strange and random happenstance

Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Published by: Knopf
Publication Date: March 20th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 315 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy
Cheryl Strayed had a tough yet somewhat idyllic upbringing in Minnesota. Her two siblings and her and their mom and her stepfather and a little plot of land to call their own in the far north. In Cheryl's final semester of school her mother got Cancer and died. Cheryl's life spun wildly out of control. She not only lost her mother, but her connection to her siblings, her step-father and finally her husband divorced her. A combination of grief, promiscuity and drugs will do that. Cheryl latched onto this idea of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail through California to Oregon as some sort of penance. Once she did this her life would be ready to get on track. She could maybe finish college, kick heroin, leave behind the countless men and the abortion she had and start anew. The PCT was going to be her salvation. A hard trek over dangerous terrain, where bears, foxes, wolves and snow would all be encountered. She thought she was ready for it, but the trail challenged her in ways she didn't expect.

Firstly she packed way too much, her backpack being affectionately called monster. Her shoes where to small and she wasn't keeping the pace she had expected too. Soon she had to result to detours to avoid all the areas of the Trail that where snowed in. She went through many hardships of not having enough money on her detours, having not expected to encounter them. But on the trail and at the rest stops, she became friends with other hikers in the close knit community of the PCT. All the while, as her feet marked mile after mile, she thought about all that had happened to get her here. The husband she let go, her mother's horse that she had to put down, how she was headed nowhere but the next mile and the next mile. Yet all would be worth it once she reached the Bridge of the Gods and her journey was over, minus most of her toenails.

I am not a non-fiction reader. If I read non-fiction it has most likely been for school or because it was some funny celebrity memoir. This wasn't either. This was a book club pick, thankfully picked before Oprah, I will not go into this now, but me and Oprah, we have issues. Wild was interesting in that I hate Cheryl, I really truly hate her, yet I was compelled to keep reading. She is not a nice person, at least that's what I feel like having read the book, and, I'm sorry, but if you're not likable in your autobiography, then you're probably not likable. She has too many self esteem issues. Not only is she promiscuous, be she truly believes that every man she encounters wants her. So much of her journey seems to be getting herself away from the world of temptation, that when she does hook up at what was originally going to be her final destination, the "romance" of the moment is lost in the, "you dumb bitch, not again" that was coming from my mouth. Also, as to her heroin addiction... um, heroin isn't that easy to kick. I'm injecting today, tomorrow I'll be on the trail and not feel any signs of withdrawal. Ok Cheryl, sure.

Also, this is a book about her hike around these beautiful panoramas and vistas, a journey where she clearly states she has a camera... why are there no pictures? Not a one! Is it because all the men reading it would want her? Now just to start piling on the things that pissed me off, I should mention that there where people in my book club who hated her so much they didn't bother to finish the book. Let's start with Cheryl's last name. When I read that her last name was "Strayed" I was like, that has got to be some lame pretentious made up name... yes and no. She made it up, but it's legally hers. What kind of writer is so pretentious as to pick strayed as their name? Gah, just, gah. Then, why this book now? I mean, this happened when I was in high school. The whole book felt dated. The references to OJ Simpson and Jerry Garcia... did you really need money so bad that you finally wrote this book? Also, her upbringing I think made it easier to adjust to trail life, she didn't have running water for years in Minnesota, so she doesn't really cover her upbringing as being trail compatible. The ending felt rushed. I mean, total in depth detail all the way to the Oregon border and then Oregon was over, woosh.

Yet none of this, not one single thing made me hate the book as to what she did with some of her mothers ashes, even the toenails didn't do it. She found a nice big bone chip and ate it! That's right, she ate her mother. This wasn't a metaphor, this was gross reality. All I kept thinking was that her thinking of "now my mother will always be with me" was so flawed, because, now, you are going to shit out your mother. Some of your mother will be down a pipe somewhere after you fucked someone or shot up, and your mother will be there. I was so revolted that if I hadn't decided I hated her already, this would have pushed me over the edge, it brought the book down a full star as it stands. Just icky! This whole book could have been better served as a series of short stories where her mother eating tendencies where left out.

A final note to Knopf. An istock picture ISN'T A COVER! All you did was cut out the other boot, with a bad clipping path I might add if you look closely at the cover. Sure, these look like her description of her boots, but couldn't you have taken your own picture? Or how about a picture of Cheryl on the PCT as the cover? How about any kind of originality of any kind please!?!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 25 comments  

Labels: Callifornia, Cheryl Strayed, istock, Knopf, Minnesota, OJ Simpson Jerry Gracia, Oregon, Pacific Crest Trail, PCT, Wild

For years I dreamt of a bookclub. You may think that I exaggerate, you may think this is hyperbole. It is not. My search for one yielded nothing. At school when asked to do projects I would somehow make then about books or bookclubs. When people told me they where in bookclubs I would ask them when and where they meet, perhaps with a little too much fervor, seeing as they never told me, like Gomez Addams calling into Sally Jesse Raphael, pleading to know where the cults meet. Yes, obscure Addams Family reference there, but I'm sorry, that movie is awesome.

Last year my friend Daniella and I said "IT IS TIME!" There may have been a god like bolt of lightning, or there may have just been a facebook group formed... but the gist is this: I HAVE A BOOKCLUB! I love that I have a bookclub! February is about love. It's the time of year when couples are sickeningly sweet and make everyone else feel sad and lonely at this cold and bleak time. But really, there are so many things to love, and I love books and my bookclub. Therefore I thought that this February, I would ignore the coupledom of Valentine's and concentrate on the love aspect. So this month is an ode to my bookclub, The Last Word Bookclub, (yes we have a name,  a tagline, and soon a blog, I really got to get on that, we meet this weekend) with a selection of the books we read over the past year. Books we loved or loathed or changed our views on human ashes forever, yes I'm looking at you Cheryl Strayed. Stay and enjoy the height of ultracrepidarianism (points if you know what that word means!)

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Bookclub, Cheryl Strayed, Facebook, The Addams Family, The Last Word

1) Steampunk Sourcebook - Because I really wanted some Steampunk clipart from Dover to make my "Steampunk Summer" logo... and I did (nods head to the side so you'll look at the lovely new logo). Bought at Amazon.com

2)* Wild by Cheryl Strayed - I have a book club! FINALLY! And one that meets in person. It's been a long held dream and is finally coming true! YEAH! This is our first selection. While, it doesn't really look like a book I would normally pick up (not really a non-fiction reader, and it's about a hiker's "personal journey"), I am excited to have book people to talk to. Bought at Barnes and Noble.

* Means it's already been read

3) Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris - Because I'm a weird weird person and need my Sookie books in hardcover and paperback... because paperbacks are easier to read and all my hardcovers and signed 1sts, so once I read them, they have their own sacred space on the shelf. Bought at Barnes and Noble.

4)* Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal - Because I've been DESPERATE to read this book since I read the first book in the series earlier this year. DESPERATE I TELL YOU (like checking ebay and amazon and bn.com to see if there was any chance they had copies that where shipping early desperate.) Bought at Barnes and Noble.

5) A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont - It's like Lost in Austen but with Jane Eyre! Bought at Barnes and Noble.

Now comes the section of books I thought was going to be insanely long because I went to the RT Convention! It's a room, the size of a football field filled with authors and books, how could I get out of there without dropping a serious amount of cash... oddly enough because I had brought so many books (last unofficial count, some 60+ where signed) I only bought five! I know! I'm as shocked as you are... only five! Also, of those, I only really remember picking up four of them, more deatils to come below. In fact, I almost spent more on t-shirts that on books... I could pass up the t-shirt with Jane Austen wearing the David Bowie Aladin Sane lightning bolt or a cute one with birds.

6) The Selection by Kiera Cass - This was a major coup! The RT Convention was two weeks before the drop date of this book, so I didn't think there was a chance of getting it. My friend Marie and I desperately wanted to get this book, so the first thing we did after we where released into the room was run the whole length of the ballroom, with luggage, to YA Alley... it SO paid off. Kiera Cass was there with only ten copies of her new book. Only ten! There where hundreds, maybe thousands, of people in this room, and Marie and I where two of the ten. Sqwee! Hunger Games meets beauty pageant, with some serious cover lust. Bought at Romantic Times Convention.

7) White Witch by Trish Milburn - This was a book I didn't have a copy of and couldn't find a copy of before the convention so I was so happy that the author had the book I was looking for, seeing as sometimes the authors peoples send an odd assortment of their books, like only later books, not earlier books, or sometimes even only one book. Bought at Romantic Times Convention.

8) Definitely Not Mr. Dary by Karen Doornebos - I had been recommended this book by my friend Jess and as it turned out, my friend Marie wanted to pick up a copy to, so this was a must stop author. Not only was I uber excited to get a mint signed copy, but Karen was so nice! Turns out she went to the UW-Madison just like me! We talked for awhile about the ever increasing expansion of the UW and I told her about all the new buildings and plans for the future. So nice! Can't wait to read this book, espcially because she's working on the sequel! Bought at Romantic Times Convention.

9) The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong - This is the book I don't remember picking up. It was the last five minutes of the convention and I was trying to hit about twenty authors at once (in the last 15 minutes I met Kelley Armstrong, Stephanie Perkins, saw Rosemary Clement-Moore out of the corner of my eye, Rachel Caine, Leanna Renee Hieber, Mari Mancusi, Melissa Marr, Richelle Mead, Saundra Mitchell, Alyson Noel, Carrie Ryan, Ilona Andrews, J.A. Konrath, who was drunk, Kimberly Derting, and Bree Despain, if I am correct, that means, I saw a new author a minute!) So I was getting my books signed by Kelley Armstrong and my friend Marie was trying to make Melissa Marr not run off, so as soon as Kelley was done, I grabbed my books and ran to Marr... not realizing I grabbed a copy of The Gathering at the same time. Funnily enough, I had wanted to buy a copy but thought I hadn't... sometimes being a little spacing pays off! Bought at Romantic Times Convention.

10) Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber - I was hoping she'd have some of her adult series, but no, in fact she had only this one book left, so I had the honor of being the official last person to get a book from her! Bought at Romantic Times Convention.

11) City of Ravens by Boria Sax - It has an awesome cover and ever since I read the first book by Deanna Raybourn, I have been interested in the history of The Tower of London's ravens and this book looks to cure that need in me. Bought at Frugal Muse.

12) Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers - Because I needed a hardcover of one of the best books I read last year! I have the wonderful ARC that Robin sent me and I devoured, but I always need the "final" book as it where, and this was in mint condition and calling to me. Might have to re-read it soon.... Bought at Barnes and Noble.

13) Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore - It's about impressionists and Van Gogh. That's all I needed to buy this book... the pretty color pictures and a goregous map of Paris as the endpapers made it a even greater need. Bought at Barnes and Noble.

14) The Unseen Guest (The Incorigible Children of Ashton Place Book 3) by Maryrose Wood - Newest installment in this series, plus, she was doing a signing in Houston at my favorite bookstore, so signed copy, woot woot! Bought at Murder by the Book.

15) Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson, aka The Blogess - Signed copy! Yeah! I was sad to see that the Midwest was getting no love from The Blogess on her book tour, but luckily, my favorite bookstore pulled through for me. Bought at Murder by the Book.

16-19)   Tales of the Jazz Age, This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Because I had to have the complete set! When I was at Barnes and Noble picking up Sacre Bleu, I finally saw these books in person and realized that I had to have them. Goregous deco designs and foils. Adore! Bought at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

20) The Diary of a Dr. Who Addict by Paul Magrs - Because Paul was having a sale of all his extra author copies and I couldn't miss the chance to pick up a few of his books I needed, plus get them signed to boot! Bought from Paul Magrs.
21) Aisles by Paul Magrs - Ditto.

22) Twelve Stories by Paul Magrs - Ditto ditto.

23) The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman - So many of my blogger friends have be raving about this book, and then I found it new half price at Frugal Muse. FATE I SAY! Bought at Frugal Muse.

24) The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones - This has been on my "to-get" list for some time. Birthday party at a rural estate in ruins, yes please! Bought at Barnes and Noble.
Note on the bookstores:

Amazon.com - because sometimes, more often that not, your local Barnes and Noble didn't stock that ONE book you where looking for, and having prime means everything shows up so fast!


Barnes and Noble - the last big chain in the Midwest that everyone knows and loves or loathes accordingly.

RT Convetion - The Romantic Times Convention is the biggest book convention of romance authors. They hold it in different locations every year, but often in Chicago. It's very pricey to go, and for years I'd been hoping they'd open up their authors signing to everyone, and apparrently last year was the first time. For $5 I had so much author access, the three house zoomed by. As always, I think seeing Lauren Willig was a major highlight.


Frugal Muse - local Madison, Wisconsin chain with two stores in town which sells both old and new books at wonderful prices (at a really steep discount for new books too) and is easily my favorite bookstore.


Murder by the Book - the best bookstore in the world! They're in Houston, Texas and have tons of amazing events and for every book you buy they'll let you send in three books to get signed. Love you all!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 3 comments  

Labels: Bibliophilic Spree, Charlaine Harris, Cheryl Strayed, Dr. Who, Fitzgerald, Karen Doornebos, Kelley Armstrong, Kiera Cass, Paul Magrs, Robin LaFevers, Romantic Times Convention, The Blogess