"The Rosie Project" by Graeme Simsion

I've had "The Rosie Project" on my to-read list since it came out.  I came across it on a new release newsletter published by my local library and thought it sounded good, so I put in a request.  When my turn eventually came, I wasn't able to get to it before it was due and returned it unopened.  Repeat five or six times and eventually I got tired of the process and just read it.  I'm so glad I did!

Summary:  Don Tillman is a genius in everything except social skills.  So when he gets it in his head that it's time to get married, he goes about the process as any genius would: he creates a 16 page questionnaire to filter out the smokers, the drinkers and the perpetually late.  Don's survey, dubbed "The Wife Project," is intended to help him find his perfect match without wasting a bunch of time.

When his first candidate appears at his office door, Don is flabbergasted by what he finds.  Rosie couldn't have possibly completed the questionnaire in a compatible manner and is completely unsuitable.  But after spending time with her, Don finds an excuse to see her again.  And against all logic, see her again.  Soon Don is finding excuses to see Rosie every chance he can get until "The Rosie Project" begins and Don's life changes forever.

My Thoughts:  I really enjoyed this book for a lot of reasons.  The characters are all interesting and charismatic.  Don drove me absolutely nuts in an endearing, charming, immensely likable way.  Rosie was as real as it gets and stayed true throughout the book.  Gene was over-the-top, a little sad, but loyal to his friend.  The interactions between Don and Gene and Don and Rosie felt genuine and natural in a way that was totally believable.

The plot of the book was complex, fascinating and had me on my the edge of my seat with questions as the story progressed:  Who is Rosie's real dad?  Will Done realize that Rosie's a great catch?  Will Rosie realize that Don's not so bad?  Did Gene have a thing with Rosie? What is Gene going to do next?  I particularly enjoyed reading about Don's fascinating life.  As someone (a little) obsessed with charts, timelines and spreadsheets, I found Don's minute by minute schedules completely fascinating and weird and glorious.  I loved watching Don adapt to change and grow throughout the book as he came to realize that not everything can be planned ahead.

And the best part.....the ending.  But you'll have to read the book to see why.

Rating:  I'll read this again, and I just requested the sequel from the library.

Also Read By:  Nothing.,...yet!

Reviewed By:  Tami

"Talking With My Mouth Full: My Life as a Professional Eater" by Gail Simmons

Dear Gail: You made it abundantly clear that you dislike bloggers, perhaps even hate them, so I apologize in advance for this post.  Just pretend it doesn't exist.  (This should be an easy feat for you.)

I'm one of those people that is totally obsessed with the Food Network, even though the chances of me actually eating something made on the show are slim to none.  Although onions make me cringe and I prefer my meat to come in plastic packaging, the allure of someone who is passionate about their craft is something I just can't get enough of.  And so I picked up this book.

Summary:  First of all, Gail Simmons is Canadian.  Canadian!  I should have known, as the vast majority of my favorite reality stars come from Canada.  But love of the great peaceful North aside, Gail (if I may presume to call her so) has led a fascinating and somewhat charmed life.

Gail grew up as the youngest child of three, to parents that had a plethora of international flair.  Her father's people came from South Africa and her mother worked for the UN before she settled into motherhood and working from home so she could be more available for her children.  Her parents exposed Gail and her brothers to a wide variety of food and instilled in them a sense of competitiveness and fearlessness that helped Gail forge a dream career before the field even existed.  "Talking With My Mouth Full" explores Gail's early childhood and young adulthood and their impacts on her love for food before diving into her early careers as a chef at some of New York's finest restaurants.  Her experience as a New York chef, along with a side of luck, led her into what is arguably a tough but amazing series of jobs.

Gail Simmons is most popularly known for her work with Food and Wine magazine, as a judge on Top Chef and host of Top Chef: Just Desserts.  (And probably more, but I haven't had time to watch tv since 2010 so you'll have to trust google on this.)

My Thoughts:  Each time I read a book by a celebrity chef (or in this case celebrity foodie) I find myself pleasantly surprised.  I'm not sure what I expect going into them, but I generally find that the chef/foodies are passionate, charismatic and generally really interesting people.  Gail Simmons is no exception.

I loved the stories Gail told about her family.  Her mom seems like a quintessential role model - supportive, interesting but with enough motherly expectation to keep her kids in line.  I'd love to read her biography some day.  Her father is no less fabulous - a South African lawyer who enjoys brewing his own beer, making pickles and adventure.  With parents like these, how could Gail be anything but fascinating herself?  (This is a rhetorical question.  I have fascinating parents and am particularly boring myself.  It happens.)

I also loved reading about how Gail's career unfolded, from culinary student who wanted to write about food, to culinary graduate who understand that to truly be an expert on food writing, she'd need to experience food at a much deeper level than just eating it.

Rating:  This would be a good book to bring on vacation.  It's a good read (although doesn't quite catch my fancy enough to read again.)

Also Read By:  None.  But check out our reviews on books by other celebrity chefs!  Kitchen Confidential

Reviewed By:  Tami

"World War Z" by Max Brooks

I read World War Z when it first came out, then I went and saw the movie when it came out. Then I saw the audiobook at the library and listened to it at work with headphones on.

Summary: This book takes place about a decade after the zombie war has ended and humanity is rebuilding. Max Brooks decides to tour the globe and interview dozens of people to hear their personal stories from the war. He interviews scientists, soldiers, refugees, profiteers, war criminals and people who don't fit into a category, but were just trying to get through it all. Each person tells their story as they remember it happening and Max Brooks asks questions to try and flesh out the context or to pin down the truth. Certain historical events are assumed to have happened between right now and the first battle of the zombie war, which are hinted at throughout the book.

The interviews are organized into several sections based on the timeline of the war and context of the intended audience (which is American). There is a story for everything, as the incredibly complex unfolding of the war is revealed in small doses. By the end, it all hangs together as a clean whole.

As this is the audiobook, I must point out a few things. First, there are three editions, the abridged edition which came first, the Lost Files which was sold as a supplement to the abridged and a complete edition which has both. Second, this is not your traditional audiobook. This is closer to a radio play where Max Brooks plays the Interviewer and dozens of different actors play the variety of interviewees. Some highlights for the geek in me were Alan Alda, Mark Hamill, Nathan Fillion & Simon Pegg. All the readers did a fantastic job.

Also, I feel a certain obligation to say something about the movie World War Z. The movie is fun, I own it and I've watched it a few times. Definitely see it. But the movie has nothing to do with the book. There is no overlap beyond the fact that both stories deal with a global zombie infestation. As far as I can tell, no characters from the book are in the film, nor any unique story elements. Basically, Hollywood had a cool zombie movie and bought the rights to the name World War Z. Still, good movie.

What I Liked: I love how the story is presented, through interviews. Each person has a chance to recollect the events and string them together into a meaningful narrative, without having to make it fit into the bigger picture. And yet, they do all fit together quite well. Also, the grand story is a perfect balance of realistic despair, as humanity suffers massive losses to infection, and genuine triumph as humanity regains its footing to push back against the horde. It is both a story of failure and redemption on a global scale. 

What I Didn't Like: Obviously, I wish there were more interviews.

Rating: Must Read.

Also Read by this Author: Zombie Survival Guide

Reviewed by: Nick

"Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Me" by Pattie Boyd

There was no way I could not read "Wonderful Tonight" after working my way through "Miss O'Dell" and "Clapton."  It seems like Patti Boyd was the center of quite a few obsessions in her day and I wanted to see if I could pinpoint just what the allure was.


In good news, I think I'm finally over my own little Beatles phase.  You're welcome.

Summary:  Any time I read an autobiography I have a hard time summarizing it.  To be short and sweet (and accurate) it is the story of a person's life filtered through their own recollections and often rose-tinted glasses.  Moments are exaggerated or down played in a way that makes the subject look best...or at least not as bad as they were.

"Wonderful Tonight" tells the story of Patti's life, from her early childhood in Kenya to her tumultuous marriages to George Harrison and Eric Clapton and beyond.

My Thoughts:  I thought "Wonderful Tonight" was really interesting.  Patti Boyd had a life that seemed at moments quite charmed, at others horribly sad, and occasionally both at the same time.

Patti spent her early childhood with her three siblings, parents and rich grandparents in Kenya.  Then her father walked out on the family and her mother immediately remarried and moved the family back to England.  Patti's stepfather was weird (like...really weird) and the strained feeling at home pushed her out the door and into modeling at a young age.  It was as a model that she first started drugs via "skinny pills" and eventually met her first husband, Beatles guitarist George Harrison.  Patti traveled the world with George, was introduced to the elite of rock and roll and learned about Indian mysticism.  What started out as a happy marriage ended sadly as Patti left one bad relationship for another, this time with Guitar legend Eric Clapton.

There were parts of Patti's story that I liked.  I found her life to be really interesting.  She is fearless and isn't afraid to try new things, concepts that absolutely mystify me.  She traveled to exotic locales in her youth (and still does) and let those experiences change her outlook on life.  She mingled with rock stars and actors and didn't bat an eyelash.

However as glamorous as Patti's life was, it was also a lot more lonely and sad that I would have thought.  I felt especially sad reading about Patti's marriages.  While both relationships with her husbands seemed to start out with love, it was clear that neither George nor Eric saw her as anything other than a possession.  She lived her life for her men and didn't take care of herself.

But what was most sad, was that Patti's story seemed to end when her rock and roll lifestyle ended.  The book just glossed over her life after Eric as if it wasn't as important.  I'm not sure if that's for the reader or if it is how Patti really sees life.  I hope the former.

Rating:  An easy, quick read and a nice way to roll up my Beatles phase.

Also Read By:  N/A

Reviewed By:  Tami

"Magic Bites" by Ilona Andrews

This book is the first in a series. A friend lent me the first two books.

Summary: The world alternates irregularly between periods of high and low magic. For many centuries, magic was low and tech was high. In the last decade or two, magic has come back and now it alternates between the two frequently. When magic is high, modern technology does not work which means everyone has two sets of light bulbs, incandescent for tech and fey lanterns for magic. Major institutions have adapted with dual systems blended construction of buildings. New agencies were formed, both government and private, to handle magical problems.

This story follows Kate, a mercenary with the Guild. She is hired to fight monsters and resolve magical trouble. Her mentor, a Knight from the Order, is found dead and the murderer is on the loose. As Kate investigates she picks up some allies and enemies. As there is a sequel, I will let you speculate on how this book ends.

What I Liked: The setting is very interesting, especially the idea of a magical tide that rolls in and out. The scenes describing it come in and everyone switching their lights is fascinating to think about. Also, the thoughts on how a major city like Atlanta would change are fun.

What I Didn't Like: I could not follow the characters' emotional states. One would be mad or sad and it was not clear to me why. Friendships were strengthened or weakened for inexplicable reasons. In one scene, a man comes up with an idea that the group then acts on. It turns out he was wrong and blames Kate for coming up with the idea, I have no idea why. Similarly, I found that I did not trust the narrator. In other books I've read, the narrator spends a lot of time proving to the reader that they are telling the story as accurately as possible. Kate did not seem to care what the reader thought and would just say something is true and move on.

Rating: I'm not eager to read any more of the series.

Also Read By This Author: None. 

Note, Ilona Andrews is the pen name for Ilona and Andrew Gordon.

Reviewed By: Nick

"Mortality" by Christopher Hitchens

I was picking up books at the library for Tami and noticed this sitting in the audiobook section. As I am generally a fan of Hitchens I decided to check it out.

Summary: This is Hitchens' last book before his death. In truth, it is not even a full book as it explains that Hitchens believed he had more time to write more content and polish it before publishing. His sudden death means there are fragments left unedited, still in their first draft.

Much of the book originally appeared in articles he wrote while in treatment. It starts with Hitchens waking up very sick and unsure what was wrong. The doctor suspected cancer, but any conclusive test was still in the future. Hitchens writes candidly about his struggle to live a normal life, unwilling to fail his friends and fans. He also reflects on the nature of his treatment, the effects of chemotherapy and what it's like to show up at the clinic. As he died of throat cancer, he also writes about his loss of speech, something that his especially hard on a man who loved talking. This book also includes a forward and an afterward in which two people close to him talk about his last days.

What I Liked: This is Hitchens making the best of a bad situation. He retained his ability to write fiercely and strategically right up to the end. 

What I Didn't Like: Obviously, these are the dying words of a man I respected. I would rather they weren't his last.

Rating: Worth reading, but left with a guilty feeling.

Also Read by this Author: Hitch-22.

Reviewed by: Nick

"Clapton: The Autobiography" by Eric Clapton

After finishing "Miss O'Dell" I felt an overwhelming need to learn more about Eric Clapton.  Chris O'Dell painted the guitar legend as an abusive, chauvinistic asshole (sorry - there is no better word) and I wanted to hear his side of the story.  And who better to hear from than the man himself?

Summary:  Eric Clapton, guitar legend and drug addled playboy, penned his autobiography at the close of his 2007 world tour.  Spanning decades of fashion, music and copious substance abuse, Clapton holds very little back, although at times glossing over the people his addictions hurt most.

Starting from his days as a boy growing up in the working class neighborhood of Ripley, Clapton goes into great detail of his childhood - focusing on the root of his sexual fear of women and how he self-taught himself to play guitar by emulating the greats.  Clapton also spends considerable time on his early career and the start of his many addictions - some of the stories he tells are completely outrageous.  Clapton then skims over the retelling of his lost years (I assume because to him they really are lost).  The subsequent chapters speak to Clapton's rock bottom, his redemption through fatherhood, terrible losses and finally finding his place in the world.

My Thoughts:  I'm honestly a little confused regarding my feelings towards this book.  Like contemplating making a flowchart or spreadsheet confused.

I started off curious:  can the man who wrote Layla and Bell Bottom Blues really be such a self absorbed asshole to the ladies?  It's claimed her did massive amounts of heroine and booze...how was he even capable of basic adulting much less writing his own music?

Once I got into the story, I felt pity:  well shoot, he really had an uncle/brother, no wonder he's confused about his relationship with women!  His family was so poor they had an outhouse, no wonder he squandered 8K a week on drugs!

Followed closely by shock and disgust:  wait, you mean he squandered 8k/week on drugs?!    He actively pursued one of his closest friends' wives....after dating her sister?  Not one but TWO love children?  For the love of God, stop name dropping!

Then more pity:  his son died in a horrible and tragic accident and my heart aches for you.  He's lost just about everything, including his self respect, wife and a shit ton of money.  He fakes rehab....think of all this squandered potential.

And ending with bemusement:  well you old hooligan, you did it.  Got sober and ended up marrying a woman 25 years younger than you.  Now you're a bit of a homebody who goes on tour to pay the bills.  And to top it off you're still kicking even though you've taken enough drugs to fell an ox.

Rating:  While this book lacked humor and warmth (or was maybe just British), it's a fascinating read that I recommend to any music fan.

Also Read By:  N/A - but his discography is pretty stellar.

Reviewed By:  Tami

Note:  For those interested, Clapton notes Chris O'Dell once...as being one of Pattie Boyd's wedding attendants.  So now I'm off to read Pattie Boyd's tell all.

"Miss O'Dell" by Chris O'Dell and Katherine Ketcham

Have I mentioned how much I love the library?  I'd shout if from the roof tops if I could.  (Or if I had been drinking like a frat boy...and not scared of heights...)  My library puts together several different displays each month and if I have time I try to peek at them every so often.  I found "Miss O'Dell" on a Grammy Awards display and picked it up on a whim.  I'm glad I did.

Summary:  Chris O'Dell spent the golden era of rock and roll as a cross between a super groupie and an inside man for some of the biggest rock groups of the 60s, 70s and 80s.  After a chance meeting with a music bigwig at a party in LA, twenty something Chris O'Dell packed her bags, moved to London and finessed her way into a job working with the Beatles at their Apple label.

O'Dells's appetite for drugs and alcohol combined with her self-described inability to say no catapulted her into the inner circles of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and other high profile bands of the 60's through the 80's.  "Miss O'Dell" is a collection of O'Dells more shocking memories of life at home and on the road with rock's greatest.

My Thoughts:  Do you ever read Perez Hilton or watch an episode of TMZ, thoroughly enjoy it, then feel sort of greasy for enjoying it as much as you did once its over?  That's exactly how I felt about this book. "Miss O'Dell" is a rock and roll tell all on the big bands of the past, going into the lurid and absolutely entertaining history of who slept with the most groupies (the Rolling Stones), who did the most drugs ( the Rolling Stones) and who was a total asshat behind closed doors (see: every one, but mostly Eric Clapton.)

While I'm not convinced that the stories in the book were 100% accurate (O'Dell imbibed an amazing amount of coke and liquor during most of the story) I think that the author believes the stories are accurate and told them as she remembered them with only minor twisting to make herself look better than perhaps she was.  This made the book feel genuine to me, which in turn led me to see Chris O'Dell in a sympathetic light.  She may have been a ruthless social engineer who used any means necessary to get into the inner circle of rock's elite, but she was an endearing social engineer and I ended up rather liking her even when she did something awful (sleep with her BFF's Beatle husband), stupid (piss off her other BFF's alcoholic guitar legend husband over and over) or really stupid (allow her doped up husband to drive the car with her infant son in the back).  On second thought, maybe I didn't like her....maybe I pitied her so I tried not to judge her quite so harshly.

"Miss O'Dell" focused on the people behind the legends and was at some of musics most historic events.  The story telling method of writing was very cleverly done and let the reader feel as if they were experiencing the momentous events as Chris did.  Sing in the chorus of Hey Jude?  Sure!  Snort some blow with Freddie Mercury?  Ok!

I also enjoyed Chris' personal story woven in and out of the famous ones.  Chris didn't shy away from admitting to her problems with drugs and alcohol, nor did she shy away from detailing her multiple rock bottoms.  Her honesty about herself in these moments had me rooting for her to come clean and make something of herself at the end.

Overall I enjoyed this book.  It was easy to read, seriously entertaining, and kept the celebrities just mean enough that I wasn't bothered by their darkest moments being aired by someone they once trusted.

Rating:  If you're at all interested in celebrity gossip or rock and roll, check this book out.

Also Read By This Author:  N/A

Reviewed By:  Tami

Side Note:  After reading this book I'm curious to read "the other side" of the stories.  Look for a review on autobiographies by Eric Clapton and Patti Boyd coming soon.

"The Traitor's Hand" by Sandy Mitchell

This is the third book in the Commissar Cain series. I can't get enough.

Summary: Adumbria is a curious planet that is tidally locked with its home star. This creates three main zones, a hot and bright hemisphere always facing the sun, a cold and dark hemisphere always facing away, and a shadow belt in between. The majority of the population lives in the belt, with small settlements in the desert and tundra regions.

This story is chronologically after the first two books and during the time Cain is with the 597th Valhallans (who happen to be cold climate specialists). A significant time has passed and Cain's unit is urgently being sent to Adumbria in anticipation of a Chaos fleet headed towards the planet. Some of the Imperial fleet arrives before the Chaos cultists and is able to prepare. Unfortunately, travelling through the Warp (the only form of faster than light travel available to the Imperium of Man) is a complicated business and the bulk of the fleet is delayed.

Cain and his regiment originally assume that the Chaos fleet is the danger they need to be ready for, but even as they are deployed on the surface, they realize that a homegrown Chaos thread is already there. As they gather clues, the picture becomes clear as to what the cultists are trying to do on the planet and why the Chaos fleet is headed right for them.

While Cain is trying to maintain his heroic image, an old acquaintance from the Scola Progenium is picking up an old rivalry. Commissar Beije is assigned to the very pious regiment of the Tallarn 229th (who happen to be desert fighters). Beije sees through Cain's legendary reputation and knows him to be the selfish opportunist that he is. He takes it upon himself to bring down Cain during the mission and it is up to our clever protagonist to parry the challenges while simultaneously working to save the planet (and himself) from destruction.

What I Liked: This book has fresh enemies that are at first glance simple, but reveal a more developed identity as the story progresses. I like how it slowly dawns on Cain and his peers what is really going on. 

What I Didn't Like: It has become clear to me that some of the events in this book and previous books reference short stories (The Beguiling, Fight or Flight, and Echoes of the Tomb) I have not yet read. I found them now and will read them before moving onto the 4th book.

Rating: Love it! I am still reading the series.

Also Read by this Author: Scourge The Heritic, Innocence Proves Nothing, For the Emperor, Caves of Ice.

A side note, Sandy Mitchell is a pseudonym for Alex Stewart.

Reviewed by: Nick

"Agatha H and the Airship City" by Phil & Kaja Foglio

I was first introduced to these characters through the award-winning Girl Genius online comic. When I saw their book for the first time, I needed to read it. 

Summary: This book follows the first part of the online comic, in which Agatha begins as an ordinary lab assistant at the university of Professor Beetle. The professor is a Spark, a title which denotes individuals who have an especially sharp minds. Sparks can take a pile of discarded parts and build a fully functional vehicle in a day, they can rewire the brains of animals to give them human intelligence, and they can do it in a steampunk universe where computers and circuits have never been invented. Most sparks are very dangerous and mentally unstable. They bring terror and ruin to the people of Europe with their armies of combat squids and war klanks constantly fighting. Professor Beetle is peaceful by comparison and has found himself working for Baron Wulfenbach, the most powerful spark who presides over the continent with a fleet of airships.

In this book Agatha's life is totally turned upside-down and she meets a cast of characters pulled from across the continent and across species. She can no longer stay in the home she has always known, and must make do with strangers in the airship city of Castle Wulfenbach, where she finds herself again as a lab assistant. But this time things have gotten a lot more complicated. After reading the comics, this book feels like it is entirely exposition for the adventures that follow, but it is compelling in its own right.

What I Liked: As the comic updates three pages a week, it can be slow going to follow along. It was a fun look-back to recall how the stories began. The Foglio's inject everything with a joke, keeping the story light-hearted even when it's serious. Also, the steampunk theme is exciting and interesting, with monsters, talking animals, robots and zepplins!

What I Didn't Like: I am biased to like this book, not sure what to put here.

Rating: Must read.

Also Read by this Author: Girl Genius online comic.

Reviewed by: Nick