Let's Bust a Recap : The Diary of a Young Girl

"Writing in a diary is a really strange experience for someone like me. Not only because I've never written anything before, but also because it seems to me that later on neither I nor anyone else will be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl."

Dear Anne, if only you knew. Your little diary has now been published in more than 70 languages and been read by tens of millions of people all over the world. 

Gifted this little red checked diary on her 13th birthday in the summer of 1942, Anne Frank began to document her life and her innermost thoughts. Less than a month later, her whole family went into hiding because of the Nazi persecution of the Jews. Anne continued to write in her diary faithfully, and after hearing a radio broadcast from the Dutch minster of education, art and science in March of 1944 calling for "ordinary documents" such as letters and diaries to help preserve this unique time in history, she mused over the possibility of publishing her diary someday after the war was over. Little did she know she would never live to see that day.

Anne Frank lived in the Secret Annex with her father, mother, and sister, as well as her father's business partner and his wife and son, and eventually a dentist named Fritz Pfeffer, from July 6, 1942 until August 1944 when they were discovered and deported to Nazi concentration camps. Of the eight, only Anne's father Otto Frank survived the war. Anne died in Bergen-Belsen at the age of 15, probably only weeks before the camp was liberated by British troops on April 15, 1945. If that doesn't absolutely break your heart, I'm not sure what would. 

If only Anne could see the impact her diary has had on the world. It has become the best known and most widely read document of the Holocaust, and Anne is seen as the symbol of the one million Jewish children who were murdered during that horrific time in history. Her diary went on to be adapted into a play which won the Pulitzer Prize, a 1959 film which won three Academy Awards, and it is pretty much a standard reading requirement in many schools all over the world. 

I remember reading excerpts from Anne's diary when I was in school and seeing the film as well, but I never read her diary from cover to cover until last year. I took it for granted that everyone knew who Anne Frank was, but as I carried her diary around with me for several months last year while I was reading it, I encountered more than one person who had never heard of her. That is a travesty because we cannot forget what happened during World War II. It may sound pithy but "those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it."  If the old adage is true, we can't allow Anne's story to fade from our memories. 

Being so familiar with Anne Frank's story before going into my complete reading of her diary made it even more heartbreaking. I remember starting it on the first day of September thinking I would fly through it easily that month. However, as I read a few entries each day, I kept turning to other books, not wanting to come to that abrupt ending, and I didn't finish the book until almost halfway into December. As I got closer and closer to the final pages, my dread grew. Dragging it out did not preserve me from bawling my everloving eyes out when I read the words: 

ANNE'S DIARY ENDS HERE.

This girl, cut down just as her life was beginning, said in one of her very last entries:

It's difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality. It's a wonder I haven't abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart. It's utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too will end, that peace and tranquility will return once more."

 I mean, honestly.

The thing that struck me the most profoundly was how thirteen Anne was. All her little vanities and heartbreaks. Her squabbles with her mother and her hurt feelings over being so misunderstood. Her curiosity about the world and her wonder at her own changing body. I identified so easily with that thirteen year old girl. I couldn't help but giggle at her perception of her romantic conquests or roll my eyes at her silly complaints or sigh in solidarity over her blossoming ideas about life. Then she'd casually slip in a line of how she longed to feel the sunshine on her face and I'd feel my heart squeeze in anguish as the fresh realization of whose diary I was reading washed over me again.

I hope Anne's story continues to impact our world until it comes to its end. Her voice, and the millions of voices it represents, can never be silenced. Anne once wrote, "I want to go on living even after my death!"

Oh Anne, you have.

Let's Bust a Recap : Surprise Me

"I just want you to know, you're inspiring. Fifty-nine years." I look straight at him. "Fifty-nine years, loving one person. It's something. It's an achievement."

"Love is finding one person infinitely fascinating." John seems lost in thought again—then comes to. "And so...not an achievement, my dear." He gives me a mild, kind smile. "Rather, a privilege."

The first book I read in February turned out to be this happy yellow number that I picked up at The Book Shelter last summer. I wanted something light and fun after reading Unbroken, and this was almost the ticket. While there were definitely funny elements, even a few laugh out loud moments, I wouldn't exactly categorize this one as light although it was a very quick read. 

Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella was published exactly three years ago in February of 2018. Kinsella is best known for her Shopaholic series, but she also has several standalone novels as well and Surprise Me is one of them. I've seen the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic based on her books, and while it's one I enjoy, I've never felt compelled to seek out Kinsella's books. However, on one of my many shopping sprees at The Book Shelter last year, this bright yellow spine caught my eye and the premise of the story intrigued me so I brought it home. 

In Surprise Me, we are introduced to Sylvie and Dan who are celebrating 10 years together as a couple. They seemingly have it all: a happy marriage, beautiful home, healthy twin daughters, and great jobs. But after a routine visit to their doctor, they learn that with their genetics and current health trajectory they could end up living to be over 100 years old and being married another 68 years. 

So naturally, they panic.

What?!

I had a very difficult time reading the first half of this book. Setting aside the fact that these two young healthy people are distraught over the potential longevity of their lives (can you hear me rolling my eyes through the screen?), the idea that staying married to one person for multiple decades is somehow worse than a prison sentence was beyond distasteful to me. When my husband and I were dating and engaged, we dreamed of being married for 70+ years and just the thought of not making it that long distresses me. Suffice it to say, I could not connect with Sylvie and Dan who apparently never considered what "til death do us part" actually might mean.

But getting back to the book, when Sylvie hears the doctor's verdict, she immediately concocts a plan to keep their marriage fresh by implementing "Project Surprise Me" which she drags a reluctant Dan into. From unexpected (read: unwanted) gifts, to a sexy photo shoot gone horribly wrong, to both Dan and Sylvie trying to surprise each other with unique dates at the same time—disaster ensues and Sylvie begins to wonder if she ever really knew Dan at all. 

Further, when Sylvie discovers a secret phone in a locked drawer of Dan's desk and uncovers a scandal from the past she had no inkling of, Sylvie and Dan truly start to learn what being in a committed marriage actually means. 

As I mentioned before, a lot of this book was very frustrating for me to read. I wanted to force Sylvie and Dan into the same room and make them communicate with each other. And the way Sylvie completely idolized her late father even to the obvious detriment of her marriage was nearly unpalatable. I found myself wondering how in the world with all the amazing books I have in my house did I manage to choose two duds right at the outset of this year. 

But Kinsella's writing was consistent: I could hear Sylvie's voice throughout. She developed the plot fully all the way to her wholly satisfying conclusion. At the end when the same doctor informs them that he probably overestimated their life span and Sylvie and Dan suddenly feel like time has been stolen from them, I could not have been more gratified by these characters' growth and renewed commitment to one another. 

All in all, this is not a book I would recommend and it will also be going to the Little Free Library with The Oysterville Sewing Circle because I will not be reading it again, but thankfully, I didn't feel like it was a complete waste of my time and I'm not sad I read it. 

Just before I wrap this up: were you wondering about my starting unread number for 2021? I mentioned in last week's recap that I had counted up my unread books and I would share my starting number for the year with you today. Well, that number is......drumroll please.......508. Five. Hundred. Eight. Here's some fun math for you: if I read about 30 of my own unread books per year, that's seventeen years worth of material. Oy. We'll see if we can't get that down some by the end of the year.

I hope you had a fabulous Valentine's Day and were able to share it with someone you love this past weekend. What are your thoughts on long marriages? 

Let's Bust a Recap : The Oysterville Sewing Circle

Hello, all! We're just marching on through 2021 and already into February. I feel like we have a few things to catch up on around here. First of all, I deleted my Instagram account. I know, I know: the horror! I've had a love/hate relationship with the Instagram from the start and at the end of 2020, I decided I was done with it. So for you faithful few who are reading this without a little Insta-prompt: thanks for sticking around. (And here's a friendly reminder that if you want my posts to come straight to your Inbox, you can pop your e-mail address into that little box over to the right.)

Secondly, if you caught my loosey-goosey 2021 book list post, you'll know that I'm free-birding my way through my reading life this year and that my big goal is to black out the Unread Shelf Bingo Card. That means I need to read 25 of my own unread books. As part of this project, I decided to finally take a stab at rounding up all my unread books and figuring out how many I have hanging around. 

Anyone want to take a guess at what my number might be? It's embarrassing really. Actually, now that I think of it, I'm going to leave you hanging on that until next week's recap. *insert my most evil laugh here* Now you have to come back! (But if you're absolutely dying to know, you can find me over on Goodreads and browse "my unread shelf" to see what we're working with.)

Anyway, to get back to what I was saying about this year's reading goal, I should really be reading at least two of my unread books each month to keep ticking along at a nice pace. So how did January go, you ask? Well, I read three books (yay!), but only one was from my unread shelf (*shrugs*), and it just so happens that The Oysterville Sewing Circle was that one.

The Oysterville Sewing Circle by Susan Wiggs was actually just published in August of 2019, and I picked it up off a cart of free books outside a library in Germany. I had just finished Rilla of Ingleside and was planning to head right into Unbroken but needed a little break in between WWI and WWII, and this little mass market paperback caught my eye. The book itself was pretty with this sort of ombré-style artwork and the title was just quirky enough to pique my interest. After reading the back, I thought it might be just the light, quick read I needed so I claimed it and immediately dove in.

And it was a flop. 

Sure, I read it quickly so it wasn't a big investment of my time, but even the time I did spend reading it turned out to be a waste. From just the first few pages, I could tell I was not going to love this one, but once I start a book I cannot quit, y'all. Our protagonist is Caroline Shelby, an aspiring fashion designer who has been slugging it out in glamorous NYC for the last 10 years trying to make a name for herself. At the beginning of the story, we find her crawling back to her tiny hometown of Oysterville, Washington with her tail tucked between her legs and two orphaned kids in tow. The kids, we find out later, are the progeny of one of Caroline's supermodel friends who died in Caroline's apartment of a drug overdose. 

By the way, consider this your spoiler alert because I just really don't care.

Through the course of the novel, Caroline ends up starting a thriving group for survivors of domestic abuse, designs her own fashion line, creates her own business which becomes instantly successful on the internet, reconnects with her two best friends Will and Sierra who are married to each other, supports Sierra through her divorce with Will, adopts the two kids after a nasty custody battle with their surprise father who, by the way, was her famous ex-boss that stole her designs and ruined all her prospects back in New York, and finally marrying Will—yes Will, her recently divorced best friend's husband. 

All this in just 415 pages! Seem like a lot?

That's because it is. And it comes together in such a jumbled, ridiculous mess of poor writing that you just have to laugh. Apparently, Susan Wiggs is a very successful, award winning author of over 50 novels. And I'm not here to bag on her. This is the first (and only) novel of hers I've ever read. Perhaps her other books are wonderful. But this one is not. It's scattered, shoddy, and there is absolutely no meaningful development at all. If Wiggs had chosen any one aspect of her plot to hone in on (or actually fleshed out the whole story in what would easily have turned into a saga well over a thousand pages long), she could have had a great story. Instead, it seemed like every idea that came into her head while writing got crammed into this plot and then she sent it off to her publisher and sat back down to crank out the next one.

Undocumented immigrant kids orphaned in a mysterious and probably violent way? Sure.

No name fashion designer hopeful gets shafted by a big name style icon but goes on to create a successful online company in under a year? Put it in there.

Not even 30 year old woman raised by two stable, loving parents and has never had a long-term relationship, much less an abusive one, begins a support group for survivors of domestic abuse and a roomful of battered women show up on Night One? It's the height of the #metoo movement, this is definitely going in.

Awkward love triangle with not just a married guy—the married guy of protagonist's best friend? Do it.

Wait, can we make the jerk ex-boss the kids' surprise father who shows up to claim them as part of his nasty vendetta against our just-trying-to-do-the-right-thing protagonist? Why the heck not!

And I'm just trying to hit the big points here. I mean, can you see how laughable this is? 

On top of everything, the writing just isn't good. I'd be afraid to tally how many times the word "totally" was used—which is totally okay for the teenage flashbacks but doesn't work at all for the adults. All the dialogue is painfully stilted and unnatural. And the book is littered with casual sex, casual divorce, casual drinking, drug use, and profanity, even a secret casual abortion—it was just off-putting.

I did enjoy the protagonist's flashbacks to her childhood in Oysterville. The author's description of small town life and the Oysterville community were lovely and made me want to take a vacation there. But those small sections could not make up for what was otherwise a very poorly written book. This is not an author I'll be trying out again, and my copy of The Oysterville Sewing Circle will be going to the Little Free Library downtown. 

Harsh start for our 2021 recaps, eh? Hopefully we can only go up from here!

What did you read in January? Have you ever read anything by Susan Wiggs? And don't forget to take a guess at how many unread books are floating around my house!