North of Normal
By Cea Sunrise Person
A memoir. Cea grows up in the 70s in an extended hippy family. Her mother got pregnant at 16, but after five months of marriage the dad leaves. Her grandparents are the most stable ones in the family. Her mother ends up having numerous lovers, so Cea has no real father figure other than her grandfather. They end up living off the land in rural B.C. The family hunts, fishes, lives in tipis, is mostly in poverty, smokes lots of dope, and believes in free sex, plus often wearing no clothes.
Cea survives her chaotic upbringing, and finally escapes when she becomes a model at the age of 15. She moves to New York by herself to build her career. She goes through three marriages before finally sorting out the trauma she suffered during her early years of chaos.
I didn't actually read the whole book, maybe about half. It got to be too much. I just wanted to see how her modelling career went and how she finally got herself sorted out.
Rating: 3/4
Recommendation: Sure.
Sunday, October 8, 2017
#84 Harmony
Harmony
By Carolyn Parkhurst
The story of a family with an autistic child. They try everything, but their lives remain chaotic. The parents move the family to "Camp Harmony," a residential camp for families with children with special needs. The camp director is a charismatic fellow, who turns about to be someone other than the person he represents himself as. The Hammond family is one of the core group who lives and works at the camp, while other families come and go, staying for a week to experience the "back to the land" lifestyle, which hopefully benefits their special needs children.
The ending is shocking, but not surprising, as slowly it becomes apparent that their leader is not who they think.
Rating: 3/4
Recommendation. Not really.
By Carolyn Parkhurst
The story of a family with an autistic child. They try everything, but their lives remain chaotic. The parents move the family to "Camp Harmony," a residential camp for families with children with special needs. The camp director is a charismatic fellow, who turns about to be someone other than the person he represents himself as. The Hammond family is one of the core group who lives and works at the camp, while other families come and go, staying for a week to experience the "back to the land" lifestyle, which hopefully benefits their special needs children.
The ending is shocking, but not surprising, as slowly it becomes apparent that their leader is not who they think.
Rating: 3/4
Recommendation. Not really.
Saturday, September 30, 2017
#83 Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows
By Ballin Kaur Jaswal
A quirky, if unbelievable story centred around the Punjabi community in London. Nikki, a young, modern British Punjabi Sikh, quits law school and is at loose ends, while working in a pub to make ends meet. She visits the local gurudwara to post a matrimonial ad for her sister, and comes across an ad for a writing teacher for women.
She thinks the job is about helping women write stories, but something quite different unfolds. The women, mostly widows, end up writing stories about their sexual longing an desires, and the stories quickly gain circulation within the Punjabi community (This was the unbelievable part, like, really?)
Nikki also helps solve a murder case.
Some interesting bits about the racism faced my the Sikhs in London, about how gangs of male thugs control the women in the community, how murders of innocent women are generally labelled "accidental deaths" and are never solved.
Rating: 3/4
Recommendation: Another book about things with an Indian theme. Cutesy.
By Ballin Kaur Jaswal
A quirky, if unbelievable story centred around the Punjabi community in London. Nikki, a young, modern British Punjabi Sikh, quits law school and is at loose ends, while working in a pub to make ends meet. She visits the local gurudwara to post a matrimonial ad for her sister, and comes across an ad for a writing teacher for women.
She thinks the job is about helping women write stories, but something quite different unfolds. The women, mostly widows, end up writing stories about their sexual longing an desires, and the stories quickly gain circulation within the Punjabi community (This was the unbelievable part, like, really?)
Nikki also helps solve a murder case.
Some interesting bits about the racism faced my the Sikhs in London, about how gangs of male thugs control the women in the community, how murders of innocent women are generally labelled "accidental deaths" and are never solved.
Rating: 3/4
Recommendation: Another book about things with an Indian theme. Cutesy.
#82 Year of No Sugar
Year of No Sugar
By Eve. O. Schaub
A memoir about a family that decides to eat no sugar for a year. This family were sugar lovers, and after mom sees a video and reads a book about the evils of sugar and how it pervades the processed food which most Americans eat, she decides to do the "year without sugar". Originally a blog, it was turned into this book.
It's the world of hidden sugar that she uncovers in the book, as well as the cravings and emotional attachment to various sugary desserts. They discover that to eat without sugar, you basically have to eat at home and cook your own food, so that you know what's in what you're eating.
Talks about the different kids of sugar and sweeteners, as well as the unnecessary sweeteners in many common "foods" such as ketchup, peanut butter, bacon, salad dressing and crackers.
An interesting read, though I skipped through some of it.
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommendation: If you're into food issues and healthy eating, sure.
By Eve. O. Schaub
A memoir about a family that decides to eat no sugar for a year. This family were sugar lovers, and after mom sees a video and reads a book about the evils of sugar and how it pervades the processed food which most Americans eat, she decides to do the "year without sugar". Originally a blog, it was turned into this book.
It's the world of hidden sugar that she uncovers in the book, as well as the cravings and emotional attachment to various sugary desserts. They discover that to eat without sugar, you basically have to eat at home and cook your own food, so that you know what's in what you're eating.
Talks about the different kids of sugar and sweeteners, as well as the unnecessary sweeteners in many common "foods" such as ketchup, peanut butter, bacon, salad dressing and crackers.
An interesting read, though I skipped through some of it.
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommendation: If you're into food issues and healthy eating, sure.
#81 The Last Days of Cafe Leila
The Last Days of Cafe Leila
By Donia Bijan
An easy read, written by an Iranian American. The novel takes place in both the U.S. and in Tehran. Leila grew up in Iran, and her family had owned Cafe Leila for two generations. Before the Islamic dictatorship, the Cafe was a famous gathering place for intellectuals and artists. With the rise of the Islamic regime, things changed, though Cafe Leila endured. Leila and her brother are sent to America, to get away from the oppression in Iran, and they marry and have children. Leila leaves her husband after he has an affair, and she and her daughter Lily, go back to Iran to spend time with Zod, who is dying of cancer. Leila and Lilly face hardships in Tehran, but they stay until Zod's death, and the demise of Cafe Leila.
Interesting descriptions of Persian food. Some difficult scenes when talking about the oppression and brutality of the Islamic regime that are difficult to read.
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommendation: Sure. An easy read, though some difficult sections due to subject matter.
By Donia Bijan
An easy read, written by an Iranian American. The novel takes place in both the U.S. and in Tehran. Leila grew up in Iran, and her family had owned Cafe Leila for two generations. Before the Islamic dictatorship, the Cafe was a famous gathering place for intellectuals and artists. With the rise of the Islamic regime, things changed, though Cafe Leila endured. Leila and her brother are sent to America, to get away from the oppression in Iran, and they marry and have children. Leila leaves her husband after he has an affair, and she and her daughter Lily, go back to Iran to spend time with Zod, who is dying of cancer. Leila and Lilly face hardships in Tehran, but they stay until Zod's death, and the demise of Cafe Leila.
Interesting descriptions of Persian food. Some difficult scenes when talking about the oppression and brutality of the Islamic regime that are difficult to read.
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommendation: Sure. An easy read, though some difficult sections due to subject matter.
Saturday, September 23, 2017
#80 City of Friends
City of Friends
By Joanna Trollope
Chic lit at it's best! British author, so all those cute English words and expressions. An easy romp through the trials and tribulations of four women, all best friends, all successful career women. Their lives are interwoven, there's intrigue, gossip, relationships break up, hurts are healed, and ultimately there is change.
An easy read. Effortless. Good pacing.
Rating: 4/5
Recommendation: Only if you like chic lit and need something quick and easy.
By Joanna Trollope
Chic lit at it's best! British author, so all those cute English words and expressions. An easy romp through the trials and tribulations of four women, all best friends, all successful career women. Their lives are interwoven, there's intrigue, gossip, relationships break up, hurts are healed, and ultimately there is change.
An easy read. Effortless. Good pacing.
Rating: 4/5
Recommendation: Only if you like chic lit and need something quick and easy.
Sunday, September 17, 2017
#79 A Piece of the World
A Piece of the World
By Christian Baker Kline
Historical fiction, told in the voice of Christina Olson, the muse to famed American artist Andrew Wyeth. The novel is focused around the visual narrative told in Wyeth's iconic painting entitled, "Christina's World".
The writing in this novel is wonderful, and Christina's world is beautifully constructed. However, this is not a happy read. Christina has a rare degenerative disease which makes her limbs grow less and less functional, and eventually she is unable to walk. She finds her first love, who "promises" to marry her, but he eventually faces the pressure from his family and marries someone more suitable. Her father won't allow her to finish school and become a teacher. She spends her life living on the family farm, looking after her parents until their deaths.
Christina gradually becomes housebound, cared for my her brother, who remains a bachelor to look after her. When she is 46, she meets Wyeth, who spends the summers painting at the Olson house. Landscapes, portraits, pictures of ordinary things, culminating in "Christina's World".
The book is kind of depressing, and the back and forth in time gets kind of confusing.
By the author of "Orphan Train".
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommendation: Sure.
By Christian Baker Kline
Historical fiction, told in the voice of Christina Olson, the muse to famed American artist Andrew Wyeth. The novel is focused around the visual narrative told in Wyeth's iconic painting entitled, "Christina's World".
The writing in this novel is wonderful, and Christina's world is beautifully constructed. However, this is not a happy read. Christina has a rare degenerative disease which makes her limbs grow less and less functional, and eventually she is unable to walk. She finds her first love, who "promises" to marry her, but he eventually faces the pressure from his family and marries someone more suitable. Her father won't allow her to finish school and become a teacher. She spends her life living on the family farm, looking after her parents until their deaths.
Christina gradually becomes housebound, cared for my her brother, who remains a bachelor to look after her. When she is 46, she meets Wyeth, who spends the summers painting at the Olson house. Landscapes, portraits, pictures of ordinary things, culminating in "Christina's World".
The book is kind of depressing, and the back and forth in time gets kind of confusing.
By the author of "Orphan Train".
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommendation: Sure.
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