The Book Chubi

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara It is a Thursday evening in March. My husband and I have arrived early to  Skylight Books  in Los Angeles. The multitude of bookshelves are being rearranged for tonight's event. We pick up our copy of the book, pre-ordered weeks ago to save our spot in the signing line. Like many others there, we wanted to secure our opportunity to hear Patton Oswalt and get his autograph. There is another reason too. The book is intriguing with a backstory that is rarely heard.  I'll Be Gone in the Dark   is being published posthumously, which adds a grime yet alluring tag for a true crime book. We take our seats and I open up the hardcover to catch a glimpse of what is to come. The foreword, written by Gillian Flynn, sets us up to understand that while we will be reading about an investigation into a rapist and murderer what we are really reading is a memoir of...

Mislaid by Nell Zink Ah, the American vision of a Nuclear Family -- Father, Mother, Son, and Daughter living together in a beautiful home hosting interesting house guests as they live their perfect lives. Might make for a pleasant life, but likely a very boring story. Luckily, Nell Zink takes these seemingly dull character outlines and shoves a little unexpected reality into her tale of the Flemings. First, a look at the characters. Lee Fleming, the Father, is a not-quite-closeted gay poet from a rich family who isn't seeing a dime himself and is hiding his lack of funds by teaching at a women's college. Peggy, the Mother, is a budding lesbian also from a well-to-do family who is just boyish enough to attract Lee's attention. Then you have Brydie, the preppy Son who is going places and Mirielle, the dim but lovable Daughter who wants everyone to just get along. Getting along certainly is not this family's strong suit. With parents like Lee and Peggy ...

Books of a Feather: Hurricane Katrina As the morning of August 29, 2005 dawned a drastic change had overcome the Gulf Coast of the USA. A category 5 hurricane had finally made landfall and caused devastation that had not been seen in the area in decades. Most upsetting was the aftermath faced by the affected communities, the poor response by governmental agencies and neighboring areas in the wake of the flooding, and the discovery that the worst of the catastrophe was not done by the hurricane itself but by human hands. In the summer of 2016 I had the opportunity to visit New Orleans, Louisiana for a wedding and traditional second line. Exploring the city was an amazing adventure and one that I look forward to repeating in the future. There was not near enough time to thoroughly delve into the beautiful culture of the area. A blues festival was in full swing in a park outside the tourist areas which, in addition to incredible music, also featured delicious food and gorgeous...

The Power by Naomi Alderman If you haven't yet picked up a copy of Naomi Alderman's The Power , what are you waiting for? This electrifying novel sets up a world where women wield the power (literally) and become the dominate sex in society. The quote on the front of the book is praise from Margaret Atwood telling you the book will make you "think twice, about everything." And that, at least for me, is what makes this story so worthwhile.  In the world of The Power young women are discovering an electrical force developing inside their bodies. It is treated at first like the latest drug fade. The teenage females are getting it and using it in secret; it is disgraceful if it is found in your home; young women found using the power are kicked out of their homes. Then the younger women start to awaken the power in their moms, aunts, grandmothers, etc. Turns out every women has this power inside them and the world order reverses drastically. There ar...