My Horizontal Life - Chelsea Handler - Book Review

I don't think anyone will say that this is a significant book, like "WAR AND PEACE" or "The Grapes of Wrath", but it's not badly written, and it's based on the true events in the author's life.



Chelsea Handler has now written three books, and I've read and reviewed two of them. This one is her first, and it tells the story of how she came to grow up a little. In the process, she makes many (very funny) mistakes, and paints a picture of many (very memorable) characters.



I would say this is definitely an airplane book - you know, something to read to keep you preoccupied and not thinking about the thin air just outside the plane window. It could be a good beach book, too. I'm sure somewhere in there she reminds you to wear your sunscreen, probably by telling you a hilarious story about sun poisoning.

I could see clearly that there was a journey that Chelsea's character was taking through life - through the course of the book. It echoed so many "novels" I've read.

I also liked the love/hate relationship she seemed to be describing with one of her gay male friends. The experiences seemed like they were so close to true (even though they were clearly meant to be caricatures of the real thing) that they rang true.

I also could relate to Chelsea's experiences with her family members. I could relate to them, because even though your family members have known you for decades, they still act in ways that indicate they don't really understand you. I'm sure that's true for everyone.

I wouldn't put this book on your bucket list, unless you work for Chelsea, but it's fun. It is published by Bloomsbury. I don't doubt you can find it at www.chelsea-handler.com.

Book Review - The School of Essential Ingredients - Erica Bauermeister

This is the first book I've read by Erica Bauermeister. Heather suggested it to me. (Heather is my wife, for those of you new to my blog.)

I REALLY enjoyed this book. It has a lot of cooking in it, as you might expect from the title. But, it has a lot of good stories about the individuals who attend the cooking school mentioned in the title. Some are sad, even tragic, most are uplifting in a way you didn't expect.

The chef who runs the school has an interesting life, and there is an element of mystery about her. The book is very engaging, and it is easy to read several chapters without noticing the time or anything else around you.

The story is told from multiple points of view - the students from the class each have their own story. The author weaves the stories together as the students attend class each week. I think only one of the stories has a flash back, but that one is not too hard to keep straight.

The book is strongly recommended.

Liquid Poetry - Wine Review - Monte Alegre

Well, this is a first for me. A wine review. I must say though that when you run across something good enough, it just makes you want to say something to someone.



I was first introduced to the marvelous wine called port, in that dreadful but somehow irresistible cheese spread our grandparents all seemed to keep a tub of in their refrigerators. I remember looking at it and passing it by, since it seemed (like many things in my grandmother's refrigerator) to have somehow spoiled and not been noticed.



But eventually I tried it and was hooked, on the cheese spread that is, still not ever having tried the wine itself.



Trying the wine itself would have to wait several years for my good friend Anita, who suggested it for dessert at one of our get togethers. I liked it - how it was sweet, yet complex, and full of rich but distinct flavors.

Well, recently, we were in Carbondale Illinois, of all places, visiting a friend and trying out one of the wineries. The tasting was wonderful, with the owner giving us many samples, along with bits of the right accompaniment for that particular wine - a bit of apple with one, a bit of chocolate with the port. So, I highly recommend Monte Alegre winery, and good port wine. In this case, the port wine is called "Liquid Poetry", which is so appropriate.

I recommend you try port for dessert, or with dessert. Alternate sips of the port with bits of the dessert. It is for sipping, not drinking. I hope you enjoy it.

Book Reviews - Practical Demonkeeping - Christopher Moore

This is Christopher Moore's debut novel, and now that he has 12 novels out, and I've read some of the later ones, I can see that this one is not quite as good, but still fun.

The books are funny, creative, and have a reasonable plot progression. Sometimes they are a little bit predictable, but you stick with it just to see what happens. They vary from light fare to tougher stuff.

I would say they are irreverent at times, but other times right down the middle of the strike zone, if you know what I mean. Perhaps the old observation is true that you see in a book what you bring to it.

For me, these books are fun, inventive, irreverent, sometimes unpredictable, wry, amusing, and sometimes inexorably predictable in a perplexing kind of way.

I commented to a friend recently that part of why I write book reviews is because I read them, and want to make the most of my limited opportunity to read books. I want to know if a book is worth slogging through for 600 pages. Sometimes you can't really tell early in a book.

I read a book many years ago by Robert Silverberg called "Dying Inside" that really illustrates this point. I had tried to read it several times. I didn't enjoy the book each time I tried, although I could somehow sense that the author was really good. Finally I made it to the last 7 pages, and the payoff was there.

I would not read "Dying Inside" again because only that last 7 pages was worth it, and the book was so impactful that I'll never need to read it again - I won't forget the lesson.

In a different way, I am glad that I read "Practical Demonkeeping", but I am equally sure that I won't read it again. Other books by Moore are better, so if I read some of his books again, it will be other selections.

A New Baby Boy on the way

Now is a very exciting time in the story of Kurt and Heather. We are adopting a baby boy! All of the usual excitement about decorating the nursery, making sure we have at least one of every thing, plus the usual nervousness about being a parent!

On top of all this are the complexities that are involved in adopting a baby. Nowadays you have to pass numerous background checks. We heard just a few days ago that we passed our FBI background checks. Our home study is basically complete, and we are just days away from the birth of our baby.

We weren't worried, since we have nothing untoward in our background, but it's a bit unnerving to think that all of these government agencies (DHS, FBI, Child Abuse Registry, et cetera) have their eyes on us... .

We have been matched with a young mother who feels that she can not care for another child properly, and so she is making an adoption plan for this new baby. So, we are expecting a baby in a very literal way. We are waiting for her call, and each time she texts or calls, we wonder "is it now?"

Sometime in the next few weeks, we'll be getting that call, dropping everything, grabbing our last few items, and jumping in the truck to drive to another state, and just hope we can get there in time to see our baby's birth.

Please be thinking of us at this exciting and nerve wracking time!

book review - 7 things he'll never tell you

7 things he'll never tell you

{but you need to know}

by Dr. Kevin Leman

Here's another book by an author I've never read before. It's a "relationship" book published by Tyndale House Publishers, and it is a Christian oriented book, by which I mean that it quotes the occasional Bible verse, and has an essentially fundamentalist view of relationships. However, I think that the author does a good job of talking about marital relationships without depending too much on authority (meaning Bible verses) or too much on logic (since the only logic in human relationships is not the usual kind).

I picked it up at the airport when I was looking for something to divert myself for the flight from Dallas to Tucson. I read most of it on the flight. It's really pretty well written, and makes simple points. It's actually written for a woman to read, but I found it accessible without being offensive - no male bashing to speak of, at least none that wasn't good humored.

I finished it up over supper, and found myself thinking of concrete ways I could apply the message in my own life. To me, that's a good sign that the book is easy to read and easy to apply in one's life.

The author is a trained psychologist, radio and television personality, humorist, and speaker. I had never heard of him, but perhaps I don't listen to the right stations. But, the insight and advice given rings true. From my perspective, the advice seems like things that would be helpful in my own life.

I'd recommend the book, and found it enjoyable to read, even humorous from time to time. It took me about three hours to get through it. I'm sure I'll read it again in a year or two.

I can't say that much for most "relationship" books. Most of them I have a hard time getting through in the first place, much less reading them again.

Book Review - The Outer Limits - Volume 1

The four authors involved in this volume are Harlan Ellison, Diane Duane, John M. Ford, and Howard V. Hendrix.

These four stories in volume 1 are associated with the television series, either the original or the revival.

These stories are good examples of the reason I read science fiction. Each has its particular sub-genre - whether that is a war story, horror story, or even a variation on a famous theme - in this case a Frankenstein story and an "it came from outer space" story. But all of these stories are unique and original in their own way. Each makes you think and imagine and reconsider the world around you as if it might not be quite what you thought it was.

I have read a number of Harlan Ellison's works, and his is a staggering talent and imagination. I would highly recommend you read at least a few of his stories.

Diane Duane is a competent writer and I've enjoyed several of her books. They are worth reading, and she seems able to work within and respect whatever world or assumptions she starts with. Perhaps that is a mark of a truly great writer.

The other two authors I am not familiar with, although their work in this volume is very good.

If you are not familiar with the television series "The Outer Limits", it ran in the mid-1960's, and then a decent revival in the 1990's. Although it only ran a season and a half in its original incarnation, it has proven to be a classic and seems to be available every so often on the Sci Fi channel or elsewhere on cable TV.

At the time, I don't think there was anything else like it, or if there were things in the same general bent, they didn't seem to be as serious and thought-provoking. The series is well worth looking up. These four stories are either the stories upon which the teleplays were based or vice versa, stories that were written based on the teleplays.

It's worth a read. I've read it twice myself. The book is published by Prima Publishing.

Book Review, Race Against Time, by Piers Anthony

I picked this up at the half price book store a few days ago. It's been an easy read, and although I don't know if other reviewers would classify it as a juvenile book, I think it would be accessible to the teen age reader. The central hero is a teenaged boy, and there is another teenaged character as well.

I mentioned it to my kids as something they might like to read - they like Piers Anthony's other book groups.

This book has several historical themes, and various built in commentaries on the concept of race, and the sweep of history. It also has an element of mystery in it as the characters find their place in the world. I would say most people would classify it as science fiction, although the science plays a part in the story, but not a dominant one.

I enjoyed it, and found it to be a quick read. It is 224 pages in paperback, and was written in 1973. It is published by TOR books.

I liked it enough to recommend it to others, and I would say I might read it again some day.

Book Review, Darwin's Children, Greg Bear

I had read several other Greg Bear short stories and one novel, "Blood Music" so I was somewhat familiar with his work. I was prepared for a liberal dose of science in the book. In addition, a friend had recommended "Darwin's Radio", the previous book in this story line. I never got around to reading it, and I think I even gave the book away.

I think I'll go back and read "Darwin's Radio", now that I've read this book, although it might be anti-climactic. The book "Darwin's Children" has real pathos, and as a parent myself, I could really relate to the strain that raising children puts on a marriage, as dramatized in the book.

Of course, there is a lot more to this book. It is science fiction, if you like your science fiction with a lot of science in light touches throughout the book, including the "e-paper" and of course the many biological concepts that are central to the story.

As an aside, I've always preferred science fiction books where the science makes the story possible - in other words, the science is integral to the story. I also prefer science fiction where the story lets you see how technology would alter society. I have seen that happen in real life as I have aged, and it is interesting to see what the author comes up with - to see where his or her thinking takes him, and what that might mean about their viewpoint.

I can see myself reading this again in a couple of years, so I'd call it a good book. It definitely required some concentration, so it might be iffy for travel, but it was engaging, and I didn't really get tired of reading it.

The book is published by Random House, and runs 380 pages.

Book Review, The Summer Guest, Justin Cronin

This book was recommended by my wife, H. The author is a Hemingway Award Winning author. The blurb on the back cover is effusive in its praise of the book, with several authors and reviewers giving praise. It is a multigenerational story, beginning with a patriarch on the battlefields of Italy, which we see in flashback.

It took me a while to get into the book, and based on the blurb, I was determined to get through it and get the payoff. The author certainly is skilled in describing the scenery, the emotions of the characters, and evoking an image of what life was like at each point in time. The characters are well drawn and easy to picture as well. Several times I had an "ah hah" moment where I could really identify with the person and their struggles.

The book is written in rotation between major characters - one chapter may be from Harry's point of view, another from Joe's, then Kate's, etc. At times I found this confusing. I also struggled with the flashbacks. After each flashback I could tell the author was revealing things at the same pace that the other characters were learning about them, but sometimes it seemed just a bit too contrived.

The characters also seemed a bit too - well, noble. Wouldn't real people complain a bit more? Hesitate? Prevaricate? It certainly was very clear that the characters learned and lived and loved just as you would expect. Equally clear is the author's command of the language, and admiration for the back woods of Maine. But I just didn't enjoy it.

There were several interesting historical points which reminded me of my own experience, such as the characters' comments on President Nixon, or the way the Vietnam War draft dodgers were woven into the story. I remember evening news reports about these things when I was growing up.

So, I'm going to categorize this one as "won't read again" and "might try another from this author".

The book is published by Bantam Dell, and runs 369 pages.

book review - Chelsea Handler - Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea

I would be the first one to admit that this book is not great literature (no offense, Chelsea), but I enjoyed it nonetheless. There are parts of this book that are laugh out loud funny, others that are sad, others that shed light on Chelsea's personality.

If making you want to read other books by the same author is a mark of a good book, then this one gets my vote. I want to read the other books, now that I've read this one. I must say she seems like an unlikely author, but she does have a lot to say, and knows how to say it.

This book was a quick read, and I didn't want to put it down. When I finished, I mentioned to my wife that it reminded me of another friend's situation. She pointed out three major differences between Chelsea's experience and our other friend's situation. I suppose that Chelsea's book made her experiences relateable to other people. I assume that's why I could see other people experiencing similar problems in their own life.

Any thoughts, anyone?

Walking in Circles Before Lying Down, by Merrill Markoe

When I first took a look at this book, I didn't really expect much out of it. My darling wife said it was "okay", so perhaps that is why.

But once I got a chapter into the book, I found that I didn't want to put it down. The characters are vivid and believable, and the central heroine is sympathetic, to say the least.

Someone commented to me the other day that they didn't know I was a dog person, but I guess I am. I've had a dog several times in my life, and much prefer them to cats. If you are a dog person, then you'll be more likely to enjoy this book.

There are two things that stand out in my mind about this book, and the first is that the dogs in this story talk to our heroine. I found them to be pretty believable. I mean, once you get past the whole dogs talking thing. In other words, if dogs really did possess the capacity to speak, and remained dog-like in all other ways, it seems like this is how they would speak.

The other thing that stands out about the book is how realistic the relationships between men and women seem to be. Seriously, her first boyfriend in the book is such a jerk. But, I've heard people say things nearly the same in real life. And, it's likely they don't realize how they sound.

I really enjoyed the book, and recommend it for when you want something light, or for when you think your life sucks and you want some diversion.

My favorite quote from the book: "Throw the ball. You know you want to."

I recommend the book.

"To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee

My daughter's teacher mentioned that they had read this book in class. I mentioned that I had never read it. She was incredulous. All I can say is that we read other books in our high school.

So, she lent me a copy and I read it. It's a good book. I understand it is the only book Harper Lee ever wrote. It is worth reading. It is a good story about growing up, and delves into themes of racism and the different kinds of people who surround you. I can see how some would possibly call this their favorite book, or a "classic". I don't think it's good enough to buy a copy for myself, but I think it should be on your "to read" list, and perhaps on your "must read" list.

The copyright date is 1960, but it seems like it is set in an earlier time, since it mentions one of the men getting a WPA job, which would put it in the 1930's. It doesn't seem dated, even now.

The copy I read was published by Warner Books, and runs 281 pages. I'm glad my daughter's teacher recommended it.