Movie to come!

I’m not even sure where to start when describing One Day by David Nicholls.  Ultimately, it’s a story about the friendship between Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley.  Some people have referred to it as a love story but I’m not sure that I agree.  Nicholls introduces us to Dex and Emma on July 15^th, 1988 which happens to be the night they meet.  The book follows the ups and downs of their relationship for the next 20 years.  The interesting part of this is that each chapter is set on July 15^th of the next year.  Initially, I was worried that I’d feel like I was missing large portions of their lives and friendship but that wasn’t the case.  Nicholls does a fantastic job of pushing the story forward by leaving each chapter with a slight cliffhanger and starting the next chapter smoothly filling in the gap.  Nicholls successfully details the separate lives of each character while also explaining the state of Emma and Dex’s relationship.  This allows their relationship to evolve by creating very well rounded characters.  I found myself totally engaged in the story and feeling the sort of drive to start the next chapter that you get when reading a James Patterson novel.  Luckily for me, that push was followed by a bit more meat to the chapter than a typical Patterson.  As I mentioned before, it’s often described as a love story (and it’s being kind of marketed as one for the movie version coming out in August) but I think I might describe it more as a burning friendship.  Maybe that is a better description of love anyway?  I guess I just really enjoyed their friendship and never really saw the desperate need for them to end up being in love.  I do admit that their love story compelled me a bit more over the last 3 chapters than in the rest of the book.  Overall, I highly recommend it as a summer read.  It’s engaging, different, and the characters are really well written.  If you’re looking for a full fledged romance, this might not be it.  Then again, maybe you’ll see more of the romance than I did.  Anne Hathaway will star in the movie version as Emma Morely so I'm expecting it will get a decent amount of press in August. 

Heads You Lose

Lisa Lutz is one of my favorite new mystery writers. I love her Spellman Files series, so I was a bit disappointed when she decided to take a break from the Spellmans and work on a new project. Heads You Lose is her new novel that she co-authored with ex-boyfriend David Hayward. They took a tag-team approach to writing the novel: Lisa wrote one chapter, David wrote the next. The result is a mildly entertaining, forgettable novel that is no substitution for the Spellmans.

Lacey and Paul Hansen are pot-growing siblings living in a small town in northern California. When a headless body shows up on the Hansen property, Lacey begins investigating. Soon, more characters are turning up dead. To be honest, it was hard to keep it all straight and I don't even remember who the real killer ended up being. After each chapter, Lisa and Dave exchange notes on their disagreements of where the novel is headed. This was entertaining for a little while, but quickly grows old. It was hard to tell if their bickering was meant to be amusing or if it was real. I also started getting annoyed with Lisa, who didn't follow the "yes, and..." process.* She seemed to squash all of Dave's attempts to take the novel in any direction other than where she wanted it to go. So why write with a partner then? In Dave's defense, I liked his writing and his character development. I think what killed it for me was the audio narration. Normally I love audiobooks, and the two narrators have beautiful voices, but their characters were driving me nuts. First, I believe the novel is set in northern California. So, why all the southern accents? Second, I realize that some of the characters are pot growers, but the stoned, surfer-dude voices were really annoying.

I admire Lisa for wanting to try something different, for not wanting to rest on her laurels and beat the Spellman series into the ground, but I don't think this venture hits the mark. Hopefully the Spellmans will be back soon.

*"Yes, and..." is an improv technique where the participant accepts the direction their partner takes and builds on it. Learned that from Tina Fey's Bossypants. Smartypants, aren't I?

Could there be more Harry Potter?

Galleycat is reporting that J.K. Rowling has launched a website called Pottermore and a YouTube video that indicates that Rowling will be making some kind of announcement in less than 6 days. Rowling's spokesperson claims that there will not be another Harry Potter book, but why would she name the site Pottermore if it had nothing to do with Harry? Could it be a series with James? Adventures of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs? She better not be toying with my emotions!

What do you think will be the big announcement?

Happy Bloomsday!

It is with a heavy heart that I face Bloomsday today. Over the past year I have participated in an ongoing discussion group of Joyce's famous novel Ulysses. The Evanston Public Library led Mission Impossible: Ulysses, which met over the course of the year, reading the lengthy, intimidating novel in pieces. I attended the meetings and struggled my way through most of the book, but I admit: I didn't finish it. They had great mugs made up, but I felt I didn't deserve one. Not only did I not finish, but I didn't love it. From the first page I struggled with the book. I used annotations, cliff notes, and other books about the book, yet it was impenetrable. It was like reading something in a foreign language. The cliff notes basically translated enough so that I could get the gist of the story and could follow along with the discussions, but I'm left still wondering why this is considered such a great novel. One of the best novels of the 20th century? I don't know. I did re-read Joyce's Dubliners, which I read in college and remembered loving. I was worried that I wouldn't like it this time around, considering the terrible time I was having with Ulysses, but I loved it just as much, and perhaps more, the second time. I guess what gets me the most is that despite the fact that I spent the last year with this book, I don't feel like I can actually cross it off my bucket list of books.

Beyond the Grave: Michael Crichton

I thought Michael Crichton's Pirate Latitudes (2009) would be the last book we had from him, since he died in 2008. But EarlyWord is reporting that another Crichton book will be released on November 22nd. Crichton had finished one third of the novel at the time of his death. Richard Preston (the author of The Hot Zone) finished the novel. Preston seems to be the perfect choice for the job. Most of his books, although fiction, read just like a Crichton novel.

In Micro a group of graduate students are lured to Hawaii to work for a mysterious biotech company specializing in micro-robotics. Conflict with the head of the company leaves the group fighting for their lives when they find themselves physically transformed and cast out into the rain forest, with only their scientific expertise and wits to protect them. Should be another great edge-of-your-seat thriller!

Maybe It's My Psychology Degree...

I recently read a review of Henry's Demons by Patrick Cockburn and Henry Cockburn that inspired me to go pull the book off our shelves.  To be honest, it only got a semi-decent review but it sounded so interesting I had to check it out.  Henry's Demons is written mainly by Patrick Cockburn with a couple chapters by his son Henry interspersed.  The book details Henry's decent into schizophrenia shortly after his 20th birthday.  Patrick and his wife, Jan, had noticed slight changes in Henry's behavior but when Henry suffered a breakdown that nearly killed him, they realized it was more than they could handle.  Patrick describes the cycles of Henry's hospitalizations, his escapes, subsequent panic stricken searches, and the painful realization that Henry's mental illness was taking over their lives.  Patrick also spends a substantial amount of time discussing the difficulties in diagnosing and treating schizophrenic patients as well as the lack of knowledge as to what causes the illness.  Henry's chapters allow him to describe the mental breakdowns and actions from his point of view.  The point of view of the mentally ill is both heartbreaking and fascinating at the same time.

I don't know if it's the fact that I have a degree in Psychology or what but I LOVED this book!  I was really interested in their family dynamics as well as the symptoms of schizophrenia.  In addition, I felt like Patrick Cockburn brought up some very interesting points without explaining them completely.  Instead of being aggravated by feeling like I didn't have enough information, I found myself arguing possible causes for the points he was making.  I also felt the desire to do research into schizophrenia and its treatment history.

I've found myself recommending it to everyone partly because I found it interesting and partly because I want someone else to talk to about it! Someone! Pick up this book and then talk to me about it!

Puppy Madness

I picked up the book Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love by Larry Levin last week because the silly puppy face on the cover was begging me to read it.  I've always been a fan of the sentimental pet books and thought this would be right up my alley.  I expected an heart wrenching story of how Oogy was disfigured as a bait dog, the background on what generally happens to rescued dog fighting dogs, and the wonderfully sappy story of how Oogy has puppy kissed his way into the Levin family's heart.  I was kind of right.  The Levin family absolutely adores Oogy and he seems to be an incredibly resilient dog.  Unfortunately, there wasn't much else to the story.  I actually just kept thinking "They let this dog get away with anything!".  Oogy behaves like every other dog out there, which is great considering he could easily be a bomb waiting to explode after the treatment he's endured.  So, there's something to be said for his sweet personality.  After all, it also got him some air time on Oprah.  But, it just isn't enough to keep a book entertaining.  I mean, I didn't even cry at the end! Not a single tear!  If that doesn't tell you something about the lack of emotional interest in this story, I don't know what will.