Notes on Some Books

SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED by Anne and Sam Lamott (audio)
I really enjoyed this journal of Anne Lamott's first year of being a grandmother - and Sam's first year of being a father. You can read my blog post about this book here:
http://www.notthenewyorktimesbookreview.blogspot.com/2012/06/some-assembly-required.html

THE AGE OF MIRACLES by Karen Thompson Walker
We were lucky enough to snag an advance reader copy of this book. In it, the Earth's rotation is slowing. Told through the eyes of a young girl, she tells how The Slowing affects her life. It was an interesting read, and the author did a great job of keeping the premise going. It didn't end as hopefully as I thought it might from the title, though perhaps the ending was fitting to what one might suppose from such a dramatic Earth change.

THE PARIS WIFE by Paula McLain
I hadn't been a Hemingway-ophile before reading this. I have to say that this book piqued my interest about Hemingway and his life. Written from the point of view of Hadley, Hemingway's first wife, the novel, based on actual events and people, is a wonderful depiction of his early writing years and this marriage. I really enjoyed this.

A MILLION MILES IN A THOUSAND YEARS by Donald Miller
Recommended by a co-worker, I wanted to read this after hearing that it was Miller's reflections on his own life after being approached to make his life into a movie. Is his life movie-worthy? How do we make our own lives mean something? I appreciated his reflections and insight.

BRINGING UP BEBE by Pamela Druckerman
Druckerman wants to understand how French children seem to behave better, and she strives to find out why. What she learns isn't rocket science...it makes a lot of sense. As I read, I saw things that I did fairly well as a parent (helping my kids learn how to wait), and things I didn't do all that well (The Pause - waiting and allowing the baby to settle when they stirred as infants). I wish I'd had this book when I was a new parent.

THE PLAZA by Guillermo Paxton
After reading an actual news story about the 49 people who were beheaded in Mexico as part of a power demonstration between warring factions, I knew I wanted to read this book. THE PLAZA is a gritty portrayal of life in Juarez, Mexico as the city is terrorized by drug wars. Paxton has done an excellent job of portraying the horrors of living in such circumstances. You can read my full review here:
http://notthenewyorktimesbookreview.blogspot.com/2012/05/plaza.html

I AM THE CHEESE by Robert Cormier
I read a review of this book written by Ben Marcus, author of The Alphabet Flame. He talked about the main character in this being an unreliable narrator, which was a new and somewhat disturbing experience for him as a reader. It made me curious. The narrator is a boy, riding his bike 70 miles to take a package to his father. Alternating with a description by the narrator of the ride and interview sessions of the narrator by an unknown and fairly mysterious adult, this is well done.

FLIGHT BEHAVIOR by Barbara Kingsolver
Coming in November, Kingsolver's new book is a good one. Set in a small town in Appalachia, a young woman finds herself involved in some sort of natural phenomenon (and yes, that is vague. I don't want to give too much away. Sometimes knowing too much about a book is not a good thing). Kingsolver is such a good writer, I enjoy reading almost anything by her.

GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn
Therapist's most excellent review (link below) made me want to read this book. I am almost done with the book and am thoroughly enjoying it. SO well done.
http://www.notthenewyorktimesbookreview.blogspot.com/2012/05/gone-girl.html

               
                    

Thanks for stopping by the blog! Clicking on the book covers will take you to Amazon's web page for each book. Purchasing through these links supports the blog. You can send email to us: 2of3Rs(AT)gmail(DOT)com.

Some Assembly Required

I just finished listening to Anne Lamott's new book SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED. The audio version is read by Anne Lamott and her son, with whom she also wrote the book. It was great to hear Sam's participation in the book; Sam, whom we met in OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS as an infant.

              

I devoured OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS years ago, even though my children were both past babyhood when I read it.

Being a mom with a baby (and then having another baby and a toddler) was hard for me. My tendency was to dissolve into the role of mother and caretaker. When my children were infants, they needed my body (and it felt like my soul) so completely. It was hard for me to extricate my Self from the role of mother and keep track of who I was.

But then they got older. And more independent. (yay!) I taught school. My kids went to school. (yay!) And now they are in their 20's, and my son is engaged to his wonderful fiance.

Anne Lamott didn't sugarcoat the realities of having an infant, which I greatly appreciated. Though she has struggles with how best to be present in Sam and Amy and Jax's lives, as she did with how to be a good mom to Sam, what comes through loud and clear is her love for Sam and Amy and Jax.

Anne Lamott starts SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED being surprised and concerned to find out that her 19 year old son, Sam, is going to be a father with his girlfriend, Amy. At the same time she is excited to welcome this new being into her world.

...having a child ends any feelings of complacency one might ever have and I knew what Sam was in for. It was like having a terminal illness, but in a good way.

I love how she puts things.

One of the things she struggles with is finding the balance between wanting to tell Sam and Amy what to do in any given situation, at the same time realizing that she can't control a situation, that Sam and Amy have to figure it out for themselves...

Amy and Sam seemed to be in a good place when I got back, but demented with jet lag, I had to grip myself by the wrist not to pitch one good idea after another at them. I didn't say, 'Let's find some great day care for Jax so Amy can work part-time', but I writhed with the effort to stay silent. I almost offered to babysit twice a week to this end, but didn't. Since Jax's birth, my ideas about what would be best for everyone usually got in the way. Life is already an obstacle course, and when you're adding your own impediments (thinking they're helping), you really crazy it up. You make it harder to even just cross the room. You should not bring more items and hurdles to the obstacle course.

Indeed.

Having children is messy and hard. And wonderful.

Lamott talks about how grandparenthood allows her to not be so caught up in the 24/7 intensity of the survival and well-being of a child that one has to be as a parent. She says that being a grandmother allows her to see her grandson, Jax, and his growth in softer focus. I think I will like this grandmother gig when it comes.

Thanks for reading the blog! Clicking on the book covers will take you to Amazon's web page for each book. Clicking on the underlined book titles will take you to Barnes and Noble's web page for each book. Please note that the Barnes and Noble links may not work with the most recent versions of browsers, nor will it work well with Google Chrome. I apologize for any trouble with the links. Purchasing through these links (if you are able to do so!) helps support the blog. Happy reading, however you obtain your books!