A Memoir About Loss

Let me preface this book review by saying that I don't ordinarily read very much non-fiction anymore & that I had never read a Joyce Carol Oates book before. I was curious, and I wanted to experience how the well-known Oates writes. So I requested, and was lucky enough to receive, her memoir A Widow's Story, which will be released March 2011.

My feelings towards this book are ambivalent.

I can see a lot of great things in it and about it, but I didn't really enjoy reading it.


The memoir details what the author went through and experienced just before, during and after her husband died.


The first thing I would say about this memoir, is that you immediately notice that Oates writes well, and is very intelligent.


It's clear that Oates is a literary person, both due to the way that she writes, as well as the references that she makes. She quotes and alludes to people and concepts that make it obviuos Oates has spent a lot of time in the world of academia. It's a little intimidating, but it also makes you feel good about your own seeming intelligence - the way she so blithely discusses the people/concepts/etc., it somehow seems implied that she thinks you will know who/what she is talking about - particularly when you actually do know who/what she's referencing.


The second thing I would say about this memoir - far too much use of stream-of-consciousness (for my tastes).


I can understand the use for stream-of-consciousness writing/rambling. Really. I have read it in great works of literature; I have used it myself, both in personal essays, and works of fiction. I understand that sometimes, a writer has to use it.


I can also understand why Oates uses it so consistently in her memoir. Suddenly, her brain is moving a mile a minute, repetitively - she's not thinking in complete sentences. Often, her brain may not even be coherently registering a complete thought, let alone think in complete sentences. It's all fragments and confusion - and stream-of-consciousness perfectly portrays that.


Just as it is difficult to live in a state where you're constantly overwhelmed with thoughts that are vague, unclear, and half-stated, however, it is also difficult for me to READ something that is written in such a manner, if it occurs for more than a few paragraphs. Oates used it a lot in the galley which I received, and after a few chapters utilizing it, my attention span began to wane. Dramatically.


The memoir also necessarily repeats - usually stated in slightly different ways, after awhile, it was glaringly obvious that Oates was repeating the same material. This means, of course, that she was also GOING THROUGH the same things numerous times - which is a true-to-life sentiment. It also means, however, that much of the memoir, if you're not interested in reading repetition, feels unnecessary.


The concept of the memoir is interesting, and I feel that if you like non-fiction, this book is probably something that you should check out. If you're generally a strict fiction fan, however, avoid this book, as it will probably not hold your interest for very long.


I will finish by talking about my least favorite aspect of this book - the omniscient writing.


Oates wrote a lot of passages that began with something along the lines of: "To the widow...," "The widow feels...," "The widow thinks..."


I guess this was so that widows reading the novel will feel like they're not alone.


To me, however, it felt pompous.


I mean, isn't every widowing experience going to be different? I felt like some of the things Oates claims "the widow" goes through were a bit specific.


Her book is entitled A Widow's Story - meaning, what SHE, specifically went through. As she's only one widow, it just didn't sit well with me, that she decided to be the spokesperson for all widows.


For those who have read Oates' work before - is her fiction different from her non-fiction? If I didn't like this memoir, is it unlikely that I will like any of her work, or was my dislike probably with regards to this book in particular? (I have a BURNING DESIRE to know the answer - it is as if my pants are on fire, and your answer is the bucket of water, poised to put that fire out - so please, be my fireman/firewoman, and toss some water/answers on me!)


A Widow's Story goes on sale March, 2011.

Fated

I recently devoured a book entitled Fated, written by S.G. Browne. And all I can say is "Wow."

Here is the cover:

Okay. Now that you know what to look for, go to your nearest bookstore, grab a copy off the shelf, and start reading. It's really that good.

...

...

For those of you unwilling to blindly rush to the bookstore and make a purchase based on the advice of a person you've never met, I guess I'll tell you a little bit more about Browne's book.

The book is narrated by Fate. Fate, you see, that abstract concept, is dealt out by an angel named Fate, who also goes by the name Fabio. Fate is buddies with Karma, gets help from Honesty, and is Enemies-with-Benefits with Destiny, amongst many other colorful, wonderful characters.

This book that is narrated by an angel, shows what humanity seems like to someone who's not human, but who has known a lot of them. There is a lot of "WTF are you thinking" as well as understanding and compassion, and all of it is funny at the same time.

This book made me laugh - a lot - actually out loud - and yet, it still had heart. It was relatable, while still being new and different and fun.

There was one thing I wasn't particularly a fan of - the ending. The very ending, as in the last chapter, there was a twist. I don't want to give it away, but I wasn't a fan of it. Despite not liking the very end, however, I still highly recommend reading this book.

It is books like Fated, you see, that make voracious readers.

My Mother is Hilarious

You know those times when you're texting someone, and you start spouting/typing nonsense b/c you don't want to seem boring? (Or is that just me?)


Well, regardless of whether it's a universal reaction or not, my mother totally gets it, as evidenced by this texting exchange that occurred the other day:


MomBot2010: How's it going Toots?


Me: Fine. How are you?


MomBot2010: Fine, thank you. I love you.


Me: Uhn uh. *shakes head*


MomBot2010: don't be crazy


Me: Yes. *nods vigorously*


MomBot2010: you crack me up. I miss hanging out with you.


Me: Me too. Miss hanging with you, I mean. (I hang w/ myself all the time... It's a li'l scary. I won't leave myself alone. Am I a STALKER?!) [inserted emoticon w/ shifting, paranoid eyes]

MomBot2010: you are one of a kind. I am so proud that you are my daughter.

And that is why I love my mom - no one else would respond with kind, comforting words to my craziness.

Also, in case anyone was wondering, my mom isn't a robot & doesn't use the pseudonym given to her on this blog entry. Although, if she was a robot, that might be kind of cool. Except spankings would have hurt like a bitch growing up. One more reason to be glad my mom is the way she is.

NaNo Update

So now that pretty much everyone who has been writing every day is faring better than me - here's a quick update.

I am currently sitting at 5,858 words.

I got very, excruciatingly sick the second day of NaNo. I'm a big wimp when it comes to illness, and once I began vomiting, I knew I was in trouble. I have the stomach of an ox, if oxen have very strong stomachs. So in between making sure to get plenty of fluids and plenty of sleep, because my body has suddenly decided to get tired at the drop of a hat, it's been kind of hard to get writing in.

Plus, I was really hating what I was writing, though I love my idea, so I started over about a week in.

I'm trying to keep writing every day, but with the more important goal of getting healthy again (I'm still not 100%, or even 85%, unfortunately), I just don't think it's going to happen this November. I'm aiming to finish the first draft by the end of December.

I hope everyone else's NaNovel is going well, and sorry I've been mostly M.I.A. lately.

Any updates? Let me know how your current writing project (NaNo or not) is going!

"you were wrong" is oh so right

Today, I'm going to be reviewing you were wrong by Matthew Sharpe.

Matthew Sharpe's novel [you were wrong] is something I highly recommend.

A detective story of the oddest kind, where the mystery trying to be solved is life itself, which is sometimes too large, cruel, and ever-changing to seem anything but confusing. The book is narrated by a guy named Karl, who has been apathetic and coasting through life, until an event near the beginning of the novel causes him to realize what he's been missing... sort of.

Because Karl hasn't been participating in society for the entirety of his adult life, he doesn't really understand the subterfuge that people participate in on a daily basis. He's not an idiot, he's just innocent. Rather than interacting with other people his age, Karl has mostly been interacting with the high school students to whom he teaches math. Karl is actually somewhat of a math genius, and tends to try to understand the world in mathematical terms. This trait he has is endearing - Karl's sense of logic is impeccable, whereas his grasp of emotions is clumsy and incomplete. His innocence makes his fumbling with the situation unfolding throughout the novel confusing and large and interesting, like the adult world seen through the eyes of an extremely precocious child.

Released at the end of August this year, you can pick up a copy at amazon, find an independent bookstore to purchase it from at indiebound, or, of course, pick up a copy at your local Borders or Barnes & Noble.

NaNo 2010

November is once more near, and with it comes the challenge to write a first novel draft of at least 50,000 words.

If you're accepting the challenge, as well, make sure to let me know your username, so we can spur each other on to the final word count. :)

The other day on Twitter, I said I was "outlining" my NaNovel. This was somewhat of a lie, as I suck at outlining, and ended up with just a bit of brainstorming.

My idea this year is to write a story about and entitled "Road Rage."

My narrator will be a young, rich female (currently unnamed) who lives primarily in the Midwest b/c her parents think this is a better place to raise kids. I say primarily, because in the summers, her family vacations in a mansion on their own private island off of the Southern California coast.

With all of that money, she doesn't necessarily have an accurate conception of life and how it works.

I think I'm going to open the novel on an incident in which the female narrator wrecks her car in - you guessed it - an incident of road rage. Her parents fight over the number of accidents she has been in and whether she deserves a new car. (Dad is for; mom is against)

As a result of their argument, the narrator is introduced to Pierre, a guy a few years older than she, who uses a phony French accent around her parents and smokes copiously when they aren't around.

And then...

So what do you think? Do you like the idea? Dislike it? Have any ideas as to names for any of the characters, save Pierre? Do you think first person narrative is a good idea? Or would 3rd person work better?

Let's Talk About the Kids

So... I have been crazy busy. I've still found time to read, because that's one of my relaxations & escapes, but I have been getting behind on reviews. So today you get a 2 for 1 deal! That's right - I'm going to review TWO books in ONE blog entry! Do you feel special? Because you are.

The two books I'm going to write about today are:

Museum of Thieves

and Radiance

Both of these books have been written for a middle-school aged audience. Both books felt appropriate for that age group.


I will look at Lian Tanner's Museum of Thieves first.


Tanner's book is a fantasy. It primarily follows the activities of Goldie, a young girl who is always getting in trouble in the over-protective society she lives in. The adults in the community, frightened by all of the horrible things that can't really be explained but just exist (i.e., plague, children dying, etc.), have allowed their freedoms to be quashed in order to be protected.


This book did a really good job of pointing out that kids need to be kids. That it's good for them to have enough freedom to find strength and have fun. That it's bad for them to feel like their life is in peril at every turn. For while bad things do occasionally happen, the good things don't often happen, either, if you only focus on protecting yourself.

I liked the characters in this book. I liked the world that Tanner created. I liked the messages, and I had fun reading this book.

Now, on to Radiance, written by Alyson Noel. You've probably heard of Noel's Evermore. It's the first in a series of books, none of which I have read, but which have sold well.

Radiance was my first Noel novel, and it was okay. I think it would mean more to the teens who have read Evermore and are avid fans of that series, as Radiance follows the adventures of Ever's younger sister Riley after the car crash that left Ever pretty much all alone in the world.

Riley is understandably upset that her life has been cut short because she wasted the time spent on Earth hounding her sister, and now she will never have boobs. That's kind of this book in a nutshell.

Riley is learning how to be dead, which is remarkably like being alive, except that you can materialize shit and have whatever kind of awesome wardrobe you want. Really, I found this book somewhat depressing.

"Don't worry about your life getting cut short. You still get to go to SCHOOL in heaven! & you get assigned a JOB! It's pretty much all of the soul-sucking shit people hate on Earth, but it's NEVER-ENDING because you're dead now!"

Yay?

Anyway, Riley was probably a realistic tween, which means that she got on my nerves. She was impulsive, disrespectful, and somehow, amazingly good at everything, anyway.

I don't really recommend Radiance unless you're a big fan of the Evermore Immortals series and want to round out your collection. It's okay, but I much preferred reading Museum of Thieves.

Both of these books are now on sale. Have you read them? What are your thoughts?