Book review

I haven't had as much time to read lately but I've managed to squeeze in a few books here and there.  Let's talk about them, shall we?

 

 Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani:  The basic gist of the book is that there's an old maid pharmacist in a one-horse town.  It felt like I was constantly being told how the protagonist was old before her time and couldn't "find a man."  First off, I hate being told things over and over in a book. You've gotta have a little more finesse with your story telling for my taste.  Plus, the whole "old maid who is professionally successful yet doesn't have a man to take care of her and make her complete" thing is a pretty antiquated concept for me.  I'm tired of the emotionally-fragile female protagonist who gets "ill" and "takes to her bed" for days on end because she is overly stressed from her inability to keep a man.  Minimal enjoyment out of this book but I did finish.  The semi-feminist in me hates it that I even finished and posted it on the blog.  Recommended for Southern Belles who still believe they need to swoon before a man to get his attention.  No offense to my Southern-fried friends...call me a Yank any time you want and we'll call it even.

From emotionally-fragile to emotionally-unstable:  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  This book is crazy popular right now with book clubs and 30 somethings all over the place.  Warning:  It's not possible to give this book a review without a ton of spoilers.  Basically, it's a chick with borderline personality disorder (probably with some histrionic and narcissistic features) who takes extreme measures to get back at her husband.  This is my second Gillian Flynn novel and I find her to be a little bit too heavy on the foreshadowing and clues that she drops in the beginning stages of novels.  Despite my need to guess the ending from the beginning of every book I read, it was wonderfully written and a great read.  Recommended for Psych 100 students and arm-chair psychologists everywhere.

 

 This is not a book I had heard much about: We Need to Talk About Kevin.  It's not a feel good story by any means but I did find it interesting.  It's about the mother of a high school shooter.  It discusses their relationship and how their lives evolved up to the shooting in the form of letters to her husband/the father of Kevin.  I actually read this book a month or so ago before this latest Connecticut rampage.  Recommended for those who want to be a little depressed and think that their child could turn into a shooter with one misstep.  If you're looking for this kind of book, I would actually recommend a different book called 19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult which I enjoyed more.

Getting a little more semi-local: A Secret Gift by Ted Gup.  If you're a native or resident of the Akron/Canton area of Ohio, you might enjoy this nonfiction book.  It's about the author's grandfather who anonymously gave away money to poor people during the Depression.  I thought it was interesting and makes you want to do something like that, too.  Recommended for residents of the NE quadrant of Ohio and Depression-era Old People.