Ford Pintos

What I really want is to sit next to someone under an LL Bean blanket on the beach in the fall and drink coffee from the same mug. I don't want some rusty '73 Ford Pinto with a factory-defective gas tank that causes it to explode when it's rear-ended in the parking lot of the supermarket. So why do I keep looking for Pintos?

Dry by Augusten Burroughs

Tang

I don't think I have ever had such a close friend in my life, made instantly like Tang.

Dry by Augusten Burroughs

Dry Review

In under 24 hours I finished reading Dry by Augusten Burroughs. I enjoyed this book a lot more than Running with Scissors. I felt it had much more of an arc and a satisfying ending. However, I felt that Burroughs hid a lot of his feelings from his readers. He made the sobriety seem so easy. He made dealing with his past so easy. I simply do not believe it. Every once and a while he would express his true feelings but most of the time he just talked about having a crush on Foster. I feel like I missed out on finding out who Burroughs really is.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Interpretations

All the reviews of Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time are in consensus. They all love the book. They found it a fascinating tale especially since it was told through the eyes of a body with Asperger's Syndrome. Apparently, Haddon used to work with people with Asperger's and that is where his knowledge comes from. This made me feel better about the portrayal of Christopher. There really isn't much to say since everyone loved the book. Oh, Haddon primarily write children's book, so it was weird for the publisher to market it for both kids and adults, but it worked out well for the publisher.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Review

I just read a delightful short read entitled The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. It was a mystery novel of sorts told through the eyes of an autistic teenage. I loved the fact that the chapters were not sequential in the normal way (1, 2, 3) but sequential prime numbers. I also enjoyed the random math exercises he would insert in between his investigative talks with the neighbors. The one big disappointment is how neatly the story wraps up. (The next part in my journal is full of spoilers so I am leaving some stuff out.) Also, I do not know much about autism, but I must wonder how accurate Haddon's portrayal of Christopher is. There were times that I just did not feel comfortable with how Christopher was acting and how a real autistic teen would act. The book was a nice break from the other books I have been reading, so I was thankful for the quick read. I guess I just want a quick read with some substance.

The Country of the Pointed Firs Interpretations

Not much seems to be written on Sarah Orne Jewett's The Country of the Pointed Firs. All the reviewers praise the pretty and relaxing language. One reviewer mentioned that the stories used to be read over the radio. It would be nice to listen to the stories aloud.

Beautiful Dreams

Don't it show that for folks that have any fancy in 'em, such beautiful dreams is the real part o'life? But to most folks the common things that happens outside 'em is all in all.

The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett