Gwendolyn Knapp is only in her thirties, but her colorful family and personal relationships have already provided enough fodder for a memoir. After While is the story of Gwendolyn, her sister Molly, her mother Margie, and her stepfather John. Of course, there is a host of other family members and the occasional love interest that pepper her life with stress and shenanigans. Knapp grew up in Florida where she lived with her packrat mother and overachieving goth sister, as well as her mother’s extended family. […]
Even Mary Roach can make floating turds and liquid food enticing
Did you ever wonder how an astronaut goes to the bathroom in space? Mary Roach will make you question why you’ve never pondered this before. With lines from her book like, “give me a napkin quick, there’s a turd floating in the air,” she’ll also give you the greatest appreciation of gravity you never anticipated… Roach is a master of taking a topic (like cadavers, sex, and in this case, space travel) and deconstructing it, showing its many facets…whether interesting, surprising, or even a bit […]
Yet another YA endeavor…
If you’re in the mood for another YA dystopian novel, this might quench your thirst. With so many to choose from, what Reboot offers is a quick, easy read with a twist on the zombie genre…but zombie novel it is not. Wren one-seventy-eight died five years ago. But, as is common with children who contract the mysterious KDH virus, she revived, or rebooted. As her name suggests, she didn’t reboot until 178 minutes after her death, a long time compared with other reboots. As a […]
If you think you’re having a bad day…
This is a life-is-stranger-than-fiction book from the same author who wrote Seabiscuit. In this World War II era biography, Hillenbrand explores the life of Louis Zamperini. Once the trouble-maker of his neighborhood, in high school Zamperini focuses his talents on running, even making the Olympics for the 5000 meter race in 1936. His experience in Berlin was an adventure for the 19 year old, with memories of eating to excess, meeting people from around the world, and placing 8th in his race. But there were […]
Yet another example of how messed up people can be
Gone Girl, of the so-called domestic noir genre (check wikipedia for more details), is a voyeuristic journey into disaster. While you might find Flynn’s characters unbecoming, there’s enough drama and intrigue to keep you reading. We begin with Nick Dunne, our Girl’s husband, who has just reported her missing to the police. Of course, being the husband, Nick is suspect number one. As he tries to search for his wife, work with the police, and deal with his wife Amy’s parents, Nick’s every move is […]
Enlightenment, yogis, Apaches, oh my!
Is internal bliss at the expense of outward oblivion desirable? If we lived in a world reminiscent of that which Keanu Reaves faced in The Matrix, are we better off living in ignorance? And why does it seem that there is a fine line between religious fervor and religious fanaticism? Are they even mutually exclusive? these questions and more are tackled in A Death on Diamond Mountain, the story of several people’s search for enlightenment under the auspices of Tibetan Buddhism. Carney’s background as an […]
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