Book Review: Landline

I know this is a bookworm faux pas, but I've never read a book by Rainbow Rowell before. I actually wanted to read her others more than this one, but when I was on Audible trying to determine how to spend my credits, I was tempted by how much I love the cover of her newest novel, Landline. 

From what I understand, Rowell's previous novels were in the Young Adult genre. This one definitely felt adult to me. I wouldn't call it Adult Fiction/Literary Fiction, but maybe Chick-Lit? Probably most definitely Chick-Lit. The main character, I already forgot her name, is a writer for a popular sitcom. However, her dream has always been to be a writer for her own sitcom, which is a dream that she and her best friend Phil share. They finally have the opportunity during the Christmas season to have their show picked up, but they'll need to submit the scripts for four episodes over the course of, like, a week or so. This is great!! Butttt, she's supposed to be leaving for Omaha with her husband and two young daughters to spend Christmas with his mother. 

For some reason, the MC is shocked when her husband doesn't want to cancel the family's Christmas plans and stay in LA so she can write for her show. Instead, like a sane person who has probably just spent tons of money on plane tickets and is excited to see his mother, he takes the daughters and they proceed with the travel plans, leaving her behind to work. However, he's kinda a jerk and for some reason once he's in Omaha (actually once he's at the airport in LA) he never texts or calls her, like over the span of 10 days never once contacts his wife.

Meanwhile in LA, the MC can't even get her iPhone to work and she's in a horrible depression thinking she's made the wrong decision by following her dreams and not going to Christmas in Omaha with her family. So, she ends up living at her mom's house (which is closer to her job anyways) during the time her family is away. Lucky thing is, her mom has an old landline phone that she can use to call her husband. Odd thing is, whenever she calls her husband's mom's landline phone (remember he's not actually answering his cell phone for her) the Neal that picks up isn't the same Neal that left LA, it's college-aged Neal. The Neal she first met in the 90s.

So, this is a weird sort of time travel / Magical Realism type book. But, no one really time travels, she just calls the past somehow (which is never explained) with her magic landline phone. I liked the book, but I think if it wasn't an audiobook I probably would have been pretty bored by the story. It wasn't really exciting and I wasn't a big fan of any of the characters except her best friend and sister. I really couldn't bring myself to care about the MC's relationship. She and her husband (Neal) just didn't really seem right for each other or like they even liked each other that much. I really didn't understand why the MC was pining over this guy the whole time, he was a jerk, he had no personality, and other than when they were in college when he drove 27 hours to surprise her with an engagement, I don't recall anything romantic ever happening. 

All in all, I give Landline 3 out of 5 stars. I do plan to read Rainbow Rowell's previous novels, which will hopefully have more likable characters and better storylines.

Book Review: Columbine

When I saw that there was a book written about the Columbine High School shooting of 1999, I just had to read it. The horrific school shooting happened when I was in middle school and definitely changed the way my peers and I felt about our safety in school and "outsiders" on the fringes of our school's social structure. I feel like I certainly learned a lot about the shootings. Actually, pretty much everything I thought I knew was pretty much false (thanks to the media).

This book was super educational and it took a totally unbiased approach. Eric and Dylan, the two boys responsible for the school massacre, were brilliant to be honest. They were true masterminds and masters of deception. They weren't goths or fans of Marilyn Manson. They weren't even necessarily unpopular. They were just two regular guys, maybe a little on the shy side, but still totally normal. The book really does a great job at portraying this.

The author also has a unique writing style, especially in the sections dedicated to Eric and Dylan. He takes on the tone of an angsty teenage boy, it's almost like he's one of them. In the book you see the shooting, both the planning leading up to it and the aftermath, from the perspectives of the shooters, the victims, the survivors, the school system, law enforcement, and the media. It paints a very intricate and intriguing picture. 

I highly recommend this book if you're a fan of true crime novels or have a fascination with what drives seemingly normal people to kill. I give Columbine 4 out of 5 stars. It was VERY interesting.

Book Review: The Lonely Polygamist

I've been reading The Lonely Polygamist for what seems like forever and I have finally finished. I guess the problem is that I put it down for several months and kept meaning to get back to it. I think the biggest problem is that its sheer amount of characters and side stories is so overwhelming and the book itself is about 600 pages. 

The Lonely Polygamist is the story of Golden, or as one of his many sons calls him "Sasquatch", who is a man who joined a fundamentalist offshoot of the Mormon church. Everything about Golden is larger than life and he can't seem to control any of it. From his size (his son calls him Sasquatch for a reason) to his large family with so many kids (I want to say 24 but can't remember) that when one is in an accident he's not actually able to determine at first which one it is, but is positive it is one of his children. 

This book was pretty funny, it had a dry sense of humor to it. Even when the most serious, darkest things happen to the family members the writing somehow remains light yet poignant and tinged with humor. The members of this oversized, quirky family find themselves victims to affairs, bombs, death, and one troublemaking ostrich. I enjoyed this book, despite it's volume, and am giving it 4 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit

I wanted so bad to like this book. I loved Jeanette Winterson's hilarious and poignant memoir, Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal? This is basically that memoir, put into novel form and not 100% non-fiction. 

The main character, also called Jeanette, is adopted as baby into a strict Pentecostal household. Her adoptive mother believes that Jeanette will one day become a missionary and trains as a very young child for her "destiny" as a missionary. As a young adult, Jeanette begins several love affairs with women, thus causing her religious and family trouble. The book is told in a humorous, yet sincere manner.

So the problem for me, was the writing I think. It was very British. I know this sounds really ignorant, but it was hard to understand the language, just with the British English. For example, in one chapter, the word "mac" kept being used. I thought this was macaroni-and-cheese until the author speaks of putting it on. Sure, I could have Googled the British words I didn't know, but really while reading it's not really something I usually feel like doing since it disrupts the flow. There was also a lot of parables that disrupt the flow of the story. In the middle of the story at any given time she'll tell another short almost fairy-tale like story or might just insert what seem like small non-fiction essays. Just reflections on life.

Unfortunately, I'm going to give Oranges Are The Only Fruit 2 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: The Book of Mormon Girl

The Book of Mormon Girl is a memoir of growing up Mormon, but as an adult having political and cultural disagreements regarding the faith that you were raised in and love deeply. It's about juggling personal feelings about topics such as feminism and gay rights with the conservative doctrine and culture of one's own religion. Really, you don't have to be Mormon to enjoy The Book of Mormon Girl, anyone who has felt like they don't quite fit into their culture or upbringing could relate to Joanna Brook's struggle as a Mormon feminist and gay ally.

This book was of particular interest to me. I'm a Mormon convert and have only been in the church for about  a year. Growing up fairly secular, I too sometimes have a hard time agreeing or understanding certain aspects of Mormon culture. I, like Joanna Brooks, am a feminist and supporter of gay rights. I'm not as vocal or entwined in those subcultures, but it is scary to me that people who don't agree wholeheartedly with the church's views of cultural and political topics can be excommunicated. This is something the author is constantly worried about as she dearly loves the Mormon church. 

The book kept my interest for the most part. The writing wasn't always super interesting and was mostly her lamenting how hard it is to be a feminist/gay activist and be Mormon and how she doesn't fit in anymore. That's the point of the book, I guess, but at times she did come off as almost whiny and a little too poetic and sentimental. I also couldn't tell who the books intended market was. Was it Mormons or non-members? I'm thinking her target audience are fellow Mormons, as many of the things she talks about in the book in regards to the church aren't explained. Non-members would be highly-confused with so little explanation of Mormon jargon and traditions. Even I, as a member, albeit a convert, found things I had to look up.

The book is relatively short and sweet and with enough time and a good attention-span (which I lack... on both counts) could probably be read in a few hours. I'm a lover of memoirs and I especially love learning about different religions and cultures so I would recommend this book to others who enjoy the same subjects. I am giving The Book of Mormon Girl 3 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia

Women's History Month

Wasted is the memoir of Marya Hornbacher who at a very young age became bulimic. Her memoir is very gritty and raw and it doesn't seem like she sugarcoats (no pun intended) anything. No one (including the author) can really determine what caused her to start throwing up her food one day and then eventually starving herself to somewhere around 60-something pounds and the Horbacher doesn't really make excuses. 

Her anorexia and bulimia seemed to be some sort of control issue, but still what was she trying to control? It seemed like her life was pretty good compared to some, but I'm not going to say one type of person is more entitled to eating disorders than another. I just couldn't determine what actually was "wrong" with her life. The best I could determine was she was upset about going through puberty and developing a butt, boobs, and hips. It seemed to all spiral out of control from there.

I can't say the author was very likable (though she never tried to be) and I never felt sorry for her (though once again that never seemed to be the point of her memoir). It was hard to grasp that someone as intelligent and ambitious as the author put herself through all of this. I am giving Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia 3 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? Is the memoir of Jeanette Winterson who grew up in a strict Pentecostal household with a her super-religious adoptive mother and passive adoptive father. The memoir is about Jeanette's life growing up adopted and growing gay in such a religious household. 

Jeanette is both hilarious and raw and the reader gets the feeling she is being brutally honest about her life. This memoir is the story behind Winterson's hit novel Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit which was adapted into a BBC drama in 1990. I have not read Oranges, but from what I understand this does follow that story pretty-closely and the author herself does say that the book is semi-autobiographical. Since finishing this book, I have ordered Oranges from Amazon and look forward to reading it. 

I am giving this humorous and enjoyable memoir 4 out of 5 stars. I recommend it to the feminist reader and/or fans of memoirists such as David Sedaris.