NaBloPomo entry 3

My literary pet peeve: Abusive relationships that are glorified.

It didn't even register to me when I was younger, but as I've grown older this has become more and more troublesome to me. Who are the worst offenders imo:

1. Tolstoy- Anna Karenina is just rife with the dysfunction. It's hard for me to take the love story seriously because it just made me cringe the majority of the time.

2. Emily Bronte. Wuthering heights is a great example of a bad love story that is glorified to insane proportions. Kathy and Heathcliff are not a great love, they are not even a tortured love. They just don't belong together. They bring out he worst in each other. She's insufferable and He's a brooding asshole that needs to stay away from the female gender. His obsessive personality is also very off-putting.

3. The chick who wrote the Bronze Horsman. As I put in an earlier review, the relationship between Tania and pretty much everyone in her life is toxic and abusive to some extent. The physical violence that Alexander inflicts on her is not romantic. The parental abuse she suffers is not compelling. It's just a horrible message laced in OTT writing.

NaBloPoMo post 2

I wouldn't be a book nerd if I didn't have an entire pile of books in every corner. There are titles that I want to get to and haven't. Titles haven't reread in ages. So, what is my most treasured book or books?

I can't really pick a favorite, but these are well-worn titles that hold a special place in my heart.

1. Charlotte's Web. I have had it for years and kept it so I could read to maya and soon they will be passed on to the boys

2. Mansfield Park- Ahh Fanny Price, how I love thee. I can never seem to get enough of this girl.

3. Jane Eyre- My favorite gothic novel. I've read it more than 10 times and when I'm feeling in the mood I pick it up and re-read. It's especially good on a rainy spring day.

4. Three Cups of Tea-this is pretty much who I want to be. This man learnt so much about being a teacher, being an outsider and learning to respect other cultures

5. No Logo- I have the original copy signed by Naomi Klein whom I met at her at a Book Signing. She's kind of my hipster-activist spirit animal. A girl who believed you can never be too young or too old to fight the Man. The only female journalist allowed into Fallujah and one of a few Jewish journalists respected by Palestinian and other Muslim activists. I can drown on about why I love these titles.

NaBloPoMo Entry 1

On the suggestion of http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/ I am going to participate in NaBloPoMo which is basically posting everyday on your blog. I know I'm kind of slack, but the literary nature of my blog sorta limits me, I'll try my best.

So, today I want to talk about my favorite childhood series: The Hardy Boys.

1. I think I read book 5--the original 1950s-- when I was 8 or 9. I loved the adventure that the boys would have. I am seriously thinking of trying to find the original series for a good reread.

2. Nancy Drew. How can one really be a fan of the Hardy Boys and not like the intrepid Nancy Drew. She was funny and awkward and so fucking annoying. I am convinced Veronica Mars is based on her

3. Sweet Valley High--Ahh Jessica and Elizabeth. Who hasn't read this series? It was so cheesy and full of soapy drama that kids shouldn't be reading this drama. Although, I found Jessica fun, I always felt for Elizabeth. She was my spirit animal for so long.

4. The Encyclopedia Brown Books. Although this wasn't really a series per se, just individual cases starring the same kid, I think it still counts. I just loved it. I blame my addiction to spoilers on these books because I loved the interactive nature of the books and how you got to make choices alongside him.

Gone Girl Done Gone Cray Cray

Gone Girl-Gillian Flynn

This novel was a difficult read because the characters challenge you to like them. I am the type of reader that likes to be able to relate to at least one character in a book. Gone Girl makes this difficult because Amy and Nick are innately unlikable people. The are moments when you feel for the missing girl and other times where you are totally on Nick's side. Flynn's dialogue and writing style manages to make you want to keep reading even if you just want to throw the book in the trash. It's like watching a movie about people you really don't like, but you still can't keep your eyes off the screen. Flynn definitely takes you on a twisted journey into a very disturbed marriage. This novel gives one insight on a relationship between two people who have been putting on faces for each other. Flynn embarks on a discussion of relationships, sexuality and modern gender relations. Are all women merely pretending to be what men desire in order to win over the man they love. What happens when they stop pretending? Can we still be worthy of love. Amy has an extreme reaction to a heart-breaking reality. I'm not going to tell you what that is, but it would give away too much. This novel is like reaching inside the mind of a psychopath and sociopath. Can too crazy people build a life together or should they be together simply to save others from their insanity.

The Amy you are presented with at the beginning of the novel while flawed is still somewhat relatable, but 
as the author peels away her layers and you are introduced to the real Amy  you'll be shocked at who she really is. Nick has moments where you just want to hug him until you realize that he's been lying to the audience much like he lies to everyone in his life. The truth of who he is makes you wonder how anyone is capable of loving this man or if he is even capable of loving himself. Some of the more interesting themes in this novel include the construction of media images. The media plays such a key role in how Nick's image is framed and even makes the reader start to doubt his innocence. The author even pokes fun of Nancy Grace and her rabid desire to go after anyone who looks even remotely guilty. The representation of midnight vigils and the public desire to intrude on the lives of people they cannot truly understand. The author makes you wonder who is really crazy: the potential victim or the potential murderer.

The book is worth reading because it definitely challenges the reader to question how we see the world, 
marriage, the media and crime.

Talk of the town

A part of me is a little embarrassed to admit my love of romance novels, but they have been a part of my reading habits since I was a teen. While I enjoy the classics and YA, there is that part of me that still loves reading a good romance novel. Talk of the Town was an enjoyable read. It didn't deal with anything to heavy, but it's well written enough and covers all the typical cliches without running them through the ground. Roxie Tremayne decides to drastically change her looks after discovering that her divorce. She happened to catch her ex in bed with a man (the man was wearing her negligee). Her brother shows up and lets her know that their mother, the controlling Lilah Tremayne is ill, so they go back to their hometown of Glory, North Carolina. They bring along, Roxie's outspoken maid who may be the only one that can truly handle the ailing Lilah. On their way into town, they are stopped by Nick Sheppard (who also happens to be Roxie's ex). Nick is a former bad boy turned town sheriff. What makes this story interesting isn't the obvious romance between Nick and Roxie, but the group of oddballs that surround them. Nick's aunt clara and her murder mystery club which is really a gathering of elderly potheads. The group stumble upon what might be a legit murder. The dialogue will leave you in stitches and the murder mystery club is hilarious. There is nothing funnier than a group of elderly potheads addicted to CSI. They mystery subplot is nothing short of hilarious. The budding (or should I say continuing) romance is cute and is paralleled quite nicely by the one with the former Sheriff and Roxie's mother. Tundy is an excellent addition and the only person truly capable of handling the prickly Lilah. This is not a harlequin, but a well-written and smart romance. I definitely recommend it, if you're looking for something light to read. It's a great beach read.

I wanted to pimp a fellow blog run by two of my friends Susan and Shauna.

The Sister's Tale

They both are very witty and charming and avid readers of YA.

BBAW Day 4: Pimp That Book

I seem to be so behind my reading that it's really hard for me to pinpoint one book that hasn't already been recommended by others. I'm currently in the middle of reading Harry Potter while juggling my ever expanding list of books I want to read. So, the book I'm go to pimp is a little unusual because it's not fiction.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson.

http://www.threecupsoftea.com/

 It's basically about this man who goes to Afghanistan to help build schools, but the prose is so rich it almost feels like he's weaving a fictional tale. But, its an insight into a country and world that is so easily judged. I read this a few years ago and when I'm feeling philosophical, I pick it up and reread my favorite passages. It really is a wonder and it's the book I've chosen to pimp. The really cool thing about this book is that the there is a website devoted to this book. It's really inspiring and I'll stop now.