Lack of Wisdom in "The Wisdom of Hair"

The Wisdom of Hair by Kim Boykin

I had such high hopes for this. I thought it would be a mix between "Steel Magnolias" and "Barber Shop." Sadly, it didn't deliver in those areas, but did have some redeeming qualities.

It is 1983 and Zora May Adams is nineteen years old and lives in the mountains of South Carolina with her mother, who thinks she is Judy Garland, and is constantly coming home drunk with random men. One night, Zora decides she has just had enough. Her mother comes home drunk, again, and with Zora’s boyfriend. It is just too much to take, and she calls her teacher, who has encouraged her to apply for a beauty school spot in a town about an hour and a half from home. The teacher arranges for Zora to stay in the above-garage apartment of a young widower, Winston Sawyer, in exchange for making his meals daily. There are a few issues with this arrangement, the least of which is Zora is immediately infatuated with the man. 

Zora excels in school, and makes fast friends with Sara Jane Farquhar, one of the best stylists in the school. Sara Jane’s family also embraces Zora, to the point that her mother asks Zora to call her Mama. The two girls grow up over the course of the book. Sara Jane becomes engaged and the whirlwind of wedding planning takes over the girls’ lives. In the meanwhile, Zora still holds a torch for the seemingly oblivious Winston, who spends his nights drinking himself to sleep, only to start over again the next day. Despite this obvious fault, Zora cannot help her obsession, even though Sara Jane tries to discourage it. Eventually, Zora gets what she wants when she and Winston begin a relationship, but it is nothing like she imagined and Zora remains unhappy. (No, I'm not spoiling-that's written on the book)

The main theme of this book seems to be self-realization. Zora has to get away from her mother in order to find herself. She makes her own family once away from home, and has to make mistakes in order to redeem herself. Sara Jane also learns to stand up for what matters to her.

I had a few issues with this book. I thought it was going to have a lot more to do with the hair salons by the title, for one. Another was the fact that some of the characters’ actions just didn’t feel right to me, and little was explained to fix that. I also felt that there was little depth to some of the secondary characters and that some actions felt very sudden for such shallow relationships. I was assuming that the relationship between Zora and Winston was supposed to feel rushed and romantic, but to me it seemed unfounded. There was also a little too much emphasis on the "man needed for happiness" theme for a modern woman like myself.

All of that being said, it was a decent book that had a lot going on, and a relatively quick read. I liked the 80s setting, and the critiques of the older women stuck in the 50s or 60s. Those felt real and added humor to the story.

Some books that are similar to this in themes and subject matter are:
Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
True to Form by Elizabeth Berg
The Wonder Spot by Melissa Bank

~Cailey

Top Ten Tuesdays: Top Ten Book Covers

Another Tuesday, another Top Ten Tuesdays post! This week, we are judging books entirely by their covers. We know you do it too!

In no particular order, here are my favorites:

Soulless by Gail Carriger. I love this one because it truly captures the character and the grey background really gives a fell of foggy London streets.

When you are engulfed in flames by David Sedaris. It is just awesome.   

A skeleton smoking. Book is hilarious, too.

Deathnote by Tsugumi Ohba. the placements of the characters 

on the cover gives clues to the dynamic between them. I love the crazy way 

the title goes across the cover.

Hater by David Moody. Finger painting with blood. A very eye-catching cover.

Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher. I love the sickly green on this cover. The street depicted behind Harry has a real feel of abandonment. Also it’s an interesting 

pose like he’s just heard a noise behind him and is turning to look.

Austen Revisited Part Three: A Modern Girl in a Regency World

May is upon us and in June, we will find ourselves inundated with the presence of Jane Austen here at Mentor Public Library. In preparation, I read Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler. Courtney suffered a bad breakup with her ex-fiancé and wakes up in Regency England in the body of Jane Mansfield. Suddenly, Courtney must adapt to a different lifestyle, family, society, and, weirdly enough, body! As Jane, a 30 year old unmarried woman, her mother is desperately trying to marry her to the new neighbor, Mr. Edgeworth, who just so happens to be a very desirable man. But without Jane’s memories, Courtney is unsure how to proceed with this man she finds herself attracted to. Being a modern girl in a Regency body is a whole different experience. 

For a woman who calls herself a lover of Jane Austen, it was disappointing that Courtney wasn’t more aware of how to act like a respectable lady while borrowing another’s body. How does she not know that relations between men and women were very formal until marriage?? Don’t go off alone with a man! These were the points that truly annoyed me in the novel. If you read enough Jane, you should understand some of the social structures.

I listened to this book and thought about stopping once, but decided, since I had a long drive, just to get through it. The reader is Orlagh Cassidy and I thought she did a good job of having both English accents and Courtney’s American accent. I enjoyed listening to her, but the novel itself irritated me at points. 

The novel started off very slowly. Instead of getting into the plot, I felt the author was more interested in the things people don’t talk about during this time period, such as the amounts of food, bathing, menstrual cycles, using the toilet. These are all intriguing points, but she should have done a better job of developing plot and including these details. I’m reading this novel for a story and I felt it was very flat until about half way through. On top of the fascination with Regency unspeakables, the author was also very much into the metaphysical idea of taking over someone’s body. Yes, this is a strange happening, but do we, the audience, need to go through all of your thinking on becoming someone else? If this were a more literary novel, I’d appreciate this discussion, but coming from this book which is really meant to be fun, it just felt like little rants. 

Then there was the story, when it finally took route. Jane/Courtney does not want to marry Mr. Edgeworth because she believes he is a ladies’ man, yet she makes out with a couple of men. Talk about hypocrisy. I liked Mr. Edgeworth and his sister and found the story intriguing once I got into it, but mostly I just found a lot of holes that never were tied up. 

All in all, not my favorite JAFF (Jane Austen Fan Fiction) read, but a very different look at the Regency world.

If you liked this book or are intrigued by it, try these:

-Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

-Jane Austen Made Me Do It: Original stories inspired byliterature’s most astute observer of the human heart by Laurel Ann Nattress

-Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo

~Kristin M.

For more Jane Austen readalikes, visit our previous "Austen Revisited" posts here and here.

National Children's Book Week!

For National Children's Book Week, I would like to share some of my childhood favorites, and even some books I love as an adult that are meant for kids. It's my own Top Ten list for you. You're never too old for a good story.

Picture Books:

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems. Very cute story, with cute pictures. A book that is fun to read and listen to.
Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown. A sweet tale about a mama bunny's love for her baby.
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. Every nursery should own this book. It is the perfect bedtime story.
Olivia by Ian Falconer. Olivia is sassy, smart, and imaginative. Plus I love that she gets up, moves the cat, gets dressed, moves the cat...
Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss. Read it fast for tongue-tying infectiousness. I used to make my dad read it, and I like to read it myself to kids too. It always ends in giggles.

Chapter Books:

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. An excellent example of a fairy tale retold. I think I've sung this book's praises plenty. I first read this in fifth grade, and numerous times since.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. I didn't read this book until I was an adult, and it kind of blew my mind. I am constantly impressed with the nuances and detail, yet can totally see the appeal to a child.
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. Also read as an adult. Dystopian before Hunger Games came on the map, and easy enough to read for a fourth or fifth grader, yet complex enough to satisfy the teen audiences.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. I wish this was around when I was a kid! My younger sister (and every other elementary-school aged child it seems) love this series. I've read most of them myself, and I absolutely see the appeal. As a librarian, I love that it is so universal and non-gender-specific too.
Babysitter's Club by Ann M. Martin. This is from my childhood days. My older sister read the series, and I inherited them from her. I love that they are being reissued with relevant covers for a new generation of girls.

 For more excellent book suggestions, visit our Children's Department and start reading!


What about you? What are some of your favorite books from childhood (or adulthood)?

~Cailey W.

Living Alone Will Never Be The Same

The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman

Vicky is a therapist. Her regular clients are the kinds that come in to talk about themselves, their marriages, depression, and whatnot. But one day Vicky gets a phone call that changes everything. A client, who is referred to as Y­­­___ tells her that he has invented a way to disguise himself to be unseen, for all intents and purposes, invisible. So starts a series of stories and conversations between Y­­___ and Vicky about the people he watches. Y___ says that he is a scientist and his sole purpose in inventing the suit was to observe individuals when they thought they were completely alone. He hides in people’s homes in order to do this. This man is obviously brilliant, but disturbed and Vicky finds herself toeing the line between complete absorption/personal interest and her duty as a therapist.

The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman is a book that leaves you thinking. What was the point of Y___’s use of therapy? What are his ulterior motives? Who is he? The book is written as a transcription of the dialogue between Vicky and Y___ with some conversations filled in by Vicky’s memory and some add-ons from Vicky. Vicky claims that the story was too extraordinary not to publish and in her belief, Y___ had the sessions taped for exactly that reason.

Klosterman is an amazing writer. This is a book awash with intellectual stimuli, questions, and provocation. It creeps beneath the surface just as Y___ creeps into people’s lives. It left me a little uneasy because the idea of someone watching what I do on my own without my knowledge is disturbing. It made me think about my super-secret single behavior (yeah that’s right we all have them) and also about when we show our true selves.

I highly suggest this title if you’re ready for a short, adult book. If you like something that has dark humor and compels you to continue on, I’d say give this one a read. Certainly a book that changed my outlook on “being alone”.

Read Alikes!

   Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman.

 The Universe in Miniature in Miniature by Patrick Somerville

  Hiding Out by Jonathan Messinger

~Kristin M. 

Someday Someday Maybe

Someday Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham

Confession: I picked this book up solely because it was by Lauren Graham. Yes, that Lauren Graham, of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood fame. And I love her. Truly. 

Despite picking this book up for what are probably the wrong reasons, I was pleasantly surprised to find how well done it was. It is chick lit, thus fitting with this month’s theme, but it was a really good story too.

Franny Banks is a twentysomething living in New York City in 1995. She lives with her two roommates: Jane and Dan. All three of them are somehow involved in “the business” of acting, writing, producing, etc. Franny is the narrator, and has set a strict deadline with herself. Upon moving to New York, she decided that she wouldn’t be “one of those people” who keep trying at acting well past the “give it up” point. Because of that, she gave herself three years to “make it,” and that three year deadline is up in six months. Thus begins Franny’s quest to prove to herself, friends, and family, that she can make acting work for her.

Franny takes an acting class, gets a real agent (after falling during her monologue at the showcase), and goes on multiple tryouts for commercials, plays, and tv shows. She also works odd jobs waitressing, catering, and is constantly concerned about her lack of income. In short, she is trying really hard to make it work. And for Franny, things are not always easy.

This book was reminiscent of Bridget Jones’s Diary, in that Franny keeps a ledger of sorts, so she can keep track of tryouts, appointments, what she ate, and how far she ran. Despite that similarity, Franny is different than Bridget. Franny is focused and determined. Self-deprecating, yes, but Franny is a unique person, working hard to find her way. Franny makes mistakes along the way, falls for the wrong guy, and is unemployed at times, but she is real.

I loved that this book had so much humor infused throughout, and that it wasn’t a book that was super serious. It was a sweet, charming story of a young woman trying to figure things out. The best part to me was that I was left wondering about how she progressed after the book ended. Graham didn’t make this into some movie star story, but she gave Franny successes and failures.

The book felt semi-autobiographical, which I cannot confirm, but makes me wonder what else Graham can come up with. Being set in 1995, I was impressed that there wasn’t overexplanation of the time period, as some writers do. It just was. First books are not always amazing, but this was a solid book, and I am looking forward to seeing what Graham writes next. 

Some further reads I'd recommend are Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot, and The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger. 

~Cailey W.

Because we all get a little girly...International Chick Lit Month!

We at MPL like to celebrate little-known holidays (Talk Like a Pirate Day anyone?). This month, which all of you now know, is International Chick Lit Month. I swear, I can't make this stuff up! There's even a website about it. In honor of this occasion, the Reference Librarians at MPL have compiled their favorite chick lit reads (under very little duress).


My favorite chick lit is written by Christine Feehan. Feehan has a number of paranormal romance series, but my favorite is her Drake Sisters series, which begins with Magic in the Wind. In this series, seven sisters (who just happen to be witches) living in the small community of Sea Haven are prophesied to find love. Now, each woman is dead set against falling in with fate’s designs… until their man appears on the scene.

The first two stories are novellas and the last four stories are full length novels. I enjoy following each sister's story as they find their soul mate. It’s fun watching old love stories get tangled into new passion. Each book in the Drake Sisters series is an engaging paranormal romance, where you know true love with conquer all evil in the end.

   ~Mary P.
About a year ago, I picked up a book that was on a reading list from “All About Romances”, a romance reader’s website (I highly recommend you take a gander). The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle is the first book in the “Hollow Kingdom” trilogy. I was immersed from the start and found myself longing to get back to the book. The first book is about two sisters who move to their family estate where strange things start happening. Unbeknownst to anyone, a goblin kingdom exists underneath Hollow Hill, and the goblin king has set his sights on Kate, the eldest of the sisters. What ensues is a tale of escape and magic along with unexpected romance. This book was in a fairytale read-alike for the myth of Hades and Persephone. It is fitting.
  ~Kristin M.
 

I don’t read a lot of chick lit, but a few years ago I picked up The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen randomly from a book store because it had the sweetest cover I’ve ever seen (I mean that literally-there’s candy on the front). The Sugar Queen tells the story of 27 year old Josey Cirrini. Perpetually stuck in the town she grew up in, Josey is obligated to care for her bitter and overbearing mother. She spends most of her time alone reading, indulging in sweets, and watching the handsome mailman from the window in her room. I think the reason I like this book so much is that in addition to the standard girl-meets-boy romance, Josey establishes a few strong female friendships and begins to fight for a life she actually wants to live.

~Meredith T.
 

 

My favorite chick lit was Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. It starts with One for the Money. I like it because while the heroine of the tale spends plenty of time thinking about food and rent and dating, she is funny while doing it and eventually gets her act in gear and solves some crimes.

 ~Amy W.

 

Sometimes I am super girly (like now) and go in bursts of reading only romance-y books. Now, I don't like the traditional "bodice-busters" or anything; I am more of a suspense-romance person. My favorite chick lit author is Jennifer Crusie, and when pressed, I'd have to say my favorite novel of hers is Agnes and the Hitman. Agnes is a chef and writes for a local paper, and she has recently bought the house of her dreams with her fiance, without knowing that she has bought the home of a former Mafia boss. Shane (the hitman) is her counterpart: dark, dangerous, and sexy. The two try to solve the mystery of the disappearance of the former owner years earlier, and encounter quite a bit of danger along the way. It is a mystery novel of sorts, with suspense, and a ton of humor thrown in. I love that Agnes is far from perfect, with anger issues, and that Shane is definitely not your traditional hero. Any of Crusie's books are great, but this is my personal favorite that I return to time and again. Plus I recommend it to just about everyone.

~Cailey W.

 

I spent a month reading nothing but chick lit a few years back. It was fun to be immersed in a genre, and now I feel I know what to expect from it.

*Spoiler Alert*

-The majority of the cover will be pink.
-The female protagonist will always lose her current boyfriend near the beginning of the book
-The female protagonist will always lose her job near the beginning of the book
-The female protagonist will always have one very reliable, if somewhat flaky best friend. The friend will likely provide comic relief through the aforementioned female protagonist's early struggles.
-The female protagonist will likely already know the man she will eventually fall for, she just always assumed they were best friends, and nothing more (boy will she be wrong!)
-The female protagonist will eventually use her passion to find a job that she is great at, and realize that losing her job was a blessing in disguise
-There may or may not be a scene in which several characters are dancing to music in the kitchen while doing dishes, using utensils as microphones.
-There will more than likely be a karaoke scene.

Now I by no means wish to make it sound like the chick lit genre is predictable or trite. Well written chick lit will provide the reader with a reliably cheerful, uplifting and humorous story. Who wants to dive into a story where you're expecting true love and end up with true crime? Chick lit gives the reader a little chicken soup for the soul, wrapped in a modern, witty, and often fashionable setting. 

~Amanda D.

 

What about you? Do you have a favorite chick-lit? How do you define chick-lit? 

For more chick lit recommendations, see our display at the Main Branch.