Vote for Larry

Vote for Larry
written by Janet Tashjian



This is...an odd book. I mean, really, that's the only word for it. The first book in the series, The Gospel According to Larry, has a really definitive and conclusive ending. As in, there is absolutely no room for more. And yet, somehow, Tashjian manages to somehow completely ignore the fact that she told us in the previous book that we would never hear from Larry again, and she brings him back. Just baffling. So, okay, we're left to read another book about Larry's adventures which were supposed to have ended, but that's ok. More books can be a good thing, right? I still want to know why she didn't just create a new character with a new story, but this is ok, too. For the book itself, you don't have to have read the first book to understand it, and not very much time and depth is given to recapping, which is always nice. It has that same quirky writing we saw in The Gospel According to Larry, same lovable characters with some new ones thrown into the mix, and the amazing footnotes are back as well. I think my biggest complaint is the convenience of all the events. Larry somehow gets back in touch with her. Somehow all these people collide in this perfect chain of unlikely events. Not buying it; it just comes off as ridiculous. It's kind of a cool read for anyone interested in the inner workings of the political process, and I will admit the West Wing geek in me adored that portion of the book, but it gets preachy at times, just like The Gospel did, and there's a bit of a romantic cliffhanger that I wasn't quite a fan of. There's really not that much else to say. I'm honestly still confused about why this book exists. It's an interesting novel, but somehow just feels...hollow.

Rating: 4/5

Also in the series:
The Gospel According to Larry

I got this book from...:Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Dreams From my Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

I'm so sorry for the delay in updating, everyone! It's been a crazy busy week and an extraordinarily dense book, but I did it, I made it through!

reading next: Fourth Comings by Megan McCafferty

Dreams from my Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
written by Barack Obama



While the writing style was very honest and quite powerful at points, at times it just got unnecessarily wordy and unbelievably dense. I was looking for more of a lifetime memoir, more personal thoughts, rather than what is essentially one long essay on his family roots. I wanted to hear about him, not his slightly distant family. Auma was the only one I could really tolerate. I wonder if any, if not all, of the fake names have been revealed since his presidency became a reality. I also wonder what happened to the people who at any point doubted his abilities. What are they thinking of him now? This really is the part of his story that you will definitely not get in the news. I didn't know any of this about him, other than the whole "abandoned father" bit, so this was, in that way, really enlightening. I was glad to hear his idea about having "sacred stories", life events that make us tick and provide better understanding of a person--but I don't think those were the focus of the book, as they should have been. I did enjoy reading the "six years later" bit at the end, but overall, I think maybe I should go read The Audacity of Hope and find a better story there.

Rating: 4/5

I got this book from...:Chatham University's library

The President's Daughter

The President's Daughter
written by Ellen Emerson White



I was first alerted to this book's existence via Free Book Friday Teens, where it was given away at some point. I thought it sounded really great, a West Wing for teens, so I immediately requested that my library buy a copy. First things first, I love the cover. I looked at the covers of the older versions, and to put it bluntly, they were atrocious. This one is sophisticated and carries the same dignity the text does, it's no wonder they were reprinted. It was really interesting seeing the dynamics of the first family from a teenage girl's point of view--a teenage girl whose life is being drastically shifted as she and her now presidential family move into the White House. The title is a little irritating, since for the majority of the book, Meg is not exactly the president's daughter, but really more the candidate's daughter. That's a spoiler if I've ever seen one. I was surprised that Meg had a big family, I'm not sure why, but prior to reading the books, I had thought it was just Meg and her single mother, and I almost think the plot would have been stronger with just the two of them, Gilmore Girls meets West Wing, basically the most amazing thing possible. I was glad to see how the First Husband grew into his role, and definitely hope to see more of him in the rest of the series. I was also shocked that Meg's mother's party was revealed. I had definitely thought it would remain ambiguous, and the diehard Democrat in me was, obviously, pleased. I do wonder how Republicans perceive this book, just out of curiosity. Does the party revelation ruin something in it, or is it still a great read? Anyways, this is really a fantastically well-written, well-rounded, wonderful book, and I enjoyed it immensely!

Rating: 5/5