.

 

how to buy a love of reading by tanya egan gibson ::: this novel tells the story of an awkward high school girl who's parents decide that as a show of wealth and privilege they will buy their daughter her very own work of fiction.  carley's parents hire a young writer to figure out why carley doesn't like to read and make a book that conforms to her every interest and whim.  gibson's novel goes on to describe, in great detail, the fabulous and troubled lives of society's elite, and how knowledge can be used as a tool of wealth. 

i picked this book up at an office book swap a few months ago and was warned that it was being given away because it was a nearly impossible read.  (the sentences are long, the characters quite unlikeable and the attempts at telling a fluid story are sometimes lacking.)  i have to agree with most of these ascertains, but in the end i did find myself connecting to two of the main characters..although it did feel too late in the game to really change my mind after abhorring these same two characters for the most of the book. 

the solitude of prime numbers by pablo giordano ::: another novel about teen angst and another book i was warned i may find depressing.  in this novel's sadness was a great deal of beauty.  the book begins with chapters describing the events that stunt mattia and alice's psychological growth and ability to connect with others.  jumping ahead to their awkward teenage years, mattia and alice become close friends, forming an alliance over their childhood experiences.  the novel follows the two from childhood to adulthood and explores the way the two characters can never escape their circumstances.  giordano's background in mathematics shines through the novel, as mattia is a mathematical genius, but it never became too abstract for a 'words girl' like me.  i really enjoyed this novel and though giordano did a wonderful job of fleshing out the two main characters so that the reader feels their shared pain.

what are you reading?

wily wiley reads.

the art of racing in the rain by garth stein :::  i would not describe myself as a 'dog person.'  don't get me wrong, i love dogs, especially duncan and molly, but i typically don't pick up novels about dogs, and most definitely not novels told from the perspective of a dog.  i absolutely loved this book.  it was equal parts sweet and funny and equal parts sad and thoughtful.  stein does an incredible job of writing through the eyes of enzo, the lovable pet of the swift family.  i may never look at a dog the same way again. (i compare these feelings to those i felt after reading watership down.)  i encourage anyone who is an animal lover to pick this book up.  i don't want to give away a second of this sweet read.

everything changes by jonathan tropper ::: my obsession with jonathan tropper continues.  by the end of fall i will have completed all of his novels and i can already see that i will be left craving more.  i see that tropper is often compared to nick hornby, and i do agree with this to a certain extent, although i think that tropper is quite a bit more witty, and says the things that hornby never would.  if you are a hornby fan, i would say give tropper a try.  everything changes sticks to what tropper is great at; telling the story of a messed-up man in his early thirties.  zack king's life is crumbling around him and hilarious hijinks ensue.  zack's family and best friends are one hysterical cast of characters who keep the laughs coming, but still feel very relatable because they each face their own struggles.  i fell in love with zack like i do with each of tropper's main characters.  his struggles and triumphs are told through a voice that sounds so much like someone i've known my entire life.  if you aren't on the tropper bandwagon yet, it's time.

wily wiley reads.

one day by david nicholls ::: the novel that everyone has been talking about.  i read this after lin texted me over and over again as she read, completely in love with the book.  i have to say that i really did love this novel, and especially the way nicholls writes about the same date each day for twenty years.  it gives a great perspective on emma and dexter, the book's protagonists.  i'll admit that for the first few chapters i felt as though i had a lot in common with emma.  (i later came to realize she is a much better person than i am. ha.)  the way the conversation between these two very different individuals evolves over two decades is beautiful and well thought out.  i think nicholls did a great job of writing from dual perspectives while showing the changes of one's personality as they move through their lives.  this is a love story, a comedy, and mostly, a type of tragic tale.  i would liken this to 'when harry met sally,' but with more heart and a little less curly hair.

who will run the frog hospital? by lorrie moore ::: do i admit when i really didn't enjoy a book?   i think since this is my personal forum, i can be honest.  i didn't love this book.  i didn't stop reading it either, but my feelings are still up in the air.  i found moore's writing to be a bit to descriptive and i left the book without either having any real feelings about either of the main characters.  perhaps if i had similar experiences to the two teenage girls the novel focuses on, my feelings may be different.  in general i found the storyline to be disconnected: a grown woman in paris realizes her marriage is a failure and remembers the days she spent with her wild bestfriend in her teens.  i don't think i quite understood how one brought up the other.  i will say that i loved the references to a place called storyland, which sounds a heck of a lot like storyland in new hampshire.

what have you read lately?

wily wiley reads.

                                       
    i've decided to do a 'wily wiley reads' post once a week and focus on two books, rather than four.  i think this will give me an opportunity to do what i love a little more often.  i always look forward to all of the recommendations you all give me, so i think getting those more often will be excellent as well.

the disappeared by kim echlin ::: i think this is one of the best love stories i have read in a long time.  also one of the saddest and most difficult to read.  set during the cambodian genocide, echlin tells the story of a young canadian girl and a cambodian musician.  when the cambodian border opens up again serey decides to return and find out what has become of his family.  anne stays behind and for eleven years hears nothing from the man she loves.  eventually anne realizes that she cannot live without serey and travels to cambodia to search for him and reclaim the love she has lost.  this novel was incredibly moving and it made we want to do some further reading on what happened in cambodia in the 1970s.  highly recommend.

my name is memory by ann brashares ::: another love story of sorts.  this one is a bit confusing, and it took me a little while to wrap my head around the plot.  in my name is memory, the concept is that every person has lived multiple lives.  the catch; only a few remember these past lives.  daniel remembers his past lives and in each one he has been in love with sophia.  set in modern day, sophia is now a teenage girl named lucy.  daniel's goal is to remind lucy of her past lives and make her fall in love with him again.  the story travels through the many lives of daniel and lucy and i really enjoyed the constant changes of scenery.  this is apparently the first novel in a trilogy and i will definitely be reading the second and thrid novel.

now it's your turn.  what have you read lately?

wily wiley reads: non-fiction addition.

mountains beyond mountains: the quest of dr. paul farmer, a man who would cure the world by tracy kidder :::  living in boston, i think it's nearly impossible that one hasn't heard of the work of dr. paul farmer and partners in health.  this book, which gives a biographical take on dr. farmer, immerses you in his day-to-day life and takes you from haiti, to russia, to peru, and back again.  the humanitarian work which kidder describes from it's very roots, is incredible.  i believe there is a wealth of knowledge for any individual to gain from this book.  kidder explains the role of poverty in the fight to cure infectious disease and the role that dr. farmer is playing in a mission to cure diseases like malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS.  a really fabulous and thought-provoking read.

my lobotomy by howard dully and charles fleming ::: i love finding i book on a topic that i have absolutely no knowledge, opinion or ideas about.  jill leant this book to me a few weeks ago and i could not put it down.  howard dully's memoir is a cathartic exploration of his past.  when dully was twelve he was given a lobotomy and his life changed forever.  in his fifties, dully decides to go back and answer the question he struggled with his entire life: why was this horrific procedure performed on him?  the book does a wonderful job of giving the history of the lobotomy, the doctor who started it all in the united states, and the ways in which this procedure changed the lives of many.  i cannot recommend this book enough.  a short read, my lobotomy is a truly heart wrenching memoir.

the gardner heist: the true story of the world's largest unsolved art heist by ulrich boser ::: another incredible non-fiction find.  this is another that jill leant to me and it made my month of non-fiction one to be rivaled.  if you live in boston than you've heard of this art heist time and time again, but ulrich boser gives you the inside track on the event which changed the art world forever.  with great attention to the history of the museum, biographical information on isabella stewart gardner, and a play by play of the events that unfolded on march 18th, 1990, this book is a total page turner.  i especially loved the rundown of the boston crime world, which of course features the one and only, whitey bulger.  boser tells of interesting pieces of evidence, theories and the cast of characters that surround one of art's greatest mysteries.  a great mash-up of art history and crime drama.

in the sanctuary of outcasts by neil white ::: neil white's memoir starts as he heads to prison for an eighteen month sentence after being found guilty of fraud.  as white arrives at the prison in louisiana he quickly finds himself out of his comfort zone.  housed on the same grounds as the prison is the united state's last mainland leper colony.  while i'm typically not very interested in reading prison stories, learning more about the history of leperosy and meeting a wonderful cast of patients, nuns and prisoners made this a worthwhile read.  white can be egocentric and unsympathetic at times, but the heart of the memoir has a lot of soul.  i read most of the book on our trip back to boston from pennsylvania and put up with a pounding headache because i just could not put this book down.

after a month of non-fiction reading, i quickly grabbed the first piece of fiction i saw.  while i love non-fiction, my heart belongs to the novel.  i am now back to my fiction, non-fiction, fiction, non-fiction pattern of reading, but am glad i took the time to learn a great deal these last few weeks.

as always, i would love to hear your thoughts and recommendations on what you've read recently and what i need to add to my ever-growing reading pile.

wily wiley reads.

born standing up by steve martin :: did you know steve martin started out as a magician?  yeah, neither did i.  i have always loved steve martin.  from the jerk to father of the bride, he has always seemed like a person i'd love in real life and this book only made me more certain.  he describes how he started in show business with a job at disney world and how he created his acts over the years.  i loved his honesty about all his downfalls and bloopers along the way and am very depressed that he has retired from standup...since now i've had an inside peek at how he created his own style of making people laugh.

mockingjay by suzanne collins :: if you still aren't with me on the hunger games series, than stop reading here.  for those of you who have read hunger games and catching fire, i can promise you a stellar finale.  these books make perfect beach reads.  or in my case, lay inside on a rainy day and read the entire book in one sitting.  choose your poison.

room by emma donoghue :: told from the perspective of a five year old boy, room tells the story of a boy and his mother living life in a single tiny room.  the only other person jack has ever seen, other than his mother, is old nick, the man who brings them food and clothing every few days.  dark and disturbing, you would think beautiful things could not be seen in these pages, but there are moments of joy and the realtionship between jack and his mother is inspiring.  she refuses to let jack suffer the feelings of imprisonment she faces and tries her hardest to create a childhood for jack.

the host by stephenie meyer :: you'll have to bear with me during the summer months, as this is when i get the chance to read some of the trashiest young adult fiction.  the host is by the authour of twilight, but is an incredibly different book.  no vampires this time around, now we have aliens.  i'm not usually one for science-fiction, but i quickly became hooked on this storyline.  a super race of aliens take over the souls of humans on earth, and only a few real humans remain.  this is another great beach read...and a real page-turner.

so once again, i'd love to hear what books i absolutely must read.  with lots of beach weekends and lake vacations coming up, i need a lot of literature to get me through the summer.  do you have a recommendation for me?

wily wiley reads.

the hunger games by suzanne collins :: oh my, how do i start here?  do i maybe have an affinity towards young adult fiction?  the answer is yes.  if it's meant for an eighth grader than i will most likely fall deeply in love with it.  after harry potter and twilight i knew i needed a new fix.  the hunger games were the answer to my prayers.  thrown into a futuristic world, the hunger games introduces you to an amazing cast of characters.  katniss, peeta and gale will be the new bella, edward and jacob in no time.  i am warning you that you will need to buy all three at once and you won't be able to put any of them down.  the hunger games gives you a perfect opportunity to get to know the storyline and characters...which you will need throughout your journey through this series.


chasing fire by suzanne collins :: this is a continuation of my above pseudo-review.  really i just want you all to go out and buy these books so we can all go see the movies together next year.  i don't want to give anything away, so i have to stop typing about this...before i start blabbing.

the help by kathryn stockett :: this book deserves every ounce of credit it has been given.  i could not put this book down.  the characters are so deeply written and having skeeter as the story's protagonist only helped me in forging my connection to the book.  skeeter is such an honest woman who is dealing with all of the things girls of that time, and today, have to face.  the novel discusses some of the most difficult parts of segregation, but by giving the characters around the dilemma voices and ideas, the reader is able to gauge his or her own feelings on right and wrong.  i thought it was a beautiful story of love, growing up and standing up for what you believe in.  please go pick this one up.  i'll bet you a dollar you'll love it!

another bullshit night in suck city by nick flynn ::  another recommendation from lin.  this one was such a winner.  nick flynn is so honest, like someone you met in college.  he tells the story of his life and the current disconnect he feels from his father.  with a lot of information on homelessness and homeless shelters, i found it to be informative.  it is only through the combination of this information and a son's story of his homeless father that the book begins to make sense.  i feel so jumbled in my feelings on this book.  the struggles that nick feels often brought up a pain that hit close to home, but i loved the book.  nick flynn is a genious.  read this...mostly if you live in boston.

now that i've given you an update on what i've been reading,  i would love to hear what you've been reading.  summer is coming and i will need at least a book a week, so there is some pressure here, my friends.  i'm currently reading steve martin's born standing up, but don't have anything else on the bookshelf for the next read.  please please please give me your recommendations.

thanks, loves!

wily wiley reads.

     it's been a few weeks since a 'wily wiley reads' post on the blog.  once the weather gets warmer i tend to read a whole lot more.  i actually finished these four books almost a month ago, but haven't gotten around to writing them all up.  since finishing the four books above, i've devoured two more wonderful reads, which will come in the next installment of this series.  writing these reviews is one of my favorite parts of my blog and i'd love to find out whether this is something others enjoy.  i'm also up for any ideas on how i could do it a bit differently.  i'd love to hear your feedback.

her last death by susanna sonnenberg :: this may be one of the most compelling memoirs i have ever read.  it was only after about 150 pages that i realized the book was a work of non-fiction and i found it hard to believe the tales i was reading could be true.  the story of a woman trying to live outside of her mother's shadow, sonnenberg's account of her childhood is both fascinating and appalling.  her mother is a charasmatic and beautiful woman who is as lovely as she is troubled and sonnenberg tells the stories of drug abuse, seduction and a mother-daughter relationship filled with complications.  i would absolute recommend this memoir.

bossy pants by tina fey :: i will try my hardest not to go on and on about how much i love tina fey.  she might be the most perfect woman ever.  this book is hysterical!  her self-deprecation and bizarre sarcasm fall perfectly in line with my own.  the book starts with with tina fey recalling the awkward days of her youth and continues into her television days.  if you're a 30 rock, saturday night live, or just plain old comedy fan, this is the book for you.

vanishing and other stories by deborah willis ::  i have to admit that i rarely enjoy modern books of short stories.  my friend lin encouraged me to give this one a try and promised that it would exceed my expectations.  it did.  willis tells stories in a way that made me feel like she understood things i had never heard another person verbalize.  her writing is raw and honest.  many of the stories talk about loss, death and disconnection.  i reread a number of the passages because they mirrored emotions and feelings that brought back memories from some of my own experiences.  a great read for quick stories before bedtime or on the way to work.

the memory keeper's daughter by kim edwards :: this is another great example of a bestseller that i'm years behind on reading.  edwards tells the story of a doctor who is forced to deliver his own baby on the night of a blizzard.  it is only during the delivery that he realizes he is delivering twins and that one of the twins was born with down syndrome.  the doctor sends the baby away and tells his wife that she died at birth.  little does he know that the nurse he gives the task of transporting the baby to an institution actually takes the baby and raises it as her own.  the book goes on to explain how the lives of all of those involved in this stormy night are changed forever.  i found the story slow at some points and didn't find myself truly engaged by some of the major characters.  overall, i did think it was a great story and i loved the descriptive nature of the writing and the way the story moved through the decades.

     as always, i would love to hear your recommendations for good reads.  next on my list are the help and the hunger games.  what have you read lately?  what do i need to read?