Falling is Like This - Kate Rockland

Whew! My apologies for the total lack of post-age lately. Moving has been quite the chore, and I've been SUPER busy. I have, however, been doing tons of reading - per usual. Voila, new post :0)


As much as I love punk rock, I’ll admit – I missed its heyday. I’ve never been to CBGB (although I do know where it once was), and grew up in a small town that didn’t breed the greatest of local acts. I’ve always been jealous of my dear boyfriend, who grew up in the suburbs right outside of NYC, and got to experience many small, local shows. I give dear boyfriend lots of credit for exposing me to some of my now-favorite artists, and fully rescuing me from a life of top-40 music (quelle horror!). With that said, I felt I really connected with protagonist Harper Rostov in “Falling Is Like This”. I picked this book up based on my patented “cute cover” system, and was intrigued to see a blurb from Courtney Love (She reads? Huh.). Our girl Harper is a budding journalist/punk-rock girl living in the East Village, who finds herself caught up in a whirlwind romance with the guitar player of her favorite local band. Basically, she’s living the life I desire, minus the part about her being from Jersey – the only state whose residence always declare “But I’m from the NICE part.” If you’re into the punk and rock scene, you’ll notice a plethora (I revel in every excuse to bust that word out) of reference made to bands and locations throughout the novel. Now, on to the good stuff!

• It’s chick lit – plain and simple. There’s little in terms of sophisticated writing here, and the book is just screaming to be made into movie starting Miley Cyrus, or whoever the reigning teen queen is at the time. This isn’t negative necessarily; I love to turn my brain off while reading at times and be immersed in the story: more of an observation. 
• The multitude of music and location references: I did feel the book gave a nice picture of the quirky East Village, the down-trodden, once-was-great Coney Island, and even the sights and sounds of riding the subway. However, there were a few things that bugged me: Gwen Stefani had pink hair during Return to Saturn, not Tragic Kingdom. I mean really, people. Tragic Kingdom was the platinum blonde, red-lipped Gwen we all know and love. Must I keep track of everything! Also, I haven’t decided if the author really did her research regarding current bands within the scene, or just picked up the latest issue of Alternative Press. It could go either way, really.
• Character development: I wish it was a bit stronger, if only because I wanted to know more about them. This clearly isn’t an epic 800 page Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows novel (Speaking of...*squee* new movie, and *double squee* Harry Potter Wizarding World! What’s that? I’m 24? Silence), and I suppose wanting to learn more would be a sign of connecting with the characters, yes? For me, I did see a lot of myself in Harper, and vice versa. Obviously others reading experience will differ, but I think this might be one big reason I fully enjoyed this book.

I’m still puzzled as to why a book based around the punk rock scene gathers it’s title from an Ani DiFranco song, but that doesn’t detract from how much I enjoyed this read. Check it out, and rock on!

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen

I'm a sucker for cotton candy. Although fully aware that it's simply spun sugar in pretty colors...there's something about dissolving that sweet, cloud-like mass atop a stick that warms my little heart. What's more synonymous with cotton candy then the circus? (Irony: I'm currently watching Daria, and a quip was just made regarding Mr. Football Player Kevin running off to join the circus. The universe works in mysterious ways.) Attending the circus as a kid seems to be one of those universal childhood experiences. Sitting under the big top, watching the animals, clowns, and daring young men on the flying trapeze is magical and awe-inspiring. For the majority of us our circus experience begins and ends under that big top. This book brings the, well, casual circus goer into the world beyond the cotton candy. 
I do have to say this book was a bit off the beat and path of my usual selections. Although my history as a competitive gymnast and part-time antigravity yoga enthusiast qualifies me (in my own mind) as an honorary carney, I'm usually not one for time-period reads. This books setting? Great depression. I'm also not big on books with a more serious tone, and this certainly wasn't billed as a comedy. Well - consider my tune changed. To reiterate the adjectives blazoned across the back: compelling, vivid, engrossing, rich, and emotional...each and every one of these describes the experience I had while devouring this in 48 hours. 
And now, my top 3 highlights (I tried to come up with a 3-ring circus pun...and got nothing.):

• Holy research Batman! Ms. Gruen really delved deep to ensure accuracy in both her description of circus life, as well as depression-era America. According to the author interview at the back of the book (Nice surprise! Almost like a great behind-the-scenes feature on a DVD), many of the anecdotes within the story are drawn from real life experiences written in diaries and learned through first-hand accounts of performers from the era. I found all the factoids legitimately intriguing and educational, but woven through the narrative in such a way that it moved the story along - rather then sticking out as *FUN FACTS*
• The story moves seamlessly between present day Jacob Jankowski - 90 year old (or 93, he can't remember) nursing home resident, and 23 year old Jacob - coming into his own as an adult during the 1930's. Time-shifting can be a tricky business, but Ms. Gruen balances the two skillfully, making it clear which Jacob is currently narrating. On the topic of narrators, I found myself checking the author's name about 1/4 of the way through, and being pleasantly surprised when the name was female. Seeing as that my male-brain mind reading skills have been on the fritz, I can't guarantee accuracy, but it did seem that Ms. Gruen captured the voice of a man in both youth and old-age. 
• There's certainly something for everyone here: love story, coming-of-age tale, and a murder mystery are all part of this engrossing read. This isn't an easy book to predict. I'm aware that what I'm about to reveal may be controversial, but alas...here it goes: when I'm reading and finding the story almost too compelling to go on, I often flip to the back page and read the last sentence. I KNOW, I know, way to ruin it for myself, right? At times (such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) it can be a HUGE spoiler. Other times, like this one, it can be misleading and reveal nothing. I enjoyed that I was forced into maintaining the air of mystery until the end, as the author intended.

I must say, there's a reason this bad boy has been on every major best-seller list. It's a fabulous book. My only complaint lies with two characters having similar names, ergo creating some confusing passages and the need for flipping back to reference. Honestly, this can most likely be attributed to my gerbil-like memory, and may not be an issue for all. 

Just like a nice stick of cotton-candy, this book is inciting, sweet, and over too soon. It's also possibly inspired me to continue my carney-like path by trying out a class at New York Trapeze. Here's hoping for a safe return to solid ground.

I Don't Care About Your Band - Julie Klausner

Let’s face it – dating is tough. If you type in “dating” in the amazon.com search bar, you’ll receive 18,907 results. The Millionaire Matchmaker is just one a dozens of dating shows on TV. Carrie Bradshaw wrote a column about sex and dating, {which some how managed to afford her MANY expensive shoes on a freelance writers’ salary...and designer dresses...and a brownstone on the Upper East Side with closet space most 20-something New York ladies would kill for. The mind boggles). We all want to find mister (or misses) right. As much as dating can be rough...it can also be brutally hilarious. Enter Julie Klausner. Miss Klausner (who, after reading this book, should be my new best drinking buddy) details her loves, losses, and one-night stands all while being a 20-something in NYC. I must say, Ms. Klausner is willing to put it all out there, with stories that will make you think - heck, at least it's never been that bad! If you appreciate the ridiculous antics of the Sex and the City ladies: Charlotte’s date who licks her face, Carrie’s politician boyfriend who wants her to pee on him, and Samantha’s...well...everything, this book is right up your alley. It is a bit of a slow start (although that could have been just me reading at 10:30 at night, cozy in bed, eye’s shut...zzzz), but once it picked up, I was totally on-board. Here are my highlights:

• The book contains an analysis on the dynamics of Kermit and Miss Piggy’s relationship in the first few chapters. Muppets = win.
• Told in memoir style, Klausner adopts a tone that’s more self-awareness, less self-helpy. She tells each story in such a way that makes you think: “Oh, girl. Yes. Been there.” She recognizes that, as she puts it “...shitty guys. I dated them in college like it was my major.” Hilarity ensues.
• The stories...oh, the stories. There’s the NYU student with bedbugs, the vegan who only liked the taste of his own semen, and the dude who genuinely believed Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was pure cinematic genius (if anyone can explain to me HOW that movie had a single redeeming quality, I'll give you a quarter).

After reading Klausners trials and tribulations, there’s a good chance you’ll feel a bit better about your own.The goal of Klausner re-visiting her disastrous dating past, despite first appearances, is not to parade these dudes out for public humiliation, as snort-inducing as it is. The point is to encourage us women to focus our attention on our interests and desires, and being the center of our own universe - rather than focusing all our attention on that random dude that you met at [fill-in bar here] you probably don't even care that much about, or wished you didn't. So, I would like to raise a glass to Julie Klausner: who was willing to reveal embarrassing moments most would shove back into the deep recesses of their memories, in the name of female empowerment! Here's looking forward to book #2.

*Side Note* If you’re on Twitter, follow Julie Klausner (julieklausner). Her musings on wanting to engage a gyno waiting room of women in a conversation about Sex and the City was outstanding.