Inside Jacket

I remember Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott being a good book.  Sadly, it has fallen ill to the passage of time.  I read it much too long ago and I simply can not remember anything about it.  And that my friends is a very sad thing because Elizabeth Scott rocks.  I have no hesitations in recommending her books.

I can tell you what Love You Hate You Miss You is about from reading synopsis’s myself.  In fact, I’ll share with you from Scott’s website:

It’s been seventy-five days. Amy’s sick of her parents suddenly taking an interest in her. And she’s really sick of people asking her about Julia. Julia’s gone, and Amy doesn’t want to talk about it. No one knew Julia like she did. No one gets what life is without her.
No one understands what it’s like to know that it’s all your fault.

Amy’s shrink thinks she should keep a journal but instead, Amy starts writing letters to Julia. And as she writes letter after letter, she begins to realize that the past holds its own secrets–and that the present deserves a chance.

Looking over some of the reviews myself, it feels vaguely familiar but yet I cannot recall any feelings nor basic details about the book.  However, other reviewers were very enthusiastic about Love You Hate You Miss You and sad that it didn’t receive more attention at the time of it’s release.  Hey, it’s Elizabeth Scott, I say go read it despite my not being able to remember anything about it.  Will it stand the test of time?  For me, obviously not.  But I didn’t dislike it in the least.  I don’t think all books have to have staying power.  It was a good read at the time.

As a side note – I find it interesting to note how our feelings for a book change over time.  Do you find yourself  not being able to remember basic plotlines of books that you’ve read in the past?

Links of interest: My book reviews of Something, Maybe, Living Dead Girl.  Elizabeth Scott website and blog.  Other blogger reviews.
Genre:  Young Adult
Publisher:  Harper Teen.  May 26, 2009.
Hardcover, 288 pages.
Love You, Hate You, Miss You is available from your local independent bookstore, Powell’s, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

Copyright 2010. Maw Books Blog

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.

Well, would you look at that? It’s a post! And not just any post but a book review post! It’s time to brush off the old keyboard and see  if I can still call myself a reviewer!

Whenever somebody that I know offline would ask me what my favorite read of 2010 was (surprisingly a question I hear more offline than online), I without any hesitation or doubt would say Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry.  “Really?” and a blank stare is what I would almost always get back. People, this book was AMAZING.  Every 945 pages of it. When it ended, I wished there was another 945 pages. I was not ready to let these characters go!  Lonesome Dove has deservedly been called epic. But what makes a book epic?  I think it’s just one of those things that you know it when you read it. And oh, was this book epic.

Larry McMurtry is a master storyteller.  I was a tad daunted opening that very first page and I do admit that even 200 pages into the book I wondered if anything was ever going to happen.  And even though it was off to a slow start, I wouldn’t wish it any other way. The background characterization that McMurtry gives his essential to the story.

The inside cover of my copy of the book lists the key characters with a short description of each. I loved the summary it gave so am taking the liberty of copying it here for  you.

Augustus McCrae: ex-Texas  Ranger. A fierce fighter, loyal friend, gentle lover, a boisterous spinner of colorful yarns. Gus years for adventure, and is drawn into Woodrow Call’s dream – a cattle drive to Montana, to the free and wild frontier . . .
Woodrow F. Call: Gus’s partner and friend, a driven, demanding man, a leader with no patience for weakness – and a secret sorrow of his own . . .

Jake Spoon: dashing gambler, former comrade-in-arms of Gus and Call, his passions plunge him into a terrifying fate . . .

Clara Allen: the woman of Gus’s young dreams. Out of the frontier’s cruelty and death, she forgers a life as generous, brave and unyielding as the land she learns to love . . .

Blue Duck: a renegade Indian with cunning heart of a vulture. He tortures and ills across the Plains, and savors his victim’s agony . . .

Newt: the brave, bewildered young cowboy who discovers his manhood, and his past, on the hazardous journey into Montana . . .

The Hat Creek Outfit: Jake, Deets, Pea Eye and the Boys . . .  wranglers, tracers and scouts, they follow Gus and Call into the heart of the adventure, through sandstorms, stampedes, bandits, floods and snow . . . living on in the undying legends of the great American frontier.

If you don’t know who these characters are from having read Lonesome Dove yourself, I dare you to love them.  I dare you to hate them.

I picked up this book in every spare moment of my day when I was reading it. And when I wasn’t reading it, I wanted to be reading it. I thought about it constantly.  I know I haven’t gone into all the intricacies of why Lonesome Dove is so amazing but let me tell you simply-  the characters! the story! the love! the friendships! the fighting! the determination! the devotion! the heroes! the outlaws! the whores! the Indians! the frontier! the forging ahead! the friendships again!  And it’s also laugh out loud funny with some great one-liners and some beautiful passages.  Definitely need those lighthearted and thoughtful moments between the gun slinging, the scalping, and the hangings.

Yes, my favorite book of 2010 was unabashedly a Western.  A genre I didn’t really think I read.  But did I tell you I loved this book?  Oh, how I loved Lonesome Dove. Officially one of my most favorite books.  Ever. Do you need more recommendation then that?

(I remember when the mini-series came on TV when I was little and we all watched it together as a family. MUST re-watch it now! )

Links of interest: More book  blogger reviews.
Genre: Historical Fiction, Western
Publisher: Pocket Books. 1985.
Paperback, 945 pages. ISBN 067168390X
Lonesome Dove is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Copyright 2010. Maw Books Blog

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.

Such a gorgeous picture book!  Last year Amanda at A Patchwork of Books was so enthusiastic about this book that I just knew I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll and illustrated by Howard McWilliams was something special long before I got my hands on it.

Ethan can’t go to sleep properly.  Not when his resident under the bed monster, Gabe, has gone on a week-long fishing vacation.  How would he ever go to sleep without Gabe’s familiar scary noises and his spooky green ooze?  He  missed his ragged breathing, his nose-whistling, and the scrabbling of his uncut claws.  Luckily, he has a substitute monster appear under his bed.  Unluckily, his panting wasn’t scary enough and he didn’t have claws.  A second, third and fourth monster arrive but upon inspection none are as scary as Gabe and quickly dismissed.

Was I being too picky? NO.

I knew that my monster needed to be well-clawed and menacing.

The whole point of having a monster, after all, was to keep me in bed,
imagining all the scary stuff that could happen if I got out.

My boys love the monsters and are quick to fall into a fit of giggles over one particularly monster with a rather large tongue.  I was a bit worried that my boys would be scared of monsters under the bed but no fear, it’s an adorable story of a rather unique friendship.  Almost makes me wish I had my own monster under the bed.

A perfect read-a-loud book and illustrations to drool over.  Seriously gorgeous illustrations.  Highly recommend that you pick I Need My Monster up.  It’s a beautifully spooky book full of monsterly fun!

Links of interest: Amanda Noll website,  more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Fiction Picture Book, approx age 4-8.
Publisher: Flashlight Press.  April 1, 2009.
Hardcover, 32 pages. ISBN 0979974623
Source: Review copy for 2009 Cybil’s nomination for which I was a panelist.
I Need My Monster is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Copyright 2010. Maw Books Blog

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.

A few years back I went to a home show for one and one reason only: Peter Walsh.  He was the guy they were marketing to get people in the door and boy, did he get me in the door.  At that time I had already read his book It’s All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff and knew that he was one smart cookie.  I loved his philosophy about the relationship that we have with our stuff.  His short seminar that he gave that day was worth every penny.  He was hilarious! I simply loved everything about him.

Earlier this year, I got the bug to get rid of stuff! And one when gets that urging, it should under no circumstances be ignored.  Take advantage of it while you can. So I pulled out It’s All Too Much and read it again.  And I loved it again.  Peter Walsh just makes so much sense.

This isn’t a book about how to organize your sock drawer (although it might be mentioned) but rather it’s a book about our relationship with our stuff.  And that by changing our relationship with our stuff then the process of decluttering and organizing our possessions comes much easier.  We can take control of our stuff rather then the stuff controlling us.

When we have emotions tied to objects then it makes getting rid of those objects hard.  But is it about the object itself or is it about the memory associated with that object?  Which is more important?  And if something is so important to us why are we treating it with such disrespect shoved and broken in the back of a closet or in a moldy basement? He says that one of the most common errors when attempting to organize and declutter is to start with “the stuff.”  Clearing the clutter isn’t about “the stuff.”

Peter Walsh asks us what type of life do we want to live?

Imagine the life you want to live. I cannot think of a sentence that has had more impact on the lives of the people I have worked with. I’ll repeat it again: Imagine the life you want to live. Life is never perfect, but we all have unique visions of the lives we wish were ours.  When clutter fills your home, not only does it block your space, but it also blocks your vision.  . . . It’s a deceptively simple question and one that we seldom ask: “What is the life you want? “

And what I love about this book is that it is not overwhelming.  Imagine trying to tackle decluttering our entire house at the same time.  It makes me want to go back to bed.  It makes me want to go watch an episode of Hoarders so I’ll feel good about my housekeeping abilities. But Peter Walsh has everything set up step by step so that we start out with small victories and then take on larger tasks.

Once you decide what kind of vision you want for you and your family, then it’s time to start tackling the surface clutter.  He gives specific ways on how to do this and then moves through the house room by room: master bedroom, kids’ rooms, family and living rooms, home office, kitchen, dining room, bathroom, garage, basement and other storerooms.  He then addresses how to stay on top of the clutter, daily, monthly and yearly maintenance and what happens if you relapse.

But what I love so much about this book is that I just didn’t read it, tell myself well, that sounds like good stuff and then just go on with life.  I actually did change the way I viewed my house and the stuff in it.  I actually started  to apply the advice that he gave.  And seriously, what a difference! I hardly give a second thought to throwing away or giving away stuff that simply doesn’t matter. I feel freer having less stuff to deal with.

But I’ll also be completely honest.  I’m  by no means perfect. I have a really hard time with the daily clutter.  Keeping up with my dishes, the laundry, and picking up the toys.  Do I get stressed when somebody knocks on my door?  Sadly, I do.  My house is often not clean enough to feel comfortable inviting somebody in.  Always something to work on right?

I haven’t read any of Peter Walsh’s other books but I’m thinking that as I like his style, I definitely should. If you need an easy to read, step by step book to help you you tackle the clutter and live a richer life with less stuff, than It’s All Too Much is the book that will help you get there.

What about you?  How do you deal with the clutter?  Any other Peter Walsh fans out there?

Links of interest:  Peter Walsh website, more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Non-Fiction, Organizational Self-Help
Publisher: Free Press.  December 12, 2006
Hardcover, 240 pages. ISBN 0743292642
It’s All Too Much is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Ninja’s, cowboy’s and bears.  What more could two little boys want?  I mean really.  That’s all you have to say.

Ninja’s.

Cowboy’s.

Bears.

That’s it.  End of story.  End of review.

(Wait.  Really?  End of review?  Let’s at least squeeze the name of this adorable picture book in here somewhere: The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear by David Bruins and Hilary Leung.  Did I say adorable?  Take that back. Really adorable.)

Now it’s the end of review.

Links of interest:  Hilary Leung blog, more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Fiction Picture Book, approx age 4-8.
Publisher:  Kids Can Press.  September 1, 2009.
Hardcover, 32 pages. ISBN 1554534860
Copy source:  Review copy for 2009 Cybil’s nomination consideration for which I was a panelist.
The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Copyright 2010. Maw Books Blog

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.