Saturday, September 30, 2006

The Memory Keepers Daughter: Kim Edwards


"On a winter night in 1964, Dr. David Henry is forced by a blizzard to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy. Yet when his daughter is born, he sees immediately that she has Down's syndrome. Rationalizing it as a need to protect Norah, his wife, he makes a split second decision that will alter all of their lives forever. He asks his nurse to take the baby away to an institution and never to reveal the secret. But Caroline, the nurse, cannot leave the infant. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child herself. So begins this beautifully told story that unfolds over a quarter of a century in which these two families, ignorant of each other, are yet bound by David Henry's fateful decision that long-ago winter night."


Very well written, and heart-renching!

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

The United States of Walmart

The United States of Wal-Mart is a hard-hitting examination of how Sam Walton's empire has infiltrated not just the geography of America but also its consciousness. Peeling away layers of propaganda and politics, investigative journalist John Dicker reveals an American (and, increasingly, a global) story that has no clear-cut villains or heroes-one that could be the confused, complicated story of America itself.


Why? Because I love Wal-Mart and all it's white-trashy goodness.

Monday, August 21, 2006

The Idiot Girls Action-Adventure Club by Laurie Notaro:


Every day Laurie Notaro fearlessly rises from bed to defeat the evil machinations of dolts, dimwits, and creepy boyfriends†and that's before she even puts on a bra. She's the leader of the Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club and has gathered some of her wildly amusing exploits and unique life experiences into the uproariously funny daily boxed calendar. She writes about a mother who hands down judgments more forcefully than anyone seated on the Supreme Court, horrific high school reunions, and hangovers that leave her surprised that she woke up in the first place.


I laughed my f'in ass off. Notaro is hysterical and right on the money.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Mary, Called Magdalene

Mary, Called Magdalene
"Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute, a female divinity figure, a church leader, or all of those? Biblical references to her are tantalizingly brief, but we do know that she was the first person to whom the risen Christ appeared-and the one commissioned to tell others the good news, earning her the ancient honorific, "Apostle to the Apostles." Today, Mary continues to spark controversy, curiosity, and veneration. In a vivid re-creation of Mary Magdalene's life story, Margaret George convincingly captures this renowned woman's voice as she moves from girlhood to womanhood, becomes part of the circle of disciples, and comes to grips with the divine. Grounded in biblical scholarship and secular research, this fascinating historical novel is also, ultimately, "the diary of a soul.""


--Quite possibly one of the best books I've read about Mary M. I love to read about her and the "gossip" surrounding her and the relationship she did/didn't have with Jesus.