Saturday, January 1, 2011

Books. It's what's for dinner.

I have been reading like a crazy lady and now that I have a nook..... any hopes my family had that I'd be hanging out with them more.. those are pretty much gone. Luckily I can play Barbies and read at the same time. It's kind of hard to play Batman and Superhero and read unless I can convince Jackson to make Batman a werewolf or vampire. So far.. that hasn't happened.

But here's what I have finished up bitches:

Lament (book one) and Ballad (book two) - Maggie Stiefvater
Ballad: A Gathering of FaerieLament: The Faerie Queen's Deception

I have said it before and I will say it again- Maggie Stiefvater is one of my favorite writers. These were her first two books (before Shiver, Linger, and soon to be released Forever) and reading these after Shiver and Linger only make it more obvious that she is a fantastic writer getting better with each book.

I will say of the two... I loved Lament and was kind of so-so with Ballad. They were similar... but vastly different at the same time. Both books have a weak main character (meaning that they aren't very confident, aren't really a heroine, etc) and a very strong personality counter-part trying to woo them into the world of Faerie. While I was disappointed in Lament's ending... it wasn't what I wanted... I was surprised with Ballad's ending. And after I read it I decided it was what I did want but didn't know it. Does that make sense? Probably not. :) But both books are really fast reads and for being Young Adult novels, they keep an adult entertained.

Scar Tissue- Anthony Kiedis
Scar Tissue










This book was actually given to me by one of my favorite people, Mr. O, (who is having a great 2010 music countdown of singles and albums so you should check that out) and he's not a big reader. When I got the book my first impression was "holy shit- this is long for an autobiography for someone who isn't dead yet" because this baby checks in at 465 pages. I mean, dang.

And I'm not an ubber Red Hot Chili Peppers fan like a lot of people are. I appreciate their music, I'd like to see them live, but I'm not a die hard. But I do know the basic background of how the band got started and how they have evolved mostly from the repeat episodes of Behind the Music on VH1. And I knew Anthony was a recovering addict of many things.

So overall... I would give this book... 3 out of 5 stars. Which... I want to originally give it 2 but then I feel like 2 is harsh, so I'm going with 3. And I say this for a few reasons and I think these are all based on me being picky as shit about books lately. When I finished the book I wondered (out loud at approximately 2 am and only Stumpy seemed to care) was, why write the book when you are no where near recovered? Where the books ends he's just coming off a binger. And I think that's stupid. I mean.. if you're going to write a book about addiction and recovery, at least do it when you've been sober for awhile, not just a matter of weeks. I also found myself getting so fucking frustrated because he'd be doing so well and bam! Off the wagon for literally no reason. I honestly felt like bitch slapping him myself. I felt like he didn't really want to get sober and stay that way if he kept throwing himself into the positions where he knew he'd relapse. I mean, it's one thing to think you'd be able to handle it, it's totally another when he's blatantly like, "I knew I couldn't be around her but I didn't care". Um, yeah. No sympathy homie.

I also wondered if he ever really resolved clear issues with his father and if he was ever really able to recognize that his father put him on this path. And I found it endearing to me how his mother just kept trying and it was obvious she was above her head on his addiction but she tried and she seemed supportive.

Probably the most interesting part of the book was reading about the band and how it all centered around addiction. Oh! And I was kind of put off at how very little was said about Hillel Slovak's death. Anthony went into exquisite detail on their friendship but then it was just like, "And then Hillel died.. and we had to get a new member." Really? I don't know if it was because he wasn't able to discuss it for whatever reason- but it came off as cold. It's like he went into detail about how stupid and mundane things played a role in his addiction but he doesn't really talk about Hillel and his death and the role that played into future decisions. It felt like a loose end for me.

So. That's that. BUT I will say that if you are a fan of memoirs, if you like RHCP, if you like Anthony, if you like books about addiction/recovery, or want to learn an insane amount of information about drugs- this book is for you!
**

I have two reviews for TLC Book Tours coming up in January for you, Under the Mercy Trees by Heather Newton, and Drinking Closer to Home by Jessica Anya Blau. I'm kind of excited to review these for you because I think a bunch of you will like at least one, maybe both. And right now I'm really struggling on reading A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley. A friend told me it was great and I'm almost half way through it and I'm kind of frustrated. But I feel like everything is going to start moving pretty quickly in the book so we'll see. Maybe it won't bomb on me.

And beyond that.. oh man. I have two books I'm jazzed about. One is Waiter Rant which I *think* is a true story, and the other is Driving With Dead People which I know is a true story. I paid next to nothing with them on Barnes & Noble clearance (they are still in there- get them and we'll read together) so even if they aren't great that's ok. But both sound good just by the title. :)

Ok. So tomorrow I'll be back with a rant. You wouldn't have me any other way.

But I ask you- what have you read lately that sucked chunks and what rocked your balls?

6 comments:

Krysten @ Why Girls Are Weird said...

Well you know I love Maggie Stiefvater so I need to request those books from the library. And Scar Tissue sounds good too! My reading list is getting way too long again.

Oh and Red Hot Chili Peppers are AWESOME live btw.

Danielle said...

I'm hoping that the Nook is going to make me read different things and genres because there are a lot of cheap books on there and the ones that I read are all at least $8 a piece so those will have to wait!! I'm open to any suggestions anyone has!!! Love all the reading you've been doing lately, girly! Good for you!

Anonymous said...

I read Water for Elephants and it wwas wonderful by Sara Gruen.! Next was Room by I can't remember but will look it up and I couldn't put it down. Now im reading A Dirty life by Kristen kimball and its great true story so far. I got a kindle for my birthday and have never read so much. My fav gift ever!

middle child said...

I loved Stephen King's "The Dome". I haven't really read a book I hated because I'll give any book about 30 pages and either give it up or if I'm not sure,..I will read another chapter or 2. Do you have a quitting point?

Nyx said...

I loved Shiver. One of my favs. If you're into young adult reading, you might wanna check out Looking for Alaska, by John Green. All of his books are well-written, but I liked that one the most.

Unknown said...

I just finished (as in 30 minutes ago) Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher. If you're a Young Adult lit fan, you'll love it, it was great. The two BEST series I've read this year are both YA. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins...AMAZING. I checked them out of the library & now I'm going to have to buy them and Graceling by Kristin Cashore and it's companion book Fire. I bought it for people for Christmas because I loved it so much.