The Reader...good book...glad I didn't go see the movie.

Well, I just got back from a great vacation from Tennessee. I went to visit an old BookSpan (from back when it was Doubleday Book & Music Club) friend, Sheila. I traveled with another friend, and former BookSpan (aka Doubleday Direct) employee, Erika. (All this is irrelevant to my book review, just giving context.)

Anyway, after Madame Bovary, my reading material had dried up, so first thing after getting a sandwich at the airport, I stopped in the bookstore to pick up a good read.

I was drawn to Wally Lamb's book, THE HOUR I FIRST BELIEVED, but thought it was a bit too long for a vacation book (I DO plan to read it at some point).




So, I turned to the paperback bestsellers and there was THE READER by Bernhard Schlink. Two seconds later I was at the counter, making my purchase. Erika said to me, "Don't you just want to see the movie?" and I forgot my exact answer, but I pretty much said, "no."

I finished 80% of the book on the plane. Its a story of a young boy growing up in Europe in the 40's, who encounters this woman and they develop a strange relationship and he falls in love and they become each other's world, until one day she disappears. Years later, they are reunited under the strange circumstances...and the story unfolds from there.




Lots of sex, lots of reading...and that's about it. I am not quite sure how THE READER works as a movie, though I hear it got good reviews, but I think I am pretty happy with just reading the book. I left it in Tennessee with a rating of 3 of 5 stars.



"How was Tennessee," you ask??? Great. I had the best time ever. From the Peabody Hotel, watching the ducks march up a red carpet into a fountain, to Peanut Butter and Banana sandwiches at Graceland, hanging out at Sun Studios, to Fried Chicken at Gus's to a day trip to Nashville, a side trip to Walmart, and the Rock and Roll Hall of fame....it was FANTASTIC. I had lots of laughs with Sheila and Erika. And best of all, now I can check a few more items off my 1001 places to Visit Before You Die to-do list.





And...most important of all, I picked up my latest read...CARELESS LOVE: The unmaking of Elvis Presley.



I found this treasure in Sun Studios. Erika, Sheila and I stopped here right after Graceland. Its the studio where Elvis made his first recording and the home of many other singing greats. We liked the place so much, that after a fantastic tour, we hung out in the gift shop for another 30 minutes or so, and had coffee and ice cream shakes.



I had been searching for an Elvis biography in the shops at Graceland, but couldn't find anything good... While I was waiting for my shake to be made, I found this book and bought it on the spot.




I've been reading this book since I got home from Tennessee last week. The book references many of Elvis's songs and movies, and the best part of technology today is that at a click of a button, I can experience it all. Not only can I see how much weight Elvis gained from movie to movie, but I can hear how beautiful he sang a particular song the author mentioned. The book really comes to life with this extra media support from YouTube. It just takes me a little longer than if I tried to read the book straight through.

Here is my favorite clip of all...I only wish I could see the outtakes...


Dog's Life. - Watch the best video clips here

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY and POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY...its a mouthful....but is damn good!

So I just finished this "blue ribbon" beauty, THE GUERNSEY LITERARY and POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY. Sharon sure knows how to pick 'em. It was cute, funny, romantic and charming. The authors, Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows do a wonderful job of telling a story though letters. I liked this book a lot. I give it 4 of 5 stars. This book is currently 3 on the NYT bestseller. NICE.




I'm working through the Jeffery Deaver...been driving to work, so its slow going!

Reading like CRAZY! Loving the latest from Book Angel

Well Book Angel struck gold this time with WHAT THE DEAD KNOW by Laura Lippman I know it is good storytelling because I am reading it every chance I get.

A driver who flees a car accident on a Maryland highway breathes new life into a 30-year-old mystery—the disappearance of the young Bethany sisters at a shopping mall—after she later tells the police she's one of the missing girls.

PEOPLE...It doesn't get better than that... Probably a few more days of reading to go...I'll let you know if the end is as good as the beginning.








In case you are wondering, Dolly's book is coming along...I hope this is the weekend to finish. I need to read through the book, provide my final comments and get the final draft out for review.

Hey...anyone reading Mediawiredaily.com lately? Bertelsmann is a hot topic. Really not missing my Bspan days.

What a Blessing: THE BIG BOOK OF WOMEN SAINTS by Sarah Gallick

Here's a book written by a friend of mine (and a former coworker from BookSpan), Sarah Gallick. The book published back in April. I've been meaning to write about it for some time, but it is not the type of book you read in one sitting. I like to keep it by the bedside and pick it up now and again for inspiration.

Sarah had been talking about this book for a few years and I couldn't wait for her to finish. The topic of saints always interested me simply based on the amount of work it takes for a person to be canonized. It is quite a process. I love reading stories about people who were not always perfect, but somehow were touched by god and make a lasting impact on humanity (usually, but not always through martyrdom).

Its quite a lovely book. There on 365 woman saints to read about. One for every day. Each page highlights a saint, provides the back story, and interesting factoid, as well as a quote for reflection. Its a easy way to find inspiration when you need it most. I've bought it for several friends as gifts. It would also be a great confirmation gift. I highly recommend (and I am not just saying that becuase Sarah is a friend of mine) I mean it. I give it 5 of 5 stars.




On a side note: I had dinner with Sarah and another friend of ours, Ellen Clark, at a FANTASTIC place in Downtown Manhattan on Stone Street called Adrienne's Pizza Bar. When I say fantastic, I mean fantastic. I am from Staten Island, it is very rare that I am impressed by pizza anywhere else. This pizza is TO DIE FOR. The street was adorable. Check out Citysearch for more info.

My reading list...REPLENISHED

Yippee!

First, I find my current read ADAM RUNAWAY by Peter Prince on my bookshelf. I don't know where it came from (most likely a BookSpan discard shelf), but I know I haven't read it before. I just started it today, and its good.

Then, I get a package with 2 more books: MARLEY & ME by John Grogan and LOST & FOUND by Jacqueline Sheehan. So excited. (Just yesterday I was complaining that I had NOTHING TO READ). I won't say who sent the package...but she's a little book angel with the intials ET.

Suprise read - THE ROAD by Cormack McCarthy

I've pretty much worked through my collection of reads from the old job at BookSpan. This was one of the books that I put on my bookshelf, and forgot about. I read all the "good stuff." Then I got a little desperate. In one last search of the house, I found THE ROAD by Cormack McCarthy. I have absolutely no idea why I picked up this book to begin with--The cover is extremely boring (mine didn't have the Oprah logo), and I never heard of the author, although he has written 9 or so previous novels. With no other choice, this once overlooked book was now a treasure, that would entertain me for my next few bus rides. Why all the backstory? It sort of fits with the book.




THE ROAD is a story of survival. A man and his son traveling through a burnt out America with whatever they can carry in their backpacks and an old shopping cart. They travel through a blackend landscape and head south where it is warmer. Along the way, they find abandoned, ransacked homes, which they search for some left overs rotten food, drops of oil, dirty blankets to help them survive. Items long discarded were now treasures. People are willing to kill for them.

This book reminds me of my recent read SEEING by Jose Saramago. Not only because they are both stories that explore what happens when people must do what they have to do to survive, but also because of the unique style in which they were written.

I give this surprise read, THE ROAD by Cormack McCarthy, 4 out of 5 stars. I know I am in good company...Oprah liked it too.

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I'mmmmmm Back to blogging

I'm now free - For over a month- from BookSpan (they were taken over by BMG) and on to bigger and better things. The drama of that place could be a blog in itself. I'm just happy to get out while I could.

Anyway, I can no longer get free books, which means I can be a little pickier in my selection.

Here's some of the better books I have read.

The Pursuit of Happyness - Chris Gardner

I picked this book on my way to China. I read it on the long plane ride home. I had seen Chris Gardner on Oprah and I was very interested in his story. I didn't get to see the movie, but I very much enjoyed the book and was inspired by Gardner's ability to make a better life for himself, even with the deck stacked against him. It was a testament that you don't have to be a slave to circumstance. And you can beat the system. LOVED IT 3 stars.


SHANTARAM by Gregory David Roberts

A friend of mine told me about this book while I was in China in January. It is a BIG BOOK. I think about 700 pages, but I loved it. It was written by an ex-con who escaped from jail in Australia, fled to India, worked his way through the underworld, and was finally caputured in Germany. He wrote this (Semi-Autobiographical) novel while he was in jail. Apparently, several times as some of his versions were destroyed. I couldn't put this book down. If I left it at the office, I would go back to get it. I brought it to bed with me. It felt like I wasn't making a dent until the last 100 pages. When I got there, I didn't want it to end. I usually drop my books at the salvation army. This one, I kept. 10 STARS. A MUST READ.




Seeing by Jose Saramago
This is a translation of a book written in Spanish. It deals with corruption in politics and what happens when 83% of its citizens cast blank ballots in a national election. It is a sequel to another book, called Blindness, which I haven't read, but I enjoyed it just the same. The story makes you think about what is happening here with the war in Iraq and how the government may have done to sway public opinion. I really makes you think. Highly recommended, but the writing style makes it a very slow read. 4 stars.



BookSpan

Warning: This book is POWERFUL

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom- I read this book a few years ago, but it touched me in a way I can barely understand today. It is a simple story. I started the book on the way home from work and just about finished it on my way back in the next day. By the time I got to my stop on 42nd street, I had about 5 pages left to go. I was a wreck. I had tears running down my face and I couldn't stop crying. I sat on one of the benches across from Radio City, and sat there and read to the end. It was 9:15 and I was late for work.

It wasn't the story itself, that was very simple. It was how the story made me think about my life and the people in it. Those who had been a part of my life for long periods of time, and those only for a fleeting moment. Was it my deceased Aunt that I took for granted, that I loved and hated at the same time? Was it my Granny who died when I was nine, someone who my mother loved so much that she cried when her parents told her that she could not take Granny out for a day in the park (because she was too sick)? Or Was it someone that I passed on the street who I never considered, was it someone I was mean to, without knowing I was being mean?

Anyway, I finally made it to work at BookSpan. I had to walk by my boss's office to get to mine. As I passed a few of my coworkers saw I was late, and I was upset. I closed my office door and collected myself. When I went into my boss's office a few minutes later, everyone in the room wanted to know if I was okay. I told them for the first time in my ten years reading books for this company, I cried. I had heard it happening to my colleagues, but never experienced it myself. I said: " You know this book...be careful, it is very powerful"


Three years later, The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom still touches me. I think about it often. This weekend when I volunteered in a nursing home serving Thanksgiving Lunch to seniors and their families. One woman asked me to help call her son who was picking her up, I got the front desk to make the call, hoping the number was a real number, it was, and she was so thankful. For me...Big deal, I made a phone call (to her it was a BIG DEAL).

Today I had dinner with a woman who was my HS English teacher, Dolly. She's was a character then, and hasn't changed in 15 years. I saw her at a recent poker event at my high school. A week later she calls me for dinner. I was shocked. We had a great time. She told me stories of her childhood and then read me chapters from a book she is writing. I felt so lucky. Big deal (to her and to me).

I think I gave my copy of the book away. I have to get another one. I think I want to read it again. THat's how powerful it is.

I read the latest by Mitch Albom, FOR ONE MORE DAY. I liked it, but not as impressed as this one. I give it a 2 out of 5. Albom did okay with this one.