Why Don’t We Focus On Conquering Air Travel Before Space Travel, Eh?

This is a book blog with underlying themes of Airline Hate.  This week’s entry is sponsored by the idiots at AirCanada, who made a mother-to-be go without her vitamins and most of her maternity wardrobe for 3 days.  Not to mention hairbrush.

This frustration was the background to Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer, lent to me by Blog Reader Valerie.  Netzer was recently in Richmond at The Fountain Bookstore, approximately 100 steps from my office but I missed the book signing due to Norman’s rigorous schedule of food and exercise. 

When Valerie gave the book to Andrew to give to me, my Hardworking But Not Dependable on Social Details Husband forgot to mention the little tidbit that Valerie didn’t really like the second half, and wanted to know what I thought.  Here is what I thought:  not good.  The book was definitely unique – I don’t read a lot of stories about a bald woman and her husband who is populating the moon with robots – but it was too weird for me.  Not enough reasons to be sad, and very, very far fetched.  Man will never get to the moon!!  We can barely get home from Canada and back with all of our makeup. 

Bookworm enjoys ice pop in Canada.
Does not realize airline sadness is just 24 hours away.

One of My Shorter But More Clearly Labeled Rants

Book Friend & Actual Friend Valerie has been looking to win me over with a winning read.  It’s been her personal challenge ever since I politely suggested that instead of lending me a stack of books and saying “I am not big on any of these, but see what you think” that she focus on quality over quantity strategy.  She was receptive to this feedback and lent me The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison.

I can see why she lent me this book, since lots of people are comparing it to Gone Girl.

A RANT

It’s so annoying when there is a big popular book and then everyone compares new books to that book.  As if the logic is “Wish you hadn’t already read Gone Girl?  Well, you have but here is another author doing a worse version of it.”

RANT OVER

A Silent Wife was a quick and easy read.  Perfect for someone who is two beers deep at 10pm on a Tuesday night and has all of their baby food already prepped and ready to go for the next morning.  And also for me, who is often two beers deep but usually does not have the food ready by 10 pm.  It’s not an especially memorable book and the characters are not believable and also unlikeable.  In this case, somehow that wasn’t a total deal breaker and I enjoyed the mental break of reading about revenge murder.  (I did not give anything away there, that comes out in about the second page.)

So, good job and thank you Valerie.  Also, I hate you for being in Spain and having an amazing time while I write this post.  Congratulations on your engagement.

Bookworm Jr. confuses literature with room wrecking.

Breaking News: Sarcasm Found in Magazine Form (Yes, I'm Serious)

Loyal readers know that I rarely read magazines.  But this week Friend and Blog Reader But Not Follower Even Though She Could Be Lucky Number 40 Valerie gave me an issue of Mental Floss because she knew I would like it.  And she was right.

Mental Floss is a little sarcastic gem of a magazine that must be really hard to sell advertising for.  It is funny and clever, and anyone who enjoys The Onion, McSweeney’s or having a good time would probably like it.   

Article combines two of my favorite things - history & parties.

Husband pretends to take photo of wife & dog,

but really this is a photo of successful roses and snap dragons.

Pregnant Bookworm Writes Book Review & Nonsensically Follows It With Meatball Review

To Read Pile gets new location.
News rocks neighborhood.

The best kind of reading happens on a gorgeous fall day, outside, while your husband is shampooing the rugs inside.  This actually happened to me while I finished up the Big Thick Book The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman.  That’s right, I haven’t given up on reading people – it was a big ‘un.

Blog Reader Valerie recommended this to me after the mishap recommendation fiasco that was Shine Shine Shine.  She wanted to make it up to this blog.  She sorta did.

The Dovekeepers  is good book, but pretty long and pretty slow.  It is a remarkable story – all of which is summarized on the back of the book.  I mistakenly read the back when I was only a few chapters in and it pretty much outlined what was going to happen in the last 20 pages.  Book Fail.  Bookworm Lesson:  Never read the back of a book that you have already committed to by adding it to a towering To Read pile.

Another free Bookworm Lesson to category under “Meatball:”  Make these.  The book gets 3 stars, the meatballs get five.   Mama likes protein!