Texts from Jane Eyre

Book 22 of my 2015 Reading Challenge

read on March 26

Texts from Jane Eyre: And Other Conversations with your Favorite Literary Characters by Mallory Ortberg

Summary (via Goodreads)

Hilariously imagined text conversations—the passive aggressive, the clever, and the strange—from classic and modern literary figures, from Scarlett O’Hara to Jessica Wakefield.
Mallory Ortberg, the co-creator of the cult-favorite website The Toast, presents this whimsical collection of hysterical text conversations from your favorite literary characters. Everyone knows that if Scarlett O’Hara had an unlimited text-and-data plan, she’d constantly try to tempt Ashley away from Melanie with suggestive messages. If Mr. Rochester could text Jane Eyre, his ardent missives would obviously be in all-caps. And Daisy Buchanan would not only text while driving, she’d text you to pick her up after she totaled her car. Based on the popular web-feature, Texts from Jane Eyre is a witty, irreverent mashup that brings the characters from your favorite books into the twenty-first century.

My Opinion

There's a wide range of characters included.  I enjoyed the ones I knew the best but even if I wasn't familiar with the story I could still get the gist of the jokes.

A really fun, quick read.

A Few Quotes from the Book

Edgar Allen Poe is the on the left and a random friend is on the right.

"hiiiiiiiiii

                          Hi

ok don't be mad at me

                          why?

i feel like you're going to be mad at me
or like you're mad at me
or something
so don't be mad at me

                           you're not coming

i can't coooome to the thiiiiing tonight
i'm so sorry

                           you can't leave the house?

oh my god
i canNOT leave the house

                            I feel like that's turning into a thing with you

what do you mean

                            well
                            like last week
                            you couldn't leave the house
                            because you were too busy looking at a bird
                            is it the bird thing again?

hi
whoa
hi
whoa
i wasn't LOOKING at a bird
wow where is this even coming from
the BIRD
wouldn't stop LOOKING
at ME
                 
                       okay

that's a really big difference
anyone can look at a bird
i could go look at a bird right now if i wanted
i could go look at the same bird
he's still fucking here
not that you asked

                           I literally did just ask

fuck you
                           
                         why can't you leave the house

oh my god
where to even START
there's a heart in the floor
and it will not shut uppppp of beating
but that's not even the main thing
there's a cat with one eye that keeps calling me a murderer
                            
                           well
                            did you murder anyone?

wow
you know what you sound like right now?

                            do i sound like the cat

you sound like the cat with one eye

                            I'm just asking because you said you had a heart in the floor

I said there WAS a heart in the floor
not that i HAD a heart in the floor
there are a lot of reasons a person could have a heart in their floor
not just murder reasons
thanks a lot though"

The Island of Dr. Moreau (Dr. Moreau is on the left and a random friend is on the right)

"what do you think would happen
if you mixed a hyena and a man together

                                   I
like mixed their bodies together I mean

                                   what?

like if you cut them up and then smashed them together and then sewed them back up

                                   I don't know
                                   what kind of question is that

I bet a lot would happen"

Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live

Book 21 of my 2015 Reading Challenge

read from March 11 - 26

Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live 

by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales

*the newly updated and expanded version published in 2014

Summary (via Goodreads)

Just in time for the 40th anniversary of Saturday Night Live, a rollickingly updated edition of LIVE FROM NEW YORK with more than 100 pages covering the past decade.

When first published to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Saturday Night Live, LIVE FROM NEW YORK was immediately proclaimed the best book ever produced on the landmark and legendary late-night show. In their own words, unfiltered and uncensored, a dazzling galaxy of trail-blazing talents recalled three turbulent decades of on-camera antics and off-camera escapades. Now a fourth decade has passed---and bestselling authors James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales have returned to Studio 8H. Over more than 100 pages of new material, they raucously and revealingly take the SNL story up to the present, adding a constellation of iconic new stars, surprises, and controversies.

My Opinion

There aren't many books, especially one clocking in at 700+ pages, that I love so much I would immediately start over and reread as soon as I finished it.  This is one of them, combining my love of Saturday Night Live and "behind the scenes" stories into one page-turning read.

I read the original version before I wrote reviews so since the layout of the book is original version - new pages for the last 10 years - wrapping up with a chapter on Lorne, I'll write my review the same way.

The Original Book

I liked the format of taking a topic and/or year and going back and forth with everyone's comments instead of writing each person's full perspective separately.  It really highlighted the different perceptions people had while participating in the same event.  The book isn't necessarily 'fact based' as the authors don't insert their opinion of who is correct; they just put what everyone says together and let us be the judge.  Two clear examples of this were how many people took credit for the creation of the show and how many people took credit for discovering Eddie Murphy.  I'm sure the truth is somewhere in the middle of most of these anecdotes when taking into consideration the haziness of people's memories, the length of time that has passed, and the drugs some people were on at the time.

Like the show itself, not everything is going to hit.  Some stories are funny, some are bitter, some are weird, some are emotional.  I wonder if it was awkward for people to read what others said about them...there were definitely some less-than-flattering descriptions in here!

Okay, okay Joe Piscopo, we get it...you're the best Frank Sinatra if you do say so yourself.  And you do.  Often.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, Mike Myers appeared to be very kind in how he talked about his co-stars and Lorne.

The Updated Chapters covering 2004 - 2014

The recent years were interesting but not as dishy or informative.  Is it really because things aren't as crazy as they used to be, or were people holding back because they're still working together?

Lorne

It made sense to end with the chapter on Lorne but since it had old and new material, it was a little strange because some of the people had since passed away but were speaking/being spoken about in the present tense, and any numbers (ages, etc.) from original quotes were off when reading in the context of the updated version.  I think some editing could've been done in this chapter to reflect the years that have passed since some of the quotes were given without altering the spirit of the quote.

A Few Quotes from the Book

"The premiere was less than a month away - October 11, 1975. A day which will live in comedy."

"I remember the terror. You know, the total exhilaration of it. I just didn't know you could have that much fun over thirty. It was like the inmates taking over the asylum. Totally." ~ Candice Bergin

"The idea that some of the things would not be necessarily accessible to everyone didn't matter. As long as there were a few people out there who thought it was hilarious, that's what mattered." ~ Paul Shaffer

"Two guys named Chris, hired on the same day, sharing an office, okay? One's a black guy from Bed-Stuy, one's a white guy from Madison, Wisconsin. Now - which one is going to OD?" ~ Chris Rock

"It's a one-week performance camp where everybody's operating from a sense of just incredible amounts of glee and manic energy as well as vast amounts of fear and flop sweat. That's Saturday Night Live, and there is absolutely nothing else like it." ~ Tom Hanks

"When I came here Lorne told me, "We don't go on the air because the show's ready, we go on because it's eleven-thirty"." ~ Darrell Hammond

"When you think of all the different sketches that have gone into SNL since, what, 1975 - when you think of all the things they've done, there's a lot of chaff among the wheat. But God, the wheat is spectacular." ~ Don Ohlmeyer

Stories of My Life

Book 20 of my 2015 Reading Challenge

read from Feb. 25 - March 11

Stories of My Life by Katherine Paterson

Summary (via the book jacket)

Katherine Paterson's books are an integral part of childhood, made up of characters that feel like part of our families. Now, in these fascinating stories from her life, she reveals the origins of these characters, like Leslie Burke from Bridge to Terabithia, the great Gilly Hopkins, and Lyddie, as well as the events that inspired her storylines. Katherine's unique life began in China with her missionary parents, and continued as a single woman in Japan and then as a wife and mother of four in Maryland. And of course, these stories go behind the scenes to the exhilarating moments when she won her many awards, including two Newbery Medals and a Newbery Honor.
Filled with personal photos and letters, as well as introductions from fellow writers Kate DiCamillo and Nancy Graff, these funny, poignant, and heartwarming tales give fans insight into some of our most beloved children's books - and the legendary writer behind them.

My Opinion

It's not for everyone but I love people's stories so I didn't mind this read.  It reminded me of a Sunday visit, just sitting around listening to stories.  I imagine it would be a good audiobook if that format has been made.  

She presented an interesting perspective when she realized her children weren't as familiar with the family lore she had grown up with.  She said it was the transition to a dishwasher; when people hung out in the kitchen working together to wash and dry the dishes they would chat and share those "sink stories" to pass the time.

I could completely relate to her cute story about concentration. In high school a friend planned a surprise party for her when she was in the same room, reading a few feet away.  She was so engrossed she didn't hear a word and was totally surprised!  She credited her ability to zone out for how she was able to write while raising children. 

The read picked up for me when she was sharing stories from her adult life.  I didn't realize Bridge to Terabithia was based on a personal loss and I imagine that will change the way I look at it when I reread it with my children. 

A Few Quotes from the Book 

"There are things that happen to us when we are children that we never quite recover from."

"Young readers look at my nearly white hair and ask: "How do you know how we feel?" And I know because I still carry that child that I was inside myself. She is very much alive."

"To be loved by people you thought you hated is an experience I wish everyone could have."

"I loved [her four children] a lot, and even if I didn't spend nearly enough time cleaning the house they lived in, I made it up in countless hours of reading aloud."

"Four children take a lot of time, but I have said more than once that the people who took my time were the very people who gave me something worth writing about."

Undead and Unwary

Book 19 of my 2015 Reading Challenge

read from March 6 - 10

Undead and Unwary by MaryJanice Davidson

Book 13 of the Undead series

Summary (via the book jacket)

First: kill Satan. Second: reorganize Hell. Sounded simple enough back then, but for Betsy Taylor, managing "down below" isn't as easy as she'd hoped - even if she is doing it with her sister, Laura, a bona-fide Antichrist. So yes, Betsy has been shirking her hellish responsibilities, but she's been just so darn busy these days. And she's not just yanking Laura's chain. There's a brand-new baby drama involving a pair of uncanny (okay, terrifying) toddler twins, an upcoming birthday party that has to be planned, and, are you ready for it? Betsy's dad - once so very dead - has been spotted in downtown St. Paul.
It's enough to send Betsy fleeing to Hell, if only for some quiet time with Laura. But while there, in addition to meeting old acquaintances, Betsy discovers that death can be just as complicated as life.
Now, despite all the chaos, Betsy's friends rally around, helping her to handle all this fire and brimstone jazz. As for Betsy's sister and dad - they have their own surprises in store for the vampire queen. And jolt by jolt, Betsy will discover that there's nothing as heartwarming as family. Yeah, like Hell.

My Opinion

What's up with this series????  I actually checked to make sure I hadn't missed a book because this was so foreign to me.  It's like it was rushed and trying too hard.  Not only has the series gone completely off-course but there were some silly editing mistakes too; at least 3 times something was talked about and then repeated as if brand new information a few pages later.

I've been very disappointed in the last few books of the series.  I hope she gets back to the fun of the beginning very soon.  Please don't make this a "Stephanie Plum, dragging it on and on until nobody likes it any more" kind of thing! 

A Few Quotes from the Book

"So my husband could be scampering in the snow almost anywhere...which meant that I was on my own when it came to solving the mystery of Jessica's weirdness. Well, on my own besides the cop, the zombie, and the other vampire I lived with."

"I think in a lot of ways that's the worst thing about being a vampire: I am doing things I know are disgusting and/or wrong and can't stop. Or won't stop."

"She was right. It wasn't fair. I was old enough to know that fair wasn't a guarantee, and young enough to want to keep trying anyway."

"That's how you know that people who love you, I think. When they know helping you is a terrible idea, and they want to do it anyway."

Lies We Tell Ourselves

Book 18 of my 2015 Reading Challenge

read from March 3 - 6

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

Summary (via Goodreads)

In 1959 Virginia, the lives of two girls on opposite sides of the battle for civil rights will be changed forever.
Sarah Dunbar is one of the first black students to attend the previously all-white Jefferson High School. An honors student at her old school, she is put into remedial classes, spit on and tormented daily.
Linda Hairston is the daughter of one of the town's most vocal opponents of school integration. She has been taught all her life that the races should be kept "separate but equal."
Forced to work together on a school project, Sarah and Linda must confront harsh truths about race, power and how they really feel about one another.
Boldly realistic and emotionally compelling, Lies We Tell Ourselves is a brave and stunning novel about finding truth amid the lies, and finding your voice even when others are determined to silence it.

My Opinion

Five star read.  It obviously affected me because I woke up sweaty and screaming from a dream I had about this book.

This is definitely on the higher side of YA because of the language and the themes.  When I first started reading I worried about the ambition of the author to tackle 2 taboo subjects but it was compelling and interesting.  It was intense and I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach the entire time I was reading, just waiting for the outcome.

Little details, like how each chapter title was a lie, added to the experience.  I also liked how the shifts in perspective were handled; it was nice not to have a 'back and forth' format.  And there wasn't a 'good' side and a 'bad' side, there were no caricatures.  Everyone has a little good and bad in them, and both sides have lies they tell themselves.  

The positive little moments and stands the characters take are believable, there's no huge 'kumbaya' moment.  The negative little moments are believable too, where one sentence can change so much.  

Interestingly for me, I felt worse watching the racism through Linda's eyes than I did living it through Sarah's.  

A word of advice: take a break before part 4 because once you start, you won't move again until the book is done.

A Few Quotes from the Book

" "Remember what to do when it gets hard," she says. "Take your worries to the Lord. Have faith. He's watching over all of you."

   I nod. Mama's right, or course.
   But I can't help wondering why the Lord has to watch over us from so far away."

"Someone has to show Sarah she's wrong.
  I may not be important enough to fix integration, but I can fix her."

" "People have always cared about [skin color]," Sarah says. "They've just cared in different ways. Sometimes it means the history books get written differently. Sometimes it means a war gets fought. Sometimes it means people wind up slaves. That's why I like History so much. It makes you think about those things." "

"I can't give up. That wouldn't be the honorable thing to do. Her path ahead couldn't be clearer. All I have to do is show her the way.
 Except that I'm starting to feel a little lost myself."

Saving Grace

Book 17 of my 2015 Reading Challenge
read from March 2 - 3

Saving Grace by Jane Green

Summary (via Goodreads)

Grace and Ted Chapman are widely regarded as the perfect literary power couple. Ted is a successful novelist and Grace, his wife of twenty years, is beautiful, stylish, carefree, and a wonderful homemaker. But what no one sees, what is churning under the surface, is Ted’s rages. His mood swings. And the precarious house of cards that their lifestyle is built upon. When Ted’s longtime assistant and mainstay leaves, the house of cards begins to crumble and Grace, with dark secrets in her past, is most vulnerable. She finds herself in need of help but with no one to turn to…until the perfect new assistant shows up out of the blue.  To the rescue comes Beth, a competent young woman who can handle Ted and has the calm efficiency to weather the storms that threaten to engulf the Chapman household. Soon, though, it’s clear to Grace that Beth might be too good to be true. This new interloper might be the biggest threat of all, one that could cost Grace her marriage, her reputation, and even her sanity.  With everything at stake and no one to confide in, Grace must find a way to save herself before it is too late.

My Opinion

The pages turned easily but I only thought the book was okay, not great. 

The moral of this book seems to be "trust your gut".  There were plenty of red flags with the assistant (and stupid Ted for getting caught up in it) that were overlooked.  

I know the frustration of having a partner who is lovely and wonderful in public and the complete opposite in private, making it virtually impossible to have anyone understand why you would leave (although not to the extent that Grace does, thankfully).  The unpredictability is very stressful and I had a lot of empathy for her, although I was very angry with her when she was blaming herself.

There were some small editing issues.  One was referring to their 'children' when they only have one - maybe there had been multiple children in an earlier draft.  Also, Grace was described as having her "hair scraped under an old hat" and then her "hair scraped back in a bun" a few pages later; not a huge deal but the phrase was strange enough that I noticed when it was repeated again so quickly.

I skipped the recipes, as I always do (just a personal preference), and I also skimmed the part where she went on a soapbox regarding medications for psych disorders.

A Quote from the Book

"The more perfect the illusion, the more her secrets will recede. Or so she thinks.
  If she just keeps running and running, keeps being the perfect wife, mother, cook, the past will surely disappear."

At the Water's Edge

Book 16 of my 2015 Reading Challenge

read from Feb. 9 - March 2

I received this book through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway and would like to thank the author and/or the publisher for the opportunity to read and honestly review it.

At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen

Summary (via Goodreads)

After embarrassing themselves at the social event of the year in high society Philadelphia on New Year’s Eve of 1942, Maddie and Ellis Hyde are cut off financially by Ellis’s father, a former army Colonel who is already embarrassed by his son’s inability to serve in WWII due to his being colorblind. To Maddie’s horror, Ellis decides that the only way to regain his father’s favor is to succeed in a venture his father attempted and very publicly failed at: he will hunt the famous Loch Ness monster and when he finds it he will restore his father’s name and return to his father’s good graces (and pocketbook). Joined by their friend Hank, a wealthy socialite, the three make their way to Scotland in the midst of war. Each day the two men go off to hunt the monster, while another monster, Hitler, is devastating Europe. And Maddie, now alone in a foreign country, must begin to figure out who she is and what she wants. The novel tells of Maddie’s social awakening: to the harsh realities of life, to the beauties of nature, to a connection with forces larger than herself, to female friendship, and finally, to love.

My Opinion

It started strongly, there was a little part in the middle where I felt it was time to get on with something, and the ending was crazy but I kept thinking about it; the book didn't feel over to me.

There was lots of flipping between dates but it really captured the feeling of the times.  Maddie frustrated me a little because I had figured something out about another character pretty early on and was waiting for her to catch up but overall, the characters were very compelling and there were plenty of surprises to keep the pages turning.

A Few Quotes from the Book

"And so, because of my husband's war with his father and their insane obsession with a mythical monster, we'd crossed the Atlantic at the very same time a real madman, a real monster, was attempting to take over the world for his own reasons of ego and pride.

  I would have given anything to go back two weeks, to the beginning of the New Year's party, and script the whole thing differently."

"Mass killings were described right next to information about laxatives [in the newspaper]. Cities were bombed, men slaughtered each other in knee-deep mud, civilians were blown to pieces from stepping on mines, but horses still spooked, people still went to the cinema, and women still worried about their schoolgirl complexions. I couldn't decide if this made me understand the world better or meant I'd never fathom it at all."