Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World

This book was a random choice at the library one day when I was browsing the shelves.  I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but when I saw the title I scooped it up.  I was not disappointed.  This book is probably preaching to the choir.  I'm sure most women who read this book will already consider themselves pretty savvy and well-read.  However, the points that the author makes are so salient and at times staggering that all women should read this.  Topics such as our celebrity driven media, our suffering educational system and our decline in literacy are all discussed.  This book has inspired me to become, not only a better woman, but also a better global citizen.  What I really appreciate about the book is that there are footnotes that lead you do more research on your own and THINK for yourself. I highly, highly recommend this book for all women.

American Wife

This book is divided into four sections and is loosely based on the life of Laura Bush.  I never initially thought I this book would hold my interest because I have less than zero interest in George Bush and frankly I never paid any attention to his wife at any time during his presidency.  However, the first two sections of the book are well written and just interesting enough to pull you in.  By section three, however, you see the vapidness begin to infuse into Alice Blackwell's life.

In the first two sections, Alice leads an intellectually interesting life tempered with a bit of sadness, but overall she is a good person with many kind qualities.  Those qualities are then dampened by the privilege and wealth her husband brings.  The latter two sections of the book are essentially filled with Alice living in two worlds.  She physically is present in the world of the wealthy, yet internally struggles with the fact that she's a compassionate person and the people in her new world of wealth are not. The more the book goes on, the more she vacillates between her inherent compassion and her loathing for just about everything her husband does.  Honestly, I sped read the last section because I was just bored with her going back and forth.  We get it, you're a really nice person who willingly married a guy who has no clue about the real world, and you lost your independence in the process.  It happens. We all make bad choices sometimes.  Her perseveration about her situation just had me rolling my eyes. It started off as a good read that, in the end, didn't deliver.

The Poisonwood Bible

Finally!  I have wanted to read this book for years.  I don't know why I didn't get it from the library or purchase it sooner.  Anyway, I broke down and bought it a few weeks ago and started reading it a few days ago.  I finished it last night and it was a book that kept me up afterwards.  I had about 50 pages to go and thought "Oh I'll finish it tomorrow".  I turned out the lights and tried to fall asleep, but couldn't.  So I turned the lights back on and plowed through the last pages.  After the last page was turned and the book was closed I lay there for about an hour just thinking about everything that happened.  The last time that happened was with a book I finished in July 2011, One Day.  July must be my month for books that make me think in bed.

So on to the review.  The basic premise of the book is that an evangelical white Baptist preacher sets off on a missionary trip to the Congo in 1960 and takes his wife and four daughters along with him.  What happens while they are in the Congo then serves as the crux for character and story development.  I absolutely loved the book up until the fifth section.  The fifth and sixth section went on too long (150 pages of pseudo-epilogue). Then there is a small six-page section that, in my opinion, serves as a true epilogue.  Everything that was conveyed in both the fifth and sixth sections could have been combined and condensed into just a fifth section spanning no more than fifty pages.  After that, the true epilogue of six pages could have followed. That is my only complaint about the book.  Otherwise I loved the story and the way it was written. The prose is quite lyrical and poetic at times.  There were two scenes that made me teary-eyed.  For me, that says a lot because I am not often moved to tears by writing unless it's exceptional. I definitely recommend it, but just know that it runs a little long at the end.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Back in March, I read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and enjoyed it.  I read it slowly and highlighted it and put post-it notes in it and everything.  Then, I put it right back on my bookshelf and wrote a little, but not much. Yesterday I started On Writing and I devoured it in one day.  I folded the pages that had important things I wanted to remember.  I didn't have time to get up and find post-its or a highlighter..  I just wanted to soak up everything he was saying without pausing. The books both cover the same topic, but for me they conveyed the message differently.  Bird by Bird was methodical and felt very much like a writing class.  On Writing gave me that feeling you get when you come home from college thinking you know everything and then your uncle says "If you like to write, just write.....why the hell did you need to go to school for that?". After that, you slap your forehead and say, "You're right Uncle Steve, ugh! I want my tuition refunded!"

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and actually started writing a story while I was in the midst of reading the book.  The main rule is read a lot and write a lot if you want to improve your craft.  I have been reading a lot, but have been a little too hesitant about my writing.  Although it sounds cliché, this book has inspired me to ditch fear and focus on the writing....focus on the story.