what I thought about "let's pretend this never happened"

I started reading Let's Pretend This Never Happened a few weeks ago, because it was on the wall of librarian picks.  Boy, what a dud.  I had to stop reading it, which I almost never do.  But I've reached the point in my life where I don't have to finish books that are not worth my time.  It's uneven and self-indulgent, and it's simply not funny enough.  There are some good bits, like the time her dad woke them up to show them the squirrel puppet he had just made, and referring to intestines as "the poop rope," but it's all so self-aware, like she's so pleased with how unique she is, and her family is SO SHOCKING AND DIFFERENT.  It's a shockbrag.  Well, as the moral of the classic fable "Duckbilled Platypus vs. Beefsnakstick" taught us, just because you have a lot of stuff, don't think you're so special. 

It reminded me a lot of the Heather Armstrong book I read, in that the voice that charms in short-form writing becomes unbearably grating in long-form writing.  Is this true of all bloggers-cum-memoirists/novelists?  It makes me fearful for my own hoped-for authorial career. 

what I thought about "the goose girl"

This is a superb book.  I loved it and thought the retelling of the familiar fairy tale was creative and rich.  I'm going to see if I can get Grant to read it.  He'll probably be like, "It says "girl" in the title, nopes."  Boys are so stupid.  They miss out on so much wonderful literature because they think it will be too girly.  Tell me, ladies, have you ever turned down a book merely because it looked too boyish?  I guess I don't read the sports section of the newspaper, that might count. 

It's a quick read, and very rewarding.  Shannon Hale is a talented writer, and I realized that she was also the author of "Princess Academy," another book I enjoyed.  They both, like "True Grit," have female protagonists who are strong and clever and resourceful, but not in a contrived or pandering way.  I like that.  I think I've explained how much I hate the princess culture in which we teach our daughters to be selfish, shallow, vain little consumers, so it's nice to see something that bucks that tradition in a way that feels completely organic and natural. 

what I thought about "true grit"

I loved this book!  It was fun.  The narration and dialogue themselves make the book a worthwhile read.  It's so refreshing to have a female protagonist upending gender stereotypes without being all, "I'M UPENDING GENDER STEREOTYPES!"  Mattie Ross is complicated and not always sympathetic, but she is delightful.  I'm going to read it to my kids if we ever finish The Eighty-Dollar Champion.

what I thought about "the fourth turning"

Saturday morning I sat down with my yogurt and opened the book to where I'd left off reading the day before.  I turned a page and saw yet another table showing the interaction between the four types of historical events and the four kinds of human personalities, and I thought, "Screw this noise."  I'm not going to spend any more of my valuable time plowing through this book that endlessly repeats itself.  The upshot is: history is cyclical, taking about 100 years to complete one turning. We're headed for a crisis, which will affect and be affected by each of the currently living generations.

Good luck, everybody.  Let's promise each other to remake the world in a good way.

what I thought about "a monster calls"

This is young adult fiction. It's a story about a boy whose mother is dying of cancer, and I cried while I was reading it, of course.  It's an interesting treatment of the subject.  Compelling and honest and real.  I think I might read it to my boys.  I don't know that they'll grasp all of the nuance, and appreciate the layers of the story, but I think it will still be a thought-provoking and rewarding story.  I recommend it. 

what I thought about "the godfather"

Boy, what a wild ride.  I enjoyed this book immensely, although I did have to skim the sexy parts--especially the part where Sonny and Lucy sneak off during Connie's wedding.  Look, tell me about garrotings and beatings and shootings all you like, but don't be describing lurid sex acts!  It's indecent.  I'm a violent prude, that's the way I feel.

I've wanted to read this book for like a hundred years, but my understocked library doesn't have it.  They've got Omerta and some other Puzo stuff, but not this one.  So when I saw it at the D.I. for two bucks I jumped on that horse. 

A good read.  Glad I finally got it. 

what I thought about "outliers"

I know I'm way behind the curve on this one.  Sorry!  It's not that I didn't want to read it, it's just that there are so many books in the world. 

I liked this book a lot.  But I want him to do a study on professional hockey players who are born in the last three months of the year, because those are the true outliers, at least according to his premise.  They have the deck stacked against them, and yet they still make pro. 

It certainly makes you reevaluate your parenting. Good thing we have so many books in our house!