Coconut Library

Sunday Salon {The Wordy Shipmates :: review}

 

(pictured: audio CD version)

The Wordy Shipmates

By Sarah Vowell

paperback, 256 pages. Riverhead. $10.88

published 2008

 

For those of us who love U.S. History, this is like getting extra cupcakes at a birthday party. If Sarah Vowell had been your teacher in school, she would have been the cool one. The one whose class you couldn't wait to get to because she was smart (and by smart I mean seriously intelligent) and funny and dorky/hip and you actually remembered what she was teaching because it didn't feel like history. 

In The Wordy Shipmates, Vowell takes us through the colonization of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (which, in case you aren't familiar, is basically the beginning of the United States of America). By the end of the book the reader feels like John Winthrop, Roger Williams, and Anne Hutchinson are as familiar as people who live down the street. She mixes current day musings with links to our past and often shines a humorous light on some of the antiquated trends in our current society by explicitly revealing where they came from. 

Note to reader, you must be interested in this topic already, or else, I fear you will not enjoy it as much as I did; laughing out loud to myself in the car and rolling up my windows at stoplights so people didn't think I was jarringly quirky (do you realize how weird our history sounds when it's blaring out one's windows?). While I would give this book four stars if every reader were interested in what I am, I have to take into account that this book is not only in a particular genre, but also of a certain political view, which is not even close to being neutral. That said, I can think of several of my right leaning friends who, even if they loved history, would not love Sarah Vowell. But for the rest of us, she is a sweet treat and I can't wait to read more of her work!

*** Per recommendation of the friend who introduced me to Vowell, I listened to this book instead of reading it (it is read by the author) and I can't emphasize enough how much that added to the experience. Vowell's unique voice and inflection are priceless. 

Rating: Three Stars

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Sunday Salon {The Map of True Places :: review}

 

The Map of True Places

By Brunonia Barry

407 pages. William Morrow. $25.99

published May 1, 2010

Fans of Brunonia Barry will enjoy her second novel, The Map of True Places. Set in Massachusetts and continuing with the theme of motherless daughters with tragic yet magical and mysterious pasts that play heavily into who they are as adults, Barry's protagonists in both of her books have more in common than the fact that they call everyone in their families by their first names instead of the usual familiar monikers. An enchanting tale though not written in the tightest prose; with an irksome habit of repeating the same information in the span of a couple of paragraphs (among others throughout the book, the line: "The dory was later discovered on the  Miseries, oarlocks worn down to bare bone" was repeated almost verbatim from three paragraphs before), and spots at the beginning where the reader is left so in the dark about what is going on that it's tempting to skip paragraphs. While sometimes dumbing down the reader with unnecessary plot or character reminders, the author contrasts that by giving those who know their history (i.e. The Troubles in Northern Ireland, Hawthorne history, etc.) subtle lines and interwoven plot details that perhaps allow them to enjoy the book that much more than their counterparts. Though nothing is lost if one does not catch these historical nuances because, as always, Barry manages to use the more pivotal details teach us all some nuggets about the past that are both interesting and intelligent. Among other things, Barry has an uncanny ability to write stories that balance on the threshold of reality and fantasy, while mixing together a delightful amount of history and profound musings that keep the reader wanting more. 

When we meet Zee Finch she is working as a psychotherapist in a prominent office in Boston. Lilly Braedon enters her life and won't let go, not even after she has committed suicide on a day that changes Zee's life forever. Lilly is a catalyst for many turning points throughout this novel, and she perhaps sums up the theme of this work in a statement on page 49, "We think we're free... but we're not. We're the product of every association we've ever made, and sometimes of ones we inherited from people we never even knew." Barry continues to prove this statement in her work as Zee returns to Salem, her home town, after Lilly's funeral to care for her ailing father. It is here that the story really begins to take flight as Zee is confronted with her ghosts and battles them. Characters from The Lace Reader (Barry's debut novel) reprise their roles as Barry fleshes out the story by building the plot and working the town into the tale in the way that is becoming her trademark. Another signature Barry move, interweaving a story within the story, creates more tension and mystery. In this novel, the inner story is as much of a treat as the main plot. It is also a delicious means of foreshadowing towards the end, answering questions that linger throughout the novel. Love, acceptance, tragedy, and renewal all abound in this story that will keep you turning pages until the very end. 

Rating: Three and a Half Stars

 

The Bedwetter :: review & giveaway

 

The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee

By Sarah Silverman

240 pages. Harper Collins. $25.99

published April 20, 2010

On the front flap of comedienne Sarah Silverman's humorous memoir, The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee, there is a warning from the publisher. It is a silly three question multiple answer quiz asking, in various forms, what limits can be pushed before you are offended. Though an original way to announce what is to come if you read the book, the quiz is quite an accurate barometer. If you can't make it through the short questionnaire without a red face, then you should not open to the first page. However, if you do decide to read the book, make sure you do so in places where it is appropriate to audibly laugh and gasp... often. 

Silverman keeps the pace going as she jumps from anecdote to anecdote. This memoir is not set in chronological order, but rather by topic. Often ones which you wouldn't talk about in front of your grandmother. That is unless you are Silverman herself, who learned at a very young age that saying shocking statements in inappropriate places gave her much desired attention. She is still continuing in that vein of attempts for laughs today. 

Though Silverman's book has a funny title, not all of her stories are light or ridiculous. Though she can turn most things into a joke, she does also share some of her vulnerable and insecure side. An admitted bedwetter until well into her teens, Silverman credits the humiliation that she experienced because of this to her success at stand up comedy. "But  maybe my lack of stage fright was the upside of years of bedwetting. Maybe that daily shame had ground away at my psyche... I understood that bombing on stage could never be as humiliating," she states on page 74, while explaining her lack of fear at jumping into life of public comedy. She also shares her battle with depression, and the fact that she felt like an outsider as a young Jewish girl in her home state of New Hampshire. It's what propelled her to New York, and ultimately her career in show business. 

Silverman divulges some behind the scenes from her short stint at Saturday Night Live, and does her fair share of name dropping, but isn't that what we are hoping for when we read the memoirs of famous people? What we are also sure to get, and no disappointment here, is a platform for the writer to voice their opinion on people and situations that have been critical of them. Silverman does this not only with situations that made it to the news but also down through the line to middle school bullies. At a certain point this insecurity detracts from the book as a whole, but Silverman redeems herself by keeping those diatribes short and changing the subject often. 

With fair warning that the crudeness of this book may shock you, it will also make you laugh quite out loud and will keep you up at night wanting to read just a few more pages. Sarah Silverman has not become one of America's top comedians for nothing and she proves that with her writing. She is surprisingly articulate with an impressively wise perspective. Besides, for those of us who grew up in her era, it's hard not to feel somewhat of a kinship for another kid who owned (and wore) her rainbow Mork-from-Ork suspenders with pride; even if her style choice wasn't as big of a hit with her ten year old peers as it was with this reviewer's two year old ones. 

Rating: Three Stars

Giveaway:

Those of you who would like to win my copy, leave a comment below and I will put you in the drawing. Submission for winning will end at 11:59 p.m. on May 25. A winner will be chosen by random.org on Wednesday, May 26, 2010.

 

Letters to Juliet :: review

 

Letters to Juliet: Celebrating Shakespeare's Greatest Heroine, the magical City of Verona, and the Power of Love

By Lise Friedman & Cecil Friedman

176 pages. Stewart, Tabori, & Chang. $14.95

published November 2006

 

Out this month is Letters to Juliet starring Amanda Seyfried and Vanessa Redgrave. The movie itself is charming in a sweet-romantic way, but did you know it was based off of a book? And though the story itself isn't taken from any actual account, the theme is very much true...

In Verona, Italy there is a monument dedicated to Juliet Capulet, its most famous resident, where thousands have flocked for over a century to pray to, talk to, touch the gravestone of, and leave letters for the iconic lady of love. But how can that be? Juliet is a character, a figment of William Shakespeare's imagination. Well, there you are wrong. Though we don't know that Juliet ever existed, her legend reaches back much farther than Shakespeare, who wasn't as original as you might think. He took his story from other writers (primarily Arthur Brooks's Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet and Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde), who had taken their stories from others before them. And Juliet's (as well as Romeo's) existence depends entirely on whom you are asking. She is a legend, and many believe that legends start somewhere. 

Regardless of Juliet's actual existence, the lovelorn have been visiting this site in Verona for centuries; speaking to Juliet and tacking up notes begging her for help or just a  listening ear.  In the 1930's someone started answering them. Ettore Solimani was given the job of caretaker to Juliet's tomb in April of 1937. As someone who deeply respected the legend of the arguably greatest heroine of love, he wanted to do something more than just clean the grounds and admit people into the memorial. He recognized that what these women (and often men as well) wanted was to be part of the legend -- to hear from Juliet as though she was a divine presence who could solve their love woes. So he began to write back and became the first of Juliet's Secretaries; a line of people (often more than just one person now-a-days) now known as Club di Giulietta, who respond to each letter written to Juliet that includes a return address. To this day not only do people post hundreds of thousands of letters along the wall at Juliet's tomb, but they also send their letters to Verona from across the world. 

In Letters to Juliet: Celebrating Shakespeare's Greatest Heroine, the Magical City of Verona, and the Power of Love the history of this magically romantic story, as well as the town of Verona and it's devotion to their sacred resident is told through photographs, facts, and samples of letters written to Giulietta. It's almost enough to make you believe she's still there... and write your own letter. 

Rating: Three Stars

Needles and Pearls :: review

 

Needles and Pearls

By Gil McNeil

415 pages. Hyperion/Voice. $14.99

published May 11, 2010

(read an excerpt from the book here)

In The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club, Gil McNeil introduced us to Jo Mackenzie. Having learned that her husband was cheating on her and was leaving her and their two sons, Jack and Archie, for his mistress was the first crushing blow of the night. The  other? Having her husband die in a car accident within an hour after breaking the news and walking out on her. (We learn all of that on the back flap, so no need to throw rotten tomatoes at me for ruining the book.) What happens next is the heartwarming and surprisingly funny story that McNeil weaves for us throughout the rest of this alluring tale about a mother's love and the power of her relationship with her children. We meet back up with Jo, Jack, and Archie along with the other flavorful characters in Broadgate (a small seaside town in rural England) in Needles and Pearls. 

McKnits, the yarn store that Jo has been given by her lovable and spunky grandmother, is starting to grow with the help of sweet local carpenter, Martin and the publicity given to it (and Jo) through a friendship started with top actress Grace Harrison, who has commissioned Jo to be her personal knit instructor. Jo and her boys are settling in well to their new community as they near their one year anniversary of moving there, when life sends them some unexpected surprises. In true McNeil fashion, these bumps in the road are quickly made into endearing episodes and plot twists that make her characters more real and layered. She takes the chance to explore some topics that are not traditionally found in the lighter side of literature; pregnancy, divorce, death, dysfunctional families. Yet she is able to come at the subject with the warmth and hindsight of someone who convinces the reader she knows what she's writing about. 

Though this heartwarmer doesn't  keep us at the edge of our seats and can sometimes be a bit hard to follow as to who is speaking (it is strongly dialogue driven without always noting who the speaker is), we can count on McNeil to make us laugh while wrapping up loose ends somewhat tidily. While the adults are the crux of the novel, McNeil writes children in a vividly accurate portrayal adding extra charm and humor to her work. 

Though knitting is certainly a presence in these novels, it is mostly because these books are set partly in Jo's yarn shop. McNeil herself comes from a line of champion knitters, and is able to seamlessly interweave this passion into a much bigger story. Those looking for a novel about knitting might be disappointed when they find that these stories have about as much to do with the actual practice of knitting as the movie Beaches did with the beach. It's more of a catapult for story lines rather than the overall theme of the book. 

Enjoy this book over a lazy weekend when you could use a good laugh and a bit of relaxation. 

Rating: Three Stars
 (please note the new rating system for reviews below)

Rating Guide for Coconut Library:
***** Classic : A timeless book to be read by all
**** Excellent: One of the best of its genre
*** Good: Enjoyable, particularly for fans of the genre
** Fair: Some problems, approach with caution
* Poor: Not worth your time

Disclosure: This book was sent to me by the publisher. The review is my honest opinion and I was given no compensation to 
write about this book. 

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

 After hearing so much about this book, and seeing such great reviews I really wanted to love it. I was expecting to become swept away and absorbed in the story, but it just didn't happen. This, like so many books that are set in England around WWII, was being compared to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Now I know to take those comparisons with a grain of salt, but in November (when I started this book) I did not. After putting the book down for a few months, I was persuaded to pick it up again by an honest review. 

So why did I give it three stars if all I have to say is bad?  It picked up in the middle of the book (literally half-way through) so if you can hold on long enough to get there, you will have made it to the meat of the story. There are too many subplots in this book for my taste (considering it's a children's/young adult's mystery book) and that's what adds pages to the novel. But the main plot is actually interesting and well put together; it's just a pity it takes so long to get there. 

Flavia de Luce is an exaggerated character as an eleven year old who more resembles a Harvard professor than a pre-teen girl, but if you know that going in and can get over it, she is a fun, refreshing protagonist. Bradley does a good job of keeping the reader in the loop, and not leaving loose ends untied. The tale of the stolen stamp is original, and the background is fun. If only the first half of the book had been about the incidents leading up to the main caper, we wouldn't have had to sit through her father's chapters long monologue in the middle of the story to get the ball rolling. Although those chapters were the beginning of interesting for me, it felt a bit like the author realized he had to get the story going so he popped in this scene to give the reader all of the information that should have already been given. 

I do, however, give it the award for best title and packaging (in hardcover) that I've seen in a while. 
Three Coconuts

xo,
The Coconut Librarian

Her Fearful Symmetry

Audrey Niffenegger, the author of The Time Traveler's Wife, brings us her new novel, Her Fearful Symmetry. It's obvious that Niffenegger enjoys a theme of loss in her writing -- of phantom limb syndrome in a metaphorical sense. This novel is testimony to that. It, like The Time Traveler's Wife, is a mix of science fiction and general fiction. It centers around twins, two sets in fact, and the somewhat symbiotic relationship that they have - including the beauty/necessity but also the destruction that can happen. While this is a ghost story, it is also a love story with a component of mystery. And its ability to involve the supernatural while being interesting instead of spooky served me well. 

Though the last 100 pages of this novel are impossible to put down they are also incredibly bizarre. It all ends a bit abruptly, with no warning, kind of like a dangling nerve. Lots of wonderful, detailed build up, and then... done. 

However, this book was easy to read, incredibly unique, and thoughtful. I encourage you to read it -- it's worth the little time it will take you to get through it.
Three Coconuts

xo,
The Coconut Librarian

There's Something About Christmas

There's Something About Christmas by Debbie Macomber is a sweet, short Christmas novel. As with most Macomber books, it is a lighthearted, heartwarming easy read. It took me a good chapter or two to decide if I would keep reading it, though after that it was a fairly quick read. 

 Emma Collins has always believed that the world is divided into two kinds of people: those who love fruitcake and those who don't. She's firmly in the second category, so it's ironic that her major assignment for the Puyallup, Washington, Examiner is a series of articles about . . . fruitcake. At least it's a step up from writing obituaries.

Her task is to interview the finalists in a fruitcake recipe contest, and that means traveling around the state. Actually . . . flying around the state. Local pilot Oliver Hamilton, who's starting an airfreight business, has agreed to take her wherever she needs to go, in exchange for free advertising. Unfortunately Emma hates small planes -- almost as much as she hates fruitcake.

But in the weeks leading up to Christmas, Emma falls for Oliver (who's not quite the Scrooge he sometimes seems) and his mutt, Oscar (who's allergic to her perfume, which makes him sneeze repeatedly). And she meets three wise women who know a lot about fruitcake -- and even more about life. (from publisher)

I recommend this if you are looking for sweet holiday reads, though this one could be read at other times of the year as well as it doesn't strictly have to do with Christmas, but rather takes place around that time of year. 
Three Coconuts

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it! 

xo,
The Coconut Librarian

Summer at Willow Lake

 Summer at Willow Lake is the first in Susan Wiggs' Lakeshore Chronicles. (The most recent is Lakeshore Christmas, new this season). Apparently, you don't need to read each of the books in the series... you can pick up any one you want and you will be fine. However, I like to read a series from the beginning, even if just because that's the way it was written.

Summer at Willow Lake is Olivia Bellamy's story. Olivia is a successful designer who stages homes for the real estate market; setting up homes with a few small changes or improvements to make them more inviting and sellable. She loves her job, and is happy enough with her life. However, when she and her boyfriend break up she agrees to take a job from her grandparents; to spruce up the summer camp that they owned (which all the children in their family attended... including Olivia) for their 50th anniversary and vow-renewal ceremony. Along with her best friend and sometimes partner, Freddy, and closest cousin, Dare, Olivia begins the camp restoration project. The setting itself is perfect for those of us who have fond and numerous camp memories of our own, but thrown in Connor Davis (Olivia's old camp love), a family secret, and a good dose of hope and restoration for the people in this story as well, and you've got a 534 page cozy, charming read for anyone. 

I already have The Winter Lodge (#2 in this series) waiting to be read, and if they are all this comforting I will be finishing this high-GoodReads-reader-rated series before you know it!
Three Coconuts

xo,
The Coconut Librarian

Vision in White

I'd never read a book by Nora Roberts before. And I'm not usually one for a romance novel (except for my vampire series, mind you... which basically tricked me into reading them). However, one day while on the Barnes and Noble website the article, "In Praise of Decent Men" by Eloisa James caught my eye. After thinking about how I'm a bit tired of the movies, tv shows, and books that depict love and good men with cynicism, I went on a romance/yay love/root for the good guy binge. I watched a ton of yummy romantic comedies (well, that's not new), and picked up a few sweet books (yes, ok, they're romance novels) -- this one included. Since the article had talked about the sequel to this book, I figured I needed to start with book #1 (Vision in White) to get to book #2. 

 #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts cordially invites you to meet childhood friends Parker, Emma, Laurel, and Mac - the founders of Vows, one of Connecticut's premier wedding planning companies. 

After years of throwing make-believe weddings in the backyard, flowers, photography, desserts, and details are what these women do best: a guaranteed perfect, beautiful day full of memories to last the rest of your life. 

 With bridal magazine covers to her credit, Mackensie "Mac" Elliot is most at home behind the camera - ready to capture the happy moments she never experienced while growing up. Her father replaced his first family with a second, and now her mother, moving on to yet another man, beg Mac for attention and money. Mac's foundation is jostled again moments before an important wedding planning meeting when she bumps into the bride-to-be's brother...an encounter that has them both seeing stars. 

Carter Maquire is definitely not her type: he's stable, and he's safe. He's even an English teacher at their high school alma mater. There's something about him that makes Mac think a casual fling is just what she needs to take her mind off dealing with bridezillas and screening her mother's phone calls. But a casual fling can turn into something more when you least expect it. And with the help of her three best friends - and business partners - Mac must learn how to make her own happy memories... (publisher's description)

Vision in White is Mac's story, and it's a sweet one. This very easy read was finished before I knew it, and was as light as non-buttered popcorn. It was the great guy that kept me reading, frankly, and I have to say that Nora Roberts can sure write a good man. Kudos to her on that. He wasn't the cheesy, oily, Fabio-type muscle man I had imagined would be in romance novels... he was the actual guy I want to marry. For real. So, although Roberts sweet story didn't change my life in a profound way, it gave me hope for the good guy out there in this world of emotionally stunted, elusive, run-from-commitment-until-you-run-of-a-cliff cliches of men I am so often reading about and seeing in my entertainment. Guys everywhere should thank her for adding a positive example of their gender to the mix. I have to say also that reading about this fictional wedding planning company was also a charming story-line. Imagine living on a wedding planning compound (though, of course all of you with your own houses) with three of your best friends, doing what you love to be doing for a living, and working as a team while still having the ability to run your independent part of the business. Sounds pretty nice to me. So does the next book in the series, Bed of Roses, which I will be reading soon. Because really, who doesn't love a love story, especially those delicious beginnings?
Three Coconuts

xo,
The Coconut Librarian