The Actor and the Housewife

Have any of you read this book?  Below is my goodreads review.  But I'm curious, what did you guys think?

The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really have had a hard time knowing what to rate this book.

For the pros:  The dialogue really was very witty and at times I laughed out loud, and it was good enough that I actually finished it in not too long a time, which at this stage in my life is saying something.

However, I think I'll agree with some of the previously written reviews of the book that it was a little bit too much of the authors personal fantasy fleshed out in a book and it got a little ridiculous at points.

I love Shannon Hale and I salute her for doing something different, but it really didn't work completely although I enjoyed the ride for the most part.


View all my reviews

Catch 22

The following questions are from the Random House website

STARTING POINTS FOR YOUR DISCUSSION

1. Throughout the novel, scenes of unalleviated horror are interwoven with farcically comic scenes. How effective is this juxtaposition?
   
2. In what ways is Yossarian a typical literary hero? Would you class him as the novel's hero or its anti-hero?
   
3. Although Catch-22 is set in the Second World War, it was published at a time when America was going through great changes. To what extent do you think the novel provides a social commentary of the time in which it was written as well as of the era in which it was set? Are its issues still pertinent in today's society?
   
4. How do notions of power and bureaucracy function in Catch-22?
   
5. How do you react to the female characters? What role do they play in the narrative?
   
6. Catch-22 has a vast roll-call of hilarious characters. In what ways does Heller use them to develop his themes?

The Poisonwood Bible

I have heard great things about this book and it has been on my to-read list for a long time. I checked it out from the library to read for last month's book club book. I got about 60 pages in and I still wasn't getting interested in the book and, before I knew it, three weeks was up and it was time to return the book to the library. Has anyone else read this? Is it worth trying again and reading the whole thing, or should I move on to the next book? I hate leaving a book unfinished, but I just don't have as much time to read as I would like.

In another vein, I finally read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and I loved it. I wish I had read it when the discussion was happening on this blog!

Same Kind of Different as Me

Here are some questions to get the discussion started on Same Kind of Different as Me.


Consider these LitLovers talking points to help get a discussion started:

1. At the beginning of the book, what kind of person is Ron Hall? How would you describe him (how does he describe himself)? Why does he agree to volunteer at the homeless shelter, and what is his initial reaction in doing so?

2. Talk about the trajectory of Denver Moore's life. What events have landed him in the homeless shelter? Discuss the differences between his life and Ron Hall's. What is Denver's world view?

3. Talk about Deborah Hall? What inspires her life? What does she think of Denver Moore?

4. Eventually, Denver and Ron, two men who have lived vastly different lives, become close friends. What do the two see in one another? What draws them together?

5. What are the symbolic implications of the conversation about how white men fish, especially their catch-and-release method? What does that conversation say about each man, and what is the underlying message that Denver is trying to pass onto Ron?

6. What is the meaning of the book's title, "Same Kind of Difference as Me"? What does it refer to?

7. How do both men change by the end of the book? What do they learn from or teach each other?

8. This is a story about how hate and prejudice can be overcome by love and grace. How difficult is that achievement in most of our lives? What can this book teach us?

9. Does this book inspire you? If so, in what ways?

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)

The Happiness Project

As a book club, we rated The Happiness Project:

4 out of 5

Another Secret of Adulthood...

...that I was reminded of this morning:

You can't rush a 2 year old!

What are some of your secrets of adulthood?

The Happiness Project

Hi All,

How did you like The Happiness Project?

I gotta say, the author really drove me crazy, but I loved the content, and I loved how methodical she was about dissecting Happiness and what it means and how to get more.  It gave me a lot of food for thought and had some great ideas in there.  I also just got on her blog for the first time and there's some interesting stuff there and it's jam packed with great quotes to get you thinking.

What I have been wanting to ask you, whether you read it or not, is if you were asked to write down your Secrets of Adulthood, and your 12 personal commandments, as Gretchen Rubin did, what would they look like? (Click the links to see Gretchen Rubin's Secrets of Adulthood and 12 personal commandments (this link is actually for the home page of the blog, but her 12 commandments are on the sidebar on the left))

Or if you weren't going to write your own Secrets, and Commandments, which of hers do you like or identify with?  Which have stuck with you after you finished reading the book?

The one that has stuck with me since I read the book back in January is:

What you do EVERY DAY matters more than what you do ONCE IN A WHILE.


I am an all or nothing type of person, and I have been trying to teach myself this same lesson a lot lately in all aspects of my life: housework, work work, reading, teaching Jocelyn, etc.  I recite this Secret of Adulthood subconsciously since reading the book, and I think it has helped.  I also really loved this one:


Outer order contributes to inner calm.


I have probably been driving people crazy lately talking about redecorating my house all the time, but it is what I have been trying to do for myself and my family to create that "outer order".  In my re-decorating, I have gotten rid of mountains of junk (just like Gretchen did with her closet).  I also have been trying to find storage solutions for our teeny tiny house so that I can really have "A place for everything and everything in its' place" even if I don't have a linen closet or a pantry.  I got rid of anything that I didn't LOVE.  I gave away stuff that it almost hurt to get rid of, and painted the walls in bold hues, and guess what?  Now, for the first time in my life, when I walk into my house, my soul breathes a sigh of relief and I feel comfortable.  


It seems silly to go on and on about a house project, but I really feel that the Spirit resides in my home more now that it is a haven and my soft place to land. It is a temporal thing, but I feel like I am a better mother and wife because I'm not stressed out by junk piles everywhere. 


I definitely would include this in my own personal Secret of Adulthood.


I also loved one that a blog reader wrote in that said, "buy whatever you want at the grocery store.  It costs less than eating out."  Isn't that the truth.


What would make your list?