Where'd You Go, Bernadette

I was looking at a list of authors coming to an independent book store in Milwaukee when I saw the cover for Maria Semple's Where'd You Go, Bernadette. It definitely caught my eye and I read the blurb which put the novel at the top of my books to read list.

The novel's premise is an interesting one. A precocious young girl (Bee) does well in school and is rewarded with anything that she wants and she chooses a family trip to Antarctica. Her mother (Bernadette) goes missing the eve of the trip and Bee compiles letters, emails, and more to create a portrait of her mother and to piece together the tale of her disappearance.

I enjoyed the book as soon as I began reading. I love all of Semple's characters in the novel and they have such rich voices that pull the reader in. Yet the book gets better and better and eventually I was sucked into the story in that way that makes one abandon everything that should be done to find out what will happen next. It's funny with an element of mystery, smart and literary while still being very readable. It's an addictive read, one that I recommend. The only bad part of the book is that it's one of those books that makes it difficult to get into another book when it's over as everything else seems flat.

Admission

I have always been a sucker for the glossy trade paperbacks. Not buying them as I rarely purchase new books, but picking them up, reading their back covers, and continuing to covet them days later. Such was the case with Jean Hanff Korelitz's novel Admission, which is available in trade paperback with the faces of Tina Fey and Paul Rudd on the cover as they star in the new film adaptation. I thought about that book for weeks, not even knowing what it was about, before putting it on hold.

I loved this book and the way that Korelitz pulled me in, first with her prose, then with the story. I fell in love with Portia Nathan, the main character and found myself engrossed in what would happen with her. She is an admissions counselor at Princeton University and the novel gives the reader a glimpse of the process of college admissions while telling a heartfelt tale about love and confronting one's past. I hadn't seen the movie trailer before I began reading and the book's jacket cover doesn't give much away. One night, when I was only 15-20% into the book, I watched the movie trailer, which more or less gave away the climax. I'll admit doing so tainted the reading experience, but I still rather enjoyed it. I will probably check out the movie, but can already tell it doesn't stay true to the original story and looked a tad hokey. But I did love the characters and the story and am interested to check out more of the author's books.

The Beauty Myth

Naomi Wolf's The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty

 Are Used Against Women was another used book sale buy.

 It's an amazing book, one that challenged the way I think about myself and about society's accepted ideas of beauty. (And to think it was mine for all of twenty cents.) The book examines the way that beauty--and the obsession with obtaining it--is undermining and alienating women in professional, sexual, and personal terms. It dissects the culture of beauty and the messages women receive from the media and society. I loved the book for its intelligence and anger and Wolf's ability to present these ideas so powerfully that it truly effects the reader. I attended a make-up party while I was reading it and wrote about it on my other blog. I had barely cracked the cover and already Wolf's ideas were affecting me. The Beauty Myth was the first book I read by Naomi Wolf, but I'm anxious to read another, so it certainly won't be my last.