Devil in the White City

Just started reading Erik Larson's Devil in the White City 2 nights ago. Earlier this summer I read his book, In the Garden of Beasts, which I loved. Larson's style is information heavy. At times it's a little difficult to wade through. It's historical fiction-technically...I think. The facts are real. There's ample source material. Larson quotes Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, etc. The fiction comes in only to link the story together...It's more of a taking of liberties than it is fiction...I assume. In any case, the story takes place during the construction of the World's Fair in Chicago at the tail end of the 19th century.

I was telling my dad about the book and he asked why Chicago was being referred to as the 'white city'- no idea so far.

As a woman that lives alone this may be a poor choice for a bedtime read.

...More to come.

Buy the book at Amazon via the link below. Thanks!

upcoming titles...

i've been reading and not posting reviews so here's what's up and coming followed by a 1-3 rating. 1=i don't recommend it, 2=it was okay, 3=loved it, recommend it.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett, rating 3

I'll review this one in tandem with the movie review. Movie comes out Wednesday.

The Hangman's Daughter, rating 2


The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, rating 3


Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks, rating 2


In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson, rating 3


The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain, rating 3

The Red Tent: A Novel by Anita Diamant, rating 3

bossypants by tina fey

It's Memorial Day. I tagged along with my brother for his weekly road trip to Chicago. (I regularly reside in suburban Detroit). For the trip my bro downloaded Tina Fey's autobiography, Bossypants. The bulk we listened to on the trip there. We finished on the way home.

I loved it. There's something about people discussing their intimate feelings of inadequacy that make me feel at peace with myself. Tina's book is no exception. The book is extremely revealing. Far more so than I would have expected. From her first menses, to the dynamic behind the scenes at SNL, she is frank and liberal with details.

The audiobook is ideal for consuming this book. I am clearly biased. Here's my rationale: Tina Fey is a comedian. The book is basically an extremely personal and detailed stand up routine- At least it feels that way. Via audiobook you're practically guaranteed to get the comedic punches because Tina personally delivers the lines rather than leaving them to be marred by your own inner voice. Also, there are audio clips from an SNL sketch which you forgo (i would imagine) completely with the text version.

Regardless of which way you choose to read this, it's worth it. It's funny, inspiring, motivating, charming, my kinda book completely.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

In honor of wedding season beginning, or just coincidentally...I just started The Paris Wife. The recommendation comes from a solid source- future sister in law, Sarah. I downloaded the sample first from Amazon and was instantly hooked. I love those books. Here's a link to buy it now. The review is coming once I've finished.


ADDENDUM...
5/30/2011

I finished sometime in the middle of last week. LOVE THIS BOOK. Have I reviewed The Red Tent yet? I'm going to need to check on that one...

The Paris Wife is one of those historical fiction gems that I love so damn much (see The Red Tent). The narrator is Ernest Hemingway's first wife, Hadley. I'm going to leave out any mentions of plot but clearly they spend sometime in Paris and there is a whole lotta fun and recognizable name-dropping, their pal "Scott," for instance is F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby).

While I love Hadley, the rest of the characters (particularly Hemingway, himself) are awful people. They are like the hipsters of the 20s. Desperate elitists. Trying sooooo hard to be cooler than their friends. Despite the era difference, the characters are recognizable and on some level relate-able.

Great book to start off your summer reading :)

The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht

I am a few books behind. The most provocative part of this book, for me, was the about the author portion where I read that Ms. Obreht and I were born in the same year. It made me feel inadequate...that's not quite right. I'll figure it out.

The book trades point of view between a young doctor and her grandfather as a boy. The style of writing reminds me of more traditional literature. Less is more with description. At times the lack of explanation left me wanting more. Not in the way that when you read a book you don't want it to end but rather in a demanding way. Like, as a reader, you deserve more to the story.

It is beautifully written and certainly a book of substance. But not the light pre-summer read I was looking for. I recommend this more for a student looking to dissect a work.

Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese

I am glad I made it through. In the beginning I was completely disinterested. Several people recommended it. My mom's friend recommended it for her saying it is her all time favorite. The style it is written in is reminiscent of Wally Lamb. I wouldn't call it my favorite but it is a good read. It will give you a glimpse into Ethiopia and the life of an Indian-English immigrant doctor in the United States. But those things are backdrop. The story cycles through two generations of intrigue. I recommend it.

Hunger Games Update

----->This is Josh Hutcherson. The actor slated to play Peeta in the Hunger Games movie. Initially I was bummed. Peeta was my favorite character and this is not how I pictured him but I think he'll do a good job.
<-----This is Liam Hemsworth aka Miley Cyrus' beau. He'll be playing Gale Hawthorne...also not who I pictured. He's too pretty for this role.
Hopefully they will both act well and we won't have another Twilight adaptation where the actors are pretty but terrible.