In honor of today’s release of the paperback edition of Quiet, I am pleased to be able to offer a copy of the paperback edition to one of my readers with a United States mailing address. Just fill out the form below before the giveaway closes on February 4, 2013 at 11:59 pm CST.
This is my original review of the hardcover edition of Quiet. The giveaway entry form is at the end of this post.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Publisher: Crown
Release Date: January 24, 2012
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, Susan Cain explores the differences between introverts and extroverts and how the Extrovert Ideal has taken over in America. As an introvert myself, I found a great deal of validation in reading this book. For example, in the first part Cain writes about introverts in the workplace and how teamwork and open office floor plans instead of cubicles usually lead to less productivity and creativity. As someone who always hated group projects in school and the corporate world, that was just what I wanted to hear. Luckily, I left the corporate world a couple of years before open office floor plans came into vogue.
Part two of the book dealt with the biology of being either an introvert or extrovert. Cain makes generalizations about how introverts and extroverts behave and I couldn’t help focusing on the ways in which I don’t conform to her stereotypical introvert. No one does completely I’m sure but generalizations had to be made for the sake of conciseness. It was interesting to learn about how the brain actually responds to various situations differently in introverts versus extroverts.
In part three of the book, Cain discusses Asian Americans which are a theoretically introverted people. While I have no doubt that Cain did a lot of research for the whole book, including this part, I’m uncomfortable when generalizations are made about an entire race or ethnic group. Since I’m not Asian American and I haven’t done any of my own research, I can’t say how accurate Cain’s assumptions about them actually are.
Part four is about how to function in society as an introvert, including how to fake being an extrovert when necessary. Cain also offers advice on how an extroverted parent should deal with an introverted child. I would have also appreciated tips on how an introverted parent should parent an extroverted child. One, possibly two, of my children are extroverts and my husband is also an introvert like me so we could definitely use some help with that.
Overall, I really liked this book and I think other introverts will too. Extroverts should read this book as well to better understand their introverted friends and colleagues. This is a book for everyone.
January 29th, 2013 in
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The Stonecutter by Camilla Läckberg
Narrator: David Thorn
Length: 17 hours
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Release Date: May 9, 2012
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
The remote resort town of Fjällbacka has seen its share of tragedy, though perhaps none worse than that of the little girl found in a fisherman’s net. But this was no accidental drowning . Not only was there no seawater found in the girl’s lungs – the autopsy yielded far more sinister findings.
Local detective Patrik Hedstrom has just become a father. It’s his grim task to discover who could be behind the murder of a child both he and his partner Erica knew well. Little Sara Florin’s family history could provide the key, but how do you probe into the past of a family who has just suffered the consummate tragedy? What he does not know is how this case will reach into the dark heart of Fjällbacka, spanning generations, encompassing a mysterious fire, thwarted ambitions, and pitting neighbor against neighbor, threatening to rip aside Fjällbacka’s idyllic facade, perhaps forever.
The Stonecutter is the third book in the Patrik Hedstrom mystery/thriller series by Camilla Läckberg. I haven’t read the previous two books but I don’t think there are any spoilers for them in this review.
Listening to the audio book was great fun. David Thorn, the narrator, had a very dramatic British accent complete with rolling “R”s. It was really interesting hearing all of the Swedish people and place names correctly pronounced because they usually sound nothing like they are spelled. For instance, Patrik is pronounced “POOR-trig”.
The character development in this book is outstanding. This book has an ensemble cast and Läckberg has given each character as much attention as if they were all main characters, with each character having a detailed back-story. Because of this, I was continually going back and forth on who I thought killed Sara and was second guessing myself until the very end. It was great. I was worried that with so many characters with unfamiliar (to me) names, that I would have a hard time keeping track of them on audio since I couldn’t flip back and forth like with a paper book. However, the names were all different sounding enough that I didn’t have any problems.
In addition to the main present day plot of Sara’s murder, there is a subplot about a stonecutter that starts in the 1920s. It’s apparent that it will somehow tie into the present day story but it’s not revealed until late in the book. It was really a second mystery trying to figure out how it would eventually be weaved in to the primary story and I was surprised by how it did.
Even though I haven’t read the first two books in this series, I didn’t have any trouble jumping right in. It doesn’t quite stand alone because one of the subplots ends in a cliffhanger that is no doubt the focus of the fourth book. The mystery of Sara’s murder is solved in this book though.
From what I’ve read, Camilla Läckberg is immensely popular in Sweden and after reading The Stonecutter, I can see why. I highly recommend this book, especially for fans of Nordic crime novels.
Buy this book at:
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(I received this audio book courtesy of the Solid Gold Reviewers program at Audio Jukebox.)
January 28th, 2013 in
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Original Sin by Beth McMullen
Publisher: Hyperion
Release Date: July 12, 2011
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
After falling in love and making a quick exit from her nine-year career in the USAWMD (United States Agency for Weapons of Mass Destruction), ex-spy Sally Sin does her best to become Lucy Hamilton, a stay-at-home mom in San Francisco. No one, not even her adoring husband Will, knows about her secret agent escapades—chasing no-good masterminds through perilous jungles, escaping evil assassins, and playing dangerous games of cat and mouse with her old nemesis, Ian Blackford, a notorious and dashing illegal arms dealer.
In her new life as Lucy Hamilton, she squeezes inside forts crafted from couch cushions by her three-year-old son Theo, makes organic applesauce, and frequents the zoo. But sometimes her well-honed spy reflexes refuse to lay low. She can’t help breaking into her own house to check on the babysitter or stop herself from tossing the yoga instructor who gets on her nerves. And when Ian Blackford, who is supposed to be dead, once again starts causing trouble for the USAWMD, the agency becomes desperate to get Sally back on the job.
How can Sally or Lucy or whatever her name is save the planet while at the same time keeping her own family’s world from spinning out of control?
The author definitely nailed what it can be like to be a stay-at-home mom to a toddler. I liked that Sally thought it was sometimes harder than being a spy – I feel validated! Sally didn’t seem like she was a particularly good spy in the examples she recounts yet supposedly she was one of the best. The agency she works for doesn’t seem that on top of things either. That makes for some slapstick comedy type situations for Sally.
I actually thought her husband was a kind of a jerk even though he was supposed to be the love of her life. I was rooting for her leave her husband and get together with the bad guy, which is probably not what the author intended.
There are a lot of flashbacks within flashbacks that were sometimes confusing to me, especially when I would come back to the book after taking a break from reading. The story was not as suspenseful as I thought it would be but it was interesting and funny.
Buy this book at (only $1.99 on Kindle right now):
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January 24th, 2013 in
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Love, Ellen A Mother/Daughter Journey by Betty Degeneres
Publisher: Rob Weisbach Books, an imprint of HarperCollins
Release Date: 1999
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
“Mom, I’m gay.” With three little words, gay sons and daughters can change their parents’ lives forever. Twenty years ago, during a walk on a Mississippi beach, Ellen DeGeneres spoke those simple, powerful words to her mother. That emotional moment eventually brought mother and daughter closer than ever, but it was not without a struggle. In Love, Ellen, Betty DeGeneres tells her story: the complicated path to acceptance and the deepening of her friendship with her daughter, the media’s scrutiny of their family life, and the painful and often inspiring stories she’s heard on the road as the first nongay spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign’s National Coming Out Project.
I picked this book up after I heard country singer Chely Wright mention it when she appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She said this book was a great support to her in coming out as a lesbian. I love Ellen and her mom Betty so I knew I had to read this book.
Love, Ellen was about more than just Ellen and Betty’s relationship. It’s really a memoir of Betty’s whole life. Luckily, she has had an interesting life. After she divorced Ellen’s father, she married a man she refers to only as “B” who was abusive to both her and Ellen. Of course, there is a lot about Ellen’s life in here too. Betty quotes letters Ellen wrote to her through the years and she writes in detail about the period in Ellen’s life when she decided to come out publicly as a lesbian. If you are a fan of Ellen’s brother Vance DeGeneres you should know that there is a little bit about him in the book but it’s definitely more about Ellen and Betty.
This book was written when Ellen and Anne Heche were still together and Anne was still masquerading as someone not completely bonkers (in my opinion). I cringed a little every time Betty referred to Anne as her other daughter. However, that’s just one more way in which Betty is completely supportive of Ellen – she welcomed Ellen’s partner with open arms right from the beginning of their relationship.
Betty DeGeneres is an inspiring example of a woman who loves her children unconditionally. Betty isn’t perfect and she knows that. She writes about her mistakes as well as her successes in life. This is a wonderful book for pretty much everyone – Ellen fans, Betty fans, LGBT people and allies.
Buy this book at:
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January 22nd, 2013 in
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A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. by David A. Adler
Publisher: Holiday House
Release Date: 1989
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. tells the story of the life of the great civil rights leader in a way that is easy enough for a young child to understand. I liked that it kept the explanations simple. For instance, MLK’s mother tells him that black people were brought over from Africa in chains and sold as slaves. Even though they were set free a long time ago, some people still felt like they should be treated fairly. I think more detail than that might too upsetting for a younger elementary school child. I know when I tried to read Cash a more detailed picture book about MLK when he was in kindergarten, he got really upset and two years later STILL doesn’t want to talk in detail about MLK’s life and the life of black people in the sixties.
This book does end with MLK getting shot in Memphis so you may want to omit that part, depending on how sensitive your child is. There is a time-line of events in MLK’s life on the very last page that is helpful.
The illustrations look like watercolor paintings to me and are very nicely done. I think this is a great first book about Martin Luther King, Jr. for a kindergartener or first grader.
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January 21st, 2013 in
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River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze by Peter Hessler
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: 2001
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
In the heart of China’s Sichuan province, amid the terraced hills of the Yangtze River valley, lies the remote town of Fuling. Like many other small cities in this ever-evolving country, Fuling is heading down a new path of change and growth, which came into remarkably sharp focus when Peter Hessler arrived as a Peace Corps volunteer, marking the first time in more than half a century that the city had an American resident. Hessler taught English and American literature at the local college, but it was his students who taught him about the complex processes of understanding that take place when one is immersed in a radically different society.
I read this book around two months ago but put off reviewing it because I thought my book club was going to discuss it. I like to wait to review it until after the discussion because often the discussion leads me to consider points about the book that I hadn’t thinking about it on my own. However, my book club seems to be on hiatus what with the holidays and all so I’m going to go ahead and review it before I completely forget what I read.
I chose this book for our group because David Sedaris (my new BFF), recommended it when I saw him on tour a couple of years ago. River Town is not meant to be humorous like a Sedaris book, but I still enjoyed it a great deal. Peter Hessler does write it with a light hearted tone. It’s clear that he greatly enjoys being in China and making friends with Chinese people even though he finds their culture and the people baffling or frustrating at times.
Peter went by the name Ho Wei while he was in China and I absolutely loved how he explained the dichotomy between Peter Hessler and Ho Wei:
“Ho Wei was stupid, which was what I liked most about him…People were comfortable with somebody that stupid, and they found it okay to talk with Ho Wei, even though they often had to say things twice or write new words in his notebook. Ho Wei always carried his notebook in his pocket, using it to study the new words, as well as to jot down notes from conversations. And when Ho Wei returned home he left the notebook on the desk of Peter Hessler, who typed everything into his computer.”
There is quite a bit more about Ho Wei vs. Peter Hessler than just the above quote and I thought it was all so clever. I really enjoyed this book. Since reading it, I have learned that Peter Hessler also writes about China for The New Yorker and has written two more books about China. I really enjoyed his perspective and I’m looking forward to reading more from him.
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January 17th, 2013 in
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The movie version of the first book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series was released in 2010. It’s pretty faithful to the book with the exception of the character Angie, who I don’t remember being in the book. She is a seventh grader and serves as a mentor to Greg, who is only in sixth. She’s played by Chloë Grace Moretz who I love in everything she does. She’s such a fabulous actress (Let Me In, Dark Shadows) that it was weird seeing her in a goofy kids movie.
The acting by the other kids in this movie was good and not over the top cheesy like in some of those Disney channel tween shows. There was a fair amount of grossness that boys will love. My six and eight year old boys thought this movie was hilarious and were riveted by it. My attention started to wane for the last half of the movie, probably because having read the book, I already knew what was going to happen. Even though it wasn’t my cup of tea, it was a great way to keep my boys entertained on a snowy afternoon.
January 16th, 2013 in
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Publisher: Amulet Books
Release Date: April 1, 2007
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
It’s a new school year, and Greg Heffley finds himself thrust into middle school, where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving. The hazards of growing up before you’re ready are uniquely revealed through words and drawings as Greg records them in his diary.
In book one of this debut series, Greg is happy to have Rowley, his sidekick, along for the ride. But when Rowley’s star starts to rise, Greg tries to use his best friend’s newfound popularity to his own advantage, kicking off a chain of events that will test their friendship in hilarious fashion.
Cash has really gotten into this series this school year. I decided to read them too so I could see what all the fuss was about. I’m glad I did because, although Greg is a hilarious character to my son, he’s not exactly a good role model. He’s very self-centered (what middle schooler isn’t?) and not very nice to his friend Rowley. Cash and I have been talking about what Greg does that we like and what we would do differently from Greg. It’s been fun because Cash gets so excited about these books – he loves to talk about them.
Greg’s parents are clueless and out of touch. I think reading about them has made Cash appreciate me! For example, Greg’s mom makes him try out for the school play – Cash wanted to make sure that I would never make him do something like that if he didn’t want to.
This book is a very easy read even for an elementary school kid. There are a lot of cartoons – it only took me about an hour to read and didn’t take Cash much longer. It is funny and sometimes gross but not inappropriate. I think these books would be especially good if you have a boy who is a reluctant reader – the drawings make it extra fun.
Buy this book at:
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January 15th, 2013 in
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Yesterday afternoon, I attended a book exchange party hosted by a woman from my church. It was such a fun idea for a party! When we arrived, we had hor d’oeuvres and wine and spent a few minutes chatting about books and getting to know each other. Then our hostess passed out a literary quiz she put together. The winner got a gift certificate to Powell’s Books. (I thought it was great that the hostess was supporting an independent bookstore.)
Then it was time for the exchange. All of the books to be exchanged were laid out on the dining room table and we took turns talking about what the books we brought to exchange were about and why we liked them so much. We drew numbers to see who got to pick first. The hostess cut up the New York Times non-fiction bestseller list for the numbers – a creative touch. Everyone got to choose one book, taking turns according to the number we drew. After that it was a free for all to choose your remaining books – you chose as many to take home as you brought to exchange.
Then we adjourned to the living room for cupcakes, coffee and more chatting. It was a really fun party. I learned a lot from the other people about authors and books I hadn’t heard of before and came away with some awesome books!
January 14th, 2013 in
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Struck By Lightning was stars Chris Colfer as Carson Phillips, a high school boy who lives in a small town and dreams of leaving and going to Northwestern to become a professional writer. After being struck by lightning and killed (not a spoiler, it happens in the first scene), he recalls his life over the past school year and how he got his classmates to contribute to the school literary magazine he started.
Chris Colfer was fantastic in this movie. Carson was absolutely nothing like Kurt, Colfer’s character on Glee which shows that he has real acting chops. I don’t think he’ll be typecast in Kurt-like roles once people see the kind of range he has. Carson was sarcastic, moody and even downright mean at times. He still managed to be likeable because the objects of his indignation were his moronic classmates and his drugged out mother.
Even though this is a low budget, independent movie (shot in only 16 days!) there are actually a lot of well-known, talented actors in it. Allison Janney is fabulous as Carson’s strung out, depressed mom. Durmot Mulrony plays Carson’s clueless, selfish dad Neal and Christina Hendricks is great as his soft spoken and kind fiancé April.
Rebel Wilson plays Carson’s friend Malerie. She is funny but in a more understated way than usual. She should work a little bit more on her American accent I think; I could hear her Australian accent breaking through a few times. She didn’t steal the show like she has in her other movies – this was definitely Chris Colfer’s movie. Chris Colfer also not only wrote the screenplay but also a young adult novel (also called Struck By Lightning) that is an extension of the story in the film. I haven’t read it but it’s definitely on my list to read now.
Struck By Lightning is currently On Demand and is set for limited release in theaters tomorrow, January 11th. I highly recommend that you go see it!
January 10th, 2013 in
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