The Lovely Bones - A. Sebold

I just read The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, which is now a feature film starring Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, and Saoirse Ronan.

In the book we meet Susie Salmon, murdered at 14. Susie lives in her version of Heaven along with Holly, a young girl she met in the afterlife. The two girls end up 'roommates'.

From Heaven Susie watches her family - she lives vicariously through her sister, watches over her mom and dad, and keeps tabs on the lives of her friends - Ruth and Ray as well as her killer. Her constant "presence" in each of their lives affects each person in different ways, but none of them are really able to move past Susie's death.
- Abigail Salmon runs away hoping to forget the tragedy and family
- Jack Salmon is broken by her death and becomes obsessed with finding the killer
- Lindsey Salmon grows up known as "the girl whose sister was murdered"
- Buck Salmon grows up too quickly in the shadow of a broken home
- Grandma Lynn in the absence of a mother, becomes the family's pillar of strength
- Ruth and Ray become good friends through Susie's death - holding vigils and sharing memories of her

Though very dark and sad, I enjoyed this book. It felt honest because there wasn't the "happily ever after" ending. I don't want to give away what happens but Sebold does end the novel on a note of optimism for the Salmon family; however, for the most of the book there's just overwhelming sadness. For days after reading this book, I couldn't lift the fog that settled over me - I had to read a couple books with happy endings for a quick pick me up :) There was only one part - Susie and Ruth's swap that didn't fit the story well, but I could appreciate a 'final hurrah'. So what's the verdict?

I do recommend the book...just not around the holidays. It's really rather depressing.

Major Fashion statement

This was passed on to me this morning. It's a fantastic trouser available for men. Some of the highlights include the slim capri fit in the calf area which is accentuated by the very spacious crotch area - not to mention the waist band fit highlighted with a small white button. Can you tell me what's not sexy about this?! And you can either dress it up as shown in the picture, or dress it down with a pair of sneakers!

If you're not convinced, read some of the customer reviews:

Name: He Who Shall Be Nameless, Small Village, World
Review: FINALLY! Capri pants for men. I guess they obviate the question of "dress right" or dress left". Christ, there's enough room in that crotch to hide a rabid badger... Overall, I give this effort a solid B+. Do the shoes come with that? If not, izzok- I have a set of wooden clogs left over from my village idiot apprentice uniform...

Name:Mongerel, Dogtown, Texas -
Review: My c**k is so long I have to roll it into a bun. Thank goodness I found these pants to disguise my embarrassing package....

Name:Mike Hunt, Gilmer
Review:These pants are ideal for birthing babies at work, or croos country trips if you don't want to stop. I've filled up a 12-14 pound diaper in them without anyone noticing....

Name:Headless Horseman
Review:These fit me much better when turned around and worn as a long sleeved shirt. Now no more cold breeze on my bloody stump, not to mention the embarrassing glances I get....

Still not convinced you should own a pair, read more of the reviews for yourself (click read more in the lower right)
http://www.revolveclothing.com/DisplayProduct.jsp?product=MJOL-MP5&c=Athletic&s=Season&d=Mens+Trends

Happy Wednesday people.

What I Thought I Knew - Alice Eve Cohen

Imagine this...
- You're unable to have children so you adopted
- You're on hormone therapy yourself
- You have a higher chance of cancer due to hormones taken by your mother during her pregnancy
- You have have two uterus(es)
- Your mother died of cancer
- You find out you're in early menopause

That is the author's story. She was a DES baby...this means while her mother was pregnant she took a synthetic hormone (Diethylstilbestrol) which was thought to be safe. Well it wasn't and many of these babies were found to have a higher risk for cancer, ectopic pregnancies, and transsexualism. So after years of trying, Alice and her then husband adopt Julia....fast forward some years.
Alice is now happily engaged to Michael - a fellow free lance artist who is about 10 years younger than her. Around this time Alice begins to feel "strange" - meaning that she has an abnormal lump on her stomach, her breasts are tender, she has an increased need to urinate, and she's very lethargic. After consulting various different specialists and gynocologists, Alice learns she has muscle tone loss, an overactive bladder, and possibly cancer (the lump on her lower abdomen). In order to more accurately detect the cancer or tumor, Alice is sent in for a scan - where she learns that she is 6 months pregnant!

She's in her 40's with a VERY high risk pregnancy. For the past 6 months she has had no prenatal care and exposed the baby to multiple medical procedures, hormones, and alcohol. Not to mention, Alice has crappy insurance and almost no one will accept her as a patient!!! So now she must struggle with the idea - keep the baby or abort at 6 months?

She decides to have the baby...and learns that she is going to have a boy. After genetic testing, they find that the baby actually has XX chromosomes...so its either going to be a transgendered boy OR be a lesbian female athlete....so now she wonders "Do I put the baby up for adoption".....Alice is having the baby she always wanted at a time when she doesn't...on top of that she has a million other things to worry about - bleeding to death, premature labor, transgendered issues, exposure to cancer, etc. Most mothers just have to hope for a happy and healthy baby.

This book is a quick and easy read. It's an interesting story that makes you wonder - what would you do in a similar situation? How would it feel to be misdiagnosed for 6 months and be medically unable to terminate a problematic pregnancy? Not having children - I can say that I wasn't able to relate to her situation much, but it does make you wonder "What would you do?"

Dear John - N. Sparks

In Sparks' novel we meet John Tyree, a homegrown North Carolina boy whose enlisted in the army after finding himself on the fast track to nowhere after high school. Home on leave for a few weeks in the summer, John meets Savannah Lynn Curtis. Savannah is a college student working Habitat for Humanity during her summer vacation. She has a strong Christian foundation, beautiful, smart, and an all around good girl. Of course the two fall madly in love with one another. With Savannah's help John sees his father's quirkiness in a whole new light. Ultimately, he and his father enjoy a relationship that neither of them thought possible.

Fast forward a bit - John returns to Germany while Savannah returns to school. The two countdown to John's tour of duty overseas and his eventual release from the Army; however, in the aftermath of September 11th John decides to reenlist to serve in the war everyone will soon know as Operation Iraqi Freedom. While this will prolong John's time overseas Savannah is understanding and willing to make it work.

While fighting in Iraq John receives the goodbye letter from Savannah - she's met someone else, fallen in love, and moving on. With nothing to go home to John re-ups for another tour in Iraq....but returns home briefly due to the death of his father. While back in NC, John visits Savannah to find that not only has she married, but she's dealing with problems of her own. So do we get our happy ending here in this Sparks novel? Well not exactly. In the end - everyone is happy but it's not tied up in a pretty red bow like some of his other stories.

The book had enough in it to keep my attention and though it was an easy read...the story wasn't complex and neither were the characters. It was a breath of fresh air to find a Sparks story where the story doesn't have the ultimate warm fuzzy feeling at the end, but in the end it wasn't a show stopper. I've been reading a lot of his novels lately...mostly because they're easy reads and they're decent stories. This novel is also being turned into a movie to be released some time in 2010. My recommendation - pass on this one for now unless you're hard pressed for a book to read.

I'm picking up "What I Thought I Knew" today....Happy Reading!!!

At First Sight - N. Sparks

At First Sight is a follow up to Sparks' "True Believer".
In True Believer, Jeremy Marsh is a scientific/paranormal debunker who went to investigate the eerie lights of the Boone Creek cemetery in NC. While investigating the lights Jeremy falls madly in love with Lexie Darnell (the town librarian).

The last time we saw Jeremy Marsh we learned that he is moving from NYC in exchange for the small town of Boone Creek and he's going to be a father. As Jeremy adjusts to his life in the small southern town he is plagued by the inability to write while second guessing his relationship with Lexie.

In this book Jeremy and Lexie are preparing for the arrival of their first child, buying a home, and planning a wedding. The stresses of life are overwhelming Jeremy and putting a major strain on his ability to write. It doesn't help when mysterious emails arrive casting doubts on his relationship with Lexie; Jeremy begins to wonder is the child really his, how much does he and Lexie really know about one another, and what other secrets is Lexie keeping??

In At First Sight love does conquer all, but it definitely doesn't offer the typical Sparks ending (Boy meets girl and lives happily ever after). We learned a lot about Lexie and Jeremy in True Believer and in this follow up book you watch them move onto the next big adventure together. I think between the two books you really become attached to the central characters and you want Jeremy and Lexie's relationship to work out; I guess it's almost something you expect. So, in the end, I think the twist will be a bit surprising but very touching. I had to hold back my tears a couple times...

Happy Reading!

The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown

The much anticipated follow up to the Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons....THE LOST SYMBOL.

Our favorite symbologist Robert Langdon is back. Upon being summoned by his mentor Peter Solomon to Washington DC to deliver a speech last minute, Robert finds himself in the middle of a terrible kidnap, murder, mystery plot surrounding one of the oldest and most secretive groups in the world - The Free Masons.

In this novel we learn about symbology and it's importance in Washington DC architecture as well as to this country's founding fathers. As Robert begins to unravel the mystery set before him, we're pulled into the deepest secrets of free masonry and it's highest degree along with their most highly guarded secret.

At first I wondered what is really going on here. First we meet the mysterious tattoo'd man with his wealth, secrets, and makeup...I wasn't quite sure what was going on. As the story picks up we follow the plot to save Peter while we also watch Katherine desperately try to save both herself and her work.

If you were enthralled by the complexity of the Da Vinci Code or Angels and Demons then you'll be stumped here in The Lost Symbol as well. Running around DC after Masonic secrets and theoretical pyramids - throw in the whole issue of who can be trusted and of course a madman to rival Silas of Da Vinci and you have your the Dan Brown suspense mystery you love so well. I enjoyed the book but I think the ending let me down...to the point where I say it's simply okay. Yes, it was riveting BUT....in the end it wasn't as profound as the "Holy Grail" reveal. Even after our plot and subplot resolution, the last few chapters seemed to build even more supsense as we wait for Katherine and Robert to open a door for one last surprise.

And as I read those last few pages I did find myself a tad bit disappointed. Though the main plot resolution wasn't what I expected it to be; I could live with it. However, after the FINAL reveal...I was disappointed. But this is a best seller and the meat of it has enough to keep your mind spinning!

Happy Reading....

The Rescue - N.Sparks

The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks details the trials and tribulations of Denise Holden...giving up teaching, struggling as a waitress in a small town, moving into a run down home - all in order to dedicate her time to her young son Kyle. Kyle has trouble learning and in particular he does not speak. The book opens with Denise and Kyle driving back from one of his many Dr.'s appointments in a terrible storm. After narrowly hitting a deer, Denise loses control of her car and crashes into the dense and marshy forest. After losing consciousness, Denise realizes Kyle has wandered off. Her only hope is the stranger who found her - volunteer fireman Taylor McAden. As Denise is whisked from the scene in an ambulance, Taylor and a small group of local fireman search the marsh amidst one of the worst storms in NC history.

So what happens? Of course Taylor finds Kyle...and falls in love with Denise BUT OF COURSE - Taylor's past makes him unwilling to allow himself to be loved.

In true fashion, Nicholas Sparks writes in the back drop of a slow North Carolina town. Do we get the happy ending...Yes.
But was the story touching, riveting, or profound? Not really. I read the book mostly becuase it was based upon Nick's own family experience with his own challenged son.

I read the book in one day...it was short, easy and entertaining read. At least Nick has always been able to keep my attention regardless of how little attachment I have to the story or characters. So if you're looking for a great read - Pass. If you just want something with a little drama, suspense, mystery, and a love story with a happy ending...then give it a go!

Happy Reading.

Up on deck:
- N. Sparks Dear John
- N. Sparks At First Sight
- D. Brown The Lost Symbol