Book #29

The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel

I often get confused when reading stories with too many characters, and this book was no exception. I had a hard time keeping track of all the women Koppel wrote about, but in the end, their stories were so remarkable, that it didn't really matter to me.

This book follows many women who watched at their men trained for years and then watched them blast off in to the unknown. It is about the uprooting of their lives once they were employed by NASA, and of the wondering eyes (and more) of many of their husbands. It's about the fear of dealing with a high probability of death, both in training and on mission, of husbands who spent a majority of their time not with their wives. All done under the watching eye of the American media and public, including LIFE magazine who had exclusive access to all the wives' daily going-ons around the time of a mission.

The writing was very choppy throughout most of the book, which may have led to some (all?) of my confusion, but in the end, I liked it anyway. I know this particular women are not given the credit they deserve for what they endured for American history. Their husbands got all the glory while they were expected to smile and pretend like every part of being an astronaut's wife was cheery and happy.


Next up: You Must Remember This: Life and Style in Hollywood's Golden Age by Robert J. Wagner (then I'll be done with the non-fiction for awhile I think)

Book #28

The Little Girl Who Fought the Great Depression: Shirley Temple and the 1930s America by John F. Kasson

308 pages

This book really reminded me of some of the texts I read in my sociology classes in college (except much less wordy and fact-y).

Honestly, as much as I've enjoyed 1930s and 1940s movies in my life, I really didn't know all that much about Shirley Temple outside of "Animal Crackers in my Soup." So I found this a great alternative to a biography of Shirley -- it gave me a look into the timeline of her career and how the shape of America in that day and time helped sky-rocket her career into an unbelievable ride of child stardom.

This was a quick and easy read, and I enjoyed all the anecdotes about children growing up surrounded by Shirley merchandise.

It was also a nice glimpse into child stardom in the 1930s and the Hollywood machine. The tidbit I kept coming back to and remembering is that to help portray her child-like image for longer, a year was shaved off her age when she started having success. She didn't even know her own real age until her 13th birthday when she was finally let on to her own little secret. Crazy!

I enjoyed this book. You've got to love a well-written non-fiction text!

Next up: The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel

 

Book #27

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

445 pages

 

I normally wouldn't have read a book by the same author of another book I've just read so close together, but a friend let me borrow this book after hearing how much I enjoyed Eleanor & Park.

Wow. I am truly impressed by this author. If I hadn't known she'd written this one, I would have no clue it was from the same author as Eleanor & Park. Totally different stories, totally different tones, total different writing styles. Both of which I enjoyed.

Cath is a college freshman, trying to keep her introverted self preoccupied as her father suffers a mental breakdown at home, her twin sister becomes a college frat rat (it's OK, Wren, we've all been there) and she tries to get along with her random roommate. Along the way, we find out she writes fan fiction for the Simon Snow series, which is a Harry-Potter like book series/movie franchise. Simon Snow has been such a big part of her life for so long, and she has thousands of fans online who read her fan fiction.

Also in the picture is her roommate's ex-boyfriend, Levi. Levi is a country-boy charmer, who seems to be the only one of her college campus that is interested in her Simon Snow stories.

Traveling through freshman year with Cath was filled with moments of remembrance about my own freshman year. Every character that got fleshed out, I thought: "I knew someone like that." These characters seemed very real to me, and I got the feeling Rainbow Rowell felt the same way.

I very much enjoyed this book! Will continue to read whatever else Rainbow sends our way.

Next up: The Little Girl Who Fought the Depression: Shirley Temple and 1930s America by John F. Kasson

 

Book #26

The Pink Suit by Nicole Mary Kelby

288 pages

I definitely think I would have liked this one more if it had no real-life historical references in it. Like, if this book was about a fictional dress that ended up making history, instead of a real one. The story is about the pink suit Jackie Kennedy wore on the day JFK was shot. It is about the making of the dress, and the seamstress who makes it.

Kate makes dresses, and sometimes makes them for The Wife with the company she works for. When she is asked to make the pink suit, she knows something is special about it, even though it comes with many trials and troubles as it is designed and made.

Along the way, Kate falls in love with Patrick, her friend and the neighborhood butcher. This part of the story was much more entertaining.

If you're looking for a book about Jackie O., this is not it. It does not show her in the most favorable light and she is honestly barely in the book at all. If you look past the historical importance of the situation, the novel is fine. Not the best thing I've read, definitely not the worst.

Next up: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Time away

I've been very behind! July has been an exciting month. Jacob's birthday took up an entire 3-day weekend on the 4th. And I've researched and finally bought a new car this week!!

In that time, I've read two books and abandoned one. I abandoned A Visit from the Goon Squad. I just couldn't finish it. I actually think I've tried to read it before and had the same problem. I just couldn't get with the flow of the book. It's the first and only book I've abandoned this year, though, so I let myself do it without any guilt.

School starts for me this week, so my reading will start slowing down. Happy to have made my goal for the summer though, finishing on track with my goal for 50. Will have to knock out several books on fall break to make up for my slowing down once school starts. :)

Book #25

Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan

This memoir is about mothers and daughters -- or it's supposed to be. The main plotline of the story follows Kelly as a post-grad, traveling to Australia. She becomes a nanny for a family who has recently lost their mother, and she manages to think about her own mother every now and then while caring for the children and having a bit of a fling with their half-brother.

I just didn't care for this book. It was supposed to be about Kelly's connection with her own mother, yet her own mother seemed to be a total afterthought throughout the whole book.

I was bored throughout a majority of the book. On to the next!

Up next: A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan



Book #24

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

328 pages

 

Did Eleanor & Park change my life? No. But it was a very good read and I enjoyed my short time spent in Rowell's world.

Eleanor moves back in with her mother after spending the last year living with a family friend after being kicked out by her stepfather. The stepfather's still in the picture, as well as her many siblings. She doesn't have anything to call her own, and no way of knowing how to survive high school.

Park is a nice, "normal" boy who has two parents who love each other and a beautiful, stable home. He loves punk rock and comic books.

When the two of them meet, it is not love at first sight. It's more like annoyance at first sight. But after a few days of sharing a bus seat together, they start to see a spark in other another that no one else has quite seen yet.

I normally am not a fan of back-and-forth story-telling. This book was a true exception. It didn't feel like it was going back to Eleanor's story then back to Park's. It was a coherent read and was magnified by the fact that you were able to discover both sides of the same story.

This is also a VERY rare book in the sense that after it was over I thought --- wow ... I'd love to see this made into a movie! I definitely think it could fit right in when The Spectacular Now and Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Next up: Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan