Review Silver Linings Playbook Matthew Quick

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am behind the 8 ball when it comes to the hype surrounding Silver Linings Playbook. When the movie came out and Oscar season created all the buzz surrounding it, I had no interest in seeing it. Finally, this summer after hearing from numerous friends that I should read the book, I caved. And, I really enjoyed it and then I saw the movie and I really didn't enjoy it. The movie differs from the book in to many ways that make the characters not as fully fleshed out and his relationship with Nikki seem even crazier, I just didn't care for it after reading the book.
Pat Peoples is a real relatable person - he has his highs and lows and his oddities, but it makes him fully fleshed out and relatable. Parts of his story were sad and heartbreaking and other parts were really funny, like his fear of Kenny G. His relationships were complex and real, I enjoyed how he related to his parents and how his parents related to one another. His brother, his friends, his doctor and Tiffany all had very real reactions to his disease and his dealings with it.
Pat People's believes everyone deserves a happy ending and he believes that if he changes his life and and improves himself he will win back his wife Nikki and get his happy ending. He loses weight, exercising constantly, he begins reading all the books his wife recommends to her English classes and he works on being a stand up man. He doesn't remember why he and Nikki are having apart time or why his family gets so weird when he talks about her - he just knows he will get his happy ending.
Tiffany has her own struggles but sees someone like herself in Pat, she offers him a trade, dance with her and she will coordinate communication between Nikki and him, in this all Pat sort of gets his happy ending, its just not what he expected.
This a quirky, fun, real read that I highly recommend.

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"Oh, I Hated that Book!"

Recently, my husband and I had dinner with another couple who are good friends, while eating dessert the wife brought up that she had finally read Fifty Shades of Grey and that she loved them, they were the best books she had read, like ever. 
My response, "Uggg, I hated those books!" I was promptly shot a dirty look by husband, which meant shut up and on our way home I relieved a lecture in tact and being happy that people found things they liked.
I have this problem, I am very passionate about the things I like and dislike and have a very hard time hiding my disdain for things. My facial expressions give me away.  Ask me if I want to eat a carrot and before I even answer you will know from my look of disgust the answer is no.  
I get lots of book recommendations from friends and family, they are always very well meaning, but it is frequently for things I wouldn't read.  I had several older adult relatives that went nuts for the Twilight series and were constantly pushing them on me.  I tried to casually decline the offers to borrow their books and eventually had to flat out say it wasn't something I was interested in.  That didn't stop them from sending me the movies to watch while I recuperated from knee surgery.  And I was right, they weren't my thing...
I don't want to sound like a book snob here, saying boo to Twilight and Fifty Shades, there are plenty of other books I would say no to as well or should have said no to.  I had co-workers who were crazy about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and kept telling me I had to read the series.  Something about them just didn't appeal to me, but I finally gave in and slogged through the first book, yep, really didn't like it.
Another friend kept raving about how hilarious Tucker Max's book I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell was and how it was the male version of Chelsea Handler's My Horizontal Life (I did giggle all the way through that one).  Max's book was  not funny, not one tiny little bit.  I would like a refund from the author.  Actually, I would like the author to pay me for the time I wasted reading the garbage he wrote.  Yep, not hiding my disdain for that one!
I frequently give recommendations if people ask, and the books I recommend are books I really loved and I do try to consider the persons interests if I know them well enough.  I am never hurt if they don't read what I suggest or if they hate it, I can accept that not every book can please every person.
I recently read a few reviews on Amazon for an up coming release and one guy gave it 5 stars and then proceeded to comment on other reviews and blast them if they didn't give the book five stars.  I don't want to be that guy! I won't think you are an illiterate idiot if you like a book as much as I do. 
How do you decline the offer to read something you won't like?  How do you discuss a book you really hated but most people have really liked.  And how do you handle it if a book you recommend isn't well received?
In the meantime I will try to be a little more tactful. 


 

Review The Orchardist Amanda Coplin

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"His face was as pitted as the moon." And so begins The Orchardist, the beautiful haunting debut novel by Amanda Coplin. Talmadge lives alone in the orchard his mother brought him and his sister to as young children, he is alone and rather reclusive. During a trip to to sell fruit in a near by town two young girls steal from him but he does not bother to chase them. Later, they turn up in the orchard to learn more about the man who let them get away with theft. The girls arrival in the orchard changes the course of Talmadge's life, and theirs, for better and worse.
Coplin spent eight years writing this book and you feel her dedication and love for these characters in every line of the book. Talmadge, Jane, Della, Angelene, Caroline Midday and Clee are all introverted characters and somehow the author has managed to maintain the relationships and emotion between these charters without a lot of dialogue. The relationship between Talmadge, Della and Angelene is the central story and left me with many mixed emotions. Talmadge is a good man haunted by the disappearance of his sister many years before. In Jane and Della he sees a bit of his sister and strives to save them and keep them in a way he could not do for his sister. Della proves to be difficult, set in her own ways, and always in search of something that Talmadge cannot provide, in her search she hurts him deeply and uses him. Talmadge, blind to Della's abuse, almost loses everything to save her. Angelene, the daughter of Jane, raised by Talmadge with the assistance of Caroline Midday, suffers due to Talmadge's obsession with Della.
These charters are well fleshed out, complicated and real.
The Orchardist does touch on some tough and graphic topics, child prostitution, child birth and suicide, but don't let those topics scare you away, they author does not dwell on them or sensationalize them and the rest of the story overshadows those dark areas.
My only criticism of the work are the lack of quotations around the dialogue, it made it hard to track at times what the conversation was or if it was just inner thoughts. However, this is not a book you read quickly, it is one you savor and linger on every single word, because of this I picked up on characters conversation more quickly.
The end of The Orchardist left me fighting tears, it is a beautiful and fitting ending.
I highly recommend The Orchardist - this is a novel that will stick with me for a long time.

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One month and a few days of blogging and A to Z Survey Fun!

Jamie, aka The Perpetual Page Turner created this old school survey and since I have recently hit one month of book blogging and a successful one at that (over 1,000 hits, 130 or so followers!) I thought this would be a fun way for you to get to know me better! 

 Author You've Read The Most Books From 

Emily Giffin - I have read seven books by her, which I believe are all her books.  I anxiously await anything new, as her books are always an enjoyable read!

Best Sequel Ever 

I don't typically read books that would have a sequel - so going with Something Blue by Emily Giffin, the follow up to Something Borrowed!

Currently Reading  

Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West By Dorothy Wickenden

 Drink of Choice While Reading 

Crystal Light Lemonade or Coke & Malibu Rum in the summer and coffee or Coke in the winter

 E-reader or physical book? 

Love my Kindle and the ease of downloading new books but there is something about holding an actual book that I prefer - oh and the smell of new books - love that!

 Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated in High School

Eeeeee.....high school.......I am really drawing a blank!  Maybe an older Alec Ramsey from the Black Stallion series - we both like horses - it could have worked!

 Glad You Gave This Book a Chance  

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot

I thought this was going to be all about science - I don't really like science, but this book was amazing!  The author wrote it in a way that it read like a novel, was part history, part science and all great story!  I learned a ton and think everyone should read this book.  This fall I am going to see the author and some of the family members at a event through the university where I work - super excited!

 Hidden Gem Book 

The Mill River Recluse By Darcie Chan  It was 99 cents! (For some reason I hear Thrift Shop by Macklemore in my head as I type this) This book is self published and through word of mouth has made it to the New York Times bestseller list and has a 4 star rating on Amazon, slightly less on Goodreads. A widow watches her city from her window - altering lives and showing people you can't judge a book or person by their cover. 

 Important Moment in Your Reading Life  

Reading my first chapter book, I selected and checked out from the library myself (I might have been 7)!  I was dumbfounded that a book could hold so much!  After that I visited the library as often as possible!  Pretty sure the volunteer librarian was glad to see me, I don't a lot of people stopped by (I grew up in a town of 800 people, I think the library was only open 8 hours a week).  She introduced me to a lot of great books while I was growing up. 

 Just Finished 

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin  One of the best books I have read in a long time!  It was amazing, beautifully written, slow and leisurely, great characters and fantastic story.  It took the author eight years to write this book and her dedication shows in every word and every description.  I highly recommend this book and will have a full review posted soon!

Kinds of Books You Won't Read 

Science Fiction, Erotica, Christian-y romance, Para-Normal, vampires and werewolves type stuff 

Longest Book You've Read 

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell - over 1,000 pages.  I read this book in 8th grade so its been a long time record holder!  And I do love the book!

Major Book Hangover 

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn - I couldn't put it down and read it way to fast, getting to the ending way to fast!  I wasn't prepared for it to end - I was in a daze after wards muttering I can't believe that's how it turned out. 

Number of Bookcases You Own  

2 and they are jam packed full.

 One Book You Have Read Multiple Times 

She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb  My copy is falling apart every where, I am surprised the pages are still in order. 

Preferred Place to Read 

There is this corner on my sectional I love to curl up into in the winter and evenings before bed, I get the best dog ever snuggled in with me and we read away.  When the weather is nice I love the deck and I enjoy the occasional soak in the tub with a good book!   

Quote That Inspires You 

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
Oscar Wilde

  Reading Regret 

Reading all of Tucker Max's I Hope they Serve Beer in Hell, this book was not funny.  Tucker Max is not funny or a cool guy - he needs serious help.  I can't believe people read and liked this book and that I wasted my time and money reading it.

 Series You Started and Need to Finish

I don't read many series, not since late elementary or junior high.  I had the goal at one time to read every Baby Sitter Club book, but aged out of them as new ones were still coming out.  Yeah, probably never going to finish those!

 

 Three of Your All Time Favorite Books 

She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb,  Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand,  In the Spirit of Crazy Horse by Peter Matthiessen 

Unapologetic Fangirl For

Horsey books - if its about a horse, I will probably read it, even if its bad.

 

 Very Excited for This Release 

We Are Water by Wally Lamb - I will be at Barnes & Noble the day it is out buying it in hardcover!  Can't wait! 

Worst Bookish Habit

Reading the last chapter first - I try so hard not to do it, I just can't help it.

  X Marks the Spot:  Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book  

Of Mice and Men  John Steinbeck

 Your Latest Book Purchase

The Orchid House by Lucinda Riley

ZZZ-Snatcher Book (last one that kept you up way too late)  

 The Orchardist - it was just so good....

 Enjoy this - create your own list, just link back to Jamie @ perpetualpageturner and thanks for helping to make my first month of blogging such a success!