The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

My life is so busy; sometimes I want to live my life a different way. I listened to this audio book going to and from Ann Arbor and learned of a different way to go about life that makes me perfectly content with how things are going right now.

Thomas Button, his wife and the rest of the hospital staff were surprised by what they found after what was expected to be the birth of a newborn child in the 1860s south. Instead, waiting, too big for his bassinet, was a seventy-year-old man. This man was new to the world and yet had already learned to talk and knew enough to be discontent with only being offered bottles of milk to eat and a blanket to wear. Mr. Button took him home and tried to pass him off as a young boy through the use of knickers and hair dye. Benjamin was only happy talking with his grandfather. Eventually, Benjamin seemed to get some of his youth back as he got older, possibly a sickness being cured with time. When he was 20 he appeared 50 and could go out with his now accepting father. He met a young girl named Hildegard who liked older men, even though they were the same age. They got married, but were separated when Benjamin went off to fight in the Spanish American War in 1898. Returning home, Benjamin made the unique discovery that he was in fact growing younger. This displeased his wife who was growing older, a fact that made Benjamin less and less attracted to her. Marital strife and problems with his son blossomed as this curiosity continued. Soon, Benjamin appeared too young to be taken seriously as the man he was. Rejected, Benjamin was forced to live with his son and call him uncle. As a “child,” he now liked to hang out with his grandson as he had hung out with his grandfather decades earlier. It became tougher and tougher for Benjamin as everyone seemed to be going forward and be was slowly creeping behind.

This was a very short audio book because, in fact, it is an audio short story. Read by Kevin Killavey, this was a fantastic one hour and six minutes. I want him to read all of my books to me. He served as a great narrator, but was even more successful with the voices. Benjamin’s changing voice through his years alone was impressive as he progressed from creaky old man, strapping man, and squeaky teenager to silly toddler. This beautifully worded short story takes a unique look at the aging process and offers a perspective about growing older that does indeed make it understandable that even in real life as you grow older you actually grow younger.

This creative narrative was very fascinating and the spinning plot was consuming as poor Benjamin’s condition kept causing problems for him and those around him. I would definitely read the short story if the movie interested you. I fell in love with the movie and that is how I came across this short story. It is different but just as enjoyable. I would, though, recommend that for the most satisfaction you listen to Kevin Killavey read it to you. His version is available cheap on iTunes.

“Read in order to live.”
- Gustave Flaubert

The Devil Wears Prada

The Devil Wears Prada, by Lauren Weisberger

What started as an Anne Hathway interest combined with my constant driving back and forth between home and Ann Arbor to cause me to resort to my second audio book for this blog. Read by Rachel Leigh Cook, The Devil Wears Prada kept my long hours in the car lively enough that I didn’t mind the amount of time behind the wheel that is putting a serious dent in my wallet.

Andrea Sachs is an aspiring writer fresh out of Northwestern University looking for some type of big break in New York City that will result in a job at The New Yorker. After very few positive responses, Elias Clark Publishing hires Andrea for a job as an assistant to the editor-in-chief of prestigious fashion magazine Runway, Miranda Priestly. Landing a job that a million girls would kill for, Andrea finds it’s not as glamorous as her co-workers are forcing themselves to believe. After a week of intense training with first assistant Emily, Andrea thinks she has everything under control until Miranda comes back to town and Andrea’s life, as she knows it, is changed. She is running impossible errands on demanding timelines, which causes her to alienate her family and friends for the job, resulting in strain on her relationship with English teacher boyfriend Alex (me?) and almost missing that her graduate student roommate Lily is gradually becoming an alcoholic. Andrea becomes enwrapped in the fashion industry she previously had no interest in to reach her goal. One year at Runway with Miranda and she could pretty much have her pick of any job, including her spot at The New Yorker. But how much was it worth? Andrea is running errands, fetching clothes and Starbucks, picking up Miranda’s dog from the groomer’s and even locating a pre-published version of the latest Harry Potter book for Miranda’s twin daughters. One year, it’s just one year. Or will this job have more of an effect than Andrea originally plans?

It’s impossible for me not to compare this book to the movie. Personally, and maybe because I saw it before the audio book, I like the movie better. Granted, Anne Hathaway is a major factor in this comparison, but there are minute plot and character differences between the book and movie that I think work better in the movie version (not to mention that the movie includes the Stanley Tucci character missing from the book). In the book, Emily is more of a helping figure for Andrea and Miranda is simply mean on purpose (making Andrea get an impossible lunch, knowing that she already has lunch plans elsewhere, calling people by the wrong names, and leaving out details over the phone just to make her assistants work harder). I think that Andrea in the book is less of a dynamic character than Andrea in the movie. I never really saw a character shift in the book. Andrea at the beginning seems to be Andrea at the end, the only difference being that when she finally is given an impossible task, she seems to quit because it’s too hard when she was previously able to accomplish everything. In the movie, Andrea’s character is changing. She is good at her job and her priorities are changing, but when she realizes that she could end up as Miranda, this is not how she wants to lead her life and chooses to leave. Also, in the movie, Miranda ends up being okay and giving a reference for Andrea’s new job for a newspaper, while in the book Andrea is hired because of a common link with someone who hates Miranda as much as she does. Not that impressive. I know it’s not really fair, but I’d rather watch the movie.

Rachel Leigh Cook does a good job at reading Weisberg’s novel, which is possibly based off of some real life experiences as a personal assistant. Cook does some voices in a good way that adds variety without being obnoxiously theatrical. She was a good reader and I can recommend her version of the audio book for those of us who are constantly driving back and forth and need something to fill the time constantly driving by mile markers that tick by like seconds. It’s nice to reach your destination and feel some sense of accomplishment rather than just whining about leg cramps and poor air conditioning.

“The habit of reading is the only enjoyment in which there is no alloy; it lasts when all other pleasures fade.”
- Anthony Trollope

The Funny Thing Is...

The Funny Thing Is…, by Ellen DeGeneres

I sat debating if not the greatest question ever asked, then certainly one what would cause the entire world to scratch its head. Do audio books count as books in respect to book reviews? Then I thought to myself, “Hey, this is my blog. I do what I want. You can't control me.” And with a sense of teenage rebellion, I stormed off and slammed my door behind me to write this review of Ellen DeGeneres’s audio book that I bought on iTunes.

I love this audio book. Each chapter is like a mini-stand-up routine that kept me laughing out loud the entire time. I had my headphones in during a car ride and my entire family was getting upset with my giggling. I think they were just jealous that they were not in on the joke. And since this audio book was read by the author, it’s like Ellen became my best friend and she just loves to tell me stories. “The Brunch Bunch” is a great opener when regulars Paula Abdul, Diane Sawyer, Gloria Steinem, Donatella Versace, Ed Begley Jr., and Eminem come over to Ellen’s for Sunday brunch, but some have to go to the kid’s table when Diane shows up with Siegfried or Roy, Ed brings Tara Lipinski, and Paula brings her drycleaner. One chapter has Ellen convincing you “why prison wouldn’t be so bad” while another gives tips on getting out of embarrassing situations (such as accidentally flicking off John Travolta). In this book Ellen meets God, talks to a butterfly about the meaning of life, and even tells you how to save money by turning old fruit into blush and lip gloss (beware of bees). She is simply hilarious.

Each chapter is simply a gem. And having Ellen talk directly to you is simply one of the best experiences. She is seriously one of the funniest people, and as it turns out, not a bad writer at all. Her insights are unique and there is a natural flow to her ideas that seems like a normal conversation of the most random topics possible.

I recommend this book and audio book to everyone. Unless you are the type of person who hates having a good time, cringes at the sound of laughter, and loathes anything to do with creating positive energy, then do not read this book. If you are a fun-loving human, go get this book or even better: the audio book.

“The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest men of the past centuries.”
- Descartes