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howifeelaboutbooks's reviews
1802 reviews
Crazy in Alabama by Mark Childress
3.0
This was my second Childress novel read, and I liked it much more than "One Mississippi". If anything, this novel is even more unbelievable - Peejoe's aunt cuts off her husband's head and carries it in a hatbox to Hollywood with her. However, that crazy element gives the story depth and a little humor, which is a nice contrast to the story of Peejoe, left back in the South to deal with the race issues that run so deeply there.
One Mississippi by Mark Childress
3.0
This book was very well-written, it was my first Mark Childress novel and I was blown away by it. I thought it was a very interesting and realistic story about a boy, Daniel, uprooted during the already-difficult high school years. His family moves to Mississippi and he has to adjust to basically being sent back into the past, where race is still an issue. There is a lot of action throughout this book, vivid experiences had by Daniel and his friend Tim. However, a scene at the book's ending is a little out of the blue. While it didn't bother me too much, my parents read it and hated it because of the ending. Living through that time period made them realize how unlikely the ending events were. It is a good story but I probably wouldn't recommend it because of that reason.
Dream When You're Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg
4.0
What an amazing novel! Berg's writing talents have always left me speechless when I finish a book, but this one takes the cake. Set during World War II, we live life among the Heaney family. Three sisters write daily letters to soldiers - both theirs and ones they've only danced with, to keep morale up during the war. Some parts of the story are predictable, and the surprise ending throws you for a loop, but the descriptions are very vivid and the whole story is accurately researched - it is a must-read!
Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin
5.0
What an amazing book! The most moving novel I have had the pleasure of reading in quite a long time. When diving in to the story, it is a little hard to discern which memories are held by which character. The whole book consists of tidbits of information the reader must piece into the bigger puzzle - as a result I think this novel will not be interpreted the same way from reader to reader. It is a very effective way of telling this family mystery, and the method is true to life. Things are never spelled out for you, you interpret the characters' gestures and conversations. This equals the most realistic fictional people I have ever met, and I dreaded the last page when I would have to say goodbye.
The Wonder Spot by Melissa Bank
3.0
Melissa Bank is one of my favorite authors; I love her writing style and her subjects. However, her second book is almost too similar to her first book, without being a continuation or companion volume. She still stands out as a great writer but I hope she will show more variety with future books.
Double Take: A Memoir by Kevin Michael Connolly
4.0
The cover drew me in during a bookstore excursion, and when I flipped through I was delighted to see a lot of photography interspersed.
Kevin (because we're close like that) was born without legs. It's not a disease or the result of anything his mother did or didn't do - it just happened. But his book isn't about that. Well, ok, to an extent it is, because you can't just gloss over something like that. But I guess because he was born that way, he didn't have much adjusting to do. It was simply how he always lived.
As a kid, he played like everyone else – running around getting dirty, getting into trouble - but he walked with his hands. He addresses some of the problems with bullies, trying to ask girls out, typical school stuff. On the other hand, he talks about being fitted for prosthetic legs that made him look "normal" but didn't help him walk, how his mom hemmed special pants for him, and how exciting it was to finally buy a pair of shoes. When these topics came up, I had to pause for a second and remember why they were noteworthy; it was easy to forget he doesn't have legs. Every other line wasn't a "pity me!" statement - in fact, it was the opposite.
Kevin became a skier and competed in the X Games. With the money he won for finishing 2nd place, he bought a camera and traveled to foreign countries on a skateboard. From this unique angle, he captured the stares he'd been getting all his life. The results are some great stories, interesting introspection, and a set of amazing photographs.
It made me think of Adam Shepard's Scratch Beginnings, even though I feel like the two shouldn't really be compared. The only similarities are that they're written by two young men (it makes me proud to be in their age bracket) who are trying to make a difference in some small way. Adam (because WE'RE close like that...) wanted to prove that the American Dream was still alive - and wrote a really inspiring book about it. Kevin addresses a lot of the things strangers thought about him regarding why he was legless and what he was capable of. In a different way, I also found his story inspiring: it made me think about assumptions, personal goals, proving people wrong, etc.
Kevin (because we're close like that) was born without legs. It's not a disease or the result of anything his mother did or didn't do - it just happened. But his book isn't about that. Well, ok, to an extent it is, because you can't just gloss over something like that. But I guess because he was born that way, he didn't have much adjusting to do. It was simply how he always lived.
As a kid, he played like everyone else – running around getting dirty, getting into trouble - but he walked with his hands. He addresses some of the problems with bullies, trying to ask girls out, typical school stuff. On the other hand, he talks about being fitted for prosthetic legs that made him look "normal" but didn't help him walk, how his mom hemmed special pants for him, and how exciting it was to finally buy a pair of shoes. When these topics came up, I had to pause for a second and remember why they were noteworthy; it was easy to forget he doesn't have legs. Every other line wasn't a "pity me!" statement - in fact, it was the opposite.
Kevin became a skier and competed in the X Games. With the money he won for finishing 2nd place, he bought a camera and traveled to foreign countries on a skateboard. From this unique angle, he captured the stares he'd been getting all his life. The results are some great stories, interesting introspection, and a set of amazing photographs.
It made me think of Adam Shepard's Scratch Beginnings, even though I feel like the two shouldn't really be compared. The only similarities are that they're written by two young men (it makes me proud to be in their age bracket) who are trying to make a difference in some small way. Adam (because WE'RE close like that...) wanted to prove that the American Dream was still alive - and wrote a really inspiring book about it. Kevin addresses a lot of the things strangers thought about him regarding why he was legless and what he was capable of. In a different way, I also found his story inspiring: it made me think about assumptions, personal goals, proving people wrong, etc.
Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis
4.0
My brother introduced me to a lot of great music when I was about nine years old, like Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, Seven Mary Three, and ... the Chili Peppers! They're a band I've always loved, but have never been obsessive about. (Only a select few reach that level of psychosis devotion.) I can't tell you their former band members, their middle names, or their birthdays, but I know a huge chunk of their catalog and history. I wanted to know what went on behind the songwriting, since Kiedis has a very unique style and also, admit it, he's a total dish so of course I wanted to nose into his life.
I got more than I bargained for. I became so entranced with his story that each time he relapsed (oops, spoilers for those who lived under a rock!) I fell right into that hole with him, getting frustrated because he had been doing so well, hating the girls who pushed him over the edge.
It was a really interesting read that I couldn't put down. I read long after the sun set (this was the weekend without power) and past my lunch hour at work. Kiedis led an interesting life, and he's a complex, compelling man. I never felt like he was trying to name-drop or bad mouth anyone. I never felt like he was making up a good story for the money or trying to sound cool for a pat on the back. I honestly still don't care that much about the line-up changes (but oh how I fell for Hillel, even though I already knew his fate) and birthdays (though Kiedis is big on his, so I'll probably always remember 11/1/62), but I did learn a lot about the songs and the man behind the lyrics, which is exactly what I set out to do.
I got more than I bargained for. I became so entranced with his story that each time he relapsed (oops, spoilers for those who lived under a rock!) I fell right into that hole with him, getting frustrated because he had been doing so well, hating the girls who pushed him over the edge.
It was a really interesting read that I couldn't put down. I read long after the sun set (this was the weekend without power) and past my lunch hour at work. Kiedis led an interesting life, and he's a complex, compelling man. I never felt like he was trying to name-drop or bad mouth anyone. I never felt like he was making up a good story for the money or trying to sound cool for a pat on the back. I honestly still don't care that much about the line-up changes (but oh how I fell for Hillel, even though I already knew his fate) and birthdays (though Kiedis is big on his, so I'll probably always remember 11/1/62), but I did learn a lot about the songs and the man behind the lyrics, which is exactly what I set out to do.
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
4.0
This book was required for my Fiction/Nonfiction Crossover class, but I enjoyed reading it. It is definitely intense... I still don't really know how I feel about it. It's been popping into my head randomly since I closed the cover for the final time; my thoughts are totally jumbled. Especially after I googled pictures of Chris McCandless... that changed my opinion quite drastically. I knew as I was reading, of course, that he was a real person, but seeing his photographs hit the whole point home.
He's always smiling, and why shouldn't he? He did what he wanted. He went out on the adventure he worked his whole life for... In his last photo (waving and holding the note) he's incredibly gaunt, but still smiling... Is he putting on an act because he knew the film would eventually be developed and shown to the public, including his family? Or is he genuinely happy that he experienced all he did, even though it killed him?
He's always smiling, and why shouldn't he? He did what he wanted. He went out on the adventure he worked his whole life for... In his last photo (waving and holding the note) he's incredibly gaunt, but still smiling... Is he putting on an act because he knew the film would eventually be developed and shown to the public, including his family? Or is he genuinely happy that he experienced all he did, even though it killed him?
Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top by Joey Kramer
5.0
Joey Kramer's book is all about him - surprise surprise, right? It's an autobiography, of course it's about him! But it's about his struggles through life, it's not just a name-dropping, I'm a kick-ass rock star type of book.
Joey Kramer tells you everything. He tells you about frequently crying like a baby as a grown man, he tells you about shitting his pants because he was so strung out, he tells you about the guilt he feels for missing out on his son's childhood because of drugs. He shoulders some of the blame for his marriage ending, instead of pushing it off onto his ex-wife, who wouldn't be able to defend herself.
One of the most emotional parts was when he went to see his abusive father, who was wasting away from Alzheimer's.
"His face was like a mask. The disease had taken everything, even his ability to smile or talk. This big strong guy, this soldier who had stormed the beaches at Normandy to fight the Nazis was now helpless, stiff and hunched over, his muscles wasted away from not being used. It broke my heart, and I thought, This is the raging monster who had terrorized me when I was growing up?"
Throughout the book, Joey delves deeply into the complicated relationship with his dad, even sharing the letter he wrote after his father's death, forgiving him. I won't lie - I bawled uncontrollably during those sections. My heart went out to Joey for what he went through with his father, but then I was so proud and inspired that he forgave his dad.
Joey's battle with depression is very common, but it's always hard to believe that other people know how you're feeling. "...this depression was just one big hole, and I was right at the edge, looking down into the darkness, and the darkness had a gravitational pull all its own. I didn't want to go down there, and yet I couldn't pull away."
The book is about Aerosmith too, of course - he is the drummer. But it's not bragging about what he had, lost, and got back. It's about trying to define himself in another way: "'Who are you, Joey Kramer? Who are you without Aerosmith?' I was forty-five years old, and it was time for me to have an answer."
It's not a self-help book, but there are a lot of nuggets of advice in there that I had to make note of. Here are a couple:
+ "I was learning to recognize that the minute I assumed something about what someone else was thinking or feeling about me and I got into defending against that assumption, not only was I giving life to a committee of enemies in my head, but I was the 'chairman' of that committee. Maybe most important, I began to hear the concept that we are not what other people feel about us or think about us."
+ "...that okay feeling has to be independent of how others might try to make me feel. ... The trick for me is having the right kind of boundaries - knowing which feelings belong to me and which are yours."
Disclaimer: Yes, I love Joey Kramer. But I'm not biased - I hate musicians that complain they never ever wanted to be famous, that they just wanted to play music - even when all they wrote about in their journals was how to book more shows, how to get in with this agent, how to get more public exposure (coughKurtCobaincough). I hate celebrities who use their fame to bring attention to themselves for any little thing, as a soapbox to force their views on the public.
It's easy to read a review from someone who is biased and think it's all bullshit. And true, maybe you wouldn't like this book, and maybe you think Aerosmith is a shitty, money-grubbing band. That's fine. But this is an honest story, and a powerful one, and it's clear to see the point of the book is not to make Joey look cool. I know he made money from signing the book deal, writing the manuscript, and from each copy sold. But I honestly think that he wanted to get his story out there.
"You don't have to be a rock star to crash and burn. The details of our stories may be different, but as humans, our pain is the same. ... I tried to convey a story that - while uniquely mine - is so relatable that it serves to deliver a universal message of hope and the process of healing."
And that's refreshing to hear from any celebrity.
Joey Kramer tells you everything. He tells you about frequently crying like a baby as a grown man, he tells you about shitting his pants because he was so strung out, he tells you about the guilt he feels for missing out on his son's childhood because of drugs. He shoulders some of the blame for his marriage ending, instead of pushing it off onto his ex-wife, who wouldn't be able to defend herself.
One of the most emotional parts was when he went to see his abusive father, who was wasting away from Alzheimer's.
"His face was like a mask. The disease had taken everything, even his ability to smile or talk. This big strong guy, this soldier who had stormed the beaches at Normandy to fight the Nazis was now helpless, stiff and hunched over, his muscles wasted away from not being used. It broke my heart, and I thought, This is the raging monster who had terrorized me when I was growing up?"
Throughout the book, Joey delves deeply into the complicated relationship with his dad, even sharing the letter he wrote after his father's death, forgiving him. I won't lie - I bawled uncontrollably during those sections. My heart went out to Joey for what he went through with his father, but then I was so proud and inspired that he forgave his dad.
Joey's battle with depression is very common, but it's always hard to believe that other people know how you're feeling. "...this depression was just one big hole, and I was right at the edge, looking down into the darkness, and the darkness had a gravitational pull all its own. I didn't want to go down there, and yet I couldn't pull away."
The book is about Aerosmith too, of course - he is the drummer. But it's not bragging about what he had, lost, and got back. It's about trying to define himself in another way: "'Who are you, Joey Kramer? Who are you without Aerosmith?' I was forty-five years old, and it was time for me to have an answer."
It's not a self-help book, but there are a lot of nuggets of advice in there that I had to make note of. Here are a couple:
+ "I was learning to recognize that the minute I assumed something about what someone else was thinking or feeling about me and I got into defending against that assumption, not only was I giving life to a committee of enemies in my head, but I was the 'chairman' of that committee. Maybe most important, I began to hear the concept that we are not what other people feel about us or think about us."
+ "...that okay feeling has to be independent of how others might try to make me feel. ... The trick for me is having the right kind of boundaries - knowing which feelings belong to me and which are yours."
Disclaimer: Yes, I love Joey Kramer. But I'm not biased - I hate musicians that complain they never ever wanted to be famous, that they just wanted to play music - even when all they wrote about in their journals was how to book more shows, how to get in with this agent, how to get more public exposure (coughKurtCobaincough). I hate celebrities who use their fame to bring attention to themselves for any little thing, as a soapbox to force their views on the public.
It's easy to read a review from someone who is biased and think it's all bullshit. And true, maybe you wouldn't like this book, and maybe you think Aerosmith is a shitty, money-grubbing band. That's fine. But this is an honest story, and a powerful one, and it's clear to see the point of the book is not to make Joey look cool. I know he made money from signing the book deal, writing the manuscript, and from each copy sold. But I honestly think that he wanted to get his story out there.
"You don't have to be a rock star to crash and burn. The details of our stories may be different, but as humans, our pain is the same. ... I tried to convey a story that - while uniquely mine - is so relatable that it serves to deliver a universal message of hope and the process of healing."
And that's refreshing to hear from any celebrity.
Secret Keepers: A Novel by Mindy Friddle, Mindy Friddle
5.0
I've been fixated on creating quality characters since, well, since my own writing workshops, and I can't help but notice that Mindy is an author whose characters are so believable, they seem lifted from real life. They are so complex and well-written that you feel like you're getting to know them face-to-face. Secret Keepers focuses on a family with a deep, painful history. Some authors do well with a handful of characters narrating their book, and some authors lose the voice - their own and each character's - in the muddle. Mindy is one of those authors who can hold her own - and school you on how it should be done. Each character is so clear-cut that you never forget their names, histories, or confuse them for someone else.
The story begins from the point-of-view of a grandmother who is thisclose to a taste of freedom, only to have it ripped away. I thought it was very ambitious of Mindy to write about an older woman, and she kept impressing me with each new section. In addition to the seventy-two year old Emma, there is her born-again/relapsing daughter Dora and her religious zealot husband Donny, their struggling-to-be-normal son Kyle, and Dora's old flame, Jake, who just returned to the town they grew up in. Though he died in Vietnam, Emma's son Will is still a present character, and added an interesting spin to certain scenes. Emma's other son, Bobby, is... somewhat handicapped, though that might be too strong a word. He's a genius, and perhaps just paranoid and socially stunted. I thought Mindy did an especially great job with Bobby, because just as you accepted that he was mentally handicapped, he'd surprise you with an intricate scientific explanation of flowers or insects; two seconds later, he was looking for his foil hat, concerned about who was listening and watching him.
I read a few reader reviews that addressed the slightly supernatural quality of the flowers that bloom in this story. There is definitely a magical quality to them, and I'm not sure that's ever fully explored. There is a family history behind the flowers, and gardening is a major storyline throughout the book, so I understand why it's there. The titular flower is a special bloom that smells differently for each person, based on a moment in their past they value or long for. I was so swept away by the characters in the story that I didn't really focus too much on the flowers or their importance, so I might have missed something in that respect. Either way - if I missed it, or if it was never really clarified - it didn't bother me one bit, or take away from the overall story.
The ending, I thought, was incredibly well done. I often think I know how a book will end after a chapter or two. I had a few theories for certain characters in this book, but, like I said, everything was so realistic that I knew I couldn't count on a character to act the way I had them pegged. Sure enough, the ending surprised me - in a good way. It was hopeful and honest without being a typical "happy" ending. It was realistic enough to be open-ended, but still give a strong resolution so you're not left wondering what really happened.
The story begins from the point-of-view of a grandmother who is thisclose to a taste of freedom, only to have it ripped away. I thought it was very ambitious of Mindy to write about an older woman, and she kept impressing me with each new section. In addition to the seventy-two year old Emma, there is her born-again/relapsing daughter Dora and her religious zealot husband Donny, their struggling-to-be-normal son Kyle, and Dora's old flame, Jake, who just returned to the town they grew up in. Though he died in Vietnam, Emma's son Will is still a present character, and added an interesting spin to certain scenes. Emma's other son, Bobby, is... somewhat handicapped, though that might be too strong a word. He's a genius, and perhaps just paranoid and socially stunted. I thought Mindy did an especially great job with Bobby, because just as you accepted that he was mentally handicapped, he'd surprise you with an intricate scientific explanation of flowers or insects; two seconds later, he was looking for his foil hat, concerned about who was listening and watching him.
I read a few reader reviews that addressed the slightly supernatural quality of the flowers that bloom in this story. There is definitely a magical quality to them, and I'm not sure that's ever fully explored. There is a family history behind the flowers, and gardening is a major storyline throughout the book, so I understand why it's there. The titular flower is a special bloom that smells differently for each person, based on a moment in their past they value or long for. I was so swept away by the characters in the story that I didn't really focus too much on the flowers or their importance, so I might have missed something in that respect. Either way - if I missed it, or if it was never really clarified - it didn't bother me one bit, or take away from the overall story.
The ending, I thought, was incredibly well done. I often think I know how a book will end after a chapter or two. I had a few theories for certain characters in this book, but, like I said, everything was so realistic that I knew I couldn't count on a character to act the way I had them pegged. Sure enough, the ending surprised me - in a good way. It was hopeful and honest without being a typical "happy" ending. It was realistic enough to be open-ended, but still give a strong resolution so you're not left wondering what really happened.