Mr. Mercedes

One of my favorite books so far this year is Mr. Mercedes by mystery/horror author extraordinaire Stephen King.  There are many great reviews of this book on www.goodreads.com. I'm not sure what I can add that's not already out there. I thought it was a brilliant, page turning thriller and recommend it highly, even if you're not a Stephen King fan.




I hope they make a movie out of this book someday! I hear there will be a sequel released next year called Finders Keepers.

Let's Just Say It Wasn't Pretty

I just finished reading Diane Keaton's new book called Let's Just Say It Wasn't Pretty.  I've been a big fan of Diane Keaton for as long as I can remember. I loved her early Woody Allen films (especially "Love and Death", "Manhattan" and "Annie Hall" which I own on DVD) and she continues to make movies I want to see. I haven't read her first memoir yet called Then Again but I really enjoyed this one.


The thing that is great about Diane is she is so true to herself, doesn't follow trends and is unique and funny. She writes well and I highly recommend this book.


Here are some of my favorite quotes -


She is a fan of Cary Grant and this is a quote of his that she likes - "I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be, and I finally became that person."


"And every day for the last few years I have a little chat with myself. 'Okay, Diane... your hands still wash your face. You can still feel hot water. See's Candies peanut brittle is still your favorite dessert. The wild parrots on the telephone wire outside your bathroom still sing to you every morning, and just like them, you're still a live animal. Be grateful for what you have, you big jerk.'"


"Maybe my smile could help me make it through the day. Maybe I could stop being so aggravated if I wore a smile."  Later she quotes Charlie Chaplin and his "You'll find that life is still worthwhile if you just smile."


I enjoyed reading Diane's thoughts about some of the men in her life such as Woody Allen, Warren Beatty, Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson. She's had quite an interesting life.

Another great book - Defending Jacob

I read a very compelling book in about four days called Defending Jacob by William Landay. It's been quite awhile since I read a legal thriller and this one is an excellent return to the genre for me. I hesitate to use the phrase page turner again but that is truly apt here. There are quite a few twists and turns to the story and it kept me guessing until the end. William Landay belongs in the pantheon of powerful lawyer turned authors such as Scott Turow and John Grisham. You will not be disappointed by this book.

 

 

The Cuckoo's Calling

I recently read a wonderful book by Robert Galbraith called The Cuckoo's Calling. In a word, I thought this book was brilliant! I liked it even better than The Casual Vacancy which was also written by J.K. Rowling (Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym). This is a detective story about the death of British supermodel Lula Landry, nicknamed Cuckoo, which may or may not have been a suicide. Her brother John has hired down on his luck detective Cormoran Strike to prove that Lula did not commit suicide. I loved Cormoran and his temporary secretary Robin and am thrilled that this is the first in a series. I can also see it as a movie - Hollywood take note!  Since I enjoy crime fiction and also love novels that are set in London, this book was right up my street! It's a very well written and compelling book and I highly recommend it.

Check out www.robert-galbraith.com for answers to frequently asked questions such as:

1) Why the author chose to write a crime novel and why she used a pseudonym:

"I’ve always loved reading detective fiction. Most of the Harry Potter stories are whodunits at heart (‘Order of the Phoenix’ is more of a why-did-he), but I’ve wanted to try the real thing for a long time.
As for the pseudonym, I was yearning to go back to the beginning of a writing career in this new genre, to work without hype or expectation and to receive totally unvarnished feedback. It was a fantastic experience and I only wish it could have gone on a little longer."

2) Where the title comes from:

"The title is taken from the mournful poem by Christina Rossetti called, simply, A Dirge, which is a lament for one who died too young. The title also contains a subtle reference to another aspect of the plot, but as I can’t explain what it is without ruining the story, I’ll let readers work that one out."

3) Why the novel was set in London:

"Both my parents were Londoners and I spent a lot of time there during my childhood and teens, visiting relatives. I lived there in my twenties and still love the place. You could write about London all your life and not exhaust the plots, settings or history."

The Tao of Martha: My Year of LIVING; Or, Why I'm Never Why I'm Never Getting All that Glitter off of the Dog

I read Jen Lancaster's book The Tao of Martha: My Year of LIVING; Or, Why I'm Never Why I'm Never Getting All that Glitter off of the Dog recently and really enjoyed it. I've read several of her books and she is very funny. This one is also touching (I won't give away the reason why).

In this book she decided to devote a year of her life to living like Martha Stewart. The most important lesson she learned (or as she puts it - the Tao of Martha) is "the only way to fail is not to try." Words to live by!  Whenever I read Jen Lancaster's books, I come away feeling like she would be a fun friend. If you are looking for a quick, entertaining read, you can't go wrong with this one.

I'm currently in the middle of The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (the pseudonym for J.K. Rowling). It's really excellent and I'm sure I'll have more to say about it when I've finished reading it. Stay tuned!

         

  

Difficult Men: Behind the Creative Revolution: From The Sopranos and The Wire to Mad Men and Breaking Bad

I just finished reading Difficult Men: Behind the Creative Revolution: From The Sopranos and The Wire to Mad Men and Breaking Bad by Brett Martin. I am a huge fan of The Sopranos and Mad Men so naturally I was happy to see another book that covers both shows (I had recently read The Revolution Was Televised: The Cops, Crooks, Slingers and Slayers Who Changed TV Drama Forever by Alan Sepinwall). This book covers The Sopranos in more detail since Brett Martin wrote a companion book for the series and had interviewed David Chase quite a bit. The Sopranos was the start of a new type of TV drama with anti-hero's like Tony Soprano and later Don Draper, and the men who created them.

This book also covers The Wire in great detail as well as The Shield and Sex Feet Under. It's interesting to me that all the creators and showrunners of these shows are men and they are full of neuroses that contributed to their success. He paints an especially unflattering picture of Matt Weiner. And David Chase doesn't fare much better. But he does point out how "ridiculously good-looking" Jon Hamm is!

It saddened me to read how tortured James Gandolfini was, in light of his recent passing. It's also interesting that no female actress has been given the lead in a one hour show (see Weeds, Nurse Jackie and Girls which are all 30 minutes). In the early days of AMC, it was described as the place "where mediocrity came to die." Of course, the incredible success of Mad Men lead to Breaking Bad which is the last show covered in this book.

This book is very well written and researched but should probably be read by those who have already watched the shows it covers since it contains many spoilers. I really enjoyed it but I'm a sucker for inside TV books like this! 

Books, you can never have just one!

         

A Walk in the Park

I recently read a great book called A Walk in the Park by British author Jill Mansell. This is the second book of hers that I have read; the first was To the Moon and Back. I enjoyed that one but I loved A Walk in the Park and recommended it highly to my friends at www.goodreads.com. One of the reasons I liked it so much was that it takes place in Bath, England and I have been there.

Here is the description from www.goodreads.com -

It's been a while, but Lara Carson's back in Bath and lives are set to change as a result. Because Lara left her family and boyfriend Flynn eighteen years ago without a word to anyone. Why has no one heard from her since? Her childhood best friend Evie is thrilled Lara's back and able to share her happiness. Evie's about to walk down the aisle with her dream man, Joel. Or so she thinks... Then there's Flynn Erskine, even more attractive now and stunned to see Lara again. The spark between them is as strong as ever, but how's Flynn going to react when he discovers the secret she's been keeping from him? Oh yes, there's a lot of catching up to be done.

If you enjoy British chick lit, you will love this book!

Bath, England

The Silver Linings Playbook

I loved this book!  I liked that it has a positive message - believing in silver linings is to remind you to keep on trying.  The old saying that every cloud has a silver lining is what the main character Pat, is counting on in his life now that he is back home living with his parents. I don't want to write too much about the story since I don't want to give away any key plot points.  But I will just say that there is a happy ending for Pat and Tiffany who are both damaged people.  Do yourself a favor and read this one!  I can't wait to see the movie.  The DVD will be out on April 30th.

Here is a link to the Bonnie Tyler song that is featured in the book -

http://youtu.be/ykexpgHrTkI

I highly recommend The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick.

 

 

Knickers in a Twist

I just finished this really fun, clever book -  Knickers in a Twist: A Dictionary of British Slang by Jonathan Bernstein.

This is a great little book full of British slang. I consider myself to be quite the Anglophile so this book is right up my alley!

Here are some of my favorites -

Bloody Nora, Close your eyes and think of England, Slog your guts out;

Silly buggers, Sod's law, Bubble and squeak, Trainspotter, Twit, Toffee nosed;

Upper-class twit, Bobs your uncle, Blot one's copybook, Shipshape and Bristol fashion;

and Silly season.

If you don't know what some of those mean, you'll just have to get the book! I highly recommend it for you Anglophiles out there.  ;-)

 

London Bridge

 

The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell

I read the book The Carrie Diaries a few years ago when it came out.  It is a prequel to Sex and the City.  I was a BIG fan of "Sex & the City" on TV so I had to read this one!

There is now a TV series based on this book on the CW network.  I watched the pilot the other day and enjoyed it.

By the way, I was going to post a review of the Golden Globes but just have not had time.  I thought it was very entertaining this year.
 

Some Good Books from 2012

First of all, may I wish everyone all the best in the New Year!

Here is a list of some books you may not have heard of from last year -

http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/979475/best-books-you-missed-in-2012?utm_source=EmailDirect.com&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=1-1-13+celeb+Campaign

I have Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore on my goodreads.com list already, but I don't remember the other three.  They sound interesting.

Happy reading in the New Year!

 

Don Draper reading on Mad Men

 

 

The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I'll write a longer review soon. I really enjoyed this one!!

Goodreads

I can't tell you how much I enjoy Goodreads.  It's really changed my life (no kidding!)  I have always loved to read and to connect with others who love to read too has been so wonderful.  More on this later.  I need to sign off - step away from the laptop!

Happy reading!

I belong to a wonderful online reading group called Goodreads. I've been a member since November of 2008. You can keep track of the books you have read, are reading now, and what you plan to read in the future. I love reading reviews that my friends have written and find out about authors and books I hadn't heard of before. There are also smaller groups within the group that anyone can join.

I have met some wonderful friends from all over the country and in foreign countries as well through Goodreads. I look forward to chatting with good friends every day. This group has really enriched my life and I strongly encourage everyone to join!