1/20/12

Book Post Series : Caitlin, of To Make Love Stay


As I mentioned before, I'll be putting up the occasional guest-post book-review throughout 2012.  That way all of us book-lovers get lots and lots of new recommendations ... plus a chance to write about the books we love most!  Let me know if you're interested in participating!




ABOUT 

Caitlin loves Rob (her husband), Cypress (her beast), tattoos, travel, photography, reading, blogging, and lilacs (among other things ... )




What would you consider your favorite book?

It's a tie between "Skinny Legs and All" by Tom Robbins and "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote.

Why is it your favorite book?

Interestingly they are two very different books. 

"Skinny Legs and All" is a tie for favorite for a few reasons; first, the descriptions are absolutely stunning if not completely baffling. Second, the kind of wrench that Tom Robbins throws into traditional concepts of faith, religion, sexuality and femininity is unlike anything I've come across in literature. He gave me an entirely new perspective to the Abrahamaic religions and how the organized arms of those religions have historically and systematically destroyed the idea of the divine feminine, spirituality, and natural human sexuality. He also writes extensively of love, and of truly loving who you're with and appreciating who they are.  It's all fiction/satire but he does it absolutely seamlessly. Tom Robbins has totally rocked my world in every book but "Skinny Legs and All" really takes the cake.

I really enjoy "In Cold Blood" because of how Truman Capote lays out an absolutely true crime account almost as fiction.  I find myself riveted every time I read it, though I know how it ends, having seen the movie and read the book a zillion times.  What I also like about it is that Truman Capote writes in such a way as to make allthe characters sympathetic, including the two men who murdered in cold blood (ha, see what I did there?) four innocent people.  

How did you find it?

My mom recommended the first, and I sought out the second after seeing the movie "Capote" in class.

Do you use a Kindle?

I bought a Nook, and now I use the Nook app on my iPad primarily.

Do you like it better than actual books?

I don't think the two are really comparable other than books get read.  I like having the nook/iPad because I can carry around a literal library's worth of books in a tiny, slim package.  I travel for work so this setup is much more convenient for me than having one or two bulky books in my bag (and having to buy another for an exorbitant price at the airport when I finish).  My eyes aren't bothered by the backlit screen so I guess I'll say it's different, not better.

What book made you laugh the hardest?

"Bossypants" by Tina Fey, hands down.

Cry the most?

Tie between "Tuesdays with Morrie" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

What is one of your least favorite books and why?

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and whatever other crapstorms came after it.  I really wanted to like these books but I absolutely hated them.  The writing style did not appeal to me in the least, I thought the translation was awkward, and the story just did not keep me interested. I also thought his descriptions of rape were alittle much. When I read the second book I literally could not finish it, and skipped ahead to the end to find the "twist" so that they pain would be over.  After seeing "Dragon Tattoo" as a movie (the American version anyway) I'm convinced that the story is better adapted for the screen.  It was a much more enjoyable movie than book minus the rape scenes.

Which author do you quote most often?

Tom Robbins. I actually quoted him in my wedding vows.  
If you don't mind, I'd like to share some:

"We waste time looking for the perfect love, instead of creating the perfect love."

“When we're incomplete, we're always searching for somebody to complete us. When, after a few years or a few months of a relationship, we find that we're still unfulfilled, we blame our partners and take up with somebody more promising. This can go on and on--series polygamy--until we admit that while a partner can add sweet dimensions to our lives, we, each of us, are responsible for our own fulfillment. Nobody else can provide it for us, and to believe otherwise is to delude ourselves dangerously and to program for eventual failure every relationship we enter.”
“Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as its accomplice. Instead of vowing to honor and obey, maybe we should swear to aid and abet. That would mean that security is out of the question. The words "make" and "stay" become inappropriate. My love for you has no strings attached. I love you for free.” (this was in my wedding vows!)
Do you have any favorite children’s books from your childhood?
All of the Berenstain Bears books, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Redwall Series, Harry Potter (though I still enjoy that as an adult), The Boxcar Children, anything by Laura Ingalls Wilder.


... Thanks Caitlin!

5 comments:

  1. Oh gosh, I think I would REALLY like "Skinny legs and all." I'm going to have to find it, now. I'm intriqued.

    Sorry to hear you were not a fan of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo...I haven't read them myself, but saw the film (in swedish with subtitles) and I read a very intriquing article on the author, Steig Larson. LOVED the movie so much I don't think I'll see the American adaptation. I decided to read the books after seeing the film, but now...I'm not sure. Maybe I'll borrow the book and just see.

    Great interview! Love what you're doing with this, Lauren!

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  2. Thank YOU for having me Lauren! And thanks to Laura for the sweet comment :)

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  3. Yes I actually haven't read either of those yet so I'll have to get on it! So many books to read! I am very familiar with your children's list though, and I love it!

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  4. that tom robbins book sounds fascinating....
    lovely guest post, caitlin! :)
    can't wait to see who else posts for book questions...i love it :)

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  5. Hoorah! I'm glad this thing is a hit!

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( hippies always welcome )