by Kara
I've been meaning to do this for a while (sorry!). Here are some things I read over the summer that I'd recommend:
The Diary of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski (fyi-it's Oprah's lastest pick)
Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey
The Garden of Last Days by Andre Dubus III
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (perfect for dog lovers)
When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff
The Condition by Jennifer Haigh
Hold Tight by Harlen Coben
Currently reading:
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
News from Nan
Recently read:
Beautiful Boy A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Sheff
Payment in Blood by Elizabeth George
Little Heathens Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression by Mildred Armstrong Kalish
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Currently reading:
The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold
The Age of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby
A Traitor to Memory by Elizabeth George
As you can see, if I read something by an author I like, I read something else by them right away. Sometimes I keep reading until I’ve read everything written by that author. Then I move on…
Elizabeth George’s mysteries are modern and non-formulaic. I also love Ruth Rendell’s “Inspector Wexford” mysteries.
I heard Alice Sebold on the radio talking about The Almost Moon when it was first published. Because it wasn’t available yet at the library, I read The Lovely Bones instead. I loved it! I think Jackie would like it, too, if she could get through the violent part. I think it is very much a teenager’s book. I'll keep you posted on The Almost Moon.
I also heard the father & son of Beautiful Boy on the radio (I listen to a lot of radio) and was not that impressed, but I though I’d read the book since some of their experiences mirrored my family’s. I did take some comfort in knowing I was not alone, but mostly I came away with the feeling that even an over educated well-off journalist couldn’t access effective mental health services for his son.
Little Heathens Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression by Mildred Armstrong Kalish was something I stumbled across in the news paper.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/07/DD74VE73D.DTL.
The author (as is the author of Beautiful Boy) is from the San Francisco Bay Area. The book is not perfectly written, but contains many “read aloud” passages I enjoyed sharing with whomever happened to be around at the moment, including some great recipes. Mildred is 85 years old and this is her first book! She has an open mindedness about her that is surprising and appealing.
I am about half way through The Age of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby. This is my stab at non-fiction – really just a loooooong magazine type of political essay. It makes me feel like I’m back in school. I did enjoy the part about “middlebrow” culture in the United States. H.G. Wells, author of The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds, also wrote The Outline of History in 1920, and was a strong believer in Darwinian evolution.
Susan Jacoby, “can only wish that book would be available today to the 25 percent of American high school biology teachers who told University of Texas researchers that dinosaurs and humans inhabited the earth simultaneously.”
We’ll that’s all for now. I’ll keep reading & try to post more often!
- Nan
Beautiful Boy A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Sheff
Payment in Blood by Elizabeth George
Little Heathens Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression by Mildred Armstrong Kalish
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Currently reading:
The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold
The Age of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby
A Traitor to Memory by Elizabeth George
As you can see, if I read something by an author I like, I read something else by them right away. Sometimes I keep reading until I’ve read everything written by that author. Then I move on…
Elizabeth George’s mysteries are modern and non-formulaic. I also love Ruth Rendell’s “Inspector Wexford” mysteries.
I heard Alice Sebold on the radio talking about The Almost Moon when it was first published. Because it wasn’t available yet at the library, I read The Lovely Bones instead. I loved it! I think Jackie would like it, too, if she could get through the violent part. I think it is very much a teenager’s book. I'll keep you posted on The Almost Moon.
I also heard the father & son of Beautiful Boy on the radio (I listen to a lot of radio) and was not that impressed, but I though I’d read the book since some of their experiences mirrored my family’s. I did take some comfort in knowing I was not alone, but mostly I came away with the feeling that even an over educated well-off journalist couldn’t access effective mental health services for his son.
Little Heathens Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression by Mildred Armstrong Kalish was something I stumbled across in the news paper.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/07/DD74VE73D.DTL.
The author (as is the author of Beautiful Boy) is from the San Francisco Bay Area. The book is not perfectly written, but contains many “read aloud” passages I enjoyed sharing with whomever happened to be around at the moment, including some great recipes. Mildred is 85 years old and this is her first book! She has an open mindedness about her that is surprising and appealing.
I am about half way through The Age of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby. This is my stab at non-fiction – really just a loooooong magazine type of political essay. It makes me feel like I’m back in school. I did enjoy the part about “middlebrow” culture in the United States. H.G. Wells, author of The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds, also wrote The Outline of History in 1920, and was a strong believer in Darwinian evolution.
Susan Jacoby, “can only wish that book would be available today to the 25 percent of American high school biology teachers who told University of Texas researchers that dinosaurs and humans inhabited the earth simultaneously.”
We’ll that’s all for now. I’ll keep reading & try to post more often!
- Nan
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo
Review by Joni
This was my first book by Russo and I enjoyed it. Russo's writing style reminds me of Anne Tyler who is one of my favorite authors. Like Tyler, Russo's characters are likeable and quirky and the landscapes of the novel are small town and homey. It's Everyman in Anytown, USA.
Bridge of Sighs is set in Thomaston, NY where a tannery has poisoned the town's river with carcinogenic dyes. Despite the tragic, long-term health effects on the town's population, the people of Thomaston are nostalgic about their river and it's multitude of colors. I found this thread of narrative interesting. Russo must have grown up in a factory town for him to so intuitively understand the conflicted feelings small town people have about factories. I grew up swimming in a river choked with sulphuric run-off from the strip mining on the mountains above the river. My swimsuits were all dyed permanently orange and I would come home in the evenings with sulphur in my hair and under my fingernails. Our parents told us the sulphur was "good for us". In retrospect, how can anyone wonder why the cancer rate is so high in industrialized areas?
The three main characters of this book - Lou, Sarah, and Bobby - are a classic love triangle and, again like Tyler, Russo doesn't press for any final resolution of feelings. Like real life, unrequited feelings sometimes remain unresolved. If anyone reads Bridge of Sighs, look for the back and forth mirroring of themes between Lou's parents' generation and his own.
I actually finished Bridge of Sighs a couple of weeks ago and I am now halfway through Ken Follett's World Without End. Has anyone else read this? I love Ken Follett. I have read everything he has ever written and his Pillars of the Earth is one of my all time favorite novels. World Without End is the sequel to Pillars and I was so excited about getting it but I am having real trouble connecting with this book. Maybe it's spring fever.
As an aside, I am also reading a non-fiction called "Everything is Miscellaneous" by David Weinberger. This book is about how we receive and organize information. Sounds like a snooze, doesn't it? But it's surprisingly engaging and it will interest anyone who is curious about where this digital revolution we find ourselves in will lead us. Of all our book club friends, I would recommend this book specifically to Suz and to Nan's husband, Chris. I think you both would enjoy it.
This was my first book by Russo and I enjoyed it. Russo's writing style reminds me of Anne Tyler who is one of my favorite authors. Like Tyler, Russo's characters are likeable and quirky and the landscapes of the novel are small town and homey. It's Everyman in Anytown, USA.
Bridge of Sighs is set in Thomaston, NY where a tannery has poisoned the town's river with carcinogenic dyes. Despite the tragic, long-term health effects on the town's population, the people of Thomaston are nostalgic about their river and it's multitude of colors. I found this thread of narrative interesting. Russo must have grown up in a factory town for him to so intuitively understand the conflicted feelings small town people have about factories. I grew up swimming in a river choked with sulphuric run-off from the strip mining on the mountains above the river. My swimsuits were all dyed permanently orange and I would come home in the evenings with sulphur in my hair and under my fingernails. Our parents told us the sulphur was "good for us". In retrospect, how can anyone wonder why the cancer rate is so high in industrialized areas?
The three main characters of this book - Lou, Sarah, and Bobby - are a classic love triangle and, again like Tyler, Russo doesn't press for any final resolution of feelings. Like real life, unrequited feelings sometimes remain unresolved. If anyone reads Bridge of Sighs, look for the back and forth mirroring of themes between Lou's parents' generation and his own.
I actually finished Bridge of Sighs a couple of weeks ago and I am now halfway through Ken Follett's World Without End. Has anyone else read this? I love Ken Follett. I have read everything he has ever written and his Pillars of the Earth is one of my all time favorite novels. World Without End is the sequel to Pillars and I was so excited about getting it but I am having real trouble connecting with this book. Maybe it's spring fever.
As an aside, I am also reading a non-fiction called "Everything is Miscellaneous" by David Weinberger. This book is about how we receive and organize information. Sounds like a snooze, doesn't it? But it's surprisingly engaging and it will interest anyone who is curious about where this digital revolution we find ourselves in will lead us. Of all our book club friends, I would recommend this book specifically to Suz and to Nan's husband, Chris. I think you both would enjoy it.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles ...blog by Suz
I just finished this book tonight. I found it wonderfully horrible. This is the story of an eighteen year old Missouri woman during the Civil War. Though based on the historical excerpts at the beginning of each chapter and the gruesome narrative, I can't for the life of me determine what was 'civil' about it.
Adair Colley is eighteen years old, the oldest daughter of Justice of the Peace Marquis Colley. Adair, her father and her two sisters and brother live in southeastern Missouri. Adair's mother is dead. The Union Militia arrests her father and tries to burn the house down. The brother runs and the girls are left to fend for themselves.
The book takes you on the journey with Adair and her sisters as they walk 120 miles to the Union garrison to inquire as to the whereabouts of their father. From the garrison, Adair is arrested and carted off to a prison in St Louis. At the prison, she develops a relationship with an unlikely man who helps and encourages her to escape.
The remainder of the book is Adair's journey from St Louis back to her home, as well as the journey of the man from the prison.
Enemy Women certainly made me happy to be alive now rather than during those times. I certainly could not see myself surviving in Adair's world. I recommend this book for those of you who want a different historical view of the Civil War era. It is not light reading and is even rather depressing, but it is also intriguing and quite poetic.
Adair Colley is eighteen years old, the oldest daughter of Justice of the Peace Marquis Colley. Adair, her father and her two sisters and brother live in southeastern Missouri. Adair's mother is dead. The Union Militia arrests her father and tries to burn the house down. The brother runs and the girls are left to fend for themselves.
The book takes you on the journey with Adair and her sisters as they walk 120 miles to the Union garrison to inquire as to the whereabouts of their father. From the garrison, Adair is arrested and carted off to a prison in St Louis. At the prison, she develops a relationship with an unlikely man who helps and encourages her to escape.
The remainder of the book is Adair's journey from St Louis back to her home, as well as the journey of the man from the prison.
Enemy Women certainly made me happy to be alive now rather than during those times. I certainly could not see myself surviving in Adair's world. I recommend this book for those of you who want a different historical view of the Civil War era. It is not light reading and is even rather depressing, but it is also intriguing and quite poetic.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
East of the Mountains by David Guterson
Book review by Joni:
Continuing to read novels by David Guterson, I recently finished his East of the Mountains. According to the jacket, this book was written five years after my favorite Guterson novel, Snow Falling on Cedars, but I didn’t find this story as well crafted and I struggled a little bit to see it all the way to the end.
East of the Mountains is about a 73 year old retired physician and widower named Ben Givens who, after discovering he is dying of cancer, decides to stage his suicide to look like a hunting accident. He plans to travel east towards the Cascade Mountains where he grew up to finish his plan but, early in his trip, he has a bizarre accident that sets him off course. At this point, the story took on a kind of surreal, odyssean quality. It began to meander from one strange event to the next. He meets several people who remind him of his childhood and of his courtship of his beloved wife and the narrative begins to interweave his present with his past. He has a bizarre encounter in the desert at night – a story twist that seems strikingly out of place – and this encounter eventually leads him toward the (somewhat predictable) conclusion of the story. Of course, throughout it all, he is wrestling with the fact that he is dying and that he has no control over that fact.
East of the Mountains is not a bad novel but I don’t really recommend it. In retrospect, it was the protagonist’s struggles with end-of-life issues that kept me reading. As you all know, I took care of my father, whom I adored, for nearly a year as he lost his life to multiple brain tumors. I honestly cannot imagine a more horrific way to die – and yet, even through the dementia, my father had tremendous dignity. His pain has caused me to be (hopefully prematurely) aware of the very personal process of dying that we sometimes have to go through in a very public way. I was interested in Ben’s struggles between ending life on his own terms and, conversely, unselfishly, giving his loved ones what they needed. I guess, in the end, every story speaks to us on a personal level.
Continuing to read novels by David Guterson, I recently finished his East of the Mountains. According to the jacket, this book was written five years after my favorite Guterson novel, Snow Falling on Cedars, but I didn’t find this story as well crafted and I struggled a little bit to see it all the way to the end.
East of the Mountains is about a 73 year old retired physician and widower named Ben Givens who, after discovering he is dying of cancer, decides to stage his suicide to look like a hunting accident. He plans to travel east towards the Cascade Mountains where he grew up to finish his plan but, early in his trip, he has a bizarre accident that sets him off course. At this point, the story took on a kind of surreal, odyssean quality. It began to meander from one strange event to the next. He meets several people who remind him of his childhood and of his courtship of his beloved wife and the narrative begins to interweave his present with his past. He has a bizarre encounter in the desert at night – a story twist that seems strikingly out of place – and this encounter eventually leads him toward the (somewhat predictable) conclusion of the story. Of course, throughout it all, he is wrestling with the fact that he is dying and that he has no control over that fact.
East of the Mountains is not a bad novel but I don’t really recommend it. In retrospect, it was the protagonist’s struggles with end-of-life issues that kept me reading. As you all know, I took care of my father, whom I adored, for nearly a year as he lost his life to multiple brain tumors. I honestly cannot imagine a more horrific way to die – and yet, even through the dementia, my father had tremendous dignity. His pain has caused me to be (hopefully prematurely) aware of the very personal process of dying that we sometimes have to go through in a very public way. I was interested in Ben’s struggles between ending life on his own terms and, conversely, unselfishly, giving his loved ones what they needed. I guess, in the end, every story speaks to us on a personal level.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Jeannette Walls to speak at Allegany College
Posted by Joni
I suspect that everyone in our book club is familiar with Jeannette Walls but in the event that one or two of you may have missed this amazing writer, here is a bit of background:
Jeannette Walls is the author of a heartwreching autobiography called The Glass Castle. It is the story of growing up in adject poverty, one of four children born to a mother with mental illness and a father who is the "town drunk" in a backwoods, coal town in West Virgina. Despite these circumstances, Jeannette Walls speaks of her parents in a loving, almost tender voice and she never, ever allows herself to slip into self-pity or regret. Her writing is so honest and her stories are so true to life that I read the entire book straight through, one sitting, with my mouth open in amazement. This is an an incredible, REAL (no fabrication here!) memoir.
Against all odds, Ms. Walls managed to attend and graduate from Columbia University's Barnard College with honors and she has gone on to become a very successful entertainment reporter working for MSNBC. She has been a guest of Oprah, The Today Show, CNN, and more.
Last March, Ms. Walls was a guest speaker at the Washington Street branch of the Allegany County Library. My good friend and fellow book club member, Kara, and I attended and it was wonderful. Ms. Walls is as powerful a speaker as she is a writer.
I am writing this entry tonight because I am so excited to hear that Ms. Walls is returning to speak in Cumberland! She will be at Allegany College of Maryland on Friday, April 25, 2008 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm.
The title of her lecture is "Demon Hunting and Other Life Lessons on Turning Adversity to Advantage". The lecture is free and open to the public and I absolutely plan to be there. If anyone else is interested in attending, let me know! To the best of my knowledge, you don't need to advise the college ahead of time that you are attending and this surprises me because it was standing room only at the library last year. Kara and I arrived an hour early just to get a good parking spot. We planned to leisurely stroll downtown and have a cup of coffee before walking back up to the library to hear the speaker. When we arrived, however, the library was already filling up so we grabbed some seats fast! I plan to get to ACM at least an hour early. I expect the theater to be full well before noon.
If you haven't read The Glass Castle yet, I highly recommend the read. Once you've read it, I suspect you won't want to miss hearing her speak.
I suspect that everyone in our book club is familiar with Jeannette Walls but in the event that one or two of you may have missed this amazing writer, here is a bit of background:
Jeannette Walls is the author of a heartwreching autobiography called The Glass Castle. It is the story of growing up in adject poverty, one of four children born to a mother with mental illness and a father who is the "town drunk" in a backwoods, coal town in West Virgina. Despite these circumstances, Jeannette Walls speaks of her parents in a loving, almost tender voice and she never, ever allows herself to slip into self-pity or regret. Her writing is so honest and her stories are so true to life that I read the entire book straight through, one sitting, with my mouth open in amazement. This is an an incredible, REAL (no fabrication here!) memoir.
Against all odds, Ms. Walls managed to attend and graduate from Columbia University's Barnard College with honors and she has gone on to become a very successful entertainment reporter working for MSNBC. She has been a guest of Oprah, The Today Show, CNN, and more.
Last March, Ms. Walls was a guest speaker at the Washington Street branch of the Allegany County Library. My good friend and fellow book club member, Kara, and I attended and it was wonderful. Ms. Walls is as powerful a speaker as she is a writer.
I am writing this entry tonight because I am so excited to hear that Ms. Walls is returning to speak in Cumberland! She will be at Allegany College of Maryland on Friday, April 25, 2008 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm.
The title of her lecture is "Demon Hunting and Other Life Lessons on Turning Adversity to Advantage". The lecture is free and open to the public and I absolutely plan to be there. If anyone else is interested in attending, let me know! To the best of my knowledge, you don't need to advise the college ahead of time that you are attending and this surprises me because it was standing room only at the library last year. Kara and I arrived an hour early just to get a good parking spot. We planned to leisurely stroll downtown and have a cup of coffee before walking back up to the library to hear the speaker. When we arrived, however, the library was already filling up so we grabbed some seats fast! I plan to get to ACM at least an hour early. I expect the theater to be full well before noon.
If you haven't read The Glass Castle yet, I highly recommend the read. Once you've read it, I suspect you won't want to miss hearing her speak.
Before Green Gables, the Prequel to Anne of Green Gables by Budge Wilson
Because I felt compelled to add something to the book club, and before I forgot much about it, I thought I would give you my review of the last book I read, Before Green Gables, published in 2008. I didn't read Anne of Green Gables until I was a young adult, and because I like a good story, I enjoyed all of the books in the series. Now I wouldn't expect this book to be on the top of anyone's list, but because I was curious about Anne's life (Anne with an e) prior to Green Gables I thought I would give it a try. The author, Budge Wilson, does a good job in tracing the history of Anne's life before she is adopted by Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. Ms. Wilson did a lot of research into the history of Prince Edward Island, where Anne ultimately resides, and the economic and social circumstances of the time. The book explains what Anne's parents were like, where her red hair comes from, how she and her parents were loved by their neighbors, and ultimately the path Anne follows merely by circumstance and poverty to Green Gables. It provides a background for her imaginary friends, her imagination and her vast vocabulary. It is worth reading if only to discover why Anne does not like twins, and what little regard orphans were given in daily life. She was more or less a slave from the age of 4. I would give the book an 8 on a scale of 1-10. If you enjoyed the Anne of Green Gables series, you will appreciate this book for the background information it gives you on Anne's life. That's all for now! Nora
Sunday, March 2, 2008
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
As soon as I heard that Geraldine Brooks had a new book out I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I loved her book MARCH, a Pulitzer Prize winner. PEOPLE OF THE BOOK is about a Jewish prayer book called the Haggadah. It was found in Sarajevo after being saved by a Muslin Librarian, Karaman. Hanna Heath, a rare book conservator has been called by the UN to examine the beautifully illustrated book. As she examines the rare manuscript she find an insect wing, a wine stain, a salt crystal and a white hair. Stories telling where the book has been since it was created and why the wing, salt, wine stain and hair were in it It is mysterious, a love story and has some interesting surpises through the book. I was in the dark on some of the history about where the Haggadah has been. I need to read up on some history. Anything by Geraldine Brooks is going to spark my interest. I am putting her YEAR OF WONDERS on my "To read list".
Marie enjoyed this book and wanted to let you know about it.
Marie enjoyed this book and wanted to let you know about it.
The Girls by Lori Lansens
by Kara
The Girls is the fictional first person account of conjoined twins Rose and Ruby Darlen. This one grabbed my attention from the first page and is now one of my all time favorites. As I was reading it, I had a hard time remembering this was a work of fiction. It's that well written. Some of you might take interest in the fact that Rose and Ruby are conjoined librarians. If you've enjoyed things like The Time Traveler's Wife, The Lovely Bones, & A Prayer for Owen Meany, you'll love this. It's a beautiful story. I own a copy, if anyone living in the area would like to borrow mine.
The Girls is the fictional first person account of conjoined twins Rose and Ruby Darlen. This one grabbed my attention from the first page and is now one of my all time favorites. As I was reading it, I had a hard time remembering this was a work of fiction. It's that well written. Some of you might take interest in the fact that Rose and Ruby are conjoined librarians. If you've enjoyed things like The Time Traveler's Wife, The Lovely Bones, & A Prayer for Owen Meany, you'll love this. It's a beautiful story. I own a copy, if anyone living in the area would like to borrow mine.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe
This book charmed me from page one. Possible because it completely reminded me of my best friend -- Joni. If you haven't read this book, Jonz, you need to, because it has so many similarities to those college days -- feeling lost and lonely, afraid and small; trying desperately to maintain our character, just trying to feel our way through it.
I was riveted by this book and Charlotte became a very real part of my life. I felt like I was going through all those growing pains all over again. I lost a lot of sleep staying up way too late reading Charlotte Simmons, and I loved every minute of it.
I highly recommend this read for everyone, but especially those of you who, like Joni and I, came from small towns and stepped off the cliff into college and all that went with it.
I was riveted by this book and Charlotte became a very real part of my life. I felt like I was going through all those growing pains all over again. I lost a lot of sleep staying up way too late reading Charlotte Simmons, and I loved every minute of it.
I highly recommend this read for everyone, but especially those of you who, like Joni and I, came from small towns and stepped off the cliff into college and all that went with it.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Book Review: Our Lady of the Forest by David Guterson
By Joni:
David Guterson is the author of one of my all time favorite novels - Snow Falling on Cedars - so I picked this book up hoping to find something similar. While I didn't find it as lyrical as Snow Falling on Cedars, I did enjoy it and I recommend it.
Our Lady of the Forest is the story of a 15 year old runaway named Ann who, while picking mushrooms in the rainy forests of the Pacific northwest, sees a vision of the Virgin Mary. Guterson explores how this event - whether real or imagined - impacts on the constellation of people around Ann.
The novel explores some of the uglier of human failings including child sexual abuse and drug use and one scene in particular was so horrific to me that I think I must have somehow read it with my eyes closed. A character named Tom Cross is interesting. He is at times unredeemable and at other times just tragic. His fate in the final chapter doesn't ring true for me. It's too easy. I love that his name is Tom "Cross" - a veiled reference to the cross he has to bear.
I was happy to discover that Guterson has two other novels: East of the Mountains and The Drowned Son. I am starting East of the Mountains this weekend. I'll let you know how it goes!
David Guterson is the author of one of my all time favorite novels - Snow Falling on Cedars - so I picked this book up hoping to find something similar. While I didn't find it as lyrical as Snow Falling on Cedars, I did enjoy it and I recommend it.
Our Lady of the Forest is the story of a 15 year old runaway named Ann who, while picking mushrooms in the rainy forests of the Pacific northwest, sees a vision of the Virgin Mary. Guterson explores how this event - whether real or imagined - impacts on the constellation of people around Ann.
The novel explores some of the uglier of human failings including child sexual abuse and drug use and one scene in particular was so horrific to me that I think I must have somehow read it with my eyes closed. A character named Tom Cross is interesting. He is at times unredeemable and at other times just tragic. His fate in the final chapter doesn't ring true for me. It's too easy. I love that his name is Tom "Cross" - a veiled reference to the cross he has to bear.
I was happy to discover that Guterson has two other novels: East of the Mountains and The Drowned Son. I am starting East of the Mountains this weekend. I'll let you know how it goes!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Book Review: Not Quite What I Was Planning
By Joni:
This isn't exactly a book review since I haven't actually read the book yet - but I fell in love with the idea of this book and couldn't wait to talk about it in our book club. (I have the book on order!!)
Here is the review on yesterday's NPR book review page:
NPR Book Talk: Not Quite What I Was Planning
Once asked to write a full story in six words, legend has it that novelist Ernest Hemingway responded: "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn."
This isn't exactly a book review since I haven't actually read the book yet - but I fell in love with the idea of this book and couldn't wait to talk about it in our book club. (I have the book on order!!)
Here is the review on yesterday's NPR book review page:
NPR Book Talk: Not Quite What I Was Planning
Once asked to write a full story in six words, legend has it that novelist Ernest Hemingway responded: "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn."
In this spirit of simple yet profound brevity, the online magazine Smith asked readers to write the story of their own lives in a single sentence. The result is Not Quite What I Was Planning, a collection of six-word memoirs by famous and not-so-famous writers, artists and musicians. Their stories are sometimes sad, often funny — and always concise.
The book is full of well-known names — from writer Dave Eggers (Fifteen years since last professional haircut), to singer Aimee Mann (Couldn't cope so I wrote songs), to comedian Stephen Colbert (Well, I thought it was funny).
The collection has plenty of six-word insights from everyday folks as well: Love me or leave me alone was scrawled on a hand dryer in a public bathroom; I still make coffee for two was penned by a 27-year-old who had just been dumped.
Larry Smith, founding editor of Smith magazine, and Rachel Fershleiser, Smith's memoir editor, talk about the experience of capturing real-life stories in six words — no more, no less.
Fershleiser's six-word memoir? Bespectacled, besneakered, read and ran around. And Smith's: Big hair, big heart, big hurry.
The following are a few entries:
After Harvard, had baby with crackhead.
- Robin Templeton
70 years, few tears, hairy ears.
- Bill Querengesser
Watching quietly from every door frame.
- Nicole Resseguie
Catholic school backfired. Sin is in!
- Nikki Beland
Savior complex makes for many disappointments.
- Alanna Schubach
Nobody cared, then they did. Why?
- Chuck Klosterman
Some cross-eyed kid, forgotten then found.
- Diana Welch
She said she was negative. Damn.
- Ryan McRae
Born in the desert, still thirsty.
- Georgene Nunn
A sake mom, not soccer mom.
- Shawna Hausman
I asked. They answered. I wrote.
- Sebastian Junger
No future, no past. Not lost.
- Matt Brensilver
Extremely responsible, secretly longed for spontaneity.
- Sabra Jennings
Joined Army. Came out. Got booted.
- Johan Baumeister
Almost a victim of my family
- Chuck Sangster
The psychic said I'd be richer.
- Elizabeth Bernstein
Grumpy old soundman needs love, too.
- Lennie Rosengard
Mom died, Dad screwed us over.
- Lesley Kysely
Painful nerd kid, happy nerd adult.
- Linda Williamson
Write about sex, learn about love.
- Martha Garvey
So Book Club friends - What do you think? Can you write your autobiography is six words?
Monday, October 15, 2007
Book Review: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
By Joni:
Kurt Vonnegut is one of my all time favorite authors and Slaughterhouse Five is in my top ten list of favorite books.
One of the most interesting things to me about this book is the incredibly diverse interpretations people can have of it. The story is about a man named Billy Pilgrim who was inept as a soldier during World War II but manages to survive being a Prisoner of War (held captive in an old slaughterhouse - "Slaughterhouse Five") and later returns home to a safe albeit dull existence.
The narrative of the story jumps from time period to time period. One moment Billy is still in Germany as a young man, the next moment he is at a luncheoon for optometrists as a middle aged man. The explanation for this scattershot narrative is that Billy has become "unstuck in time" - time traveling from moment to moment of his life.
A bizarre subplot is that, during one moment of his life, he meets and is kidnapped by aliens named Tralfamadorians who place him in a zoo-like setting on their planet and observe him.
I know. I know. It sounds bizarre but - when I read Slaughterhouse Five - I never took the whole time travel / aliens stuff literally. To me, it was more like commentary about memory and the infinite number of moments - sad, beautiful, absurd moments - that make up a lifetime.
And as for the aliens, Vonnegut described them as looking like a toilet plunger. All of Vonnegut's novels have odd subplots and it's no secret that Vonnegut was a fatalist. His personal experiences early in his life forever shattered any optimism in him. At 19, he was (like Billy Pilgrim) a POW in a German work camp. He was also witness to the tragic Allied fire-bombing of Dresden, Germany. This was one of the most controversial events of WWII. Many believe that the war was already won and that the bombing of a peaceful town with no military significance was an unnecessary slaughter. As a POW, the Germans forced Vonnegut to find and bury the corpses of the men, women, and children killed. Some estimates say between 25,000 and 30,000 civilians died in this bombing. Vonnegut struggled with depression for the rest of his life. He was also an outspoken pacifist.
Every time you read Slaughterhouse Five you find something new. It's about fatalism and pacifism and free will and the absurdity of the human experience. Vonnegut was a genius. He died this year - April 11, 2007.
So it goes.
Kurt Vonnegut is one of my all time favorite authors and Slaughterhouse Five is in my top ten list of favorite books.
One of the most interesting things to me about this book is the incredibly diverse interpretations people can have of it. The story is about a man named Billy Pilgrim who was inept as a soldier during World War II but manages to survive being a Prisoner of War (held captive in an old slaughterhouse - "Slaughterhouse Five") and later returns home to a safe albeit dull existence.
The narrative of the story jumps from time period to time period. One moment Billy is still in Germany as a young man, the next moment he is at a luncheoon for optometrists as a middle aged man. The explanation for this scattershot narrative is that Billy has become "unstuck in time" - time traveling from moment to moment of his life.
A bizarre subplot is that, during one moment of his life, he meets and is kidnapped by aliens named Tralfamadorians who place him in a zoo-like setting on their planet and observe him.
I know. I know. It sounds bizarre but - when I read Slaughterhouse Five - I never took the whole time travel / aliens stuff literally. To me, it was more like commentary about memory and the infinite number of moments - sad, beautiful, absurd moments - that make up a lifetime.
And as for the aliens, Vonnegut described them as looking like a toilet plunger. All of Vonnegut's novels have odd subplots and it's no secret that Vonnegut was a fatalist. His personal experiences early in his life forever shattered any optimism in him. At 19, he was (like Billy Pilgrim) a POW in a German work camp. He was also witness to the tragic Allied fire-bombing of Dresden, Germany. This was one of the most controversial events of WWII. Many believe that the war was already won and that the bombing of a peaceful town with no military significance was an unnecessary slaughter. As a POW, the Germans forced Vonnegut to find and bury the corpses of the men, women, and children killed. Some estimates say between 25,000 and 30,000 civilians died in this bombing. Vonnegut struggled with depression for the rest of his life. He was also an outspoken pacifist.
Every time you read Slaughterhouse Five you find something new. It's about fatalism and pacifism and free will and the absurdity of the human experience. Vonnegut was a genius. He died this year - April 11, 2007.
So it goes.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Movie Review: Michael
By Joni:
Movie reviews are not cheating! It's our book club! We can do what we want! Besides, I just learned something about this movie that is really, really cool!
I have seen the movie "Michael" a couple of times but it wasn't until recently that I realized it was a retelling of the "Wizard of Oz" story! OMG, how dense am I that I missed it before? Andie McDowell's character is even named "Dorothy"!! There's a little dog, a "tin man" without a heart, and a long journey from Kansas (!!) to the Sear's Tower in Chicago wherer a little man controls things from behind the scenes. I love it! I liked the movie in it's own right before but now I can't wait to watch it again and look for more connections..... Anyone out there love this movie as much as I do?
Movie reviews are not cheating! It's our book club! We can do what we want! Besides, I just learned something about this movie that is really, really cool!
I have seen the movie "Michael" a couple of times but it wasn't until recently that I realized it was a retelling of the "Wizard of Oz" story! OMG, how dense am I that I missed it before? Andie McDowell's character is even named "Dorothy"!! There's a little dog, a "tin man" without a heart, and a long journey from Kansas (!!) to the Sear's Tower in Chicago wherer a little man controls things from behind the scenes. I love it! I liked the movie in it's own right before but now I can't wait to watch it again and look for more connections..... Anyone out there love this movie as much as I do?
Book Review: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
By Joni:
I initially picked up this book thinking it might be a light little chicklit read and I was looking for something light to read over the weekend.
It turns out, it wasn't that light. The story revolves around two friends growing up in 19th century Japan and it follows the girls from pre-pubescence through their childbearing years and later, for one of the girls, as an elderly woman reminicsing about her friend.
The accounts of the girls footbinding is pretty graphic and this is definitely worth reading if this practice has ever intrigued you. The book is also an interesting look at the roles gender and privilege played in Japanese society at the time.
Lisa See has a lyrical quality to her writing and, even though the subject is sometimes brutal, it's lovely to read and I recommend the book whole-heartedly.
After reading "Snow Flower" I looked for other books by See. I found a book called "Dragon Bones" that sounded good on the jacket but didn't hold my attention. I've heard "Peony in Love" is also very good but I haven't investigated it yet. Has anyone read Lisa See before?
I initially picked up this book thinking it might be a light little chicklit read and I was looking for something light to read over the weekend.
It turns out, it wasn't that light. The story revolves around two friends growing up in 19th century Japan and it follows the girls from pre-pubescence through their childbearing years and later, for one of the girls, as an elderly woman reminicsing about her friend.
The accounts of the girls footbinding is pretty graphic and this is definitely worth reading if this practice has ever intrigued you. The book is also an interesting look at the roles gender and privilege played in Japanese society at the time.
Lisa See has a lyrical quality to her writing and, even though the subject is sometimes brutal, it's lovely to read and I recommend the book whole-heartedly.
After reading "Snow Flower" I looked for other books by See. I found a book called "Dragon Bones" that sounded good on the jacket but didn't hold my attention. I've heard "Peony in Love" is also very good but I haven't investigated it yet. Has anyone read Lisa See before?
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