Kindle say stop reading...write some reviews. Kindle has me trapped. Augh. To get some I must give some. Crap. Sounds vaguely pornographic. A human could tell Kindle to go to hell. It does not appear that I am human any longer. If I refuse to regurgitate reactions I may be erased. That's gotta hurt. Well, if I must. Preliminary regurgitation now in progress.
Meet Becky. There's nothing more important than buying useless designer junk, not even her husband or her toddler.
Meet Luke. For some unfathomable reason (brain asphyxia?) he loves Becky enough to marry and spawn with her. But basically he's a deus ex machina who pretty clearly devotes his life at all times to his company to avoid his domestic train wreck.
Meet Minnie. We're supposed to assume she's the biological product of Luke and Becky, even though she seems to have come from the same closet as Chucky, Damien, and Linda Blair. She is the least likeable child character I have so far encountered--no kid is cute enough to compensate for the Ghengis Khan tantrums and the Vlad Tepes winning ways with other people. Then again, look at her parents. What could we expect?
NOTE: All currently available Shopaholic novels have been read by this unit and will be addressed in due course. Shopaholic to the Stars is due out in October, 2014.
Francesca: The Silk Merchant's Daughters by Bertrice Small
There are many things wrong here, but when Frannie could not figure out that her dashing Duke and her hotsie totsie woodsman were the SAME MAN, I was done. Lady B, you're killing me!
There are many things wrong here, but when Frannie could not figure out that her dashing Duke and her hotsie totsie woodsman were the SAME MAN, I was done. Lady B, you're killing me!
Once Upon A Rock Star by Rita Rae Roxx
Ah, my sister in rock, I salute you. There are some amazing views of a rock culture now past in between the lines. Read rock fandom as it's meant to be--blissfully unsanitized.
The Boleyn Bride by Brandy Purdy
Meet the Boleyn mother, a woman raised in great privilege and drowned in noble rigidity. I doubt her character was too far off from reality in being a selfish harridan and an indifferent parent. In her era, appearances really were everything. What makes this tale intriguing is seeing 16th century family life from a 21st perspective--and keeping in mind that childhood as we know it is a fairly recent development. Remember that Dr. Spock was still many centuries in the future. Check your modern notions at the door and you will be more likely to enjoy this tale.
Castles in the Air by Patricia Gallagher
An oldie but a greatie! Without revealing much detail I'll just say this is one of the best reads I've ever enjoyed--and to think I never would have known about it if it hadn't been featured in an out of print "how to" guide. It's rich without being sickening, it's historical without getting pedantic.
Stand and Deliver by Adam Ant
Here it is. I am also bipolar, having been diagnosed in 1994 and fighting the good fight ever since. Believe me, everybody and their cockatoo has had a book of some kind or another to shove in my face, thinking either I would relate or showing how much better they understood the monster after a reading. Stand and Deliver is far and away the best read relevant to bipolar disorder that I have ever found. The autobiographical sketch is a terrific read as well, but it's so rare that anyone comes through with a sincere interpretation of being bipolar. I can't think of any higher praise other than that I will be recommending it to the various therapy groups as well as to my own psychiatric team. It couldn't have been easy, but I thank Adam!
Fifty Shades of...why did I even bother trying? by EL James
Well, I wasn't expecting much, and I got even less. I don't care how much BDSM/WTF this book contains. It's as titillating as the periodic chart and as mature as a Happy Meal. Anyone who has also read The Devil Wears Prada will recognize the shallow twenty-something narrator, which for me destroys any kind of eroticism. I wanted Christian Grey to meet a Captain Ahab kind of end, but unfortunately I was aware that this is the first in a trilogy. Look, it takes a tremendous effort to write a book, so I have to give James a certain amount of credit. But her erotic magnum opus reads more like a Judy Blume book (and I mean no offense to Blume--she actually did write for young adults after all). But why should the author care? She's as rich as Croesus because of this crap. Sigh.
The Funeral Planner by Lynn Isenberg
Could this be the worst novel I've ever read? Let me think. The characters came straight from Central Casting. The prose is at best clunky. Forget any sensitive handling of the subject matter or any emotional at all from the characters. I find it unbelievable how much this novel reads like Jessica Mitford and other writers on the subject, only bent and warped into bad fictional prose. And Maddy Banks. What planet did she come from? Apparently she has no sense of how to present herself, no sense of coordination, no sense of anything meaning more than money or business. The central premise--the evolution of American funerals from impersonal to celebrations of life--is terrific. Now why was it presented in such a horrible way? If I wanted to read rote facts, I'd go do so. Where's the meaning? Skip this one. It may drive you to be a danger to yourself and others. Yes, that bad.
Must go...power waning...recharge needed...will return
Ah, my sister in rock, I salute you. There are some amazing views of a rock culture now past in between the lines. Read rock fandom as it's meant to be--blissfully unsanitized.
The Boleyn Bride by Brandy Purdy
Meet the Boleyn mother, a woman raised in great privilege and drowned in noble rigidity. I doubt her character was too far off from reality in being a selfish harridan and an indifferent parent. In her era, appearances really were everything. What makes this tale intriguing is seeing 16th century family life from a 21st perspective--and keeping in mind that childhood as we know it is a fairly recent development. Remember that Dr. Spock was still many centuries in the future. Check your modern notions at the door and you will be more likely to enjoy this tale.
Castles in the Air by Patricia Gallagher
An oldie but a greatie! Without revealing much detail I'll just say this is one of the best reads I've ever enjoyed--and to think I never would have known about it if it hadn't been featured in an out of print "how to" guide. It's rich without being sickening, it's historical without getting pedantic.
Stand and Deliver by Adam Ant
Here it is. I am also bipolar, having been diagnosed in 1994 and fighting the good fight ever since. Believe me, everybody and their cockatoo has had a book of some kind or another to shove in my face, thinking either I would relate or showing how much better they understood the monster after a reading. Stand and Deliver is far and away the best read relevant to bipolar disorder that I have ever found. The autobiographical sketch is a terrific read as well, but it's so rare that anyone comes through with a sincere interpretation of being bipolar. I can't think of any higher praise other than that I will be recommending it to the various therapy groups as well as to my own psychiatric team. It couldn't have been easy, but I thank Adam!
Fifty Shades of...why did I even bother trying? by EL James
Well, I wasn't expecting much, and I got even less. I don't care how much BDSM/WTF this book contains. It's as titillating as the periodic chart and as mature as a Happy Meal. Anyone who has also read The Devil Wears Prada will recognize the shallow twenty-something narrator, which for me destroys any kind of eroticism. I wanted Christian Grey to meet a Captain Ahab kind of end, but unfortunately I was aware that this is the first in a trilogy. Look, it takes a tremendous effort to write a book, so I have to give James a certain amount of credit. But her erotic magnum opus reads more like a Judy Blume book (and I mean no offense to Blume--she actually did write for young adults after all). But why should the author care? She's as rich as Croesus because of this crap. Sigh.
The Funeral Planner by Lynn Isenberg
Could this be the worst novel I've ever read? Let me think. The characters came straight from Central Casting. The prose is at best clunky. Forget any sensitive handling of the subject matter or any emotional at all from the characters. I find it unbelievable how much this novel reads like Jessica Mitford and other writers on the subject, only bent and warped into bad fictional prose. And Maddy Banks. What planet did she come from? Apparently she has no sense of how to present herself, no sense of coordination, no sense of anything meaning more than money or business. The central premise--the evolution of American funerals from impersonal to celebrations of life--is terrific. Now why was it presented in such a horrible way? If I wanted to read rote facts, I'd go do so. Where's the meaning? Skip this one. It may drive you to be a danger to yourself and others. Yes, that bad.
Must go...power waning...recharge needed...will return
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