Month: January 2012

Review – MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend

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Up front warning, this review will be a gusher. Yes, dear readers, I adored this book. Bertsche is funny, pragmatic (she does research on how to make a friend), encouraging, and in her own way, makes you feel like you too can go out and find a new best friend. Her ups and downs are more than just amusing, they’re painfully real and it’s refreshing to hear — and be reminded — that friendships are not easy. It’s not always friendship at first sight.

When Rachel Bertsche moved to Chicago to be with her long-distance boyfriend, she reveled in the fact they would be together in the same city. While it was wonderful to be with the man who would become her husband, she missed her friends. The ones she could call for a manicure, for brunch, and to complain about nothing simply because she felt like it and it had been that kind of day. Acquaintances didn’t cut it. She wanted a best friend that would listen, comfort, and laugh with her. She went on the hunt — 52 girl dates in a year.

I won’t tell you whether or not she found the one. You must read it for yourself. And I mean that, you must read this book.

The 52 girl dates are a stark reminder we all want something as simple as a friend and that it’s not always so simple to find a friend. It doesn’t happen overnight and requires work to connect with people. Facebook makes it seems as though we’re all friends but it’s not true. Friends are the ones that listen, encourage, and see you for who you are — they aren’t the like button.

This book also made me think about my friends. I don’t have a huge circle, I never have I prefer small, but they’re wonderful people. I have one who will be leaving for the west coast soon, I’ll miss her dearly, but she’s marrying a fantastic man and I couldn’t be more thrilled for her. I have others that live in far off states that remind me distance really is just a word some days. I’m incredibly thankful for the ones that find me funny and not crazy when I write an email to them laying out all the things that can happen to us while traveling in Ecuador. I’m thankful these people still boarded a plane with me and am so very thankful when I look back at all those photos and remember the time we had. There’s the one that gets me out of my house to swim and drink coffee and talk about nothing and everything. Above all, there’s my sister who will always, always be my favorite girl.

All these people make my life better in some way. I can see why Bertsche took on the task. We all need someone to laugh with, cry with, and travel with. Life is better with friends.

Go read this book. Not only will you be entertained but you’ll be left with a warm feeling about who we are as people. We’re all very much alike even when we don’t want to admit it. We all want and need friends.

If you want to know more about Bertsche, visit her blog MWF Seeking BFF. This is actually how I found out about the book many months ago. I’ve kept reading simply because she really is an entertaining writer. I’m looking forward to her next adventure.

MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend

By Rachel Bertsche

Random House

ISBN: 9780345524959

4.75 stars

Books & Movies – The Woman in Black

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I read Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black in 2011 and enjoyed it immensely. My review is here. Tension filled and creepy, it’s a great book for a dark winter night. When I heard they would be making a movie, I worried because as with all good books, it could be ruined. After a look at the trailer, I think they may have captured some of what made me love the book.

Oh, yes, and that’s Daniel Radcliffe. Harry Potter no more.

Review – The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder in the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York

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I read several reviews of this book, put it on my list, and promptly forgot about it. Unfortunately, this happens with many of the books I put on my list. They linger. Fortunately for The Poisoner’s Handbook, I came across it while scanning the shelves at my favorite bookstore one afternoon. It’s a fascinating recounting of the beginnings of the coroner’s office in New York City during Prohibition.

In a city full of corrupt officials, one man manages to change the face of detective work, create what many might consider to be the modern medical examiner’s office, and invent ways to detect even the smallest amount of poison to prove murder. The story of Charles Norris is interspersed with his cases — cases that all have one tie — poison. Before his work as medical examiner, poison was easy to acquire, easy to use, and very difficult to detect. That soon changed when Norris’s methods were put to use.

What surprised me most was just how much poison was a part of everyday products: cosmetics, medicine, and in the case of radium, even considered healthy. People drank it which baffles me. Even Marie Curie used to carry a small vile of radium in her pocket believing it was completely harmless. I found the story about the women working in the clock factory painting watch faces with radioactive paint for the men on the battlefield especially fascinating. What happened to the women was absolutely horrific and the work of Norris and the men in his office to find out what was happening to them was sort of heroic in a way.

A good portion of the book focuses on alcohol and it’s replacements during Prohibition. What people will drink for a high is both disgusting and interesting. I would never in my wildest dreams ever even think of sniffing the stuff let along drinking it. It was a crazy time and I loved the fact that the New York Medical Examiner argued for a repeal of Prohibition in order to save lives. He was right; knowing that if alcohol didn’t once again become legal, more deaths would occur. Many of the people dying were not hard drinkers but casual ones trying to brew up something for a few nips here and there. Crazy times.

I found this a great read and Blum manages to take a subject that could easily get very boring and dry and intersperse it with unbelievable stories that make you wonder if you’ve accidentally picked up a fiction novel. If you’re looking for something different but very informative, pick up The Poisoner’s Handbook. One word of caution though — you don’t want to read it while eating, descriptions of certain poisons and their effects can be rather off-putting.

The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder in the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York

By Deborah Blum

Penguin Books

ISBN: 978-1-59420-243-8

4.25 stars

Review – The Twelfth Enchantment

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I kept seeing this book at my bookstore and finally gave in one day when I was feeling a slight reading slump coming on. I’m glad I picked it up that day because when the slump hit, this was a perfect little book to bring me out of it. The characters are sweet, lovingly hateful, and were Austen-esque enough to make me happy.

Lucy Derrick comes from a good family; just a family without money now. She lives with an uncle who would prefer her to disappear and his plan to make this happen is to have her marry a man she doesn’t care for one bit. Her only companion in the house, Mrs. Quince, teases her relentlessly mentally and physically. She begins to accept that her life is going to be full of misery until a man named Lord Byron shows up at her uncle’s home saying she must not marry Mr. Olson. He then vomits pins and passes out. With the help of a new neighbor, Ms. Crawford, who knows something of the magical arts, Lucy helps Lord Byron to recover. Ms. Crawford, seeing a magical spark in Lucy, begins teaching her what she knows and Lucy understands for the first time how her life does not have to be one of misery.

The beginning of this book feels very reminiscent of Mansfield Park. A young woman far from loved ones, harassed and unwanted in the home she lives in, knowing her only way out the house is into another full of the same misery. Mansfield Park is by far not one of my favorite Austen books but this book brought back some lovely memories of it. Mostly of the hateful characters but still good memories.

The magical element is interesting and Lucy’s understanding of it happens quickly. A little too quickly if you ask me and that’s a small quibble I had with this story. She excels; exponentially fast. I’m all for magical education compounding but she’s like the magical god-child. It didn’t ruin the story for me but made me wonder at several points how she became so proficient so quickly.

When I picked this book up I was hoping for a fun and easy read and I got that. It’s entertaining, the characters are fun, some even mean, and you love to see them all make fools of themselves. The setting, England on the cusp of an industrial revolution, is interesting. If you have a thing for Victorian England with a little magic thrown it, take a look at this one.

The Twelfth Enchantment

By David Liss

Random House

ISBN: 978-1-4000-6896-8

4 stars

Cuz it’s funny

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I decided I would be more consistent about posting in 2012, and five days in, I’m feeling failure approach. I’ve been meaning to write reviews for three books, edit the reviews I did manage to write at the end of last year, and actually post something. I’ve not done any of the above which is why I’m posting this video instead of a review. Besides, it’s only the first week of the year and really it would be better to get started next week. Yeah, that’s it.

Enjoy.

Final 2012 Challenge

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No, really, I mean it; it’s my last one. I’ve joined four and there will be no more.

But, if I’m being honest, I was planning to read more Stephen King this year after falling for 11/22/63 in December so it’s not as if this is going to be a problem.

The Stephen King Project 2012

Runs January – December 2012 and you can read the rules here and you can sign up here. I’m in for three books – A Lil Bit of King level.

What I’ll be reading for this challenge.

Salem’s Lot (This is part of a personal re-read challenge of my own.)

The Colorado Kid

Under the Dome

Funny, I seem to be challenge crazy this year. Wonder why that is…

The Sunday Salon – On Resolutions and Non-Resolutions

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Happy New Year!

It’s nice to be back. I took a slightly longer vacation than anticipated since we decided to stay a few extra days with family this past week. It’s all good though because it left me with time to think about this little space and what I want to accomplish in the coming year. I’m not one for resolutions, especially in regard to my reading. I’ve tried but never quite accomplish what I set out to do. Last year, I planned to read at least one non-fiction book a month, and was good for the first few months of 2011, then took a free fall and let it go. I did read a number of non-fiction books but not the amount I anticipated. I pictured lists upon lists of non-fiction, I got to seven. I don’t feel bad about it though. I knew it would happen; it’s my resolution pattern.

On another note, I did complete all the challenges I participated in last year. In some ways, these challenges are my reading resolutions in that I’m picky about what I sign up for — I want something that fits with my reading style but leaves me room to try new things without feeling constricted in anyway — I try to keep it to three or four and no more. I also like to find things that will help me to read more of what I want (for example: classics) without feeling like I’m forcing myself to do it as part of some doomed resolution. So maybe I do have resolutions, but the passive aggressive type. Whatever works I guess.

Looking back on my list (I did a best of list early in December), I read a lot of good books, had very few DNFs (a scant three books went unfinished), and topped out at 99. Not my best record, and it would have been nice to see 100, but I’m happy with almost everything I read so no complaints. I ended the year on a very good note with MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend by Rachel Bertsche. It was funny, cute, and made me think about the relationships I have with friends. If you’re looking for a good read, pick this one up. I hope to have a review done soon, and I warn you now, it will be a gusher.

As for the blog itself, I keep thinking and re-thinking my ratings system and how it’s working or not working for me. Most books fit into the 5 star system and I’ve allowed myself to make use of the .25, .5, and .75 stars (what they are exactly I don’t know and I don’t know how you even go about divided up a star but anyway) and while it’s useful, I’m thinking of ditching it for a I liked this book/I didn’t like this book type thing. When and if I figure it out, I’ll let you know.

I’m also going to be taking a class starting in January and will probably see my reading drop a bit at least until the class is finished. January is usually my most productive reading month due to cold weather (or what passes for cold weather in DC) but this year I’m changing things up. So, if there are a few slow days around here, please forgive. I’ll be doing some writing instead.

I’ve got long list of books to read this year so I’m off to get started.

Happy Sunday, Happy New Year, and happy reading. 🙂