There I was, home at last, free from all the chains that had bound me at school. No computer, no line of boys stretching around the corner to keep me entertained (more because my parents would have been suspicious than anything else; I�d hate to think I�ve lost my mojo at the tender age of eighteen); just forty hours a week at a pizza place and regular access to the local branch of the public library. So I decided to assuage my guilt for having read exactly one book for pleasure during this previous semester by knocking out fifteen tomes in the thirty days I spent at home.
Somehow (because no computer and no boys make Pat something something) thirty days became twenty-three and fifteen books were whittled down to eight. I may have checked fifteen books out from the library during those twenty-three days, and perhaps it is unrealistic to expect to read a book and a half a day while working a full-time job and keeping up with daytime TV�s late-breaking developments, but regardless, I�m proud of myself for having read this much. The list in review:
Timepiece
Richard Paul Evans
The second book in Evans� Christmas Box trilogy, Timepiece is a period piece which elaborates on the background of Mary Anne Parkin, the widow we were introduced to in the first book. It is the tale of her courtship with David Parkin, their ensuing marriage, and the tragic death of their young daughter. Excerpts from David�s diary are peppered throughout the story, providing a valuable first-person element to the story. My memory is a little rusty, as it�s been a year since I finished the first book, but I liked this one better. That might be part of the reason I�m saving the third installment for next Christmas.
The Second Time Around
Mary Higgins Clark
Clark, �America�s favorite suspense writer,� can apparently do no wrong. The latest mystery weaves the tale of a man on the brink of curing cancer whose mysterious disappearance has nearly driven his company to bankruptcy. The intertwined tales of Carley DeCarlo, a financial reporter with a vague familial connection to Spencer who is investigating his disappearance, and Ned Cooper, an investor whose wife was killed as an indirect result of the fallout, and who embarks on a killing spree in an attempt to make things right. The narrative flows smoothly along and, in true Clark fashion, comes together neatly at the end. If all my vacation reading were as easy as this, I�d have had no problem knocking out that thirty books.
Find Me
Rosie O�Donnell
I�ll admit I read this book once before. It kept me company on a plane ride one summer, which should give one an indication that it�s not terribly long, unless I strike you as the sort of person who could afford to take a twenty-hour flight to Australia. According to Amazon, it�s 224 pages, but it seemed shorter. It should first be said that I am a huge fan of Rosie O�Donnell, and I can almost hear her reading this book aloud, telling the tragic tale of a fourteen year old girl who called her adoption center after being raped. It is an absorbing tale about how the two bond together in a time of great personal crisis and how a woman who would appear to have it all comes to some telling realizations about herself by an unlikely avenue. This is another perfect vacation book.
Beyond Control: ABC and the Fate of the Networks
Huntington Williams
My first foray into recreational nonfiction in quite a while, Beyond Control tells the story of the broadcast networks: their emergence, rise, and inevitable downfall at the hands of cable television and the executives themselves. Full of amusing tales (ABC had psychic Beverlee Dean on the payroll as a programming consultant for a time; sex, drugs, and alcohol were at one point fair game for on-the-clock execs) and exhaustive industry details, Beyond Control exposes the dark side of working in television, reminding the reader that at the end of the day, it is, like everything else, a business.
Uncharted Lives: Understanding the Life Passages of Gay Men
Stanley Siegel and Ed Lowe, Jr.
The nonfiction train chugs along with an examination of the male coming out process. Author and psychologist Siegel tells his own story of coming out at forty-five and breaking up his marriage to follow his true desires. The book examines the various stages of the process and emphasizes that men will go through them in a seemingly random order, sometimes never completing a step or steps. It was a good insight into my own life and the lives of the boys around me, but it�s ten years old and it could stand to be updated.
Kitchen Privileges: A Memoir
Mary Higgins Clark
When, exactly, did she have time to knock out a memoir? Probably at five in the morning on the typewriter in her kitchen, just like old times. Clark tells her own story like she tells every story: well. It is a fascinating tale of a girl who grew up in New York and literally made her dreams come true. Her graceful, flowing style lends itself well not only to mysteries but also to an autobiographical jaunt. I think I�m officially done pretending that I don�t read her books. In fact, I�m now fired up to read Mount Vernon Love Story, which is actually the first work she ever produced, but which most of the world was unaware of until only recently. Long live the queen.
The Funny Thing Is...
Ellen DeGeneres
After a few years of being completely off the radar, Ellen is back on top. Last summer�s HBO comedy special, her voiceover role in Finding Nemo, the season�s number-one new daytime talk show, and a book to boot; is there anything she hasn�t done? This is actually DeGeneres� second book; the first was published in the mid-nineties. I almost read it this summer. This collection of short comedic essays is quick, easy, and funny reading. Say what you will, but Ellen is good at what she does. If you saw Here and Now on HBO, you�ll recognize some of the material, particularly in the second half of the book. Either way, it�s worth a look, even if you�ve only got a few hours to kill at the airport or in the waiting room at the dentist�s office.
Bushwhacked: Life in George W. Bush�s America
Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose
This winter may hold the record for most nonfiction books I ever read in a month. The final book in my holiday octet is pure, unadulterated Bush-bashing. The same authors penned Shrub during the 2000 election to warn America about the path of destruction Dubya left behind him in Texas on his way to the White House. Using real people�s stories, the authors examine in detail the first years of the second Bush�s presidency: rape of the environment, kowtowing to the corporate investors who funded his campaign, crippling the education system by cutting funding for his own No Child Left Behind program. The list goes on and on for three hundred pages. Ivins� wit and clear disdain for Bush make the reading a treat � provided you�re not a fan of the man Princess Sherry has so endearingly nicknamed Butt Monkey. Undecided about whether to reelect the man? Perhaps you�ve been living under a rock since 2001. This book will catch you up. And even if you love Bush (and therefore need to be on medication), it�s worth it just for the picture on the front cover.
There it is, a review of everything I pored over in between shifts and holiday festivities. I figured it was about time I stopped gushing abstractly about reading and sort of gave a glimpse of what specifically I like to read. Perhaps it will help you better understand my own personal brand of crazy.
Someone got here by searching for: simpsons homer every penny. squeeze it! And: what does sex mean to me And: jelly sandwich love music Reading: Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business, for real this time. It's another easy read and seriously, what is up with me and nonfiction these days? Listening to: Showcore Watching: Love, Actually. It really was funny, even considering the fact that Hugh Grant was in it. "They're going to kill Aurelia!" "Cool!" Eating: Oatmeal raisin cookies.
