Archive for the ‘ Reviews ’ Category

Review: “Kare Kano, Vol. 7”

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances, Vol. 7Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances, Vol. 7 by Masami Tsuda
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

My love for the anime series “Kare Kano” brought me to the books, and the first several volumes offered the same mix of humor and poetic introspection that made me love the anime. In Volume 7, however, author Masami Tsuda seems to be running out of steam. She spends more of the book dealing with the side story of a transfer student and his love-hate relationship with secondary character Sakura (a girl who happens to look a lot like the male protagonist Soichiro). I realize I’m not the target audience for these manga (preteen girls), but if this volume had been the first one I’d read, I never would have read more.

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Review: “The Dead Beat”

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of ObituariesThe Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries by Marilyn Johnson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

As someone who enjoys meandering through old cemeteries, gazing at tombstones and wondering about the people who lie below, I was excited at the prospect of an entire book about obituaries. Author Marilyn Johnson focuses not so much on interesting obituaries themselves but on the craft of the creative obituary writer. A self-proclaimed obituary fan, Johnson shares fascinating insights into the writing process: from research to publication.

When I worked for a local newspaper, about a decade ago, we followed a very different process. Except for a few high-profile local celebrities, which entailed front-page feature stories, most obituaries were dictated to us by the local funeral home directors. But as Johnson relates, the art of creative obituaries has become more prominent in recent years.

Johnson interviewed a host of talented obituary writers, and when she relates their stories, the book is engaging. Too much of the book, however, concentrates on Johnson’s own stories about seeking out other obituary fans. The end result is an information-packed book that lacks focus. She should have emulated her favorite obit writers, who distill an entire lifetime into 1,000 words.

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Review: “Forever, Erma”

Sunday, January 8th, 2012

Forever, Erma: Best-Loved Writing from America's Favorite HumoristForever, Erma: Best-Loved Writing from America’s Favorite Humorist by Erma Bombeck
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One of my favorite humorists of all time, Erma Bombeck ruled the newspaper pages, inspiring and amusing readers with her entertaining observations about the nature of motherhood. “Forever, Erma” was a labor of love: a posthumous collection featuring the most loved Bombeck columns, as well as a smattering of lesser known pieces and a chapter of tributes from colleagues, friends and family. For those unfamiliar with Bombeck’s work, it’s a good introduction. For those, like myself, who have loved her work for years, the book is both a delight and a revelation.

Bombeck’s columns elevate the trivial moments of motherhood: mining them for both humor and for meaning. While, on the surface, she may simply be sharing a story about a difficult child, she is also making a then-revolutionary statement: “I’m not a perfect mother or wife, and that’s OK.” She wrote such columns years before comedian Roseanne Barr introduced the idea of a sublimely flawed family; and her columns predated by decades the first by humorist Dave Barry, who explores similar territory from a father’s point of view. Indeed, Bombeck was one of the first to discount such unrealistic role models as TV’s Donna Reed and to air her dirty laundry (both figurative and literal) in print.

Such insights won her legions of fans — mothers and children, wives and husbands — and this book does a good job of illustrating why.

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Review: “Motherhood: The Second Oldest Profession”

Sunday, January 8th, 2012

Motherhood: The Second Oldest ProfessionMotherhood: The Second Oldest Profession by Erma Bombeck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Erma Bombeck, the beloved newspaper columnist who wrote about the foibles of motherhood, expanded upon her familiar territory in “Motherhood: The Second Oldest Profession.” The result is a work that, though familiar-sounding, delves deeper and sometimes darker than her newspaper columns did.

For example, Bombeck reruns one of her most popular columns, a paean to the mothers of disabled children, answering it with a new companion piece where the mother of a disabled child criticizes the original column, calling it naive and speaking about the realities of her life. In another piece, Bombeck expands upon a newspaper column where she had joked about leaving behind letters for each of her children to tell them she’d loved them best. In “Motherhood,” the expanded piece takes place at the mother’s funeral, as each of the children reads his or her letter privately. The resulting work takes on a more serious, almost ponderous import.

In the pages of “Motherhood,” Bombeck shows that she is capable of contemplating more than just the whereabouts of wayward socks disappeared from the dryer. While these pieces still evince her trademark wit, they go beyond classic Bombeck, exploring the deeper side of motherhood.

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Review: “When I Grow Up” by Al Yankovic

Sunday, February 20th, 2011

When I Grow UpWhen I Grow Up by Al Yankovic
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In this fanciful children’s book, the protagonist explores a variety of options for adult occupations, ranging from outre chef to gorilla masseuse. The playful verse by Al Yankovic (better known as music parody king Weird Al) is accompanied by colorful pen and watercolor illustrations by Wes Hargis.

Wisely, this young hero realizes that the answer to “what will you be when you grow up?” may not be simple. Learning from his grandfather, who held many jobs throughout his life, the boy suggests one outlandish occupation after another, not ruling out the possibility of trying each in turn.

My eight-month-old boy was captivated by the drawings and engaged by the rhyming. He enjoyed it just as much when my husband read it to him a few days later. I predict that, unlike many of the board books he currently shoves in his mouth, this traditional hardback will remain a favorite as he grows and gains vocabulary and comprehension. While some of the vocabulary could make it difficult for beginning readers, it’s a terrific book to read to children of any age.

Disclosure: The author received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher through the Goodreads giveaway program.

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