The First Bad Man

The First Bad Man Miranda July 4/5	Publication Date: January 13th, 2015 First Sentence "I drove to the doctor's office as if I was starring in a movie Phillip was watching - windows down, just one hand on the wheel."
Publisher's Description: From the acclaimed filmmaker, artist, and bestselling author of "No One Belongs Here More Than You," a spectacular debut novel that is so heartbreaking, so dirty, so tender, so funny--so Miranda July--readers will be blown away. Here is Cheryl, a tightly-wound, vulnerable woman who lives alone, with a perpetual lump in her throat. She is haunted by a baby boy she met when she was six, who sometimes recurs as other people's babies. Cheryl is also obsessed with Phillip, a philandering board member at the women's self-defense non-profit where she works. She believes they've been making love for many lifetimes, though they have yet to consummate in this one. When Cheryl's bosses ask if their twenty-one-year-old daughter Clee can move into her house for a little while, Cheryl's eccentrically-ordered world explodes. And yet it is Clee--the selfish, cruel blond bombshell--who bullies Cheryl into reality and, unexpectedly, provides her the love of a lifetime. Tender, gripping, slyly hilarious, infused with raging sexual fantasies and fierce maternal love, Miranda July's first novel confirms her as a spectacularly original, iconic and important voice today, and a writer for all time. "The First Bad Man" is dazzling, disorienting, and unforgettable.
Dear Reader, I had NO expectations going into this book, nor did I know much about it since it was placed in my lap to review. Sometimes I think this helps and more often than not, this is how I discover new Authors I end up loving. I'm not overly gaga towards Miranda July after this, but I might be a little starry eyed if I see her in person. Let me explain, the plot of this book was little more than "meh" (with a shrug of your shoulders). So why am I rating it so high? Good question reader! I absolutely LOVE the way July can verbalize on paper the inner thoughts of a person, I'm talking about those deep, down, hidden thoughts.... the ones you probably wouldn't share with your best friend/lover/spouse, THOSE thoughts. Gah, I love when Authors can capture things like that. It makes me remember why I have FAVORITE authors. Funny thing is, I actually bought an "e-book deal" of hers, "No One Belongs Here More Than You" and was planning on reading it... but then I got accepted to read and review this for netgalley. I'm excited to have something else of hers to read sitting on my kindle! Okay, so the deal is... I have to give a disclaimer to all those readers who don't like anything raunchy, sexually explicit and sometimes controversially upsetting, The First Bad Man has all of that. Remember how I said I didn't really like the story? Well let me give you a tiny breakdown and you can decide to risk it or not. The main character, Cheryl, is a middle aged woman, living alone in a tidy organized apartment and works at a very productive office. One day the owners of the company ask if someone can take in their daughter, who is trying to find her way in life via acting. This task ultimately ends up in Cheryl's lap and this ends up "literally" the case... in her lap (wink, wink... if you know what I mean). So Cheryl has her life turned upside down with this creatures crazy unsanitary ways and ultimately we get to see Cheryl grow into someone different and more tolerable of everything around her. I'm still not sure if she was happier the way before or after, that would be fun to discuss. The best parts of the book are entwined in the language and writing Miranda July intricately plucks out... right out of our brains. I don't know how to explain it, maybe I should hire her to explain it for me, ha! I believe everyone has quirky habits and sides of themselves they don't want to share with anyone, but I also believe some people let a little bit of that out and then you get those sideways looks from people... the ones that whisper "what's wrong with her?" "Why is she acting so abnormally?". I want to scream at them, NORMAL?!? What the heck is normal? Who decides this and why do we as society suppress others to tone down this "quirky" "socially rejected" behavior??! I ask everyone to stand up tall, read Miranda July and unleash your quirky self (at least for a day). Should you read this book? I dunno, the better question is, will you unleash your inner thoughts willingly? ;) Happy Reading, AmberBug P.S. - I think the style (or lack thereof) of the cover is her thing? The other book I bought of hers is a yellow cover with black writing.

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Summer House with Swimming Pool

Summer House with Swimming Pool Herman Koch 3.5/5	Published June 2014 First Sentence "I am a doctor."
Publisher's Description: When a medical mistake goes horribly wrong and Ralph Meier, a famous actor, winds up dead, Dr. Marc Schlosser is forced to conceal the error from his patients and family. After all, reputation is everything in this business. But the weight of carrying such a secret lies heavily on his mind, and he can't keep hiding from the truth…or the Board of Medical Examiners. The problem is that the real truth is a bit worse than a simple slipup. Marc played a role in Ralph's death, and he's not exactly upset that the man is gone. Still haunted by his eldest daughter's rape during their stay at Ralph's extravagant Mediterranean summerhouse-one they shared with Ralph and his enticing wife, Judith, film director Stanley Forbes and his far younger girlfriend, Emmanuelle, and Judith's mother-Marc has had it on his mind that the perpetrator of the rape could be either Ralph or Stanley. Stanley's guilt seems obvious, bearing in mind his uncomfortable fixation on the prospect of Marc's daughter's fashion career, but Marc's reasons for wanting Ralph dead become increasingly compelling as events unravel. There is damning evidence against Marc, but he isn't alone in his loathing of the star-studded director.
Dear Reader, I was lucky enough to score both the physical and audio-book (advance readers copy), which was nice. I swapped back in forth between listening and reading which was super easy because the audio-book aligned the tracks with the chapter numbers (I love when they think of those little details). Going into Book Expo America this year, I had only a handful of books I "REALLY" wanted, one of them being Summer House with Swimming Pool. I don't know why, but the premise intrigued me. The book has so many themes that bark up my tree... mostly because it was dark with the comedic edge. I love dark comedies, my favorite. Doctor Marc Schlosser is a typical medical jerk wad. He thinks he knows everything and that everyone should savour the ground he walks on. He has the normal family, wife and two daughters plus a general medical practice that has them well off. His clients usually consist of the rich and famous and he gets invited to quite a few prestigious soirees. One of his clients, an Actor, Ralph happens to befriend him and then invite him to stay during the summer Holiday when they happen by chance upon one another. This is where the crazy begins. The men in this book made me want to heave, and I mean EVERY time. I guess this is something the Author wanted since the entire story ends up revolving around the revolting decisions some men make. I have to say, Herman Koch writes exceedingly well. The detail and background that went into the characters is fantastic, although sometimes disturbing... a little too real? The main character, being a doctor who has little morals, we hear some highly disturbing things from his thoughts on certain medical issues. I found myself cringing during those moments but at the same time, I like when writers do this... it makes things real. If you cringe... you feel something, if you feel something... it makes it more real. I wanted to love the plot line as much as the writing, but I just didn't get into the summer escapades the family got into. I was more impressed with the bigger picture the book was slowly revealing. I don't want to give it away, so I'd rather not go into it. However, I do want to say that the big idea was VERY disturbingly thought provoking. There was this part of the book, where the doctor was remembering a past lecture his teacher had spoken of; the professor was saying how "God" or "biology" made things a certain way and we get a warning when we try to force an "unnatural" action upon this "thing". I found that fascinating and especially in the context the Author used (can't let you know what that is). Overall, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book to everyone. This book would/will be appreciated by certain people who can enjoy the grotesque and the evil of the world, in a natural setting (not some magical, fantasy realm). I haven't read "The Dinner" but I would imagine he uses the same tactics, first world problems, unruly and despicable characters with disturbing events popping up along the way. Arianna just recently reviewed "The Dinner" and I think she was as neutral as I was about Koch's book. I enjoyed the book enough to want to read his next one though. Happy Reading, AmberBug

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