Book Review: I Drink For A Reason

Welcome to the next installment of Reid reviews books.

While this has not been formally announced, I will be using this blog to also review books that I have been reading. While I do enjoy movies and music, I have never felt really comfortable reviewing them. I don't always catch on to the Freudian undertones that are so pervasive in movies such as X-Men 3: The Last Stand. I didn't really catch on to the post 9/11 themes prevalent in The Scorpion King. However, I do feel like I can understand books well enough to guide the masses. (By masses I mean the 2 followers who currently subscribe to my blog) I am not applying for a job at the New Yorker anytime soon, but I am a fairly consistent reader and feel I can come up with a unique take on a book. If I fail to do so, I will read other reviews of the book and blatantly rip off their ideas and pass them off as my very own. (I'm desperate for respect) In my reviews, I will also use one big word that shouldn't be used. I will use this to A:) Sound very intelligent and B:) See A

Tonight's review is of David Cross' I Drink For A Reason:

My initial thought when gazing at the cover of this book was "Yipee! I love David Cross. His book will bring me enjoyment on many different occasions." (Keep in mind I am paraphrasing and taking many liberties with my memories) I love David Cross' comedy specials and his character on Arrested Development was amazing, so how could I go wrong? Simple. Him not writing a very good book.

Once in a while Cross' stand up comedy relies on his sardonic observations on life. He usually does a pretty good job of riding the fine line between bitter commentary and sheer comedic genius. Yet, it seems as though on this writing venture he drank a bottle of Jamison Irish Whiskey, threw caution to the wind, wrote this book containing nothing but his hatred for all aspects of life, and mostly likely concluded the night by getting into an argument with his sprinkler system.

This is not a very flattering side of David. He does seem to be a very intelligent man and I will still call myself a fan of his, but he still is an entertainer. If this was a book by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, I would probably give him a pass because his job isn't to make us laugh. (Even though his newest book Cheating Death has been known to make people snicker once and a while) Yet, David is a comedian and I rarely even smiled during this book. Critics of my blog, if I ever have any, will say that David's style of humor is very deadpan. I appreciate that when there is a payoff. This book was so deadpan that is never came to life for me. (Does the Pulitzer Committee award excellence in blogging?)

If you are a person who is parsimonious (look it up), then don't waste your time on this book. Even if you are loaded, don't spend time on this book. If you're an anthropology major who hates everything anyway, you'll love it.

I give this book 1 dead horse out of 4.

Book Review: She's Come Undone

I am a guy who likes to see what all the fuss is about. When the Da Vinci code was finally allowing the CEO of Random House to fulfill his lifelong dream of wiping his bottom with 100 dollar bills, part of that hundred was mine. When the Kite Runner was making middle aged housewives finally care about children from other countries, I shared their concern. When Stephanie Meyers was finally about to pull herself out of the Utah soccer mom slums with teenage vampire porn quadrilogy Twilight, I was rooting (silently) for Bella. Needless to say, when a book is creating a lot of buzz, I will read it. Lots of heartache comes with this because a lot of these books turn out to be pretty bad. Kite Runner was fairly disappointing, the Da Vinci code was exciting yet forgettable, and Twilight could/may have been ghostwritten by a fourth grader. People get bored, something becomes hip, they (we) ride the train for a bit, then inevitably get off as soon as it's done. However, I do believe Wally Lamb's She's Come Undone lived up to most of the hype surrounding it.

She's Come Undone chronicles the life of Dolores Price. Dolores, isn't the most likable protagonist. In fact, at times she is repulsive. Mean, impulsive, and selfish are not the qualities that make up a very likable main character, but they are qualities every reader can empathize with. While I cannot imagine anyone going through all of the turmoil that Dolores endures in the novel, I think everyone can see a little bit of themselves in her.

While in the beginning I wondered if Wally Lamb was only attempting to write the most depressing novel ever, the payoff is the third act. Without giving away anything, Lamb brings the novel to an end not afraid to let the reader wonder. There are rarely neat and tidy resolutions in life, tragedy doesn't adhere to rhyme or reason, and not everything can be understood. Lamb leaves the character as she is. If I am going to be honest, since finishing the book I have thought about "Dolores Price" on numerous occasions and what she may be doing at that very moment.

Overall, Lamb's literary debut is a well written and moving piece.

I give this book 3 dead horses out of 4

The Nature of Reading.

A man ought to read just as inclination leads him,
for what he reads as a task will do him little good.
~ Samuel Johnson ~

Books like friends, should be few and well-chosen.
~ Joineriana ~


These are some quotes that sum up some of the various feelings regarding reading. I was having a long conversation with one of my close friends last night and we had a little argument on the nature of reading.

My friend's view of reading seems to line up with the quote of Joineriana. That one should only read something that pushes the mind forward. For him, this means "classic" texts that have been deemed classic by magazine publications, the modern library, or are mandatory in college or high school. Classic novels coupled with philosophical or theological texts that push your brain should be a reader's main focus.

While I understand and respect that point of view, I tend to agree more with the Johnson quote above. I believe that reading the "classics" and other respected texts are very important. I also believe that you should read whatever makes you happy. While you should still be objective towards everything you set before your eyes, don't overlook a book just because it is new or by someone that you have never heard of. Classic writers are amazing, I understand now how people have fallen in love with the works of Orwell, Dostoyevsky, Plath, and Vonnegut, because I have fallen in love with them too. Yet, contemporary writers such as Marquez, Eugenides, McCarthy, Walls have also made me fall in love with them too. They have a voice too and while they haven't been along to be seen as classic, I still think you should just read what makes you happy.

If it becomes a task in order to become "enlightened" with every page, it will become akin to homework. Reading should be special, private, and above all else, a joy.

The Nature of Reading.

First Couple Chapters & Side Rant

While I am only two chapters into She's Come Undone, I really enjoy it. It reads like a memoir and reminds me a lot of Jeanette Walls' The Glass Castle. One thing that has caught my attention so far is just how "human" Dolores is. In the first couple of chapters she is around the age of 10 when her father leaves her and her mother to go live with another woman. Her mother, crippled by these events and a miscarriage that preceded, spirals out of control. When looking to her daughter Dolores for comfort, Dolores doesn't give her "ma" the slightest bit of solace.
Maybe other readers may see Dolores as just flat out being a mean girl. It just seems to me a very human reaction. Dolores is confused. She doesn't know why her father just up and left. He didn't really give any reason as to why he was leaving. One day he was just gone. Dolores and her father seemed to get along very well so I don't feel as though she would would put the blame on herself. So who is the only other person that could have been responsible?
For me, I like that the author doesn't have to spell that out for us. That he doesn't say, "Dolores felt this" and "Ma felt this." He just gives us a snapshot into these peoples lives and lets us deal with the rest.

Anyone agree? or am I totally off the mark?

Side Rant: Have you ever been on a public bus? I ride them several times a week to go to school and I have noticed that most people on there have a severe staring problem. I honestly cannot figure out what they are staring at sometimes. I know for a fact that none of these people (mostly men) are secret agents that are planted on public transit systems in an attempt to thwart terrorism because they are in no way discreet. If there is something slightly out of the norm on the bus, for example a low cut shirt, he will stare it up and down until everyone around around him has become reasonably uncomfortable. I could understand if it was an old man who only had a couple of days left on this earth and feels like he has nothing left to lose, but there seems to be no fixed demographic for these starers. Something about the bus just makes them resist the urge to blink and gives them the desire to let everyone know that their eyes are fixed on something peculiar.

Literary Conquests

I cannot seem to put my finger on it, but I'm starting to believe that I have literary A.D.D. While I may be in school currently and already have way too much to read, I always have to add something else to that list. It also can never seem to be fun books that you can just give a quick glance at night and don't feel like your missing out if you set it down on the night-stand.
I have realized that reading is no longer a fun thing to do or a enjoyable hobby. It is cathartic. It has to be something that emotionally purges me. Makes me question everything that I am doing in my life while I am simultaneously praising and despising life.
I believe that I have always been drawn to Russian literature. At the risk of sounding like a snob by merely mentioning the author's name, I do have to say that I truly love Dostoevsky. Grand in scope, his books contain exhaustive detail that actually makes me feel as though I am truly living the character's life. While this is a wonderful thing to experience at times, his characters are positively human. They are selfish, beautiful, and at times awful to be with.
I don't know what draws me to these people, but I love wallowing in their misery. As the reader goes through every stage of these character's lives, it is hard to part with them when you reach the final page of the book that is absent of ink.

More on Russian lit later, I am merely writing this piece because I have not written in a while. At first, I intended this blog to be a place of vanity that would allow me to show off my offhanded wit. However, this well has run dry. Or it has been poisoned. Either way, there is nothing to drink.

As I thought about my literary endeavors and the merciless need to purge my soul with books, I wanted to know if any of you out there share the same desire.

While meager amounts of vanity remain, I want to open this blog up to readers and writers alike. I will be writing about what I am reading at the moment and encourage people to comment on whether they themselves had read the book and what they got from it. Whether it be philosophical rants or summaries of your favorite parts, I want to share the love of books. I will also give enough advance to those who might want to join in reading the book with me.

I have read many different books. While the previous sentence may be interpreted as an attempt to show how amazing I am, it was merely meant to say that on this blog we will be reading a wide variety of books. If you have any recommendations, please please please speak up.

So here it goes...the first book!

Wally Lamb's She's Come Undone

I have heard nothing but amazing things about Wally Lamb and so I just decided to go to Santa Cruz book store and pick up the first one that caught my eye.

If anyone wants to join in, I am just starting this now. Like Lamb says in the first chapter of this book, television is sharp and clear but unreliable.