Books I Love
It's Valentine's Day! What better day to tell you about books I love! To save all of our sanities I will try to keep it to books I don't talk about all the damn time.
A Good Hard Look by Ann Napolitano - This book is a fictionalized account of the end of Flannery O'Connor's life. This takes place while she was battling lupus and her mother, who thought she just needed to get out more. I really liked O'Connor as a character and this book turned me on to her writing.
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett - This book is so whimsical and I can read it in one sitting. I love this view of the queen as a book-lover. It just gives me warm fuzzies.
The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy - I know. I know. Hardy is so difficult. But I loved this book. For some reason, I read it at just the right time. I hated Tess of the D'Urbervilles with a fiery passion. But this one, was great. Also, Hallmark made a movie version starring Catherine Zeta-Jones before she was famous. It was good, too.
The Dirt: Confessions of the world's most notorious rock band by Neil Strauss and the members of Motley Crue - No one will be surprised to find this on my list. Motley Crue is my favorite band and this book has memories from all the band members and various people connected to the band over the years. Also, there are pictures. Yay!
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo - I don't know why I love this book. It's depressing and sad and terrible, but it's brilliantly written and it gives some degree of hope, even in the worst possible circumstances.
Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson - This was so funny! I listened to the audio version because Lawson read it herself. Occasionally, she would stop and add a personal aside, or describe a picture that's in the book. The best part though? The outtakes at the end. OMG. I literally laughed out loud. (That was for you, Edis)
Nerd Girl Rocks Paradise City: A true story of faking it in hair metal L.A. by Anne Thomas Soffee - I have read this so many times. The author is just a couple of years older than me, and she lived what I thought I wanted to do. Sort of. I had no pretensions to journalism, but I did want to move to L.A. and live the rock and roll dream. Luckily, I didn't go there because what she found was a dying empire.
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker - This was so good. It takes place at the turn of the century in NYC and stars two mythical creatures from different cultures who meet and build a life together while they try to keep humans from figuring out they are not human.
Empty Mansions: The mysterious life of Huguette Clark and the spending of a great American fortune by Bill Dedman - I had never hear of Huguette Clark before finding this book. Man, she was a strange one. Her homes were fascinating. I have another book about her on my TBR now.
I think that's enough for now. Obviously, I could have continued, but ain't nobody got time for that.
What are some books you love?