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Mar
16
Kisses for Claudia Sternbach and READING LIPS
2011 at 5am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Coming April 5, 2011 from Unbridled Books
A kiss on the hand may be quite continental, but one on the lips can be so. much. better. And it can mean so many things. And that’s the idea behind Claudia Sternbach’s Reading Lips: A Memoir in Kisses.
Beginning with the nerves and anticipation leading up to a much-wanted (and even more planned out) first kiss, Sternbach recalls the pivotal relationships of her life—and not just the romantic ones—by telling a story about a kiss related to each one. So there is the pre-arranged first kiss (which, spoiler alert, doesn’t actually happen), and the actual first kiss, but there is also the remembrance of the anxiety-filled days of having a first boyfriend and not really knowing what to do with him.
I loved when he called. Except I didn’t know what to talk about. It was like I wanted him to call. But then couldn’t I just put the phone down and read my book, and we really wouldn’t have to talk to teach other? ‘Cause what was there to say? What were you supposed to talk about? But how are you supposed to ask a boy that? How are you supposed to tell him it’s all right to call you, but you just don’t want to talk?
Sternbach writes about family life with her twin younger sisters and about competing with her best friend, who is always the first to do things like shave her legs and go on dates, and she writes about milestone moments and the kisses that marked them. And it’s not all rose-colored glasses and fondly remembered experiences, though. There’s the unwanted kiss that becomes something worse. A final kiss goodbye to a departed loved one. A dreamed-about kiss that disappoints. The last kiss of a dying relationship.
Through it all is Sternbach’s voice, ringing with clarity and insight and a healthy sense of humor about the experiences we all share but rarely discuss. This slim volume is a one-sitting read and would be an excellent companion on the couch, the beach, or at a book club meeting. Sternbach is funny when she wants to be, serious when she needs to be, and often quite poignant, and Reading Lips is a delightful gift of a book.
Related posts:
- The Bare Necessities—Claudia Sternbach (READING LIPS)
- The Book Lady’s Best of 2011: Memoir & Biography
- Don't kick the bucket, kemo sabe (Phraseology, day 11)
- Fit as a fiddle with a full-tilt boogie (Phraseology, day 6)
- Blog Tour Book Review: The Patron Saint of Used Cars and Second Chances by Mark Millhone
This sounds like a fresh new approach to memoir — all different kinds of kisses. I love it!
I will be saving this book for my summer reading by the pool. I can picture it now
Short Story Slore´s last [type] ..Irish Short Story Week – Oscar Wildes The Canterville Ghost
I really liked this memoir as well. I thought the idea of pulling your life together by important kisses was adorable. Plus, Claudia was able to make the “small” moments in her life seem-or at least show their-importance.