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Book Review: Born to Lose

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September 14, 2018
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Stanley B. Hoss doesn’t have the same name recognition as, say, Ted Bundy, and unlike The Stranger Beside Me, you’ve probably never heard of Born to Lose: Stanley B. Hoss and the Crime Spree That Gripped a Nation. But if you’re a fan of true crime, historical nonfiction, edge-of-your-seat thrillers, or all of the above, then it should be next on your to-read list.

Hoss, a burglar and thief from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, graduated to the national stage when he landed himself on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list in the fall of 1969. His crimes—including rape, murder, kidnapping, and breaking out of prison—eventually earned him a life sentence. Four years into that sentence, with the help of two other inmates, Hoss murdered a correctional officer at Western Penitentiary and as a result, was sent to an isolation facility in Philadelphia, where he hanged himself another five years later, in 1978.

Despite the nationwide manhunt, Hoss’s story is very much a small-town one, as much a product of the local social and political climates as his own violent crimes. What makes Born to Lose so fascinating is the way in which completely external factors and seemingly inconsequential details determined the progress of Hoss’s crimes and the outcomes of his arrests, trials, and detainment. The author, James G. Hollock, a Pittsburgher himself, streamlines Hoss’s chaotic, near-senseless actions into a specific—albeit dizzying—timeline, pieced together from previously sealed state and federal documents, police transcripts, court proceedings, and first-hand accounts. Judges, police officers, prison guards, inmates, Hoss’s wife, his mistress—all on-record for the first time, drawing an intimate, chilling portrait of the evil behind the man.

Worried I’ve given too much away? You shouldn’t be. Born to Lose is filled with the kind of insane circumstances and unbelievable coincidences (Edgar Snyder, the Edgar Snyder was Hoss’s public defender) that make reality so much stranger than fiction.

Check it out now.

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Movie Novelizations: A Rogue Obsession

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May 4, 2018
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A few weeks back, Jess covered the page-to-screen adaptations that don’t get enough credit—the ones that measure up to the source material and the ones that exceed it—but there’s another kind of adaptation that doesn’t receive much fanfare: movie novelizations.

I myself had never even read one until this winter, when I picked up my copy of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by Alexander Freed, in honor of the movie’s one-year anniversary.

I’ve been a lifelong Star Wars fan, raised by parents who saw A New Hope in theaters half a dozen times, but I’d never dived into the wealth of Star Wars material that existed alongside the original three—then six, now eight—episodic films.

Until now.

Who’s to say why we become obsessed with the things we do? How to explain why certain things take hold of us and others don’t, why the attachment runs so deep? Maybe there is no explanation. Maybe it’s just a feeling. Maybe the wand chooses the wizard. Maybe you’re born with it; maybe it’s Maybelline.

Any way you slice it, my Rogue One obsession? Very real.

So I did what any sane (if you can be considered sane while more than mildly obsessed) person would do: I went looking for more content. Official Spotify playlists, fanart (gasp!), fanfiction (double gasp!), and last but not least, its novel companion.

Reading the book version of the movie was, in many ways, exactly what I expected. I knew the entire plot, after all, when I started reading: the characters, the worlds, the circumstances, the consequences. I also knew there would be differences—scenes described in greater detail than I saw on screen; new ones added to give the reader more background, more context.

But the best part—and what I didn’t see coming, although I should have, because too often it’s exactly what gets sacrificed first when adapting in the opposite direction—was the depth of the characterization, caring and empathetic portrayals of each of the characters that matched the movie but improved upon it. Strengthened it. Their pasts, their emotions, their interactions and relationships with each other all richer and more meaningful. And because of that, the stakes even higher.

Rogue One—maybe more than any other Star Wars movie; don’t hate me—is a true ensemble film, so maybe it was particularly well suited for novelization, for following the different points of view of characters I already loved and loved even more by the time I finished reading.

I can’t speak to all movie novelizations, obviously, having read just the one, but this one might have been enough to convince me to try others. The interest has to be there, of course; I don’t think I’ll ever feel inclined to read hundreds of pages of a story I only feel lukewarm about. But the next time the credits roll and you find yourself wanting more, my advice? Look to the shelves.

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Sometimes, the Movie Is Just Better

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March 23, 2018
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It’s time for part 2 of our book-to-movie adaptation discussion. Last week, I talked about three of my favorite adaptations where the movie actually did right by the book. This week, I’m bringing you three movies I think did it better than the book. Yep. You read that right! Truthfully, some books just aren’t great and a film format allows for a more appropriate fit for the story. That’s certainly true of the three listed here.

Julie & Julia by Julie Powell and Julie & Julia, 2009

I’m sorry, but Julie Powell is annoying. In the book, she’s pretentious and whiny, and her whole cook-your-way-through-mastering-the-art-of-french-cooking thing doesn’t read as anything more than a way she wants to make herself famous. It felt far away from a love of cooking and experimentation in the kitchen. The very opposite of Julia Child. Yuck.

In the movie, Meryl Streep steals the show as an authentic, lovable, complicated Julia Child. And who could ever accuse Amy Adams of being pretentious and whiny? She’s actually pretty charming as she fails her way through the cookbook. Would that we all could cast someone to play us in the movie of our lives. Goodness knows it helped poor Julie Powell. And how darling and adorable is Stanley Tucci? This is a great move to catch 45 minutes of on TV on a lazy Saturday.

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger and The Devil Wears Prada, 2006

Speaking of whiny characters. Andrea Sachs is just that. I found her really hard to like, and if you’re not rooting for the main character, what else is there? I mean, I even cheer on Dexter, y’all. Miranda is truly the devil with little that redeems her. What she really needs is a Meryl Streep interpretation.

This is completely convenient because in Streep’s hands, the movie’s Miranda is complicated, emotional, and somehow, I daresay, a little bit likeable. Anne Hathaway is perfectly cast. She’s just a little annoying and fake, but also has enough redeeming qualities that she’s palatable. The movie is well-paced, fun, and let’s not discount everything that Emily Blunt and her snarky quips bring to the table.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks and The Notebook, 2004

It’s a book by Nicholas Sparks. Do I need to write any more of a review? The writing is about what a crafty 8th grader can handle. Sparks’s stories are designed to blatantly pull at the heartstrings, which is to say that they are both predictable and sad. There’s not a lot of depth, because, again, an 8th grader is writing it, and much of it could benefit from a good editor and better pacing.

I’ll acknowledge that the movie isn’t award-winning cinema. It certainly has its flaws. But let’s remember that this isn’t a list of the Best Movies Ever, but rather movies that are better than the book, and this certainly fits the bill. Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling really are sparkly. There is so much emotion, so much pretty and handsome, and so much that takes you back t your own first experience falling in love. It really has shades of gray and more complicated feelings than is ever conveyed in the book. I credit that to McAdams and Gosling and a screenplay that’s at least one step up from the book.

So there you have it, friends. Agree or disagree? Do you have any others to add to this list? Be honest, do I have too many movies including Meryl Streep?

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Sometimes, the Movie Is Good, Too

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March 16, 2018
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It’s an age-old debate: is it better to read the book first or see the movie?

I’ll save the debating. Read the damn book first. Always.

Personally, I don’t adhere to this rule, even though I aspire to. This is because I’m both pregnant and raising a toddler, so I weigh it like this: do I have time to watch a 120-minute movie or read a 400-page book first? Well. We know how this one ends. That said, I do hold sacred the “Read Before Viewing” rule, so let’s just pretend I’ve always read everything first, deal?

Since I’ve shut down the debate on which to do first, let’s talk about the debatable: are books always better than their movie adaptations? Can movies improve upon sub-par books? Are there great books that truly become great movies?

In my opinion, books aren’t always better than their movie adaptations. Some movies definitely improve on some not-so-good books. And there are absolutely great books that become great movies.

Trying to pick my favorite book-to-movie adaptations of all time is overwhelming, so what I’ll do for you is give you 3 of my favorites (yes, there are a lot more awesome ones out there!). They’re books I’ve turned to over and over, and they’re movies I never get tired of watching. That’s pretty much my standout criteria.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed and Wild, 2014 starring Reese Witherspoon

I’m putting this one up first because it’s probably my most controversial. Even Natalie has blogged about how she felt the book was overrated. But for some reason, this story speaks to my soul. Strayed’s writing is poetic and honest, and I underlined and highlighted so much of it that it may as well be yellow through. Sometimes books just hit you because of your time and space in the world, and maybe that was it for me.

I’ve seen the movie maybe once every 2 months since it came out. I’m surprised by how often I revisit it. Reese Witherspoon is tough and vulnerable in her portrayal of Strayed, and director Jean-Marc Vallée’s vision is perfection. The wilderness is beautiful, the pain very real, and its universality touching.

Emma by Jane Austen and Clueless, 1995 starring Alicia Silverstone

I won’t get into it with you about my love of Jane Austen. Just know that when I studied abroad, I visited her hometown, the house she grew up in, and her gravesite, because it’s that serious. Austen isn’t for everyone, I get it, but I love her stories and I love Emma.

I might have gone with the Gwyneth Paltrow adaptation on this one, but it just isn’t as amazing (or timeless!) as Clueless. Many write this one off as a chick flick, or dismiss it as another cheesy 90s movie, but come on. It’s amazing. This movie manages to take a story from the 1800s, update it, and make it relevant still some 20+ years later after its debut. The cast is funny and silly, but completely sincere. And Paul Rudd is stunningly handsome. I’ll end there.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, 2010 starring Daniel Radcliffe

What is there to say about Harry Potter that hasn’t been said? The storytelling is above all else; the writing is timeless; the world and its characters are rich and compelling. It’s engrossing. It’s unforgettable. I love it, okay? I’ll stop convincing you now.

Let’s just get this out of the way: the movies as a set are uneven and inconsistent. There are some changes that aren’t so great and others that had to be made for the sake of time and format. Accepting these things as reality allows for some of the missteps (ahem…Goblet of Fire…ahem). But Part 1 of Deathly Hallows? Gorgeous and haunting. The mood, the scenes, the acting: it’s perfect. I’ve re-watched that particular movie in the series over and over again. It’s that well done.

There you have it: three of my favorite book-to-movie adaptations! Next post, I’ll tell you about my picks for crappy books that became better movies.

What are your favorite book-to-movie adaptations? Do you go for classics like To Kill a Mockingbird? Or do you allow for a Clueless in your list?

 

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Exploring the World of Self-Help Books

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February 22, 2018
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Truth be told, even though I’m a librarian and read pretty widely, I haven’t really ever truly explored the world of self-help books. To me, they always seemed a little hokey, and also, who are these people that write these books? I mean, really. Lately, though, I’ve spent time gleaning tidbits from a few of the self-helpers, and though I haven’t become an evangelist of any one person or methodology, I’ve taken something away from each that makes the books worth mentioning.

My journey down this rabbit hole began when two friends invited me to join their self-care book club. As a mom, this concept meant something to me, so I decided to participate. Our first book was Brené Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. I’m sure you’ve heard of Brown before. She’s given some pretty internet-famous TED talks, has written a slew of books, and has some sound advice to share. I dig her. What’s most interesting about this book is Brown’s ability to frame her advice so warmly and with acceptance. This book is for: people who struggle with perfectionism and people pleasing.

 

I may be betraying a bit too much of my own personal struggles with this next one, but hell, if I learned anything from Brown’s book it’s that being honest and vulnerable is a strength, not a weakness. In Food: The Good Girl’s Drug: How to Stop Using Food to Control Your Feelings, Sunny Sea Gold talks openly about the complexities of food issues that range on a scale from an unhealthy relationship with food to a full-blown eating disorder. Gold focuses mainly on binge eating disorder which has received a lot less media attention than either anorexia or bulimia and yet affects millions. This book is for: anyone who believes they’re using food to cope or who has body image issues. Bonus points for tangible suggestions for change and for posing thoughtful questions meant to encourage journaling and reflection.

 

Natalie gave me this one, and I’m so glad she did! It’s The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck: How to Stop Spending Time You Don’t Have with People You Don’t Like Doing Things You Don’t Want to Do by Sarah Knight. I’m sure you’re familiar with Marie Kondo’s tidying up book, and Knight’s take is a parody of that one. We’re talking mental clutter in this book instead of physical clutter, and Knight’s love of the word “fuck” is pretty perfect (and pretty Grammatical-Art-aligned). This book is for: anyone who has no fucks left to give and wants to laugh out loud while reading about how to be okay with giving zero fucks.

 

The books I’m exploring next: Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Kristen Neff, The Food Therapist: Break Bad Habits, Eat with Intention, and Indulge Without Worry by Shira Lenchewski, and You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero. Ever read any good self-help books? Do tell!

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Book Review: When Breath Becomes Air

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June 30, 2017
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This book had been sitting on my shelf for a while, and I’d put off reading it. I’ve desperately wanted to, but I felt the weight of its contents before I’d even put eyes to page.
Paul Kalanithi has cancer. Horrible, debilitating, quick-acting, stage IV cancer. He’s young. And he dies. This may seem like a spoiler, but you know this going in. He never really gets to fully finish his book. And yet, even knowing this, Kalanithi’s story still feels hopeful, warm, inviting.

A man whose right and left brain halves pulled equally, Kalanithi was and always had been an avid reader and lover of literature. Even though he was a neurosurgeon, he also held a Master of Arts in English literature. Writing this book gave him an opportunity to explore the part of him–the writer–that he hadn’t really ever been able to explore before. Aside from the beautiful writing, it’s the juxtaposition of science and art, faith and atheism, and the vibrancy of life even in death that moves the story forward. From a basic look at his childhood and youth to an examination of the difficulties of his career and his illness, I found the book to be thoughtful and thought-provoking.

Kalanithi’s writing is stunning, of course, but it’s his wife’s epilogue to the book that I carry with me still. She carefully and honestly discusses her husband’s death and talks about their decision to bring a child into the world knowing full well he may never live to see that baby’s first birthday. It’s her perspective on his perspective that really pulls at your heart.

This was a quick read, and I highly recommend it. Make sure you’re sitting with a box of tissues for the ending. Happy reading!

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Book Review: Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

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May 24, 2017
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Summer is coming. Most people start thinking about swimwear and their beach bodies, but I’m over here like, What awesome books am I going to read this summer? To me, a summer book is a specific type of book. I imagine myself sprawled out on a beach towel, or lying on the couch at night while a lazy, hot breeze works its way through the house, or frantically trying to read a few pages while my kid is tearing something somewhere apart. I like a book that’s easy. Something that moves along at a clip, nothing that requires too much thinking. Some escapism, maybe.

Enter this fun little piece of pulp fiction: Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris. Now, I want to be up front with you. This book is not winning the Man Booker Prize. It’s not even the best writing. But, boy oh boy, did it sickly drag me in and keep me reading.

The description for the novel teases that this is a story about the perfect couple that isn’t quite as oh-so-perfect as they seem. True enough. Jack is a handsome lawyer, and his wife, Grace, is pretty and put together. Blah blah blah. You’ve read that beginning a thousand times. But Behind Closed Doors really takes you down a deep, dark spiral.

The book bounces back and forth between the past and the present until the two eventually meet at the end. It’s hard to tell you much about the plot line without giving away some major spoilers, so I’ll say this. The women in this book are pretty awesome. Grace’s sister, Millie, has a bit of a starring role in the women’s successes, and I appreciated that the character with Down Syndrome wasn’t portrayed as incapable or less than. Grace and Jack’s neighbor, Esther, is a sharp wit, too, whose place in the last chapter really surprised me. Even Grace herself (who may drive you nuts sometimes) gets it together and finds her strength.

What I liked about this book is that it read very quickly. There’s a lot of dialogue and action. It’s pulpy; it’s digestible; you’re both horrified and desperate to keep reading at the same time. The deepness and darkness wasn’t the obvious that I had expected. At a certain point, I was able to predict what was happening, but it didn’t bother me. The book is fun and breezy. The perfect read for toes in the sand and wind in the hair.

P.S. The audiobook is great, too! Excellent reader. Good for a summer road trip, perhaps?

Happy Reading!

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Book Review: The Fireman by Joe Hill

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August 28, 2016
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I can’t help it. I was an English major; I’m a librarian. I have to talk about books, guys. If your “to read” list looks anything like mine, it will take you years to finish reading everything you want to. I get it. I really do. But here’s another for your consideration: The Fireman by Joe Hill.

Joe Hill has been getting buzz not only for his best-selling Heart-Shaped Box, but also as Stephen and Tabitha King’s son. Deliberately choosing not to use his birth name in full, Hill started writing as anonymously as possible with the aim that his work be read and treated as something other than “that book Stephen King’s kid wrote.” Well, The Fireman is that book Stephen King’s kid wrote, and ain’t no shame in his game, it’s pretty good.

The book opens on a not-too-distant future where society has begun to crumble thanks to a sweeping epidemic called Dragonscale. When a person gets Dragonscale, their body slowly becomes covered in thin, tattoo-like swirls, but what’s worse is most who are infected slowly burn until they catch fire and combust. The world is in a permanent state of fire and smoke. No one knows for sure how you “catch” Dragonscale, but it seems to be coming for everyone.

We follow Harper through the story, and she’s possibly one of the best parts of the book. She’s capable and strong, and really doesn’t discover just how much so until she is infected with Dragonscale and becomes pregnant.

Hill does a great job of navigating a realistic, non-zombie apocalypse. The beginning of the book feels exactly how you would imagine the world beginning to end if this did in fact happen tomorrow. Things fall apart slowly with people clinging to society as they knew it. Firefighters, police officers, and doctors are in high demand. People try to keep things going (go to work, send kids to school) until it becomes nearly impossible. There is denial and confusion and a slowly permeating fear, one that reveals the type of person really living inside each of us.

As my friend Amberly points out, there is a lot of heavy-handed foreshadowing (and boy is there), but mostly it’s okay with me. I found the story to be suspenseful and engaging. The middle drags a bit through some clunky and awkward action scenes, and the end is a bit puzzling (sorry, I won’t spoil it for you!) and maybe mildly disappointing, but I’d still recommend checking it out. There’s some truly great writing and, well, all the drama of fire you could ask for. The concept is smart, and while I have no idea whether or not the science holds up, I’m willing to suspend disbelief, so kudos to Hill on that.

Not sure if I’d read a sequel, but I’m definitely interested in reading Heart-Shaped Box. Hill’s a good storyteller, and I’m looking forward to more from him.

If you’re really into fire, then you might want to check out this Fire Triangle print on our website. Science: it’s everywhere. Even in your fiction.

Happy reading!

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Book Review: So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson

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June 10, 2016

We’re trying out lots of different topics for our Grammatical Art blog, so I’m bringing you a book reivew. That’s right, the resident librarian is talking about books. How could I not?

Though Jon Ronson is most known for The Psychopath Test and The Men Who Stare at Goats, I was originally introduced to him through his collection of essays, Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries. The title essay is about people going missing from cruise ships and it haunts me to this day.

In Ronson’s latest, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, he explores recent, public, often ruthless shamings, many of which you probably saw on Twitter or heard people weighing in.

Ronson sets out to interview the subjects of the shaming, uncovering the stories from their point of view. Sometimes, it seems they may have been rightfully judged by society at large (as was the case of Jonah Lehrer who was outed as a plagiarist), but that’s not really Ronson’s point. He shows us how they’ve handled their ridicule, their intentions, and how they got caught up in their situation.

He also talks with Justine Sacco who tweeted before boarding a flight to South Africa, “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!” When she landed, she was branded a racist and her life has been forever altered. It’s interesting to consider what happened to her post-tweet and the price she paid. Most of us read or heard about the tweet, rolled our eyes, muttered “Racist,” and moved on.

Then there’s the story of Adria Richards who tweeted a photo and called out two males at a tech conference she was attending who were making jokes about dongles (use your imagination there). They all lost their jobs (yes, including Richards), but how it ultimately shook out might surprise you. I found the story complicated and fascinating, and can remember getting into a heated discussion about it with a group of friends. Was she right to post a picture of total strangers without their permission? Did the men have a right to talk and joke about whatever they wanted when they thought they were having a private conversation? Did she have the right to not be subjected to dongle jokes while at a work conference?

Overall, Ronson digs into these so-called public shamings in a way that makes his book a fast, surprisingly compelling read. When you stop to think about the fact that literal public shamings were banned back in the days of old because they were considered a more severe punishment than even jail, it makes public shaming the age of Twitter, Facebook, and gorilla mom feel a lot different. A great, quick read for a trip on a plane or poolside this summer.

Don’t forget you can borrow books, audiobooks, and ebooks for free from your local library. Click here to find the book at a library close to you!