Thursday, July 1, 2010

Books

I love books. When I say love, I mean LOVE!!! We have so many in our house that we're running out of room to put them.... they're everywhere. I've always been an avid reader- my mother used to always scold me for reading at the dinner table (and everywhere else you can think of)- I'll read basically anything that you recommend or set in front of me. And I'll always finish a book, no matter how awful it is. Because you never know, it might get better.

Anyhow..... the point of this particular blog is to share with you one of my prized possessions.



I am a HUGE Kurt Vonnegut fan. As in, I would have left my husband for him (though poor Kurt is dead now, and he would have been older than the hills, I still would have ran off with him). As in, I cried the day I found out he died. As in, I own every single book that he has ever written. LOVE!!!

So, I know that a lot of people have summer reading lists and they like the share the good, the bad, and the very very horribly written. Here we go..... (although I might leave some out due to my dark secret of reading fluff- okay, it's not so much a secret now.).....



Magical Thinking by Augustin Burroughs: I've read this multiple times before and I just keep going back to it. It's filled with short memoir stories that are hilarious, shocking, crass, and snarky. This is the guy that wrote Running with Scissors, in which someone turned into a horrible movie. This book is not for the faint hearted.



Spooky Little Girl by Laurie Notaro: Now, I love Laurie Notaro. A lot. The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Guide changed my life (thank you Emily!). I then went on to read all of her other books- look them up- I seriously almost peed my pants reading them. So when I picked up this book I knew that it was a fiction (unlike her other books, except for There's a Slight Chance I Might Be Going To Hell- equally hilarious!), and thought, this is for sure going to be a winner. I've got to tell you, I was a bit disappointed, but it has a pretty funny storyline. And you still get your Laurie Notaro humor.



Shit My Dad Says by Justin Halpern: I stumbled across a mention of this book on Facebook of all places. Basically, this is what it is. A 29 year old man loses his apt due to circumstances I will not mention and has to move back in with his 74 year old dad. He writes down what his dad says. That is the entire premises of the book, and I've got to tell you that I've NEVER, and I mean NEVER, laughed so hard in my entire life. All you have to do is google the title of this book to get a preview and then you will immediately have to run out and buy it.



Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen: I actually picked this one out just because I liked the cover of the book. I do this sometimes..... yeah, it's risky, but I usually luck out. I would have to say that this is by far the best book that I've read all summer. I read it in about 2 hours. I could NOT put it down. It is that good. Do you like the circus, the 1930's, trains, animals, love, disaster, and flashbacks in books? Then this one is for you. Also, it includes old photos of the circus in the past (mostly Ringling stuff, but some other shots that are interesting). LOVE THIS BOOK. Apparently, they are making a movie about it- which I will not see.



I Drink For a Reason by David Cross: I love Arrested Development. I love David Cross. But I have to tell you that this book is a piece of crap and a waste of money.


So, I think that this is by far the most substantial post I've written- my children are now screaming in the background, so I should probably bow out now.....