Here are some of the things I’ve been reading. All of the images click to Amazon where you can read reviews.
The Sisters Antipodes. The true story of two families in the diplomatic corps – one American, one Australian, who decide, basically, to swap families. The spouses switch partners and the kids stay with the mothers. If you like stories about interesting relationship patterns it’s a good read. Unfortunately, the author does not demonstrate emotional growth from page 1 to The End. She doesn’t show a progression of feelings and understandings. She’s just jealous, angry and pissed off, always. And she uses ten words where one would do. And she was demeaning to the other patients in the psychiatric ward where her sister stayed which pissed me off. There but for the grace of God goes she – if she hasn’t been in therapy for two decades with all her Daddy issues I’d be shocked. But other than that, seriously, it’s an interesting read.
A history of the scientific study of sex. This is by the same woman who wrote Stiff, about what happens to dead bodies. The book is not titillating, it is informative and educational, and I’m learning stuff I didn’t know. The author is funny and has done great research. But the book is limited. She doesn’t talk much about homosexuality, for instance, and what she does say is mostly about gay men. Have there been many scientific studies of lesbian sexual activity?
And back to gay men. This is a book about two flaming queers – very typical, body-obsessed, Starbucks-swizzling, Candyland-planning men approaching middle age. Who, I’ll be god-damned, fall in love with the country around Saugatuck Michigan and move here from St. Louis. It’s amazingly refreshing to find two people who moved to Michigan because they like it here. The funniest parts are about the transformation of city folks to country folks – they give up cable, glossy magazines, shopping, their high-powered incomes, and more, so the author can write. A very good, quick read.
Plum Librarian LLC 