Book Title: The Year of Living Biblically
Author: A.J. Jacobs
Version: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780743291477
Published: October 9th, 2007
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Memoir
Voice: First
Number of Pages: 388
SYNOPSIS: A.J. Jacobs is a father, husband, author of one slightly successful memoir and straight forward agnostic. For him growing up Jewish in New York meant that his family would put a Star of David on top of their Christmas tree. When it came time for Mr. Jacobs to start writing his next memoir he was unsure of what he was going to do. Searching his brain for an idea A.J. remember his ex-uncle Gil. A man that was sort of the black sheep of his family, well really more of a cautionary tale. Gil was a man who according to A.J. "was a spiritual omnivore" (pg. 5.) Gil started out as a Jew, became Hindu, after this Gil appointed himself a guru, sat in silence on a bench in Manhattan for 8 months, started a hippie cult in upstate New York, became a born-again Christian and then settled as an ultra-Orthodox Jew living in Jerusalem. At one point in his religious career Gil decided he was going to follow the Bible as literally as possible. This sparked A.J. Jacobs's interest and decided that this was going to be his next book.
Mr. Jacobs decides to take a year, read the Bible and follow all the rules it contains to the letter. And so with his wife's less than enthusiastic approval he begins. He starts reading the Bible that he has on hand, and then goes on to buy other versions, as well as commentary on the many versions. He lines up experts and Rabbis, priests and pastors. A.J. takes things slowly, beginning with making sure he wears no mixed fibers and from there takes it one day at a time. Some of the rules he finds rather easy to observe, such as the commandment of 'honor thy father and thy mother,' others are more difficult, like the one that says a man cannot touch a woman for a week after their menstrual cycle. This rule becomes even more difficult when living with a secular wife.
Through the ups and downs, the strange rules and the beautiful ones A.J. Jacobs stays true to his course. He lets his beard grow, changes his diet, does charitable work and tries to be fruitful and multiply. He even prays to God every day hoping to find some connection to this almighty being that has supposedly launched an unprecedented following. A.J. takes a year out of his life during which his wife gives birth to twin sons, he takes a trip to Jerusalem and even begins to understand the whole faith thing.
REVIEW: I found this book thoroughly enjoyable. Mr. Jacobs's story was one that I never thought I would get into at all. I am agnostic myself and so reading about someone reading the Bible didn't appeal to me all that much. However I had heard good things about this book and for some reason I was drawn to it. I guess my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to go out and find myself a copy. I went to The Strand used bookstore here in New York and found myself a nice hardcover copy for $7.95 that just happened to be signed. I was now even more excited about reading it.
A.J. Jacobs's writing was hilarious and well thought out. He had insight, humor, and poetry. I didn't want to put the book down when I was reading it, in fact my half hour subway ride went by in a flash while I was reading, and when I did have to put it down all I could think about was picking it back up. Reading about his journey was moving in itself but the way he wrote it put the whole thing over the top.
The story turned out to be a really good one, it had in it insight and amusing anecdotes that helped moved the whole thing along nicely. I was a little nervous to be honest about reading this mainly because of all the Bible talk but it turned out to be pretty interesting. When Mr. Jacobs learned something new, we learned something new. Sure a lot of the rules in the book are strange and at times even mean to certain groups but if you dig a little deeper than the surface they may have understandable reasons.
By the end of the book I found myself almost wanting to pick up the Bible and read it. That was how powerful his journey was and how well it was conveyed. This is a rather interesting tale and I would suggest it to anyone who is looking for a humorous and well written memoir. It may not be for everyone but it is an excellent book and one that I loved. It is quite the read and a rather incredible journey to follow along with. And I have to admit that it is an interesting way to learn a few things about the Bible.
Humorous Like This:
"How I Paid for College"
Book Title: Eat Pray Love
Author: Elizabeth Gilbert
Version: Paperback
ISBN: 9780143038412
Published: January 30th, 2007
First Published: 2006
Publisher: Penguin Books
Genre: Non Fiction Memoir
Voice: First
Number of Pages: 334
NOTE: By now I am sure that everyone has heard about the Julia Roberts blockbuster "Eat Pray Love" and/or know about the book that it was based on. With that in mind (and the fact that I am not at 100% capacity) I am skipping the synopsis portion. Plus it's fun to mix it up every now and again. For a quick synopsis for the few that do not know the story head here.
REVIEW: When I read this book I was at a hectic time in my life, I was working three jobs and living in my own apartment for the first time. I was feeling less then on top of things and in need of some sort of guidance. It sounds maybe a little strange but I was looking for something. Anyway I was told by a friend, that was never a big reader, that "Eat Pray Love" was a very good book. I decided to go and pick it up and see what all the fuss was about.
I started reading it and I found what I was looking for. In some ways while reading about the journey that Elizabeth Gilbert took I felt that I was taking the journey as well. I thoroughly enjoyed every part, from her Italian adventure eating rich and delicious food and learning the language to her spiritual journey in India to finding love in Bali. I loved it all and took it all in like a dehydrated woman finally getting water.
Reading about Italy made me want to hop on the next international flight and start my own food tour through the country. Each dish she described made my mouth water. I have always wanted to travel and reading about Ms. Gilbert's journey through Italy was mouth watering and inspiring. I wanted to follow in her footsteps and do nothing but learn the language, see the sights, and eat the food. It seemed so idyllic and refreshing.
Making a complete 180 turn Ms. Gilbert then heads to India where she checks into an ashram in order to find a center of spirituality. She is looking for some sort of answer (kind of like I was) and hopes to find it through meditation and reflection. Ms. Gilbert had been to India on a previous assignment and had met a medicine man while there for her praying she went to visit him again. She spends a lot of time with him learning about prayer and meditation, talking to him about God and spirituality. At one point the medicine man draws a picture for Elizabeth and to explain he says "To find the balance you want, this is what you must become. You must keep your feet grounded so firmly on the earth that it's like you have 4 legs instead of 2. That way, you can stay in the world. But you must stop looking at the world through your head. You must look through your heart, instead. That way you will know God."
I found this quote to be very moving. I do not believe in God but I do believe in faith and that looking at the world through our hearts is a really great idea. It was this section, the section of "pray" was especially moving to me. For some reason reading about her struggle to find a spiritual center was something I understood and for some reason it helped to ground me. I can't explain why but it did help in small ways.
The third section was great as well. Reading about what she did and how she found love was a heart lifting experience. It made me feel as if it were a possibility for me as well. Finding friendship and eventually love in the most unlikely of places is always a good read. The whole book really spoke to me in weird ways to be sure but it did. And the most important thing about it was that it lifted my spirits. I felt a renewed sense of happiness and hope in my life after reading this book.
This is a book that I feel everyone should read. It is a universal story and one I think that everyone can appreciate. If you haven't already I say go out and find a copy of this book and give it a try. I think that it really is a wonderful story and to top it off it is well written and very entertaining. I loved it and would love to share it with everyone. It's just a beautiful book and an incredible journey, one that should be shared and enjoyed by all.
Intriguing Non-Fiction:
"The Kennedy Detail"
Book Title: Another One Bites the Dust (Jaz Parks #2)
Author: Jennifer Rardin
Version: Mass Market Paperback
ISBN: 9780316043557
Published: August 3rd, 2009
First Published: December 6, 2007
Publisher: Orbit
Voice: First Person
Genre: Paranormal Fiction
Number of Pages: 363
SYNOPSIS: In this second installment in the Jaz Parks series Jaz, Vayl and their brand new team go undercover at the Corpus Christi Winter Festival. On this assignment the team has to find Chien-Lung, a vampire that is slightly off his rocker, and steal back the vital piece of biotechnology that he has stolen. This very special piece of armor, made by Jaz's old college roommate Bergman, renders Chien-Lung invulnerable while wearing it and he never takes it off. Matters are further complicated when Jaz discovers that not only does Chien-Lung believe that he can transform himself into a dragon but worst of all she has to go undercover as a belly dancer.
As the team begins to get settled in their new roles as a travelling gypsy family they find that things are always as simple as go in, retrieve the weapon, do a little dance and then leave. Chien-Lung never takes the armor off, he is guarded day and night by warrior vampires and to top everything off the already pissed Jaz finds out that the festival is being attacked by reavers, ancient fiends who murder innocents by sucking their souls and seem to be invulnerable. However Jaz can see a break in their armor and is able to kill them, which releases some of her pent up frustration. She really doesn't like belly dancing.
As the assignment continues on Vayl and Jaz try to figure out just how to go about killing Chien-Lung in order to get the armor back. With emotions running high, resolve beginning to crumble and the kill looking impossible everyone starts feeling as if they are jumping out of their skin. Jaz and Vayl really have to work hard to not only get the job done but keep all of their people in one piece and safe. The question becomes can they really do everything, or will this mission be their undoing?
REVIEW: I love this series. And this book was just as fantastic as the first. It was full of intrigue and mystery, tension and wonderfully crazy insights from Jaz's many helpful personalities. It was yet another win for Jennifer Rardin!
The story in this one was just as rich and wonderful as the first and at the same time it was fuller. It's something that you have to read to really understand but it had more of a spice to it that I couldn't tear myself away from. I intentionally left the synopsis vague and short because these books have so many twists and turns in it that I didn't want to reveal anything that would spoil the surprise. I'll just leave it at this, the story is great and it's one you can't put down.
Again the writing was superb by Jennifer Rardin. The way she writes is both humorous, without being over the top, and serious without being a big drag. She is brilliant at the way she writes Jaz and her many personalities, each really becomes a separate character and each are undeniably lovable. In fact all of the characters she writes are lovable and so well done it's almost eerie. But I really love it! Jennifer Rardin was a truly talented writer that is the the whole package.
I really, really love this book and after reading it I went right into reading the third one. This is such a good series that I really feel is something that no one else is doing right now. It's not just vampires being all broody it is so much more and that is amazing. I highly, highly suggest this series and this being the second book in the series I recommend it! Go out and find yourself a copy of the first book in the series so that you can zip through it and get to this one because they just keep getting better and better.
MORE FANTASTICAL FICTION:
"Once Bitten, Twice Shy" "A Discovery of Witches"
Book Title: Picture Perfect
Author: Jodi Picoult
Version: Paperback
ISBN: 9780425185506
Published: July 22, 2002
First Published: March 21st, 1995
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Voice: Third and First Person
Genre: Fiction
SYNOPSIS: Cassie Barrett seems to have literally hit the jackpot of life. She is world renowned in her field of anthropology, and is married to one of Hollywood's best loved actors Alex Rivers. One night Cassie wakes up on a grave in a cemetery somewhere with no memory as to who she is or what she is doing there. A Lakota police officer named Will Flying Horse and shelters her until Alex shows up to take her home. Despite having no actual memory of life with Alex everything seems perfect when she gets home. As her memories begin to come back to her she realizes that things aren't always like they seem.
Cassie remembers their whirlwind romance on a movie set in Tanzania. How she watched him from afar and slowly fell in love with his wit, charm, good looks and kindness. She remembers how surprised she was when he started showing interest in her, an anthropologist who spent most of her time covered in dirt down a hole rather than on the red carpet. Cassie remembers how Alex literally swept her off her feet and convinced her to marry him. She remembers being sublimely happy and in love and believing that she really had found her prince.
Cassie also begins to remember how Alex would get angry and jealous and would beat her. And when Cassie sees a positive pregnancy test in her bathroom trash she suddenly remembers why it is she finally got up the nerve to walk out on Alex. When she realizes what that means Cassie knows that in order to protect herself and her baby she has to walk away for good. It's figuring out how she is going to do that, that gives Cassie her greatest pause.
REVIEW: You may be asking yourself why it is that I am reviewing an "older" book. Well I love Jodi Picoult and really that is all there is to it. I read this book a long time ago but I felt that it was time to review it because I enjoy going back to review books I read awhile ago. Plus to be honest I have already reviewed all the newest books I've read so here this is.
As always Jodi Picoult brings her beautifully unique voice to a normally untold story. Spousal abuse is something that is unfortunately a very common occurrence in the world but nobody talks about it. And Ms. Picoult looks at this topic wide her eyes wide open and without flinching. At least in the way she writes the tale there is no flinching I'm sure that it was a difficult thing to research. Anyway this is a story that should be told and here it is told in a literal spotlight. The story is tragic and encouraging in turns and making it a celebrity was a stroke of genius on Ms. Picoult's part. As a society we look up to and revere celebrities, especially actors, which makes the story that much more of a draw.
Ms. Picoult's writing was, as it always is, superb. The way she described the joy that Cassie felt as she was falling in love made me smile. And her ability to write the scenes where Cassie was beaten with just as much poetry made me cringe and want to weep. Her writing is something that is unique and in my opinion untouchable. But in such a down to earth way. It is no wonder that I love her writing more than just about any other author I've come across.
I have said it a few times before now and I am going to say it again. I recommend any and all of Jodi Picoult's novels. This is one of her more memorable for me for some reason. I love all of her novels just about equally but there are a few that really stick with me and this is one of them. It is probably because some of them are deeper and darker than others. I loved this book and I highly recommend it to someone just starting out with Jodi Picoult because it is an excellent preview of all her talent.
More Female Voices:
"Between the Lines" "Then Came You"
Book Title: The Handmaid's Tale
Author: Margaret Atwood
Version: Paperback
Published: March 16th, 1998
Publisher: Anchor
First Published: 1985
ISBN: 9780385490818
Genre: Dystopian Fiction
Voice: First Person
SYNOPSIS: "Let the women learn in silence with
all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over
the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was
not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression."
It is the future and the government has been completely overthrown by what can only be called the Christian fundamentalists, those that feel that the Bible should be followed word for word. Especially the parts about women being the inferior sex. There are different classes of women, the Wives, married to Commanders (high ranking officials in the new regime) and with the most in the way of "freedom", Marthas, basically maids and cooks, unwomen, those that have been deemed unworthy and sent to the outer colonies basically to die and the Handmaids, they are the incubators. The Handmaids are put into houses where the Wives can no longer conceive and once a month they go through a ceremony. They lay down in the lap of the Wives with their faces covered in a red veil and the Commanders have intercourse with them. Their hope is to conceive a healthy child so that their lives will be seen as valuable.
Offred is such a Handmaid and lives in such a situation. She is allowed out, to meet up with a second Handmaid, for daily shopping. The shops are all marked by pictures in their windows for women are no longer allowed to read. Although Offred has all the correct greetings and knows how to keep her head down and out of trouble she still remembers what life was like in the time before. She remembers wearing jeans and buying cigarettes on her way to work, she remembers making love with her husband and holding their daughter in her arms. It is in these memories that Offred rebels in her quiet way.
One night as Offred really steps out of bounds and sneaks into the parlor one of the Guardians, a male chauffeur/guard, comes in and tells her that the Commander wants to see her in his study alone the next night. After this message is delivered everything begins to change for Offred. Her life goes from being quiet and boring to more full and slightly more dangerous. Which makes a nice change for Offred. But it's a change that leaves her having to decide whether or not everything is worth it. Offred has to decide which is more important, being alive or having a life.
REVIEW: This book is my greatest nightmare realized. And the fear and slight disgust I felt in reading this was part of why I loved it so much. It was so well done that the fear I felt was real, palpable and thick through out. I really, really liked "The Handmaid's Tale" as much as I feared and hated the ideas that were in it. But I kind of think that was part of the point. It was Ms. Atwood's warning to everyone of what could happen if one group with a single minded idea was allowed free reign.
The story was depressing and frighting to read about but at the same time it was beautiful in a very dark way. Reading about the way Offred saw the world she was living in was strangely beautiful in its bleakness. It is literally a nightmare version of what the world could turn into. There was nothing redeeming about the story except for Offred and her memories of the time before. But even those are few and far between.
Margaret Atwood is obviously a poet first. Her writing is all poetry. Sweeping lines of beauty and pain, fear and lost time. She mixed the past and present so simply that there was barely a break between the two. There were even times when I was unsure if I was reading about the present or the past but I kind of liked getting lost like that. And Ms. Atwood's descriptions of colors and places, the picture signs in shop windows, the white of a hanged man's hood, is so rich. It's vivid and tangible. There were times that I actually felt shivers race up my spine just from the way something was described. My feelings about her writing boil down to this, it was brilliantly done.
This is an incredible book, writing that leaps off the page and gets under your skin, a story that makes you stop and really think about things and a narrator that pulls at your heart strings. It's a tough story to read but that kind of makes the book fly by. For me I couldn't get enough of the tale and I read it in a few days. After reading it I felt a sense of accomplishment and slight relief that not only was I done but that it really was just fiction. Because it's the type of book that you get lost in and if you aren't careful you begin to fear that the fiction is the reality. It's that rich and thick in all the best ways. It's a classic for sure not only because it is a nightmare version of what the world could turn into but also because of the writing, Offred and her memories and maybe most importantly the way she sees things. She without a doubt becomes our ticket into this world and it is only through her that we are allowed in and out safely. It's a terrific read if you are brave enough to try it.
Just As Dark:
A Density of Souls The Secret Holocaust Diaries
Book Title: Shadow of Night
Author: Deborah Harkness
Version: Hardback
Published: July 10, 2012
Publisher: Viking Adult
ISBN: 9780670023486
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Voice: First Person
Number of Pages: 584
NOTE: With this I am going to jump right to the review because this is the sequel to "A Discovery of Witches" and I don't want to give too much away. I purposely kept the synopsis of "A Discovery of Witches" short and vague because there are so many twists and turns in it that I didn't want to reveal any of the wonderful surprises. In that same vein I want to skip the synopsis part of this entry so that I don't accidentally give anything away.
REVIEW: This was another win for Deborah Harkness. No need to worry about "A Discovery of Witches" being a fluke or beginner's luck because this second part is just as good, if not even better. It took me two weeks to read it, and the only reason it took so long was because I was in the middle of packing and moving. If I had, had the time I would have finished it in a couple of days. It was that good!
The story was even more full and complicated than the first one and in this volume Deborah Harkness' past as a historian really came in to sharp relief and let me tell you she didn't disappoint. Of course there were embellishments and small liberties taken but from what I could tell, based on my limited knowledge of Elizabethan London, she had really done her research. One of my largest pet peeves when it comes to books in a historical fiction novel is lack of research so I was overjoyed to find how well researched this was. It was one of my favorite parts about the novel.
Again miss Harkness' writing was superb, full of subtle poetry and beauty. And the way she wrote some of the most beloved characters from history, such as Christopher Marlowe, Walter Raleigh, Queen Elizabeth and William Shakespeare, was so well done it was difficult to remember that they were fictional representations. I love when that happens! I find that a mark of truly great writing; when the reader can completely forget that the characters they are reading about aren't real somewhere in the world.
This was such a good book that I am actually missing reading it. And although logically I know that the third book won't be out for a very long while I still can't wait. Though I know that it is a trilogy I love her writing and these characters so much that I kind of wish the series would continue on. These books, both books in the All Souls Trilogy so far, are the whole package. Great story, superb writing, and characters that you fall in love with. I mean what more can you ask for in a book? I love them and I really recommend them to everyone. Even if you think that these aren't the kind of books you usually go for you should give them a try. They will surprise you in all the best ways. I mean honestly what else can you ask for when picking up a new type of book?
You May Also Like:
A Discovery of Witches
Book Title: A Discovery of Witches
Author: Deborah Harkness
Version: ebook
Pubished: February 8th, 2011
Publisher: Viking Books
ISBN: 9781101475690
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Voice: First Person Majority
SYNOPSIS: Diana Bishop is your average tenured history professor and witch. She has taken some time off to further her research on alchemy at Oxford. While in the Bodelian library she requests a book called Ashmole 782 thought to be the definitive book on alchemy. When she gets it her arm begins to tingle and the words race back and forth across the page. After years of denying the magic inside her, Diana quickly slams the book closed and decides to pack it in for the day. She sends the book back in to the depths of the library and decides to forget the whole thing ever happened. If only things were that simple.
Her next night in the library Diana finds that she is in need of a book that is just out of her reach. Kind of willing the book into her hand Diana heads back towards her reading nook and promptly runs into a vampire. Introducing himself as Matthew Clairmont this alluring and slightly dangerous strange vampire asks Diana to dinner. Fearing that she will be on the menu and having no desire to know any supernatural creaures Diana says 'thanks but no thanks.' After this first meeting Diana finds that Matthew Clairmont is a persistent vampire when he begins showing up daily in the library. It turns out though that he is not the only supernatural creature that has taken up a sudden desire in research. In short order witches and daemons begin showing up at the library with a special interest in all things Diana Bishop.
When Diana discovers that all this sudden attention from other creatures has something to do with the strange book Diana looked at, Ashmole 782, Diana decides to form an unusual and highly unorthodox alliance with the vampire Matthew. Together they head out on an adventure to figure out exactly what is in Ashmole 782 and exactly why the whole creature realm is after Diana and the book. Along the way Diana finds that the necessary alliance with Matthew becomes so much more when she begins falling in love with him. Endangering them even more the two form a bond that not even the ancient rules of their world can break.
Delving further into this mysterious new world Diana begins to learn more about her past, who her parents were, and exactly just how powerful a witch she is. Through ups and downs, danger, mystery, and discovery Diana and Matthew have each other and a very specific goal in mind, discover what Ashmole 782 has to hide and exactly what it has to do with the creature world.
REVIEW: I love books about books and so I was on goodreads.com looking through a list of books about books. "A Discovery of Witches" came up on the list but as I read the description I was totally turned off. I kind of forgot about it for awhile until a really good friend told me that she read it and that it was really good. She told me that Deborah Harkness was a historian so it wasn't only well written but very well researched. Since I highly respect my friend's opinion I decided I would give it a try. Boy am I glad that I did because it is now on my list of favorites.
The story is a surprising one, one that is more complicated than I thought it was going to be. I enjoy paranormal and supernatural stories so the fact that there was that element in it was a really wonderful surprise, I mean I knew that it was going to be about a witch hence the title, but adding in the other creatures was the pleasant surprise part. But there was a twist to it, it was academic and grown up in nature which was a refreshing turn seeing as most of the vampire tales these days are trying to jump on the 'Twilight' bandwagon. Anyway the point is that this was a grown up book about the paranormal and I loved, loved, loved that.
Deborah Harkness' writing was superb and really that's all there is to it. She has such a beautiful way with words it's almost hard to describe. Her writing is not only well thought out but it's well put together. Every word is put deliberately together to form the perfect sentence that goes on to form the perfect paragraph. I don't know what it is about the writing but I lapped it up and I didn't want to put the book down. The great story, coupled with amazing writing, and add in the fantastic research it all makes for a really, really great book.
I highly, highly recommend this book to everyone because it has everything in it. I know that most people steer far away from all things vampires, which is a shame because there are some good paranormal stories out there, but this is so much more than just another vampire story. And I say this again that this is a very grown up story, by that I don't mean there is a lot of sex or violence or swearing in it, I mean that it is a supernatural tale told through the eyes of adults. I don't think that covers it but it will have to do for now. Go out and read it, it is one of those books that I deem a must read. It is full of mystery and magic, history and love and it is all mixed together in such a wonderful and beautiful way.
More in the Same Vein:
The Raven Boys Once Bitten, Twice Shy
