This past month's reads were pretty varied in terms of subject, and all were written within the past decade or so. I currently have a pile of library checkouts that are waiting for me now that I've finally finished the monster that is The Heir Apparent.
Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders - Neil Gaiman (2006)
"The map was gone, and the mapmaker, but the land lived on."
If you're familiar with Gaiman and/or enjoy a mix of macabre/horror/fantasy/humor/sci-fi/nostalgia in stories (think elements of H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Bradbury), you'll find the 30-odd pieces included here a nice collection and appreciate seeing short stories that were forerunners for later books. However, if you find Gaiman a little too edgy in general or don't care for stories that are designed to evoke strong, sometimes negative emotions, you'll probably find a number of the stories included disturbing and/or offensive. Stick with Trigger Warning for a milder short story collection from Gaiman.
Personally, I liked this collection as a whole and appreciated the general vibe that Gaiman doesn't take himself too seriously. I really enjoyed a handful of particular pieces, including "Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire", "Fifteen Painted Cards from a Vampire Tarot", and "How to Talk to Girls at Parties".
Related Reads
Smoke and Mirrors (Gaiman)
Trigger Warning (Gaiman)
Switch Bitch (Dahl)
Skin (Dahl)
Neverwhere (Gaiman)
Nothing is True and Everything is Possible - Peter Pomerantsev (2014)
"For when I talk to many of my old colleagues... they might laugh off all the Holy Russia stuff as so much PR (because everything is PR!), but their triumphant cynicism in turn means they can be made to feel there are conspiracies everywhere: because if nothing is true and all motives are corrupt and no one is to be trusted, doesn't it mean some dark hand must be behind everything?"
First off, a couple of negative thoughts: I noticed several typos when reading, and the book felt somewhat uneven in that it spends chunks of time dedicated to specific stories (that, while interesting, don't seem that well integrated into the book as a whole). Despite those complaints, I found the book genuinely fascinating, and there are sections that demonstrate dizzying prose and real lyricism. If you're interested at all in modern Russia, especially in terms of media or politics, this is a good, albeit disturbing read - though perhaps somewhat dated already.
Related Reads
(See back of book for the author's recommendations)
Alone: Orphaned on the Ocean - Richard Logan & Tere Fassbender (2010)
"'How did they die?' A simple question that was simply profound. Tere had never been asked. So she answered."
This book is a detailed account of the 1961 sinking of the sailing yacht Bluebelle and the miraculous survival of 11-year-old Terry Jo Duperrault (now Tere Fassbender). It's not written in first person, but Tere is a co-author and her thoughts and experiences are integrated into the book. Though I didn't love the writing style, I still found the book inspiring and gripping as it laid out the background of the event, the history of the players involved, and the facts of Tere's survival, recovery, and her struggles with the aftermath of trauma. For anyone interested in crime, mystery, and survival accounts, this is a solid pick.
Related Reads:
Surviving Survival (Gonzales)
The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, the Playboy Prince - Jane Ridley (2012)
"The dance between Bertie, his wife, and his mother was about to unfold."
Long, thorough, sometimes remarkably unflattering of Queen Victoria, and so chock-full of quotes that at times it reads like a gossip column, this book draws from the staggering multitude of surviving letters and documents to piece together a complete picture of the historically-maligned British monarch. Going into this book, I was not very familiar with Edward VII (referred to by his nickname Bertie throughout the book), but knew a good deal about several other contemporary figures like his nephew, czar Nicolas II of Russia. Some knowledge about the British royal family and/or contemporary world leaders is something of a must, as otherwise the huge amount of names and people referenced will quickly become overwhelming.
This book is a must-read if you're researching Edward VII or anyone closely related to him at all. It's also a fairly comprehensive, though broad, window into the politics, complicated royal family relationships, and world happenings of the late 1800's-early 1900's. As something of an aside, I also found the author's forward and afterword about the vast amount of research she was able to do fascinating.
Related Reads
The Romanov Sisters (Rappaport)
Sex With Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge (Herman)
The Secret Lives of Hoarders - Matt Paxton (2011)
"'Success' for a hoarder is not really a goal; it's more of a journey toward a better life, even if that's not necessarily a completely clutter-free life."
Two words come to mind for this book: helpful and realistic. The author draws from real-life examples as well as insight from a psychologist to discuss hoarding in terms of it being a mental health issue. Aside from providing thoughts on various possible causes, co-morbid disorders, and reasons for hoarding, Paxton outlines the necessary support elements that need to be in place in order to provide real, lasting help to someone who hoards. The book isn't all-positive; many of the various cases Paxton references had outcomes that were only slight improvements, if not outright relapses, and he's very realistic about the great difficulties that exist for those trying to overcome a hoarding disorder. I'd recommend this book to anyone who has a hoarder in their life or who wants to know about the realities of trying to help.
Related Reads:
Dirty Secret (Sholl)
Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders - Neil Gaiman (2006)
"The map was gone, and the mapmaker, but the land lived on."
If you're familiar with Gaiman and/or enjoy a mix of macabre/horror/fantasy/humor/sci-fi/nostalgia in stories (think elements of H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Bradbury), you'll find the 30-odd pieces included here a nice collection and appreciate seeing short stories that were forerunners for later books. However, if you find Gaiman a little too edgy in general or don't care for stories that are designed to evoke strong, sometimes negative emotions, you'll probably find a number of the stories included disturbing and/or offensive. Stick with Trigger Warning for a milder short story collection from Gaiman.
Personally, I liked this collection as a whole and appreciated the general vibe that Gaiman doesn't take himself too seriously. I really enjoyed a handful of particular pieces, including "Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire", "Fifteen Painted Cards from a Vampire Tarot", and "How to Talk to Girls at Parties".
Related Reads
Smoke and Mirrors (Gaiman)
Trigger Warning (Gaiman)
Switch Bitch (Dahl)
Skin (Dahl)
Neverwhere (Gaiman)
Nothing is True and Everything is Possible - Peter Pomerantsev (2014)
"For when I talk to many of my old colleagues... they might laugh off all the Holy Russia stuff as so much PR (because everything is PR!), but their triumphant cynicism in turn means they can be made to feel there are conspiracies everywhere: because if nothing is true and all motives are corrupt and no one is to be trusted, doesn't it mean some dark hand must be behind everything?"
First off, a couple of negative thoughts: I noticed several typos when reading, and the book felt somewhat uneven in that it spends chunks of time dedicated to specific stories (that, while interesting, don't seem that well integrated into the book as a whole). Despite those complaints, I found the book genuinely fascinating, and there are sections that demonstrate dizzying prose and real lyricism. If you're interested at all in modern Russia, especially in terms of media or politics, this is a good, albeit disturbing read - though perhaps somewhat dated already.
Related Reads
(See back of book for the author's recommendations)
Alone: Orphaned on the Ocean - Richard Logan & Tere Fassbender (2010)
"'How did they die?' A simple question that was simply profound. Tere had never been asked. So she answered."
This book is a detailed account of the 1961 sinking of the sailing yacht Bluebelle and the miraculous survival of 11-year-old Terry Jo Duperrault (now Tere Fassbender). It's not written in first person, but Tere is a co-author and her thoughts and experiences are integrated into the book. Though I didn't love the writing style, I still found the book inspiring and gripping as it laid out the background of the event, the history of the players involved, and the facts of Tere's survival, recovery, and her struggles with the aftermath of trauma. For anyone interested in crime, mystery, and survival accounts, this is a solid pick.
Related Reads:
Surviving Survival (Gonzales)
The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, the Playboy Prince - Jane Ridley (2012)
"The dance between Bertie, his wife, and his mother was about to unfold."
Long, thorough, sometimes remarkably unflattering of Queen Victoria, and so chock-full of quotes that at times it reads like a gossip column, this book draws from the staggering multitude of surviving letters and documents to piece together a complete picture of the historically-maligned British monarch. Going into this book, I was not very familiar with Edward VII (referred to by his nickname Bertie throughout the book), but knew a good deal about several other contemporary figures like his nephew, czar Nicolas II of Russia. Some knowledge about the British royal family and/or contemporary world leaders is something of a must, as otherwise the huge amount of names and people referenced will quickly become overwhelming.
This book is a must-read if you're researching Edward VII or anyone closely related to him at all. It's also a fairly comprehensive, though broad, window into the politics, complicated royal family relationships, and world happenings of the late 1800's-early 1900's. As something of an aside, I also found the author's forward and afterword about the vast amount of research she was able to do fascinating.
Related Reads
The Romanov Sisters (Rappaport)
Sex With Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge (Herman)
The Secret Lives of Hoarders - Matt Paxton (2011)
"'Success' for a hoarder is not really a goal; it's more of a journey toward a better life, even if that's not necessarily a completely clutter-free life."
Two words come to mind for this book: helpful and realistic. The author draws from real-life examples as well as insight from a psychologist to discuss hoarding in terms of it being a mental health issue. Aside from providing thoughts on various possible causes, co-morbid disorders, and reasons for hoarding, Paxton outlines the necessary support elements that need to be in place in order to provide real, lasting help to someone who hoards. The book isn't all-positive; many of the various cases Paxton references had outcomes that were only slight improvements, if not outright relapses, and he's very realistic about the great difficulties that exist for those trying to overcome a hoarding disorder. I'd recommend this book to anyone who has a hoarder in their life or who wants to know about the realities of trying to help.
Related Reads:
Dirty Secret (Sholl)
