Book Review(s): The Last of Em - for Now

Now I've gotten to the point where I think I'm finally losing/finally lost steam. The writing bug itch isn't as scratchy as it was this morning. (Not to mention my coffee wore off HOURS ago). That being said, I still wanted to post tiny blurbs/ratings for the remainder of books I've tackled this year. Some of these were months ago, so they're an echo in my memory. Overall impressions remain - but not much more. I'm hoping I keep my bookworm on throughout 2015 and can post more of these pseduo-book reports with more details/criticisms/ramblings more fresh in my perma-fatigued frazzled brain. Here's a dump of the remainders. Will likely be a minute or five until I get a chance to post any new ramblings - along with being in a queue for the current 5 on my reading list behind others, I've also got trips back home and a pending move approaching in the following weeks, so likely won't have too much free time on my hands to get my read/write on until August. Til then. . . 

Stardust - Neil Gaiman

A love story. Fairies, magical woods, a fallen star. Another magical Gaiman masterpiece, but a bit more on the softer side. A quick breezy read without too much darkness. A happy ending. I can imagine a lot of teeny bopper raver girls or artsy kids who pretend they're into witchcraft and frequent Alchemy Arts digging this one. I'm neither of those stereotypes, and I'll admit I enjoyed it as well. Not the best Gaiman selection, but still a fun enough read. I'd rate this one 6.5/10.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay - Michael Chabon

My first second Kindle read! (Murakami beat it, but as you'll read below - doesn't technically count). It was immediately available for download on ChiPubLib website since it's the official selection for the One Book, One Chicago program. It was longer than it needed to be, for sure. Story followed two young Jewish lads on their quest for comic book notoriety, which they achieved, and then lost. Throw in a love story or two on top of it, and some teenage/adulthood angst, and there you have it. If you're looking for a long story and are into comics, this might be for you. I didn't mind the story, and liked Chabon's writing style enough to check out another one of his works afterwards - but it's safe to say I won't be revisiting this particular novel again. My rating: 5.5/10.

Wonder Boys - Michael Chabon

Definitely a more enjoyable read than the prior Chabon book I read. I understand this selection was made into a film too, which I've never seen. Maybe worth a watch? I dunno. Well written, but also kind of painful to continue reading all the pitfalls and catastrophes that manage to follow the protagonist. A lot of face palming, yet you still hope it all works out for the sad sack at the end. I rate this one a 6.5/10.

Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman

The first Gaiman book I read! After finishing the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, the 2015 Chicago Public Library selection for the One Book, One Chicago program, I skimmed through past year selections and this made the cut. Hence, the nudge I needed to get over my reluctancy to pick up a Gaiman book. And I'm glad I finally did. This story reminded me very heavily of some Murakami vibes, but with a slightly darker edge. The 'bad guys' in this one seem like legit bad guys, and the thin line balance between reality 'London Above' and non-reality, but still 'reality' 'London Below' is so blurred, it gives you a bit of a mind think. But it's a great introduction to Gaiman's other works, and I recommend it very highly, maybe even more so than American Gods. No fairies in this one, or minotaurs or evil blobs, but there is still a dark presence that lurks beyond the edges. If you like Murakami, pick this one up. I did and I loved it. I'd rate this one a 9/10.

The First Bad Man: A Novel - Miranda July

Oh, Miranda. You overly honest feminsitic genius perv, you. This book is exactly what you'd expect from Ms. July. Perversions and oddities. In the best way possible. If you're not into weird sex shit or you don't dig Miss July's quirky sense of awesome, this isn't going to be the book for you. But if you are? It's classic her. I'd rate this one a 6.5, because it isn't her best work, but it's definitely still worth a read.

The Strange Library - Haruik Murakami

I am a huge Murakami fan. He is my favorite author and I love him and his stories. I will read everything he puts out. But this was such a bummer town tease! Yes, it was listed as a novela. But due to my lack of patience and inability to wait for my 45th position in queue to read this from the library, I splurged and spent 8 bucks on this eBook. And read it in literally 20 minutes. TWENTY MINUTES! One of the many reasons I love Murakami so much is his lengthy tales. It's like a commitment, sinking into one of his tales. You commit yourself to the story, and it becomes a part of your life throughout the read. Not this one, folks. And I'm pretty sure there's no cats in this one either, despite the cover. (Although it has been some months since I flew through this one). It's a dark twisty little tale, and it's good for what it is. But talk about a jaded, disgruntled Jodi after realizing - wait, what, really? LAME. For the story itself, I'd rate it an 8. For the book it's labeled as/pretending to be? I'd rate it a 2. Totally disappointed. But I still love him, anyway.

 

The Goldfinch, The Little Friend & The Secret History - Donna Tartt

I started with the Goldfinch, which technically was read late last year and was a legit, hard cover actual BOOK. Not an eBook. But the book itself was what got me hooked on this author, and even though I got glazey eyed and had a tendency to skim all the art references in the book, (which unfortunately, are somewhat many due to the plot revolving around a piece of stolen artwork), I still enjoyed this as a fun read. It also got tons of acclaim, so if you want to learn more about it, you can google it. Or go to any library and pick up a copy, I'm sure there's a shit ton of them since this was one of the most popular reads last year. 

The next Tartt book I conquered was The Little Friend, my personal favorite of the three books she has out. Many will disagree with me, and vouch for the Goldfinch, or even the Secret History. Not me, I dug this one. There wasn't as much overly dramatic overtones in it as the other two. It was still dark and twisty and full of suspense, but more believable? (Barely, but maybe). The story follows a young stubborn, scampy kinda girl, determined to find out who killed her older brother years prior. Her path twists in all sorts of directions it shouldn't, and she gets in over her head. It's a good read, a page turner.

The Secret History was the final Tartt selection I tackled. This one centered around a bunch of douchey college kids who all nerded out over their love of the Greek language. But gasp! Murder ensues! NOT MURDER!? Ha. It's a good read, but kind of predictable. Still, I enjoy Tartt's style and she does manage to keep the readers engaged, so I'd still recommend to a friend.

My ratings for the three: Goldfinch - 7/10; The Little Friend - 8.5/10; The Secret History - 7.5/10

Book Report: Not that Kind of Girl

Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned" - Lena Dunham

I never watched Girls. I couldn't bring myself to do it. Well, actually, a few weekends ago my  husband and I were drinking on our Saturday night with the kid in bed and I drunkenly suggested we give it a try as it was featured on Amazon Prime. We made it 5 minutes in and I demanded we shut it off. 

It's official - I cannot stand Lena Dunham. Don't get me wrong, I totally support what she stands for in several regards. Feminist. Unapologetic. A REAL symbol of what women look like and her confidence of not giving a fuck if it offends anyone. Between her and Amy Schumer, it's really refreshing to see women who are not afraid of being larger than a size 6 and refusing to apologize for it. I can totally 150% get behind that. And her sexuality, too. Because women aren't all size 0's, and they do have sex. And we shouldn't have to fucking apologize for it or pretend not to be who we are, while men can go spit their seed wherever the fuck they want. Ok, tangent girl power rant aside, Lena Dunham fucking annoys the hell out of me. She's beyond self-absorbed, (without even realizing it!). She grew up beyond privileged, (again, without even realizing it!), and stumbled upon success because she can write about herself and apparently people give a shit about privileged hip white girls. I wanted to, I'll admit it, but I don't. Because, shut up you guys. I never liked Entourage, either. That was kind of the male HBO equivalent, but more 'glamorous?" Or maybe not at all. I don't know. I just can't fucking stand her. 

So I read her memoir because again, I needed reading material, and thought maybe I'd like her. I liked her feminist I dont give a fuck attitude and I appreciated her breaking out and being chubby and naked all the time. Go chubby naked women! Go get it, girl! But I did not want to read hundreds of pages about her discovering pebbles in her little sister's vagina, her adventures of entitlement working for a children's clothing boutique doing nothing, PAGES, LITERALLY PAGES of her fucking diet diary - days of what she ate, (WHO WANTS TO READ THAT!!), and essays upon essays repeating the same instances or her OCD. She was just - so. self. absorbed. And it's a memoir, I get it. But she spins it as "Lessons Learned" for other girls. Like girls can learn anything from her blunders. And I'll admit, some of her experiences were almost relatable, but mostly not. And the few I could relate to didn't teach me anything I didn't already know.In fact, I didn't learn shit. And just thinking about the time I lost reading about her "lessons learned," (UGH) makes me angry. Because unlike Lena, I had to actually try at my jobs and work hard, even during jobs in high school which were (wah wah) not pursuing my passion. Because I'm not an entitled spoiled kid growing up in a brownstown in New York. 

Maybe if you're a fan of Girls, and Lena Dunham, this book will be more enjoyable. For me? I've gone through my own roller coasters of emotional trauma in college years, fluctuations of weight loss/gain, esteem troubles with men and myself. And I worked fucking hard. I learned lessons myself, through experiencing my own life. All I learned from her is that I'm not interested and beyond exasperated.

My rating: 2/10. And that's generous.

Book Report: American Gods

American Gods - Neil Gaiman

As indicated in a previous post, I'm a fan of Neil Gaiman now. And this is his most often praised/recommended book (at least from my friends). The tale takes place in the Midwest, my lifelong stomping grounds. An extensive part of the story takes place at House on the Rock, which is a quirky, clusterfuck of a hoarder's paradise tourist trap, located approximately 40 minutes from my hometown. I am begging and pleading with my husband, to accompany me and allow us to bring our child there this weekend, in fact. Many of the examples he cites proves that he spent a good amount of time at the spot, which is awesome, because I'd love to be walking through there and randomly spot Neil Gaiman snacking on some overpriced Salt Water Taffy procured from the gift shop, intently sitting on  a bench near one of the token accepting shitty music machines taking notes. I bet he was really stoned. That place would be awesome stoned. Except the Infinity Room. That most certainly would not be. In fact, during a visit to New York some years ago, my friend Arlo and I once illustrated a scene at House on the Rock in the Infinity Room while stoned, of several children plummeting to their deaths on a field trip on Christmas Eve in that glass enclosed narrow death trap (its a long narrow hallway with glass windows, teetering over a cliff. It's not very stable, either. I'm sure it will collapse someday). I don't know why we did this. I just remember laughing so hard I was sobbing, crying. We're sick fucks, like that. I like the House on the Rock. But I also hope no children really die there. That would be very sad.

Despite my love for campy Wisconsin reminders of home, this book is solid and worth the recommendations and praise. It's a longer read, and I wish I had had more time to really ingest it, to take in all the details and themes. But I didn't. Alack, the life of a multi-tasking mother with not a whole lot of quiet 'me' time. The story follows a man named Shadow, who was recently released from prison. His wife died right before his release, and leaves him in a state of uncertainty. He has no job, no one to go home to, and really wants to be on the straight and narrow after the years of his incarceration. He then randomly meets a man called 'Wednesday.' From there on, shit gets weird. Wednesday hires Shadow as a helper of sorts, and they encounter a whole bunch of crazy shit. American Gods are not only real, but in jeopardy. Technology and modern times are threatening to replace traditions of past. There are good guys and bad guys. And twists and turns. And all the while, you as the reader find yourself rooting for Shadow to catch his big break. Throw in a shit ton of magic, and you've got yourself a solid read and adventure. 

My only complaint is that this of all the Gaiman pieces I've read to date, is by far the most cluttered with details. I think in a way it needs to be, but in order to fully visualize the tale in your mind, you need to drink up these details, but as I've stated previously, I ain't got time for that. So I found myself skimming at certain pivotal parts, because I wanted to know what the fuck happens, not how many eyeballs said creature has or if a beast is part goat or horse or whatever. Nerds will love this. So will non-nerds. I did. I hope to re-read it someday, preferably on a relaxing vacation where I can actually pay attention to the details. I heard somewhere that this is getting picked up as a miniseries on Starz or some other premium cable network. Could kill it, could potentially be super kick ass. I know I'd give it a watch, if only for the scenes at my beloved House on the Rock.

I'd rate this one an 8/10.

Book Report: Yes Please

Yes Please - Amy Poehler

I don't watch Parks and Rec. I only casually watch(ed) SNL.(It's either past my bedtime, or before it was, I'd be out getting drunk in bars like a cool 20 something year old).  Upright Citizens Brigade often played in the background at friends' apartments in college, but I was usually too stoned to pay any attention. 

Amy Poehler always seemed like a cool funny gal to hang out with, but I knew she'd never hang out with me. I knew she had kids, and I have a kid. But other than that, I think that's where our common interests end. Despite this, many of my girlfriends love Amy. They think she is quite a clever lady. And I think they are all quite clever ladies, and I needed something to read. So I gave this a spin. Spoiler alert: Amy Poehler has had a cooler life than me and you and probably most of your friends. She writes about it, and guess what? Like any female on the planet, she admits to having self doubts about her appearance or life or whatever. And she writes about it. And I realize she and Seth Myers are probably secretly in love, despite her relationship with Nick Krohl. 

But really, why do I care? I don't, really, so I don't think I'd necessarily recommend this to anyone who's not a fan of Amy. If you are, I'm sure you'll love it. She's clever and quirky. But if you're not? Then it's just a bunch of insider goop on her personal life and SNL that I didn't really care about. I'd rate it a 5/10, but I'll be the first to admit I'm not really a fan. Nor am I not a fan, I'm just a person reading a book about another person, I don't know anything about. Until now. And my opinion still hasn't really changed. Except that she did make me feel good about myself when I want to put my hand up to solicitors on the street and I'm not a horrible human for despising contact with people. 

Book Report: Ocean at the End of the Lane

The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman

This was the most recent of many Neil Gaiman books I recently raced through. Whenever I stumble upon a writer I dig, I binge on their past works, and Gaiman was my latest victim. I don't know why I always steered away from him - several of my friends would recommend him from time to time, namely American Gods, (which I also read, but that's another post), but for some reason I always shrugged off the recommendation. Too nerdy. Didn't he do comics? (Or something, I'm ignorant, I know). But I'll admit I was a sucker, because once I flipped through Neverwhere, (the first of many in said binge), I was hooked. And I still have some more to flip my way through. 

I haven't done any research on Gaiman, so I can't spout out any trivial facts about him as a person, or his inspirations, or anything like that. I know he married Amanda Palmer and they're having a kid. I have music from Palmer and The Dresden Dolls, and despite my lack of interest and annoyance/resentment/borderline hatred in her begging for freebies to support her art despite having money herself and being married to a well established author, I for the most part support and enjoy their eccentric styles and art. But other than that, I know Zilch about Gaiman. But I don't think any of that matters. Because the other thing I know about him, from first-hand experience, is that he can tell a story. Good stories. This, being one of them. If not my favorite (thus far). 

This particular tale is a short one. It's one of his easier reads, but personally, I enjoy his books so much that they're all pretty easy reads. I don't say easy read in this sense of 'anyone can get through this, avid reader or not,' but easy in the sense of once you're hooked you're baited, and you don't need to invest too many hours to be reeled into the end. 

The story is comparable to his other pieces of work in the sense that there is still magic and surrealism, although this selection is particularly likely (or at least way more obvious than others) to be interpreted as symbolic reality, with elements of surprise and imagination so often found in children. Mystery, magic, no boundaries on what is 'real' or not. If I read this in an educational/analytical sense, I'm sure I could spout out several examples of underlying themes. Or even in a book club. But that's not my case - I'm a mom to a one year old boy, and my free time to devour literature is sparse, so I chug and binge as fast as I can, sometimes turning off my brain and taking the literal meaning at its literal sense. Someday,however, I'd like to give this a re-read and try to read between the lines. It could be a lot of fun.

The story follows a man who is back home for a funeral. Of whom, it's never really disclosed, nor does it matter, but it insinuates a parent or other older relative. The man is led to an old farm, off a beaten road. And from that point, memories flash back of an experience in his childhood - one of magic and friendship of an old childhood friend. I won't give anything else away, but the story's definitely worth a read, and quite possibly is my favorite read of 2015. 

I will say this though, when reading this story, I was particularly susceptible to a bunch of insect bites. Centipedes, most likely. (GROSS, i know). And my flesh has always been super tasty to asshole bugs, and will usually swell up 10 fold the normal human being. My ankle had gotten bitten, and the bite wasn't quite infected, but definitely appeared to have some sort of large hole in its center. This story has a similar incident, which goes into some detail - and leads to a greater tale. This hit me close to home, and super grossed me out. This doesn't really have much to do with anything, but it really creeped me out, and made the story even more relatable. So if you do read this, and you get to this part, just be grateful you don't have a centipede hole in your ankle. Because, ew.

I definitely would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun read. If you're not super into surrealism or fantasy, I still think it's worth a spin, but if you're def not into it, then Gaiman probably isn't for you, and you may just not 'get it.' But are you really supposed to? I think that's two thirds the fun in reading his shit. The 'how do I piece this together into sense' aspect of it all. I'd rate this a 9/10. Or a 10/10. But I'm thinking a 9 - because my only complaint is that it left me wanting more, and I was sad when it was over. But then again, I could argue a 10, because it's comparable to how I feel about any successful pop song - keep it 2 minutes or less, because that's how you keep the listener/readers hooked - always craving more. And I want more.

Book Report: Station Eleven

Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel

I read through this book pretty quickly, on the recommendation of a friend. I've also since read two other books, back to back following this one, so my memory isn't as detailed or fresh as I'd like it to be to write a fair take on what I thought of this story. The general plot is as follows: it's the end of the world (as we know it, (sorry)), a flu strain has wiped out 95%+ of the world's population. Without going into spoiler territory, the tale follows a handful of characters with different origins/story lines, and their path of/to survival. Warding off predators, the illness itself, and the difficulties that exist in dystopia without the modern comforts or electricity, running water, shelter, etc. There are some underlying themes of modern technology and what they must be doing to our society as a whole, but I was too tired to really think about them. 

I've read a lot of books about the end of the world. I've read some with more of a surreal take (along the lines of Neil Gaiman, Haruki Murakami, etc.), and some more gritty/realistic ones (The Road - Cormack McCarthy). This is more like the latter. The book is an easy read, but I'll admit I heaved a big sigh of 'oh, this again,' once I figured out what the story was about. (Apocalypse, etc.). 

The opening segment of the novel is what hooked me in, and I'm not disappointed I kept going. There are interesting elements, in how the separate journeys interweave throughout the book, and the novel's gotten a lot of positive praise and attention, as well as the piece being well written. So it is a worthy read in that sense. But if you're looking for something new, this isn't really it, sadly, (as much as I wanted it to be). In my humble opinion, you read one end of the world story, (or 5-8, such as my case), you've read them all. Bleak, sad, BEWARE READER - IF YOU AND YOUR FELLOW EARTHLINGS DON'T WISEN UP AND TAKE HEED OF YOUR CARELESS WAYS, THIS TOO, COULD BE YOU, SOONER THAN YOU THINK. JUST WAIT. ok, yeah, i get it. But I'm still going to probably use plastic bags at the grocery store, and my husband is still going to leave the water on as he brushes his teeth, and we'll probably run our air conditioners with our bedroom inadvertently cracked open. And we probably will never learn to properly recycle every electronic device we own. It's a generation thing, the yeah, yeah, I know, take care of our natural resources, but we're not going to live forever so we'll still pretty much take everything for granted, generation. I'm not proud of it, but at least I'm self aware, right? And guess what, reading this story didn't change my stance on any of that. 

I'd still recommend this book to a pal looking for an easy read, with the caveat of 'it's another end of the world story.' My rating? 7-7/10. Because I liked some of the characters and the writer hooked me into almost giving a shit for their shot at happiness.

Book Report: Hausfrau

Hausfrau - Jill Alexander Essbaum

I read this book based on a recommendation from the Chicago Public Library's staff picks on their website. And it had a pretty cover that reminded me of Sleater-Kinney's latest album cover. (I know, I know).  And I had nothing else to read, and had some recent good luck picking random books on whim based on the CPL website or friend recommendations. 

Hausfrau is German for House Wife. It follows a depressed and bored housewife, American born, living in Switzerland. She is married, has three children, no job. She suffers from depression. And feeds her emptiness by having multiple marital affairs. The novel follows her struggles in the present day, flashbacks to the early days of her marriage, an earlier affair (leading to the consummation of her third child), and sessions with her psychiatrist. And I stuck it out for the 300+ pages thinking - ok, this has got to be going somewhere, right? No. Bitch gets more and more annoying, digs herself a deeper and deeper hole, the shrink talk gets more and more boring, and there's nothing interesting about the book at all - although the writer is talented enough to lead the reader on to thinking that it might be. You eventually realize you hate the protagonist, (although  I'm pretty certain that's not the writer's intent), and you want the bitch to hurry up and kill herself. And then she does. And the book is over. 
And you feel dirty and upset that you wasted several hours you could have been playing Candy Crush on your phone reading this stupid depressing garbage. 

Let me be clear, I'm not against this book because the protagonist is not a saint and has self-identity issues. I can almost relate to some of the feelings she experiences in some ways from a motherhood perspective. (For example, if I was a stay at home mother with three children in a foreign country who's language I don't speak - I'd be pretty fucking depressed and lonely, too! In my three months of maternity leave and even on some days alone with the kiddo, I can and have felt emotions of uncertainty and emptiness, but I cough it up to fatigue). But this bitch is just empty and annoying. And full of all sorts of woe is me, but never does anything about it. No self empowerment. Fucking dudes just because they ask her, but never any self admittance of nymphomania tendencies. But there's never any trigger - or circumstance - or depth revealed as to why the character is set upon this deep spiral of destruction. Not that there necessarily needs to be a tangible incident, but still - if you're going to interweave all these sessions with the shrink - have them lead somewhere, not just fill pages to lull the reader to sleep and mislead them on. So yeah, skip this one. This book sucked ass. I've never been so grateful for a character to off themself. 

I rate this book, 1/10. 1 for the pretty cover. 

Book Report: Finders Keepers

Finders Keepers - Stephen King

In high school, I was a Stephen King fanatic. I don't know if it was a result of my confinement to small town Wisconsin and the sheer boredom that often resulted, or my never ending hunger to be terrified (I was a weird kid), or the fact that I fancied myself a 'writer' and many of King's stories centered around authors,  but whatever King put out, I consumed. Religiously. Then came college, and eventually adulthood, and if I was gifted a more recent King release, I'd look over both shoulders, make sure no one was looking and judging me, and dive right in - reluctantly, at first, because, *scoff*, Stephen King? C'mon. So not intellectual. Or 'too contemporary' and not obscure/hip enough. Or lame. Or whatever. Yet I finished every King piece of work I always picked up, with the exception of the Gunslinger series. (I just couldn't get into that, don't know why). The stigma followed me into modern days, and only by the mere addiction of my recently acquired Kindle this year and a loss of ideas on what to add to my Chicago Public Library Hold Queue did I decide to revisit Mr. King. And this was the first thing I randomly selected. 

I'll admit, when it comes to my eBooks on hold with the library, when it rains, it pours, so even though this was the first book to come off hold of three within a 4 day succession, this was the last work I read of the cluster. And it was the most addicting. The biggest page turner. Maybe not at first, but you better believe I devoured up the last 150 pages with minimal breaks. Candy Crush, Facebook, Instagram, and all my other usual Internet perusings went on the back burner until I finished this bad boy. It's typical King style/fashion. The protagonist (maybe both of them, depending on how you look at it) and some background characters, even, are writers. In fact, the whole tale revolves around a series of writings that were 'lost'/stolen, etc., and unpublished from a 'genius' writer. Pretty much King's comparison of J. D. Salinger and the breakout piece following a sarcastic young male in the peak of his adolescence, rejecting the inevitability of adulthood (i.e. Holden Caulfield, anyone?). The comparisons are so obvious, it's like any episode of Law and Order SVU mimicking whatever pop culture reference is hot that week. 

The characters are likeable enough, and you end up becoming invested in their outcomes. The last quarter of the book is a non-stop nail biter. And leave it to King to end the tale on a cliffhanger of sorts, leading an opportunity for a sequel/prequel of sorts on a spin-off tale, (which I believe he has since published, called Mr. Mercedes, already added to my queue). 

The story is not going to win any awards. And it's not the best book I've read this year. There's nothing new in it. But the thing with Stephen King is, if you've read one to three of his stories, you pretty much know what you've got in store when you pick up a cover. Entertainment, amusement, and King's wise cracky/clever style and voice. And that's not a bad thing. In fact, after my queue opens up,(which already includes another of his works), I'm very likely to add even more. And next time somebody asks me what I'm reading, I won't be embarrassed to tell them. Because it's fun, and I'm a grown-up, goddamn it. I can read whatever I want. 

I'd rate this book a 7/10, based on entertainment value, over originality.

Book Report: An Experiment

When my in-laws gave me a gracious Christmas gift of an Amazon gift card with instructions to 'use it for yourself,' I struggled. This should go towards diapers, I told myself. Or a toy for Holden. Or clothes for Holden. Or something for the house. Unlike my birthday Amazon gift card (which went straight to cleaning supplies, a new litter box system, and other necessities for our upcoming move), I listened to my mother in law's advice, and treated myself. On a new swimming suit, which has come in mighty handy this summer, taking my little guy to the public pool for his new fave activity of splashing around like a little water bug, but also a Kindle Fire. I had always been against the idea of Kindles and tablets. I figured it was just another electronic device I didn't really need. I have a laptop. A work laptop. An iPhone. Why would I need anything else? Well, it turns out that not only are Kindles great in the kitchen (seriously, it's bigger than a cellphone for recipe looks ups, making it easier to read, and you're less likely to get pasta sauce all over your cellphone), but the reading feature is also a major plus for three main reasons. 

1) I'm a mom now. So our bookshelf has officially run out of real estate. Our beautiful Ikea bookshelf is now Holdie's toy box. Only the very top shelf, which he cannot reach (yet), is reserved for literature, and my husband and I are both avid readers, so we no longer have any room for more. (Although apparently my husband never got that memo, as he's still busy hoarding away). Purchasing a Kindle helped resolve (ok, not fully, but sort of) our physical space issue. 

2) The Kindle takes up smaller space on the go. When I read, I read. So slipping a 7 inch electronic device in my purse is much easier than a super thick hard cover brick of 900 pages, leaving more space for my hoarded collection of lip balms/glosses/sticks and random baby gear. 

3) No more library overdue fees! No more hassle of returning books in the midst of having a crazy kid life schedule! You place your eBooks on hold on the library website (at least in Chicago), you get an email when the book is ready to download, and with a couple clicks, voila! You have your book! And after your given period of three weeks or whatever the loan is, it will automatically delete off your appliance. So you don't have to worry about getting your fat lazy ass off the couch down the block to return your books. And you don't get a hold on your account because you owe 30 cents. It's amazing. I love it. 

So that being said, I'm sold. I get to read all I want for free. The only downside, I suppose, is having to wait for the books to become available to download, but I'm a patient lady. Mom life made me patient. And I won't lie - I get a bit of a rush when magically all 3-5 of my books on hold suddenly become available within a 3 day period and I have a clock ticking to rush through all my goodies at once. Makes me feel accomplished. 

So anyway, I realized I've read a lot this year. And I want to try and write brief synopses of my thoughts of what I read going forward. I just sped through three books recently, so was able to jot down my thoughts of those selections, and I may try to go back further, but if I'm not able to - I'll just list the books I have read this year and whether or not I think I'd recommend any of 'em. Because just like a record store, whenever it's time for me to purchase/rent a book or record, my mind always comes up blank, and I know I thrive off my pals' recommendations, so maybe this will help any of you? Or at least we can have a conversation. Or this can just take up space on the world wide web. I don't care, it's fun to read and write. Here goes, nothin'. 

summertime. (an update).

it's the thursday before independence day - which translates to a pretty dull day in the office. friday is the 'holiday' freebie day, so that leaves us with an early release day today. at a glance, i'd say that 60-75% of the regular staff is out on pto today, so that leaves 4 of us from my team of 7 in the office, blankly staring at our respective smart phones or computer screens, counting the minutes until go time. it's 9:37 am and i'm already pretty jazzed up on the large dunkin donuts iced coffee i have to my immediate right, only 15% consumed. (i did chug an iced coffee this morning at home, though, so i'm already pretty jittery). had to take a sick day, yesterday, so i'm sure the naps i snuck in throughout the day helped contribute to a more overall rested state. wasn't playing hooky, this time. just trust me when i say to steer clear of trader joe's microwavable whole wheat/veggie lasagna. no bueno. but maybe it was my body's way of just shutting down and saying 'JODI TAKE A DAY OFF. CMON.' either way, i got some extra shut eye, which is more valuable than gold in the sassana household. AND i copped a trip to the lush store off armitage to finally cash in my mother's day loot gift card. on what else? under eye cream and concealer to mask my sleepless perma-eye bags. so it goes.

i glanced back at my last posting on here, a few months ago. let's just say as a progress report: holden 1, mom 0 on the boob front. looks like not only did i meet my goal of breastfeeding for that first year, but i'm exceeding the requirement! go me! (NOT by choice). i'm convinced my son will be attached to my breast until my 40th birthday, at this rate. at least he'll have a healthy immune system? (here's to lookin' at the bright side - optimism, my friends, or i'll never survive).

it's hard to believe we're already into the month of july. seemed like yesterday i was stressing/planning holden's first birthday party - which was awesome, btw. i'm super lucky to have such a close knit group of super girlfriends. holdie scored massive loot, and super pics, thanks to his photo expert aunt staci. we actually snuck in an impromptu trip back home  to visit grandma joan, too, in may. we'll be heading back to argyle again, for an old classmate of mine's wedding next weekend. i'm super excited for a weekend back home. fresh country air. stars in the non-polluted sky. calm, peace. green fields, nostalgia lane. not to mention grandma at our disposal for a night out! (even if it is spent chugging cheap beers at a bar called 'good fellas'. i'm ready!) should be like a mini class reunion. while i've seen maybe 50-60% of my former classmates over the past 14 years since we bid adieu, i haven't seen a large group of the gang in one place/time, and even though vin will probably be grudging through it to appease me, i can say i'm sincerely excited to see a lot of faces, (even if they don't recognize me, which is generally the case). like extended family - that's not nearly as crazy.

hoping to also sneak in a trip to house on the rock, because why the hell not? holden is finally at the fun age where we're no longer (as) crippled to go do things. last night, for example, we took the luxury of checking out mash - (formerly bad dog), just another burger/craft beer overpriced patio joint in the neighborhood. had raw oysters. to you know, seem fancy and shit. (they were ok). holden loved sitting outside, shouting at the flowers, trees, dogs, etc. i never thought i'd see the day i could strap that kid to a high chair and he's stay seated! 

this weekend looks like a picnic in the park with pals at winnemac park for the fireworks. should be interesting, given h's usual bedtime of 6pm, but i'm confident we can finaggle the little dude out of his routine for the loud, bright shinies. 

this summer's been good to me. it's flying by a bit more quickly than i'd prefer, especially given we've got our long overdue move to a 2 bedroom place coming up on the 31st of this month. taking over my sister-in-law/bff's lease on a bigger pad, a little more north in the middle of nowhere, but we've got a car now and let's face it, vin and i aren't exactly social butterflies these days, so more real estate for h's TOY KINGDOM is unfortunately more of a priority than proximity to our favorite watering holes. we've discovered the public pool, and that the little man is one heck of a water bug. loves swimming. (as does his mom). so i'm hoping we get to sneak away into the river park a bit more into my extended weekend (fri-mon). 

other than that, haven't gotten as much running in as i'd like, but i still get around. take extended walks on my lunch breaks at work and have been reading like crazy. of course, i'll go months waiting for my chicago library ebooks to become available to download on my kindle - and then when i receive one, it's bam, bam, bam, and suddenly i have a 3 week window to cram in something like 1500 pages/4 books. (so far, i've knocked out 2.25 in a week). i'll def need more reading suggestions following this binge, as my hold selections will all open up again.

so that's a perk to slow corporate hostage days in the office like today. more reading time. quiet, reading time. (without a baby glued to my breast).

in the world of music, i'm still not super jodi like i used to be. casually listen to my old staples, here and there, finally seemed to have gotten my fix of the latest sleater-kinney to the point where i no longer need to listen on repeat 7 times a day. instead, i guess i have moved onto focus onto two other artists in their place - st. vincent, whose former catalogue i previously possessed, but never got into her latest 2014 s/t album until a couple weeks ago, and bully, who's ep i picked up a month or so back, but just copped the debut full-length as well. both chick centric rock albums in the alternate realm, but different in their own ways. 

i never bothered with st. v's latest, because i kinda figured (incorrectly), that once you heard one, you heard them all. her first two records were a showcase of talent, of course, but kinda got drippy and a little too quirky for my tastes. perfect dish washing/laundry folding music, but nothing that could wake my ass up on the el ride into the loop on a morning basis. queue her latest: even though the record's older than my son, it's my latest go to crutch. from the opening quivers of 'rattlesnake,' to the undeniably catchy 'psychopath,' or when she croons her undying love to you (said listener) over jeeee-suhusss, it's sinead o connoresque, but in the best guilty pleasure way possible. makes me wish i was that fancy model girlfriend of hers for a millisecond - not for any physical pleasures (st. v is too tiny for me, she'd snap in half with a hug), but just to hear someone belt their undying profession in such a melodramatic yet sugary sweet way. the record's non-stop awesome, without missing a single beat of filler track. i definitely dig.

BUT - as is the case with any album, anything can get old or worthy of taking a break after non-stop consumption for 3+ weeks. so when i heard bully finally dropped their debut full-length, i decided to pick up the cd. (because i have a car, you guys, with a CD PLAYER). i was reluctant at first to pick it up, because the full-length shares 3-4 tracks from the ep, and i think there's only like 10 songs total on the record, but what the hell. i had 7 bucks burning a hole in my pocket and needed something other than the collection of overplayed taylor swift, metric and pixies cds strewn all over my front passenger seat in the car. bully's pretty great. it's a chick, i forget her name. alicia something? if i was still a writer, i'd take the three seconds to google her, but instead i'll just keep this going before i lose my train of thought. she seems young. i think from nashville or somewhere similar. reminds me of the 90's. like, an upbeat, punk rock indie sugary sweet 90's star. think, juliana hatfield, or letters to cleo, but not annoying or too cavity inducing. a little grungier, but with clear, girly pop perfection vocals. guitar. up beat. punk rock. so good. tracks like 'milk man' and 'feels like' are what 18 year old jodi yearned for for decades before it came to existence. it's good stuff. def stoked to have more compact discs for the ole trek back to argyle come next weekend.

other than that, can't really complain about much. sure, the kiddo's still physically leashed onto me. sure, i'm still not sleeping through the night. but - the little dude's such a joy. sincerely. he's walking now! yesterday we went to the grandparent's house to pick him up, and out he tottered to greet us, smiling while crunching on croutons, reeking of gardettos. pointing to everything in the house to 'show me' the tour. we dance, on a daily basis, he and i. his favorite current jam is jenny lewis' 'just one of the guys,' (thank god t. swift's 'shake it off' is on the backburner, one can only handle so much). we play. he dances like an absolute spaz to cartoon theme songs (that then haunt mom and dad's head all day - google 'chuggington' and see if you can NOT get that ditty stuck in your head, i dare you). he understands things like - 'please get mama's cell phone and bring it to me,'. he no longer eats baby food. he makes me laugh. and laugh. (but still hates bedtime and refuses his crib, goddamn it). 

motherhood/parenthood - it's finally fun. 85% of the time, anyway. we still have our desperate, trying, 'getmethefuckouttahere ineed18drinks' moments of exhaustion, and i still question my parenting skills on a daily basis, but the fact that i question them i think means that i'm doing something right. because if i didn't doubt/question/second guess, that would mean i took it all for granted, and didn't put the effort into improving myself for the greater good of my little heartthrob. he's seriously the best, you guys.

so i think it's safe to say that the summer of 2015, at least to this point is def much more enjoyable of an experience than my inaugural summer of motherhood, as documented on this blog, in 2014. holy shit that was tiring. and he was just a little blob! but now, he's my dude. with such a big personality. 

sorry to bore anyone out there reading this with such trivial minute details of my bebe and motherhood - but let's face it, we all grow up sometime, whether we like it or not. at least i'm able to take pride in the fact that i'm rocking my new role as a mom, straight down to my momgear wardrobe and accessories, and haircut. i may no longer be interviewing rockstars and partying at shows multiple nights per week, but instead, i'm channeling my former expertise into sing alongs and impromptu kitchen dance parties. 

tonight's agenda? chocolate chip cookies and (at least one) bottle of Cabernet. 

because i can. 

here's to the summer of 2015.