The following movies have been deemed to be as good or better than the book they were based on. What do you think?
The Shining – the movie
The Shining – the book
Silence of the Lambs – the movie
The Silence of the Lambs – the book
The Godfather – the movie
The Godfather – the book
Fight Club – the movie
Fight Club – the book
Children of Men – the movie
Children of Men – the book
There Will Be Blood – the movie
Based on the book Oil! by Upton Sinclair
I happily dove into into The Good House. I’ve been a fan of Ann Leary (wife of comedian/actor Denis Leary) since her 2004 memoir, An Innocent, a Broad. Her 2009 fiction debut, Outtakes From a Marriage, was equally enjoyable., and her blog, with peeks into her life with her family and menagerie of animals in rural Connecticut, is a lot of fun to read. I am happy to report The Good House did not disappoint.
Leary’s second novel is told from the point of view of Hildy Good: 60-year-old realtor extraordinaire, alcoholic-in-denial, and lifelong resident of the quaint seaside town of Wendover, MA. Having lived more than half of my life on Massachusetts’ North Shore (where fictional Wendover is located), I was pleasantly surprised by how authentic the author’s portrayal of the area felt, the town is almost another character in the story. As Wendover’s most successful businesswoman, Hildy knows how to work a room, bend the truth, and keep a secret. And there are secrets aplenty in Wendover. Soon, those secrets have Hildy drinking again (albeit alone, at home), and things spiral out of control from there.
As the novel progresses the story takes a dark turn, yet this book made me laugh out loud several times. Hildy’s voice has a dry wit that softens the sometimes difficult subject matter. Despite the fact that she gets less and less reliable as the novel progresses, Hildy can be quite a bit of fun (at first) when she’s off the wagon. When she enlists a lonely newcomer in town as a covert drinking buddy, however, it sets off a series of events with dire consequences.
The Good House is a fantastic read, especially if you are partial to character-driven novels. The character portrayals in the book are so vivid you truly feel like you know this small town and its quirky but relatable inhabitants. Hildy is a fascinating, flawed character, and an interesting choice as narrator. If you are an audiobook listener, I highly recommend the audio version read by Mary Beth Hurt – she was perfection as the voice of Hildy. On a related note, it’s been announced that The Good House is being adapted for the screen with Meryl Streep and Robert DeNiro set to star. Not too shabby!
A recent review by The Examiner said of The Good House, “…humor meets harsh reality in this irreverent look at a non-recovering alcoholic navigating the murky waters of small-town Massachusetts. The Good House is a paragon of New England Fiction.” I would have to agree, it was wicked good – it gets 4 ½ out of 5 stars from me.
Children’s author Barbara Park died at the age of 66 on Friday November 15th after a long battle with ovarian cancer. She was diagnosed with cancer seven years ago. Since then she and her husband, Richard, founded Sisters in Survival (“SIS”), a non-profit, all-volunteer organization that offers financial assistance to ovarian cancer patients. Random House said contributions can be made to www.sistersinsurvival.org.
Barbara Park was the author of the well-known and much-loved Junie B. Jones series. Starting in 1992, Park wrote more than 30 illustrated chapter books about the smart-mouthed girl with an ungrammatical opinion of everybody. The first book in the series is Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus. The Junie B. Jones character is well loved by many children and families, but not everyone approved of this trouble-prone character. Some parents and educators have been troubled by Jones’ language and cheeky ways, worrying that she was a bad example and might negatively influence her readers. The series has found itself on the American Library Association’s list of “challenged” books. Despite the trouble, according to Random House, Park’s books have sold more than 55 million copies in North America alone. The series has also been adapted into a popular musical theater production.
Parks was also the author of other award-winning novels and some bestselling picture books. These titles include: Dear God, help! Love, Earl, The Graduation of Jake Moon, Mick Harte Was Here, The Kid in the Red Jacket, Skinnybones, MA! There’s Nothing to Do Here!, and Psst! It’s me—the Bogeyman.
To find out more about this author’s life, and read some of her answers to children’s questions, check out her webpage at Random House here.
Is your book club looking for a new theme to read? Everyone loves food! Below is a list of titles that will stimulate your brain and your appetite!
1. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver
2. My Life in France by Julia Child
3. Heat: An Amateur’s Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany by Bill Buford
4. The Billionaire’s Vinegar: The Mystery of the World’s Most Expensive Bottle of Wine by Benjamin Wallace
5. I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedaris
6. Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck
7. The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food by Judith Jones
8. The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter, and Tears in Paris at the World’s Most Famous Cooking Schoolby Kathleen Flinn
Are you or your child a math whiz, or are you like me and dread the very idea of sitting down and tacking the related homework? Well, here are some books for children that get your youngest children on the right track, and help school age children stave off the fear of math or feed their math love. I have broken down my recommended books into three sections; Preschool and Kindergarten, First through Third Graders, and Above and Beyond.
For Preschool and Kindergarten Aged Children:
1. Help Me Learn Subtraction written by Jean Marzollo, Illustrated by Chad Phillips.
2. Janice VanCleave’s Play and Find Out About Math: Easy Activities for Young Children by Janice Pratt VanCleave.
3. Millions, Billions, and Trillions: Understanding Big Numbers written by David Adler, Illustrated by Edward Miller.
4. Musk Ox Counts written by Erin Cabatingan, Illustrated by Matthew Myers.
5. Tyrannosaurus Math written by Michelle Markel; illustrated by Doug Cushman.
For First through Third Graders:
1. A Dollar, a Penny, How Much and How Many? written by Brian P. Cleary , illustrated by Brian Gable.
2. The Wing Wing Brothers: Math Spectacular! by Ethan Long.
3. Fractals, Googols, and Other Mathematical Tales by Theoni Pappas.
4. Dazzling Division : Games and Activities that Make Math Easy and Fun by Lynette Long.
5. Sir Cumference and All the King’s Tens : A Math Adventure written by Cindy Neuschwander ; illustrated by Wayne Geehan.
But do not stop there, because this is a series, simply look here for more.
Too simple for your math whiz? Then try these math related books that go Above and Beyond.
1. One Minute Mysteries : 65 Short Stories You Solve With Math! by Eric Yoder and Natalie Yoder.
2. Math created by Basher; written by Dan Green.
3. Math Games for Middle School: Challenges and Skill-Builders for Students at Every Level by Mario Salvadori and Joseph P. Wright.
4. Timekeeping: Explore the History and Science of Telling Time with 15 Projects by Linda Formichelli & W. Eric Martin; illustrated by Sam Carbaugh.
5. How Math Works by Carol Vorderman.
Still want more? Then you can also check out: Mummy Math: an Adventure in Geometry by Cindy Neuschwander; illustrated by Bryan Langdo, Measurement Mania: Games and Activities that Make Math Easy and Fun by Lynette Long, Mystery Math: A First Book of Algebra written by David A. Adler ; illustrated by Edward Miller, Math on Call: a Mathematics Handbook by Andrew Kaplan; edited by Carol DeBold, Susan Rogalski, and Pat Boudreau, or Number Sense and Nonsense : Building Math Creativity and Confidence Through Number Play by Claudia Zaslavsky.
