So I can't read as fast as I can find and listen to new music, but I typically read a book a week depending on the size of it. This week I have finished "If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend" by Alison Pace. And it was such a great read. There were at least a dozen, if not more, instances in which I was laughing out loud at how Pace described things. Particularly, the secretary that the main character couldn't stand...she said she looked like a Velociraptor from Jurassic Park! Every single time she mentioned that character, she would refer to her as the velociraptor. HA! Excellent visual of a creepy dinosaur sitting behind a desk. Love it!
Alison Pace is an excellent author. Reading her book was like sitting in a cafe and listening to her tell a story like we were old childhood friends. Plus at the beginning of each chapter, she quoted Andy Warhol. I now know that he was completely and wonderfully absurd.
"Isn't life a series of images that change as they repeat themselves?" - Andy Warhol
***spolier alert***
Jane Laine. She worked in an art gallery in New York. Her boss was a complete psycho trip who clearly had issues. The main attraction at this gallery are Ian Rhys Fitzsimmons' sculptures. Jane claims she doesn't understand them or why their are so special, it's too abstract for her and she believes that Ian could very well just be a fraud.
Jane finds out that her boyfriend of two-years has been cheating on her. Everything about that break-up is just a disaster. Jane is beside herself, rightly so, and she feels like her life is going nowhere.
When her crab of a boss pulls her into his office; she thinks she is going to get fired. Instead of getting the axe, her tells her that he wants her to accompany their artist extraordinaire on a trip around the world for an art festival.
Predictably enough, Jane and Ian fall in love while working together during the International Art Fair. By the end of the book, after many laughs, she understood more than just his art, she also understood what she had been searching for all the while.
Not wanting to speak for everyone I will say that I have felt this way and I'm sure many other people have felt this way, too."But Inside I'm Screaming" by Elizabeth Flock
It's no secret that many people in the world suffer from overwhelming stress at some point in their life. Many people also suffer from severe anxiety and depression. There is no shame in that fact and no one should be judged negatively if they wall in one or all of those categories.
This book is about a reporter who suffered a nervous breakdown on the air. It was in that moment that she reached the very end of her rope. Perhaps she has been hanging from the thinnest shred of a thread on that rope for some time and it finally just snapped.
***spoiler alert***
Isabel tries to kill herself. After being released from the hospital she is admitted into a psychiatric facility called Three Breezes. She meets a lot of other people there are are all dealing with their own issues. While she is being treated there she learns how to cope better with the stress and anxiety in her life. She also begins to really see who she is and why she has been caught in the same destructive patterns for so long. She realizes she is constantly wanting love from her father, acceptance from her Mom and the approval of a man in her love life. Rather than being strong enough to steer her own life, she constantly gets herself involved with someone who makes all the choices for her. She has constantly tried to make everyone else feel better, most blaming herself for why they don't. And most of all she realizes that none of those things matter, what matters most is that she needs to love herself. SHE needs to love HERSELF. Everything else falls into place after that.
As Isabel begins to heal and blossom she also starts reaching out to other patients at the facility. One patient in specific is a child, Peter, who she feels a connection to because she sees herself as a child in him. The interaction between those two is very touching.
At times the book was very hard to read. Elizabeth Flock did not try to hide the grim and frightening details of mental illness and the road to recovery. Unfortunately, it all seemed very true and real to me and often times I felt like it was written about me...I am Isabel. The parallels were alarming. But maybe that is why it felt so good to get to the end and know that Isabel has a long way to go, but that she is going to be okay...as long as she keeps going and as long as she loves herself.
Labels: books, Elizabeth Flock, mental health
Though I finished the book a couple days ago, I haven't been able to write about it yet, because I'm not sure how to say what I want to say.
"Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" by Gregory Maguire is one of the hardest books I have ever read. The language and the extensive plot are incredibly complex and I had trouble following the storyline. Embracing the challenge, I finally did finish the book and am happy about that triumph.
With that said, I would only recommend this book to someone who absolutely LOVES to read and is interested in learning the history of the Wicked Witch of the West and her place in Oz. I do admit to a strong sympathy for her now. Following her from birth to death in the novel is quite eye-opening to say the least.
Parts of the story are a bit racy, which surprised me. The themes involve culture, society and religion in addition to magic. You read about Elphaba (the wicked witch), her family which includes two siblings, her peers (including Glinda) and of course the great Wizard of Oz. (Who is just a huge creep, by the way).
The ending suited the book and I am happy to have read and finished it. If you can get past the complexity and you enjoy reading then give it a whirl.
Currently, 30 chapters into "But Inside I'm Screaming" by Elizabeth Flock which I will probably finish tonight. =o)
Labels: books, literary fiction
In addition to being a music fiend, I also LOVE to read. And yesterday I finished a great book; another Dean Koontz pick called "Forever Odd."
Odd Thomas is the name of the main character and he can see dead people. Laugh if you must, but this is not as cliche as Sixth Sense. In fact, this is a gift in which people come to Odd for resolution or sometimes even for reasons he doesn't quite understand. In addition he has a gift of psychic magnetism which guides him to the right places at the right time.
The book begins when Odd wakes in the middle of the night to find the spirit of Dr. Jessup in his room. He isn't scared, but he is alarmed because Dr. Jessup was perfectly alive earlier that day. So he follows Dr. Jessup to his home and finds his murdered body. Dr. Jessup's son is nowhere to be found. Thus the plot thickens and we follow Odd throughout the book searching for Danny (the missing boy) and dealing with the three sick people who have kidnapped him. The sickest being Datura, the woman who befriended a crippled Danny and took advantage of secrets he told her about Odd's supernatural gifts.
I won't get into the rest, because it was such a good read I would rather you find out for yourself. But I will tell you that despite many of the grim details, Koontz is a very funny writer. There were quite a few times in which I was laughing at how he described things. He is a vivid writer with a phenomenal imagination.
And next on my reading list is "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" by Gregory Maguire.
Labels: afterlife, books, drama, mystery
Name: Christy Mannering
Appreciating and dancing around to all types of music. Movie mania! Reading fiend!
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