Book 207: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

 

This book made me laugh out loud. At the present moment, books that make me laugh out loud are something I appreciate. 

Don's life is compartmentalized, neat, and bland. He looks at life in such a utilitarian way that he's just moving through the motions from one day to the next. He embarks on a project he's convinced will help him find the love of his life (and, he thinks, a wife). Unfortunately, he's a little light on experience with women, and the whole thing goes sideways.

When Rosie enters Don's life, he begins to learn why his project is a lost cause. But through the process, Don learns what is really missing from his life. I won't ruin the ending for you, but I can tell you that you'll enjoy getting there.

On a deeper level, this book taught me something about "the best laid plans" that we all try so hard to put into place. As humans living in reality, we're actually totally and hilariously underprepared for this task, and Simsion puts all of our shortfalls on display in this lovely little book. Plan your heart out, he seems to be saying, But enjoying the ride is just as important as where you wind up.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read it in two days (a feat for me at this time of my life) and I bought a copy for my permanent collection. I hope you love it as much as I did.                                          

Book 205: Retrograde by Peter Cawdron

Let's talk science fiction. If you've read this blog for any length of time, you probably know I don't read many science fiction books. In fact, I've turned down multiple sci-fi book review requests because I just can't get into them.

Well, Retrograde is the exception, perhaps because it is actually half sci-fi and half mystery. One chapter in, I was hooked. It was imaginative, other-worldly, and had a lot of solid research behind it. Mars is inhospitable for most creatures. However, it seems it is the perfect place for inorganic life forms to thrive.

At first, this book confused me. Then I realized the author was playing games with my head. He gave me tidbits of information at the same time the main character was getting them. While she was trying to make sense of her situation, I was along for the ride. I took every wrong turn with her, until she was able to determine the source of the problem. A male author, Cawdron wrote Retrograde in female-first-person-narrative, which is not something I've come across very often. 

I'd die before giving you Peter Cawdron's secret, so you'll have to read this gem for yourself. If you're confused, it's because the author wants you to be confused. Hang on, push on through it, and you'll see that it's all worthwhile.

Book 204: The Likely Resolutions of Oliver Clock by Jane Riley

Dear readers, if you know anything about me, you know I love dynamic characters!

Oliver Clock is a sweet, gentle, middle-aged man with an overbearing mother and a family business to run. He is a funeral director, and a darn good one at that. Everything is going swimmingly, until it's not. Beyond his own grief, he finds a new direction for his business (among other things) and is no longer the same man we meet in the beginning of the book.

This is the first I've read of Jane Riley's books, and I hope it isn't the last. Her writing is excellent, and I especially appreciate her skill at forging descriptions of people and settings. I felt as if I could step right into Oliver Clock's funeral parlor. Even the smells were poignant - I don't think I've encountered a book that challenged my own olfactory memory in such a way.

I loved this book, and Jane Riley, you are a gem.

Book 197: Paper: Paging Through History by Mark Kurlansky (Audiobook read by Andrew Garman)

Mark Kurlansky has written exhaustive books on everything from the history of the American oyster to the story of Clarence Birdseye and frozen food. Usually his books are interesting, but this one felt like a chore. The book was longer than it needed to be, and narrator Andrew Garman did not help, either. This audiobook was a drag. I couldn't wait to be through with it.

Despite the almost complete bore fest, there were a few tidbits hidden within the pages of this book that had to deal with watercolors, which is one of my interests. (Read this article on Medium.) Through Paper: Paging Through History, I learned that watercolors were used for a long time in other countries (Japan, China) and finally "adopted" by British artist Turner, who made watercolor a more widely  accepted art form. (Professional grade watercolor paper is usually made made of cotton, not wood, because it absorbs the water and leaves the pigment behind.)

I also learned about xuan paper, which is made from the bark of blue sandalwood in China, and it takes two years to prepare the raw materials to make the paper. Part of the process is laying the materials out on a hillside for months at a time and turning them periodically. (Professional watercolorists use double xuan, which is more absorbent than the single ply version.) Of course, I immediately had to find a xuan paper maker that would ship to Delaware. For $55 a sheet, I could have my very own xuan paper. Ummmm....

One more fairly interesting thing was that paper was initially made from rags, like the kind you might have sitting in your basement waiting to be used for dirty work - ripped up tee shirts and the like. There were people who went around collecting rags for paper mills, which cooked down materials until they were basically sludge and then put them into trays to dry to make paper. The idea of using wood fibers to make paper wasn't introduced to the western world until the late 1800s. In the U.S., the first operating paper mill was in my hometown of Philadelphia, near where I grew up. And they routinely ran out of rags and had to reach out to housewives to get them to save their rags to make paper.

Not every learning experience is a pleasant one, I suppose. Kurlansky's book was like that for me.

Book 191: The Shape of Water by Guillermo Del Toro and Daniel Kraus (Audio book)

The movie was beautiful, poignant, and well made, but the book had more of an impact on me. I was happy to have it as company on a really long road trip. And it was really good.

This book is unique, because its author was also the director of the movie. Guillermo Del Toro - who made the most disturbing movie I've ever seen (Pan's Labrynth) - has created a book that is engaging on so many levels.

In the book, some of the characters are more well cultivated in the book than they were in the movie. Some characters are more interconnected than I originally thought, and at least two did not exist at all in the movie but appeared prominently and were in fact instrumental to the story in the book.

The story of the Gill God, Eliza, Giles, Zelda, and Strickland and his wife Elaine is an incredible one. It begins in the jungle and ends in Baltimore sometime in the 1960s. On their regular rounds as custodians for a scientific research facility, Eliza and Zelda encounter an amazing creature being held captive in a lab. When Eliza - who is mute - discovers that she can communicate with the creature, they become inseparable. The story that unfolds is one of courage, strength, and resilience in the face of overwhelming odds.

I hope you'll pick up this book because it was worth reading, even after seeing the movie and having a preconceived notion of what things looked, felt, and sounded like.

Book 190: The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen (Audiobook)

I am so-o-o-o lucky to have a coworker who is happy to share her advanced listener's copies of audio books. That's how I got my hands on this fantastic book.

It started out a little bit slow... but in no time I was hooked on the story so cleverly assembled by the authors. Every time I had to get out of the car, I was upset that I didn't have more time to listen.

The Wife Between Us is the story of two women who fall in love with the same man. Their stories are interwoven in such a way that it's almost impossible to tell them apart. And when the surprises come, they aren't just surprises... they're thrills... the kind that give you goosebumps when you realize you've been wrong all along.

I can't tell you much more without blowing the big secrets in the book, but the themes are clear. Abuse comes in many forms. Perception is everything. And people who will lie about the little things will lie about big things.

Definitely, definitely, definitely pick this up and read it. And pay attention.

Book 189: Origin by Dan Brown (Audiobook)

The author of The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons wrote this book last year and it was heralded by everyone who read it as amazing. I'm not sure I'd use that word to describe it, but it certainly was entertaining.

I really like Dan Brown for his original stories and the fascinating way he weaves together fact and fiction. Origin didn't disappoint at all in that aspect. In fact, I can't imagine how much research Brown had to conduct to create the story lines of Origin and his previous books.

Where I feel he falls short, though, is in the dialogue. The main character, Robert Langdon, is the same professor that unraveled the mysteries in the books cited above. In those books and in Origin, when Professor Langdon explains something to another character, it's almost like he's reading the information out of a textbook. For me, the dialogue makes the exchanges feel disingenuous.

Other than that one small thing, Origin was a fascinating read. I loved the characters and plot twists. Like The DaVinci Code, Origin makes you question what you thought you knew about the world around you. Brown uses his characters to hypothesize about Earth's beginnings and the future of humanity. I was absolutely fascinated.

May 15 - The Halfway Point for the May Guest Blogger Project

Well, it's May 15, which should be the halfway point for the May guest blogger project, but it looks like we'll be heading into June (just a bit) to be sure to include everyone.

I've learned some important lessons thus far:

1) Everyone - and I do mean everyone - has a story to tell.

2) My guest bloggers love when other people react to their stories. (Keep the comments and the shares coming!)

3) Not every post is right for everyone, and that's okay. We all digest these blog posts differently. It's why I decided to ask such a wide variety of writers to contribute.

Keep on reading - there's more gold coming in the second half of the month!

💙💙💙

Tomorrow, the adventure begins.

I am so excited to present to you, beginning tomorrow, May 1, my guest blog project.

Each day, you’ll find a new blog post from a featured author who may be your neighbor or a bestselling author. They may live on the other side of the world or right down the road. I’m so pleased to be the window through which you’ll get your view of their work.

Some authors have never told their own stories. Some haven't put pen to paper since high school. Nevertheless, their stories are beautiful, unique, and important. In some cases, you’ll learn something completely new.

I hope you’ll come back every day in May to read these fantastic blog posts. I’m so proud to present them to you.

Much love,

Esther Curtis
The Ardent Reader
www.parrotcontent.com

Book 187: A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership by Former FBI Director James Comey

Well, I rolled through this book in no time at all. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. And it was a relatively easy read.

Unless you've lived under a rock for the past two years, you know James Comey is the FBI Director who assumed his job in 2013 under Barack Obama and was fired in 2017 by Donald Trump. He wasn't even directly informed: he received news of his dismissal when he heard it on the news. 

This book detailed important milestones responsible for shaping James Comey's understanding and appreciation of real integrity and leadership. He told the story of his work as a prosecutor and attorney general and later, his rise to the position of FBI director. He told of the difficulty of the Hillary Clinton email scandal and the heat he took for handling it the way he did. And finally, he detailed his conversations with Donald Trump up to his unorthodox dismissal from his position. 

I received my Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership (BSOL) in 2016, so I found that I had a unique perspective on this book. Many tenets of leadership that I learned in my studies were embodied in Comey's experience. I loved his dedication to the separation of the FBI from political influences. I loved his commitment to justice. I think many people can relate to his desire to remain at arm's length from a president who so clearly could care less about integrity and facts. 

I hope you pick this up and read it, because it's not a difficult read, and it really explains a lot that I've wanted to know. 

Hangin' Out My Shingle for Freelance Writing Services

Hey folks, sorry I haven't blogged here for a while.

At the beginning of March, I began building my side hustle, called Parrot Content & Copy. Right now it's in its beginning stages, and I'm excited to get it started.

I'm also getting geared up for my guest blogger month in May, and I've already got some great writers signed up. I can't wait to get it moving.

Also, I'm still finishing Fiona Barton's audiobook The Child, which I'll post a review for in a few days when it's done.

Here's my site: I hope you'll come and visit. I'm blogging there every morning and adding to my services each and every day.

Thank you for reading!

Es

Calling all would-be bloggers!

Have you ever thought about what stories or wisdom you can offer to others? Well, maybe it's time to see what you can do!

I'm dedicating the month of May to guest bloggers. So far, 17 people have decided to take the plunge. Their topics include everything from their own book recommendations to living with chronic illness, recovering from addiction, and more.

If you'd like you try your hand at blogging, please send me an email about yourself and the topic you'd like to write about! I'll assign you a date and you can take it from there. If you don't know how to start, let me know, and we can work on your post together. The more diversity and variation, the better! Email me at ejhcurtis@gmail.com if you'd like to take the plunge.

Your voice matters! Let's hear it!

P.S. I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I reserve the right to reject any blog submissions that I deem inappropriate for my audience. No hate speech or profanity will be tolerated!

Book 171: What Happened by Hillary Clinton (Unfinished)

I wanted to finish this book, but I lost momentum halfway through, then my library loan ended, and I wasn't going to buy a $15 digital copy for my Kindle so I could finish it. Truth be told, this book is just too long to read in a few days, so I'm moving on.

Still, this is what I have to say about it.

Whether you love her or hate her, it's difficult to deny that Hillary Clinton has incredible resilience. No one wants to talk about their own failures (and some people ignore them completely), but through this book, Hillary explored her own to understand how and why they happened. She admitted her own shock and humiliation at losing the 2016 election and kept on going. She wrote about her mistakes before and during the campaign and the lessons she's learned because of them. She also wrote about what she did right. For her, I think writing this book was therapeutic. It was also very smart, because the book sold like crazy when it was published.

If you decide to pick this up, give yourself ample time to read it. You'll also need an open mind.