Book Chatter

This is the continuation of the Q&A with me. If you’d like to read part one, you can do so here.

Florinda asks:

Have you ever lived anywhere other than California? And if you haven’t, would you want to, and where?

In part one of this series, I mentioned that I lived in Manhattan for a very short time. I lived there from birth until the age of two and then came to California. I haven’t lived anywhere else, but I would love to live in Oregon. Preferably, Lake Oswego. I visited once and just loved it there.

Patty asks:

I feel as though I know so much about you…well…just the bits you have shared…you seem to be normal, like to cook are reasonably well adjusted…and I love that you work at a university…ok…what was your major in college…your specialty so to speak…and how do you get such amazing books to review.

All through junior college I majored in Business so I continued with that when I got to the university. Once there, after taking hours and hours of accounting and economics, I thought about how nice it would be to study something in the arts. I changed my major to Film Studies with an emphasis in screenwriting and then completely psyched myself out and ending up getting a B.A. in Mass Communication. It took me so long to get my degree that I never thought I’d ever step foot on college campus again so then what did I do? I got a job here.

As for the books that I review, I get them from all over. Initially, I got some from Library Thing’s Early Reviewer program. Later, when I had a bit more confidence I’d email publishers and ask them for review copies. Once they got to know me, they began to offer books to me. I also do a lot of tours and network with authors on FB. I only take books that I want to read anyway so it all works out.

Diane asks:

I am curious as to whether you have always lived in CA, and whether you have ever visited New England?

Since I already answered the first question (above) I will tackle the second. I’ve never visited New England but would love to.

Kay asks:

OK, I’ll ask a couple of questions that are a little more light – and I totally agree with you about blogs and “hearing” the blogger’s voice – I know my posts are much like my conversations – it’s how I talk.

First, I am also a Disney fan and I want to know what is your favorite ride at Disneyland? When we used to visit Disneyworld in past years, my daughter and I had a tradition of always beginning our vacation stay with a ride on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride – then they took it away! We were crushed.

Also, what’s your favorite flavor of ice cream – Ben & Jerry’s if that floats your boat – any other kind if you are not a B&J lover.

I love Disney! I have so many favorite rides though but if I had to choose just one, I’d say Peter Pan. My favorite part of that ride is when you soar over the city. I love all of the twinkling lights. Mr. Toad is still here in California so you will have to come visit!

My fave flavor of ice cream is Häägan Dazs, Vanilla Swiss Almond. I’m simple. Creamy vanilla with almonds covered in dark chocolate. Yum. However, if Ben & Jerry’s is the ticket then it would be Cherry Garcia.

Wallace says:

I LOVE hearing about bloggers too (like you — it’s a lot of what draws me to the blog). I want to hear more about your childhood as well… it sounds fascinating. Also, how did you and your husband meet (gotta get a cute romantic story in there somewhere!)?

My childhood in a nutshell: Lived well. Lost everything. Mental illness in one parent. Alcoholism in the other. Baby sister to take care of. Ran around the streets of Hollywood. Saw some horrible things. Had dreams and wished hard. Got out. There is a ton of stuff in-between but that pretty much sums it up. The weird thing is that although that was a very difficult time, I was in HOLLYWOOD and saw that Hollywood sign every day. I fantasized about stuff all the time like becoming famous, etc. That part of my childhood was very much like any other kid. I think.

The story of how The Hub and I met is sort of cheesy. I was working at a bank at the time and he was a customer. He fed me some corny line that I totally fell for, and that was that! He was The One. LOL. He says it was because of all his money, but trust me…there wasn’t any money. Afterall, I knew his entire financial portfolio. He forgets that part.

Well, that’s it for this week. I’ll post part three sometime next week. If you’d like to ask me something, just leave me a comment below.

The Uncoupling
By Meg Wolitzer
(Riverhead Hardcover, Hardcover, 9781594487880, April 2011, 288pp.)

The Short of It:

The Uncoupling takes relationships to a whole new level. One where everything bright and shiny is stripped away to reveal the dull, scratched-up surface of what’s underneath. Funny and wry but dead serious at times, The Uncoupling pokes fun at what couples hold dear.

The Rest of It:

When a new drama teacher comes to town and decides to put on a production of Lysistrata, the women of Stellar Plains suddenly turn against their significant others by withholding sex. Although the play is about just that, the women do not consider this fact as a cold wind rolls through town, taking their sexual appetites with them.

This was an interesting read. It’s a satire with a bit of magical realism tossed in. Wolitzer takes a topic that has been discussed many, many times before and somehow makes it fresh. Because let’s face it, women have been turning men away for years. Especially married women. No need to be secretive here but with kids, work and the day-to-day stuff that goes on, it happens all the time.

Except, these women can’t figure out why. They are confused and don’t understand how one day you can be lusting after your husband and the next day…poof! As each character goes within herself to find out why, insecurities and frustration come flooding out.

This is one of those novels where characters are well-developed and likable but don’t really matter. I should say, that their names don’t really matter. These characters are universal and can be found in any town and I think Wolitzer purposely wrote them that way. In fact, the town…neither big nor small could be Anytown, USA. It’s a “slice of life” story. The kind of story that allows you to take what you want from it.

I will say this, towards the end of the book, a political statement is made regarding the war in Afghanistan and although I can see why Wolitzer thought it would tie-in, it didn’t and actually pulled me right out of the story. The magical elements disintegrated and I was quickly brought back to reality.

In summary, I liked the story and how the characters meshed with one another and I liked how generic the characters were. It allowed me to easily escape into their world. I found the writing to be beautiful and although the ending sort of threw me, it didn’t affect my overall feeling towards the book. I am not a fan of magical realism but it was very subtle and handled well. Overall, a quick but engaging read.

Source: Sent to me by the publisher via Library Thing’s Early Reviewer program.