Happy hump day everybody! WWW Wednesdays is a bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three questions:
• What are you currently reading? • What did you recently finish reading? • What do you think you’ll read next?
What are you currently reading?
I’m currently reading, or shall I say re-reading, Beautiful Creatures. I listened to it a couple years back on Audible and can’t seem to remember a darn thing aside from a few bits and pieces about a creepy song about 16 moons, a bewitched plantation home, tons of To Kill a Mockingbird references, and a small Southern town full of asshole bigots. The movie looks awesome, so I want to have the book fresh in my mind before I watch it all unfold on the big screen.
What did you recently finish reading?
Let’s see here…I’ve torn through a lot of books lately. I believe the last book I devoured was Angel Falls by Nora Roberts. I actually really enjoyed the Lifetime movie version (aside from the fact that a botoxed Heather Locklear was all kinds of wrong for that role) because it cut to the chase a whole lot faster than the long, dragged out novel. Sure there were a ton of plot holes and the scenes were choppy, but it was so much more bearable than those long, unnecessary bickering sessions between Reece and Brodie. And ugh – did the author really have to describe Reece’s pap smear procedure with the old grandfatherly family doctor? UNCOMFORTABLE! It’s a mystery to me why so many people gave that book five-star reviews.
What do you think you’ll read next?
Hmmm…decisions, decisions. I think my next book is going to be Naturally, Charlie by S.L. Scott. I bumped into this Austin-based author at the Texas Book Fest back in October and still haven’t gotten around to reading her book! I’ve been reading a lot of supernatural stuff and mysteries, so I figure it’s time to give myself a break from fanged creatures and dead bodies. Normally I’m not into fluffy romances, but this one looks like a fun little escape.
In honor of the coolest day of the week, I bring you The Friday Five. Every Friday I will ask the same five questions to myself, or any other willing participant! All my fellow book lovers are welcome to join in on the fun.
From the publisher: Amaliya wakes under the forest floor, disoriented, famished and confused. She digs out of the shallow grave and realizes she is hungry… … in a new, horrific, unimaginable way… Sating her great hunger, she discovers that she is now a vampire, the bloodthirsty creature of legend. She has no choice but to flee from her old life and travels across Texas. Her new hunger spurs her to leave a wake of death and blood behind her as she struggles with her new nature. All the while, her creator is watching. He is ancient, he is powerful, and what’s worse is that he’s a necromancer. He has the power to force the dead to do his bidding. Amaliya realizes she is but a pawn in a twisted game, and her only hope for survival is to seek out one of her own kind. But if Amaliya finds another vampire, will it mean her salvation… or her death?
Why did you choose this book? The Bookish Brunette gave it a crowned rating, so I knew it was worth a read. Plus the cover is really gruesome!
Where did the author go right? Or if it’s a turkey, what went wrong? What really set this book apart from the rest is that the author went old-school, meaning these aren’t your happy, friendly vampires that sustain themselves on animal blood. Ooooh no – they prey on humans, and sometimes it gets downright messy. Just when I thought I was burned out on vampires, she brought me back into the fray with this spellbinding tale of bloodlust, romance and adventure. I love that the vampires abhor mirrors, and that they can’t cross over a threshold uninvited. This gothic throwback is a welcome departure from a lot of the urban fantasy crap I’ve been reading lately. Oh and did I mention zombies are involved? Think Buffy meets The Walking Dead meets Anne Rice. In case you’re wondering, that’s the trifecta of blood-sucking awesomness!
On a side note, I would also like to mention that I REALLY appreciated the Austin infusion. Clearly this Texas woman loves her home state – and it shows in her descriptions of the rugged Hill Country landscape and Austin’s eclectic nightlife. She even mentions the gingerbread pancakes at Kirby Lane, which is pretty much the yummiest breakfast ever.
Did anything bug you about the book? The fact that it had to end kind of bugged me. Other than that, everything about the book – the plot threads, the characters, the romance – is spot on!
Would you read another book by this author? Absolutely, positively 100 percent YES! I’m already moving on to Pretty When She Kills.
How would you sum up the book in three words? Bloody, intense, fun.
I’ll say it loud – I love young adult books and I’m proud! Typically I gravitate toward the dark and spooky stuff, but something about this fun little coming-of-age adventure really caught my eye. Perhaps I was allured by the Mexico shenanigans, which really takes me back to my glory days when I spent my weekends drinking it up in Tijuana and Rosarito. Ahhh Pappas and Beer…how I miss thee. Yes, I was a bit of a bad girl back in the day, but if it wasn’t for Tijuana, I never would’ve met my husband!
But I digress, this is an AMAZING book, and I had a ton of fun reading it all the way through in one Saturday. Not since Flowers In the Attic have I been so enamored by a young adult book. Don’t judge, you know those smutty, incestuous books were crazy addictive back in the day!
So while I was tearing through the pages, I kept wondering how the heck the two authors found the perfect movie quotes for each chapter, which character they like the most, and whether they’ve experienced the gorgeousness of Ensenada for themselves. Luckily I was able to wrangle an interview with Stacy Kramer, one of the two lovely ladies who masterminded this rollercoaster ride of thrills, romance and teenage angst.
What made you decide to get together with Valerie Thomas and co-write a young adult adventure/romance novel?
Valerie and I are good friends. We met years ago while both working as film producers. We then both segued, around the same time, to becoming writers. Just for fun, we decided to work together on a screenplay and ended up selling it to Twentieth Century Fox. It was a great experience and while Valerie eventually decided to go back to school to pursue a graduate journalism degree at Columbia University and I went on to write film and television, we always knew we wanted to work together again. Over lunch one day, a few years later, we were discussing the possibility of writing together again when we landed on an idea that we both loved and realized it would be best suited for a young adult novel, rather than a film. That idea eventually became KARMA BITES, a middle grade novel for Houghton Mifflin.
I’m curious about how you and Valerie seamlessly wrote a page-turning story filled with complex characters and rollicking adventures. What is your secret?
Our secret is simple, rewrite, rewrite, rewrite, until eventually, our voices merge and there is no distinguishable difference between what Valerie wrote and what I wrote. Sometimes, it’s hard for us to tell who wrote what since we’ve both rewritten each other so much.
What are the perks and challenges of co-authoring a book?
I feel like it’s all upside, at least right now, after having two published novels (KARMA BITES and FROM WHAT I REMEMBER) and two new novels just recently finished. Talk to us in a few years, maybe we’ll change our mind and be fighting like cats and dogs. But, so far, it’s been great to have someone to bounce ideas off of, someone to break story with, someone to complain to, someone to commiserate with and someone to laugh with. I don’t think I could nor would I want to do it alone after having worked together on four books. It’s too much fun doing it this way. If it ain’t broke and all that…It’s also like having a built in editor, which is great. So by the time our books make it to our editors, they often feel like most of their work has already been done.
All of the characters in your book are endearing in their own ways – even the high school mean girl! If you could go out to lunch with one of them, who would you choose?
Hands down, Will. He’s both of our favorites. He’s funny, smart, charming, snarky and endearing, everything I look for in a lunch date. Personally, I could have lunch with him every day.
I got a big kick out of the foreshadowing movie quotes at the start of each chapter. How did you go about selecting the perfect quotes?
It was a bit of a process. We started by culling our favorite movie quotes from our favorite movies. It was a fun project and a great way to postpone actual writing (which is something every writer looks for in their day). After a week or so, we had lists and lists of fantastic quotes, too many to use. After we wrote each chapter, we’d pore through our lists and choose the quote that best matched the tone of the chapter. Once we finished the book, we changed a lot of the quotes but made sure to keep our favorites in there.
The picturesque backdrop of the Mexican coast really set the mood for romance and adventure. How did you become familiar with Ensenada?
We’ve both road tripped to Ensenada. I lived in L.A. for ten years, during which time I must have made ten or so road trips into Baja (one particularly treacherous one where my front tire blew and since it was a Mexican holiday, I couldn’t get the tire repaired and had to drive forty miles and back over the border with a flat until I could find a service station in San Diego). I always loved Ensenada for it’s quirky scenery, the fun mix of people and the delicious food. Valerie grew up in Berkeley, California and went down to Ensenada for a holiday with friends. It’s a fun town and a perfect setting for a rollicking adventure. Once we decided we wanted to have Kylie and Max taken over the border inadvertently, Ensenada was a natural destination. Toronto seemed slightly less exciting (no offense to Toronto, I actually love it there, it’s just a different scene).
If you could go back in time and have your own pre-graduation adventure with your high school crush, where would you go?
We’d both love to have Kylie’s adventure, which is, in part, why we wrote it. Sort of living vicariously and all that. I grew up in Pittsburgh so the closest border I could get to was Canada, which wasn’t very inviting. And Val, in Northern California, was quite far from any actual borders for a day trip. Ideally, I think, if I could live anywhere and go anywhere on my own hypothetical high-school adventure in the way back machine, I’d choose to live in London and then get lost in Paris with the boy of my dreams.
Could you give me a sneak peek into what you’re working on now?
We’ve just finished two new novels and can’t wait for people to see them. We’ll let you know when they’re coming out, just as soon as we know. One is called FAKER and it’s set in the world of Hollywood but that’s all we can tell you as there’s a big secret at the center of the book and if we tell you the secret, we’d have to kill you (not really, but it would be a HUGE spoiler). It’s a romantic comedy, although less of an adventure than FROM WHAT I REMEMBER and slightly more poignant. The second book is called SURFACE BURN and it’s a bit of a departure for us as it’s a thriller, set in Berlin and involving uranium smuggling. It’s about a teenager who’s forced to rescue her father when he’s kidnapped. It’s a bit of a reverse TAKEN.
Want to know more about these two talented authors/screenwriters? Go here to check out their website! Go here to read my full review of the book.
Hooray for Fridays! I am so looking forward to two blissful days of uninterrupted reading bliss. Hmm…let’s see here…am I in the mood for spooky ghost children, bloodthirsty vampires or a cozy B&B whodunit? I’ll leave it to you guys to pick one out for me. Psst…that means y’all need to post a comment.
Friday Finds is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Hop on over to her blog to see what she’s all about!
There’s a reason why C.C. Hunter’s Shadow Falls series is on the best-selling lists. Her main character is living every teenage girl’s fantasy. Tall, blond and gorgeous, she’s the prettiest – and most mysterious – girl at Camp Shadow Falls. Two of the camp’s hottest boys are chasing after her – plus she’s got the coolest best friends a girl could ever ask for. Oh – and did I mention that a side-effect of her hidden super-powers is growing an extra cup-size over night? So not fair…the only things that sprouted on my teenage body overnight were pimples.
If you’re not familiar with the Shadow Falls series, here’s the scoop: Kylie is a camper at Shadow Falls, a place where teenage fairies, vamps, werewolves, shapeshifters and witches can learn how to hone their supernatural powers. They can do some really cool stuff like reading each other’s brain waves, shifting into four-legged beasts, and communing with ghosts..
Unlike her fellow campers, Kylie’s supernatural identity is a total mystery. Desperate for answers, she hires a PI to look into her ancestral past. And as her powers begin to develop, she comes up with more questions than answers. What kind of preternatural species can talk to dead people, run at warp speed, and grow taller and more boobalicious overnight? No one – not even the camp counselors – seems to know.
In this second installment, Kylie is plagued by a new ghost who insists that someone she loves is on the cusp of death. It would be helpful if the blood-drenched spirit could give her more details. But like everything else, Kylie must figure it out on her own. And if that’s not enough, she’s facing some serious boy drama. Lucas, a gorgeous werewolf with smoldering blue eyes, inexplicably skipped town with the world’s bitchiest she-wolf. She wants more than anything to write him off completely, but his love letters and dream-scaping invasions keep her hanging on.
Wouldn’t Jared Padalecki make a great Derek?!?
And then there’s Derek. Don’t let the half-fairy status fool you; this guy is no sissy with sparkly wings. He’s big, buff and completely smitten with Kylie. I have to say that the shower scene is one of the hottest romantic moments I’ve encountered in paranormal teen lit. With his brown shaggy hair, chiseled features and barrel chest, I kept picturing a half-naked, dripping wet Jared Padelecki. Supernatural fans, you know who I’m talking about! Kylie must have some crazy superpowers to walk away from…shall I say…a very promising opportunity.
Considering the formula of YA paranormal love triangles, I’m willing to bet she’s going to end up with the mysterious bad boy, but oh how I wish she could just be with Derek. He’s sweet, romantic and oh-so-very perfect! If the author really wants to give her readers a plot twist, she should make Kylie choose the nice guy in the end.
Aside from the love triangle, Kylie is also helping her friends deal with some serious problems. Miranda is crying into her pillow every night over a bad breakup. Della fears the death angels will make her atone for the sins of her past. And Sara, Kylie’s mortal BFF back home, is no longer returning her phone calls. Aye yay yay – teenage life is tough!
The plot thickens when the prophetic ghost gets more and more demanding. Soon someone Kylie loves will die – and she only has a short window of time to stop it from happening. And if that’s not enough, she’s also being stalked by a rogue vampire who is out killing mortals on the streets.
There’s a lot going on in this book, but the author does a fine job weaving the plot threads into a cohesive story. With every chapter she hits me with a cliffhanger, leaving me with no other option but to tear through the pages to get some answers. Warning: if you have weekend plans or chores to tackle, DO NOT read this book. I took this thing with me on the plane, and it was torture having to put it away when I had to make a connecting flight! All in all, this is one of the best paranormal series out there. If you’re looking for a good character-driven novel filled with plot twists, romance and mystery, give Shadow Falls a try!
What exactly is American dream? Is it a family of four living in a cookie-cutter house complete with a Range Rover and perfectly manicured lawn? According to the crap on TV, this “keeping up with the Joneses” way of life is the pinnacle of happiness. But is it really?
For Chrissy Anderson, happiness meant living the good life – perfect husband, successful career, uppity friends and all. Even though her life is the textbook definition of happiness, something’s missing.
After a chance encounter with a cute guy at a bar, she discovers an itch that desperately needs to be scratched. She begins to question the authenticity of her “perfect life” and faces some life-altering decisions. Should she take the safe route and just keep going through the motions? Or should she go with her gut and take the road less traveled? You’ll have to read the book to find out!
Chrissy Anderson, the author and leading lady of The Life List, was kind to chat about her book. Read on to learn more about her personal quest for happiness, and why society’s depiction of “the perfect life” is all smoke and mirrors.
What made you decide to write a book about a woman whose life is turned upside down after a chance encounter at a bar?
If that chance encounter never happened, my life would’ve continued on a course that was less than satisfying. I would’ve stayed married to a man I had nothing in common with only to please other people, and I most likely would’ve had children with him. I would’ve continued to fake happiness, or worse, become a bitter old bitch who would one day look back on her less than satisfying life wishing in vain for a do-over. Most women aren’t as lucky as I was- they don’t get that chance encounter to slap them in the face. I wrote The Life List for all of the women out there who need a good slap.
Is this somewhat of a memoir/fiction hybrid?
Seems like I did more research on what the heck to label my book than the actual writing of it!!! Most of the story is true, but certain things were definitely embellished/changed to make my real life love story even more chaotically convoluted than it actually was.
Looking at all the star reviews, readers really love your book! Why do you think women connect so well with the main character?
Because the world is packed with mini-Chrissy’s. Think about it…how many of your own friends fall into one of these two categories?
1) They got married too young…before they even knew who they were or what they wanted out of life.
2) They scrambled when they turned 30! Started freaking out that they wouldn’t have the big wedding and the happy little family they always dreamed of, so they settled on a dude just so they could “live the dream.”
I also think too many women live their lives according to what others think. They struggle with defending their choices, and they fear failure and the public humiliation that goes along with it. I know better than anyone what it’s like to have everything I thought I always wanted, only then to say, “Uh-oh.” But how do you un-do plans that involve other people’s lives without suffering huge amounts of shame and regret? The answer is, you can’t, and I think that’s what so many women identify with The Life List. They want reassurance that they’re not alone. At least that’s the bulk of the feedback I get anyway.
What are your thoughts on “life lists?” How can women sabotage themselves by aspiring to live what society deems “the ideal life”?
Living your life according to other’s expectations is like not living at all. I lost thirteen years of my life doing it and I’ll spend the rest of it convincing anyone I come in contact with not to. I can honestly say that I give a rat’s ass what anyone thinks of the choices I make now. I’m completely happy. Before you throw up….I’ll quote Charlotte from Sex &The City, “I’m not happy all day every day…but I’m happy.” In my opinion, anyone who has a problem with my choices…my happiness, isn’t happy with their own life and they need to take a good long look in the mirror or get a good therapist!
What message do you hope readers will take away from the book?
My tag line! “The difference between doing something and doing nothing is everything.”
What is the best piece of advice you could give an aspiring novelist?
If you believe in what you’re writing, others will too. There is no money in this industry, even when people do give you five-star reviews, so you better have your heart in the game and be committed to your work. Trust me, you’ll be better equipped to handle criticism if you believe in the story you’re telling. When people don’t like my novel,( fyi… it’s usually because Chrissy swears too much and is overly-judgmental) I say to myself, “It’s just not their cup of tea and that’s okay.” My editor actually gave me the best advice and it’s calmed me down quite a bit over the last year. She said, “We want readers to either love The Life List or hate it, no in-betweeners…bad for business!” And you know what? She was right. Average reviews equal mediocrity (blah!). But, overly bad reviews pitted against awesome reviews, creates interest! That’s where the fun begins. Oh, and by the way…only two of my reviews are lower than five stars. So far, so good!
What are you working on now?
The rest of The List Trilogy- The Unexpected List and The Hope List. I just handed over the first draft of The Unexpected List to my editor and hope to have it published by March. My website has totally taken off. I’ve had over 30,000 visits and over 3,000 people have voted in the Leo vs. Kurt poll! The two men are such polar opposites (sexy and compelling in their own right) and it’s fun to see women gravitate toward each of them and find out why. I’m also working on getting The Life List in front of some Hollywood power players. I think it would make an amazing chick-flick. I just need to get it into the right hands and that’s proving to be just as hard as writing the damn book! I won’t quit though. It’s the slap in the face too many women need!
Want to know more about this talented new author? Check out her blog. Go here to download her book.
In honor of Sunday – a day I reserve for reading and lollygagging – I bring you a short and sweet book review!
From the publisher: In the span of forty-eight hours, socially awkward valedictorian, Kylie Flores and conceited jock, Max Langston, who’ve never spoken in four years of high school, will find themselves kidnapped, taken over the Mexican border, married and falling in love. Kylie’s best friend, Will, Max’s girlfriend, Lily and Max’s wingman, Charlie are the unlikely cavalry charged with rescuing them. Against all odds, this crew must find their way back over the border in time for graduation and for Kylie to give her long awaited valedictorian speech, without killing each other en route.
What I liked loved: It’s hard to pinpoint the book’s biggest strength. The multiple strings of narratives, the swept-away romance, the rollicking misadventures – everything just meshes together like peanut butter, chocolate and bananas! If I had to choose, I’d say the book’s biggest selling point is the fast-moving plot. I love how the authors structured the story with each chapter jumping from one major character to the next. I credit their Hollywood screenwriting skills for weaving the multiple narratives without jerking the reader around or muddling up the plot. You get to know the characters bit by bit and want to keep tearing through the pages to find out how they overcome their problems. Oh and did I mention there are a couple of high-speed car chases involved? Vroom, vroom!
The romance: Max and Kylie’s unlikely romance rekindled my silly high school fantasies of being marooned on a desert island with the Luke Perry lookalike from my fifth period English lit class. They had the whole Jude Law/Ally Sheedy love chemistry thing going on (Breakfast Club fans, you know what I’m talking about) and it worked! Come to think of it, this book flows much like a John Hughes 80s romance. Think Some Kind of Wonderful meets Pretty in Pink meets The Breakfast Club. And just when I didn’t think it could get any better – the love drama sweeps into a motion all-too-reminiscent of my most favorite romance movie of all time, Before Sunrise. If you haven’t seen it, put it on you Netflix queue stat! Oh Ethan Hawke…how I wish we could have a spontaneous romantic interlude on a train to Paris…sigh.
Thoughts on the cover art: If the first couple pages don’t grab you, the cover certainly will! The image, depicting a foursome of stranded rich teenagers amidst the backdrop of a Mexican sunset, looks like a “coming soon” poster in a movie theater. The little bitty Chihuahua is a nice touch, and I wonder why he couldn’t have played a larger role in the story. If I had to get nitpicky, that would be my only gripe about the book.
Overall: There’s a reason why this book made my shortlist of Best Books of 2012. It’s a fast, furious rollercoaster ride of misadventures, romance and drunken teenage debauchery! But it’s not all teenage hijinks; the characters are dealing with some heavy duty stuff, such as mental illness, cancer and financial meltdowns. Each character may seem to be neatly compartmentalized as a “jock,” “class clown” “brain” and “princess,” but they each have their own unique backstory, which the authors slowly reveal in every chapter. I love a good coming-of-age story of self-discovery – and this book totally delivers. Don’t be overwhelmed by the 400+ pages. It’s a super-fast read that can easily be devoured in one weekend. Get it. Read it. Share it!
Happy New Year! To be honest, this is my least favorite holiday. Aside from the day off from work, what do we have to look forward to other than the grim task of taking down the tree and strategizing weight loss plans? So rather than taking inventory of all my short-comings and weaknesses – especially for all things chocolaty and ice creamy – I decided to cherry-pick my 2012 reading list.
Without further ado, here are the winners!
All-Round Best Book of the Year: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
Not since The Secret Life of Bees has a book touched that sweet spot in my heart that yearns for a good ol’ tear-jerking Southern drama. I instantly fell in love with little CeeCee, a 12-year-old girl who lost her mentally ill mother and found solace in a new tribe of strong Southern women. Like Opal in Because of Win Dixie, CeeCee listens to other people’s lives and provides her own bits of wisdom through hopeful wonder and dead-on honesty. This is an inspiring coming-of-age journey filled with hope, redemption and the divine power of women. Oh how I wish I could spend an afternoon sipping iced tea with this sweet girl and her sisterhood of surrogate mothers in Aunt Tootie’s antebellum mansion…sigh. Go here for my review.
Best Indie Book: I Kill Me by Tracy H. Tucker
This book is the reason why we should never overlook indie authors. Considering the grim subject matter (a middle aged woman facing life after divorce), I was expecting to go through boxes of tissues and buffer my bouts of sadness with Scooby Doo cartoons. But little did I know, most of the tears were from fits of laughter. Somehow, the author found a way to infuse hearty doses of comic relief without undermining the serious issues at hand. The quality writing, the fast-moving plot, the hopelessly neurotic leading lady – everything about this book had me tearing through the pages until I was sure that Christine would get her happily ever after. Read my review here.
Best Young Adult Book: From What I Remember by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas
This book has got to be one of the most addictive reads I’ve encountered since The Hunger Games. The authors took advantage of their Hollywood screen-writing skills by weaving together a roller-coaster ride of a coming-of-age adventure/romance. The genius of the fast-moving plot is the multiple narratives. Foreshadowed with movie quotes, each chapter is told through the eyes of the major characters – from the super-flamboyant cross-dressing BFF, to the resident mean girl, to the high school heart throb. All of their stories are compelling, and each of the seemingly clichéd characters slowly chip away at the reader’s heart by exposing their vulnerabilities. This book is like a new-wave John Hughes story mixed with some of my favorite elements from The Breakfast Club, Before Sunrise, and Tom Wolf’s I am Charlotte Simmons. Stay tuned for the review!
Best Audiobook: Gods of Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson
Authors like Joshilyn Jackson are the reason why I love, love, love Southern fiction. Her books (typically involving crazy-ass mothers and emotionally scarred women) are gritty, powerful and downright gut-wrenching. After reading Backseat Saints, I needed to know more about Rose Mae Lolley’s backstory – and boy did this book deliver! Although Rose Mae is only a side character in this novel, I get to learn more about her psychotic high school sweetheart, and how he met his end. The story revolves around Arlene, a highly complex woman who promised God that she would never lie, have sex or return to her hometown in Alabama. But when her aunt pressures her to attend her uncle’s retirement party, she gives in and reluctantly brings her boyfriend, Burr, along for the ride. As Arlene reneges on her promises, her big, bad secret starts to creep out from under the kudzu. Woo doggie – this is one whirlwind of a ride! I’m so glad I listened to this on audio because the production is fan-freaking-tastic! The narrator fully embraced Arlene’s emotional turmoil – and the subtle music during the suspense scenes really added a nice touch. I’m not from the South, but I’m willing to bet my biscuits that the narrator’s Southern drawl is authentic. Shameless self-prmotion – I know all about twangs and drawls because I wrote this magazne story about the slowly eroding Texas twang.
Best Beach Read: Barefoot Girls by Tara McTiernan
I know it sounds like a million years from now, but when summer rolls around, be sure to stash this book in your beach bag. Set in a quaint little New England touristy beach town, Barefoot Girls is all about friendship, motherhood and deep, dark family secrets. At 400+ pages it’s a little on the long side, but once you get into it you won’t want to leave the idyllic little summer getaway. Through the author’s prose, you can practically smell the salty air and feel the sand beneath your toes. Go here for my review.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to finish off that box of chocolate truffles before I embark on my strict fitness regimen…yeah, I’ll get right on that.
With an anxiety disorder the size of Texas, I know better than to go near WebMD, PetMD or any other self-diagnosis website. I blame modern technology for my insatiable need for immediate answers to mysterious ailments like inexplicable hiccupping which, according to a Yahoo chat group, is symptomatic of AIDS! And let’s not forget about the time when I swore I had impetigo after giving myself a giant blister from dancing in stacked heels.
As you can see, I’m the poster child for just saying NO to WebMD. Seriously, folks, we should leave this stuff to the professionals in white coats…but sometimes it’s too hard to resist. This is especially true for Christine Bacon, a 40-something school teacher who is obsessed with deadly diseases. No sneeze, bump, itch or cough goes undetected – and her doctors are making a pretty penny off of her weekly visits. Geez – this poor woman must have to take out a second mortgage just to afford all those co-pays!
Her anxiety goes into overdrive when her husband insists on “shaking things up” by having a threesome with his boobaliscious message therapist. Shortly after the ill-fated tryst, her marriage to Richard (preferably known as Dick) quickly unravels into shreds. Let me tell ya, this guy pissed me off from page one – and I was so ready for him to run off with his new bimbo. He’s the ultimate midlife crisis cliché: divorce the faithful wife, kick her while she’s down, ignore the kids, and sport a boy-band hairstyle. He’s pretty much a douchebag with a capital D, and I couldn’t wait to get to the end of the book so I could revel in Christine’s sweet revenge.
As Christine embarks on the stages of grief, she convinces herself that every stress-related ailment is symptomatic of a fatal disease. From MS, to ear cancer to HIV, she’s certain she will inevitably die a slow, painful death.
But it’s not all gloom and doom for our hapless hypochondriac. She’s got a fabulous circle of friends to turn to when she needs to be talked off the ledge. I absolutely adored her schoolteacher friends who stayed by her side during her darkest days. They never gave up on coaching her through her daily “I’m going to die!” episodes, which is a real testament of friendship. Just ask my loyal bestie, who never fails to entertain my absurd fears of contracting rare fatal diseases. I typically reward her good deeds with some moonshine shots, but really this girl deserves a badge of honor! Christine also has the perfect gay boyfriend, who just so happens to be a doctor. He’s amused by her endearingly neurotic fascination with deadly illnesses, and their conversations are quite hilarious.
Aside from the loveable protagonist, the book’s biggest strong suit is the humor. This author clearly has a quirky personality – and it shows in the whip-smart dialogue and Christine’s zany antics. There were some moments that had me shaking with laughter, especially when Christine flipped out on a student for not complimenting her post-divorce haircut. It’s one of the many scenes that only a girl would truly understand and appreciate. Oh and I also really loved the part when she threw herself a pity party by dramatically taking out the trash (a mandatory husband chore) in front of her sympathetic neighbors.
Overall, this little indie book is quite a gem. Although Christine’s neurosis is a tad extreme, many of the emotions she deals with will resonate with women readers. Whether you’re divorced, single or happily married – this book will make you laugh, cry and hug your best friend. Tracy does a fine job balancing heavy issues with humor without undermining Christine’s underlying psychological problems. If you enjoy stories about personal transformation, hope and second chances – download this book immediately!
You know what I love most about Christmas? Aside from the gift-giving hullabaloo and decadent goodies, I mostly look forward to revisiting my favorite Christmassy books, movies and albums year after year. There’s something very comforting about returning to those holiday standbys that filled my 5-year-old brain with magical wonderment. Oh how I long for the days when flying reindeer and toy-building elves were unquestionably real. Calories were never an issue and my biggest worries involved bathing and brustle sprouts. Sigh..those were the days.
Aside from the nostalgic bliss, Christmas is a time to reflect on who we are, what we value most, and how we can make the world a better place. In Scrooge’s case, it’s a time for redemption. For the Grinch, it’s a time to grow a heart. And for little Virginia, it’s a time to continue believing and hoping in a higher power in defiance of naysayers.
Pretty deep stuff, huh? Before I start waxing nostalgic about my childhood Christmases (which consisted mostly of sugar-induced tantrums) or musing about the existential subtext of Home Alone, I’ll leave you with these heart-warming passages from my favorite holiday reads.
“And it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas
“And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. O all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.”
― O. Henry, The Gift of the Magi
“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.”
― Francis Pharcellus Church, The New York Sun
Happy hump day everybody! WWW Wednesdays is a bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three questions:
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