Julie and Julia
by Julie Powell

Available in paperback, Kindle, audio CD or download. Little, Brown and Company, 2009; ISBN: 031604251X; 400 pages.

I read this book -- originally subtitled "365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen", now subtitled "My Year of Cooking Dangerously" -- last summer while on vacation. This was before the movie (starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams) came out and changed the cover and everything. (Pictured is the original cover because I like it better.) In fact, I didn't know there was a movie coming out until after I had started reading it.

In case you're unaware of the premise, let me fill you in. The book is a memoir written by Julie Powell, a late-20s woman who shares a typically small New York apartment with her husband and cat and works in a cubicle for a government organization. Depressed by her life, she decides to cook her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year, consistently blogging about her journey. Originating as a source of purpose and delight, her challenge quickly becomes an obsession. Peppered throughout the text are scenes from Julia Child's life, as imagined by Julie Powell.

It's always tough to review books and movies of the same work. You can review the book one way and have a completely different opinion about the movie, or vice versa. I think it's always easier to enjoy one without the other. If you have both, it just becomes a competition. I liked this about the book, but I liked this better in the movie. I wish they had included this part, and this part didn't meet my expectations. Instead of being entertainment, the viewing and reading becomes work, a work of criticism.

That said, I'll tell you I enjoyed the movie more than the book. The reasons why point directly to why I didn't like the book.

• The book contained a lot of foul language and sexual content. There weren't specific sex scenes, but there was a lot of talk about sex and the erotic nature of food and the specific conquests of Julie's single friends. I was glad the movie omitted these parts.
  
• The movie combined this memoir with Julie Child's memoir, My Life in France, and wove the two stories together better. I liked seeing the similarities and contrasts of Julia to Julie. These scenes and stories lent greater credibility and interest to Julie's challenge.
• I could identify better with "Julie" in the movie than the Julie of the book. The Julie in the book was crass, pessimistic and rude. At times I found her irreverence funny and witty, but most times it grated like a spoiled child whining about her miserable life. Also, she treated her husband horribly in the book. At least in the movie she admitted when she was a jerk. In the book she didn't apologize or make any admission of her egotistical behavior. I have a low tolerance for people who disrespect and devalue their spouses.

I must admit, though, that the greatest annoyance of mine in reading this book was her journey to publication. The author seemingly had no experience in cooking or writing, yet out of the blue important people start reading her blog. And then she's interviewed on TV and has a book deal and a movie lined up even before she finishes her one-year challenge. People struggle for years and years to get published, yet somehow this woman with no connections rises to the top in a matter of months. I closed the book wondering "What's so special about her? How did she find a backdoor shortcut through the system?"

The movie made this last point easier to swallow. It was a fun story rather than a memoir of a true person. Julie Powell is not a nobody and I don't want to even suggest that. However, I like memoirs to be of someone significant who does significant things or someone who overcomes mountainous trials. I like true stories to have a point, to be inspiring. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more as a novel, not knowing it is based on fact. I just don't think blogging about cooking someone else's recipes (and poorly at that) constitutes greatness.

I apologize for my rambling commentary. I've not actually said too much about the book, have I?

Or maybe I've said too much.

Final Thoughts: Rent the movie; skip the book.

First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria: How a Peace Corp Poster Boy Won My Heart and a Third World Adventure Changed My Life
by Eve Brown-Waite
Author Website: www.evebrownwaite.com

Available in hardback, paperback (releasing April 2010) and Kindle. Broadway, 2009; ISBN: 0767929357; 320 pages.

I've heard writers and editors talk about the "red line of death." It's the point in a story that causes the reader to shut the book. Either the story progresses too slowly, is too confusing or simply no longer holds the readers interest. This book has a red line of death.

I loved it at first! It was funny and witty and offered a sweet, interesting story. I could relate to the main character (who, since this is a memoir, is actually the author). She showed a lot of spunk. The book seemed well-written and flowed nicely.

Then she lost me. It wasn't that the book became too confusing; rather, I just got bored. The plot seemed too redundant. The characters didn't evolve. At least not within the first 130 pages. What was entertaining and challenging became depressing and cliche. The delightful edge became rote.

It's not that I didn't like the book. I did -- but I couldn't finish it. This title has rested untouched next to my bed, bookmark firmly in place, for more than two months. What's worse? I have no motivation to finish it. I simply don't care what happens in the last half of the book.

Final Thoughts: This is a great candidate for a library book. Parts of it are really great -- I laughed out loud in places! -- but, ultimately, the book disappointed me. I wouldn't pay full price (a hefty $24) for it.

A Little Bit Wicked: Life Love and Faith in Stages

by Kristin Chenoweth with Joni Rodgers
Author Websites: http://www.kristin-chenoweth.com/ and http://www.jonirodgers.com/

Available in hardback, Kindle and audio CD. Touchstone, 2009; ISBN: 1416580557; 240 pages.

I'm not into celebrity books. Neither am I a big fan of memoirs (though recent book choices might prove otherwise). This book, which encompasses both categories, was fantastic. I couldn't put it down!

It reads as if you're sitting in her living room drinking tea and eating some scrumptious dessert. Ms. Chenoweth effortlessly combines her faith with her experiences and her confidence in who she is. You won't find any apologies or fake modesty, just an honest and witty portrayal of the way she sees life. It's delightful!

A stylistic note: I greatly appreciated the tone of this book. It is simply clean and friendly and funny. There are no explicit "tell-all" scenes, no bashing of other people, no negative vibes. With a single exception there aren't even any curse words or vain uses of God's names. A wonderful testament, a respectful perspective. Well done! I didn't agree with everything she said (particularly some of her views on sin and basic Bible interpretation), but I thoroughly enjoyed her "voice," the way she expressed herself, her thoughts and her beliefs.

Final Thoughts: I loved it. I couldn't put it down. It would make a great beach read. Add it to your summer reading list.

Escape
by Carolyn Jessop with Laura Palmer

Available in hardback, Kindle, Audio CD and Audio Download. Broadway, 2007; ISBN: 0767927567; 432 pages.

I admit it: I have watched every episode of Big Love to date. Polygamy fascinates me. It also confounds me. I want to understand how Rachel and Leah or Sarah and Hagar or even Michal and Abigail and so many other women of the Old Testament shared their husbands. How did they do it? What was it like for them? I have trouble sharing my kitchen; I would never survive having to share my husband.

To quote the cover: "I was born into a radical polygamist cult. At eighteen, I becme the fourth wife of a fifty-year-old man. I had eight children in fifteen years. When our leader began to preach the apocalypse, I knew I had to get them out." This book is mostly an autobiography, but it's an alert about the inner workings of the FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the shocking and often news-worthy side of the Mormon Church).

The preface details the night of her escape, but chapter one begins with her birth. The author tells of her relatively normal, though somewhat abusive childhood; how she raised in a "royal" family of FLDS and taught religion from her very first breath, always aware of her priviledged position on Earth. Chronologically she records her life, her marriage into an extremely disfunctional family and the power struggles within her house and her community. As her life became more restricted and the rules of her religion more extreme, she felt the need to escape and devised a plan to do so. The book continues through their assimilation to life outside the cult, how she obtained full custody of her children (According to FLDS law, mothers have no right to their children, but bear them only as gifts to their husbands and as paths to salvation for themselves.), and how she finally found love.

Introduction over. I didn't finish the book. After 235 pages I had had enough. The book covers a very interesting subject and an amazing story, but the writing is just awful. I felt like I was reading an 8th-grade book report. It was a facts-based, unemotional retelling of what happened. "We went here. I said this. He said this. We had sex." The author seems completely unattached. What's worse is she fills the historical account with modern commentary, telling us why what so-and-so did was wrong or how this event that happened then contradicts her expectations now. The memoir is filled with contempt. Rather than a victor's story of "I am stronger because of what I survived," this story is a bitter victim's tale of "I'm better than my past and I never should have gone through this." I consent she has reason to feel this way, but her story would have been so much more effective if she had offered a personal, but objective view instead of telling the readers what to think.

Final Thoughts: I'm going to keep looking. I want to learn more about the topic, but am thoroughly disappointed with this book. There has to be a better one available.

Voices of the Faithful: Inspiring Stories of Courage from Christians Serving Around the World

by Beth Moore, Kim P. Davis and friends

Available in Hardback. Thomas Nelson, 2005; ISBN: 159145364X; 480 pages.


Missions is a partnership -- it's teamwork between the people who go and the people who give (thereby allowing those who go to go). Unfortunately, we often set a division between missionaries and "ordinary" people. This book helps create a link between "professional" missionaries and the rest of us by sharing personal stories from the front line. Sometimes we at home don't know how to pray for our missionaries. We struggle to understand what they may face each day. This books offers daily devotionals written by nearly 300 missionaries, compiled by Beth Moore and Kim P. Davis. It's a powerful work bringing the truth of our mission home, making it personal.

A different theme is assigned to each month. January discusses God's character; March talks about prayer; June persecution. By the end of the year, you will have touched on twelve extremely valuable, edifying areas of faith. Each one-page devotional is dated (though you certainly don't have to go by the calendar). It starts with a passage of Scripture, typically just a verse or two, then tells a true story of that missionary's experiences. The page ends with a short prayer.

Final Thoughts: Definitely recommended. I am passionate about missions, but sometimes everyday life can encumber us, helping us forget those who live their lives fully to build God's kingdom. This book keeps them and our personal responsibility to the Great Commission at the forefront of the mind. It's encouraging. It's challenging. It's something every Christian should read.

Writing for the Soul: Instruction and Advice from an Extraordinary Writing Life

by Jerry B. Jenkins

Available in hardback. Writers Digest Books, 2006; ISBN: 1582974179; 241 pages.

I am in the small club of people who have not read a single book in the Left Behind series. I do, however, recognize the success Jerry Jenkins has had as a result of writing those books. I also recognize that his journey as a writer didn't start with that series.

This book is a combination memoir and writing guide. Excerpts from a number of his works are sprinkled throughout the text. The tone is conversational, making this a quick read. It's great for writers and readers.

For fans of Jerry Jenkins, this is a sort of autobiography offering insights into his writing process and his path to success as an author. He starts in his teen years and goes through to the present.

For writers, this is a valuable resource. He details keys to balancing family with a writing career, maintaining authenticity in your spiritual walk and basics of getting published and polishing your craft. As a writer, I must say parts of his story were annoying. The man had a paying writing career before he was old enough to drive. Because I've started this journey much later in life, I am facing many struggles he seems to have skimmed over. He's got the most picturesque office. I know he's worked hard for it, but still ... my sinful nature (a.k.a. "jealousy") kept my eyes rolling as I read portions of his story.

The title is misleading. There was not much in this book on addressing soul issues through writing. It offered little help toward reaching others with the Gospel or even encouraging them in their spiritual walks. As noted above, it is for both readers and writers, more of an autobiographical work than a guidebook for "writing for the soul". If you're looking for something like that, see my review on James Watkin's book: Communicate to Change Lives.

Final Thoughts: Overall this was a great read. I recommend it both for fans of Jerry Jenkins and for those who hope to mimic his success.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

by Stephen King

Available in hardcover or paperback. Pocket, 2002; ISBN: 0743455967 ; 320 pages (including postscripts and appendices).

I am not a fan of Stephen King. In fact, he scares me. This is the only book of his that I've read; it made me want to read his others. I have quoted his thoughts and advice on writing more than any other book I've read on the craft.

The book is divided into four sections.

C.V. is the autobiographical section (about 100 pages). Short blurbs of memory combine to explain why Mr. King is the way he is and why he writes what he does. It was disturbing, bazaar and sometimes funny. I actually didn't read the whole section. It was too weird for me. Fans of his books may very much like knowing more about his life. Personally, I'm not that interested.

The Toolbox section (only 30 pages) is a condensed class on writing basics. He briefly, but powerfully touches on the importance of vocabulary, grammar and usage, style, etc. These are items in every writer's toolbox. If rusty or missing, your work will suffer. Good writers need the right tools.

On Writing (120 pages) is the best collection of advice (that I have found) for new writers. Mr. King is at times crude, but always honest. He expects much; his standards are contagious. He offers quantitative and wise advice. Sandwiched between those helps are philosophies that spur introspection. This, along with the Toolbox, are essential readings for every writer.

The last section, On Living (about 20 pages), is an interesting bookend. It is a window into the current mindset of this writer. After reading the rest of the book, this brings the reader full circle, seeing the crazy childhood, the trials and successes in the middle and finally a solid, contented man at the end. I don't know ... it just makes sense. And it makes me want to read more of his books.

Final Thoughts: If you're a fan of Stephen King, read the first and last parts. If you're a writer, skip the first 100 pages and read the rest. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.