Bon's Book Club - Unbroken

This month’s book for Bon’s Book Club was Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. I wasn’t totally game on reading this, but I had heard from others that it was really good so I decided to give it a try.  It’s a true story, so I do think that helped with the appeal for me. Also, it was recently made into a movie with Angelina Jolie as the Director. Here is a description from Amazon:

 

“In boyhood, Louis Zamperini was an incorrigible delinquent. As a teenager, he channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics. But when World War II began, the athlete became an airman, embarking on a journey that led to a doomed flight on a May afternoon in 1943. When his Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean, against all odds, Zamperini survived, adrift on a foundering life raft. Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.”

Ugh, I am not totally sure what to say about this book.  Yes, some parts of it were very interesting and it was really incredible to hear his story of survival, but man oh man did it seem like some of that dragged on.  I feel terrible saying that because this is a man’s real life we are talking about, but I felt the book maybe could have used a little less detail and gotten the same story across, especially in the beginning.

I thought the “voice” or “point of view” of the story was a little confusing too.  I never quite figured out who was supposed to be telling this story.  It seemed like it should be coming from Louis himself with all of the detail, but it was all third person as if someone were peering into his life the whole time and telling the story. To me that almost made it feel not as real.

One thing I did like about the book is that I learned a lot about that time period and the war.  I am not too into history, so it was interesting hearing stories from the point of view of the pilots during the bombing of Pearl Harbor or what POW camps were really like.

I guess if you have a lot of free time, this book may be worth the read, but it was a little tough for me to get through.  I can honestly say I am not even sure I will take the time to watch the movie.

Next up for Bon’s Book Club is Interpreters of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri.  I have to decided not to read this book for two reasons.  One, it just doesn’t sound interesting to me at all and two, I am due to give birth any day now and I don’t want to strap myself down to a book! I have no clue what kind of free time I will have to read.  I have also already read the June book, Dark Places byGillian Flynn, so that really frees me up and I won’t have to think about making myself read if I can’t.

Have you read Unbroken? What are your thoughts?

Bon's Book Club - Yes Please

This month’s book for Bon’s Book Club was Yes Please by Amy Poehler. This is a book that has been on my list to read for quite a while now.  I love funny autobiographies and memoirs, so it is right up my alley. Here is a description from Amazon:

 

“Do you want to get to know the woman we first came to love on Comedy Central's Upright Citizens Brigade? Do you want to spend some time with the lady who made you howl with laughter on Saturday Night Live, and in movies like Baby Mama, Blades of Glory, and They Came Together? Do you find yourself daydreaming about hanging out with the actor behind the brilliant Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation? Did you wish you were in the audience at the last two Golden Globes ceremonies, so you could bask in the hilarity of Amy's one-liners?

If your answer to these questions is "Yes Please!" then you are in luck. In her first book, one of our most beloved funny folk delivers a smart, pointed, and ultimately inspirational read. Full of the comedic skill that makes us all love Amy, Yes Please is a rich and varied collection of stories, lists, poetry (Plastic Surgery Haiku, to be specific), photographs, mantras and advice. With chapters like "Treat Your Career Like a Bad Boyfriend," "Plain Girl Versus the Demon" and "The Robots Will Kill Us All" Yes Please will make you think as much as it will make you laugh. Honest, personal, real, and righteous, Yes Please is full of words to live by.”

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Honest opinion? I really didn’t like this book.  There were a few moments when I giggled, but I would not say this book was overwhelmingly funny in any way like I was expecting it to be.  I enjoyed Tina Fey’s book and have read many others by TV personalities (Mindy Kaling and Chelsea Handler for example) and this one was by far my least favorite.

I think my biggest problem was it jumped around too much.  She would talk about one point in her life, then talk about her marriage, then go back to a chapter on college, then move to SNL, then go back…you get the picture.  I was so lost half the time and really turned off by the lack of timeline. I also never watched Parks and Rec, so I didn’t connect with anything that she wrote about that portion of her life.

She also had some really strange chapters.  I mean, several pages spent on how her cell phone was out to kill her?  Maybe we just don’t have the same sense of humor. I don’t like weird humor, so that’s very possible.

I felt like most of the book was too much on the surface for a book touting that its author was “honest” and “real.”  Yes, there were a few real moments, for example when she wrote about a very insensitive skit she did years ago and how she dealt with the aftermath, but they were few and far between in my opinion.

Overall, I would skip this book.  I’ve read so many other books of the same “type” that I enjoyed far more.

Next up for Bon’s Book Club is Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.  I am not sure how I feel about this one.  I have heard it’s great, but for some reason I don’t find it fully appealing.  Hopefully that will change and I will love this book!

Have you read Yes Please? What are your thoughts?

Bon's Book Club - My Story

This month’s book for Bon’s Book Club was My Story by Elizabeth Smart. It was originally supposed to be for December of last year (which is when I actually read it) but it got postponed. I was really excited to read this book.  I actually met Elizabeth at a luncheon in March of 2014 and received a signed copy of her book.  I got to hear her speak on what happened to her, so when I read the book, I could almost hear everything in her voice and the way she spoke. Here is a description from Amazon:

March 2014, with Elizabeth Smart

“For the first time, ten years after her abduction from her Salt Lake City bedroom, Elizabeth Smart reveals how she survived and the secret to forging a new life in the wake of a brutal crime.

On June 5, 2002, fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart, the daughter of a close-knit Mormon family, was taken from her home in the middle of the night by religious fanatic, Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee. She was kept chained, dressed in disguise, repeatedly raped, and told she and her family would be killed if she tried to escape. After her rescue on March 12, 2003, she rejoined her family and worked to pick up the pieces of her life.

Now for the first time, in her memoir, MY STORY, she tells of the constant fear she endured every hour, her courageous determination to maintain hope, and how she devised a plan to manipulate her captors and convinced them to return to Utah, where she was rescued minutes after arriving. Smart explains how her faith helped her stay sane in the midst of a nightmare and how she found the strength to confront her captors at their trial and see that justice was served.

 In the nine years after her rescue, Smart transformed from victim to advocate, traveling the country and working to educate, inspire and foster change. She has created a foundation to help prevent crimes against children and is a frequent public speaker. In 2012, she married Matthew Gilmour, whom she met doing mission work in Paris for her church, in a fairy tale wedding that made the cover of People magazine.”

I really enjoyed this book!  It was such an easy read and I was sucked in from the moment I first opened it.  I sat there the whole time just reeling over the fact that this was a true story and these things really did happen to this young woman.

It’s hard to say anything bad about a book like this, when it is such a personal story.  Even after reading it though, it’s hard to believe how uncomfortable she must have felt to not tell someone who she was in the many times they were out in public. I know a lot of people question that, but all I can say is that we will hopefully never be in this situation to know what we would do.  I certainly don’t criticize her for not saying anything, but I happy it all worked out in the end.

After I read it I sometimes wonder about how she moved on with her life.  She is now married, which is awesome.  At the luncheon I attended she spoke for quite a while on her story.  I gained a sense that she has really disconnected with it all and just regurgitates everything that happened, but doesn’t really let the feelings sink into her mind.  Some of the things she said in her speech were almost word for word from the book.  She has probably recited it so many times that she is able to completely disengage, which I suppose is a good thing. She also seemed so young still, even though she is now 27 years old.  She was very timid and meek, but its 100% understandable.

 

Next up for Bon’s Book Club is Yes Please by Poehler.  This is a book that has been on my list for several months, so I love that we are covering it in book club!  I have a big love for funny memoirs and I am hoping this one doesn’t disappoint!

Have you read My Story? What are your thoughts?

Bon's Book Club - Wonder

This month’s book for Bon’s Book Club was Wonder by R.J. Palacio. I really wasn’t sure what this book was going to be about either.  I’m not sure why, but for some reason I never read the descriptions before I start the book!  Most books I do obviously, but for the book club books, I go in pretty blindly. Here is a description from Amazon:

 “I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.

August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. WONDER, now a #1 New York Times bestseller and included on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.” 

First of all, this book was a really easy read.  I think I read it in just a few days, which is my favorite kind of book!  I liked the story, but I didn’t absolutely love it.  I think this book is definitely geared toward a younger crowd. I think this book would be great for grade school aged kids learning about bullying and how people are different. 

I really liked how the author told the story from different points of view.  I’m not sure I have ever read a book like that.  It was interesting to read the thoughts and feelings of those around August, not just from August himself who has dealt with this his whole life.  Getting to hear from his classmates, who weren’t ever around someone like August before was nice.

I know this may sounds petty, but I can’t decide if I wish the author gave us more detail on his face or not.  I mean, there were bits and pieces thrown in, but I am a very visual person, so I would have liked that. On the other hand, I’m not sure it’s actually necessary.  I think the author did that on purpose.

I do have to say the author did a great job in helping me connect to August.  I felt myself really pulling for him and being so proud of him by the end of the book.  I may or may not have even shed a few tears multiple times in the book.  I even had my first real pregnancy cry when his dog died haha.

I liked the book and am glad I read it, but I don’t think personally it was my style.  I like more mystery and suspense or funny books.  I’m not sure if I would recommend it based on that reasoning. If you are looking for an easy read though, this definitely fits the bill!

Next up for Bon’s Book Club is My Story by Elizabeth Smart.  I have been really looking forward to reading this book.  I met her in March of this year and actually got a signed copy of the book, so it’s been sitting on my shelf waiting for this month!  I can’t wait to start it!

Have you read Wonder? What are your thoughts?