Fun Bookends

Here's a great project if you have little ones who have figurines that need a second life:

Head on over to MakeFunCreating for the awesome instructions (really, they're very cool).

What toy would you use?  Barbie, a Disney Princess, maybe Superman?  Leave a comment below~

Bonaparte on Books

The Nest

You might recall that recently I was very excited that I pulled this book from the CBC Summer Reads list:

The NestCynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

It's been early days here on EtcetorizeReads, and so far I've been lucky enough to share my thoughts on really good books that have rocked my world.  Unfortunately, this book does not fit into that category for me.

Sunnary (via Goodreads.com): Every family has its problems. But even among the most troubled, the Plumb family stands out as spectacularly dysfunctional. Years of simmering tensions finally reach a breaking point on an unseasonably cold afternoon in New York City as Melody, Beatrice, and Jack Plumb gather to confront their charismatic and reckless older brother, Leo, freshly released from rehab. Months earlier, an inebriated Leo got behind the wheel of a car with a nineteen-year-old waitress as his passenger. The ensuing accident has endangered the Plumbs joint trust fund, “The Nest,” which they are months away from finally receiving. Meant by their deceased father to be a modest mid-life supplement, the Plumb siblings have watched The Nest’s value soar along with the stock market and have been counting on the money to solve a number of self-inflicted problems. 

This is a story about the power of family, the possibilities of friendship, the ways we depend upon one another and the ways we let one another down. In this tender, entertaining, and deftly written debut, Sweeney brings a remarkable cast of characters to life to illuminate what money does to relationships, what happens to our ambitions over the course of time, and the fraught yet unbreakable ties we share with those we love.

Review (2/5 stars): I found the first half of this book really frustrating. Right up until almost the middle of the book, each chapter is not much more than the introduction of yet another new character. Hardly any action or storyline takes place at all until chapter 14. 

If you can make it to chapter 14 things will start to pick up and some of the characters will seem slightly less unlikeable. I suppose the whole point of that is to show that the family's obsession with 'the nest' makes them all one dimensional. It's not until each of them begins to learn to live life without their safety net that they begin to get to know each other and start learning to act like slightly better versions of themselves and interacting like a real family.

Overall, I'm having a hard time understanding why this book is so highly regarded as some sort of literary masterpiece. It's OK, but it just didn't really hit me as something that was amazingly written.

Some of the characters (ie: the twins) were involved in entire storylines that had little to nothing to do with the main storyline, and were only connected to it by a very thin string., making me wonder why they were included in they way that they were. And the fact that Leo gets away with his selfish behaviour makes me wonder what the author really values, it certainly isn't justice.

It you're looking for a what seems to be a short story that's been stretched as far as possible to make it into a book then you might enjoy this. Otherwise, this is not high on my recommendation list.   

All that being said, lots of other people seem to think this book is nothing short of amazing, (including Ellie Kemper whose review appears on Time.com back in April-she visualized the book in a very interesting way) so you may want to give it a go.

Ellie Kemper
(The Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt)

Have you ever disagreed with the way everyone else feels about a book and wonder what you're missing? What book was it? Leave a comment below~

TBT-The Dry Grass of August

Now that we're officially into the summer month's I thought this would be a good time to look back at this amazing book.

The Dry Grass of August

Summary (from Goodreads): In this beautifully written debut, Anna Jean Mayhew offers a riveting depiction of Southern life in the throes of segregation, what it will mean for a young girl on her way to adulthood--and for the woman who means the world to her. 

On a scorching day in August 1954, thirteen-year-old Jubie Watts leaves Charlotte, North Carolina, with her family for a Florida vacation. Crammed into the Packard along with Jubie are her three siblings, her mother, and the family's black maid, Mary Luther. For as long as Jubie can remember, Mary has been there--cooking, cleaning, compensating for her father's rages and her mother's benign neglect, and loving Jubie unconditionally.

Bright and curious, Jubie takes note of the anti-integration signs they pass, and of the racial tension that builds as they journey further south. But she could never have predicted the shocking turn their trip will take. Now, in the wake of tragedy, Jubie must confront her parents' failings and limitations, decide where her own convictions lie, and make the tumultuous leap to independence. 

Infused with the intensity of a changing time, here is a story of hope, heartbreak, and the love and courage that can transform us--from child to adult, from wounded to indomitable.

                    

                                    Anna Jean Mayhew gives tells us about the history of the time

Review (5/5 stars): I could not put this book down! I LOVED it! If you liked "The Help" you'll love this book!

It's beautifully written and every character and every piece of dialogue draws you further into the past. The segregated south of the 1950's was a confusing time for young people who simply saw people for who they were, not for what colour their skin was. This story is beautifully told through the eyes of young teenage Jubie. Over the course of a summer her life changes in ways unimaginable. She goes from being a typical annoying sister to a mature young adult who see's the world through a new lens and the author allows her to grow in a realistic way that we can all relate to.

It took Anna Jean Mayhew 18 years to write this book and I can see why. It's a complicated story with many characters but she manages to create a picture in your mind of each one of them and their intertwined lives. You will be taken back in time and reminded of how you saw the world when you were young and start to question when it all changed, even if you didn't live through the turbulence of the 50's and 60's.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone however, be prepared.  There are parts that are heartbreaking.  You will cry.  But you will laugh out loud too.  It's the kind of book that makes you feel.  And I think those are the best books of all~

Have you read this book?  Can you imagine taking 18 years to create something and then unleashing it out into the world?  Share your thoughts below!