I am one of those people who always has three or four books on the go. Generally one is work related that I have to read, another a mystery or suspense and usually also an autobiography that I can flick through quickly. My night stand is full of books, not to mention magazines, that usually get swiped to floor at least once a week, usually by my cat, but sometimes by me when I am making the bed or turning off the alarm clock in the morning. In the article section of FH I have also covered books with some regularity, book reviews and stories about my favorite child hood novels.
A couple of weeks ago I was depressed when looking to purchase a new book. The store was full of displays of books, not featuring Anne Rice, Stephen King, James Patterson or Shakespeare. These books were written by the renowned authors Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kris Jenner and Justin Bieber's mother. Now I know celebrity biography's are always popular, I buy my fair share. I am curious however as to how desperate we now are for celebrity gossip that the mothers of celebrities are now worthy of making deals for books?
Christina Crawford proved there is interest in a child's account of a famous parent, but is there really interest in a parents account of their lives journey, simply because they have a famous offspring? I have nothing against Pattie Mallette, her son is talented enough, but is she worth 288 pages? Is there really anyone, besides her son's teen fans, who are dying to know her story? I am sure many will be touched by her book, but, when well written, anyone's story can be compelling. The question is really is everybody's story worth a novel. The answer of course is no, but Pattie's story, although no more important than yours or mine, will make a bit of money. Not a lot I predict, but enough to warrant the cutting of the tree's that created it.
Word has it now that mother Lohan and mother Houston might also have books in the works. Now I know there is a difference between the two. The fame clinging Mrs. Lohan and the talented gospel and soul singer Mrs Houston are in some ways worlds apart, but...in others closer than most would want to admit. If books come forward, the reasons and motives are really not that far apart. The circumstances may be different yet both are really just making money off the struggles of their daughters. Worth reading? My guess is most people will see Lohan's as trash and Cissy's as more respectable, I see them as pretty much the same thing.
WORTH READING!!!
Everyday
By David Levithan
If you haven't read, or heard about Everyday, I strongly suggest you pick up a copy. The book was suggested to me last month (thank you C!) and I devoured it a couple of days. Everyday is the story of A, who every morning wakes up in the body of a different 16 year old until midnight comes. The body could be boy or girl, fat or thin, rich or poor, healthy, happy or in the midst of deep struggle or despair. No matter who it is, A must make it through the day until sleep once again thrusts him into an entire new body of issues.
Leading such a life, A has resisted holding on to anything, anyone constant in his life, until one day in one high school meeting someone who changes all that. Most reviewers have comments on Levithan's themes of sexuality and love, and the author skillfully and lightly tackles the subject beautifully. Equally powerful to me was how different each and day is for each and everyone of us. Even though we know it, we don't always really remember that depending on where, and in what bed, you wake up in, the same sunny day, in the same sunny town can be so dramatically different. The book is an easy read and I think will appeal to almost everyone. The secondary story with Nathan I felt often took the story off track, but I could clearly see it's it's purpose. There were also more than a few awkwardly written transitions and a few stories and characters that wrapped up far too quickly, but given each day required the introduction of an entirely new set of characters, Levithan did a brilliant job of letting us know who they were without taking away from the fact they were all in fact, just A.
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