The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

I think this book was mentioned in another book I was reading and when I went to the library to get it, it’s such a small book that I read it over a few days. And I read it ahead of all the other books that are on my list!

Santiago is an aging fisherman.  He hasn’t caught a fish in 84 days. When he catches a marlin the next day, he has to fight off some pretty big sharks in order to keep his catch.   

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention there are some abstract ideas going on here – man’s struggle in the world, man’s struggle with himself, etc. etc.  What was a shame was all the trouble he went through to go fishing and capture this fish and then all he brought home was the carcass!

Stay Close by Harlan Coben

Harlan Coben knows how to write a suspense story.  I am almost done reading his books from the beginning and they are all great reads. 

In Stay Close, we delve into a world of “gentlemen entertainment” and “soccer moms”.  What does one have to do with the other? 

Cassie (if that’s her real name) needs to find someone before they find her. Men are disappearing and no one knows if they are dead or just gone away.  An old friend shows up with information from her past and now she feels like she is being pulled back to a life that she walked away from.  Hmm, what to do?  

Ray is assaulted and his camera equipment is stolen.  Why?  

Two people who knew each other before are about to be reunited and uncover things they never knew about the other.

CAUGHT by Harlan Coben

Good murder mystery that leaves you wondering if the murderer is innocent.  Wasn’t expecting that ending, but it has a good story line.  A pedophile is killed and there is one less pedophile on the street.  But when you start digging into his life, was he really a pedophile?  Dan Mercer was set up but only he knows this to be the truth.  Well, maybe one other person…

This story has more plots than “let’s kill the pedophile”.   This story is also about how you can easily slander someone with lies and allegations.  Justice is supposed to be “innocent until proven guilty” but when it comes to spreading rumors the opposite is usually how it turns out. Society says you are guilty and even if you are proven innocent the harm has already been done.

Another theme running through this story is that we must forgive when others hurt us.  That may be the most important message of all!

The Spoils by Jesse Eisenberg

I read this because I read the other play he wrote and it’s a small book that I read in two days.

Ben has issues.  He is sarcastic and basically acts like an arse hole.  Yes, I used “arse” in place of what I wanted to say.  He has a way of talking snarky to people and I guess you would really have to know him for a long time to believe he doesn’t mean to be that way. His film career is not what he wants it to be and he lives off of his parents.  He is unhappy.

His roommate was played by Kunal Nayyar (Raj from the Big Bang Theory TV show) and I keep thinking they are similar characters.

At the very end of the play – I think Ben has potential to act like a good person! 

Jesse Eisenberg has the looks to play a smart ass, wise cracking person.  I hope he is different in person.

Flip Side of the Game by Tu-Shonda Whitaker

The main character is Vera Wright-Turner who starts the story with how she was retrieved from Social Services by Aunt Cookie right after her grandmother died.  Her mother left her in a trash bag at a dumpster when she was as a baby.  Her grandmother retrieved her and raised her until she died when Vera was eight. 

Vera grows up thinking there is no such thing as love and she will get whatever she can from a man and keep it moving. 

Vera does go to school and she owns her own hair salon, but everything she got was paid for by a man.  She has 2 boyfriends – Roger who is married and Taj who is single. Taj adores her and wants to be with her, but without Roger in the picture.    

I saw this on the library shelf and it looked like a quick read as a small paperback.  I am the type of person that likes to read all genres even if it’s to keep myself up-to-date with different authors and perspectives. This is categorized as an urban black book, so I thought I’d see what it was like.  “True to the Game” is the best urban book so far.

The Revisionist, A Play by Jesse Eisenberg

The three characters in this play are David, Maria and Zenon.

I read this in one day.

David is a writer and just recently wrote a book but his editor wants him to revise it or else it won’t be sellable.  David is having writers block. He travels to Poland to stay with a relative thinking that he will have quiet time and not be bothered by anyone.  Ha!!

His cousin Maria wants to spend time with him. From the story we get the picture that she is poor and just barely eking out a living, but she is willing to share what she has with her relative from the US, the only relative to ever come and visit her. 

In the end, they grow to have an understanding that they each have personal issues.