Stacked: A booklog

Official Book Club Selection

"You know what, my whole life has been putting my reality out there and owning up to it. For better, or for worse."

-- Kathy Griffin

Title: Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin

Author: Kathy Griffin

Publisher/Publisher Date: Ballantine Books

Library/Bookstore: Inklings

Date Read: September 2009

Rating: ***1/2

What It's About:  Kathy Griffin talks about her struggles making it as a comedienne.  She writes about her time with The Groundlings, being banned from talk shows, plastic surgery gone bad, the ending of her marriage, and good old celebrity gossip.  Kathy doesn't sugar-coat anything and tells it like it is.

Why I Chose to Read It: I freaking LOVE Kathy Griffin!   

Notes About the Book:

1. It was really interesting to learn about how she got her comedic start with The Groundlings.  She actually used to teach improv and her students included: Cheri Oteri, Will Farrell, Molly Shannon, Melissa Rivers, and Mariska Hargitay.
   
2. The book has pictures!  A LOT of pictures!!  She even included some intimate pictures of her and then boyfriend Jack Black.
3. I was disappointed to learn that Steve Martin is a real jerk (no pun intended).
4. It was sad to read about Kathy's older brother's death.
5. The chapter that included her e-mails with Steve Wozniak was really boring.
6. I'm dying to know which member of N' sync she had a fling with!  Justin, maybe?  Hmmmm.
7. LOVE the reading group guide at the end.

Do I Recommend It?  Yes.  I laughed my ass off.  This books makes me love her even more.  

Links:

Kathy Griffin--Official Site

Life on the D-List

Kate is Enough: The Kate Gosselin Story

Author: Kathy Griffin

Publisher/Publisher Date: Ballantine Books

Library/Bookstore: Inklings

Date Read: September 2009

Rating: ***1/2

What It's About:  Kathy Griffin talks about her struggles making it as a comedienne.  She writes about her time with The Groundlings, being banned from talk shows, plastic surgery gone bad, the ending of her marriage, and good old celebrity gossip.  Kathy doesn't sugar-coat anything and tells it like it is.

Why I Chose to Read It: I freaking LOVE Kathy Griffin!   

Notes About the Book:

Kate is Enough: The Kate Gosselin Story

The Start of My Infinite Summer

           

I've decided to take part in the Infinite Summer reading challenge.  This damn book has been sitting on my bookshelf for nine years...mocking me.  I bought it at the North Bend Outlet Mall for only $5.25 at a discount bookstore during a road-trip to Seattle on my 20th birthday.  I think with all of the support, reading guides, and online gadgets, I'll finally be able to read this thing. 

Anyway, I'll be keeping track of my progress here at Stacked.  I've also joined the Infinite Summer group at Ravelry.  I'm anxious to get started!

UPDATE:  Well, this book kicked my ass.  I couldn't finish it.  So, I'm totally just going to lie to people and say that I finished it. 

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

"What else does a detective agency really need? Detective agencies rely on human intuition and intelligence, both of which Mma Ramotswe had in abundance. No inventory would ever include those, of course."

-- Alexander McCall Smith, The Ladies' No. 1 Detective Agency

Title:  The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Author: Alexander McCall Smith

Publisher/Publisher Date: Signet Classic, 1996

Library/Bookstore: Inklings

Date Read: June 2009

Rating: ****

What It's About:  Precious Ramotswe has been described as a "fat and jolly version of Agatha Christie from Botswana."  She is a strong, intelligent, funny woman who genuinely wants to help those around her.  Soon after opening The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, she takes on cases involving everything from cheating husbands to children kidnapped by witch doctors. 

Why I Chose to Read It: I LOVE the HBO series of the same name.  This is another book that I wouldn't normally read. 

Notes About the Book:

1. After reading this book and watching the History Channel's Expedition Africa, I really want to go to Africa.
2. I love how Mma Ramotswe wasn't ashamed of her "traditionally built" body.  She was checked out by a lot of guys in the book.
3. I was disappointed that the secretary wasn't featured as much in the book as she was in the TV show. 
4. It was interesting to read things from Mma Ramotswe's Daddy's perspective and to learn about his experience in the diamond minds.
5. Note is even more of a bastard in the book than he is on the show.  Their courtship is short and disturbing.  I totally wanted to just kick him in the nuts.
6. I was surprised at how different the book was from the series (in a good way). 

Do I Recommend It?  Yes.  I didn't want this book to end.  Mma Ramotswe is one of my new favorite literary characters.  It's how much she cares for her loved ones and her country.  You can't help but smile while reading this book.

Links:

Alexander McCall Smith--Official Site

HBO's site for The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency tv series

BBC Site - The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Botswana Tourism Board 

 

"What else does a detective agency really need? Detective agencies rely on human intuition and intelligence, both of which Mma Ramotswe had in abundance. No inventory would ever include those, of course."

-- Alexander McCall Smith, The Ladies' No. 1 Detective Agency

Title:  The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Author: Alexander McCall Smith

Publisher/Publisher Date: Signet Classic, 1996

Library/Bookstore: Inklings

Date Read: June 2009

Rating: ****

What It's About:  Precious Ramotswe has been described as a "fat and jolly version of Agatha Christie from Botswana."  She is a strong, intelligent, funny woman who genuinely wants to help those around her.  Soon after opening The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, she takes on cases involving everything from cheating husbands to children kidnapped by witch doctors. 

Why I Chose to Read It: I LOVE the HBO series of the same name.  This is another book that I wouldn't normally read. 

Notes About the Book:

Emma

"Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her."

-- Jane Austen, Emma

Title:  Emma

Author: Jane Austen

Publisher/Publisher Date: Signet Classic, 1996

Library/Bookstore: I bought this book when I was in high school, so I don't remember.

Date Read: May 2009

Rating: ****

What It's About:  Emma Woodhouse is a young, privileged woman who likes to play matchmaker among her small circle of friends and acquaintences.  Unfortunately for them, she's not very good at it.  She means well, but her meddling soon causes everyone (including herself) nothing but heartache.  Can Emma fix the damage she has done? 

Why I Chose to Read It: It was the May book selection for an on-line book club that I'm in.  I'm ashamed to admit that this is the first Jane Austen book I have read. 

Notes About the Book:

1. Emma is a clueless snob, but I couldn't help liking her.  I was surprised at how many people didn't like this book because they hated how Emma was always looking down on everyone.  In my opinion, people are way too harsh on her.  She's only 21 (lord knows I was still immature at that age) and she has lead a very sheltered life.  Give the girl a break! 
2. As I was reading this book, I constantly found myself comparing it to Clueless.   "Why should I listen to you, anyway? You're a virgin who can't drive."  "That was way harsh, Tai."
3. Mr. Knightley is too good for Emma.  I wish he had been in the book more.   
4. It was recommended that I read Pride and Prejudice next because it is a hundred times better than Emma.  Do you think it would be bad to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies before reading the original?   

Do I Recommend It?  Yes.  Despite Emma's character flaws, I found the book to be charming. 

Links:

Jane Austen's World

Jane Austen Today

Jane Austen & PBS

Jane Austen Fans

The Reader

"Why does what was beautiful suddenly shatter in hindsight because it concealed dark truths? Because such a situation makes it impossible to be happy? But we were happy! Sometimes the memory of happiness cannot stay true because it ended unhappily. Because happiness is only real if it lasts forever? Because things always end painfully if they contained pain, conscious or unconscious all along?"

-- Michael Berg, The Reader

Title:  The Reader

Author: Bernhard Schlink

Publisher/Publisher Date: Vintage Books, 1997

Library/Bookstore: Inklings

Date Borrowed/Bought/Read: April 2009

Rating: ***1/2

What It's About:  Basically, the story is about 15-year-old Michael Berg and his illicit love affair with a much older enigmatic woman named Hanna Schmitz.  He visits Hanna regularly at her apartment to read to her and have sex.  Although there is a strong physical attraction between them, the relationship is strained because Hanna keeps herself emotionally detached.  One day Hanna disappears without a word.  The next time Michael sees her, he is a young law student and she is on trial for the crimes she may have committed during her time as an SS woman guard for the Third Reich.

Why I Chose to Read It: It was the April book selection for an on-line book club that I'm in.  This isn't something I would normally read.

Notes About the Book:

1. I didn't really like this book because I had a hard time caring about the characters.  They're both cold and unsympathetic. 
2. The age difference between Hanna and Michael didn't really bother me.  A lot of people can't seem to get past this part of the story.  However, I think it's more appalling that Michael chose not to share with the judge what he knew about Hanna during the trial.
3. My favorite part of the story was when Hanna asked the judge, ""What would you have done? Should I not have signed up at Schleeman's?"  It makes me wonder what I would have done if I had been in her situation.  I'm ashamed to admit that I  don't know if I would have been brave enough to do what was right. 
4. I've been told that I need to rent the DVD and watch the interviews with the author in order to fully appreciate the book. 

Do I Recommend It?  Yes.  However, I have a feeling that there was a lot lost in the translation.  The Reader is a good read, but I didn't find it anywhere near as good as all the hype suggests.  While reading the book, I felt as though something was missing, but I could never put my finger on what it was. 

Links:

Oprah's Book Club page for The Reader

Roger Ebert's thoughts on The Reader

A conversation with Charlie Rose and Bernhard Schlink

1776

"The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army." 

-- General George Washington, July 2, 1776

Title:  1776

Author: David McCullough

Publisher/Publisher Date: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2005

Library/Bookstore: Wal-Mart

Date Borrowed/Bought/Read: March 2009

Rating: ****

What It's About: 1776 focuses on General George Washington and his ragtag army of colonial, rebels.  Untrained, unprepared, and underpaid, the rebels find themselves on the losing side of the battle over and over again.  (After awhile, the losses really do start to get embarrassing.)  We learn about the frustration and despair that General Washington felt as he struggled to keep his men from deserting the army and the American cause.

Why I Chose to Read It: I really enjoyed the HBO mini-series, John Adams, so I thought it would be a good idea to read 1776, which I had bought a year earlier.  I also wanted to learn more about what went down during the Revolutionary War.

Notes About the Book:

1. I'm not a religious person, but even I'm convinced that our winning the war had to be the result of some divine intervention. 
2. I got a kick out of reading about Mt. Whoredom.
3. Washington inadvertently intercepted a letter from General Lee to Joseph Reed that lamented his "indecisive mind" and called for new leadership.  Ouch! 
4. Hmmmm.  I had more notes about this book, but I seem to have forgotten them.  Shame on me for waiting so long to write a review.

Do I Recommend It?  Yes.  However, it can be kind of dry at times.  I really liked how George Washington never gave up, even though he was convinced of his own shortcomings.

Links:

George Washington

Mount Vernon

Rediscovering George Washington

The American Revolution

Mayflower

 "You have taken the land which is rightfully ours. Years from now my people will be forced to live in mobile homes on reservations. Your people will wear cardigans, and drink highballs. We will sell our bracelets by the road sides, you will play golf, and enjoy hot hors d'oeuvres. My people will have pain and degradation. Your people will have stick shifts. The gods of my tribe have spoken. They have said, "Do not trust the Pilgrims, especially Sarah Miller."

--Wednesday Addams from Addams Family Values

Title:  Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War

Author: Nathaniel Philbrick

Publisher/Publisher Date: Penguin Books, 2007

Library/Bookstore: Inklings

Date Borrowed/Bought/Read: December 2008

Rating: ****1/2

What It's About:  The title is misleading because the book is mostly about the history of the second generation of English colonists and the outcome of their bloody conflict with the Indians known as King Philip's War.  Philbrick spends very little time actually talking about the Mayflower voyage or the first Thanksgiving.  Instead, he writes about how greed, arrogance, and betrayal (from both sides) broke the bonds of the first generation and triggered the start of a violent war that lead to beheadings, scalpings, slavery and the costly destruction of both families and communities.  

Why I Chose to Read It: I really enjoyed reading In the Heart of the Sea and I've always wanted to learn more about the true history of the first Thanksgiving.

Notes About the Book:

1. The Puritans really, really liked to display their enemies' heads on pikes.  King Philip's head was put on display on a pike in Plymouth for over twenty years!  Then the man who killed him pickled his hand in rum and charged people to look at it.  They also liked to cut their enemies' bodies into quarters.
2. Did you know that the Puritans banned Christmas?!  It was actually against the law to celebrate Christmas in Boston.  Those scrooges didn't even like Christmas decorations! 
3. King Philip's War is considered to be the bloodiest war in America's history.  Before King Philip's War, the overall population of southern New England was approximately 70,000: 50,000 English settlers and 20,000 Indians. By the end of the war, 5,000 to 6,000 people were dead.
4. Those Puritans gave their kids weird baby names.  Some names included: Wrestling, Love (a boy), Remember, Desire, Cotton, Humility, Resolved, Constant, Conscious and Oceanus.  Here's a Time article that lists more odd Puritan names.  How would you like to be called Flie Fornication Andrewes?

Do I Recommend It?  Yes.  It's a fascinating read about a subject that most people don't know much about.  Philbrick doesn't take sides when writing about the English and the Native Americans either.  I think even non-history buffs would enjoy reading this book.

Links:

Mayflower Families

Nathaniel Philbrick: Mayflower

Educating Esme

"People snicker, “Those who can’t do, teach.” But, oh, how right they are. I could never, ever do all I dream of doing. I could never, ever be an opera star, a baseball umpire, an earth scientist, an astronaut, a great lover, a great liar, a trapeze artist, a writer, a dance, a baker, a Buddha, or a thousand other aspirations I have had, while having only been given one thin ticket in this lottery of life! In the recessional, as I watch them, mine, the ones I loved, I overflow with the joyous greed of a rich man counting coins. Wrongly I have thought teaching has lessened me at times, but now I experience a teacher’s great euphoria, the knowledge like a drug that will keep me: Thirty-one children. Thirty-one chances. Thirty-one futures, our futures. It’s an almost psychotic feeling, believing that part of their lives belongs to me. Everything they become, I also become. And everything about me, they helped to create."

Esme Raji Codell from Educating Esme

Title:  Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher's First Year

Author: Esme Raji Codell

Publisher/Publisher Date: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill/1999

Library/Bookstore: Inklings

Date Borrowed/Bought/Read: November 2008

Rating: ***1/2

What It's About: Esme Codell shares the diary that she kept as a first year 5th grade teacher in a Chicago public school.  She writes about dealing with abusive parents, an idiot principal, and a broken education system.  I love how she stands up for what she believes is the best thing for her kids despite the threats made to her by administration.

Why I Chose to Read It: I'm a first year teacher.

Notes About the Book:

1. I wish I was as confident and self-assured as Esme when it comes to teaching.  Someone thinks highly of herself. 
2. I would LOVE to hear her co-workers' version of what happened.  Her principal couldn't be that incompetent.
3. Where did she find the time and the money for all of the wonderful things that she did in her classroom?
4. It's sad that she only taught for two years.
5. Like Esme, I've gone home in tears after discovering what my students had to go home to every day.  Students have asked me how to send their schoolwork to parents in jail, begged me not to send them back home, explained to me how their parents take drugs (in great detail), and bragged about how a relative was shot or stabbed in a gang fight.  These kids are between the ages of 5 and 8.

Do I Recommend It?  Yes.  This book will make you want to be a better teacher.  If you're not a teacher, it will make you appreciate what teachers have to deal with every day.

Links:

Planet Esme

Esme's book reviews

Into Thin Air

"People who don't climb mountains tend to assume that the sport is a reckless Dionysian pursuit of ever escalating thrills. The ratio of misery to pleasure was greater by an order of magnitude than any other mountains I'd been on. I quickly came to understand that climbing Everest was primarily about enduring pain."

--Jon Krakauer

Title:  Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster

Author: Jon Krakauer

Publisher/Publisher Date: Anchor Books, 1997

Library/Bookstore: Encore Books

Date Borrowed/Bought/Read: October 2008

Rating: *****

What It's About: Jon Krakauer shares his version of the tragic events that occurred in 1996 as several groups simultaneously attempted to climb Mt Everest.  He was lucky enough to survive the catastrophic expedition while working on assignment for Outside magazine.  The other members of his team actually made it to the top as well, however, not everyone made it back down.  Despite the expertise of the Everest guides, eight people died due to the unpredictable weather, exhaustion, bad judgment, and the incompetence of most of the other people on the mountain. 

Why I Chose to Read It: I really enjoyed reading Into the Wild and I have a sick interest in disaster survival stories.

Notes About the Book:

1. Did you know that it costs around $65,000 dollars to climb Mt. Everest (actually, now I think it's up to $70,000)?  That floored me.  Who would pay that much money to experience altitude sickness, hallucinations, fatigue, frostbite, hypothermia, sunburn, the possibility of broken bones and/or plunging to your death?  Krakauer talks at great length of the absurdity of wanting to climb Mt. Everest.  Turns out it's really not that much fun.
2. I found it interesting how Mt. Everest is considered to be the world's highest garbage dump.  It's littered with empty oxygen canisters, tents, supplies, garbage and even dead bodies.
3. Dead bodies won't stop serious climbers from reaching their desired goal.  They'll just climb right over them.  Reading about that in the book really disturbed me.  It is estimated that there are 41 bodies on the north side of Everest.   
4. The real heroes of the story are the members of the IMAX film crew who shared their oxygen and radios to help rescue more people.  They put their own lives at risk by doing this.  Some of the other expeditions simply refused to help (bastards).

Do I Recommend It?  Yes.  You can't help but be fascinated by the obsession these people have with reaching the summit despite the risks they face.  What drives them to want to do this?  I may have to pick up some more books about climbing Everest.

Links:

Everest News

Everest 50

Lost on Everest

Mt. Everest

Aftermath, Inc.

"Now that's how you scrub a f*$%in' blood stain!"

Al Swearengen in Deadwood 

Title: Aftermath, Inc.: Cleaning Up After CSI Goes Home

Author: Gil Reavill

Publisher/Publisher Date: Gotham Books, 2007

Library/Bookstore: Borders

Date Borrowed/Bought/Read: August 2008

Rating: ***

What It's About: True-crime writer, Gil Reavill, wants to know what it would be like to experience a fresh crime scene.  He decides to job shadow a couple of techs from Aftermath, Inc., a company that cleans up after suicides, violent murder, and unfortunate accidents.  Anything at the crime scene that has been touched by bodily fluids, blood splatter, and/or other human biomatter has to be treated, removed or replaced completely (getting your head shot off creates a lot of biomatter).  It ain't an easy job, but dammit, somebody has to do it. 

Why I Chose to Read It: A couple of years ago, I wrote a post on my blog about the people who cleaned up the dead.  It's a job that most people don't know much about. 

Notes About the Book:

1. This book is not for people with weak stomachs.  By page 7, I was turning a little green.  Some people have sick, sick minds.
2. You can make a lot of money being a crime-scene cleaner!
3. Gil talks about himself too much. 
4. At one of the clean up sites, they actually find an eye under a folded-ever flap of skin.  An EYE!!! 
5. The techs refer to puking on the job as "pulling a Bushie."  HA!
6. Aftermath, Inc. was called in to clean up the mess that was made when a mechanic was sucked into the engine of a Boeing 737.  The airline company didn't want to throw away a $10 million engine.
7. It was sad reading about the tragic death of film collector Alois Felix Dettlaff.  He was the owner of the original Thomas Edison's 1910 Frankenstein film (the first horror movie ever made) that was once thought to be lost by the Library of Congress.  Dettlaff died alone in his home and his body wasn't discovered until almost a month later.  His family doesn't know what happened to the film cannister containing the original print of Frankenstein.  You can watch it here. 
8. The picture shown above is from the upcoming movie Sunshine Cleaning starring Amy Adams and Emily Blunt.  It's about a mom who starts her own crime scene clean up company with her unreliable sister.  According to the book, they're doing it wrong.

Do I Recommend It?  Yes.  It's a fascinating read if you think your stomach is up for it!

Links:

Aftermath, Inc.--They're hiring!

Aftermath, Inc.: The Book--A blog for the book.

How Crime-scene Clean-up Works