5.
Title: [The Glass Castle]
Author: Jeannette Walls
Pages: 240
Genre: Memoir
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Rec'd by my SIL
Date Completed: January 5, 2012
Rating: *****

Raised on philosophy instead of bread, Jeannette Walls did not have what many would consider an ideal childhood; when her uncle ran his hand up her leg while fondling himself, her mothers sighed about how lonely the poor man must be, and when the roof sprang a leak her brother slept under an inflatable raft to stay dry. Walls's story is repulsive; not for the conditions in which she and her three siblings were forced to live, but because they were forced to live this way when her parents could have done better.

The story is not entirely bleak; the core of her narrative is the strength that she and her siblings found in each other, and their determination to make better lives for themselves. The story is as captivating as it is heartbreaking, and is ultimately far more uplifting than I expected.

6.
Title: The Crazy Old Lady in the Attic
Author: Kathleen Valentine
Pages: 47
Genre: Psychological thriller
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: January 6, 2012
Rating: ***

Katherine Valentine's short story "The Crazy Old Lady in the Attic" is a short thriller surrounding discoveries made in a family home after the death of the matriarch. The story is decently written, but lacks depth and originality. This "late night special" is fine for a quick read, but is nothing to hunt down and devour.