WILD by Cheryl Strayed

WILD is a new memoir by Cheryl Strayed that recounts the months the author spent hiking alone on the Pacific Coast Trail (PCT), from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon, all the way to Washington State, following her divorce and the death of her mother. 

I was incredibly excited to read this book after reading an excerpt in the March issue of Vogue the the subsequent news that Reese Witherspoon had optioned the film rights for the book. I couldn't even wait for my Amazon 2-day delivery for this one - I picked it up at the bookstore the day it came out.

The stories from the trail are absolutely riveting, beginning with Strayed making rookie mistakes like not trying on her pack until the day she sets out on her journey and including encounters with bears, dangerous men, and unpredictable weather. I have never been on a hike and the idea of me camping would send anyone who knows me into fits of uncontrollable giggles, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading about everything Strayed encountered on the PCT -- from mishaps like losing a boot and needing to create booties out of duct tape to the overwhelming kindness of strangers along the way. 

The author chooses to interweave stories from her past along with her account of her time on the PCT, and I definitely enjoyed the tale of the trail more than the stories from her younger years, which include bad relationships, heroin use, casual sex, and more. That said, it was an undeniably effective tool for helping the reader understand why a 26-year-old woman would choose to hike solo through 1,100 miles of wilderness for several months, and her transformation following her time on the PCT has that much more of an impact. 

Truthfully, it has taken me some time to review this book because I was somewhat torn about my feelings about it. Strayed doesn't shy away from portraying herself negatively or acknowledging her shortcomings, and it's clear that she was damaged, bruised, and broken long before she took her first step on the trail in her too-tight hiking books. Some of the stories are difficult to read, and the author's brutal honesty is shocking in a way that makes me wonder if it's only there to shock me. I was also expecting a "woman vs wild" story about the experience of an inexperienced hiker, traveling more than 1,000 miles alone through the woods, and was surprised to see that the tone is more along the lines of "woman vs self," touching on themes of grief, loss, abandonment, and reinvention in the life of a self-destructive young woman.

Ultimately, though, I enjoyed the book and would absolutely recommend it. It's very well-written, and the author's voice is lively, entertaining, and engaging.

The Four Ms. Bradwells by Meg Waite Clayton

THE FOUR MS. BRADWELLS follows a group of four women, friends from law school, who are now at various stages of their lives and careers. The book jumps between the viewpoints of each of the women, both at present day and during their time together at the University of Michigan Law School in the early 80s.

The book opens as the women come together to celebrate Betts' upcoming appointment to the Supreme Court. Unexpectedly, the Senate hearings reveal what the book jacket describes as "a deeply buried skeleton in the friends' collective closet," and the women take off together to a summer home to weather the storm (also conveniently the location where the aforementioned event occurred). 

I really enjoyed many things about this book, but I had some problems with it as well. While I enjoyed hearing each woman's perspective and found most of them to be interesting and their individual stories quite compelling, the friendships and the interactions between the women didn't ring true for me (no one has discussed these events in 30 years of friendship?). I also had a really hard time following some of the narration jumps and found myself repeatedly flipping around to remind myself who was who, as the voices weren't as distinctive as they could have been. The tension and suspense surrounding the "secret" felt manufactured, and the conclusion was utterly ridiculous. Lastly, as other reviewers have mentioned, I wasn't crazy about all of the Latin and poetry, but those sections are easily enough skipped over. All of that said, the book is well written, engaging, and a thoughtful examination of many of the issues that women face in both their professional and personal lives. The mystery element will keep you turning pages, and the chapters that focus on the women in law school were particularly interesting.

Verdict:  Borrow it from a friend or the library if the subject matter sounds like it might be interesting to you or if you're a fan of the author, but I can't say I'd recommend purchasing this title.

Born To Be Brad, by Brad Goreski

I've been a big fan of Brad Goreski since his time on The Rachael Zoe Project, and his new show, It's A Brad, Brad World, was one of my favorite new shows of the season. I find Brad to be charming, genuine, and absolutely hilarious, and I suspected that his new memoir, Born To Be Brad, would be as interesting and engaging as he is. I was right! I finished the book in one day, and my only regret is that I purchased it on my Kindle, instead of picking up the actual book, as there were several sections (featuring tips on fashion, travel, etc) that I felt would have been better appreciated on paper. On the Kindle, they were jumbled amongst the actual text, and I suspect that I also missed out on the visual impact of some of the photos, as my Kindle isn't in color. 

Other than that, I was thrilled with the purchase...despite being a "reality star," Brad hasn't shared much of his personal life or his background with audiences, with the exception of a few glimpses on his show this season. As such, it was truly interesting to see how a troubled, overweight kid with a drug problem transformed into a witty, polished, promising young stylist, regularly dressing A-list actresses for red carpet events. 

From his childhood as a young boy in love with sparkles, glamour, and Marilyn Monroe, to his experiences as a young assistant at Vogue and subsequent decision to venture into reality television, I loved taking this journey with Brad. If you're a fan of the show, I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book. It's far from what you'd expect from a typical "reality star," and there's style, substance, and depth in this excellent book. Many people have scoffed at the idea that a 33-year-old has written a memoir, but there's plenty here worth reading about.

My Favorite Books

While I regularly re-read favorite books and plan to post reviews of them here when possible, I'm sure I won't get to every book that has earned a permanent place on my bookshelf. In the meantime, here are some of my all-time favorites:

FICTION

• I AM CHARLOTTE SIMMONS, by Tom Wolfe
• AMERICAN WIFE, by Curtis Sittenfeld
• PREP, by Curtis Sittenfeld
• HONOLULU, by Allan Brennert
• THE TIME-TRAVELER'S WIFE, by Audrey Niffenegger
• COMMENCEMENT, by J. Courtney Sullivan
• FIREFLY LANE, by Kristin Hannah 
• SHANGHAI GIRLS, by Lisa See
• THE HANDMAID'S TALE, by Margaret Atwood
• ENDER'S GAME, by Orson Scott Card
• THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY, by Suzanne Collins
• ANGEOLOGY, by Danielle Trussoni
• SUMMER SISTERS, by Judy Blume
• THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, by Philippa Gregory

 MEMOIR

• THE GLASS CASTLE, by Jeanette Walls
• BOSSYPANTS, by Tina Fey
• BITTER IS THE NEW BLACK, by Jen Lancaster 
• STORIES I ONLY TELL MY FRIENDS, by Rob Lowe

The following books haven't quite attained "all-time favorite" status, but they're all excellent as well, and very highly recommended: 

• THE CORRECTIONS and FREEDOM, by Jonathan Franzen
• I SEE YOU EVERYWHERE and THE WHOLE WORLD OVER, by Julia Glass
• GIRLS IN WHITE DRESSES, by Jennifer Close 
• THE MARRIAGE PLOT, by Jeffrey Eugenides
• STATE OF WONDER, by Ann Patchett
• MOLOKA'I, by Alan Brennert 
• SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN, by Lisa See
• THE RED GARDEN, by Alice Hoffman
• BELONG TO ME, by Marisa de los Santos 
• WORLD WITHOUT END; FALL OF GIANTS; and THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH, all by Ken Follett 
• THE GOOD DAUGHTERS, by Joyce Maynard
• THE SURRENDERED, Chang-Rae Lee
• FREE FOOD FOR MILLIONAIRES by Min Jin Lee 
• SAVING FISH FROM DROWNING, by Amy Tan
• THE GIRLS, by Lori Lansens
• THE RED TENT, by Anita Diamant

And last, but not least, the very best in "chick lit" to get you through a summer's worth of beach reading:

• THE SECOND ASSISTANT and THE FIRST ASSISTANT by Clare Naylor and Mimi Hare 
• THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA; CHASING HARRY WINSTON, EVERYONE WORTH KNOWING, and LAST NIGHT AT CHATEAU MARMONT, all by Lauren Weisberger
• HEART OF THE MATTER, by Emily Giffin
• THE PERFECT MANHATTAN, by Leanne Shear 
• LIPSTICK JUNGLE and ONE FIFTH AVENUE, by Candace Bushnell
• THE TWINS OF TRIBECA, by Rachel Pine 
• WOLVES IN CHIC CLOTHING and THE RIGHT ADDRESS, by Carrie Karasyov and Jill Kargman 
• A TOTAL WASTE OF MAKEUP, MISERY LOVES CABERNET, and THERE'S CAKE IN MY FUTURE, by Kim Gruenenfelder

I hope you enjoy them as much as I have...and please share your thoughts in the comments!

The Family Fang, by Kevin Wilson

I devoured "The Family Fang" in two days, after letting it sit on my bookshelf for months. I had read an overwhelming number of amazing reviews of the book prior to it's release in August 2011, and although I pre-ordered the title, it took me quite a while to get around to reading it. Why the delay? While the premise sounded interesting, it didn't grab me enough to bump it up to the front of the queue. Once I picked it up, however, I found it almost impossible to put down. I began it on Sunday evening and raced home from work on Monday to finish it. 


The plot focuses on Caleb and Camille Fang, performance artists for whom art is their entire life, and whose work revolves around creating abnormal situations in public places and filming the reactions of oblivious observers. Once their children, Annie and Buster (or "Child A" and "Child B," as they are known in the art world) are born, Caleb and Camille immediately begin to integrate their children into their "art," with and without their knowledge. In one such example, Annie and Buster perform original songs on stage in front of an audience. Neither knows how to play an instrument or sing, but the children eagerly perform a series of terrible songs in an attempt to earn money to pay for an operation for their (nonexistent) dog. While a crowd gathers and onlookers encourage the children, Cecilia and Caleb lurk in the audience, heckling the children with jeers including, "You're terrible!" and "I hope your dog dies!" The aftermath, as predicted by the Fangs, involves half of the crowd jumping to the defense of the children, while the other half joins in the angry protest, even as the children begin to cry. 


The story alternates between stories of such family adventures and the lives of Annie and Buster in present day, both of whom are struggling to establish an identity separate from "The Family Fang" and to overcome the abnormality of their childhood. Normally I find this technique to be confusing and distracting, but in this case, I truly enjoyed it. Wilson provides just enough information that you understand what's happening and why, but you don't get bogged down in background information or over-explanation. By immediately revealing information including the fact that Annie is now an Oscar-nominated actress and drawing you into Buster's adventures while in Nebraska on a freelance writing assignment, the reader becomes instantly invested in their individual journeys, as well as their family's history. This device also serves to establish the distinctive voice of each family member, with the family dynamic itself almost becoming it's own unique character. 


I truly found the book to be unique, observant, funny, bizarre, and insightful, and I was impressed by the thought, creativity, and imagination put into developing the ideas for the various "performances." I struggled a bit with the second half of the book, in which an element of mystery is introduced (in my notes, I simple wrote, "it gets weird..."), but I'd still happily recommend this book. While some "literary fiction" can read as beautiful, yet dull, The Family Fang is a very well-written AND highly entertaining novel.