Thursday, March 20, 2008

April: A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel

So I'm not sure if the person I had asked to choose the book for April ever saw the message so I went ahead and chose one. I've heard nothing but good things about this book and was in the mood for a light, easy and funny read and from what I've heard, this book fits the bill. Hope you enjoy! Here's a little snip-it of what the book is about:

From Publishers Weekly

It's a clich‚ to say that a good memoir reads like a well-crafted work of fiction, but Kimmel's smooth, impeccably humorous prose evokes her childhood as vividly as any novel. Born in 1965, she grew up in Mooreland, Ind., a place that by some "mysterious and powerful mathematical principle" perpetually retains a population of 300, a place where there's no point learning the street names because it's just as easy to say, "We live at the four-way stop sign." Hers is less a formal autobiography than a collection of vignettes comprising the things a small child would remember: sick birds, a new bike, reading comics at the drugstore, the mean old lady down the street. The truths of childhood are rendered in lush yet simple prose; here's Zippy describing a friend who hates wearing girls' clothes: "Julie in a dress was like the rest of us in quicksand." Over and over, we encounter pearls of third-grade wisdom revealed in a child's assured voice: "There are a finite number of times one can safely climb the same tree in a single day"; or, regarding Jesus, "Everyone around me was flat-out in love with him, and who wouldn't be? He was good with animals, he loved his mother, and he wasn't afraid of blind people." (Mar.)Forecast: Dreamy and comforting, spiced with flashes of wit, this book seems a natural for readers of the Oprah school of women's fiction (e.g., Elizabeth Berg, Janet Fitch). The startling baby photograph on the cover should catch browsers' eyes. (Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.)

It's available for $11.16 at Amazon.com.

5 comments:

Annette said...

Great! I already bought this one!

Tricia said...

Did mom recommend it to you to? She loved it so much she read me just a little bit the other day when I was over there. Sounds like pretty funny stuff!

Annette said...

Ya she did. Right now I'm reading her recommendation about the Clinton White House. I knew I hated Hillary for a reason!

JoandDoug said...

Sorry I just saw the comment about picking the book for April! Oops! I'd love to choose it for May if you need me too. I like this choice though and am looking forward to reading it! Sorry again for being a slacker! I also LOVED the book for March and can't wait to talk about it!

Tricia said...

Sorry about that Joanna! That was my bad. If you'll pick one for July that would be awesome! Sorry again for making it confusing.