Book Reviews

Here's a recap of the last 4.5 books I've read.  I definitely want to review each book I read here on my blog from now on, mostly to keep a record for myself.  I think it will help me to retain what I've read better.  Please don't judge my overall reading habits by this selection of books.  I go through phases with my reading - I'll be into Russian literature for a few months, then biographies, then US Weekly.

• Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think by Dennis Greenberger and Christine Padesky.  Great recommendation from Jean Moroney.  I would subtitle this book, "Exercises in Introspection," although I guess that would be confusing to a lot of people.  It really is a beginner's guide to introspection: how to differentiate thoughts from feelings, how to identify feelings that lead to moods, how to connect the situation and your evaluation of it to your emotions, etc.  There are worksheets to help you do exercises to work on these identifications.  Most of the book was old-hat to me, but I did like the section on assumptions and core beliefs, as I'm still trying to figure out where I get my misanthropy and some other issues.  The Three Good Things exercise is related, but not quite the same. 


• The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls.  This was a choice from the library of my step-mother-in-law. (What a horrible title; she sounds like a witch.  Just the opposite - Deb is vivacious, sweet, and smart.)  This book is based on the author's experience as the child of two horrible human beings.  They were early hippies, rebelling against "the system," and so refused to hold down steady jobs, moved around constantly evading the law, and treated their children like animals.  The father was a drunk and the mother hid under a blanket eating chocolate while her children were starving; they were actually taking food out of garbage cans at school to survive.  I can't say I liked the book, but many of the horrifying stories will stay with me for a long time.  It clarified what immorality looks like in "regular" people.  What I find interesting, though, is that this memoir is really just a reality read - no different than reality TV - and yet books like this are heralded as "fine art," "intelligent," and "spectacular," while reality TV shows are seen as low-brow and disgusting.


• The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards.  Another selection from Deb's library.  I disliked this best-seller.  I found it to be shallow and pretentious.  The author asserted all of these "deep" emotions in her characters, but I didn't find that the situation and personalities actually gave rise to those feelings.  It was corny.


• You've Got Male by Elizabeth Bevarly.  Yes, I tried a romance novel.  I hadn't read one since my 20's, or maybe ever.  I'm not sure.  When Sam and I were at the library we walked past the romance section and Sam pointed at one of the girly girls on a cover and said, BARBIE.  It cracked me up and I picked up this book just for fun.  But I couldn't get past 40 pages.


• Hold Tight by Harlan Coben.  This is my usual fare: your basic mystery/thriller.  This one was average.