Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen

This is one from my TBR pile.  My sister gave it to me over a year ago and assured me that it was hilarious and that I would really enjoy it.  For some reason, I was dubious.  Despite the cleverly written back cover, I was sort of put off by the title.  So I just kept passing it by when it came time to grab my next book.

But a few weeks ago, some friends and I took a bus ride up to Philly to support the USA soccer team in their friendly match against Turkey before heading to the World Cup in South Africa.  It's a 3-hour drive each way, and I went prowling for a the perfect book to take with me.  Skinny Dip won the prize.

I got a good feeling when one of hte other bus patrons passed me and said, "Oh, that's a great book.  You'll love it."

This is a snippet from Amazon's review: 

Charles "Chaz" Perrone fancies himself a take-charge kind of guy. So when this "biologist by default" suspects that his curvaceous wife, Joey, has stumbled onto a profitable pollution scam he's running on behalf of Florida agribusiness mogul Red Hammernut, he sets out right away to solve the problem--by heaving Joey off the deck of a luxury cruise liner and into the Atlantic Ocean, far from Key West. But--whoops!--Joey, a former swimming champ, doesn't drown. Instead, as Carl Hiaasen tells in his 10th adult novel, Skinny Dip, she makes her way back to shore, thanks both to a wayward bale of Jamaican marijuana and lonerish ex-cop Mick Stranahan, and then launches a bogus blackmail campaign that's guaranteed to drive her lazy, libidinous hubby into a self-protective frenzy.

It's ridiculous.  It's over the top.  It's funny... Have you seen the Sprite commercial that focuses on a group of writers sitting outside a Hollywood studio?  They're all just tapping their pencils and looking lost.  But then a pirate ship, a panda, a cheerleader, and a martial arts fight all start falling out of the stratosphere, and when the main character takes a drink of sprite they all 'splash' into his imagination and you hear him say, "Ok, I got it.  We'll start with a cheerleader..." 

That's how I imagine Carl Hiaasen came up with some of this characters and plot devices.  They're just that ridiculous.  (For example:  A woman made independently wealthy because her parents died in a plane crash while transporting their juggling circus bear home from the specialist who needed to treat the bear's impacted tooth.)  But you forgive him.  Because it's just so entertaining.

So thank you Amanda.  I should have trusted you.

Reading Update

It's about time for another update...don't you think?

Raw Stats:

39 books read.  (up from 12 in March)
18,072 pages.  (up from 5,601 in March)
28 new (72%).
11 re-reads (28%).

Challenges:

TBR Challenge - Goal:  12 books.  Completed: 5 books.  I'm still on pace to finish by the end of the year.
Audio Book Challenge - Goal: 20 books.  Completed: 11 books.  I can't believe I'm getting ready for the 12th book of the Wheel of Time!  This series has been a constant presence in my car since January. (You haven't seen any reviews/reports yet because I'm waiting to finish the whole series first.)
Support Your Local Library Challenge - Goal: 50 books. Completed: 27 books.  I'm in love with the library! 

Books I'm reading right now:

Star Trek by Alan Dean Foster - Thanks to a tip from my friend Heather, I get to listen to Zachary Quinto perform this book based on the new movie.  It's fantastic!!
Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver - a Bible Study assignment.
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque - Recommended by one of my former students who couldn't believe I hadn't read it when I was in high school.  It's supposedly one of the most loved war novels of all time. 

Coming up:

The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan - then I'll be officially caught up!
The Eleventh Commandment by Jeffrey Archer - a thriller.
A Chance to Die:  The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot - from my TBR list
In My Hands:  Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Opdyke - a book club assignment


There are seven books I have read but haven't blogged about yet, but that's not too bad.  I'll work on remedying that situation soon.  Is there anything I should add to my list?

Reading Update

I thought I would post an update on my reading so far this year:

Raw Stats:

• 12 books read.
• 8 new (67%).
• 4 re-reads (33%).
• 5,601 pages.  

Challenges:

• TBR Challenge - Goal:  12 books.  Completed: 2 books.  Not bad there.  I'm on pace to finish by the end of the year.
• Audio Book Challenge - Goal: 20 books.  Completed: 4 books.  I'm almost done the 5th, with number 6 waiting in the wings.   You haven't seen any reviews/reports yet because I'm waiting to finish the whole series first.
• Support Your Local Library Challenge - Goal: 50 books. Completed: 8 books.  Almost done the 9th (an audio book), and am in the middle of number 10. 

Books I'm reading right now:

• The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan - part of my quest through the Wheel of Time series
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - a book club assignment.
• Cleaving: A Story of Marraige, Meat and Obsession by Julie Powell - the follow-up to "Julie and Julia."
• The Pursuit of God: A 31-day experience by A.W. Tozer- a Bible Study assignment.
• Decoding the Universe: How the new Science of Information is Explaining Everything in the Cosmos, from our Brains to Black Holes by Charles Seife - surprisingly engaging and really interesting stuff.

Coming up:

• The Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan - the quest continues
• The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis - both for the TBR challenge and for book club.
• The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Rick Riodan - After enjoying the movie, I'm looking forward to diving into the books.

Anything I should add to the list? *grin*

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

"The Color Purple" a classic, a prizewinner, a film, and now a musical.  For any and all of these reasons, it's been on my TBR list for quite some time.  A snowy weekend provided just the excuse to cuddle up in a blanket and enjoy Alice Walker's work!  In fact, with the wonder of Netflix instant-play, I watched the movie after I finished the book and had quite a lovely evening.

This book continues a theme of sorts (actually a few themes): epistolary novels, and novels about racism, relationships and female empowerment.  (Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Blood Done Sign My Name, To Kill a Mockingbird, Secret Life of Bees....).

Bottom line:  I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't my favorite. 

The first half of the book is letters from Celie to God.  It took me a while to get into.  (I think part of it was getting used to the language.)  Once I did, I found it brutal, honest, and engaging.  Celie's voice is matter of fact, and straight from the heart.  To be honest, I think that's the way we're supposed to talk to God.  Talking about any and everyting.  Pouring out our hearts and hurts.

But I was very glad when Walker introduced a second voice:  the letters from Nettie to Celie.  The sisters were separated from each other at the beginning of the story, and since Celie never heard from her sister she presumed Nettie was dead.  I really enjoyed how Walker structured the second half of the book.  The sister's never talk to each other.  Their letters never actually change hands.  Yet they catch up and dialogue with each other.  It's brilliant.

I read somewhere that the color purple is a major theme and symbol in the book.  However, I disagree.  It's briefly mentioned once (granted, in a pivotal conversation between two of the main characters), but that's it. Surprisingly, pants are a major theme.  When Celie comes into her own, pants are a major symbol of that independence.  She shows her insight, creativity, and self-sufficiency through something as simple as making pants.  I really enjoyed that.

Favorite line of the book:  "Whether God will read letters or no, I know you will go on writing them; which is enough for me."  It was in a letter from Nettie to Celie.  She almost decides to stop writing her letters, since she knows there was almost no chance her sister would get to read them.  But then she remembered Celie's habit of writing letters to God, because she couldn't bring herself to talk about them out loud.  And whether or not God would answer, Celie was determined to write.  I feel that way about praying sometimes.  The most important part may not be the answer, it's the simple fact that I keep talking.

Favorite moment of the movie:  There's a scene where Shug is entertaining a crowd on a dock, and they are within earshot of a church service.  At first there's a bit of duel between the choir's song and Shug's performance.  Then she starts singing the choir's song, and leads a procession from their hang to the church.  The choir's soloist give's way to Shug's voice, and Shug pours her heart out in song at the base of the alter as the Pastor just stands there teary-eyed.  They finally embrace...and it's a beautiful picture of a prodigal coming home.  This exchange was a departure from the book, but it was my very favorite scene.  There are so many little moments in it for each of the main characters, and it's just...moving. 

Long story short:  I would recommend this book (the movie too).  It might be interesting to discuss it along with Blood Done Sign My Name, and The Secret Life of Bees... in case you need ideas for a book club or something *wink*

Violin by Anne Rice

Have you ever chosen a book for its title?  That’s what I did when I picked up “Violin” by Anne Rice.  I was walking through Goodwill, and thought that it might be a good adventure.  Especially since it was ½ off day and it would cost me all of $0.50.  I like Anne Rice’s “Vampire Chronicles,” and her book “Called out of Darkness” is also on my TBR list.  Plus, I play violin.  I convinced myself that this was a wise Goodwill impulse buy.

The first page of “Violin” is captivating.

What I seek to do here perhaps cannot be done in words.  Perhaps it can only be done in music.  I want to try to do it in words.  I want to give tot the tale the architecture which only narrative can provide – the beginning, the middle and the end—the charged unfolding of events in phrases faithfully reflecting their impact upon the writer.  You should not need to know the composers I mention often in these pages…My words should impart the very essence of sound to you.  If not, then there is something here which cannot be really written. But since it’s the story in me the story I am compelled to unfold—my life, my tragedy, my triumph and its price—I have no choice but to attempt this record.

What followed was confusing, convoluted, and almost unresolved.  The main character is a 54-year old woman named Triana who has experienced some deep and devastating losses.  She’s visited by a ghost named Stefan who, in between serenades on a Stradivarius, verbally spars with Triana in an effort to drive her crazy.  They end up going on a journey through time and distance, working through grief and guilt with music (and the violin itself) as a very large catalyst to that process.

So did I like it?  Kind of.  I have to admit, I probably wouldn’t have finished reading it if I wasn’t trying to get out of running by walking this week on the treadmill.  As one reviewer said, “The novel is a beautifully written mess, a poetic pile of events which failed to capture the reader in a moment in time because this book moves too quickly and erratically to hold the reader in one place for long enough.”  About halfway through, I figured it out.  This isn’t a novel as much as it is an author grieving through a story.  From what I understand (after a bit of research when I finished the book), “Violin” is very autobiographical.  Knowing that, it makes sense to me that an author would best grieve through a story and characters.  And if you enjoy books that are more about the journey than the destination, then you may enjoy it.  But I was expecting a bit more plot. Serves me right for judging a book by its cover.  *grin* 

Speaking of covers:  This is the one on my copy.

But I think this one I found is much more appropriate.

Has anyone else read this book?  Or do you have a story about picking up a book just because you liked the title?  Feel free to share!