Sleeping Arrangements by Madeleine Wickham

So I've read everything by Sophie Kinsella- you know the Shopaholic series and some other assorted chicklit stories. I like those kind of books. People fall in love, they buy great shoes, they take exciting trips. I can read one right after the other. There are no life lessons to learn. Nothing to contemplate. Well, same writer- different name. Totally different writing style. These people don't always end up happy. They have big messy problems. They are not cheerful or happy. There is humor in tiny doses. One Madeleine Wickham book I read could best be described as dark. Not my thing at all. but Sleep Arrangements was pretty good. Not my usual fare but interesting. The plot centers around two families who end up at the same Villa in Spain. They owner, their friend, has double booked them and they have to find a way to share the house and not get in each other's way. There are some connections between the two families and it gets very complicated. But in the end the complications were worth it.
I suggest you read it if you are looking for something in between chicklit and literature.

The Pretend Wife by Bridget Asher

Just like the title suggests, in this book the main character pretends to be one man's wife all the while she is married to someone else.  Have you even wondered what it would be like to step into a life with someone from your past?  Haven't we all?  The Pretend Wife looks at relationships and asks what the roles of husband and wife really mean. 
I must tell you that I read in bed at night while my husband is watching TV.  I almost never buy books because I read them quickly and do not want to own them forever.  I finish a book about every two weeks so they would pile up rather quickly.  So when I checked this book out at the library they only had the large print edition.  I actually liked that better and may look for large print editions from now on.  I did get quite a bit of teasing from my husband but those big words were so easy to read I don't really care if he tells me I'm getting old.
Okay so back to my thoughts on this book....  over all it was very fun to read.  I was hooked from the first few pages.  My only complaint is that I don't feel like I got to know the characters.  They seemed distant and I couldn't relate to them.  My favorite books are those who draw me in and introduce me to characters who I would befriend in real life. 
If you're looking for a fun read that will make you think about relationships... why they work?  Why they don't?  What people want from them? ... then give this book a try.  It's a fast easy read and a way better use of  your time than reality TV.

The Reader: Book vs. Movie

Ten years or so ago The Reader had just been translated into English and was being read by everyone I knew. I put off reading it for a while because I didn't know if I could handle it. I'm one of the few people in the world who have never watched a CSI show and who avoid the news because I will worry about all the bad things happening in the world. Eventually I finally I broke down and read it because curiosity got the better of me.

It is an emotionally heavy story. A fifteen year old boy is walking home and gets sick. He is noticed by a woman who is also making her way home. The two meet and a love affair begins. She is twice his age. And he falls deeply into a love/lust relationship with her. That much of the book I can deal with. The difficult part for me to come to terms with is the fact that the woman, Hanah, had been a guard in a concentration camp. The book doesn't go into great depth as to the suffering and death that permeated these camps. It looks at the Nazi perspective. This was a point of view I had never experienced. The Reader confronts some weighty questions about life, love, and how humans can objectify other humans. It's a very short book but you should allow yourself several breaks when reading it to process what you're reading.

When the movie came out recently I knew I wanted to see it, but first I wanted to reread the book. Ten years after my first reading I still found the book to be provocative and insightful. I was able to understand the love/lust relationship on a deeper level. And I was able to see why even after the death of Hanah, the main character couldn't put her behind him.

After finishing the book, I had the movie ready to watch, and I roped my husband into watching it with me. I have to say the clear winner for me is the book. I was able to understand the movie in a way that my husband who hasn't read the book couldn't. On several occasions he would ask what was going on. The symbolism of much of the movie is lost if you haven't read the book. Every scene of the movie has significance, but without realizing what the significance is it becomes a very slow moving, boring, depressing story. I don't feel like the story line and theme translated well into film.

Water For Elephants

So you know I like to eat. There are a few other things I also like to do. Reading for one. I usually read books about women and their relationships. The Shopaholic books are my usual fare, but I gave Water for Elephants a try because I was in the mood for something different. And different it was. I've never read a book about the circus. It was fascinating to be a voyeur into this unique culture.
In my mind this book has all the essential elements of a tasty read. It has a character you want to be friends with, characters you want to murder in their sleep, a great love story, and an ending that makes you laugh with happiness. It tells that whole story not like some books I've read lately that end just as you are getting interested. I have to say that I was hooked from page one.