My Extraordinary Ordinary Life by Sissy Spacek with Maryanne Vollers

I love reading memoirs.  When I saw this one by Sissy Spacek, I snapped it right up and read it in two days.

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Did you know:

~ Spacek is really pronounced "spot check"? Sissy's Spacek's father changed the pronunciation when everyone pronounced it "spay sik" and he grew tired of correcting them.

~ Sissy Spacek had two older brothers but one died of leukemia.

~ Rip Torn is Sissy's older cousin.

~ She wanted to be a singer/songwriter and began acting instead when her music career stuttered.

~ Sissy Spacek has two grown daughters and lives on a farm in Virginia.

~ She recently recorded the audio book of To Kill A Mockingbird.

Now you know! And there's a million other little tid bits like those in this great book!

Book Read:  My Extraordinary Ordinary Life

Author: Sissy Spacek with Maryanne Vollers

ISBN:  978-1-4013-2436-0

And When She Was Good by Laura Lippman

I finished reading And When She Was Good by Laura Lippman the other night. Out of 10, I'd give this novel a 7. It was entertaining but as far as mystery/crime novels go, it felt a little light. The main character, Helen/Heloise was a madam who runs a prostitution business from her suburban home. That could have been interesting but it just wasn't. 

The character wasn't all the likeable (or developed). The story line alternated between then and now, which is fine when done well but I just never really became invested in the story. The ending was the most satisfying but then trickled off to be sort of unbelievable. 

If you're looking for an easy read with no big surprises or mystery, here you go.
  

Book Read:  And When She Was Good

Author: Laura Lippman

ISBN:  978-0-06-170687-5

The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields

I'd seen the book The Stone Diaries for years on shelves at bookstores, the library, and thrift stores, but I'd never read it. I decided to check it out and started reading it last week.

I just finished it this afternoon on a gray day here in Arizona. We rarely get gray days here, even in the winter, so it felt like a good time to read the last 30 or so pages of this Pulitzer Prize-winning book. What a gem!

Daisy Goodwill is born in 1905 in Canada, and her mother dies in childbirth. Her life starts there and is lived more than 80 years in the U.S. and Canada. Husbands, children, grandchildren, gardening, a job, and hobbies fill her days. The story is both unremarkable and remarkable, just like a real life. 

If you've never read The Stone Diaries, set aside the time and do. It's subtle and beautiful and toward the end, perfectly thoughtful and insightful.
 

Book Read:  The Stone Diaries

Author: Carol Shields

ISBN:  978-0-14-310550-3

Beautiful Lies by Clare Clark and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Okay, for whatever reason I didn't post about reading Beautiful Lies by Clare Clark when I finally finished reading it. In fact, the book is mostly forgotten. The book was interesting but too damn long (and not that interesting, I guess. Not to me.). 

I agree with a review I read where the reviewer said something like "if they'd cut out the smoking parts, the book would have been a quarter as long." Seriously. The main character smoked. A lot.

 At 481 pages, this book took me more than 2 weeks to finish.  Way too long and uninteresting.

Book Read: Beautiful Lies

Author:  Clare Clark

ISBN:  978-0-15-101467-5

 
And then I picked up Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn to read. Wow! What a difference! I'd been hearing about Gone Girl for months but didn't really know anything about it. I could guess from the title that it was about a girl (woman) who was missing.

Yessir, it is. And so much more! This is the best book I've read in ages. Run to the store, the library, wherever you can find it and start reading Gone Girl. It's captivating and thrilling!

At 411 pages, I read this book in 3 days. Fabulous!

Book Read:  Gone Girl

Author: Gillian Flynn

ISBN:  978-0-307-58836-4