Book Reviews by Ehlen Administration

The Great Pretender: Confessions of a Semi-Incorrigible Southern Catholic Boy by Robert R. Randall My rating: 4 of 5 stars Johnny Malloy is just a typical Catholic kid growing up in the Deep South during the 40s and 50s, but he never quite feels like he fits in. While he struggles with typical kid/teenage things like girls, school and money, as well as some deeper issues like discovering his father is actually his step father and that he and his close friends all have a dark, common link, he can never quite shake the notion that he is not meant to stay in Meridian, MS. Will he decide to enlist or head to CA or NY to chase his musical dreams? The Great Pretender works well as a memoir, more than a novel in my opinion, and there were some writing quirks that started to annoy me, such as the overuse of the adjectives “embryonic” and “incorrigible.” But I did love the description of the time, and some of the honesty about reality of the atmosphere in the Deep South during the 40s/...

Ok, so I'm technically still in my 20s, for another year anyway. Yesterday was my 29th, and I turned 29 on the 29th in 2009, which I think is actually kinda cool, although not cool enough to make up for having the most forgettable birthday ever. Seriously, it's like pulling teeth to get people to remember my birthday or how old I am, and I'm not the type to send out an announcement about it. Luckily Matt does, as does my mom (who I'm fairly certain won't ever forget it) so I usually get at least a couple phone calls. However, this is also one of the only birthdays where I kind of feel nostalgic for my youth, which is weird for me. I don't like it when people start mourning their youth because seriously, it's not like anyone gets out of aging. It's not a good scenario if you do. Just admit to yourself you were born when you were born and deal with the side effects. But I have to say, my 20s have been pretty good to me. I graduated from college, got marri...