Book Review: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Fiction.  This is a cute and easy quick read by an Australian author, which I personally do not come across that often.  It is charming, witty, and positively hilarious!  I think if you are a fan of the T.V. show "Big Bang Theory" that you will like this: the entire time I was reading all I could picture and hear in my head was Dr. Sheldon Cooper.  

The story is of a 39-year-old man named Don Tillman, who is a genetics professor and lives one of the most organized and rigidly scheduled and calculated lives I have read about in fiction.  At one point his friends cajole him into giving a talk to children with Aspberger syndrome as a glaring hint: "Does this remind you of anybody?"  But of course, he does not get the hint.  He decides one day that he does indeed want a partner for life, but he has been unsuccessful so far because of his comical lack of social skills, so he starts "The Wife Project" to help him weed out unnecessary candidates and save time.  His questionnaire is exceedingly detailed and exceedingly obsessive in detail.  Somehow, which I will not say and ruin the story, he ends up meeting Rosie, a "barmaid," and hilarity ensues.

Ultimately, this completely humorous story revolves around friendship, love, family, and learning to be a little more flexible in life.  It was a quick read and so much fun!  I highly recommend it for a good laugh and a smile!

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Book Review: Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

Non-fiction.  Memoir.  I have intended to read this book for a long time and I am really glad I finally read it, I love Anthony Bourdain!  He is absolutely hilarious, but only if you like sarcasm and dark humor, if you do not then this book is probably not for you.  I have enjoyed his T.V. shows for years, so I think that made it even easier for me to read it: I could hear his voice and see his expressions in my mind as I read the work.

The book is a sort of memoir about how he became a cook and then a chef, some advice for those who want to cook better meals at home (only a tiny bit), and insights into the life of a professional chef.  He is honest about his mistakes, and the tale is a much darker and a much grittier side to things than you see on Food Network: he really dislikes Emeril Lagasse, openly mocks Bobby Flay, and other things/people which makes for some pretty hilarious commentary.  After reading some fairly heavy works recently, this was definitely a humorous and informative breath of fresh air.

Tony started his career in a place during the summer off from college (Vassar where he was not doing much), up in a tiny fishing/beach/summer town called Provincetown (MA).  Delightfully for me, the day after I finished this book CNN ran a mini-marathon of his T.V. show "Parts Unknown" where he went to this town and then spent the rest of the episode talking about the growing heroin epidemic in the U.S.  So I was able to see some of the places, kitchens, and foods he discussed in the book, which was marvelous.  After reading this work, I have also decided that if/when I visit NYC in the future I will never eat at the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center, I do indeed need to invest in better pots and pans and learn how to use those bigger and scarier chef's knives, and I have learned that the life of a chef can vary greatly depending on opportunities and the goals of the individual (e.g. Do you want to learn or do you want money?).  I highly recommend this book to fans of Anthony Bourdain, those interested in the world of chefs and cooking, and anybody looking for a few deeply sarcastic belly laughs.

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Book Review: Gulp by Mary Roach

Non-fiction.  I read this for the non-fiction book club at my local library (July 2014).  Really interesting book, though I may have found it more so than the average person because I have GI issues.  Our bodies are really interesting machines.  The author has a good sense of humor and goes to some funny places that do some unusual experiments.  Mary Roach visited people who are professional taste testers (e.g. olive oil), some people who explain why only smell is important to dogs when choosing their food but that cats only really care about texture so you can call their food whatever you like and it makes a difference only to the owners, scientists who determine the smell factors and components of flatulence, she enthusiastically gets a colonoscopy, and other bizarre, funny, and informative adventures.  Boy the history of medicine has been quite bizarre at times.  I enthusiastically recommend this one.  It really helped me learn quite a bit about my own GI issues in an entertaining way and about some of the new research being done about bacteria and its importance to our digestive and overall health.  I look forward to reading some of her other books, if they are half as interesting as this they will be worth the read.

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Summer Date Night...

Date night in my backyard this year is pretty much like this:

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Book Review: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Read for CLPL Real World Reads Non-Fiction Book Club for June 2013.  

     This was a funny book about trying to "thru-hike" the Appalachian Trail (AT) from Georgia to Maine.  It slows down a little bit about halfway through the book when the author has to take a break because of other previous obligations, but picks back up toward the end.  When he tries to just section hike small bits and pieces of the trail on day-hikes by himself it is not as steady a pace or as funny as when he is sincerely hiking it with his friend in earlier portions of the book.  It was a nice summer read and was absolutely hilarious in the beginning, filled with factoids about the AT and the environment throughout, and it was also a pretty quick read.
     Some of the funniest moments are with his old friend and hiking partner Katz, who tends to whip things off the cliff when he gets frustrated with the weight of his pack, including seemingly weightless items like coffee filters just for the sheer joy of watching them flutter in the wind because he is so frustrated.  The author also has some pretty choice things to say about bears, maintaining the trails, and young hikers wearing suede boots and only wanting to party.  At times Bryson paints a pretty bleak picture of conservation efforts, including a few crazy things like a town in PA burning for decades because of a spark set to some anthracite coal.  I definitely recommend it as a good laugh and as informative at the same time!

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Book Review: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

Read for book club (10/2011). I would say it was an interesting and quick read (two evenings for a few hours), I loved it! As one of our book club members mentioned, it is about "the human condition." This novel is character driven NOT plot driven. There is no connecting plot; but, strongly at times and quite loosely in other chapters (which have clever titles) Olive is the common factor. It is an interesting insight into the mind of an elderly woman from a small town in Maine, a normally very tight-lipped group, so it is great to read her thoughts and then see how little she actually verbalizes them because of generation/culture. It is about age, love, sickness, death, children, and much more (hence "the human condition"). I recommend this highly if you want to contemplate life and its trials and tribulations (from often odd but often funny situations/points of view); but, I urge you to run for the hills if you are looking for a neat and clean beginning/middle/end.

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Book Review: Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

I recently read the New York Times Bestseller Left Neglected by Lisa Genova. It is a book I think a lot of people but, especially a lot of women can relate to quite well. The protagonist is Sarah, an upper middle class career-driven supermom who is the VP of human resources at a consulting firm. While driving and using her cellphone she gets into a car accident, and as a result, she suffers from a traumatic brain injury which effectively removes the left side of her existence.

At first she is in complete denial that she won't fully recover and return to her regular life that is filled with eighty plus hours a week of work, two houses, and a nanny to help raise her three children. Eventually she comes to realize that success is not measured by how many zeroes there are in the bank or snagging the latest genius from Harvard to work for her company.

It is a relatively quick read with a witty and very relatable main character that reminds us all to slow down a little and enjoy the life we are building around us. And to put away those cellphones while driving...

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