End of 2014 Reading List

I have been slacking on my reading this year. I recently got the app, My Book Tracker, to obviously, keep track of the books I'm reading and it's kind of depressing me with the low amount of books I've gone through in 2014. So I'm making this list to keep myself on track, let you guys know what my reading plans are, and hopefully we can discuss some of these if any of you have read them! I'm pretty excited for this list and am going to do my best to stick to it.

The first two are from the library, which is why I'm reading them first. And most of the descriptions below are from Amazon. 

The Opposite of Loneliness - Marina Keegan

An affecting and hope-filled posthumous collection of essays and stories from the talented young Yale graduate whose title essay captured the world’s attention in 2012 and turned her into an icon for her generation. Marina Keegan’s star was on the rise when she graduated magna cum laude from Yale in May 2012. She had a play that was to be produced at the New York International Fringe Festival and a job waiting for her at the New Yorker. Tragically, five days after graduation, Marina died in a car crash.

The Girl's Guide to Homelessness - Brianna Karp

Brianna Karp entered the workforce at age ten, supporting her mother and sister throughout her teen years in Southern California. Although her young life was scarred by violence and abuse, Karp stayed focused on her dream of a steady job and a home of her own. By age twenty-two her dream became reality. Karp loved her job as an executive assistant and signed the lease on a tiny cottage near the beach. And then the Great Recession hit. Karp, like millions of others, lost her job. In the six months between the day she was laid off and the day she was forced out onto the street, Karp scrambled for temp work and filed hundreds of job applications, only to find all doors closed. When she inherited a thirty-foot travel trailer after her father's suicide, Karp parked it in a Walmart parking lot and began to blog about her search for work and a way back.

Everything is Illuminated - Jonathan Safran Foer

With only a yellowing photograph in hand, a young man - also named Jonathan Safran Foer - sets out to find the woman who may or may not have saved his grandfather from the Nazis. Accompanied by an old man haunted by memories of the war; an amorous dog named Sammy Davis, Junior, Junior; and the unforgettable Alex, a young Ukrainian translator who speaks in a sublimely butchered English, Jonathan is led on a quixotic journey over a devastated landscape and into an unexpected past.

A Prayer Journal - Flannery O'Connor

A copy of the prayer journal written by one of my favorite authors!? Hello. I'm all about writing down prayers and have a prayer journal of my own, but as I skimmed the pages of Flannery's I realized that she is a true writer. Wow. I cannot wait to read through this because of her elegant writing.

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston

“A deeply soulful novel that comprehends love and cruelty, and separates the big people from the small of heart, without ever losing sympathy for those unfortunates who don’t know how to live properly.” —Zadie Smith

Say You're One of Them - Uwem Akpan

Each story in this jubilantly acclaimed collection pays testament to the wisdom and resilience of children, even in the face of the most agonizing circumstances. 

By Nightfall -  Michael Cunningham

I bought this while I was in grad school, so I'm long overdo for reading it. This poetic and compelling masterpiece is a heartbreaking look at a marriage and the way we now live. Full of shocks and aftershocks, By Nightfall is a novel about the uses and meaning of beauty, and the place of love in our lives.

I Am Malala - Malala Yousafzai

I got this for Christmas last year, so I figured that a year on my shelf is too long for this story. I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons. I Am Malala will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world.

Have you read any of these books? What's on your end of the year reading list?

Chelsea Lately: A Much Needed Update

Hi everyone! Wow. It has been quite the long break from blogging. So sorry to leave you guys hanging, but sometimes you just have to put your "real life" first, and since my last post, that was much needed. Since my last post, I was a bridesmaid in my two best friends' wedding, ran a sports camp at Jumonville for a week with my brother, I turned 25 (!!!) and went to my first craft show for Marion Claire Stationery and opened shop online! So a lot of great stuff has happened, but a lot of great stuff is making it's way onto the blog too. So here's a little catch-up!

Listening: Sylvan Esso. My brother introduced me to them a while ago and now I cannot get enough.

Eating: Nothing inspiring. I need to get back on my cooking game.

Wanting to buy: A new bike! This cruiser to be exact.

Reading: Catching Fire. I promised myself (and others who peer pressured me) to finish the Hunger Games series this summer and it's been taking me a while to actually dig into this second book but I'm truckin' through.

Watching: Every movie on the Family Video new release list. Last night it was Under the Skin...which still has me thinking about it.

Admiring: Samantha, the owner of Broke Little Rich Girl. I'm so excited to hear about her success with the fashion truck and now she's opening a boutique in Lawrenceville and I'm so so happy for her for making her dreams come true and wish her all the best!

Drinking: Coffee and water. I'm trying to let go of pop and mom got me a Keurig for my birthday so more coffee than normal is in my diet.

Wearing: Shorts!! I am usually not a fan, but somehow my legs got tan this summer and I found some really cute ones at Walmart that aren't totally annoying with my chubby thighs. 

Losing sleep over: Nothing. 

Loving: Seeing my kitten chase a fly around the house right now. I hope she catches it though...and kills it.

Excited about: MJ to move north for good! He recently got a job at Edinboro and will be moving to Erie soon and I really cannot wait to live so close to him again! 

Thankful for: Summer living.

What have you all been up to!?

Currently...

I feel like I haven't talked to you guys forever since Fashion Week took over this space last week. So I figured that now would be a good time to do a "Chelsea Lately" post. Here's what I've been up to recently.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Listening: The Lungs album by Florence and the Machine, on vinyl. Santa brought me this gem and I have been blasting it every morning while getting ready. It is perfect primping/ready to take on the day music.

Eating: Every recipe I've ever pinned on Pinterest. Seriously, like a real cook.

Wanting to buy: A bathing suit. More specifically, a one piece that has an actual bra in it and doesn't look like it was designed for my grandmother, and doesn't have one of those frilly skirts that are supposed to "hide" my thighs. Sexy one piece, why is this hard to find?

Reading: Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement. I'm only two chapters in and already love and feel overly emotional about the characters.

Watching: High Fidelity. I can never decide if I like John Cusack in this movie or not.

Admiring: Sarah from Coming Unstitched for writing this honest post about motherhood.

Drinking: Water. So much water. I feel like I'll probably drown soon.

Wearing: This American Eagle zip-up. So comfy. So bright. So perfect. Also, a lot of flats, which means I'm not wearing socks, which means it might actually be spring around here! Holler.

Losing sleep over: Everything and nothing. I make a list of so many things I need to do the next day every night before going to sleep and think, how am I ever going to get all of this done, but then just let God take care of it. Plans will work out, or they won't and I know I only have so much control over them so why worry about it all? Proverbs 16:9 is my motto.

Loving: The recent growth-spurt my hair is having!

Excited about: This weekend in the 'burgh! Getting to see MJ Friday and then bridal shower and bachelorette party for my girl, Hannah, on Saturday. This is my first time being a bridesmaid so I'm excited!

Thankful for: My brother. Honestly. There is no cooler person.

 What's going on with you all recently?

Choosing A Great Read

If you follow me on Twitter, than you know there's been a lot of book talk lately. I've always been a big fan of the written word and actual books are still my favorite...although my iPad library has a nice collection too. And as a self-proclaimed writer, with book ideas of my own floating around my brain and Word docs on my computer, books are important to me. So I thought I'd share with you all how I decide on which books to read, since I think it's a bit unique or weird, however you want to look at it!

1. If it's recommended, consider the source and then more than likely read it right away.
A lot of my friends are big readers too, and I always like to know what great books they've recently finished and I take these recommendations very seriously. People don't usually recommend books that don't make you feel something or that just flat out suck. I've got a great group of friends, and none of them are anything like the next one, so this always makes for an interesting selection of books. From new age stuff to deep theology, and the current best seller to some trashy romance novel, my friends have read them all. And it's always nice to read something from a new or interesting perspective. Although I admit that I'm behind on this list of recommendations.

2. Judge the cover.
Yep. You read that right. I judge the cover of books. I'm part graphic designer, how could I not? If I don't like the design or if I think I could have made it better in an easy way, I don't read it. Or I look to see if there are other cover designs for it...thank you Amazon! Also, if a book was made into a movie and the actors are on the cover, that is not the one I pick. I like the original art better, although I did make an exception for my copy of The Help. And if it's an old book without the cover sleeve...even better! Nothing to judge if it's not there!

3. Feel it up. 
This kind of goes along with the design in general but if I book is awkward to hold or just doesn't feel right, I'll look for it in a different form. I prefer books in soft covers simply because they are easier to hold and seem more comfortable. Packaging is important, people!

4. Read the first paragraph.
If you're not drawn in after that first paragraph, you're not going to want to continue reading the whole book. Authors kill themselves over that first paragraph, it's obviously one of the most important pieces.

5. Read the last sentence.
I'm serious. It gives you just enough of a juicy stopping point that you wonder what happened to lead up to that moment and it's just as important as that first paragraph...if not more. And if you end up getting the book, you'll more than likely forget what it said by the time you finish reading the book anyway. Since it's so short it's not like you are ruining the ending for yourself.

6. Turn to a page and read a random paragraph.
I stole this one from one of my favorite professors at Seton Hill who has actually recommended books to me that are now some of my favorites. He always picked page 58 (if I'm remembering correctly) but I've decided to pick the page with my age. So until July, every author better hope that their 24th page is a knockout. And again, it's not like you're giving anything away, reading a couple sentences from a random page isn't going to tell you everything about the characters or give up a major plot twist and you will more than likely forget what you've read once you get into it. But if you're hooked because of those few sentences, you'll more than likely be hooked through the whole book.

It's not science, but it helps. Especially if you're choosing between two random books you found at the library that you've never heard of - like me earlier this week, when all the books recommended to me were checked out at the library. How do you decide on what to read?

Book reviews previously posted:

Still Alice | The Help | The Family Fang | Heaven Is For Real | Incendiary

The Age of Miracles | Gone Girl | Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

Office Girl | Trains and Lovers | I was told there'd be cake

Books of the Summer

So this summer, I was able to get back into my "reading groove" - living back home with such a great library has done wonders for me. This summer I read A LOT. But these ones were my favorites and I hope that you guys will think about checking them out!

Incendiary by Chris Cleave - If I had to pick a favorite author, Chris Cleave would certainly make the short list. I love his ability to tie multiple story lines together and explain in depth what characters are feeling, without going overboard and Incendiary is no different. A story about a family of three, living a working-class life in London and how the mother/wife character is able to go on after losing her young son and husband by the hands of notorious criminals in an event that shakes London to the core. This summer I also so the movie based on this book and I must say, it sucked...just read the book.

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker - When I first picked up this book I was very skeptical about whether or not I'd like it because it seemed very "end of the world" and "unreal" to me, which I'm usually not a fan of. However, although it does have speculative fiction, it's a beautiful coming of age novel that is written beautifully and has a believable story line. This novel is from the point of view of Julia, a middle-schooler growing up in an average American suburban lifestyle, whose world is totally altered when it has become obvious that the Earth's rotation is slowing. This book is stunning.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - Alright, this was THEE book of the summer. Gone Girl is fantastic. I was hooked to every word and was in love with it from beginning to the very last word. This book is about a marriage gone horribly wrong between Nick and Amy Dunne, and all it comes unraveling on the fifth wedding anniversary. The characters are rich and the plot is thick and surprising. You just must read this one for yourself.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan - This one is also a must read. Especially if you're a total nerd. There is an odd subculture revealed to Clay when his life of a web-designer ends and he begins to work the overnight shift at Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. Mr. Penumbra is an interesting character who Clay cannot get enough of and soon he his immersed in a secret code-breaking club run through the way-back shelves of the bookstore. Along with this club, Clay finds true friendship and love and something much larger than his humdrum life that he'll never forget. Also, the hardback book cover glows in the dark, so there's that.

Office Girl by Joe Meno - Since this book is so different then any others I've read and there is no better way to explain it, this is what the back of the book actually says: No one dies in Office Girl. Nobody talks about the international political situation. There is no mention of any economic collapse. Nothing takes place during a World War. Instead, this novel is about young people doing interesting things in the final moments of the last century. Odile is a lovely twenty-three-year-old art-school dropout, a minor vandal, and a hopeless dreamer. Jack is a twenty-five-year-old shirker who's most happy capturing the endless noises of the city on his out-of-date tape recorder. Together they decide to start their own art movement in defiance of a contemporary culture made dull by both the tedious and the obvious. Set in February 1999—just before the end of one world and the beginning of another—Office Girl is the story of two people caught between the uncertainty of their futures and the all-too-brief moments of modern life. ...andddd pretty much, read it. It's certainly interesting and unlike anything I'm sure you've read.


Trains and Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith - If you're a hopeless romantic, you need to read Trains and Lovers. This novel is about four travelers heading from Edinburgh to London who all meet on the train and have beautiful love stories that tie them all to the locations of where they are coming from to where they are going. This book is just lovely. It's something you can finish in a few day and if you're a sappy girl like me, then you'll be smiling and possibly crying the whole time. It's a great book about how wonderful love can really be. 

I was told there'd be cake by Sloane Crosley - This book of personal essay's had me laughing the entire way through. Sloane's writing really is profoundly genuine and honest and I loved every minute of this book. These essay's are of Sloane's twenty-something lifestyle while living and working in the big city. I loved it all. She is the more "family friendly" version of Chelsea Handler's book(s) of essays and just as witty. After so many novels over this summer, it was good to end the summer with a hilarious book of essays by an extremely relatable woman. 

Twelve of 'twelve

Hello. Today's post is brought to you by the number twelve. Here's a list of the twelve most memorable things that happened in the past year, in no real particular order, accompanied by some epic photos. And I would like to thank you all for following along with my little blog here, liking the page 

on Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest, and here's planning for bigger and better things in 2013! 

Remember, sweet reader, you are awesome and I appreciate you!

Love, Chels

 

 12. Read twelve novels. Nerd alert.

11. Discovered some killer music. (Even though I think this happens to me every year.)

10. Said goodbye to my first pet after my family had to put our beautiful baby to sleep.

Eric, Gordy & Me - we're just babies in this picture! Circa 1999-ish.

Matthew 19:14

Admittedly, I bought the book Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo because my mom wanted it and it happened to be on sale in the Point Park Bookstore the day I went in to check out what new Vera Bradley items were in stock. Also admittedly, I read Heaven is for Real, that night, about two weeks ago, in about three hours total and have not been the same since I put it down.

Book cover of Heaven is for Real

As Ron Hall is quoted saying on the back cover, "A beautifully written glimpse into Heaven that will encourage those who doubt and thrill those who believe." True words, Ron. At first, before reading the book, I was a bit of a skeptic because I thought it was just another person trying to make a buck off not only their Christian ideals but off of their cute little kid too. There have been countless books written about traveling to Heaven and how to have child-like faith, most which are written in a style that compares to a how-to article that could be found in a cheap magazine. So I had my doubts about this one too.

Now as a former skeptic myself, I might know what you're thinking, in that how could I tell that this book was any different than all the others?

Well, you know that gut feeling you get when you know something is right or wrong? When people say 'I have a bad feeling about this,' or 'I could just tell it was going to be good,' usually there is a deeper meaning to that and if you look in the Bible about spiritual gifts, it's being able to recognize that God's spirit is present or can also be called discernment. And over and over again, even when I did not want it to be true, it's been proven to me and told to me, that discernment is my top spiritual gift. Which in a basic meaning is that I could just tell that this book was legit and at the very least, has a powerful underlying message.

Burpo Family picture: Colton is on the far left.

Generally, the book is about the Burpo family, and focuses on their first son, Colton. It is told through the perspective of Todd, who is the father and is a pastor in their small town. Colton, at the age of four, had a series of trips and stays at the hospital because of a ruptured appendix and not long after the last hospital stay, during a family trip, he mentions that he went to Heaven. Now, I've worked with kids, I know they say some crazy things and going to Heaven would not be a far-fetched idea for them to come up with, their imaginations are limitless, but it's the rest of the story that makes this whole book believable.

Colton talks about meeting family members he never met and never was told about, he mentions specific aspects of Heaven that are in line with Bible that he was never taught before. Considering the average four year old will only pay attention to you long enough to sing Jesus Loves Me, once, you cannot really teach them about anything complex, and to the human brain, Heaven is pretty complex. Now at first what Colton's mentions about Jesus are just plain cute. When any kid talks about Jesus, I cannot help but melt a little. Which seems to be the same impression Colton's parents had to his stories at first, too. It was not until Colton was able to tell them specific details about where they were and what they were doing in the hospital when the doctors rushed him into surgery, that they believed that their son had made an amazing journey to Heaven.

Okay, so I might know what you skeptics are thinking again. And yes, I know that the Burpo's could have made up every last detail of this book - yet I still believe they did not. 

The underlying message of this book is that we as adults think too much. We try to fit Jesus and God and Heaven and the Holy Spirit and all that other church stuff into one specific box, when the truth is, we can't. Even if you are a theology scholar, you will never be able to understand everything pertaining to God. Children get that. That's why the Bible makes mention about how much Jesus loves the children. That's why the kingdom belongs to them. And that's why He tells us to have child-like faith.

In Heaven is for Real, Todd Burpo says, "child-like humility is not the lack of intelligence but the lack of guile. The lack of agenda. It's that precious fleeting time before we have accumulated enough pride or position to care what people might think." And that's just it. As adults we care too much about what our friends think, what co-workers might say and so on, when honestly we shouldn't. I know I'm guilty of this too but we all need to just stop and let God do what He does. If nothing else, this book will give you some peace on that subject.

I also liked that in the book, Todd talks about being angry with God through all of Colton's medical issues because I feel like we're always told never to show anger towards Him. 1)Why not, He already knows what you're thinking so why not just say it out loud too or during prayer at least, and 2) He does understand what it's like to be human, He understands everything we're going through so we might as well just let it out.

Overall, I just liked that this book brought a different view to what it means to believe in Heaven. Because you can talk about it forever but truthfully, we'll never really know until we're there. I also liked that it was a story. It wasn't written in a tone to try to prove anything, when Todd quoted a Bible verse or tells about something Colton described of Heaven, the verse wasn't right there to read, but instead they were all listed together in the back of the book in the Notes section. I really appreciated that not only because it lets the flow of your reading progress instead of pausing over and over again, but also because it was like Todd was writing in a way as to say, 'if you need the proof of this, here's where to look it up' instead of pounding it at you like so many other Christian authors seem to do. That writing style is just off-putting so think about that if you're writing your own Christian-based book.

Whether your skeptical about this read or not, I'd suggest checking it out. Like Ron Hall said, it really will encourage or thrill you, possibly even both. For me, over the past couple weeks, it's really been making me think differently about Heaven. I have always been curious about what it will be like, but now I know I cannot wait to get there, so I'm going to do everything I can with the time I am given here in the world and in this life to make that happen.

Helping The Help?

Yesterday afternoon I was sitting in Katz Plaza, finally snagging an available eye-bench, unheard of on a beautiful sunny day, and finished reading the last few chapters of The Help. After reading, like always, I took some notes on the book but looked around to see what was going on around me. Nothing out of the ordinary, but from the world of the book I was just in, the scene around me would have been unheard of.

Original Cover of The Help

If you've read the book or (cheated) and saw the movie first, which was recently in theaters, then you might understand what the scene around me was like. But if not, I'll put it plainly for you. I'm a white girl and around me was a crowd primarily of black people. While I cannot even imagine this ever being a problem, in the time of The Help, I would not have been very welcomed in that crowd and if I was raised "properly" I would have never sat there to beginning with. It blows my mind that people separated themselves in this kind of way for so long because one of the most important people in my life is black and I could not imagine life without him now. Granted, MJ and I still get looks when we're in certain areas but I still don't get it.

Kathryn Stockett's novel is beautiful. Primarily, it is told through the perspectives of three women, two black and one white. (Aibileen, Minny and Miss Skeeter.) And is about them wanting the write a novel from the point of view of the help about the white families they are employed by during the time of the 1960's. I loved how much detail was put in to each one of the characters, they were each so strong and beautiful in their own ways. I loved that each chapter took on a different character's perspective of what was going on, but you could always tell who was talking simply based on how they talked, and how they thought about the others and their daily lives.

I loved the character Aibileen the most. She actually reminded me of MJ's mama over and over again through this book. I just loved that she knew hard times and she got scared when taking big risks, but that her faith always guided her forward. She is just the most powerful character in the book and I'm sure in the movie too, since Viola Davis plays her, which automatically says power-woman in my mind. One of my favorite parts in the novel, which I'm hoping made it to the movie is right after their book comes out and there is a meeting at Aibileen and Minny's church. (For those of you who read the book, you should know what I'm talking about.) Firstly, I love this part because of the support that comes out but then, I cannot get over that Aibileen instantly thinks of Miss Skeeter instead of herself, wanting her to be there.

Miss Skeeter: Emma Stone, Minny: Octavia Spencer & Aibileen: Viola Davis

Throughout the novel, I had the feeling that I just couldn't believe this all was still going on in the 60's. Of course while I was learning about the Civil Rights movement in school I knew that was the time period for it, but now it seems like it wasn't that long ago. And to be honest, sometimes it still feels like we have not moved on too far from it. One of the major themes in the novel also struck me pretty hard, that all of these white children were raised by these black maids who loved them and taught them everything from their first words and potty-training to how to be proper ladies and driving cars. The book talks about all the children that Aibileen raises (17 in total) but still mentions that she cannot keep them from "becoming their mothers." Like no matter what she does or says to them, as children they will love her with everything they have but once they grow up and have families of their own, they become the same people their parents were, which usually included not being very nice to their help either. I loved the relationship between Aibileen and her "last baby" Mae Mobley. While her mother Elizabeth paid little attention to her, Aibileen always made sure that Mae understood that she was kind, smart and important, which warmed my heart every time it was mentioned in the book. (It's also the part some of us at work like to say to each other when we're getting a little stressed.)

Overall, I loved the book because I could really get into it. I saw myself as Miss Skeeter a lot, because I'm sure I would be the "rebel white girl who liked to write." I loved to hear about certain characters triumphs and loved to hear when not so awesome things happened to characters I did not like, just like in real life! (haha) I also really felt a part of it, because the dialect was so well written that I felt the Southern tone of each different character and their personality. My only complaint is that I'm getting tired of the idea that blacks cannot do anything without the help of white people. See: The Blindside or Freedom Writers for further information on that topic. I liked that Stockett seemed to be trying to steer away from that storyline by making Aibileen and Minny such powerful characters but the hint of it was still there. And to be real honest, we'll never get over the race issue in this country if the, whites as the upper-hand helpers, is always part of our basic plot.

Not impressed by the Fang family's "art"

Last night I finished reading Kevin Wilson's The Family Fang. To be honest, I cannot say that I was too impressed. The book, obviously, focuses on the Fang Family and their crazy theatrics but besides that, I didn't find much to it.

Book Cover: The Family Fang

The parents, Caleb and Camille, are performance artists who do seemingly "random" acts of art, basically by creating a plot and a plan and then showing up in a town (usually at the mall) where no one will recognize them, and create "art." But their children, Annie and Buster, also simply known as Child A and Child B or just A and B; however, think their parents are just creating chaos and hate that what their parents call art is really just ruining a moment in innocent peoples lives. This family is messed up. But not only because the parents are weird, but because they make their kids "perform" with them, from the time of birth.

Now, although this book will not go on my list of favorites, there were some admirable qualities about it. I love a story that can switch back and forth with each chapter to a present day and a flashback moment, without getting the reader lost in what happened right before in the present. Kevin Wilson was able to make the story flow smoothly between the two and seemed to know when was a good moment to cut off the present day and jump into a flashback chapter pretty fluidly. I also very much appreciated the relationship between Annie and Buster because having to live with wack-job parents would totally bond siblings together because they are the only other ones in the world that understand the situation you're in as well. Not to mention I'm getting tired of the typical story line where siblings hate each other and cannot get along even though they are well into adulthood - for me, that is unrealistic since my brother and I have grown up and become closer, not further apart.

Author: Kevin Wilson

However, my beef with this novel is that I couldn't fully love any of the characters. Their personal stories only brushed the surface level and it was hard to want to keep reading at times because I wasn't feeling an emotional draw to any of them. Especially with the character of Camille, her life in general was too unbelievable to me. I get that she was a rich girl and started as a painter and then fell in love with her professor (Caleb) and started to love his kind of art instead, but once she becomes a mother there is too much back and forth with her character where I think she should have been a constant. Once she becomes a mother, the book mentions that she is so much better with Annie as a baby then Caleb is and knows through instinct what she needs, which is all well and good but then as the kids grow up, and finally as they have moved out, it's like she does not love them anymore, which is not a believable sentiment at all. Mothers who are that in tune with their children do not stop loving them...mothers never stop loving, period. This character flaw ticked me off because it was as if she loved the art more than her children, but if that's what Kevin Wilson wanted to display, he should have shown that side of her since their birth. (In my opinion anyway.) And considering I saw Caleb's character as nothing more than a selfish, brainwashing prick, I have nothing else to say about him.

For all I know, since I actually read the uncorrected proof of the novel (for some reason that's all the library had) the actual printed version might be totally different. Camille might be more lovable in it, Annie and Buster might have real emotion to the fact that their parents continually ruined their lives and Caleb might be a worth-while character to mention...for your sake, I hope the uncorrected proof was not the one that went to print. Sorry, Kevin.

Reality in a fictional character: a review of Still Alice by Lisa Genova

When I first picked up Still Alice by Lisa Genova from the library I knew instantly that it would be a great read. I love books that can actually happen in real life. (Yes, that means I'm not a Harry Potter fan.) I just love when authors get really into their characters and show that people and life and this world in general are messy, and it's up to us to figure out answers to the who, what, where, why and how questions that give us purpose and that we encounter everyday. And just by reading the inside flap of Still Alice, I knew this book would do just that.

The brief summary of Still Alice is that it is about "An accomplished woman of 50 years, who slowly loses her thoughts and memories to a harrowing disease - only to discover that each day brings a new way of living and loving." Alice, who is a professor at Harvard and who is a world-renowned expert in linguistics, is the wife of fellow Harvard professor and mother of three grown children; Anna, Tom and Lydia. She is also, as readers find out very early (like before you even begin reading the actual novel, early) is someone who is eventually diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

Still Alice is heartbreaking and inspiring. I'm literally at a loss for words on how to describe it. Alzheimer's disease to me, seems to be one of the worst things that a human being can go through, either by being the patient or a close friend or family member watching the disease progress. It breaks my heart the instant I hear about someone having it. And Lisa Genova's writing is so poignant that while reading, I either felt like a daughter of Alice's or in some of the darker moments of the novel, Alice herself. There were times when reading this novel, that I had to make myself stop reading because I felt like I was being too drawn into Alice's world and I emotionally could not handle what I saw happening next. THAT...is real and admirable writing.

Lisa Genova, a Harvard professor herself, blew my mind with her expertise on the subject matter and with her style of writing. I would highly recommend this read to anyone who is in no way dealing with a situation similar to Alice's because I do not know how someone going through this intimately would be able to cope with the reality that is put on these pages and with the situation they are living with. The author is real and raw, which I admire in writers and love to see make it to print. She takes you deep into the mind of Alice, writing from her perspective, and by getting further into her wavering and flourishing relationships throughout the two year period that the novel covers.

Above all, I loved that Alice remained as much of herself as she could. A sense of humor and wit went a long way with her character even in some of her darker moments. I also loved that the relationship with one of her daughters becomes so unbreakable that it made me second guess whether or not there ever was a time when they were not totally in sync with each other, despite Alice's illness and their history together. Through this novel, I am more convinced of the separation of body and soul. Though they are obviously and literally connected in a way, where our bodies fail, our spirits can take over and I think that is what Lisa Genova was able to elaborate on through this novel. She not only makes her characters seem so real this way, but also, she was able to give the human race, dealing with these horrible circumstances, the ability to be free from them all through living through the soul instead of the ever-failing body.