Appetite by Said Sayrafiezadeh

"Appetite" by Saïd Sayrafiezadeh This slightly quirky short story starts out with a cook, who apparently has trouble with grilled cheese sandwiches, asking his restaurant manager for a raise. He's denied. So, here he is ina meaningless, unfulfilling job, but he's not searching for anything else either. When had I crossed that line from boy to man? Whenever it was, the line had been so faint, so subtle, that I had missed it entirely. Maybe if I had been paying closer attention things might have turned out differently for me. A new waitress starts working at the restaurant. She's skinny as a rail and he assumes anorexic, but he's attracted to her nonetheless. It's questionable whether he'll ever work himself up to talking to her though. He's not ambitious, to say the least. I didn't love this story and I'm not sure how to feel after reading it. Is it sad? Is it hopeful that these two individuals, neither of whom...
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Chicxulub by T. Coraghessan Boyle

"Chicxulub" by T. Coraghessan Boyle I had no idea what "Chicxulub" referred to before reading this short story. As I learned, a six-mile-wide asteroid or comet slammed into the Yucatan Peninsula 65 million years ago, contributing to the dinosaurs' extinction and forming what is now known as the Chicxulub crater. In this amazing story, Boyle's narrator alternated between musing about meteors and describing a disaster that is occurring in the life of his family. This structure is really what made the story stand out for me. The thing that disturbs me about Chicxulub, aside from the fact that it erased the dinosaurs and wrought catastrophic and irreversible change, is the deeper implication that we, and all our works and worries and attachments, are so utterly inconsequential. The story begins with the narrator's daughter walking down a highway alone at night in the rain. Between the situation and the father's digressions on life-ending meteor impacts, the reader expects the worst. But...
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The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Help by Kathryn Stockett I loved this book. I know it was on just about everyone's best of '09 lists, but it took me until now to finally read it. Everyone was right; it's a wonderful book, definitely worth reading. Skeeter has returned home to Jackson, Mississippi after graduating from Old Miss. It's 1962 and she's a twenty-two year old woman who is ready to make her mark on the world, has aspirations of becoming a writer and is advised to start by writing about what disturbs her. With the help of Aibileen, a black maid who is raising her 17th white child but whose own son has died, Skeeter begins to collect the stories of these black women who the upper class families rely on but don't necessarily trust, need but don't respect. Skeeter, Aibileen, and all those who work with them are crossing the lines that divide the town, could literally have their lives ruined or taken because of...
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The Funny One

I'm not the pretty sister. I'm not the smart sister either. I am the funny one. I've been called that for so long, for so many years, in fact, that all of my life I thought it was one word: Funnyone. (pg. 1, Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani) So, who are you? The funny one, the smart one, the dependable one, the unpredictable one, the brave one, the cautious one? Did you answer? I hope you said "all of the above." There are so many facets to each of us that to allow ourselves to be pigeonholed is a shame. I hope I'm unpredictable at least once in a while. Even though I haven't really started the book yet, I'm willing to bet that there's much more to Valentine than being "the funny one." Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along. I cheated, but the rules are easy. Grab your current read, open to a random page, and give...
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Bad Boys

Problem is, much as I love the Lord, church-going man never do all that much for me. Kind a man I like ain't the kind that stays around when he done spending all you money. I made that mistake twenty years ago. (The Help by Kathryn Stockett, pg. 22) So many women are attracted to men who are just not good for them. What is the allure of the "bad boy?" Rebellion, a hint of danger, the hope of being able to "help" him? The confidence, the sexiness? Even now, I love a good romance with an alpha hero, strong, independent, confident, assertive, but not steeping over the line into abusive. At least in the teaser above, Abilene realizes that she's attracted to the wrong men and therefore has made the decision to "shut the door on that kind of business." (pg. 22) Her life is too tough without the added complications a "bad boy" brings with him. Personally, I'm thankful to...
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The Touchstone by Edith Wharton

The Touchstone by Edith Wharton This is the only work by Edith Wharton that I've read. It was published in 1900 and was her first published novella. I probably should have started with one of her better known works, like The House of Mirth or The Age of Innocence.  The Touchstone was just not remarkable for me, not one I'll remember. Stephen Glennard is too poor to propose to the woman he wants to marry, the beautiful Alexa Trent. An advertisement in the Spectator, expressing interest in information about the famous novelist Mrs. Aubyn, catches his eye.  He actually has letters written to him by her.  Mrs. Aubyn had been in love with Glennard and the letters, although wonderfully written, were very personal and private, not meant for anyone else to see. Glennard, who had never loved her, makes the morally dubious choice of selling them for puplication, keeping his own name out of it. Now, Glennard is financially secure, but at what...
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