The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig

It's been awhile since I've written a book review. I've been in a bit of book slump lately. But there was one bright spot. The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig was the November/December book club selection for the book club I run at the library. I had read a review of this book in The Providence Journal ages ago and decided that the book sounded interesting. I added it to my list of possible book club choices and finally got around to selecting it. It was a wonderful selection.

The Whistling Season is told through the eyes of the now middle aged Paul Milliron, as he recounts his childhood in rural Montana in the early 1900's. Paul's father is an overwhelmed widower trying to raise three rambunctious sons while also eking out an existence on the unforgiving land. When he hires a housekeeper, sight unseen, from a newspaper add that states "can't cook, but doesn't bite", the lives of the the Milliron "men" are changed forever. The fascinating Rose arrives with a surprise guest- her scholarly and gentlemanly brother, Morris. When the teacher in the one room school house runs off to get married, Morris takes over the duties as teacher. His passion and knowledge transform the children of Marias Coulee in wonderful ways. As the story unfolds we learn more about the lives of the people living in this harsh landscape.

The Whistling Season is a simple story, beautifully told. Doig is a master of language and his writing is glorious and poetic. As a matter of fact, Doig himself has discussed in interviews his love of the "poetry under the prose". He states that "rhythm, word choice, and premeditated lyrical intent are the elements of this type of writing". His writing evokes a different time and place. What I loved most about this book is its simplicity. There is no intrigue (OK, maybe a little at the end), no drama, no big conflicts. Just a good old fashioned story. That seems like a rare commodity these days. If you want to read a story filled with lyricism, simple yet fully formed characters and be transported to a time gone by, I highly recommend Doig's literary novel - The Whistling Season. I don't think you will be disappointed.

I would give The Whistling Season 4 stars - I really liked it.

The Bright Side of Disaster

This was the first novel that Katherine Center wrote, I read her second book, Everyone is Beautiful, a couple of months ago and knew I had to go back and read the first. She has a gift with words.

This book is written in first person, a very intimate and detailed style that I really enjoy. Jenny is a 20 something young woman, pregnant, engaged and thrown a bit off kilter by the order of the events in her life. I had the immediate impression that Jenny doesn't feel worthy of the good things that she has in her life, or feel that she should have more.
The journey in this book is about love and motherhood, and being a daughter and a friend, and again love. Love in all these relationships.
It's a short book, and so easy to read and enjoy. It gives you a warm and good feeling in the end. My rating is a 4 out of 5 stars, I really enjoyed it.
Katherine Center's next book isn't due out until April 2010, to say I'm looking forward to it is a gross understatement.........I really can't wait!!!

It Sucked And Then I Cried, By Heather B. Armstrong

Publishers Description: Heather Armstrong gave up a lot of things when she and her husband, Jon, decided to have a baby: beer, small boobs, free time -- and antidepressants. The eighteen months that followed were filled with anxiety, constipation, nacho cheese Doritos, and an unconditional love that threatened to make her heart explode. Still, as baby Leta grew and her husband, Jon, returned to work, Heather faced lonely days, sleepless nights, and endless screaming that sometimes made her wish she'd never become a mother. Just as she was poised to throw another gallon of milk at her husband's head, she committed herself for a short stay in a mental hospital -- the best decision she ever made for her family.

To the dedicated millions who can't get enough of Heather's unforgettably unique style and hilarious stories on her hugely popular blog, there's little she won't share about her daily life as a recovering Mormon, liberal daughter of Republicans, wife of a charming geek, lover of television that exceeds at being really awful, and stay-at-home mom to five-year-old Leta and two willful dogs.

In It Sucked and Then I Cried, Heather tells, with trademark wit, the heartfelt, unrelentingly honest story of her battle with postpartum depression and all the other minor details of pregnancy and motherhood that no one cares to mention. Like how boring it can be to care for someone whose primary means of communication is through her bowels. And how long it can possibly take to reconvene the procedure that got you into this whole parenthood mess in the first place. And how you sometimes think you can't possibly go five more minutes without breathing in that utterly irresistible and totally redeemable fresh baby smell.

It Sucked and Then I Cried is a brave cautionary tale about crossing over that invisible line to the other side (the parenting side), where everything changes and it only gets worse. But most of all, it's a celebration of a love so big it can break your heart into a million pieces.

My Review: Heather Armstrong is the writer behind the uber-popular blog Dooce. Her struggles with postpartum depression are heartbreakingly real and told with much honesty. As someone who suffers with depresion on a daily basis I can tell you the back and forth of emotions she displays is something that really happens.

This book was a little choppy, but still worth the read. It's funny and moving all at the same time.

Pretty In Plaid, by Jen Lancaster

Publisher Description:

In Pretty in Plaid, Jen Lancaster reveals how she developed the hubris that perpetually gets her into trouble. Using fashion icons of her youth to tell her hilarious and insightful stories, readers will meet the girl she used to be.Think Jen Lancaster was always "like David Sedaris with pearls and a super-cute handbag?" (Jennifer Coburn)

Think again. She was a badge-hungry Junior Girl Scout with a knack for extortion, an aspiring sorority girl who didn't know her Coach from her Louis Vuitton, and a budding executive who found herself bewildered by her first encounter with a fax machine. In this humorous and touching memoir, Jen Lancaster looks back on her life—and wardrobe—before bitter was the new black and shows us a young woman not so very different than the rest of us.

The author who showed us what it was like to wait in line at the unemployment office with a Prada bag, how living in the city can actually suck, and that losing weight can be fun with a trainer named Barbie and enough Ambien is ready to take you on a hilarious and heartwarming trip down memory lane in her shoes (and very pretty ones at that).

My Review:

If your familiar with Jen Lancaster's other books than loving this one will not be a stretch. I actually thought that this one was a little better than many of her books, since it doesn't have the political bent that some have had.

Lancaster is quick, witty and just plan laugh-out-loud funny. She and I are close enough in age that I share many of the same mile-stones. Laying on the bed, flat on your back to zip up your Jordache jeans is a memory that many of us can relate to.

In the book Jen talks about living her life as if she were in a movie. With favorites such as Such A Pretty Fat, Bright Lights, Big Ass, and Bitter Is The New Black, I'm sure we'll being seeing her life on the big screen in no time.

Unless you hate laughing & great story telling, I'd pick this one up.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

From Amazon:

Still Alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50-year-old woman's sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease, written by first-time author Lisa Genova, who holds a Ph. D in neuroscience from Harvard University.

Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her, she receives a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer's disease. Fiercely independent, Alice struggles to maintain her lifestyle and live in the moment, even as her sense of self is being stripped away. In turns heartbreaking, inspiring and terrifying, Still Alice captures in remarkable detail what's it's like to literally lose your mind...

This is one of the best books I have read this year. What is unique about it is that is is written through the end from Alice's perspective instead of say her spouse or one of her children who is witnessing the destruction of her mind. It is a heartbreaking story but so beautifully written that I could not put it down. I work in long term care health insurance and I know that this is a horrible disease but I look at it from the point of an insurer versus someone who is personally affected by it.

Alice stays so strong through this book where I know most people in this situation would just crawl into their house and never want to leave. She tries to keep up with her family, her career and her independence until she realized that her actions can affect others such as students who are taking her seminars.

There is no secret to how this book ends if you know what Alzheimer's does to the mind. By the end of the book she is in the final stages of the disease but you can still see that there is a PERSON in there. Someone who should not be dismissed just because of her disease, or avoided because she may make you uncomfortable. Alzheimer's may be painful to see but it is not contagious.

Even though this is a fictional book it is still very real. You get complete reality reading about how her diagnosis affects her kids, her husband and even her co-workers.

I give this one 5/5 stars....it is one of those books you want to tell people about and make them want to read it too.

True Colors, by Kristin Hannah

Publishers Description:

True Colors is New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah’s most provocative, compelling, and heart-wrenching story yet. With the luminous writing and unforgettable characters that are her trademarks, she tells the story of three sisters whose once-solid world is broken apart by jealousy, betrayal, and the kind of passion that rarely comes along.

The Grey sisters have always been close. After their mother’s death, the girls banded together, becoming best friends. Their stern, disapproving father cares less about his children than about his reputation. To Henry Grey, appearances are everything, and years later, he still demands that his daughters reflect his standing in the community.

Winona, the oldest, needs her father’s approval most of all. An overweight bookworm who never felt at home on the sprawling horse ranch that has been in her family for three generations, she knows that she doesn’t have the qualities her father values. But as the best lawyer in town, she’s determined to someday find a way to prove her worth to him.

Aurora, the middle sister, is the family peacemaker. She brokers every dispute and tries to keep them all happy, even as she hides her own secret pain.

Vivi Ann is the undisputed star of the family. A stunningly beautiful dreamer with a heart as big as the ocean in front of her house, she is adored by all who know her. Everything comes easily for Vivi Ann, until a stranger comes to town. . . .

In a matter of moments, everything will change. The Grey sisters will be pitted against one another in ways that none could have imagined. Loyalties will be tested and secrets revealed, and a terrible, shocking crime will shatter both their family and their beloved town.

With breathtaking pace and penetrating emotional insight, True Colors is an unforgettable novel about sisters, rivalry, forgiveness, redemption---and ultimately, what it means to be a family.

My Review:

More serious than some of my chick lit faves, this story of 3 sisters is detailed and complex. The twists and turns of this book were interesting and fresh, giving perspective into how this family is almost destroyed one hit at a time.

Wynona, the overweight lawyer, Aurora the middle peacemaker, and Vivi Ann the stunning baby of the family play into expected roles in fresh new ways. While I would have like to have Aurora fleshed out a little more, this book is one you would call heart warming and surprising.

The Lost Recipe For Happiness, by Barbara O'Neal

From the Publisher:

In this sumptuous new novel, Barbara O’Neal offers readers a celebration of food, family, and love as a woman searches for the elusive ingredient we’re all hoping to find….

It’s the opportunity Elena Alvarez has been waiting for–the challenge of running her own kitchen in a world-class restaurant. Haunted by an accident of which she was the lone survivor, Elena knows better than anyone how to survive the odds. With her faithful dog, Alvin, and her grandmother’s recipes, Elena arrives in Colorado to find a restaurant in as desperate need of a fresh start as she is–and a man whose passionate approach to food and life rivals her own. Owner Julian Liswood is a name many people know but a man few do. He’s come to Aspen with a troubled teenage daughter and a dream of the kind of stability and love only a family can provide. But for Elena, old ghosts don’t die quietly, yet a chance to find happiness at last is worth the risk.

Review:

This book is different, charming and yummy. Elena is not beautiful and her life has been haunted by ghosts of her loved ones lost. When she has an opportunity to take on a new challenge in a restaurant and in love, she wades through the murky waters of her past in an attempt to find true happiness that she has denied herself for so long.

Sometimes just letting go is the hardest thing to do, but it's rewards can be the sweetest. Filled with great recipes and wonderful characters, this is a book I would highly recommend.