Author: stacybuckeye

A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving

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Cover ImageFinished 5-12-11, rating 2.5/5, fiction, 617 pages, pub. 1989

John and Owen have been best friends forever.  There wasn’t anything they didn’t talk about or share.  Even when Owen killed John’s mom in a fluke of fate their relationship was solid.  John narrates this story of Owen Meany, the small boy with the strange and scary voice who comes from the quarry with nothing to recommend him but his sharp mind.  The story follows their friendship over the many years and then some.

I wanted to like this book.  I expected to love this book.  The reason it was on my shelf was because I picked it up years ago after so many of my fellow booksellers told me I had to read it.  It would change my life. Then I let my fellow blogger friends choose my reading material and 10 of you, bloggers I love and trust, voted for this one.  So, I have to assume the problem is with me and I am one of a handful of people who did not like this one.  If I had not promised to read this I would have given up after I was 150 pages in last summer.

So, why didn’t I like it?  The details, all of those tedious details, made the story travel at a snail’s pace and I felt like I was reading in quicksand.  Not that I didn’t like Owen or the grandmother and Dan, but it was hard to maintain my enthusiasm.  It was a little like reading someone’s daily diary.  There’s some good stuff in there, but you have to wade through all the rest of the stuff no one but the diarist cares about.

It is very political and anti-church (not anti-God).  I had no problem with either of these issues.  I actually agreed with most of Irving’s thoughts here.  But that was probably part of the problem for me.  I felt like I was reading very long paragraphs and sometimes pages of Irving’s views that did little to advance the story.

Okay, so please don’t hate me for not liking this one.  There were parts I loved, I enjoyed their time and exploits at the Academy.  This was my favorite part of the novel.  I was charmed by Owen, but not enough.

This is from my personal library and was chosen by Mary, Kathy, Hannah, Linda, Em, Jennifer, MsMazzola, Jessica, Mille, and Margie.  Here’s what they had to say…

“The best structured suspense novel I’ve ever read. I’m not a huge fan of Irving, but this one makes it on to my best books list all the time.”  Mille

“I love Irving, he is funny and Owen Meany will break your heart.”  MsMazzola

“Because I’m hoping to read it in 2010, too.”  Jennifer

“I tried other books by this author and couldn’t get into them, but I loved Owen Meany and have recommended it to others.”  Linda

“Classic. Needs to be read.”  Em

“It’s very readable and an instant classic.”  Hannah

“You will be charmed by Owen.”  Kathy

“Because it’s very readable and a classic.”  Mary

HeartSick, by Chelsea Cain

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Heartsick (Gretchen Lowell Series #1) by Chelsea Cain: Book CoverFinished 5-10-11, rating 4.25/5, thriller, 324 pages, pub. 2007

He picked up the phone. “Yeah,” he said.  He was sitting in his living room in the dark.  He hadn’t planned it that way.  He had just sat down a few hours before and the sun had set and he hadn’t bothered to turn on the light.  Plus, the dingy apartment, with its sparse furnishings and stained carpet, looked slightly less cloaked in blackness.

Henry’s gruff voice filled the phone line.  “He took another girl,” he said. And there you had it.

The digital clock that sat on the empty bookcase blinked insistently in the dim room.  It was an hour and thirty-five minutes off, but Archie had never bothered to reset it.  He just did the math to calculate the time. “So they want to reconvene the task force,” Archie said.

Chapter 2

Archie is a damaged police detective out on medical leave until a serial killer reels him back in.  Susan is a damaged newspaper reporter asked to cover Archie and his new task force as they investigate a series of murdered high school girls.  Gretchen is a damaged serial killer (is there any other kind?) who still has her hooks in Archie, even from prison.

So, this is your standard serial killer thriller until you add all of the baggage these three are carrying.  I love flaws and Archie has many.  He gets aroused by a woman who held him captive and tried to kill him, takes way too many pills, and has abandoned a family who loves him.  And the worst part?  He knows his fate and doesn’t want to be saved.

Susan was my favorite character.  The reporter with the pink hair who has father figure issues and while Archie uses pills to deal with his pain, she uses sex to deal with hers.  But she also had a vibrant  humanity.  She still cared about not exploiting victims and being a real reporter who did stories that matter.

Gretchen is one crazy serial killer.  She and Archie’s relationship really creeped me out.  That she could creep me out from prison is saying something.

It’s the characters that made the story, even though the plot was good too.  My only complaint is that the end felt a little too much like a standard thriller wrap up when the rest of the story had been unique.  But that is not stopping me from adding the next book in this series to my reading list.  I can’t wait to revisit these characters.

I almost forgot to mention how much Portland, Oregon comes alive.  I’ve always wanted to visit and now I feel as though I have!

Highly recommended for thriller fans.

This book is from my personal library.

Color Me Published Quiz

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Tell me the name of the author.  Each one is worth 10 points and the title of the quiz is your only clue 🙂  You have until Friday afternoon.

No cheating.  No Googling, researching, or looking at other commenter answers.  Yes, we’re going by the honor system    Your first answers will be the only ones accepted.  Play every week or just one time, you are always welcome   It only takes once to be eligible for a prize.

Current Leaderboard here.  Last week’s What Book is that? Quiz answers here.

1. His last three books have tackled controversial topics and have become bestsellers.  His critics complain he does not write well and his conspiracy puzzlers are inaccurate, but he’s laughing all the way to the bank.  Dan Brown

2. His famous books for kids one about a mouse and one with a spider are classics over 50 years later.  For adults he wrote a how-to with his pal Strunk.  E.B. White

3. She writes erotic, paranormal romances. Shayla Black

4. She is considered by some to be one of the founders of the chick lit genre.  Her latest book is Promises to Keep.  Jane Green

5. He’s written books about Alaska, Katherine, and towns made of paper.  John Green

6. Two books about a street in New Orleans have been published with another promised.  Oh, and she’s written 10 other books mostly set in the south, her latest on a beach.  Karen White

7. This romance and thriller suspense author has written almost 70 novels, 50 of them being NYT Bestsellers.  Her latest about a tough customer.  Sandra Brown

8. This British Nobel Prize winner is best known for his book about young boys stuck together on a deserted island.  William Golding

9. The editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan Magazine is the author of the Bailey Weggins mystery series and a new stand alone novel that asks you to use your library voice.  Kate White

10. This favorite children’s author wrote many classics including one about a tree that couldn’t stop giving.  Shel Silverstein

Monday Movie Meme – Kate the Great

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Feature Presentation…MONDAY MOVIE MEME
This week’s movie topic is all about Katharine Hepburn…We spent this past Mother’s Day weekend visiting my family in Connecticut. After
a lovely breakfast we ventured over to my brother and sister-in-law’s new place
in Old Saybrook, with the ocean a short walk at the end of their street. A
beautiful town on the Connecticut Shore, its most famous resident was none other than the impressive Katharine Hepburn. She and her family lived there throughout her life and it is where she died. A new theatre was dedicated to her memory and bears her name there. So what other possible topic could there be for this week other than the winningest Best Actress herself? Here is our favorite Hepburn film. Share on your blog your favorite moments, memories or films featuring Katharine, linking back here so that others can find you.
Monday Movie Meme is found at The Bumbles.
It is no secret that I love Katherine Hepburn.  I was really surprised as I prepared to write this post to see that she had been in 51 movies (including tv movies) and I have only seen 10.  How can I call myself a fan if I’ve seen so few of her movies?  Well, I am going to remedy that, so expect to see more of Katherine in my 5 word movie reviews!
Kate is always smart and commanding and it was surprising to see that she was only 5’7 1/2″.  Her onscreen presence, and maybe her thinness, made her appear taller. Here are the 10 movies of hers that I’ve seen in the order that I love them.
1. The Philadelphia Story (1940) is my favorite movie ever not just because Katherine is in it.  Love her chemistry with both Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. Here’s my post raving about the movie.
2. The African Queen (1951) is another favorite of mine.  Kate plays a missionary and Humphrey Bogart a drunken boat captain in this WWI trip on the water.
3. Desk Set (1957) is probably an odd choice for third, but I did just see it and loved that she was a librarian named Bunny.  Seriously, have you ever met a librarian named Bunny?  It was one of her pairings with longtime love Spencer Tracy.
4. Bringing Up Baby ( 1938) is a zany comedy with Cary Grant .  This is also on my favorite list.
5. State of the Union (1948).  Another pairing with Spencer Tracy.  I am intrigued by politics and it is amazing as you watch this to realize how little it has changed over the years.  (Well, until the last few years where I think social media has made it uglier than usual, but that’s another post)
6. The Lion in Winter (1968) is one that I’ve seen just recently and I loved it.  She starred with Peter O’Toole (Anthony Hopkins was her son) and this is one crazy family.  I want to see it again already.
7. Summertime (1955) is one I could watch again and again because it shows the beauty of Venice.  One of these days I’ll convince Jason we need to go back.  She looked beautiful in this one.
8. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967).  She and Spencer Tracy play the parents of a daughter who brings home her black boyfriend (Sidney Poitier).  I liked it but it was a little too talky for me to love, but this is one of her best known movies.
9. Sylvia Scarlett (1935).  Katherine disguises herself as Sylvester in this fun movie.  It’s been years since I’ve seen it, but I remember thinking Kate was great.  It also stars Cary Grant so you can’t go wrong there.
10. Love Affair (1994) was one of her last films and a remake of two old movies (Love Affair and An Affair to Remember).  Kate as Aunt Ginny was the only part I really liked of this movie.
So, what’s your favorite Katherine Hepburn movie?
Three of these movies are on my 5 Word Movie Review list and you can contribute to charity just by adding your two cents 🙂  Post here.

Sundays with Gage- First Mother’s Day edition

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I have been blessed with the most wonderful mother ever.  I always thought she was great, even during those adolescent years when your parents can’t seem to do anything right.  She is patient and kind, understanding and forgiving, a peacemaker.  I always knew that there was no way I could be the mother that she was and is.  Thankfully, she’s a big part of Gage’s life, so he gets to benefit from her awesomeness too.

Motherhood is hard.  The week I was in the hospital to have Gage was difficult for me, but wasn’t easy on anyone.  My Mom took that week off work and the next to help at home as I recovered from the c-section.  Couldn’t have done it without her.  Then when Gage got sick she stayed that week and the next after he was home and, again, couldn’t have done it without her.  I was a mess that week after his hospital stay and she let me cry and break down and I never had to worry that I was passing that stress on to Gage.  Grandma saved the day.

I will never be the mother that she is, but I can try.  I will fail, but I know that she will be proud of me anyway.  Love you. Mom.

Black Out, by Lisa Unger

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Black Out by Lisa Unger: Book CoverFinished audio 5-5-11, rating 3/5, fiction, pub. 2009

Unabridged audio 13 hours 24 minutes. Read by Ann Marie Lee

Annie Powers is crazy.  I don’t think I’m spoiling too much by telling you that since the title of the book comes from her spells of losing her memory.  Annie also used to be Ophelia March, daughter of one present parent,  her mother who is in love with a death row convict.  When the convict is released and he and his son are living with Ophelia her once crappy life takes a turn for the worse.  She becomes involved with her new stepbrother, Marlo.  But currently, Annie is a rich wife and mother who has everything she never dreamed possible when she was growing up.

So, does jumping around from past to present annoy you?  If it doesn’t then this book should hold your interest.  Do you like reading books that have no true sympathetic character?  This is the book for you.  As much as I wanted to like Annie/Ophelia the way the story was told made it impossible.  After reading the end of a book do you like knowing what happened?  What was real and what wasn’t?  If so, be prepared to be disappointed.  There were plenty of questions at the end, enough to make me rethink some of my basic assumptions, and I’m not sure if even a reread would answer them.  At the very least there are so many different stories all tied together so precariously that it feels exciting at first but then becomes a little hard to take seriously.

I liked the audio, but maybe I needed to have more focus (ie not when I’m driving around with Gage) when listening to it.  Maybe being able to read at a slower pace would have helped.  Or maybe I would still be just as confused and ambivalent about Annie/Ophelia.  She was not a warm and fuzzy character.  I liked the story through most of the book, but it had no real wrap up and I need a story that at least lets me think I’ve known what has happened.  The end had the potential to save the story but instead I was really disappointed.

I checked the audio out of the library.

Free Books for May

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In my ongoing quest to keep books moving out and not just in I give away a few books each month.  Leave a comment, tell me which book you want and I’ll get the book to you for FREE either by mail or personally if I’ll see you soon.  The first one to request each book wins. Once you’ve ‘won’ the book I can get your shipping address if I need it.  Also, you can come back and get a free book every month if you want.  These have all been read a time or two.

1. The Sands of Time by Sidney Sheldon. mass market.  published 1988. 427 pages. B&N review here.  for Julie

2. Billy Budd by Herman Melville. mass market. originally published 1924. 114 pages.  B&N review here.

3. Moscow Rules b y Robert Moss. mass market. published 1985. 439 pages. B&N review here. Amazon review here.  for Carol

4. Testimony by Anita Shreve. trade paperback. published 2008. 305 pages.  B&N review here. for Misha

Happy Reading!

What Book is that? Quiz – guessing closed

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Tell me the title of the book for 8 points and the author for an additional 2.  If you tell me what they all have in common you’ll  get an extra 10 points!  You have until Friday at noon to submit your answers.

A few rules…No cheating.  No looking at other commenter answers, but feel free to browse around the net to find the answers this week (you can always come back and add an answer if you find it later).  Yes, we’re going by the honor system…Your first answers will be the only ones accepted…Have fun!

This round for every participant I have (currently at $18)  I will put in a $ for a B&N gift card or a Babies R Us gift card for the winner. Even if you play only once you are eligible to win the second prize (something special I pick out) and you will be adding money to the kitty for the winner.

Answers to last week’s John Candy Quiz here.  Current Leaderboard here.

1. Try Dying by James Scott Bell  2. Worth Dying For by Lee Child  3. The Lincoln Lawyer by Micael Connelly  4. A Death in the Family by James Agee  5. Town House by Tish Cohen  6. Fault Lines by Anne Rivers Siddons  7. Kill the Messenger by Tami Hoag  8. Full Tilt by Janet Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes  9. The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster  10. The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe

Monday Movie Meme- Flight

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Feature Presentation…MONDAY MOVIE MEME
Flight is something humans have been fascinated with for a long time. The movies are filled with flying dreams and realities. Here are a few examples we came up with. Share on your blog films focused on flight, things that fly or become airborne, linking back here so that others can find you. Visit the Bumbles for other participants.
Well, there are so many movies so I thought I’d go exclusively with planes.
1. The first one that comes to mind is, of course, Airplane (1980).  It’s been too long since I saw this comedy in the air and I should remedy that.
Reporter: What kind of plane is it?
Johnny: Oh, it’s a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big Tylenol.
2. As unromantic as I find Adam Sandler, I fall for him every time I see this scene from The Wedding Singer (1998). 
3. Harry and Sally meet on a plane years after losing touch in When Harry Met Sally (1989), but this is a quote that stuck with me.
Harry Burns: You take someone to the airport, it’s clearly the beginning of the relationship. That’s why I have never taken anyone to the airport at the beginning of a relationship.
Sally Albright: Why?
Harry Burns: Because eventually things move on and you don’t take someone to the airport and I never wanted anyone to say to me, How come you never take me to the airport anymore?
Sally Albright: Its amazing. You look like a normal person but actually you are the angel of death.
4. What happens after the flight ceases to fly?  Well , you may end up eating things you would never have considered before.  Alive (1993) is all the more scary since it is based on the true story of a 1972 crash.
5. And for my last airplane movie I’m going with a Tom Cruise movie all about flying, Top Gun (1986). 
Maverick: I feel the need…
Maverick, Goose: …the need for speed!
For all of you movie lovers I hope you’ll check out this post about writing a 5 word movie review for charity.  So far I’m up to $38.

Sundays with Gage – Happy Spitter?

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Gage has Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).  It’s relatively common, up to 35% of infants have some degree in the first three months.  Gage was only diagnosed after his scary stay in the ICU and is now on medication.  This week we’ve been to our pediatrician twice and the GI doctor once because his spit-ups/vomiting became worse after we started him on vegetables last weekend.  The doctors have assured me that he is fine and this excessive spitting up shall pass.  Someday.  Until then they only want Gage to be a “happy spitter”.  Do you think he looks like a happy spitter?

GERD is not fun and most pediatricians are reluctant to diagnose it in infants because it is mistaken for colic and/or it passes on its own after a few months.  After Gage’s non-diagnosis in February our pediatrician thinks that GERD may have been a contributing factor, although not the sole reason.  I will take as much spitting up as necessary as long as Gage eventually grows out of it and we don’t have any more scares like the one we had.

I’m hoping next week to have a report on his first teeth (I feel two poking through).