What I'm reading this week (2/8/21)

Last week I finished: 

What Makes a Marriage Last, Marlo Thomas & Phil Donahue

I enjoyed this book. It's a long one, just over 600 pages, and it takes you through interviews with 40 famous couples. It was sometimes obvious that the couples were friends of the authors', which was kind of cute. I have lots of observations and quibbles with this book--how can you not after 600 pages--so I'll start with quibbles. Quibble one: it's not the best writing. There's a mix of interviews and explanatory paragraphs with quotes from the celebrities being interviewed, but the explanations aren't great writing and the four-way interviews are rather difficult to read. Also, I found several errors that should have been caught buy editors. Quibble two, I felt there was too much Phil & Marlo in the interviews. I know it might be natural to talk about yourself in such a situation, but I would have preferred that be edited out. Quibble three, the celebrities chosen. The couples leaned very heavily toward actors and journalists--where the authors' interests lie. I would have preferred a more diverse set of celebrities. There were very few couples from music (what about Faith Hill & Tim McGraw? Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood?, and others, too), authors (Stephen King?), comedians (Tina Fay, Jay Leno, Jim Gaffigan), celebrity cooks (Ree Drummond, Rachael Ray, Ina Garten, Guy Fieri). Also, there was a dearth of conservative couples (no Tim Allen, Dr. Ben Carson, etc.), especially couples of faith. There was almost no one from a background where marriage is a church sacrament. (Why not Candace Cameron Bure, Kirk Cameron, Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar, and some of those mega-church preachers?) Conservatives and traditionalists have a much different view of marriage than Hollywood liberals do, and this book would have benefited from a more balanced view. Last, they overcompensated on gay couples. Fully 10% of the celebrities chosen were gay, when only .003% of all US marriages are gay marriages. Two celebrities I was especially disappointed not to see in the book? Tom Hanks/Rita Wilson and Ellen DeGeneres & Portia de Rossi. So, those are my quibbles. It's quite possible they tried to get some or most of the people on my list, and they were turned down--who knows. So what surprised me about the book? First, that I knew all but one or two of the couples. I'm not a follower of pop culture, but they must have chosen well if I knew almost everyone. Clearly their names opened doors for them, and a less-known couple would not have faired as well. I was also surprised at how little overlap there was in answers between couples. They all seemed to view their marriages differently. I didn't find a lot of common themes, which just floored me. I was also surprised at how uncomfortable the book made me at points. I'd try to imagine how my husband and I (marriage almost 19 years--longer than some in the book) would have answered the questions posed and how we would have looked on the page, and sometimes I feared that we'd look terribly unhealthy. We tend to have the same arguments over and over and seem to resolve nothing. Yet, I truly believe our marriage is one of the healthiest I've ever known. Lastly, I was surprised at the questions Marlo & Phil chose to ask the couples. There was a lot of talk of how couples fight and who gets jealous and why. I have to say that if I was given ten minutes to put together a list of questions for this type of assignment, the fight one would have been an afterthought and the jealousy question never would have come up--and we've dealt with jealousy issues in our marriage! I would have asked "How do you say 'I love you' in your marriage?" I mention this because interestingly the words "I love you" only came up ONCE in the whole book. Well, I could go on and on, but this one was food for thought. I think I'll mark my favorite interviews to return to. And on that note--my favorite couple there? Hands down, Mary Matalin and James Carville. My rating: 4 stars.

Victoria, Daisy Goodwin

This is a re-listen for me, and it stood up to my original high rating. I just love this book. It's the fictionalization of Queen Victoria's first months on the throne (meant to supplement the PBS series), and it's so engaging, well-written, and fun. The audio is very well done, too, and I recommend it. My rating: 4 stars.

Paris to the Moon, Adam Gopnik

This book has been on my TBR for years, possibly for decades. I owned it at one time, but I've long since "unhauled" it. But I picked up the audio recently, which was listed as unabridged on Amazon, but the case says "unabridged excerpts," whatever that means. It didn't feel like the whole book, but what was on the CDs was good. Well, let me say that again. The first CD (of four) was just awful--verbose and almost obnoxiously pedantic, and I considered abandoning it, but the rest of the presentation was quite enjoyable. So, I don't know if I recommend this one or not. If you like memoirs about Americans living abroad or about Paris, go for it, I guess. My rating: 3 stars.

This week I'll begin:

Look what we have here! I enjoyed the interview with Mary Matalin and James Carville in What Makes a Marriage Last so much that I immediately (re)purchased their book (which I'd bought when it came out years ago, never read, and got rid of...) which came to me signed by Mary Matalin! I cannot wait to start this one.

At night, I'm reading:

I'm enjoying both of these very much. Life is much better with Billy Collins poems at the end of the day.

What I'm reading this week (2/1/21)

Last week I finished:

Big Stone Gap, Adriana Trigiani

Ya'll, this book was just not for me. I listened to the audio, read by the author. My hopes weren't particularly high, but I'm not sure it even reached those. I have nothing against "fluff" or romance, but it has to be well-written fluff or romance, and this just wasn't. I know a lot of folks love this book and the southern fiction series it starts, but count me out. My rating: 3 stars.

Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire, Jen Hatmaker

This is a re-read for me. I read the book last year, and this time I listened to the audio, read by the author. I generally like Jen Hatmaker, but I'm just not into activist Christianity, and there was just too much talk of it here. There's some good advice throughout, but I found myself bored by all the secular Christianity and the lack of spiritual truth. Still, it's earnest, honest, and funny. My rating: 4 stars.

Greek to Me, Mary Norris

I recently re-read (listened to, this time), Mary Norris' Between You & Me, which I really like, and I decided to pick up her Greek to Me (the cover is so lovely), even though I'm not particularly interested in Greek culture, mythology, or language. And I decided that having that interest really is a prerequisite to enjoying this book. In generally, I was bored to tears, but I didn't realize this until I was so far in I thought I might as well finish it. If you love all things Greek, or want to learn more, this is the book for you. But if not, skip it. My rating: 2 stars.

It's Never Too Late, Kathie Lee Gifford

This is the first book I've ever read and immediately started reading again. Some of the magic wasn't there the second time around, but it's still a gem. I want my whole year to be filled with treasures like this to make me laugh and cry and stretch. 

This week I'll continue with:

 I'll be finishing this one this week. It's been quite a ride!

What I'm Reading This Week (1/25/21)

Last week I finished: 

Valentine, Elizabeth Wetmore

Isn't this one of the most beautiful covers you've ever seen? I've been drawn to this book since it came out last year, and while I'm glad I read it, I also have my reservations about it. On the one hand, it was beautifully written. Truly, this is a first-time author to watch. On the other hand, though, it was a much rougher plot than I would prefer, and I don't feel that there was any meaningful resolution at the end. It's a rather hopeless book, which I find troublesome. Why bother writing or reading a book that ends as it began? Also, I think there were too many missed opportunities for the plot to deepen. I kept expecting the book to go somewhere and become extraordinary, but it always stopped short. Lastly, I'm just worn out over books about the victimhood of women. Where are all the books about the strong women we want our daughters to grow up to be? So, I was conflicted over this one. My rating: 3 stars. 

It's Never Too Late, Kathie Lee Gifford

I'm so glad I listened to my gut and bought this book and then moved it to the top of my TBR. It definitely won't be a book for everyone, but it was an absolute gamechanger for me. GAMECHANGER. It is the only book I have ever finished only to begin reading again. I'm at a point in my life where I'm searching for strong, happy, wise, creative, Christian women role models, and believe me, there just aren't a lot of them out there. Too many are writing their "wise memoirs" way before they're ready to. But this book came to me at exactly the right time for it to have resonance in my life. The way I pray has changed, the way I think about creativity has changed, the way I view the next phase of my life has changed. May we all find a book like this when we need it. My rating: 5 stars.

 

America's Reluctant Prince, Steven M. Gillon

You all know that if there's a book about a Kennedy, I'll read it. I have read a few books about JFK Jr., and of course, he's been a part of every book about his father and mother that I've read, so I know a fair bit about him. Unfortunately, at least 80% of this book was a regurgitation of all of the books I've read before this one. All of the information about John's childhood came from books I've already read. The 20% that was new to me was welcomed. In this part of the book, Gillon writes about John's magazine, George, and his attempt to create a place for himself in a world that never stopped wanting him to be his father's legacy. Gillon, a friend of John's, interjects himself into the book, and I could never tell if it was reluctantly, and therefore, halfheartedly, or if his relationship with John was so slight that there was just no story there. All told, I found the book rather mediocrely written and not terribly interesting in its lack of new information or insight (something a friend of John's should have been able to supply, no?). One last note, I listened to this on audio, and I would not recommend it. The reader sounded perpetually bored. My rating: 3 stars.

Make Something Good Today, Erin & Ben Napier

This is a re-read (or re-listen). I originally listened to the book last summer, and it just went by so quickly I wanted to revisit it. Unfortunately, it went by just as quickly this time! I adore the Napiers and their HGTV show, and I am in awe of Erin's design ability. We have very similar styles, and I just wish I had her vision. This is their sweet love story, how they stepped out on their own to work creatively for themselves, and how they landed their television show. It's a sweet and hopeful book for anyone wanting to leave a soulless job to do something that nurtures their creativity. I will return to it again and again, perhaps even again this year. My rating: 4 stars.

This week I'll be reading:

I began this book last fall but abandoned it because it just wasn't much fun then. I have renewed interest now, as I'm doing "research" on marriage. It's a series of interviews with celebrity couples about their marriages. So far I know I would not want to be Rosalynn Carter.

My next audiobook:

This is another book I read last year, but this time I'm listening to the audio, read by the author.

What I'm Reading This Week (1/18/21)

Last week I finished: 

Sky of Stone, Homer Hickam

I love everything Homer Hickam writes. This, the third and final memoir in his Coalwood memoir series, is as good as the previous two. Here, Homer (Sonny) returns to Coalwood the summer after his first year of college at his mother's request. Sonny's father, the coalmine superintendent, is embroiled in a battle for his job, which is the most important thing in his life, to the detriment of his family. Sonny ends up joining the union and working in the mine, both things causing ire between him and his now-separated parents. Hickam's usual intelligence, humor, and grace is present here, and I enjoyed every word. My rating: 5 stars.

Three Sisters, Three Queens, Philippa Gregory

I know nothing about Tudor England, nor have I ever been interested in that time period, but I'd put Philippa Gregory on my TBR some time ago and decided to begin with this book. I listened to this on audio, and it was a good option. I'm unsure just how accurate this historical fiction is, and generally I don't care much for historical fiction biographies, but since the 1500s are so far back, I didn't really mind it in this case. This is the story of two Tudor princesses and their sister-in-law. One sister becomes the queen of Scotland, one the Queen of France, and the sister-in-law the queen of England. My rating: 4 stars

Kitchen Yarns, Ann Hood

I love food memoirs, and this is one of the better ones I've read. Awhile ago, I read Hood's Morningstar as well as her The Obituary Writer. This is by far my favorite of the three books. In it, she shares about her Italian-American childhood in Rhode Island, her difficult marriage and divorce, single motherhood, the death of her young daughter, and how food was a touchstone throughout her life. She also shares recipes. My rating: 5 stars.

This week, I'm reading:

I'm enjoying the writing in this one, even if the plot is a little rough.

I'm also reading:

I am really enjoying this wise memoir.

My audiobook:

I'll post a review of this next week. Suffice it to say, it's not the best Kennedy biography.

12 Titles That Didn't Make My 2020 Best Of List

There were a number of books that I wish I could have included on my 2020 best of list, but I tried very hard to limit that to 15 titles (ten percent of what I read). So here are another 12 titles that I think are worth the read.

Death on the Nile. Agatha Christie

I wanted to read this before the movie came out, and it is officially one of my favorite Christie books, although I did sort of guess the murderer.  

Messenger of Truth, Jacqueline Winspear

This is the fourth in the Maisie Dobbs series, and it's my favorite so far (or perhaps tied with the first book). I think you get a better, deeper feel for who Maisie is and how her experience in World War I has changed her. I feel I learned more about her here than in even the first book. Plus, the crime involved art, which appealed to me.

American Dirt, Jeanine Cummins

I read this early in the year, almost before the anger surrounding it was at a fever pitch. I thought it was a well-written book that was sensitive to the plight of illegal immigrants. I think the criticism involving it and Ms. Cummins was unfair.

Ask Again, Yes, Mary Beth Keane

I didn't read a lot of fiction this year, but at a certain point I wanted a novel I could sink my teeth into, and this one really fit the bill. I enjoyed it very much, and I plan to read her other work.

Jackie, Ethel, Joan, J. Randy Taraborrelli

I love a good, thick, somewhat gossipy Kennedy biography, and no one delivers them like Taraborrelli. This one examines the relationships between Jackie Kennedy, Ethel Kennedy (Robert Kennedy's wife/widow), and Joan Kennedy (Teddy Kennedy's first wife). This was my fist in-depth look at Joan, and I liked her very much.

Nine Horses, Billy Collins

A strong collection of poetry. Period.

Raising Demons, Shirley Jackson

I read both of Shirley Jackson's fictionalized memoirs this year, and (spoiler alert) I made myself choose between them for the best of list. This is every bit as good as the first one, but it necessarily lacks the delight I felt having stumbled upon the first. 

Talking to Strangers, Malcolm Gladwell

Gladwell is brilliant, is he not? This is up there with his best work, I think. I didn't always agree with his conclusions, but watching his mind work is fascinating.

The Accidental President, A. J. Baime

This was an excellent biography of President Truman's short rise to office and his ending the second World War. 

The Hiltons, J. Randy Taraborrelli

Another Taraborrelli book that was just excellent. You really don't have to be at all interested in the Hilton family (don't worry, there's little to no mention of Paris, but you do learn a lot about Zsa Zsa Gabor...) to enjoy this masterful biography. The audiobook was good.

Three Days at the Brink, Bret Baier

I loved this book. It's definitely my favorite of the series. Although I've read the story of President Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, and World War II a dozen times before, I still enjoyed this version. 

Wilson, A. Scott Berg

This was a superb biography of President Wilson. He really came to life. I enjoyed it on audio.

What I'm Reading This Week (1/11/21)

Okay, I'm going to start this year out right and post my weekly review of books. But I'm aiming for short and sweet. Since I've been away, Blogger has made some changes that I'm having trouble navigating, so if this post goes sideways, I hope it's at least readable.

I still have some best of 2020 posts to get up. They're coming. But for now, here's what I've been reading so far this year.

Last week I finished:

The Last Days of John Lennon, James Patterson

I'm a Beatles fan in the way every human has to be one, but I'm more of a Paul girl than a John girl. I'm never understood the appeal of John, although a world of talented Pauls without a few visionaries like John may not produce a group like the Beatles. I don't know. At any rate, this was a good book, and it would have been better had I more affection for John Lennon. My rating: 3 stars. 

This week I will continue with:

I consider Homer Hickam one of America's great storytellers. This, the third and final in his Coalwood memoir series, is captivating. I'll be sad to finish it.

I'm also reading:

 At night I've been reading Ann Hood's Kitchen Yarns, which is much better than expected. And because I couldn't wait until I was done with Hood's book, I started Kathie Lee Gifford's It's Never Too Late, which I'm enjoying, too.

And I'm listening to:

I've never read anything by Philippa Gregory, but I'm glad I tried this one. I'm finding it a very engaging listen.

10 Stinkers of 2020

And I'm back! I don't know that there's much I can say about my months away other than in a year in which anything can and did happen, I needed to check out of social media for awhile to guard my sanity. This year was good to me, full of growth both spiritually and mentally, but only because I shielded myself from certain influences. I've decided, at least for now, to not expound on my feelings of the past year, partly because there's nothing that I could say that hasn't been said better by others, and partly because I don't like adding to the cacophony. I will say, however, that my plan for 2021 is to come back here. I don't know that I'll go back to full reviews for every book I read, because that's just too exhausting at present, I do hope to do weekly posts of some kind. 

For now, though, I will try to catch you up on some of my reading from the last year. Enjoy. Leave a kind comment. 

***

It's time for my yearly "stinkers" list. To reiterate, these are not the worst books I read in 2020, and not necessarily even bad books. What they are is books that disappointed me. Some of my favorite authors are on this list, authors who've written books that have appeared on my "best of" lists in the past. I had a hard time narrowing the list down, because I ran into many books this year that were either "meh" or sloppily written or just not for me, but these ten titles let me down in a profound way.

Me, Elton John

I had really high hopes for Elton John's memoir. I thought it would be fascinating, but while I found it well-written, I was turned off my so many things in it. And the drama queen persona was exhausting.

Triggered, Donald Trump, Jr.

Occasionally, I like to enter the echo chamber of conservative politics and indulge in a book by a high-profile Republican. I don't know why I do this, because I invariably dislike the book. This one, though, I couldn't even finish. It was so mean-spirited, I had to put it down. We can disagree without hating.

Kopp Sisters on the March, Amy Stewart

I love the Kopp Sister series, of which this is number five. But I was disappointed by this installment. There were too many new characters, and the sisters seemed to take a backseat to them.

My Calamity Jane, Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

I was so disappointed with this one, I'll think twice before picking up another in this or additional series. I was so put off by the politically correct rhetoric, the heavy-handed "teaching" moments, the odd drops of activism. Blech. The indoctrination of girls was so evident, I was appalled. 

The Lincoln Conspiracy, Brad Meltzer

I love Brad Meltzer, though I think this is the first book I read by him. I've watched him speak on C-SPAN, and he's hilarious and engaging. But this book was rather boring. I enjoyed hearing him talk about the book more than I enjoyed reading the book. Doesn't mean I won't try his other books, though.

My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me, Jason B. Rosenthal

I love Amy Krouse Rosenthal. No book is ever going to do her generous spirit justice. I found this book by her husband a little too expected, too commercial, too polished. And when it was all over, I sort of resented this book.

The Plus, Greg Gutfeld

I LOVE Greg Gutfeld. Period. But this book of "self help for people who hate self help" was so pedestrian. He has a first-rate mind, and this was not first-rate material. The book didn't bring up anything I hadn't already considered or adopted in my life, and I don't remember anything about the book these many months later. Still, I LOVE Greg Gutfeld. 

The Golden Tresses of the Dead, Alan Bradley

This is the last, and presumably final, book in the Flavia de Luce series, of which I'm a huge fan. My disappointment here is that if it is indeed the end for Flavia, I would have liked some closure. I'm not like my husband who likes it when television series ends with a "normal" last episode. I want the curtain call with all the characters holding hands and bowing. Bradley didn't let Flavia bow. Still, I'm excited to know what Mr. Bradley might give us next.

Daughter of the Heartland, Joni Ernst

Like I said above, sometimes I enter the political echo chamber, and memoirs are usually a safe bet for me, but this one, whew, I did not like. I was too dense to realize this was being released in an election year, for a reason. Why is a combat veteran stopping to playing the victim card? Is her record not enough to re-elect her? Bah!

Welcome to the United States of Anxiety, Jen Lancaster

I love me some Jen Lancaster. I usually eat her books up. And I feel like a jerk adding this to the list, but this one blindsided me. I just did not see it coming. Usually, Lancaster's books are hilarious and irreverent and charming-with-edge. But here Lancaster has gone serious--footnotes and everything. Not a bad book, and good for her for writing what she wants, but not what I pick up Lancaster's books for. If Jen goes serious, who's left for a conservative gal with a sense of humor?