I've been busy and sad. One recent night, I dreamed I was lost, far from home and wearing the wrong shoes. Deaths in the family and a transition at work have me struggling to find the tools to cope with changes. Finding the time to write has seemed unmanageable and unimaginable. Reading, however, transports me.
Since I last posted, I have read:
"Freedom" by Jonathan Franzen. I borrowed it in hardcover from my friend Randy. Members of a white, middle-class suburban family make each other miserable. I loved it.
"What Was She Thinking?: Notes on a Scandal" by Zoe Heller. I got it from PaperBack Swap in CD. Hilarious, sarcastic, dark story of a teacher who has an affair with her teenaged student, then falls under the power of a so-called friend. The British-accented reader's (Nadia May) take on the friend made this book. I loved it.
"My Life as a Fake" by Peter Carey. I borrowed it in CD form from Dekalb County Public Library. Poetry magazine editor unravels the mystery of a writer who invented a great poet Frankenstein-style, then, Frankenstein-style, regretted it. I didn't like it. I didn't like Shelley's Frankenstein either. Though, I admit, I read that in high school and thought it was boring. Perhaps I should rethink.
"The Sorrow of the Elves" by Brian Bouldrey. I bought this in paperback from Gemma Media. This is my friend Brian's lovely and sad story written for adults learning to read. When illiterate adults learn to read, they would like to read something more grown-up than the "Magic Tree House" series. Ever think of that? Brian did.
"Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage" by Hazel Rowley. I read this with my book club in hardcover. Ann organized a group purchase from Amazon.com with free shipping. I was shocked to learn that Rowley died today. Everybody in my book club loved the book, which is pretty rare. It's a fascinating, detailed peek at the Roosevelts' unconventional marriage. It also reveals a lot about what life was like for the very rich and powerful in the early 1900s.
"A Lion Among Men" by Gregory Maguire. I borrowed the CD version from Dekalb County Public Library. It's the third book in the "Wicked" series, which is Maguire's reinvention of the Wizard of Oz story for grown-ups. Don't bother reading if you haven't read the first two. I didn't love it, but I enjoyed it. If there's a fourth book, I'll read it.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Giraffe by J.M. Ledgard
Why I chose to read this book: It's about a mass slaying of giraffes in communist Czechoslovakia, based on a true story. Sounded good.
How I first learned about this book: Browsing on PaperBackSwap.
Where I got it: PaperBackSwap. Even though it's a used book site, it came to me brand-new, wrapped in plastic.
What format I read it in: Audio. 6 CDs.
What my husband made for dinner: Chicken Ragu over linguine
What I think:
I found this a very difficult book to read. It was more like a really long poem than it was a story. The language and descriptions were beautiful. It was profound and moving in parts. However, it lacked a lot of the conventions we're used to when we read a story.
For one thing, everything happened in present tense. Except for revealing the ending, the giraffe slaughter, there was little foreshadowing or flashback. Some of the characters kind of ran into each other, but didn't really interact in meaningful ways. As events unfolded, there was no clue from the context how important anything was. Everything was written in a monotone.
Two clear metaphors compared people living under communism to sleepwalkers and to the giraffes. I most wanted to learn more about the day-to-day lives of ordinary people living under communism, but there was very little of that in the book. Except the message that they were all depressed. I was also fascinated by the very few descriptions of the physiology of giraffe anatomy. It had never occurred to me how profound the circulatory and skeletal differences had to be, just to keep such tall animals alive.
Overall, I was disappointed by the book. But the ending, and I don't think I'm giving anything away by saying it describes the giraffes' slaughter, was almost powerful enough to save it. It was that good.
How I first learned about this book: Browsing on PaperBackSwap.
Where I got it: PaperBackSwap. Even though it's a used book site, it came to me brand-new, wrapped in plastic.
What format I read it in: Audio. 6 CDs.
What my husband made for dinner: Chicken Ragu over linguine
What I think:
I found this a very difficult book to read. It was more like a really long poem than it was a story. The language and descriptions were beautiful. It was profound and moving in parts. However, it lacked a lot of the conventions we're used to when we read a story.
For one thing, everything happened in present tense. Except for revealing the ending, the giraffe slaughter, there was little foreshadowing or flashback. Some of the characters kind of ran into each other, but didn't really interact in meaningful ways. As events unfolded, there was no clue from the context how important anything was. Everything was written in a monotone.
Two clear metaphors compared people living under communism to sleepwalkers and to the giraffes. I most wanted to learn more about the day-to-day lives of ordinary people living under communism, but there was very little of that in the book. Except the message that they were all depressed. I was also fascinated by the very few descriptions of the physiology of giraffe anatomy. It had never occurred to me how profound the circulatory and skeletal differences had to be, just to keep such tall animals alive.
Overall, I was disappointed by the book. But the ending, and I don't think I'm giving anything away by saying it describes the giraffes' slaughter, was almost powerful enough to save it. It was that good.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Back When We Were Grownups
Why I chose to read this book: I was intrigued by Breathing Lessons and thought I might like this too.
How I first learned about this book: Browsing on PaperBackSwap.
Where I got it: PaperBackSwap.
What format I read it in: Audiobook. 8 CDs.
What my husband made for dinner: Sofrito Paella
What I think:
This is a very Anne Tyler book. It's about a woman's mid-life crisis, about ordinary people and their ordinary unhappiness and regrets. It's about the epiphany of learning to accept the way things are. Nothing really happens, but it's still interesting to watch.
I liked Rebecca, the main character, and the way she dealt with her big, blended family. And I felt comfortable immersed in the world of the Baltimore row house and professional party-giving that Tyler created. I hated the nicknames every character had, hated them so much it almost ruined the book for me. Consider: NoNo, Min Foo, Patch, Jeep, Zeb, Biddy and Poppy. Rebecca herself is called "Beck" until she stages an extremely mild rebellion, with limited success.
One of the themes in the book is how you transform from your younger self into your older self, and the nostalgia and also the weirdness of bridging the years. Rebecca reconnects with an old boyfriend who satisfyingly remembers the girl she was, but annoyingly makes assumptions about the woman she now is.
Another theme is loss and grief. Dispite his silly nickname, 100-year-old Poppy is profoundly wise when he says, ''People imagine that missing a loved one works kind of like missing cigarettes. The first day is really hard but the next day is less hard and so forth, easier and easier the longer you go on. But instead it's like missing water. Every day, you notice the person's absence more.''
How I first learned about this book: Browsing on PaperBackSwap.
Where I got it: PaperBackSwap.
What format I read it in: Audiobook. 8 CDs.
What my husband made for dinner: Sofrito Paella
What I think:
This is a very Anne Tyler book. It's about a woman's mid-life crisis, about ordinary people and their ordinary unhappiness and regrets. It's about the epiphany of learning to accept the way things are. Nothing really happens, but it's still interesting to watch.
I liked Rebecca, the main character, and the way she dealt with her big, blended family. And I felt comfortable immersed in the world of the Baltimore row house and professional party-giving that Tyler created. I hated the nicknames every character had, hated them so much it almost ruined the book for me. Consider: NoNo, Min Foo, Patch, Jeep, Zeb, Biddy and Poppy. Rebecca herself is called "Beck" until she stages an extremely mild rebellion, with limited success.
One of the themes in the book is how you transform from your younger self into your older self, and the nostalgia and also the weirdness of bridging the years. Rebecca reconnects with an old boyfriend who satisfyingly remembers the girl she was, but annoyingly makes assumptions about the woman she now is.
Another theme is loss and grief. Dispite his silly nickname, 100-year-old Poppy is profoundly wise when he says, ''People imagine that missing a loved one works kind of like missing cigarettes. The first day is really hard but the next day is less hard and so forth, easier and easier the longer you go on. But instead it's like missing water. Every day, you notice the person's absence more.''
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson
Why I chose to read this book: My book club selected it for our January meeting.
How I first learned about this book: My friend Cheryl chose it for book club.
Where I got it: Borders at Northlake. I had a coupon.
What format I'm reading it in: Paperback. 307 pages.
What my husband made for dinner tonight: Shitake and Bacon with Penne
What I think:
This was not a page-turner. It's one of those books where every word is carefully chosen and every sentence carefully crafted, so you have to read it slowly and savor everything. I could have loved it, but its themes became tedious. It was very hard to get into, then it started to get good, then it got boring again. The ending was unsatisfying.
The book is about three men who are friends. Two are Jewish and have both recently lost their wives. The other is constantly looking for his soul mate. What it's really about is what it means to be Jewish, antisemitism, Israel and Palestine. I don't imagine anyone not Jewish would be interested at all.
It's also a very male-centered book. Men talking about women, aging, Jews, Israel. I wasn't interested in what they had to say. However, the writing is beautiful, the characters are realistic, and many of the lines of dialog are so funny I laughed out loud. But I think, only funny if you're Jewish.
How I first learned about this book: My friend Cheryl chose it for book club.
Where I got it: Borders at Northlake. I had a coupon.
What format I'm reading it in: Paperback. 307 pages.
What my husband made for dinner tonight: Shitake and Bacon with Penne
What I think:
This was not a page-turner. It's one of those books where every word is carefully chosen and every sentence carefully crafted, so you have to read it slowly and savor everything. I could have loved it, but its themes became tedious. It was very hard to get into, then it started to get good, then it got boring again. The ending was unsatisfying.
The book is about three men who are friends. Two are Jewish and have both recently lost their wives. The other is constantly looking for his soul mate. What it's really about is what it means to be Jewish, antisemitism, Israel and Palestine. I don't imagine anyone not Jewish would be interested at all.
It's also a very male-centered book. Men talking about women, aging, Jews, Israel. I wasn't interested in what they had to say. However, the writing is beautiful, the characters are realistic, and many of the lines of dialog are so funny I laughed out loud. But I think, only funny if you're Jewish.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
A Winner: Stewed Chicken
G made Stewed Chicken: Kota Kokinisti tonight before he left for work. The whole kitchen smelled delicious. The chicken was so tender it fell off the bone. I can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Mizithra is a Greek cheese; he found it at Your Dekalb Farmer's Market. There are a lot of strange cheeses in our refrigerator now. I'm eager to eat what's coming next.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Possible Side Effects Verdict
Possible Side Effects was hilarious. I laughed out loud several times. Augusten Burroughs' stories are wickedly funny while poignant and disturbing at the same time.
In one story, a 9-year-old Burroughs gets into a truck with a strange man who promises to show him a litter of puppies. As it turns out, there really are puppies and Burroughs ends up adopting one. Everything in the story turns out OK. Burroughs even ends the story by literally saying that everything is fine. And like all his stories on the audiobook, it ends with a cheery little musical bit.
But we know from reading Running With Scissors that things do not turn out fine for Burroughs. His mother's mental illness and his parents' neglect put him in dangerous situations that have serious, long-lasting negative consequences. He reminds us several times throughout Possible Side Effects that he is permanently damaged. It's that edge of danger and anger that make Burroughs' stories so interesting and his humor so dark.
In one story, a 9-year-old Burroughs gets into a truck with a strange man who promises to show him a litter of puppies. As it turns out, there really are puppies and Burroughs ends up adopting one. Everything in the story turns out OK. Burroughs even ends the story by literally saying that everything is fine. And like all his stories on the audiobook, it ends with a cheery little musical bit.
But we know from reading Running With Scissors that things do not turn out fine for Burroughs. His mother's mental illness and his parents' neglect put him in dangerous situations that have serious, long-lasting negative consequences. He reminds us several times throughout Possible Side Effects that he is permanently damaged. It's that edge of danger and anger that make Burroughs' stories so interesting and his humor so dark.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Stunned Into Niceness
I chatted today on Facebook with my friend Rich. We hung out together in high school and still keep in touch. He's very smart and funny, often sarcastic and sometimes acerbic, so watch out. Remind you of anyone?
He said he had given his niece the address of my blog, and she may be in touch. I'd certainly love to hear from Rich's niece, or anyone's niece for that matter. I have nieces of my own, and they are pretty, clever people. But why would Rich's niece want to get in touch with me? He said it's because she's an aspiring writer and she should learn from the best! Well, you know Rich does not hand out the compliments so freely. So, I just melted like butter. Acerbic comments of the past all forgotten. Slate wiped clean.
So anyone who wants to send a niece to my blog to get some writing advice, go right ahead. I'm a college professor and I teach writing to students all day every day (except weekends, major holidays, most of December, the entire summer and one week in March) so I actually have lots of words of wisdom. All I need is someone motivated enough to listen. Take advantage; I'm not always so nice. But it isn't every day I get a compliment from my friend Rich.
For dinner tonight, Gerard outdid himself with horseradish and garlic prime rib with wild mushroom sauce and leftover Gerard rice on the side. Dinner was late, so he made me a martini. Smirnoff vodka and garlic stuffed olives.
What is the best compliment you've ever received or one that you didn't expect? Send your comments. Let's get a dialog going about how wonderful we all are and drum up some positive energy.
He said he had given his niece the address of my blog, and she may be in touch. I'd certainly love to hear from Rich's niece, or anyone's niece for that matter. I have nieces of my own, and they are pretty, clever people. But why would Rich's niece want to get in touch with me? He said it's because she's an aspiring writer and she should learn from the best! Well, you know Rich does not hand out the compliments so freely. So, I just melted like butter. Acerbic comments of the past all forgotten. Slate wiped clean.
So anyone who wants to send a niece to my blog to get some writing advice, go right ahead. I'm a college professor and I teach writing to students all day every day (except weekends, major holidays, most of December, the entire summer and one week in March) so I actually have lots of words of wisdom. All I need is someone motivated enough to listen. Take advantage; I'm not always so nice. But it isn't every day I get a compliment from my friend Rich.
For dinner tonight, Gerard outdid himself with horseradish and garlic prime rib with wild mushroom sauce and leftover Gerard rice on the side. Dinner was late, so he made me a martini. Smirnoff vodka and garlic stuffed olives.
What is the best compliment you've ever received or one that you didn't expect? Send your comments. Let's get a dialog going about how wonderful we all are and drum up some positive energy.
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