Snow In August by Pete Hamill

Snow in August
Author: Pete Hamill
Publisher: Grand Central
Published: 1997
Paperback: 354 pages


My Rating: 4.5 stars


Synopsis (from borders.com): Set in a working-class Brooklyn neighborhood in 1947, this poignant tale revolves around two of the most endearing characters in recent fiction: an 11-year-old Irish Catholic boy named Michael Devlin and Rabbi Judah Hirsch, a refugee from Prague.


My Thoughts: This novel revolves around Michael Devlin, a boy growing up in Brooklyn in 1947. His father died in the war, so he is the man of the house. He and his mother depend on one another to remain strong. Michael meets a rabbi, Judah Hirsch, one snowy day on his way to mass, and a friendship grows between the two and Michael teaches the rabbi English and all about baseball, and the rabbi teaches Michael about Yiddish and Jewish folklore.


This is a truly magical book, one that had me crying at points over what was happening to the characters. Seeing how some prejudices existed in America after World War II truly broke my heart but left me cheering for Michael and the rabbi to come out on top. While definitely a work of fiction, I felt like I was in Brooklyn with these to men, experiencing the excitement of Jackie Robinson joining the Dodgers; listening to Bing Crosby singing on the radio; sweating in the heat of summer. Pete Hamill's writing will definitely transport you back in time and make you feel as if you are living with Michael and his mother. I truly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read another book from Hamill in the near future.

Waiting on Wednesday (4-20-11)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It's a great way to highlight upcoming releases and books that we just can't wait to get our hands on!

With summer just around the corner (although I wish it were here already!), I'm definitely looking forward to some lighter reads. One that has caught my interest is Elin Hilderbrand's Silver Girl (expected release date: June 21, 2011).

Synopsis (from borders.com): Meredith Martin Delinn just lost everything: her friends, her homes, her social standing - because her husband Freddy cheated rich investors out of billions of dollars.

Desperate and facing homelessness, Meredith receives a call from her old best friend, Constance Flute. Connie's had recent worries of her own, and the two depart for a summer on Nantucket in an attempt to heal. But the island can't offer complete escape, and they're plagued by new and old troubles alike. When Connie's brother Toby - Meredith's high school boyfriend - arrives, Meredith must reconcile the differences between the life she is leading and the life she could have had.

Set against the backdrop of a Nantucket summer, Elin Hilderbrand delivers a suspenseful story of the power of friendship, the pull of love, and the beauty of forgiveness.

So, what are you waiting on this Wednesday?

The Anti-Romantic Child by Priscilla Gilman

The Anti-Romantic Child: A Story of Unexpected Joy
Author: Priscilla Gilman
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: April 19, 2011
Source: won a copy from Goodreads.com


My Rating: 3.5 stars


Synopsis (from borders.com): With an emotionally resonant combination of memoir and literature, Wordsworth scholar Priscilla Gilman recounts the challenges of raising a son with hyperlexia, a developmental disorder neurologically counterpoint to dyslexia. Gilman explores the complexities of our hopes and expectations for our children and ourselves. With luminous prose and a searing, personal story evocative of "A Year of Magical Thinking" and "A Year of Reading Proust," Gilman's "The Anti-Romantic Child "is an unforgettable exploration of what happens when we lean to embrace the unexpected.


My Thoughts: While I am not a mother, nor do I plan to be one anytime soon, I found this book to be incredibly fascinating and Priscilla Gilman to be a beautiful writer. Gilman tells the story of her college studies and how she fell in love with Wordsworth, a poet who romanticizes childhood and innocence. When she discovers that she is first pregnant, she dreams of having this "Wordsworth-ian" child but is sadly disappointed when Benjamin arrives. He doesn't want to be held, doesn't want human interaction, just wants to be left alone. Gilman is worried that something is wrong with her child, but when he starts reading just after his first birthday, this English scholar is overjoyed. Believing him to be a  genius of some kind, she delights in his reading books and being able to spell words at such a young age. But when the search of nursery schools begins, teachers realize that there is something wrong with Benj and recommend Gilman take him for testing. This is where she discovers that he has hyperlexia, and her world is turned upside down.


Gilman tells her story beautifully with writing that grips you and makes you feel for her as a mother. Once again, I have no children of my own, but I could feel her dispair as a mother when Benj didn't want to be held, and her anguish at realizing that he isn't gifted, but has a disability. Gilman pulls you into her world of researching, learning, and adapting her life around Benj's hyperlexia. It is a story of adapting, one of a mother's struggle to give up the dream that she had for her child and to find the joy in her current situation. My only real complaint about the book is that the ending was rushed, and Gilman was hurrying to tie everything up in a nice little bow for the reader. The rest of the book was paced just right, but the ending left something to be desired.


For expectant mothers, mom's, teachers, this is a great book. Even if you don't fall into one of these categories, I would recommend picking up this wonderful book and learning about how parents cope when their children don't always meet their expectations.

It's Monday! What are you reading? (4-18-11)

It's Monday! What are you reading? This weekly meme is hosted by Shelia at Book Journey and is a great way to see what you have read this past week and what you plan to read next. 

This week was a pretty good reading week for me! I finished three books, finished two reviews, and didn't spend any money on books (which means I will probably spend too much this upcoming week, haha)!

Books I Finished This Week (links go to my reviews):

All He Ever Wanted by Anita Shreve

Bossypants 

The Anti-Romantic Child (review will be up later today or tomorrow)

Currently Reading:

Snow in August by Pete Hamill

What I Plan to Read:

An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin

So, what are you reading this week?

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Bossypants
Author: Tina Fey
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Published: April 5th, 2011
Hardcover: 275


My Rating: 4 stars


Synopsis (from borders.com): Before Liz Lemon, before "Weekend Update," before "Sarah Palin," Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: a recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV.

She has seen both these dreams come true.

At last, Tina Fey's story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty onSaturday Night Live; from her passionately halfhearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon -- from the beginning of this paragraph to this final sentence.

Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've all suspected: you're no one until someone calls you bossy.

(Includes Special, Never-Before-Solicited Opinions on Breastfeeding, Princesses, Photoshop, the Electoral Process, and Italian Rum Cake!)

My Thoughts: When I first heard about Tina Fey's book (I even blogged about it!), I was very excited. I have always thought as Tina Fey as one of those women who is still down to earth, even though she is a major celebrity. She never takes herself too seriously, so I knew that this book would be something that I would have to read! Let me say this:  Bossypants will have you laughing outloud, sometimes holding your sides from laughing too hard, and you will learn something along the way. Whether it's soemthing about Fey as a person or about the entertainment industry or mothering, there is something here for everyone.

Each chapter is an essay, each with a funny title. Fey takes us back to what it was like growing up in Philadelphia, having a strong father figure, and her first boyfriend at a theater summer camp. She continues to her college years, her first couple of jobs, her stint with Second City (an improv troupe), and her interview for a writer on SNL. Fey never bogs you down with boring details; instead, she takes her experiences and delivers them in a sarcastic way that makes you laugh and look back on your own life experiences. To illustrate her points, Fey even includes some childhood photos ... highlighting fashion choices and bad haircuts.

Unless you are easily offended (I would rate this book a PG-13 if it were a movie), I don't think there is a person out there who wouldn't love this book. I read it in one day and wish that there was more to it! With summer right around the corner, this would make a great read for the beach, the pool, the backyard ... where ever you might find yourself this summer!

Book Blog Hop and Follow Friday! (4-16-11)

Happy Friday everyone! I hope that everyone had a great week and is ready for an exciting weekend ... I will be working, but oh well! I have been off the past 2 days, and it has been nice to just sit and read and enjoy the beautiful sunshine that has finally decided to come out! From Jen at Crazy for Book, here is this week's question:

 "Pick a character from a book you are currently reading or have just finished and tell us about him/her."

Well, I just finished Bossypants by Tina Fey last nite ... and it was hilarious! If you don't know who Tina Fey is, then here's a brief synopsis: she is the creator/executive producer/star of 30 Rock on NBC. She was a writer and actor and SNL for about 8 years. She's a mom, a comedienne, and an all-around cool lady. Her book had me laughing out loud so often ... make sure to check back sometime this weekend for a review! I don't know what else to say about Tina Fey, other than that she is a funny woman!

And this week's question from Parajunkee is:  Do you have anyone that you can discuss books with in real life? Tell us about him/her.

Well, I will talk about books with anyone and everyone. Even people who say that they don't like to read, I will just start telling them about the book that I am reading. My mom and I sometimes talk about the books that we are reading, but nothing really formal. It's mostly along the lines of, "I think that you would like this book." 

I hope that you have a happy Friday and happy hopping!

All He Ever Wanted by Anita Shreve

All He Ever Wanted
Author: Anita Shreve
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Published: 2004
Paperback: 310 pages


My Rating: 3 stars


Synopsis (from goodreads.com): "Etna Bliss her just moved to the New England town where her uncle teaches college when her life is transformed in a single stroke. She is dining in a hotel downtown when a fire forces her to escape to the snowy streets outside. Amid the smoke and chaos of that night she is glimpsed, standing under a streetlight, by a man who was dining in the same room - a man who is so overwhelmed by the sight of her that he rebuilds his life around a single goal: to marry Etna Bliss." That man is Nicholas Van Tassel, and All He Ever Wanted is his account of how two lives changed from that tumultuous night forward. A proud and orderly man, Van Tassel is ill equipped to deal with the ferocity of love. But he is determined to have Etna, no matter what the cost. Riding a train south many years later, he unwinds his memories of the drama that followed and struggles to understand the mystery his life became on that night.


My Thoughts: As I was reading this book, one things kept coming to my mind: "My goodness, Anita Shreve writes so beautifully." Seriously, I felt like I was reading a poem at times, the writing is so descriptive and evocative of the character's feelings. While I believe that all of Shreve's books (at least the one's that I have read) are this way, here is just one example of what a beautiful writer she is:
     "Inspired by my brief visit to the Bliss residence, I set out with an ambition not equaled  
     in me before or since to win the hand of the woman whose voice and hair and skin 
     seemed to have permeated every membrane of my body and breached every boundary
     of my soul." (32)
This is just one example of many that I could have given. The simple feeling of attraction, Shreve makes into a poetic remark. It makes for a wonderful read, one that I feel at times is so indulgent because of the writing.


While the writing is beautiful, I felt that the story could have been stronger. The description of the book made it seem so intriguing, and while it was a good book, I just felt like there wasn't enough drama. The story is told from Nicholas' point of view, with him writing this as his memoir, looking back at this story some 30 years later. Nicholas is a strong character, one that I felt was a respectable person, even after what he did came to light. Etna, the woman he marries, is strong as well, and you feel her pull for something that few women at the turn of the 19th century had: freedom. I felt the story building between the two characters, and when I thought it would reach a climax, it fell short. Both are such strong characters that it seemed lackluster not to have something dramatic happen. I just felt a bit disappointed.


If you like Anita Shreve's writing style, then this book will not disappoint. But if you are looking for a story with a strong plot, then one of her other books would be a better choice.