Sarca
She's Not There was pretty decent. It's a story about Caroline whose daughter was abducted many years ago while the family was on vacation in Mexico. She is contacted 15 years later by Lili, a girl who claims to be the missing daughter. Meanwhile, Caroline has been suffering in dealing with her daughter's disappearance, losing her job, being a suspect...the plot overall was suspenseful, but I have to say, predictable, as I guessed early on who the perp was.
Lastly, it's 2016, and no one uses a smartphone to look things up? At least Fielding heard of DNA...
Immediately after I finished reading Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer last summer, I was left convinced that Krakauer is one of the great biographical storytellers. The yarn he spun about Chris McCandless still sticks in my memory and refuses to leave! I HAD to read more of his works, so, soon after finishing my review for Into the Wild, I decided to return to my library's eBook portal once again and download Into Thin Air, his second offering. It's a story I won't soon forget.
In 1996, Krakauer was working for Outside Magazine, a publication that highlights outdoor recreation. He was sent on assignment to Mount Everest to write a piece on the over-commercialization of mountain-climbing expeditions. Evidentally, mountaineering is serious business. Companies with major sponsorship deals were popping up. People who could afford the trip got a chance to pursue a lifelong dream in a controlled and supervised environment. An experienced mountain climber, Krakauer was initially planning to climb Everest as far as base camp only; he was never to reach the summit. But, his personal desire to fulfill a lifelong dream of climbing the tallest mountain above sea level trumped all professional protocols, and he eventually convinced his editors that making it to the top would make for a good story. Little did he know that he would experience one of the most tragic events in climbing history. Into Thin Air details the fateful day when eight people lost their lives (four from Krakauer's team) and many more were left stranded when a freak unrelenting storm blew through during the descent from Everest's summit.
Into Thin Air is quite an immersive and suspenseful read. Krakauer's descriptions of the majestic mountain, the crisp thin air, the crunching snow, was rich. The reader also got a look into the lives of a wide cast of mountaineering characters, including Rob Hall and Scott Fischer, duelling leaders of opposing expedition companies, whose big personalities sometimes got in the way of making sound decisions during Krakauer's trip.
I have never been interested in pursuing the sport of climbing, and Krakauer certainly did not make it appear cool or thrilling. The endeavor is unattractive to me..and frankly a little nuts! At the same time, I can understand the appeal of perseverence that climbing affords; having a goal as hard as climbing a mountain is, how unfathomable it is to imagine reaching the summit. And then the high and satisfaction you get when ticking Mount Everest off of your bucket list.
Into Thin Air was an excellent story - I highly recommend it!
In this world of expectation, structure, busy-ness, and bills, it has always interested me to come across people who abhor these tangles of everyday life and live like nomads. I recently came across some YouTubers who travel the United States, living out of their RVs or vans full-time and loving it. When I thought of this kind of lifestyle in the past I thought of the sad Matt Foley character from SNL “living in a van down by the river”. I am not convinced their life isn't without its hardships... nor bills... nor eliminating “THE MAN” from their lives completely, but these people do their best to make their cramped quarters and vagabond lifestyle look very attractive. I know myself very well, and can adapt to living without the finer things like a flushing toilet for a few months in the summer. But, living this way as a lifestyle forever? Nope. I likes my heated home with running water.
For many, though, this way of life is a philosophy, a mantra, a necessity. It's quite curious and intriguing to see the world through their lens. So when I recently reactivated my library membership after a long drought, a virtual trip to the eBook portal landed Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild onto my tablet, and next thing you know, I found myself immersed in one of the more recent stories of an infamous American vagabond, Chris McCandless, a young man who took the concept of nomadic living to extremes.
Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild tells the true story of McCandless, a headstrong, fiercely independent guy who felt more at peace alone in nature than anywhere. Raised by strict parents, he always went against the grain, never thinking a career was important, and that schooling was a waste of time. Following parental expectations was difficult for Chris, but he managed to tow the line, eventually making it through college with honours, with plans for law school. However, he had enough of the litanies of life the day after he graduated, packing up his things and leaving his life behind forever. He gave his life savings to OxFam, burned his Social Security card and embarked on a journey that saw him tramping his way around the U.S., with the eventual goal to live in the Alaskan wilderness in complete solitude. He even assumed a new name: Alexander Supertramp. His family never heard from him again...until his body was found in a remote forest in Alaska by a Moose hunter.

McCandless in Alaska
Jon Krakauer gives some context and understanding to Chris's thought process by recounting his life, childhood and relationship with his family. To round out the book, he interviews other folks Chris met on the road, living a similar nomadic life. In telling these stories, it shows the many layers to Chris McCandless. He wasn't simply a naive guy with big dreams; he was a guy determined to live out his philosophy at any price. And what one could gather from the book, he touched many lives in profound ways.
I found Into the Wild to be incredibly immersive, balanced and very thoughtfully written. Might I add, there is a reason why the book is on many “top books to read before you die” lists. It's good - very good. Get your hands on it and start reading. I highly recommend it!
4.5/5
Into the wild / Jon Krakauer (1996)
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And while we are here...

[Movie] Into the Wild (2007)
Starring: Emile Hirsch, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Catherine Keener, Kristen Stewart
So, I thought, what the hey...let's watch the movie for comparison.
The film follows the book very closely. I'd hazard it was a visual representation of the book, but not a thorough one.
The one thing I noticed: Sean Penn, who wrote the screenplay and directed the film, stole A LOT of direct dialogue from Krakauer's book - seriously. If I hadn't just finished the book, I would not have noticed...but he does. If I were Krakauer, I'd be taking him to court. And yet, Krakauer only got a “based on the novel by...” credit, which I thought was also a little strange for the amount of the book Penn used.
I didn't overly enjoy Into the Wild: the movie. It wasn't terrible, but didn't do McCandless any favours. It missed the heart and soul of McCandless, showing him as a sort of untouchable, someone you could never get close to and who was completely ignorant and wonton. In fact, I remember when the movie was released, there was a lot of criticism from people saying McCandless' ways were glorified in the movie, and that no one should take his lead if they think they can survive in Alaska without being properly equiped. The book does well to give more context to McCandless, and to the people who knew him. Besides the fact, I found the book much more enjoyable (isn't that typical?). Do yourself a favor: Get your hands on the book!
2.5/5
Into the Wild (the movie)
2007
I wasn't sure what to expect with a title like “Eden Close”. Initially I thought it referred to a place in England. But, it really refers to a character's name in the book.
The book tells the story of Eden Close, adopted as a child, hated by her mother and loved by her father. She lived in a rural town and was known to be a bit of a tease. The boys crushed after her, including Andrew, her next door neighbor. One night, guns shots were heard next door to Andrew's that left Mr. Close dead and Eden blind. The truth about what happened that night - who was responsible - remained a mystery.
Suspicion about what happened that night made the rounds through the town, and was still the subject of gossip on the residents' lips as Andrew discovered 17 years later when he returned to his childhood home to pack up his deceased mother's house and settle her estate. At this stage in his life he had been through a divorce and trying to work through his own troubles. Eden was still living next door with her mother. Feelings Andrew had about Eden resurface...the mystery as to what happened also is revealed.
I was into the book from the beginning - a great bathtub read.
I'm really not a romance or chic lit fan, but every woman I know was raving about 50 Shades of Grey, so I had to check to see what all the hype is about.
Okay, I've read the darn thing, and I all I can say is that this book has made me a harsher literary critic than I ever was. This book was poorly written. Scratch that: poorly EDITED! Does anyone know how to use spell-check?
Now the story: I get this story is really a fantasy, but I am surprised women think this is AWESOME, INCREDIBLE, and that every woman should read it. Aside from the very naughty bits, to be attracted to someone who openly wants to inflict pain on a woman, and then have a woman allow it openly- I got tired baring witness to those antics. I didn't feel there was enough suspense or plot between the sex, and the cliches were repetitive (he cocked his head to one's side x50...). I am glad I can get on with my life now. ;^)
I totally understand the concept of “Kafka dreams” now! Imagine waking up in the morning to find you've changed into a giant bug. From that, your parents hate you, and your sister resents looking after you.
I can't say I particularly enjoyed the writing, although that might be unfair to say as I read it through an intepretor. I did enjoy the story and glad I read it.
I had been curious to read the Long Walk after my husband had said that after reading it, that it is one book he thinks about a lot. I wasn't the least bit disappointed in this book.
In a futuristic world, boys around America sign up for the annual “long walk” where their task is to keep walking towards an unknown finish line until there is one lone walker. Those who drop out of the walk meet with fatal consequences.
In reading this story, I kept thinking about what kind of society had this country become to allow a competition like this to occur. Stephen King can certainly provoke thought and emotion through his prose. This story was disturbing, and like my husband, this is not a story I will soon forget.
Embarrassingly, it took me at least six months to finish this book. Why? I can't be sure other than the story was so heavy on me that I had to take it one page at a time and savour it. The book was brilliantly written, and I was sad to see it come to an end.
The plot in a nutshell is this: Allie has had enough of America and decides to pack up his family and move down to South America to live off the land in peace. He is a genius inventor so their life takes on normality in no time. Along the way the family meets some interesting characters, who, along with Allie's opinionated way of thinking, eventually makes life difficult for them. The story is being told through the eyes of his 13-year-old son.
It was very well-written. The character-building was astounding. For one thing, I was genuinely interested in what Allie had to say, even though I didn't agree with everything he said. I was also interested in his wife - someone who was willing to give up life in America to pack up the kids and rough-it in the jungle...that's lovin'!
I truly recommend this book. I'd say it goes in my top 20 favorites.
[bc:The Good Mother 46685 The Good Mother Sue Miller http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170343035s/46685.jpg 2406394]This is the fourth Sue Miller book I've read, and I can honestly say that this is NOT one of my favourites. I read the back of the edition I own, and a reviewer had quoted, “One of those rare novels you live more than you read...” Um, not in my case, lady. For starters, I didn't care much for anyone in this story except for the child, Molly, who somehow got entangled in a custody battle between two divorced parents. For the most part you see the side of Molly's mum, Anna, who gets involved with a real “winner” and through him, “find's herself” while in wild passionate abandon - to the detriment of her daughter's stability. I couldn't identify with this woman on any level. This woman who wanted to hang with a dude who slept on a mattress on the floor, and who would have wild passionate love the one minute, fight tooth and nail the next, and the rest of the time, spend the day butt naked around your young daughter. Dangerous. So, no, I don't live this life at all. But, I certainly read it. Aside from my revulsion for the story, it was well-written...
I happened upon this book at a used bookstore in the bio/memoir section. I had read Keysen's other book (wasn't too nuts about it...oops! Pardon the pun....),and almost put it back. The back of the book got me interested enough to spend the $ on it.
I picked it up last summer and began to read it, while my mother-in-law was crocheting. I soon found myself reading it aloud to her in one evening ‘cause it was hilarious, a little sad, but above all, impactful.
I know some people on here complain about the subject matter. It's true, that unless you have never experienced anything similar gynecologically like what the author went through, you would find Keysen whiny and self-absorbed. I'm not going into it, except to say that I identified with the author's health issues, and how they had an impact on her physically, psychologically and personally. This was a good piece of writing but not for everyone.
First off, I love the fact this book took place when I graduated high school. The tech talk is dated, and you can tell Crichton was trying to be esoteric. But, that aside, the story of sexual harassment was realistic. Although, unfortunately, I had seen the movie well ahead of reading this, so I kept visualizing Moore and Douglas. A well-written story.
Back when I was in University, a friend of mine suggested I read the Collector and even bought me a copy ( I still have it). I was disturbed by the synopsis and started reading. But, I was easily distracted back then and never finished it...until 10 years later when I picked it up and couldn't put it down.
The Collector is a disturbing story about a guy who collects butterflies...and a woman. Yes, things couldn't be more creepy in this story, yet I do recommend this book. The prose is very british and dated, but I still enjoyed it.
I read this book years after the whole “true story” scandal came out, and when I bought it from a used bookstore, my people kind of gave me a look like, “You know that's fake, right?” Other friends of mine read the book before the scandal, and resented Frey afterwards for misrepresenting his story as true. Let me preface this by saying that I was intrigued by the ire readers expressed in finding out the story they read was fiction. Personally and ethically, I do think it was wrong of Frey to say this was a true story when it wasn't. I read this after the scandal - who knows how I would feel finding out the memoir I just read was fake...? So going into it, knowing everything I know, here are my thoughts:
I COULDN'T PUT THE BOOK DOWN!! Okay so yes, the weight of what happened to Frey has been taken out of the book because of it being a fictionalized account, but looking at it from a story's perspective, taking out all the scandal, I really liked this book. I jumped in feet-first and drank it up until the end. I enjoyed his writing style - not what I would normally go for - and it worked very well in telling this tale. I have two other Frey titles on my bookshelf, waiting patiently for me to pick them up.
I first took this out of my library and read it quickly. I then took it out of the library a few months later and my husband said, “Again??” Yes, again! I have since bought my own copy. For some reason, I hate Michael Malice and feel sorry for him, yet I love this graphic novel. The tale Pekar weaves is so simple and everyman. I've worked with people like Malice - maybe that's why I enjoyed the story so much. At any rate, I recommend it. But, be prepared to become infuriated!
Several years ago, I was of the mindset that if I started a book, I would have to finish it, no matter how brutal or boring. Since reading life of Pi, I have reduced it to 100 pages, meaning, if the book does not catch me in 100 pages I drop it.
I can honestly say that this book left me a little sad. I'm not sure if that was the feeling it was supposed to invoke. I also wouldn't say I believe in God by reading this story either. But it does demonstrate a will to live in the face of hopelessness. That said, I can't say I particularly enjoy this.
This book introduced me to the works of Marge Piercy, and since reading the Longings of Women, I can't stop buying her books even though I haven't had time to read them yet.
The Longings of Women looks at the lives of three women and how their lives intersect. But, more profoundly, how each are similar in their wants...and needs. A well-written tale.
