That Just Happened!

Halpern, Adena.  29.  Touchstone (2010).

What if you closed your eyes, blew out the candles and your wish came true?

Ellie Jerome is a young-at-heart 75-year old who relates more to her 25-year old granddaughter Lucy than to her 55-year old daughter Barbara.  Ellie’s done everything she can to stay young, and the last thing she wants is to celebrate another birthday. So when she finds herself confronted with a cake full of candles, Ellie wishes more than anything that she could be twenty-nine again, just for one day.  But who expects a wish like that to come true?

From the Author’s Website

When I read the review by Jen @ Devourer of Books, I was excited, because this seemed like just the kind of book I was looking for.  Light, fluffy, all in all a nice summer read.  I totally agree with her assessment of the book.  I also liked the author’s ability to write the character as though she were a 75 year old in a 29 year old’s body and kept it consistent through out the novel.  I was totally surprised by the last part of the book, though.  I know Jen mentioned that it was deeper than she thought, but I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so sad.  I ultimately came to like the ending, so that made up for it.  I found that I really could empathize with the characters and the book did evoke some verbal reactions from me.  Some, “oh, come on!“‘s and “Oh, for pete’s sake!”‘s definitely came out of my mouth, especially when reading scenes involving Ellie’s daughter. 

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a nice (end of…boo!)  summer read, anyone who likes reading books from a different perspective, and anyone who enjoys the story line of Freaky Friday and all variations thereof.  Put it on Your TBR list.  You can read Jen’s review of the book here.

Shulman, Polly.  The Grimm Legacy.  The Penguin Group (2010).

Lonely at her new school, Elizabeth takes a job at the New York Circulating Material Repository, hoping to make new friends as well as pocket money. The Repository is no ordinary library. It lends out objects rather than books—everything from tea sets and hockey sticks to Marie Antoinette’s everyday wig.

It’s also home to the Grimm Collection, a secret room in the basement. That’s where the librarians lock away powerful items straight out of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales:  seven-league boots, a table that produces a feast at the blink of an eye, Snow White’s stepmother’s sinister mirror that talks in riddles and has a will of its own.

When the magical objects start to disappear, Elizabeth and her new friends embark on a dangerous quest to catch the thief before they’re accused of the crime themselves—or the thief captures them.

From the Author’s Website

I first heard of this book over at Amanda’s A Patchwork of Books.  She gave it 4 out of 5 stars and I was immediately intrigued when I read that this involved fairy tales and magic items.  To read her review go here.

I love fairy tales (though usually the Disney kind).  I love a good mystery.  I love books that sound plausible.  I loved everything about this book!  It was easy to read and I felt, quite suspenseful.  I appreciated how the author acknowledged that all fairy tales focus on good and evil.  Not everything has a happy ending and not everything is as lovely as it seems, and how these objects are used reflects that.  Being a bibliophile, I can totally appreciate the awesomeness that would be working in a library, even if it is a “Material Repository”.  The characters are really well-written and it was easy to see the continuity of the good and evil theme.  I don’t want to say too much about this book because I really want you to discover it for yourself.  From the obvious parallel of Cinderella to Elizabeth’s family, to the quest to save a princess, this is a book that I feel would appeal to everyone.  I am totally going to check out the first book by this author, Enthusiasm.

I say this one is a Must Read!!  If you do, let me know what you thought!

Jacobs, A.J. The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment.  (Simon & Schuster (2010).

On a mission to understand the mysteries of modern life – from love to work to fame – I became a human guinea pig. I immersed myself in a series of radical lifestyle experiments. I changed the way I thought, talked and looked. I followed old wisdom and new science. I saw the world from the eyes of a woman. I followed the wisdom of George Washington. I outsourced my life. I engaged, I’m afraid to say, in public nudity. (Not all at the same time).

These experiments wreaked havoc on my life, and drove both my wife and me to the brink of insanity, but also gave me fascinating insights.

From the Author’s Website

I really enjoyed The Year of Living Biblically    and really looked forward to reading this one.  I think Jacobs has such a great sense of humour (although his wife surpasses him…she has to put up with it, after all) and it really lends itself to these crazy experiments.  This book sees Jacobs; discovering what George Washington would do, trying to uni-task, practicing Radical Honesty, standing in for a celebrity, outsourcing his life, trying to be more rational, experiencing life as a beautiful woman, being naked, and finally doing something for his wife and becoming her slave for a whole month.  In each experiment Jacobs learns some things, both good and bad, and talks about how they changed his life (in a small or big way). 

I always feel like I could live vicariously through him and I often think to myself, “thank goodness he did that, so I can learn the lesson without actually having to doit”.  For example, perhaps it’s the unadventurous side of me, or maybe it’s the pathological liar in me, but I don’t think I would ever want to practice Radical Honesty.  Yes, it is exactly what it sounds like, and my life is just easier when I can tell little white lies.  I have strived to tell the truth at all times, but after reading about Jacobs’ experience with it, I realize sometimes it’s just better not to.

His writing is funny and honest and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who ever wondered what it would be like to live according to George Washington’s code.  I’ll also tell you there was one really glaring spelling mistake I had difficulty reading past.  I would say this was a Put on Your TBR List.