"Educated" Review

"Educated"

 

by

 

Tara Westover

9/10

 

My Synopsis:

 

This is a memoir of the life of Tara Westover.  She was born into a reclusive, non-conformist family with some unconventional and sometimes paranoid ideas.  Ms. Westover was raised on a mountainside in Idaho with her brothers and sister.  The family had some, for lack of a better word, interesting beliefs.  The children were born at home and not sent to school when they were old enough.  They were homeschooled with out of date textbooks if they were schooled at all.  The story tell of her experiences within her family on the mountain and as she begins to branch out into the world her family fears.  It tells of her struggles with her controlling father, her abusive brother, and within herself as she tries to test the limits placed on her and grow into something she's been told she will never be capable of being.

 

 

My Opinion:

I love a memoir.  I love that what I am reading has actually happened to someone.  I love the taste of reality it brings and "Educated" was a peek into the life of Tara Westover and the entire Westover clan.  From humble beginnings, Ms. Westover takes us on a voyage from a mountainside junkyard to the halls of some of the most prestigious learning institutions on earth.  Her narrative is so matter of fact and real that I found myself frustrated and stifled when reading of her repeated altercations with her father and one of her brothers.  The mountain was brought to life and was almost tangible through Ms. Westover's descriptions but also through her descriptions I learned that on that mountainside within that family is some place I never want to be.  It is amazing the woman she has become and that she was able to overcome the obstacles of her family, her lack of education, and even her mental state.  I have to say I admire her.  Her writing had me cheering for her at every turn and shouting "No" when she backslid into old ways when visiting her family.  Her account of the abuse and the brainwashing within her family was frightening.  Their justification of attitudes and decisions as based on religion was difficult to read.  Usually when I read a memoir, I think of it as a person and their story.  This time I realized something I hadn't felt with other autobiographies.  The people in her book are still out there in this world that we all live in doing exactly what she said they did in this book.  Yes, she brought them to life with her words but they were also alive and I found that frightening.  So if you want to hop off the grid and experience the journey of strength and courage, pick up a copy of "Educated" by Tara Westover.  9/10



"Big Little Lies" Review

"Big Little Lies"

 

by

 

Liane Moriarty

 

10/10

My Synopsis:

"Big Little Lies" by Liane Moriarty is the story of three neighborhood moms: the aggressive, Martha Stewart-esque Madeline, the struggling single mom Jane, and the beautiful, seemingly flawless Celeste.  Their children all go to school together and their families are interwoven.  When Jane is the newcomer in town, Madeline takes her under her wing without hesitation.  However, difficulties arise as the school year starts.  Accusations fly, sides are chosen, and adults begin behaving like children.  This is a tale of blended families, schoolyard scandals, the trials and tribulations of parenthood, friendships, and the lies that we all tell each other to get through the day and possibly make our lives better - big and little.

 

My Opinion:

 

"Big Little Lies" is the second book I've read by author Liane Moriarty.  The first was "What Alice Forgot" which I liked but didn't love.  "Big Little Lies" however was awesome!  I loved it.  It was longer than some of the books I have recently read but I finished it quicker than most because I couldn't put it down!  It was descriptive, which I love, but the plot - whoa, that plot!  I was stunned at the end.  I like when I can't figure out what is going to happen and this one hit me out of the blue.  There are twists and turns that you never see coming.  You'll need a cup of coffee or tea, a comfy chair, and to silence your phone and put the kids outside because this book draws you in and makes you want to stay.  The characters are so well developed that you feel you know them personally and you care about what happens to them.  It is soooo good that they have made it into a cable network series.  I loved the book so much, I can't bring myself to watch the series because everything about this book was so perfect, if they changed anything, I'll be disappointed.  That often happens to me when I read a book and like it then see the TV show or movie.  I get frustrated and mad because why do they need to change things in a wonderful book to make the big (or little) screen version "better."  If you haven't seen the show, I suggest you go get this book and read it first!  Hurry up!  Go now!  You won't regret it!  10/10

"The Bag Lady Papers" Review

 

"The Bag Lady Papers"

 

by

 

Alexandra Penney

 

1/10

 

My Synopsis:

"The Bag Lady Papers" is the story of Alexandra Penney.  It is a true tale of her losing her investment money in the Bernie Madoff financial catastrophe.  She talks of her jobs, family, and life in general as she spend her adult years in New York City intermingled with her reaction and coming to terms with what recently, financially happened to her.  She discusses her fears of becoming poor (a bag lady) and how she has worked her whole life to keep that fear at bay and prevent it from becoming a reality.  However, you can't control everything . . . or can you?

 

My Opinion:

Oh my God!  I could not wait for this book to be over.  The only thing that helped me persevere was the length of the book (only 216 pages long) and the anticipation of the book I planned to read next.  This book was horrible.  The subtitle is "The Priceless Experience of Losing It All"  and she claims in the introduction that she is "not writing this book to whine or complain" but she sure does a lot of it.  Ms. Penney is the former editor of a well known magazine, an accomplished artist, and a published author.  She doesn't understand "losing it all".  She has options.  She has opportunities.  She says in one chapter how while at one of her favorite luncheonettes her brain said she shouldn't spend three dollars on a piece of carrot cake.  Maybe its more traumatic for her having fallen from the heights of the wealthy to the depths of the "poor", but I have truly poor.  I have had nothing.  I couldn't afford to eat at a luncheonette let alone have a favorite one.  It was peanut butter and jelly for every lunch and spaghetti for every dinner.  I have nightmares about being back in that situation but having to sell your two extra homes because you cant' afford them anymore is not "losing it all."  I am writing this review with thirty pages yet to go and I am furious that this book is what it is.  I feel deceived.  She didn't lose it all.  She lost her savings, her nest egg, her retirement money, something lots of people never have - not EVERYTHING.  I thought it was going to be a realistic tale of falling from normalcy to destitute, not from lofty wealth to normalcy.  Maybe my expectations were entirely wrong but . . . be wary before you read this one.  1/10

(Update upon finishing the book:  It was a lost cause.  The last chapter she talks of her minimalist party thrown for a friend - something some of us consider normal not minimalist and even couldn't have considered throwing at one time in their life.  I bet Walmart didn't carry this book because that audience would have been outraged at her listing all the luxuries she can no longer afford and most of us will never in our lives experience.)



"The Autobiography of Santa Claus" Review

 

"The Autobiography of Santa Claus"

by Jeff Guinn

6/10

 

My Synopsis:

When it comes to that wonderfully festive season at the end of the calendar year, there only one man - one icon - that represents the holiday season.  That man is Santa Claus.  This is it ladies and gentlemen - the story where it all began.  The story of one man and how he became a legend.  How he gained elfish helpers and a wife is included as well as why he lives at the North Pole.  Its all here in one book.  The tale recounts everything from toys to reindeer in vivid detail.  If you've ever had a doubt in your mind about his validity, this is the place to go.  Its all there as told to author Jeff Guinn.

 

My review:

What a charming little tale!  I was completely smitten with the story right off the bat.  I was a little surprised that there were so many pictures and that the writing was more directed toward youth (who wouldn't be able to read the book without help)  than adults but I persisted none-the-less.  The book starts off well enough and as it progresses, numerous major historical figures are added to the tale.  At first I was loving the interweaving of other historical stories into the one of Santa Claus.  To think of so many great people wrapped up in the mythology of it made it even more magical.  I was swept up in the idea of the legend and forgot I was reading fiction.  But as the book progressed, it became more and more far fetched to the point where it was absolutely unbelievable.  The spirit of Santa stuff was genuinely heart-warming, but when the reindeer were flying, I was out.  It was nice that they incorporated all of it but I just wasn't sure who the book was for.  A light read for grown-ups, maybe.  However, the ridiculousness of some of the ideas fall flat.  A nice book to read to children, maybe.  However, the mixing up of the historical figures and their stories may become confusing and cause difficulty when studying history for real.  Maybe its aimed at children who have stopped believing a bit too early and whose parents want to prolong the belief that makes the season special.  While I was amused by the book, I could not pinpoint the appropriate audience so I am giving it a 6 out of 10.

"Queen of Babble" Review

"Queen of Babble"

by Meg Cabot

8/10

My Synopsis:

"Queen of Babble" by Meg Cabot is the story of Lizzie.  Lizzie has a good job, a nice boyfriend, and is about to get her degree.  What she doesn't realize is that her job is small time in a small town, her boyfriend lives across the ocean with his parents, and she has to complete a thesis to get her degree.  But Lizzie has a plan to fix all that if she could just keep her big mouth shut and figure out the details instead of being stranded in a remote French train station with a strange man who may be about to kill her.  Will she end up with the man of her dreams or a dud?  Will she finish her thesis before her family and friends find out?  Will she have the self-confidence to step out of her comfort zone, spread her wings, and soar?

My Review:

"Queen of Babble" by Meg Cabot is an amusing, light-hearted book that reads naturally and flows well.  If you like Sophie Kinsella/Madeleine Wickham, you'll love Ms. Cabot's tale of a spunky, sweet, relatable girl named Lizzie.  Although sometimes flighty and sometimes without a verbal filter, I was a fan of Lizzie's from the beginning.  The transformation of her self-esteem and self- confidence is inspiring and uplifting.  I loved the message that there is hope for the normal, middle class, weight struggling gal.  Ms. Cabot is very good at conveying emotion through her words.  She did almost lose me about half way through when I thought the book was going nowhere.  But I was very happy that I didn't give up as it.  The conversations flowed well and the pace of the book was good.  I was genuinely surprised by one of the happenings in the book that I totally did not see coming and the fallout was awesome.  The one problem I has with this book was the repeated reference to a sexual act.  Ms. Cabot wrote many young adult novels of which I'm unaware of the contents but I feel that maybe these references were included to make it a more "grown up" book.  There was also a sexual scene that was ok I guess but it was a little excessive in details.  Maybe I'm a prude but I like leaving some details to the imagination.  Imply what happened.  Don't shove it in my face.  Other than that aspect, the book was very enjoyable.  Some people like to read about explicit "romance" so I'll step off  my moral high horse and give this book an 8 out of 10.