Manic

I just finished the book Manic by Terri Cheney. It is a memoir of manic depression. I enjoyed the writing but most of the stories revolved around seducing men in a manic state. I really wish she would have gone into her family background a little better. I breezed through the stories though and really feel for what the author went through. I am not manic depressive myself but have met a few people who are and some of her stories are simply heartbreaking. I will say that certain parts of her story started to depress me greatly. I need to read something more uplifting because a lot of this book ends with despair.
I just started the book Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. I recently started reading Vonnegut and am very interesting in getting to know his work better. I began with Cat's Cradle and it is a kookie story but so inventive. My friend Carol has really become a fan and she says for her it all started with Galapagos. I have ordered this book and a few others as per my book shopping weakness. I don't have the heart to recount my bookshelf yet but feel the need to do so soon. I started out the year so good but am starting to feel I am spiraling out of control. I think it is probably time to clean out some shelves and re prioritize my reading collection. I currently have 4 books on order. I have signed on to a 50 books in a year reading blog and I have currently gone through at least 30 this year but I really need to get ride of some books to make room on the shelf.

Summer Reading

As crazy about reading as I am I agreed to read my daughters summer reading books along with her. As it just so happened I already owned copies of both books. She must finish A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN and A SEPARATE PEACE. Now as it so happens I have read Separate Peace twice before(I didn't enjoy either time). Once in high school and once when it was assigned reading for my son's English class. (I read all the books my kids read for summer reading and book reports in order to make sure they have read them and can answer common questions)
I recently finished A Tree Grows (my daughter is still in the process) and I have to say it is one of the most enjoyable reads I've picked up in awhile. I loved the old black and white film when it was on in my youth and I watched it with my parents. I'm not sure I haven't read it before but even so it was wonderful. Especially owning to today's economic times it is interesting to revisit this depression era novel. Poor but happy is the outlook of the characters despite a pretty miserable existence. I would truly love to sit down with my 14 year old and get her heartfelt impression of Francie and the times she lives in but I doubt my daughter will be a moved by the story or as willing to share her thoughts with me. Hopefully she will share them in her English class. My grandfather was a product of the depression and this story brought back fond memories of the kind of man he was and the way her viewed life. I do wish I could peek inside my daughters teenage mind and really peer at her thoughts having no previous experiences to relate to the era. One thing I do know is that this story is truly timeless in its way. It is a fantastic journey for readers of any age and I can't wait till she finishes and I hope she appreciates the story half as much as I do.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

I just finished the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. When I first heard about this book I was mildly offended. Pride is one of my all time favorite stories. The buzz about how popular the Seth Grahame Smith reboot was convinced me to give it a shot. I wish I had stayed with my first instinct. This book was a complete waste of my time. I realize it was written in fun but the addition of zombies has done nothing but make the story ridiculous. The author stumbles through the story giving vicious ends here and there. The banter about balls and soiling oneself I could have done without. I believe that if this story had been rewritten by a women who loved Pride, then great things could have been achieved. Don't waste your time with this one. The original story is a thousand times more enjoyable the way it was originally intended.

I just recently read the book What Was Lost by Catherine OFlynn. This is her first novel I've heard and it was great. The novel starts as a sweet father and daughter story that turns into a sad missing child case. The story evolves slowly and has interesting characters throughout. When the story picks up years after Kate disappeared your still as curious as everyone what happened. This is a great novel for anyone to enjoy and at 256 pages it is great over the summer weekends.

Pharmakon

I just finished PHARMAKON BY DICK WITTENBORN and this book was a total waste of time. The story could have been great but ended up completely pointless. I don't think Dick knew which book he wanted to write. This story started out like three different books. A psychologist does research for a drug and one of his patients goes crazy and tries to murder him. Then he escapes and meets his son. Then he goes away and completely disappears from the story except as some inescapable fear. I don't know where this story was going but it just ends with the psychologist in his mid seventies, his wife in the hospital and his children unresolved. What a waste of hours of my time. Please don't waste yours.