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Picture of a book: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

John Boyne
I hardly know where to begin bashing this book. Do I start with the 9-year-old boy and his 12-year-old sister, who read about 6 and 8, respectively? The imperial measurements (miles, feet) despite the German setting? The German boy, raised in Berlin, who thinks that Der Führer is "The Fury" and Auschwitz is "Out-With," despite being corrected several times and seeing it written down? The other English-language idioms and mis-hearings, despite our being told that he speaks only German? And that he believes that "Heil Hitler!" is a fancy word for hello, because he understands neither "Heil" nor "Hitler"?So maybe these are fussy issues, and I shouldn't trash the book on these minor linguistic flaws. Instead, I can start with the plot holes big enough to drive a truck through: that Bruno, whose father is a high-ranking official in "The Fury"'s regime, doesn't know what a Jew is, or that he's living next door to a concentration camp. Or that the people wearing the "striped pajamas" are being killed, and THAT's why they don't get up after the soldiers stand close to them and there are sounds "like gunshots." Or that there's a section of fence that is (a) unpatrolled and (b) can be lifted from the ground high enough to pass food and, eventually, a small boy through, AND that nobody would try to get OUT through this hole. Or that Bruno's friend Shmuel, a frail 9-year-old boy, would survive over a year in a Nazi camp. Or even the author's refusal to ever use the word "Auschwitz," in an effort to "make this book about any camp, to add a universality to Bruno's experience."That last is from an interview with the author that appears at the end of the audio version. I can't speak to most of what he said, because it was a lot of "here are all the places that are hyping my book," but the worst part of it, to me, was where he was addressing criticisms: "there are people who complain that Bruno is too innocent, too naive, and they are trivializing the message of this book." Um, no. I'm not trivializing the message; I'm objecting to his trivializing of the Holocaust. I find his treatment of the Holocaust to be superficial, misleading, and even offensive.As an audio recording, I'm pretty neutral. The narrator did the best he could with the material and there was some differentiation between the characters' voices, but the music that was added... some chapters ended with appropriately-somber music. Other chapters had no music at all. Sometimes the music appeared in the middle of a chapter. Two other incidental notes: first, normally you can't say anything negative about a Holocaust-themed book without being an asshole, because the books are so tied in with the Holocaust itself. In this case, though, I feel like, due to the fictionalizing of it, the book is far enough removed from Auschwitz that it's okay to be negative about the book without being insensitive about the Holocaust. Second, this doesn't land on my "run away! Save yourself!" shelf, because that's more for books that are comically bad--books that I can bash with glee and mock with abandon. I can't find anything funny about what makes this book so bad; it's just plain offensive and shallow.
Picture of a book: Gone Girl
books

Gone Girl

Gillian Flynn
Marriage can be a real killer.On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn.Source: gillian-flynn.com
Picture of a book: The Good Luck of Right Now
books

The Good Luck of Right Now

Matthew Quick
Call it fate. Call it synchronicity. Call it an act of God. Call it . . . The Good Luck of Right Now. From The New York Times bestselling author of The Silver Linings Playbook comes an entertaining and inspiring tale that will leave you pondering the rhythms of the universe and marveling at the power of kindness and love.For thirty-eight years, Bartholomew Neil has lived with his mother. When she gets sick and dies, he has no idea how to be on his own. His redheaded grief counselor, Wendy, says he needs to find his flock and leave the nest. But how does a man whose whole life has been grounded in his mom, Saturday mass, and the library learn how to fly?Bartholomew thinks he’s found a clue when he discovers a “Free Tibet” letter from Richard Gere hidden in his mother’s underwear drawer. In her final days, mom called him Richard—there must be a cosmic connection. Believing that the actor is meant to help him, Bartholomew awkwardly starts his new life, writing Richard Gere a series of highly intimate letters. Jung and the Dalai Lama, philosophy and faith, alien abduction and cat telepathy, the Catholic Church and the mystery of women are all explored in his soul-baring epistles. But mostly the letters reveal one man’s heartbreakingly earnest attempt to assemble a family of his own.A struggling priest, a “Girlbrarian,” her feline-loving, foul-mouthed brother, and the spirit of Richard Gere join the quest to help Bartholomew. In a rented Ford Focus, they travel to Canada to see the cat Parliament and find his biological father . . . and discover so much more.
Picture of a book: The Wife Between Us: The First Four Chapters
books

The Wife Between Us: The First Four Chapters

Shaun Fleming, Sarah Pekkanen
“A clever thriller with masterful twists.” – Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of The Kept Woman "A fiendishly clever romantic thriller in the vein of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. This one will keep you guessing." –Anita Shreve, New York Times bestselling author of The Stars are Fire"The Wife Between Us delivers a whip smart, twisty plot in a taut, pacy narrative. It's terrific and troubling. This is one scary love triangle where you won't know who to trust. I loved it." –Gilly Macmillan, New York Times bestselling author of What She Knew"A twisty, mind-bending novel about marriage and betrayal. A gripping plot and fascinating characters; this book will keep you turning the pages and guessing until the very end. A must-read!" –Lauren Weisberger, New York Times bestselling author of The Devil Wears PradaA novel of suspense from authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen that explores the complexities of marriage and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.You will assume you are reading about a jealous wife and her obsession with her replacement.You will assume you are reading about a woman about to enter a new marriage with the man she loves.You will assume the first wife was a disaster and that the husband was well rid of her.You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships.Assume nothing.Discover the next blockbuster novel of suspense, and get ready for the read of your life.
Picture of a book: Wonderful Tonight
books

Wonderful Tonight

Penny Junor, Pattie Boyd
3.5 StarsI typically only read and review romance and SMUT. Duh. But if I'm reading any other genre, it's usually Biography, namely those related to sports and musicians. Pattie Boyd, an English model, was the wife of two of the best musicians of all time: George Harrison of the Beatles and Eric Clapton, a solo artist and also member of bands such as Cream, the Yardbirds, and Derek and the Dominoes. I have always loved the Beatles (how can you not?) and Eric Clapton (as a musician, not necessarily as a human being, per say). And I always find song inspirations to be fascinating. Pattie was famously cited as being the inspiration for Clapton hits "Layla" (which he wrote when he was actively trying to steal Boyd from Harrison, LOL) and "Wonderful Tonight," (after he jacked her ass and they were married) thus the book title, obviously. Here she is with George: And later, with Clapton: As with any biography I rate/review, I am rating based solely on my level of enjoyment/entertainment. Because you can't rate someone's life. Well, I mean, you can. But that would make you an asshole. Regardless, I found this book to be very interesting on a superficial level. It was interesting to get some behind the scenes information about what was going on during some of the most exciting decades in music history. Now, who knows how accurate any these accounts truly are, but one thing was clear:Boyd got cheated on. A LOT. Seriously, I felt bad for ole girl. According to this book, Harrison would bang other women right in their house. WHILE she was home. Sounds like a crappy romance novel, right?And it's common knowledge that Clapton not only cheated on her, but had a child with another woman while married to Pattie. DA-YUM. That blows. Some other interesting things in this book were, of course, the accounts of the rampant drug use and how this affected everyone, as well as the fact that Harrison stopped listening to or allowing the playing of any outside music after being accused of plagiarizing another artist. Overall, I thought this was an entertaining read. The writing itself was kind of choppy and, as I said above, who knows how true everything in here actually is....but whatever!All in all a decent read if you can get it for cheap. And the moral of the story is:Don't marry a famous musician.Find me at: