LousyMom

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

I am recommending this book highly and I haven't finished it yet. But, I'm sure I will tonight. Sometime in the middle of the night. Until I finish this book, I will not get another moment of sleep. I can't put it down.

In the early 1950's a woman goes in to the doctor and is diagnosed with cervical cancer. The doctor scrapes off some cells. This book is the story of that woman, those cells, the woman's family, the state of medical research, and the story of the author trying to get this whole story.

Truly, this is an amazing odyssey. I don't want to tell you too much about the book because it all seems like a spoiler. But, the book is worth the read from beginning to about 2/3 of the way, which is where I'm at now. If for some reason, the ending is just horrible, I'll let you know, but this author doesn't seem capable of that much of a misstep.

The story of the cells is pretty interesting in its own right. The things people have done with cells in the lab. The beliefs of society based on those experiments.

But, the story of this woman and her family is incredible. This story really brings to life the existence of this whole inter-related community in a way that leaves your mouth hanging open. You want to hug and care for these people at the same time you shake your head in wonder.

Rebecca Skloot has taken those bent, torn black-and-white photos and brought them to vivid life and right into today. The way this author weaves past and present makes them seem like they overlap that way naturally. And the honesty with which she approaches her subjects from the poor, ailing family of Henrietta Lacks to the award-winning researchers allows you to see the good and the bad in every moment. Every aspect.

The fundamental question of the book seems to be about how no one thing or person is inherently good or bad. So, where do we draw the lines. The author could have tangled the story up in the question over and over again. But she never actually touches it. She lets us have that messy experience in our heads. Instead, she presents her readers with a clear, bright landscape to explore the question.

Marvelous.

******Addendum: I finished the book. It was a good ending.

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Go the F--- to Sleep

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Go the F**k to Sleep

Okay, I am giving 5 stars to a book I haven't read yet. It hasn't even been released yet. But, this should absolutely be the book that is given to every parent and soon-to-be parent on your list. This is soooo the book that all of us understand. We have all had that moment. If you're a soon-to-be parent, you will. I can't wait for this book.

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Great Pies and Tarts

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Great Pies & Tarts

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Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Not only have I not read this, I am going to save myself the personal rejection and just skip it.

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Zoo Story

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives

Zoo Story is a great book. I highly recommend it.

The true story of the Lowery Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida with plenty of novel-like flourishes. In fact, the most annoying thing, and what keeps this book from being truly wonderful is the heavy-handed human to animal comparison vignettes. Otherwise, the story of the rise and fall of the Director of the zoo is really compelling. The author really delves into the thoughts and actions of a number of people, giving the book a lot more depth.

The author is a reporter, with a reporter's eye and ear. That was wonderful. The writing to make more of a novel-like story was a little bumpy, but overall the combination worked.

I loved the exploration of the animals. The author did a great job of giving the stories of the animals while maintaining the distance and realization that we don't truly understand. The author also found the human stories inherent in the animals' stories and with a zoo, this is exactly right and keeps the book from veering off one side of the zoo debate or the other.

The author actually does a really good job of addressing the zoo debate, taking into account the mixed feelings of those who work at the zoo.

Zoo Story is a good read and an enjoyable story.

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Why Marry a Millionaire, Just be One

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Why Marry a Millionaire? Just Be One: And While You're at It, Change the World!

See? Great cover.

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Llama Llama Holiday Drama

Monday, December 20, 2010

Llama Llama Holiday Drama

I just love the Llama Llama books and my daughter does too. (Shhh...she's getting one for Christmas from Santa.)

The latest one in the series is about Christmas. I recommend it!

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The Paris Vendetta

Sunday, September 12, 2010

The Paris Vendetta: A Novel

I like Steve Berry books. They have that racing adventure, while getting shot at thing coupled with the historical artifacts bit. They are a bit like Dan Brown books, but more violent. The lead character is interesting. If you're looking for another series to read and you liked the Dan Brown books, I recomend the Steve Berry books. You can probably read them in any order except this one. This one includes a change in characters that should really come after the other books.

In this one, they are searching for Napoleon's treasure. There is a bit of history about his time in exile that is rather interesting. The bad guys are dutifully obsessed. An international terrorist and a rookie secret service agent are thrown in for a little interest.

The characters are all pretty well-done, but they are not given a whole lot of depth. This isn't unusual for Steve Berry books. On the other hand, the sonstant racing to beat the bad guys is also usual for Steve Berry and I really like the combination of preventing horrible destruction and finding treasure. These are the kids of books that it is hard to put down. The story compels you through.

In this novel, in addition to the hunt for Napoleon's treasure, which takes more of a back seat than in his other books, the bad guys are interestingly stabbing each other in the back. I rather liked the twists the story of the bad guys takes. Watch for the Eiffel Tower scene. You can't walk away for a second cup of tea in the middle.

Not the best book out there, but a great lose-yourself-in-it read.

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Last Night's Scandal

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Last Night's Scandal

Okay, here's where the ugly truth comes out. I read a lot of books. I read books like other people watch TV. For a little while, I watched TV like other people watch TV, but now that the baby is more interested in exploring than he is in breastfeeding, I don't watch TV anymore. So, back to books. As a result, I read a lot of what my friend calls, "McReads". This includes murder mysteries, romance novels, and just about anything with words printed on it.

So, this McRead wasn't bad. I'm not saying anyone should run out and buy it. But, if you're looking for a total genre romance, this one is decent.

This genre usually includes some straight-laced woman who inadvertently or through some Seinfeldian stupidity, gets herself into a compromising position with some sort of gentleman of questionable character. When I picked it up, I was sure this was going to be the case. After all, it is called, Last Night's Scandal. What else could that mean. It turns out that this is simply what the lead character calls herself. She has a penchant for causing scandals.

If you want something thought provoking, this book is not it. Other than about two words that I had to look up and make sure the usage was correct, there is nothing challenging here. However, if you want a somewhat interesting story without commercials, go on and read it. I'm not opposed to reading anything by this author again and for a romance novel, that's high praise.

Like most books, though, the ending is terrible and cliche. The leading man is very fond of Egypt, so the leading lady, of course, wishes to go to Egypt. Bah.

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The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Friday, September 3, 2010

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Millennium Trilogy)

Okay, in this incredibly popular trilogy, this book is by far the best. I almost never think a book is worth 5 stars, but this one really is.

For one thing, this book contains a courtroom scene that left me completely riveted and I absolutely HATE courtroom scenes. I know nothing about the legal system in Sweden. Frankly, I know almost nothing about the legal system here, which is terrifying in my current situation (litigious divorce). However, the particular form of being able to question multiple people at once is what makes this courtroom scene unfold so dramatically and wonderfully.

The book packs all sorts of drama and action from the start without giving up too much of the character development. This book contains more "aha" moments that change or define characters than the other books, but it is compelled by the pace of the action. On the other hand, the end of the book is really good.

I usually find the endings of books either disappointing or trite. Mostly both. This book does something wonderful. Instead of ending at the thrilling resolution of the major action, the book takes us on a relaxing meander for a bit to lull us into the character of the main person in the book. Then, the book adds a final little exciting moment and a resolution tied up with the standard distance developed in this character's personality. The ending is amazingly satisfying.

I highly recommend this book, but I highly recommend reading the others first. The entire trilogy is one of the few popular reads that is really worth the time. The book took me quite a long time to get through, but not remotely because it is slow. It took me forever because I work full-time and am raising two little kids. If not for that, I would probably have stayed up all night and finished it in one read. The story is so engaging that I suggest, if you can, putting the book down and savoring it over a couple of weeks. It will be an enjoyable couple of weeks.