Review: Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

Publish date: 1997
Source: Library
Format: Ebook
Length: 337 pages
"A bank of clouds was assembling on the not-so-distant horizon, but journalist-mountaineer Jon Krakauer, standing on the summit of Mt. Everest, saw nothing that "suggested that a murderous storm was bearing down." He was wrong. The storm, which claimed five lives and left countless more--including Krakauer's--in guilt-ridden disarray, would also provide the impetus for Into Thin Air, Krakauer's epic account of the May 1996 disaster." (Goodreads)

Into Thin Air might seem like an odd book for someone like me to read, as a person who reads mostly YA and not a lot of nonfiction, but I read one of his other novels, Into the Wild, a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I read it because I was going to teach it, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I actually enjoyed it. I'd meant to read Into Thin Air ever since then, but didn't pick it up until recently when I was trudging through a book I needed to read for my student book club, but was not enjoying it at all. I look through the ebooks my library had available, saw Into Thin Air, and promptly downloaded it. I read it over 3 days and loved it!

Into Thin Air is about the May 1996 disaster on Mt. Everest in which 5 people died. Jon Krakauer was one of the climbers, but he was actually sent as a journalist (who actually had a lot of mountain climbing experience) to write a story about the expedition. I have zero desire to climb a mountain (I mean, it's interesting and I'm interested in it, but not in actually doing it), but I still found this book so intriguing and satisfying. 

Jon Krakauer writes the kind of nonfiction that I just greedily gobble up. I love how much research he pours into everything he writes: everyone's backstories, lots of historical information, scientific information, and just lots of honesty in everything. I also love his writing style itself. It's so compelling that it reads just like fiction and a very exciting piece of fiction at that. I never wanted to put this down!

There were some afterwords added to this that I appreciated a lot. Some people on the expedition didn't like how Krakauer explained this, so they told their side to people and the afterwords were basically explanations of that. If you plan on reading this book, definitely read everything included!

I highly recommend Krakauer's work, especially Into Thin Air. Even if you think you don't like nonfiction or stories about mountain climbing, I would still give this a shot. 

Review: The Glass Castle

Author: Jeannette Walls
Publish date: 2005
Source: Classroom library
"Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children’s imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn’t stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an “excitement addict.” Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.

Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town—and the family—Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents’ betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.

What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms." (Goodreads)

I've been meaning to read The Glass Castle for probably 2 years now but lamely never got around to it until a couple weeks ago. I predictably really enjoyed it and would recommend it for anyone who likes memoirs.

I really like reading memoirs because it's just crazy how different everyone's lives are. My life is NOTHING like Jeannette Walls's was, but it was fascinating and horrifying to read about her life, especially her childhood. I just could not believe some of the decisions that her parents made for their family, specifically regarding basic necessities like food and electricity. Basically my jaw was permanently dropped while reading and I even stopped to read some parts out loud to whomever was near me at the time.

My only complaint about The Glass Castle is that the ending seemed really rushed. I would have liked to know more about Jeannette's later years and more about how her parents lived in New York City. I'm also still very curious about the other Walls siblings, although I obviously understand why they might not want to broadcast their stories like Jeannette did.

That all said, I liked this book a lot and it's made me want to read more memoirs. Any suggestions for books like this one?

Review: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Publish date: 2007
Source: Purchased
"Author Barbara Kingsolver and her family abandoned the industrial-food pipeline to live a rural life—vowing that, for one year, they'd only buy food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves, or learn to live without it. Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is an enthralling narrative that will open your eyes in a hundred new ways to an old truth: You are what you eat." (Goodreads)

I bought this book at a used bookstore, along with two of Kingsolver's other books, The Poisonwood Bible and Prodigal Summer. I bought them knowing I would read them someday, that proverbial time in the future when I would feel the need to read literature. I forgot about Animal, Vegetable, Miracle until my coworker started talking about it one day and I thought, I just planted a garden and am very interested in sustainable eating habits...time to check this one out. SO GLAD that I did!

The first thing I noticed is that Barbara Kingsolver is a funny lady. I was cracking up from the first chapter to the end and really enjoyed her quiet, intelligent sense of humor. The humor really helped remind me that she and her family are normal people with their quirks, not just a family lucky enough to be able to eat locally. I especially enjoyed her younger daughter Lily's remarks about that year.

I think that this book could be construed as "preachy" if read a certain way. I didn't read it that way and instead enjoyed it as an account of the family's year of eating locally. The family is able to do many things that I can't do, like raise animals or afford only organic food, but that didn't bother me. This book was just a testament to the fact that there are things I CAN do to help support the local economy and eat healthily. I also liked that there are recipes sprinkled throughout the book; I will definitely be trying them this summer, hopefully with food grown from my garden! Maybe someday you'll read a book about me trying to eat locally ;)

I would definitely recommend this if you are looking for an interesting account of food culture. I really liked it and will be keeping it close by this summer!

Review: Nickel and Dimed (audio book)

Author: Barbara Ehrenreich
Narrator: Christine McMurdo-Wallis
Publish date: 2001
Source: Library (audio book)
"Millions of Americans work for poverty-level wages, and one day Barbara Ehrenreich decided to join them. She was inspired in part by the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform, which promised that any job equals a better life. But how can anyone survive, let alone prosper, on $6 to $7 an hour? To find out, Ehrenreich moved from Florida to Maine to Minnesota, taking the cheapest lodgings available and accepting work as a waitress, hotel maid, house cleaner, nursing-home aide, and Wal-Mart salesperson. She soon discovered that even the "lowliest" occupations require exhausting mental and physical efforts. And one job is not enough; you need at least two if you intend to live indoors.

Nickel and Dimed reveals low-wage America in all its tenacity, anxiety, and surprising generosity -- a land of Big Boxes, fast food, and a thousand desperate strategies for survival. Instantly acclaimed for its insight, humor, and passion, this book is changing the way America perceives its working poor."

This was my very first audio book that I have listened to all the way through. I tried a couple fiction books over the summer, but found myself losing interest really quickly. I think with fiction, I like to go back and reread paragraphs a lot, but with nonfiction I can sometimes skim. I figured a nonfiction audio book might be similar to a really long This American Life or something, so I picked up Nickel and Dimed at the library. It was interesting, although frustrating.

First of all, I love the premise of the story. Undercover reporting like that can be really interesting and some parts of this were pretty intriguing. It is infuriating how little people are paid for certain jobs and Ehrenreich definitely exposed that. I also wasn't aware of things like people actually living in motels or cars instead of apartments. I know that sometimes I complain about my salary, but this book really opened my eyes to what other people go through and how good I actually have it. It's incredibly sad that some Americans work 7 days a week and/or 2 jobs just to make enough for rent, let alone food and other expenses.

That said, there were some parts that annoyed me. I wished Ehrenreich would have gone to at least one city that had a large public transit system, like Chicago or NYC. I know that those cities have a higher cost of living, but realistically, low income people live everywhere, including big cities. She rented a car in each city that she worked, so it would have been nice to compare the costs of car rental vs. metro. I also didn't agree with some of her lifestyle choices, like having smoked pot before applying for jobs that required a drug test. If you know you are going to apply for entry level jobs in the near future, why are you doing drugs (and spending money on them)? What an odd part of the story.

Nickel and Dimed was an interesting audio book to listen to, but I'm not sure that I'd recommend it to everyone. It was very interesting to become aware of some people's living situations and I'm glad I did, but I think Ehrenreich could have gone about her research more realistically.

If you've read it, what did you think? I'm definitely curious about other people's opinions.

Review: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Author: Mindy Kaling
Publish date: 2011
Source: Library (ebook)
"Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?” 

Perhaps you want to know what Mindy thinks makes a great best friend (someone who will fill your prescription in the middle of the night), or what makes a great guy (one who is aware of all elderly people in any room at any time and acts accordingly), or what is the perfect amount of fame (so famous you can never get convicted of murder in a court of law), or how to maintain a trim figure (you will not find that information in these pages). If so, you’ve come to the right book, mostly!

In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka."

I've been looking forward to reading this ever since I found out Mindy Kaling was writing a book. She is hilarious on The Office and on Twitter and I, like most others who like her, feel like we could be best friends. This book was definitely proof of it.

This was a fun, quick read at only 222 pages (and pictures!). I read it over two nights, although could have easily done it in one if I didn't have that pesky job I needed to get sleep for. Damn work getting in the way of my reading! Anyway, the whole thing was really entertaining. I thought Mindy was funniest when she was talking about her childhood and her relationship with her close friends. Like I said, the whole thing just cemented the fact that I'd like to be BFF's with her.

The first two thirds of the book flowed really well, but the last third felt a bit forced. She includes some photos from her blackberry and a few essays just weren't as funny as the others. All in all though, very entertaining. I'd love to read more by Mindy and think I will definitely reread this one as an audio book!

Favorite Books of 2011

I am awful at creating lists of favorite things, but I decided to give it a try with books. The book title link will take you to my review. Here goes!

Favorite YA Dystopian/Science Fiction/Paranormal

Delirium by Lauren Oliver: My favorite book of the year. Lauren Oliver is SUCH an amazing writer. I am counting down the days until Pandemonium comes out!

Divergent by Veronica Roth: A great dystopian that takes place in Chicago. Fast-paced and excellent.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin: I'm not sure how to classify this one, but I loved it! Definitely a page turner.

Favorite YA Contemporary
Shine by Lauren Myracle: A fantastic, heartbreaking, and extremely realistic story of homophobia in small town America. I loved the voice of the narrator.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins: I'm usually not one to go for YA romances, but this one was really cute and fun. Stephanie Perkins is great.

Paper Towns by John Green: My first John Green novel and I loved it. What a fantastic author and a male protagonist to boot!

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson: A terrifying and honest foray into the life of someone with anorexia. I'd never read a book like this before and can't believe how intense it was.

Favorite series that I discovered
The Shade series by Jeri Smith-Ready: I tried this at the recommendation of other bloggers and loved it! The first two are out now (Shade and Shift) and Shine comes out next year. It's paranormal, but was so much better than I ever thought paranormal could be!

Favorite nonfiction
The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure: It was awesome to read about someone who has a similar obsession as me. This book was hilarious and anyone who loved Laura Ingalls Wilder should read it.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot: This was the first nonfiction book I've read that felt like fiction. It was so interesting and I stayed up late for a few nights in a rush to finish it.

Review: The Wilder Life

Author: Wendy McClure
Publish date: April 2011
Source: Library

"Wendy McClure is on a quest to find the world of beloved Little House on the Prairie author Laura Ingalls Wilder-a fantastic realm of fiction, history, and places she's never been to, yet somehow knows by heart. She retraces the pioneer journey of the Ingalls family- looking for the Big Woods among the medium trees in Wisconsin, wading in Plum Creek, and enduring a prairie hailstorm in South Dakota. She immerses herself in all things Little House, and explores the story from fact to fiction, and from the TV shows to the annual summer pageants in Laura's hometowns. Whether she's churning butter in her apartment or sitting in a replica log cabin, McClure is always in pursuit of "the Laura experience." Along the way she comes to understand how Wilder's life and work have shaped our ideas about girlhood and the American West.

The Wilder Life is a loving, irreverent, spirited tribute to a series of books that have inspired generations of American women. It is also an incredibly funny first-person account of obsessive reading, and a story about what happens when we reconnect with our childhood touchstones-and find that our old love has only deepened." (from Goodreads)

Let's get this out of the way first: I was and am obsessed with Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House books. My mom bought me the set when we were on a family vacation in Florida, probably because I was whining about having nothing to read. She had no idea what she had created by giving me those innocent little books. I was hooked. I wanted to know Laura. I wanted to be Laura. I wanted to live in the 1800s. I remember even writing a letter to her and sleeping with it under my pillow. Why? I have no idea. Maybe I thought she would magically write back because, you know, she's Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I wanted everything to do with that family and that series of books (and nothing to do with the TV show because, hello, it was all wrong and stupid and WRONG).

When I was 12, we took a family road trip out west and on the drive home (to Michigan), my obnoxious and ever-observant self noticed that we were starting to see signs for De Smet, SD, which is where the Ingalls family finally settled down. I relayed this info to my parents, who didn't really say anything back. This upset me, because I thought maybe we could stop there on the way home. Pre-teen Kyle was bummed. BUT, but, then my parents surprised me and we took a detour to De Smet so I could relive my obsession. Unfortunately, it was a Sunday so most things were closed, but we got to see some buildings and the cemetery where Ma, Pa, Mary, Carrie, and Grace are buried (Laura is in Missouri). I was elated.

Anyway, the point is I have always loved those books. When I heard about The Wilder Life, I knew I had to read it and it didn't disappoint. Wendy McClure is a hilarious writer and throughout the entire book, I was either laughing, or thinking "SHE IS ME." She and others that she discusses are also in love with these books and people and know all the tiny, intricate details that I do. It was interesting to read about what she thought of all the sites that she visited, including each place the Ingallses lived in the books, and a few that are not mentioned. She jumped around a little bit within chapters, which could be confusing, but it was mostly interesting and for me, fascinating. She also mentions many other books that have been written about LIW, a few of which I plan on reading because I want to know more about the REAL Laura, not the slightly fictionalized Laura and co. that we've all read about.

This is not a book that you should read unless you are a big LIW fan. There are lots of little details that have only peaked my interest/obsession again and now I'm ready to take a road trip to visit all the sites that she wrote about. I would especially like to visit Mansfield, MO, and check out De Smet again, since I had so little time there before. Who's coming with me?!?!?

Review: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Author: Rebecca Skloot
Publish date: 2010
Source: Purchased

"Who, you might ask, is Henrietta Lacks (1920-1951) and why is she the subject of a book? On the surface, this short-lived African American Virginian seems an unlikely candidate for immortality. The most remarkable thing about her, some might argue, is that she had five children during her thirty-one years on earth. Actually, we all owe Ms. Lacks a great debt and some of us owe her our lives. As Rebecca Skloot tells us in this riveting human story, Henrietta was the involuntary donor of cells from her cancerous tumors that have been cultured to create an immortal cell line for medical research. These so-called HeLa cells have not only generated billions of dollars for the medical industry; they have helped uncover secrets of cancers, viruses, fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping. A vivid, exciting story; a 2010 Discover Great New Books finalist; a surprise bestseller in hardcover."

I remember hearing about Henrietta Lacks last year and being curious about her story, but I never acted on my curiosity and got the book. I recently looked it up on Amazon, and finding it for only $8, decided this was a book I needed to own and not borrow from the library. Boy, am I glad I bought it.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is one of those books that made my jaw drop as I was reading and then turn to whomever was near and say, "Listen to THIS." I don't read too much nonfiction, but this book flowed just like fiction; I never wanted to put it down. I learned sciencey things, which is a shock, because I, uh, don't like science at all, but it didn't feel like I was reading a textbook. Ms. Skloot has a lovely writing style and I was never bored while reading, which sometimes happens to me while reading nonfiction.

Even if you aren't a nonfiction fan, I would definitely recommend picking this one up. You'll blaze through it because you don't want to put it down, and just learning about Henrietta's extended family and their lives is fascinating. I can't wait to lend this to people and to me, that is a sign of a great book.