Recently Read

Had some family in town over the weekend, got a bit distracted, but now I'm back for updates. What I have read recently: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (see previous posting) In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner (also a major motion picture in theaters now) I enjoyed the movie, and I wanted more, so I read the book. I wanted more detail on the Grandmother/Shirley MacLaine character. The movie had more about her than the book did. It was an entertaining read, good "chick lit" if I can be so bold/rude/cliche. The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio by Terry Ryan (another motion picture in theaters now) I heard Terry Ryan on NPR a few years back and was fascinated by her mother's story. I heard they were making a movie with Julianne Moore and decided I would see it. It's not deep. It's a bit corny and it is sweet in that predictable kind of way. There was one scene that did surprise me because it didn't go in the traditional movie way you thought it might. I appreciated that originality but wished there was more. But hey this is a blog about books, not movies. (I LOVE MOVIES, but this is not that blog. That blog would be a full time job...) I bought the book to get more insight into the contesting lifestyle that Mrs. Ryan lived. Her whole life was pretty hard and how she stayed so positive for so long is amazing. Even more amazing is the real life ending after her husband dies -- his secret that he kept for her. That was totally Hollywood --but actually real. Never Have Your Dog Stuffed by Alan Alda I love Memoirs. I love biographies. I love true stories about real people, real characters. (In another post I'll go into more details on this topic.) I like Alan Alda. I didn't really know much about him except for his role on MASH and more recently his hosting job on Scientific American Frontiers. I didn't realize how much writing he has done. I didn't know his father was a relatively famous actor (forgive me I'm under 40 and grew up on a rock in the Pacific.) The book is a fun read, makes me want to have more conversations with him.