Monday, December 6, 2010

January's pick

OR...

An easy read for this harried, Christmas season.

I don't know about you, but I LOVED Beverly Cleary books when I was young.

So, when I heard Beverly had written an autobiography/memoir (what is the difference?), I knew I had to read it.

It's a super easy read--I, the non-reader in the club--finished in a few short hours.  It gives you some insight into how Beverly came up with some of Ramona's antics.



Doesn't she just look like Ramona?

Enjoy!

5 comments:

Lauri said...

Stephanie, thanks for picking a light carefree book for the holiday. It is nice to read something with no hidden meaning, hateful people, or most of all no cancer.
Even though I was never the Beverly Cleary fan that my sister was I enjoyed this book. It left me wanting to read her second book, which I will start tomorrow.

Page 5
"Daddy! There's a tree sitting in the siting room""
I expect my father to spring from his chair, alarmed, and rush into the sitting room. Instead my parents laugh. They explain about Christmas trees and decorations.
Oh. Is that all? A Christmas tree is interesting, but I am disappointed. A tree slipping into the house at night appealed to me. I want my father to charge into the sitting room to save us from the intruder.

Page 258
...although the boys I had grown up with had progressed through the awful, terrible, horrible, and shy stages and had turned into reasonable human beings. They were even courteous sometimes.

Candy said...

Light, carefree book? Gosh, I felt like I was reading Depression Era Mommy Dearest. Cleary didn't do herself or her family any favors in writing this book. I didn't like any of the characters, including her.
Yes, I know. Everyone else is going to love it. I've been down this road before, in case you haven't noticed: Trees, Twilight, Mockingjay--the list goes on.
Bring it on, Sorta Naughties! I can take it!

Annell said...

So sorry, but I couldn't finish it. GASP! I know I know. I got to about page 100 and had to stop. I didn't like the way she wrote this. I felt sometimes she would jump from one topic to another without finishing her thought process from the first topic. Ugh, made me crazy! I really do love her Ramona Quimby books, I still love them, but this memoir is no bueno for me.

Anne said...

I am sooo glad I got on the blog today. I thought I was the only one who would not like this book. This book is one long non sequitur. She jumps all over the place, and I am only about fifty pages in. I did not read any of her books, but I am sure they were much better than her memoir or they never would have sold. Don't take it personally, Steph. I have to agree with Candy and Annell.

Lucinda said...

This book felt like I was reading a great Aunts journal. I didn't hate this book. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it! The last half was definitely better than the first half. And shocking as it may seem, I am going to go get the second book in hopes that is mirrors the last half of the book and not the first.

p.36
"First of all, I must not swear. Just because Bob Perry, the town carpenter, swore did not mean I could. Harvest and sheep-shearing crews also swore but usually stopped when they saw me. I could not understand why. I love to listen to them swear."

p.303
"For the first time, I understood that I was afraid of Mother for the guilt she made me bear, and that I could never have an honest conversation with her. The woman I wanted for a friend would always be right; I would always be wrong. I have never understood why, for Mother was genuinely kind to others and could be kind to me when I did exactly as she wished."