Girlwood

untitledGirlwood By Claire Dean

Last year my Aunt gave me this book for Christmas and since then every time I talk to her she asks me if I’ve read it. I knew going in that it would not be my type of book and normally I wouldn’t read it but since it was a gift and seemed so important I read it anyway. I tried not to let my attitude affect what I thought about the book, but I’m not sure if I succeeded.

First off the cover is beautiful. It brings to mind a gorgeous fantasy world, or a nature goddess,  and that is something I really like. The book however is not fantasy. There are fairies and aurous, but they are only seen by a thirteen year old girl. I don’t believe the author meant for it but the girl the story is about comes off as someone that has a mental disorder and is developmentally challenged. She has a hard time relating to people and feels more comfortable in the woods. She also gets angry at her best friend any time she questions her or doesn’t immediately side with nature.

The entire family is kind of weird, which is normally not a bad thing to me, but these people just seemed very self absorbed. The mother wants the father to go back to being a lawyer and the father wants to live in a cabin in the woods with no electricity making stuff with wood. Neither is willing to compromise, and at the end of the story you think hey maybe they’re going to work out but it’s only because the mother has woken up and realized that nature is better than living in civilization. The other daughter, the one that runs away at the beginning, is also very self absorbed. She ran away and lived in the woods while pregnant not letting anyone know that she was alive letting her family think she was dead. Except that the little girl “knew” that she wasn’t cause she had some sense about these things. She knew when trees in her favorite grove were being cut down and she knew when her grandmother was dying.

The whole book was really just a way for the author to describe nature and what you can do with plants. I enjoy nature but not on this level. I don’t believe that we should all live in cabins in the wood with no amenities and forage for food. And that’s the philosophy that she pushed through the entire book.

Reading the author blurb the story evidently came to be because her daughter asked her to write a story about good stuff, magic, fairies, and girls. Cause thinking your child is possibly dead when in reality she’s living in the wilds of Idaho through multiple blizzards while pregnant is a good thing. Maybe that’s not fair since the book was written from the younger daughters perspective and that’s more the parent’s point of view. From the younger daughter’s point of view the story is how she got to disobey her parents and spend time in the woods freaking them out at every turn until they realize that being alone in the woods with a dangerous wolf pack is ok and they all lived happily ever after.

1.5/5 stars (I really liked the cover)

How Precious Was That While

2af9808a8da0fb3a305e5110_LHow Precious Was That While By Piers Anthony

Is it possible for an autobiography to be self absorbed? It’s been a while since I’ve read one so maybe that’s just how they’re supposed to feel. It just isn’t my month when it comes to bios. Piers Anthony came off as a bully who can hold a grudge indefinitely. Which is weird because he kept on saying that he hated bullies, it just felt like in his fight against them he became one. Most of the book was an accounting of how various people and publishers tried to screw him over, how much smarter he was then everyone, and over all just what an amazing person he is.

On Writing by Stephen King made King come off as just a normal guy that just happens to be a bestselling novelist that the world loves. How Precious Was That While was Anthony telling you every few pages that he was a bestselling author and how much money he’d made. Overall it was very difficult to read.

2/5

The Real Wizard of Oz

the-real-wizard-of-oz

The Real Wizard of Oz By Rebecca Loncraine

I did not finish this book, I only made it to the fifth chapter. One of the worst biographies I’ve ever read. The first five chapters were filled with so much conjecture, she also wrote like she was writing a work of fiction, very flowery. It was like she was trying to make Baum’s life into fantasy like his books. Very disappointing. Huge fan of Frank Baum and the Wizard of Oz but this book did not do them justice.

Giving it a 2/5 since I didn’t finish it

Lost in a Good Book

lost in a good bookLost in a Good Book By Jasper Fforde

This is the second book in the Thursday Next series, the sequel to The Eyre Affair. I didn’t think it was as good but it was still a fine follow up. It was similar to the first book, plot wise, but the new characters were nice. I enjoyed the Jurisfiction parts, and I thought Miss Havisham and her relationship with the Red Queen was amusing. My only problem was that it didn’t completely resolve everything, **SPOILER**there is still the question of her husband and getting him back.

4/5

This was previously post on my blog http://erinthedreamer.wordpress.com/2013/12/22/lost-in-a-good-book-by-jasper-fforde/

 

On Writing

on-writingOn Writing By Stephen King

Pg. 57 “when you write a story, you’re telling yourself the story”…”When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story.”

Several message boards recommended this book to new writers or writers looking for a book on how to write. So I thought I’d check it out. I’m not a Stephen King fan, in fact I’ve only read one book by him and I don’t remember being very impressed by it. Still lots of people love him and he’s sold quite a few books so he must know something.

I feel conflicted after reading this book. So many places I’ve read say that everyone has their own approach to writing and what works for one person might not work for another. The way he writes doesn’t seem to lean that way. It’s possible that I missed something, I’ve had to read the book in snatches between taking care of Charlotte and I’m not getting as much sleep as I’m use to.

He definitely said some things I’m going to try next time I’m writing. I’m going to try and rely more on my characters and not mapping out a plot. I’m going to set aside what I’ve written for a time before I begin the editing process too. There were a few other words of advice that I want to follow but I can’t remember what they were right now, something about not using adverbs.

I did wonder about his getting published recommendations, they seemed a bit dated and I’m not sure if they still work, though they still could.

It’s  very obvious after reading this that he really loves his wife, which is sweet.

3.5/5 stars

This was originally posted on my blog http://erinthedreamer.wordpress.com/2013/12/08/on-writing-by-stephen-king/