19. Bossypants by Tina Fey. SOOO funny! If you like Tina Fey, you will like her book. If you like Liz Lemon (her character on 30 Rock), you will like this book. I kept laughing and Violet would look at me with a warning in her eye -- Are you done, lady? Because I'm serious. She does not like sudden noises or loud noises because she is a baby.
And the books read on Kindle (which need to be segregated because for me, reading on the Kindle is still a different experience from reading a real book. Yes, I think of paper books as REAL and electronic books as e-books, something else entirely):
And I'm sorry to say that I don't remember too many details about some of them because they were read when I had a newborn and my memory from that time is not good. But I'll tell you if I liked them or not, okay?
20. The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsh. Liked it. You would, too. Historical mystery/thriller with murder and children and witchcraft and hangmen!
21. Impact by Douglas Preston. You'd like it if you like other books by Douglas Preston. Adventure, thriller, lots of characters, I bet. To be honest, I don't remember this one at all.
* Okay, I just refreshed my memory with the help of Amazon's description, and it IS a fun book. I like the main character in it, Wyman Ford, rogue ex-CIA agent. So I can recommend it if you like this genre.
22. Poser: My Life in Twenty-three Yoga Poses by Claire Dederer. I liked it but kind of in spite of thinking she is sort of annoying. It was interesting for me because she talks about raising her kids and feeling some pressure to use the Attachment Parenting style (co-sleeping, baby-wearing, etc...) and I'm thinking a lot about parenting styles. She also talks about living in Chautauqua for a year, which is in Boulder, Colorado, and I lived in Boulder for some years and believe Chautauqua to be the epicenter of hippiedom. So it was fun to get a glimpse into the weirdness there. Plus she talks about trying to force her way through yoga rather than relaxing, and I am Type-A in some aspects of my life. And I like yoga! If all that stuff is interesting to you, then I recommend the book, but if not, skip it.
Oh, and I liked reading about her weird childhood near Seattle. Her parents separated when she was little but never got divorced and tried to pretend like that was normal and better than divorcing. But it was just weird for the author and her brother.
--
And now I'm caught up again.
The baby's asleep in the evening! What should I do? What should I do? There are 47 things I'd like to do, but I get a type of paralysis now when I actually have free time! I better get going or I'll waste it.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Hello, Strangers!
Oh, that's right. I'm the stranger. You know what? It's difficult to blog when you have a baby to take care of. When she's sleeping or playing by herself, I usually use that time to get up and move around rather than sit at the computer.
Here's what I do while holding her:
*Read
*Watch TV
*Watch movies
*Look at the internet on a laptop, but rarely type anything because I'm holding the baby
*Look at the internet on my smartphone
*Eat things that don't require silverware
*Try to cut her magically fast-growing fingernails (luckily I haven't had to cut her toenails yet since she somehow files them down by rubbing her feet inside her socks)
Here's what I do when she lets me put her down:
*Exercise -- how I miss the days when I could do as much as I wanted! Right now I would love to spend about two hours a day, including weights or cardio + yoga + a walk. Some days I only get 10 minutes and on a few rare days I've actually managed the above-mentioned 2 hours!
*Prepare food, eat, and wash dishes
*Take a shower or bath (I'm lucky if this happens every other day, and I really prefer to shower EVERY day)
*Spot-clean the house. One day I clean a bathroom and the next maybe I finally put away laundry (I am able to wash, dry, and fold clothes almost daily but putting them away is another story)
Violet's now 4 months old and she has discovered the joy of playing with toys, which is awesome! I used to be her only toy but now she can be awake and happy without me holding her. Don't get me wrong, I love to hold her and still do it for hours every day (especially in the evenings, when she simply MUST be held by her mama). I know some day she will be horrified at the thought of spending time with me and I am enjoying it while it lasts! But I do enjoy having a couple of hours each day when I can do something else.
Now, on to the book list. Here are the books I've been reading:
(and sorry if I don't have time to add links. I know that sucks, but I'm afraid I might have to half-ass it or not do it a-tall.)
1. Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston. A really nice-sized little book about decluttering. I like it. I'll keep it and re-read parts of it later, when I have more time to sort things. I would really like to do another sweep of all my stuff (I did one about a year ago and got rid of a lot of stuff and it felt great. Once I lose some more pregnancy weight I want to try on all my clothes and get rid of stuff that's too small or that I don't like or that I think I'll never wear. I've got 13 pounds to go!)
2. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett. This was recommended (and given to me) by my friends Joe and Emily and it is a great, funny novel about the end of the world. A demon and an angel who are both stationed on earth and who have become friends over many, many years are the main protagonists. I must point out that it is BRITISH humor, so if you don't like that, do not read this book.
3-7. The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins. Shit, these are good books. They're for teens or tweens or 11-year-olds and are about a seemingly normal kid who gets sucked into an underground land where he is thought to be The Warrior of their prophecies. He's brave and kind and good. Don't we love epic quests with pure-hearted heros? If you do, read this series. The individual titles are: Gregor the Overlander, Gregor and the Prophecy of the Bane, Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods, Gregor and the Marks of Secret, Gregor and the Code of Claw. WARNING: if you start reading the first one, you probably will not stop reading until you've completed all five.
8 & 9. If Books Could Kill and Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle. These are cozies (light mysteries) with a heroine who is a bookbinder. They're fun, light reads but I won't insist that you read them.
10. If Morning Ever Comes by Anne Tyler. I love Anne Tyler and her quirky, thoughtful characters. Sometimes there's just no point to the story, and it's more of a character study, and I think this is one of those. Here are some things that I liked:
"A tune began in his head, hummed nonchalantly by that sexless, anonymous voice that lived inside him and always spoke words as he read them and thoughts as he thought them."
and
"He never could have the feeling that the whole family was under one roof and taken care of; one always had to be out wandering around somewhere beyond his jurisdiction." What a great use of that word!
11. I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron. This is a collection of essays about this and that and aging. I'm 34 and found it very funny and relevant. You don't have to be Nora's age to enjoy it. Here are a couple things I particularly liked:
She's at a movie theater and the movie isn't properly centered on the screen. She's the only one who will go and complain about it. "By the time I got back to my seat, the image on-screen had been reframed, although not perfectly, but by then I was too exhausted by my heroism to complain further."
and
She finds an online game called Scrabble Blitz and says, "I began playing it without a clue that within one day -- I am not exaggerating -- it would fry my brain."
12. The Great Fitness Experiment by Charlotte Hilton Andersen. Well, I wouldn't call it "great" but it was kind of fun. Each month for a year, she and some friends tried a new style of working out and/or a new eating style to see what results they'd get. That's fun for someone like me, because I like to work out and I like trying new stuff. BUT, it would have been more useful if she had done the programs for more like 2 months, since 1 month is too short to really know if it's going to work. AND sometimes she didn't really do the program. Like, she'd read about it but instead of buying the DVD or the program, she'd just make up something that she thought was close enough. Um, if you're writing a book, try to get the publisher to pay for the DVDs you need to write the book! So, kind of fun but not quite good enough.
13. Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott. This is subtitled, "A Journal of My Son's First Year." This woman raised her son as a single mother and it sounds like hell. I can't imagine being alone with a newborn ALL THE TIME. Her entries are funny and sad and I read it while Violet was a newborn and was so grateful to have my husband! She had a bunch of great friends who helped her and I guess that's what you have to do if you are a single mom -- let people help you or hire people to help you. Anyway, I recommend this book if you think it sounds at all appealing, or if you are about to be a parent so you will be able to think, "man, this is really hard but at least I'm not a single mom." or "fuck, it's really hard being a single mom, but if that crazy Anne Lamott with her author photo of herself with white-lady dreads can do it, so can I!" (Plus I just Googled her and she wears those crazy white-lady dreads still, apparently. That must be her thing.)
14. Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell. A good Swedish detective novel. There is a whole series starring police inspector Kurt Wallander, who is separated from his wife and semi-estranged from his father and daughter and keeps getting a little fatter and less together. He's likable and you root for him to get his shit together. I like the writing and the glimpse into Swedish life.
15. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Why did I decide to read this? I don't know. Partly because Raj read it on "Big Bang Theory." Partly because sometimes I just need a little life-affirming influence in my life and I don't live in Boulder anymore so I can't get it from hippies. It's what you would expect: uplifting and funny and also sad. But it also has cussing! And it was fun to read about Italy, and an ashram in India, and what it's like in Indonesia. I have to admit that I really enjoyed it and maybe I don't care if you think I'm a dork.
16. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. I really liked this one! It covers three different time periods and sets of characters. Nell was a lost little girl who showed up alone on a ship in Australia. Her granddaughter tries to find out how that happened after Nell has died. The granddaughter uncovers the story of Nell's parents and her very early childhood. It's really good. I did feel a tiny bit befuddled sometimes with the switching back and forth between times, but I really believe that was because I was so sleep-deprived and distracted. I think you'll keep up just fine and really like it.
17. Gideon's Sword by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Well, I love these guys for their Pendergast novels, and this is a new series with a new character: Gideon Crew. I don't like him as much as Pendergast, but he might grow on me in future adventures. He's smart and handy and has good reasons to be a loose cannon. Overall, not as much of a page-turner for me as some of their other novels, but appealing enough that I will check out the next one in the series.
18. Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan. This mystery felt like something new. It wasn't a comforting novel following the usual pattern, and I felt like I could not predict what was going to happen. It's smart, well-written, with interesting and mysterious characters (is the main guy good or bad? do we like him? can we readers trust him?) and a strong plot. I definitely recommend it.
I read some more on my kindle, but I'll report on those next time.
See you soon, hopefully!
Here's what I do while holding her:
*Read
*Watch TV
*Watch movies
*Look at the internet on a laptop, but rarely type anything because I'm holding the baby
*Look at the internet on my smartphone
*Eat things that don't require silverware
*Try to cut her magically fast-growing fingernails (luckily I haven't had to cut her toenails yet since she somehow files them down by rubbing her feet inside her socks)
Here's what I do when she lets me put her down:
*Exercise -- how I miss the days when I could do as much as I wanted! Right now I would love to spend about two hours a day, including weights or cardio + yoga + a walk. Some days I only get 10 minutes and on a few rare days I've actually managed the above-mentioned 2 hours!
*Prepare food, eat, and wash dishes
*Take a shower or bath (I'm lucky if this happens every other day, and I really prefer to shower EVERY day)
*Spot-clean the house. One day I clean a bathroom and the next maybe I finally put away laundry (I am able to wash, dry, and fold clothes almost daily but putting them away is another story)
Violet's now 4 months old and she has discovered the joy of playing with toys, which is awesome! I used to be her only toy but now she can be awake and happy without me holding her. Don't get me wrong, I love to hold her and still do it for hours every day (especially in the evenings, when she simply MUST be held by her mama). I know some day she will be horrified at the thought of spending time with me and I am enjoying it while it lasts! But I do enjoy having a couple of hours each day when I can do something else.
Now, on to the book list. Here are the books I've been reading:
(and sorry if I don't have time to add links. I know that sucks, but I'm afraid I might have to half-ass it or not do it a-tall.)
1. Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston. A really nice-sized little book about decluttering. I like it. I'll keep it and re-read parts of it later, when I have more time to sort things. I would really like to do another sweep of all my stuff (I did one about a year ago and got rid of a lot of stuff and it felt great. Once I lose some more pregnancy weight I want to try on all my clothes and get rid of stuff that's too small or that I don't like or that I think I'll never wear. I've got 13 pounds to go!)
2. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett. This was recommended (and given to me) by my friends Joe and Emily and it is a great, funny novel about the end of the world. A demon and an angel who are both stationed on earth and who have become friends over many, many years are the main protagonists. I must point out that it is BRITISH humor, so if you don't like that, do not read this book.
3-7. The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins. Shit, these are good books. They're for teens or tweens or 11-year-olds and are about a seemingly normal kid who gets sucked into an underground land where he is thought to be The Warrior of their prophecies. He's brave and kind and good. Don't we love epic quests with pure-hearted heros? If you do, read this series. The individual titles are: Gregor the Overlander, Gregor and the Prophecy of the Bane, Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods, Gregor and the Marks of Secret, Gregor and the Code of Claw. WARNING: if you start reading the first one, you probably will not stop reading until you've completed all five.
8 & 9. If Books Could Kill and Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle. These are cozies (light mysteries) with a heroine who is a bookbinder. They're fun, light reads but I won't insist that you read them.
10. If Morning Ever Comes by Anne Tyler. I love Anne Tyler and her quirky, thoughtful characters. Sometimes there's just no point to the story, and it's more of a character study, and I think this is one of those. Here are some things that I liked:
"A tune began in his head, hummed nonchalantly by that sexless, anonymous voice that lived inside him and always spoke words as he read them and thoughts as he thought them."
and
"He never could have the feeling that the whole family was under one roof and taken care of; one always had to be out wandering around somewhere beyond his jurisdiction." What a great use of that word!
11. I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron. This is a collection of essays about this and that and aging. I'm 34 and found it very funny and relevant. You don't have to be Nora's age to enjoy it. Here are a couple things I particularly liked:
She's at a movie theater and the movie isn't properly centered on the screen. She's the only one who will go and complain about it. "By the time I got back to my seat, the image on-screen had been reframed, although not perfectly, but by then I was too exhausted by my heroism to complain further."
and
She finds an online game called Scrabble Blitz and says, "I began playing it without a clue that within one day -- I am not exaggerating -- it would fry my brain."
12. The Great Fitness Experiment by Charlotte Hilton Andersen. Well, I wouldn't call it "great" but it was kind of fun. Each month for a year, she and some friends tried a new style of working out and/or a new eating style to see what results they'd get. That's fun for someone like me, because I like to work out and I like trying new stuff. BUT, it would have been more useful if she had done the programs for more like 2 months, since 1 month is too short to really know if it's going to work. AND sometimes she didn't really do the program. Like, she'd read about it but instead of buying the DVD or the program, she'd just make up something that she thought was close enough. Um, if you're writing a book, try to get the publisher to pay for the DVDs you need to write the book! So, kind of fun but not quite good enough.
13. Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott. This is subtitled, "A Journal of My Son's First Year." This woman raised her son as a single mother and it sounds like hell. I can't imagine being alone with a newborn ALL THE TIME. Her entries are funny and sad and I read it while Violet was a newborn and was so grateful to have my husband! She had a bunch of great friends who helped her and I guess that's what you have to do if you are a single mom -- let people help you or hire people to help you. Anyway, I recommend this book if you think it sounds at all appealing, or if you are about to be a parent so you will be able to think, "man, this is really hard but at least I'm not a single mom." or "fuck, it's really hard being a single mom, but if that crazy Anne Lamott with her author photo of herself with white-lady dreads can do it, so can I!" (Plus I just Googled her and she wears those crazy white-lady dreads still, apparently. That must be her thing.)
14. Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell. A good Swedish detective novel. There is a whole series starring police inspector Kurt Wallander, who is separated from his wife and semi-estranged from his father and daughter and keeps getting a little fatter and less together. He's likable and you root for him to get his shit together. I like the writing and the glimpse into Swedish life.
15. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Why did I decide to read this? I don't know. Partly because Raj read it on "Big Bang Theory." Partly because sometimes I just need a little life-affirming influence in my life and I don't live in Boulder anymore so I can't get it from hippies. It's what you would expect: uplifting and funny and also sad. But it also has cussing! And it was fun to read about Italy, and an ashram in India, and what it's like in Indonesia. I have to admit that I really enjoyed it and maybe I don't care if you think I'm a dork.
16. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. I really liked this one! It covers three different time periods and sets of characters. Nell was a lost little girl who showed up alone on a ship in Australia. Her granddaughter tries to find out how that happened after Nell has died. The granddaughter uncovers the story of Nell's parents and her very early childhood. It's really good. I did feel a tiny bit befuddled sometimes with the switching back and forth between times, but I really believe that was because I was so sleep-deprived and distracted. I think you'll keep up just fine and really like it.
17. Gideon's Sword by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Well, I love these guys for their Pendergast novels, and this is a new series with a new character: Gideon Crew. I don't like him as much as Pendergast, but he might grow on me in future adventures. He's smart and handy and has good reasons to be a loose cannon. Overall, not as much of a page-turner for me as some of their other novels, but appealing enough that I will check out the next one in the series.
18. Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan. This mystery felt like something new. It wasn't a comforting novel following the usual pattern, and I felt like I could not predict what was going to happen. It's smart, well-written, with interesting and mysterious characters (is the main guy good or bad? do we like him? can we readers trust him?) and a strong plot. I definitely recommend it.
I read some more on my kindle, but I'll report on those next time.
See you soon, hopefully!
Saturday, November 27, 2010
More Complaining!
I forgot to complain about two pregnancy symptoms yesterday.
1. My teeth hurt! I feel like I can't even thoroughly chew my food because they hurt. I can't wait to go to the dentist and get them cleaned after the baby gets here. It's recommended that you go during pregnancy, but I am so nauseated, I'm not letting anyone put their hands in my mouth. I'm just brushing and flossing a lot while I wait.
2. My wrists and elbows hurt! Pregnancy often makes carpal tunnel syndrome a lot worse, and mine is bad enough to begin with. For an example of how bad it is now, Jason got himself a new rifle on Black Friday and I was holding it, looking at the cool sight on it, and my elbow wore out after about 30 seconds. I just couldn't hold up the gun any longer. Youch!
I finished a book today:
#47: Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris. This is Harper Connelly mystery, and as usual, Harper "listens" to a dead person's bones and discovers the cause of death and then gets into trouble because of it. BUT in this episode, this stranger's death relates back to Harper's own family secrets. Entertaining as usual, and I didn't even notice any glaring problems with the writing or technical elements of the story. Good job, Charlaine! (FYI, I say that name in the most horrible southern accent!)
Do you have your Christmas tree up yet? I put ours up last weekend. I even have most of my presents wrapped. I always like to decorate, shop, and wrap early. I love Christmas. I hate shopping in crowds. I think it's so fun to have gifts under the tree. And this year in particular, I know I won't be able to concentrate much on people other than my new baby and my own little family. So I had to get it done early, or maybe not do it at all.
I still have a couple strands of lights to put up when I have the energy. I have about 100 things I'd like to do right now, but I don't have it in me. They will just have to wait!
1. My teeth hurt! I feel like I can't even thoroughly chew my food because they hurt. I can't wait to go to the dentist and get them cleaned after the baby gets here. It's recommended that you go during pregnancy, but I am so nauseated, I'm not letting anyone put their hands in my mouth. I'm just brushing and flossing a lot while I wait.
2. My wrists and elbows hurt! Pregnancy often makes carpal tunnel syndrome a lot worse, and mine is bad enough to begin with. For an example of how bad it is now, Jason got himself a new rifle on Black Friday and I was holding it, looking at the cool sight on it, and my elbow wore out after about 30 seconds. I just couldn't hold up the gun any longer. Youch!
I finished a book today:
#47: Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris. This is Harper Connelly mystery, and as usual, Harper "listens" to a dead person's bones and discovers the cause of death and then gets into trouble because of it. BUT in this episode, this stranger's death relates back to Harper's own family secrets. Entertaining as usual, and I didn't even notice any glaring problems with the writing or technical elements of the story. Good job, Charlaine! (FYI, I say that name in the most horrible southern accent!)
Do you have your Christmas tree up yet? I put ours up last weekend. I even have most of my presents wrapped. I always like to decorate, shop, and wrap early. I love Christmas. I hate shopping in crowds. I think it's so fun to have gifts under the tree. And this year in particular, I know I won't be able to concentrate much on people other than my new baby and my own little family. So I had to get it done early, or maybe not do it at all.
I still have a couple strands of lights to put up when I have the energy. I have about 100 things I'd like to do right now, but I don't have it in me. They will just have to wait!
Friday, November 26, 2010
Still Pregnant! Plus some books
Well, y'all, I'm 38 weeks along now and my little girl can't come soon enough! Oh, we're crowded! My poor leg is so pained from muscles and ligaments loosening up and moving into the wrong places and putting weird pressure on something where my inner thigh muscle and hamstring meet my groin. Sometimes it makes me cry to walk around the house. Sometimes my leg won't respond when I try to make it walk around. Sometimes it just hurts but still works. I can't wait for that to stop! It should stop pretty quickly after the baby is born and my body stops flooding itself with Relastin, the hormone that makes your muscles relax.
I'm also THRILLED at the thought of heartburn going away!! And the thought of sleeping as long as the baby will let me without waking up choking on vomit!! I think that problem might be known as GERD.
Jason's excited for me to stop snoring so much and so loudly. I also drool in my sleep. The insides of your nose swell up and then sometimes you have to breathe through your mouth, and you have to sleep on your side when you're pregnant, and you make extra saliva, but I don't remember why, and add it up together and it means lots of drool.
I can't wait to meet this girl! Who is she? What's she going to be like? What's she going to like? What will she look like? What will her voice sound like? We'll find out pretty soon.
Okay, some more books that I've read this year:
#38: Find Me, a mystery by Carol O'Connell. I like the protagonist, Kathy Mallory. She's pretty much a sociopathic cop and badass. In this one, we learn about how she was orphaned and why she has been calling hundreds of phone numbers and freaking out the women who answer by saying, "It's Kathy. I'm lost." She also tracks a serial killer who finds victims along Route 66.
#39: The Man Who Cast Two Shadows by Carol O'Connell. Another Mallory novel. Pretty fun.
#40: World Without End by Ken Follet. This is the sequel to The Pillars of the Earth. Each book is over 1,000 pages long, so I recommend getting them on your Kindle if you have one. If you are pregnant, it is surprisingly difficult to read giant books because it's not comfortable to prop them up on your stomach. This one takes place in the same locations as Pillars, but it's 200 years later. Some of the characters are descendants of those in Pillars. I think this one is just as good. It's a little different in that it doesn't immediately establish the good vs. evil dichotomy. There are people we don't like, but I didn't hate anyone right off the bat like in Pillars. It's an engaging, satisfying read.
I've read the following books on my Kindle, which Jason got me for my birthday this year. I really like it, but I know I will continue to read paper books, too. Huge books would be nicer on the Kindle. Books with pictures are better on paper. Books that you want to flip back and forth through are better on paper. And sometimes price will be the deciding factor. Most books are $9.99 on Kindle, but sometimes you find paper books much cheaper than that. Anyway, here's what I read:
#41: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. The old fashioned language in this one made me slow down and enjoy it more. It was fun, and pretty exciting.
#42: Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie. This was a cute, fun little mystery. Written in 1967, it has some funny stereotypes about the difference in attitude between Americans and British. Also funny: the American's idioms and catch phrases.
#43: Room by Emma Donoghue. In this novel, a young woman was kidnapped at age 19 and held by a wacko, locked in a room for 7 years. She bore his child, Jack, who tells us this story at age 5. It's really interesting -- she tried to make it seem like life was okay there, and that is was normal for them to be locked in the room. How else could she raise her son? But when he turns 5, she decides it might be time to try to get out. He doesn't even know that Outside is real, so it's quite a big upset in his life. If you can stand to read a whole novel in child-speak, it's definitely worth checking out.
#44: A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick. This novel takes place in the early 1900s in Wisconsin. A country businessman advertises for a new wife, and a woman comes to him, but it's not who he expected. There are a few twists and turns and a surprising amount of sex. It was okay.
#45: Little Bee by Chris Cleave. I don't want to share too much plot, but there is a teenage Nigerian girl and a middle-aged British woman. They meet once in Nigeria and then again in London a couple years later. I will tell you that something horrible happens, but the victim does not feel sorry for herself. She says something like, "celebrate my scars because it means I'm alive and I healed." It's good.
#46: At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson. This one's pretty fun. He goes room by room in an old British house, telling us all sorts of facts about architecture, vermin, industrialization, fashion, surgery, landscaping, and sewage, among other things.
Okay, I'm all caught up on finished books. I'm still in the middle of lots of other books, including several about babies. I may only finish 52 this year, or one per week. It's quite a difference from last year.
I'm also THRILLED at the thought of heartburn going away!! And the thought of sleeping as long as the baby will let me without waking up choking on vomit!! I think that problem might be known as GERD.
Jason's excited for me to stop snoring so much and so loudly. I also drool in my sleep. The insides of your nose swell up and then sometimes you have to breathe through your mouth, and you have to sleep on your side when you're pregnant, and you make extra saliva, but I don't remember why, and add it up together and it means lots of drool.
I can't wait to meet this girl! Who is she? What's she going to be like? What's she going to like? What will she look like? What will her voice sound like? We'll find out pretty soon.
Okay, some more books that I've read this year:
#38: Find Me, a mystery by Carol O'Connell. I like the protagonist, Kathy Mallory. She's pretty much a sociopathic cop and badass. In this one, we learn about how she was orphaned and why she has been calling hundreds of phone numbers and freaking out the women who answer by saying, "It's Kathy. I'm lost." She also tracks a serial killer who finds victims along Route 66.
#39: The Man Who Cast Two Shadows by Carol O'Connell. Another Mallory novel. Pretty fun.
#40: World Without End by Ken Follet. This is the sequel to The Pillars of the Earth. Each book is over 1,000 pages long, so I recommend getting them on your Kindle if you have one. If you are pregnant, it is surprisingly difficult to read giant books because it's not comfortable to prop them up on your stomach. This one takes place in the same locations as Pillars, but it's 200 years later. Some of the characters are descendants of those in Pillars. I think this one is just as good. It's a little different in that it doesn't immediately establish the good vs. evil dichotomy. There are people we don't like, but I didn't hate anyone right off the bat like in Pillars. It's an engaging, satisfying read.
I've read the following books on my Kindle, which Jason got me for my birthday this year. I really like it, but I know I will continue to read paper books, too. Huge books would be nicer on the Kindle. Books with pictures are better on paper. Books that you want to flip back and forth through are better on paper. And sometimes price will be the deciding factor. Most books are $9.99 on Kindle, but sometimes you find paper books much cheaper than that. Anyway, here's what I read:
#41: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. The old fashioned language in this one made me slow down and enjoy it more. It was fun, and pretty exciting.
#42: Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie. This was a cute, fun little mystery. Written in 1967, it has some funny stereotypes about the difference in attitude between Americans and British. Also funny: the American's idioms and catch phrases.
#43: Room by Emma Donoghue. In this novel, a young woman was kidnapped at age 19 and held by a wacko, locked in a room for 7 years. She bore his child, Jack, who tells us this story at age 5. It's really interesting -- she tried to make it seem like life was okay there, and that is was normal for them to be locked in the room. How else could she raise her son? But when he turns 5, she decides it might be time to try to get out. He doesn't even know that Outside is real, so it's quite a big upset in his life. If you can stand to read a whole novel in child-speak, it's definitely worth checking out.
#44: A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick. This novel takes place in the early 1900s in Wisconsin. A country businessman advertises for a new wife, and a woman comes to him, but it's not who he expected. There are a few twists and turns and a surprising amount of sex. It was okay.
#45: Little Bee by Chris Cleave. I don't want to share too much plot, but there is a teenage Nigerian girl and a middle-aged British woman. They meet once in Nigeria and then again in London a couple years later. I will tell you that something horrible happens, but the victim does not feel sorry for herself. She says something like, "celebrate my scars because it means I'm alive and I healed." It's good.
#46: At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson. This one's pretty fun. He goes room by room in an old British house, telling us all sorts of facts about architecture, vermin, industrialization, fashion, surgery, landscaping, and sewage, among other things.
Okay, I'm all caught up on finished books. I'm still in the middle of lots of other books, including several about babies. I may only finish 52 this year, or one per week. It's quite a difference from last year.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Books #32 - 37
Hello, friends!
I've been doing some reading since I last posted, though nowhere near as much as last year. I got a Kindle for my birthday, which I really like. It's nice to have multiple books in one little contraption. I still love paper books, with their pages and the smell of paper and the cover art and the ability to mark a page and turn back to look at it easily (you can bookmark with the Kindle, but I don't know how yet). Anyway, here are some books I've read recently:
#32: The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing. A couple push their luck by having a fifth baby when they already had a perfect family. And there's something different about him -- like he might be a throwback to one of our pre-Homo Sapiens ancestors! When I started feeling our baby kick, and seeing my stomach bulge and ripple, I couldn't help but think of this book, in which the little monster tortures his mom in utero. Since reading this, I saw an episode of the show "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" in which a woman's first baby had broken 3 of her ribs while kicking inside her body! The second, surprise baby barely moved at all. No wonder she didn't realize it was in there!
#33: Ben, In the World by Dorris Lessing. This is the sequel to The Fifth Child, in which the little monster heads out on a search for more of his own kind. Poor Ben. He's a little late.
#34: What Makes You Not A Buddhist by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse. I like reading about buddhism because it makes me feel calm and less enchanted by consumerism. But this is my least favorite buddhism book so far. It took me forever to read. I think the others I've read had some fun and humor in them, and this one had none.
#35: Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris. I love David Sedaris and his sister, Amy. This is a book of very short stories which star animals. It's illustrated by Ian Falconer. I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I enjoy David's stories about his own life, but it's okay. I guess I was expecting the same level of hilarity, but I did not find it here.
#36: The News Where You Are by Catherine O'Flynn. This is a winner! A local newscaster investigates the death of his friend and colleague. But the important thing is that the writing is fantastic. Try this:
"Frank didn't expect much from food, but he thought it shouldn't injure you."
and:
"Sometimes he imagined that he was the last person living after the bomb had dropped, and such thoughts inevitably failed to lift his mood."
#37: The Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver. As long as I can avoid seeing the author's photo (the hair -- oh man, the hair!), I really enjoy these mystery-thrillers starring Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs. In this one, someone is going to elaborate lengths to frame men for rapes and murders. There is physical evidence planted in their homes -- but how does anyone know what kind of beer, condoms, and shoes they recently bought? It's a pretty decent story about the evil potential of information-gathering companies.
I have a few more to report, and I'll be back soon to do so. Hey, there are lots of ways to define "soon."
I've been doing some reading since I last posted, though nowhere near as much as last year. I got a Kindle for my birthday, which I really like. It's nice to have multiple books in one little contraption. I still love paper books, with their pages and the smell of paper and the cover art and the ability to mark a page and turn back to look at it easily (you can bookmark with the Kindle, but I don't know how yet). Anyway, here are some books I've read recently:
#32: The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing. A couple push their luck by having a fifth baby when they already had a perfect family. And there's something different about him -- like he might be a throwback to one of our pre-Homo Sapiens ancestors! When I started feeling our baby kick, and seeing my stomach bulge and ripple, I couldn't help but think of this book, in which the little monster tortures his mom in utero. Since reading this, I saw an episode of the show "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" in which a woman's first baby had broken 3 of her ribs while kicking inside her body! The second, surprise baby barely moved at all. No wonder she didn't realize it was in there!
#33: Ben, In the World by Dorris Lessing. This is the sequel to The Fifth Child, in which the little monster heads out on a search for more of his own kind. Poor Ben. He's a little late.
#34: What Makes You Not A Buddhist by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse. I like reading about buddhism because it makes me feel calm and less enchanted by consumerism. But this is my least favorite buddhism book so far. It took me forever to read. I think the others I've read had some fun and humor in them, and this one had none.
#35: Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris. I love David Sedaris and his sister, Amy. This is a book of very short stories which star animals. It's illustrated by Ian Falconer. I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I enjoy David's stories about his own life, but it's okay. I guess I was expecting the same level of hilarity, but I did not find it here.
#36: The News Where You Are by Catherine O'Flynn. This is a winner! A local newscaster investigates the death of his friend and colleague. But the important thing is that the writing is fantastic. Try this:
"Frank didn't expect much from food, but he thought it shouldn't injure you."
and:
"Sometimes he imagined that he was the last person living after the bomb had dropped, and such thoughts inevitably failed to lift his mood."
#37: The Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver. As long as I can avoid seeing the author's photo (the hair -- oh man, the hair!), I really enjoy these mystery-thrillers starring Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs. In this one, someone is going to elaborate lengths to frame men for rapes and murders. There is physical evidence planted in their homes -- but how does anyone know what kind of beer, condoms, and shoes they recently bought? It's a pretty decent story about the evil potential of information-gathering companies.
I have a few more to report, and I'll be back soon to do so. Hey, there are lots of ways to define "soon."
Friday, October 1, 2010
Book #31
Martha Sandwieiss's Passing Strange sounds SO good! It is the true story of a white man living in New York in the late 1800s, going to hoity-toity clubs and fraternizing with movers and shakers. He's a well known and well respected geologist and writer. And he's got Jungle Fever. In his geologically oriented travels around the world, Clarence King decides that dark-skinned women are more natural and real, and they're the only ones who really attract him. But in Manhattan in those days, racial intermingling simply was not done.
So he starts sneaking out at night, frequenting black clubs and listening to black music. Did you know that many white men did so at that time, in the U.S. and in Europe? They'd leave all their identification at home in case they "got caught" and prowl around black neighborhoods, seeing what was going on in what they thought of as a more "real" world -- one with less artifice.
But that's not enough. Clarence King met Ada Copeland, a black former slave, and he gave her a fake name and identity: James Todd, black Pullman porter. And he married her and they had a bunch of kids! And he pretended for 13 years to be black! And he never told his friends (and certainly not his mother) that he was married! He lived a double life right in the same city.
Now, you can get most of that information off the book cover, so don't think I ruined it for you.
What a great story! Unfortunately, neither Ada nor Clarence/James left any diaries, letters, or other evidence about their thoughts or feelings toward each other. The story must therefore be told with a lot of, "we must suppose that..." and "it can be assumed that..." which is damn boring. Sandweiss also using an academic voice throughout, which reinforces the boredom. I think I would have rather read a fictionalized version of the story.
Here's a great line from one of King's letters to his friend, "You have always thought my alleged savagery of soul a mere attitudinizing but you were wrong." Try to use that somehow in your own life!
So he starts sneaking out at night, frequenting black clubs and listening to black music. Did you know that many white men did so at that time, in the U.S. and in Europe? They'd leave all their identification at home in case they "got caught" and prowl around black neighborhoods, seeing what was going on in what they thought of as a more "real" world -- one with less artifice.
But that's not enough. Clarence King met Ada Copeland, a black former slave, and he gave her a fake name and identity: James Todd, black Pullman porter. And he married her and they had a bunch of kids! And he pretended for 13 years to be black! And he never told his friends (and certainly not his mother) that he was married! He lived a double life right in the same city.
Now, you can get most of that information off the book cover, so don't think I ruined it for you.
What a great story! Unfortunately, neither Ada nor Clarence/James left any diaries, letters, or other evidence about their thoughts or feelings toward each other. The story must therefore be told with a lot of, "we must suppose that..." and "it can be assumed that..." which is damn boring. Sandweiss also using an academic voice throughout, which reinforces the boredom. I think I would have rather read a fictionalized version of the story.
Here's a great line from one of King's letters to his friend, "You have always thought my alleged savagery of soul a mere attitudinizing but you were wrong." Try to use that somehow in your own life!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Stuff and then More Books! # 23 -
Jeez, has it been long enough since I posted? All is well with the baby and everything else.
I went to the in-laws reunion and the horrid email writer was there, but he just pretended that nothing had happened and I just avoided him as much as possible. Since there were about 30 adults and 20 kids, it was easy to do without people wondering why I was snubbing him. I learned from another relative that he often writes really horrible, inappropriate emails. Somehow that made me feel better, even as it reveals him as an even bigger asshole.
My garden is giving up all kinds of good stuff now: basil, cilantro, dill, watermelons, corn, peas, tomatoes (finally!), hot peppers, bell peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, and spinach. And gourds. I am still waiting on potatoes and muskmelons and also for that glorious day when I can eat tomatoes until I'm sick of them. [Yeah, I think either tomato or potato doesn't have an "e" when pluralized, but I don't know which one. Just like G.W., I know.]. I have only been getting a few teeny tomatoes each day, which just whets the appetite without sating it.
I'm working on the baby's room and will share some photos later or tomorrow or sometime. It's so fun to imagine having a little girl living in that room! What's she going to be like? What will she look like? What will she like? Will she have one of those super-high-pitched little girl voices?? Oh man, I used to babysit a little girl whose voice was unbelievably high! It made me laugh every time she talked.
Okay, some books I've been reading:
#23: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson. The third in the trilogy. Tight writing, good plot development, very satisfying. I really want to talk about a problem I had with it, but it would spoil the book for you, and I'd rather you read it.
#24: Another Thing to Fall by Laura Lippman. A Baltimore-based mystery novel with a female P.I. as the star. It was okay. I have enjoyed other Lippman books much more. I think What the Dead Know was excellent. This was just okay.
#25: Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? by Lorrie Moore. A short novel about two young women. Pretty good. I loved her short story collection, Birds of America, more, but this is pretty good. Here are a couple great excerpts:
"I sang 'Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?' in a solo, in front of everyone, at Sunday service. At the end no one clapped, but you didn't at a church service. That was one of the things that was too bad about church."
and
"At vespers I actually prayed hard to God and on several occasions believed I felt the Holy Spirit enter me then silently cry out and flee."
#26: Faithful Place by Tana French. Another Ireland-based mystery novel from French. I really like her style. It's another story about a flawed detective who is drawn back to his home town to face up to events from earlier in his life. I'm not tired of that yet. There's a lot of the literary in her mysteries, so they're not just genre novels. Really good writing.
#27: The Burning Wire by Jeffrey Deaver. Another one starring Lincoln Rhyme, the paralyzed ex-crime scene detective, and his girlfriend/protege, Amelia Sachs. In this one, a killer with an expert knowledge of how to use and abuse electricity uses it to terrorize New York City. It might make you afraid of the outlets in your own house, if you're easily spooked. As usual, a good read.
#28: Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris. Another Sookie Stackhouse novel. These are total fluff, so don't expect too much. Fun to read, but I've already forgotten most of what happened.
#29: Terminal Freeze by Lincoln Child. Near the Arctic Circle, some ancient preserved creature is found. Is it the greatest scientific discovery of our time, or a monster that must not be awoken? Fast-moving, lots of characters, capable writing.
#30: Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler. I have liked Anne Tyler since I was a kid. Her novels are well-written easy reads, with quirky characters in odd situations. In this one, a 61-year old man is attacked in his home and becomes obsessed with remembering what happened. Forced into early retirement, he has plenty of time on his hands. His daughters, sister, ex-wife, and a surprising love interest harass him throughout the book.
I'm going to try to write more often! Maybe I can re-establish the habit of posting almost every day.
I went to the in-laws reunion and the horrid email writer was there, but he just pretended that nothing had happened and I just avoided him as much as possible. Since there were about 30 adults and 20 kids, it was easy to do without people wondering why I was snubbing him. I learned from another relative that he often writes really horrible, inappropriate emails. Somehow that made me feel better, even as it reveals him as an even bigger asshole.
My garden is giving up all kinds of good stuff now: basil, cilantro, dill, watermelons, corn, peas, tomatoes (finally!), hot peppers, bell peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, and spinach. And gourds. I am still waiting on potatoes and muskmelons and also for that glorious day when I can eat tomatoes until I'm sick of them. [Yeah, I think either tomato or potato doesn't have an "e" when pluralized, but I don't know which one. Just like G.W., I know.]. I have only been getting a few teeny tomatoes each day, which just whets the appetite without sating it.
I'm working on the baby's room and will share some photos later or tomorrow or sometime. It's so fun to imagine having a little girl living in that room! What's she going to be like? What will she look like? What will she like? Will she have one of those super-high-pitched little girl voices?? Oh man, I used to babysit a little girl whose voice was unbelievably high! It made me laugh every time she talked.
Okay, some books I've been reading:
#23: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson. The third in the trilogy. Tight writing, good plot development, very satisfying. I really want to talk about a problem I had with it, but it would spoil the book for you, and I'd rather you read it.
#24: Another Thing to Fall by Laura Lippman. A Baltimore-based mystery novel with a female P.I. as the star. It was okay. I have enjoyed other Lippman books much more. I think What the Dead Know was excellent. This was just okay.
#25: Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? by Lorrie Moore. A short novel about two young women. Pretty good. I loved her short story collection, Birds of America, more, but this is pretty good. Here are a couple great excerpts:
"I sang 'Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?' in a solo, in front of everyone, at Sunday service. At the end no one clapped, but you didn't at a church service. That was one of the things that was too bad about church."
and
"At vespers I actually prayed hard to God and on several occasions believed I felt the Holy Spirit enter me then silently cry out and flee."
#26: Faithful Place by Tana French. Another Ireland-based mystery novel from French. I really like her style. It's another story about a flawed detective who is drawn back to his home town to face up to events from earlier in his life. I'm not tired of that yet. There's a lot of the literary in her mysteries, so they're not just genre novels. Really good writing.
#27: The Burning Wire by Jeffrey Deaver. Another one starring Lincoln Rhyme, the paralyzed ex-crime scene detective, and his girlfriend/protege, Amelia Sachs. In this one, a killer with an expert knowledge of how to use and abuse electricity uses it to terrorize New York City. It might make you afraid of the outlets in your own house, if you're easily spooked. As usual, a good read.
#28: Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris. Another Sookie Stackhouse novel. These are total fluff, so don't expect too much. Fun to read, but I've already forgotten most of what happened.
#29: Terminal Freeze by Lincoln Child. Near the Arctic Circle, some ancient preserved creature is found. Is it the greatest scientific discovery of our time, or a monster that must not be awoken? Fast-moving, lots of characters, capable writing.
#30: Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler. I have liked Anne Tyler since I was a kid. Her novels are well-written easy reads, with quirky characters in odd situations. In this one, a 61-year old man is attacked in his home and becomes obsessed with remembering what happened. Forced into early retirement, he has plenty of time on his hands. His daughters, sister, ex-wife, and a surprising love interest harass him throughout the book.
I'm going to try to write more often! Maybe I can re-establish the habit of posting almost every day.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
More Books! #10 - 22
I've been doing some reading this spring, but since I read some of these books a couple months ago, I can't remember too many details about them.
#10: You Suck by Christopher Moore
I think Moore is really intelligently funny. This one is about vampires in San Francisco.
#11: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
This trilogy of books totally deserves its Best Seller status. They are fun, exciting, thrilling, and really well written. The plots are complicated and layered, but Larsson keeps them under control. The characters are well-developed. My only complaint is that there are a lot of horrible sex crimes in them, and I'd prefer not to read so much of that.
#12: The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
I tore through this one even faster than the first.
#13: Cemetery Dance by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
I really like the books by these two authors. They are thrillers with interesting (though absolutely unbelievable) plots and great characters. Special Agent Pendergast is a long-time favorite character who appears in this one.
#14: Fever Dream by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
This one felt rushed, like they'd often cheat to advance the plot by suddenly being in a new location and Agent Pendergast would explain to another character how he followed a clue to arrive there. Still fun to read -- if you're looking for excellent writing, you probably shouldn't look to genre novels in the first place :)
#15: The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Excellent novel about early civil rights-era relationships between those Southerners who employed black servants and the servants themselves. Not too upsetting for us sensitive types.
#16: Frankenstein: Dead and Alive by Dean Koontz
The third installment in this series of sci-fi thrillers. Frankenstein's monster is alive and well in modern times and is on a mission to destroy his creator! Fun, fast read.
#17: Jazz by Toni Morrison
Morrison is an awesome writer, but I felt ambiguous about this book. It left me kind of unhappy at the end. (Of course I also finished it on an annoying flight when I was exhausted -- possibly no book could have made feel happy at that point.) The main plot of this one revolves around a cheating husband who kills his mistress and makes his wife go crazy, so it's not a light-hearted read. I guess I'm in the mood for more light-heartedness right now.
#18: The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson
How many times have I read this book? I first read it at about age 12, when our family got a used copy of it at a book exchange in my Dad's workplace. It's a gritty crime novel written in 1952 about a deputy sheriff who plays dumb to hide his inner sociopath. With this reading, I noticed multiple parallels to the TV character, Dexter Morgan, who I also love. They are both told by their fathers that they are sociopaths and that they can't ever live normal lives and have to hide in plain sight. Dexter pretends to be kind of wimpy, letting people walk all over him, while our deputy acts like a moron, talking mostly in cliches and pretending he just made them up. Like, "I've always believed that every cloud has a silver lining!" Once their respective fathers die, each man has to face new problems without his sociopathy mentor, and they struggle with it.
#19: The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
A lovely novel that focuses much more on philosophy than action.
#20: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
A great little mystery novel told from the perspective of a 12-year old girl in NY in the 70s. I will definitely be reading this one again.
#21: Birds of America by Lorrie Moore
Excellent, hilarious and beautiful short stories. Moore is a great writer.
#22: The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
A big novel by the author of The Historian (about vampires!). I recommend both highly. In this one, a psychiatrist/artist unravels the breakdown of his artist patient. He traces the root of the problem all the way back to the 1870s and becomes far too enmeshed in his patient's life and relationships.
And I'm reading a bunch of books about babies, pregnancy, exercising while pregnant, baby name books, still working on War and Peace, and also devouring the third Stieg Larsson book.
#10: You Suck by Christopher Moore
I think Moore is really intelligently funny. This one is about vampires in San Francisco.
#11: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
This trilogy of books totally deserves its Best Seller status. They are fun, exciting, thrilling, and really well written. The plots are complicated and layered, but Larsson keeps them under control. The characters are well-developed. My only complaint is that there are a lot of horrible sex crimes in them, and I'd prefer not to read so much of that.
#12: The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
I tore through this one even faster than the first.
#13: Cemetery Dance by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
I really like the books by these two authors. They are thrillers with interesting (though absolutely unbelievable) plots and great characters. Special Agent Pendergast is a long-time favorite character who appears in this one.
#14: Fever Dream by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
This one felt rushed, like they'd often cheat to advance the plot by suddenly being in a new location and Agent Pendergast would explain to another character how he followed a clue to arrive there. Still fun to read -- if you're looking for excellent writing, you probably shouldn't look to genre novels in the first place :)
#15: The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Excellent novel about early civil rights-era relationships between those Southerners who employed black servants and the servants themselves. Not too upsetting for us sensitive types.
#16: Frankenstein: Dead and Alive by Dean Koontz
The third installment in this series of sci-fi thrillers. Frankenstein's monster is alive and well in modern times and is on a mission to destroy his creator! Fun, fast read.
#17: Jazz by Toni Morrison
Morrison is an awesome writer, but I felt ambiguous about this book. It left me kind of unhappy at the end. (Of course I also finished it on an annoying flight when I was exhausted -- possibly no book could have made feel happy at that point.) The main plot of this one revolves around a cheating husband who kills his mistress and makes his wife go crazy, so it's not a light-hearted read. I guess I'm in the mood for more light-heartedness right now.
#18: The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson
How many times have I read this book? I first read it at about age 12, when our family got a used copy of it at a book exchange in my Dad's workplace. It's a gritty crime novel written in 1952 about a deputy sheriff who plays dumb to hide his inner sociopath. With this reading, I noticed multiple parallels to the TV character, Dexter Morgan, who I also love. They are both told by their fathers that they are sociopaths and that they can't ever live normal lives and have to hide in plain sight. Dexter pretends to be kind of wimpy, letting people walk all over him, while our deputy acts like a moron, talking mostly in cliches and pretending he just made them up. Like, "I've always believed that every cloud has a silver lining!" Once their respective fathers die, each man has to face new problems without his sociopathy mentor, and they struggle with it.
#19: The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
A lovely novel that focuses much more on philosophy than action.
#20: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
A great little mystery novel told from the perspective of a 12-year old girl in NY in the 70s. I will definitely be reading this one again.
#21: Birds of America by Lorrie Moore
Excellent, hilarious and beautiful short stories. Moore is a great writer.
#22: The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
A big novel by the author of The Historian (about vampires!). I recommend both highly. In this one, a psychiatrist/artist unravels the breakdown of his artist patient. He traces the root of the problem all the way back to the 1870s and becomes far too enmeshed in his patient's life and relationships.
And I'm reading a bunch of books about babies, pregnancy, exercising while pregnant, baby name books, still working on War and Peace, and also devouring the third Stieg Larsson book.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Book 9: A Play of Treachery
This is a mystery novel set in 1436 in France. Its star is a traveling actor who has been convinced to become a spy for England.
It's written just fine and was a great relaxation-distraction for me while we were moving. There's nothing wrong with it at all, but it just didn't grab me in the way that makes me hunt down all the books by the same author. I feel more entranced by the female doctor in Ariana Franklin's books, which take place in 12th century Europe. I guess I'm not a huge historical fiction fan, so her series pretty much fills my desire for that genre.
But if you love historical mysteries, you should check out Margaret Frazer's books. She has several that feature the actor-spy, Joliffe the Player.
It's written just fine and was a great relaxation-distraction for me while we were moving. There's nothing wrong with it at all, but it just didn't grab me in the way that makes me hunt down all the books by the same author. I feel more entranced by the female doctor in Ariana Franklin's books, which take place in 12th century Europe. I guess I'm not a huge historical fiction fan, so her series pretty much fills my desire for that genre.
But if you love historical mysteries, you should check out Margaret Frazer's books. She has several that feature the actor-spy, Joliffe the Player.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Books 7 & 8: People With Dirty Hands & From the Ground Up
I've read a few hundred pages of War and Peace, but I've been so distracted with The House that I'm having trouble spending time with it. So, I quickly re-read a couple of my favorite books about gardening.
People with Dirty Hands, by Robin Chotzinoff, is actually about gardeners rather than gardening. Chotzinoff writes little portraits of various gardeners she meets (and some people who are not necessarily gardeners, but who are involved with plants). There is a tomatophile, chili growers and roasters, rose lovers, urban gardeners, and a Louisiana witch doctor, among others.
It's fun and funny and kind of implies that that gardeners are supposed to be a little kookie.
From the Ground Up: The Story of a First Garden is by Amy Stewart. She tells of learning how to garden while living in Santa Cruz, California. Her climate is quite a bit different from mine, but some of her lessons definitely transfer to my yard: test the soil and amend it before you start planting, arrange plants so they receive the proper amount of light, and make peace with a garden that looks imperfect.
Stewart also provides a few recipes and specific pruning tips.
Both books also give some resources for ordering seeds and plants (though People is 14 years old).
I've been doing lots of looking at seed catalogs and plant websites and imagining my soon-to-be garden. I'm also trying to amass local info on when to plant different things, and what should be started inside first, and how much to water, and and...
My paint colors have been chosen for weeks, and I know what I want in my garden. Now all I need are the keys!
.
People with Dirty Hands, by Robin Chotzinoff, is actually about gardeners rather than gardening. Chotzinoff writes little portraits of various gardeners she meets (and some people who are not necessarily gardeners, but who are involved with plants). There is a tomatophile, chili growers and roasters, rose lovers, urban gardeners, and a Louisiana witch doctor, among others.
It's fun and funny and kind of implies that that gardeners are supposed to be a little kookie.
From the Ground Up: The Story of a First Garden is by Amy Stewart. She tells of learning how to garden while living in Santa Cruz, California. Her climate is quite a bit different from mine, but some of her lessons definitely transfer to my yard: test the soil and amend it before you start planting, arrange plants so they receive the proper amount of light, and make peace with a garden that looks imperfect.
Stewart also provides a few recipes and specific pruning tips.
Both books also give some resources for ordering seeds and plants (though People is 14 years old).
I've been doing lots of looking at seed catalogs and plant websites and imagining my soon-to-be garden. I'm also trying to amass local info on when to plant different things, and what should be started inside first, and how much to water, and and...
My paint colors have been chosen for weeks, and I know what I want in my garden. Now all I need are the keys!
.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Book 6: The Camelot Caper
This is a mystery by Elizabeth Peters, written in 1969. It's an amusing, light, quick read.
I needed one last quick read before starting War and Peace! I'm on page 47 out of 1,405.
I needed one last quick read before starting War and Peace! I'm on page 47 out of 1,405.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Book 5: My Life in France
My Life in France is a memoir by the chef Julia Child (written with her great-nephew). It's a very readable collection of stories from France in the '40s, '50s, and '60s. She also talks about visiting and living in the U.S., Germany, and Norway.
Unsurprisingly, there is a lot of talk about food and about writing her books, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volumes 1 and 2. It is especially interesting to read about her experiences with making the first successful cooking TV show (when she and her husband had hardly ever watched TV).
Julia is so likeable in this book. She is a hard-working perfectionist. She forgives her co-authors even while still irritated by their quirks and failings. She seems like someone who just dives right in and goes for it, whatever IT is. I could use a little more of that right now.
Great light reading, especially if you like food or traveling.
Unsurprisingly, there is a lot of talk about food and about writing her books, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volumes 1 and 2. It is especially interesting to read about her experiences with making the first successful cooking TV show (when she and her husband had hardly ever watched TV).
Julia is so likeable in this book. She is a hard-working perfectionist. She forgives her co-authors even while still irritated by their quirks and failings. She seems like someone who just dives right in and goes for it, whatever IT is. I could use a little more of that right now.
Great light reading, especially if you like food or traveling.
Book 4: Stranger in a Strange Land
This 1961 sci-fi novel by Robert A. Heinlein is pretty fun. Picture it: one day in the future, a team of astronauts successfully lands on Mars. A baby is born and due to all sorts of complicated circumstances, the adults all die. The human baby is raised by Martians. 25 years later (or so) another human expedition lands on Mars with much-improved technology. They meet the Martians and take the human Martian back to Earth.
Valentine Michael Smith, the human Martian, knows how to use his mind to communicate telepathically, move things with telekinesis, and control his own heartbeat and body temperature. He can teach these things to the rest of the humans, if they're willing to learn.
He thinks that our ideas about nudity and monogamy are ridiculous (what? this was written by a man as the buttoned-down 1950s concluded? and there's a huge -- though not explicit -- focus on sex, sex, sex?)
This is pretty good for a sci-fi book. It's always fun for me to see what people thought life would be like NOW. Heinlein foresaw traveling to Mars, self-driven flying cars, indoor grass as a very luxurious carpet, synthetic foods, world government, and all the same legal complications and social mores as in the '60s.
Valentine Michael Smith, the human Martian, knows how to use his mind to communicate telepathically, move things with telekinesis, and control his own heartbeat and body temperature. He can teach these things to the rest of the humans, if they're willing to learn.
He thinks that our ideas about nudity and monogamy are ridiculous (what? this was written by a man as the buttoned-down 1950s concluded? and there's a huge -- though not explicit -- focus on sex, sex, sex?)
This is pretty good for a sci-fi book. It's always fun for me to see what people thought life would be like NOW. Heinlein foresaw traveling to Mars, self-driven flying cars, indoor grass as a very luxurious carpet, synthetic foods, world government, and all the same legal complications and social mores as in the '60s.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Book 3: The Little Giant of Aberdeen County
by Tiffany Baker. The little giant is a woman named Truly, who has some sort of glandular irregularity and grows big, big, big. She and her friends are all a little odd, and they often get pushed around, stepped on, and abused by other, "normal" people. It makes you wish for them to get some kind of violent super revenge on the jerks.
It's a nice, light-ish novel, interesting and well-told. There are some pretty poetic moments in the prose, like this: "'I like the color green,' and then her tongue loosened and gave way to an unbroken wailing pouring from her throat, a noise like a cat bleeding in the rain." How do you like that?? It's describing the actions of a woman in the midst of giving birth.
Try this one: "'A type of cancer. My white blood cells are multiplying too quickly. They're choking out the red ones.' I hadn't realized you could divide blood into opposing colors, but I supposed if anyone could turn something as elemental as his own blood into something that seethed and fought, it would be [him]."
I will definitely be interested in reading anything else Baker writes.
It's a nice, light-ish novel, interesting and well-told. There are some pretty poetic moments in the prose, like this: "'I like the color green,' and then her tongue loosened and gave way to an unbroken wailing pouring from her throat, a noise like a cat bleeding in the rain." How do you like that?? It's describing the actions of a woman in the midst of giving birth.
Try this one: "'A type of cancer. My white blood cells are multiplying too quickly. They're choking out the red ones.' I hadn't realized you could divide blood into opposing colors, but I supposed if anyone could turn something as elemental as his own blood into something that seethed and fought, it would be [him]."
I will definitely be interested in reading anything else Baker writes.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Book 2: Half Broke Horses
Now THIS is a memoir! Okay, it's not even really a memoir, but it's still a hell of a lot better memoir than Cleaving.
Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle, tells her grandmother's story in Half Broke Horses. Because Walls could not absolutely verify all the facts, and because she wanted to tell the story in the first person, she calls it a novel rather than a memoir or biography.
Lily Casey Smith grew up as a rancher, teacher, and mother (she was Jeannette's mother's mother). In case you read The Glass Castle and wonder about how Jeannette's mother was raised, Lily had many, many regrets about how her daughter turned out and what a wild life she chose to live. Lily always tried to teach practical lessons, but her daughter rebelled and became as impractical a person as possible: a wandering artist with no interest in stability or predictability (like making sure there was always food for the kids to eat).
Just as in The Glass Castle, Walls tells the story in a straightforward manner, with no pity requested, no matter how bad things got. It's a really readable and intriguing story of a tough, resourceful, funny woman.
I can't help but compare it to Cleaving, since I just read that book, and since I still haven't fully digested that one. Walls tells her story in chronological order, without cliffhangers or other cheap tricks to keep readers interested. Julie Powell scrambles back and forth between present day and the past couple of years, and between her butchering apprenticeship and her relationships. She gives a little taste -- a teaser -- of what happened in her love life and then switches back to graphic descriptions of cutting up cows. Julie and Julia was also pretty scattered, chronologically and in terms of subject matter.
I would really like to read something by Powell that is only about ONE theme, without a heavy-handed metaphor woven throughout. Julie, if you're reading this, please write a travelogue in chronological order, with all your sarcasm and humor and self-deprecation, and don't compare traveling to marriage. Julie, you are great at telling stories, but not so great at telling two or three stories at the same time. And the best part about Cleaving was the descriptions of your Fear Factor-like travels. Thanks.
Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle, tells her grandmother's story in Half Broke Horses. Because Walls could not absolutely verify all the facts, and because she wanted to tell the story in the first person, she calls it a novel rather than a memoir or biography.
Lily Casey Smith grew up as a rancher, teacher, and mother (she was Jeannette's mother's mother). In case you read The Glass Castle and wonder about how Jeannette's mother was raised, Lily had many, many regrets about how her daughter turned out and what a wild life she chose to live. Lily always tried to teach practical lessons, but her daughter rebelled and became as impractical a person as possible: a wandering artist with no interest in stability or predictability (like making sure there was always food for the kids to eat).
Just as in The Glass Castle, Walls tells the story in a straightforward manner, with no pity requested, no matter how bad things got. It's a really readable and intriguing story of a tough, resourceful, funny woman.
I can't help but compare it to Cleaving, since I just read that book, and since I still haven't fully digested that one. Walls tells her story in chronological order, without cliffhangers or other cheap tricks to keep readers interested. Julie Powell scrambles back and forth between present day and the past couple of years, and between her butchering apprenticeship and her relationships. She gives a little taste -- a teaser -- of what happened in her love life and then switches back to graphic descriptions of cutting up cows. Julie and Julia was also pretty scattered, chronologically and in terms of subject matter.
I would really like to read something by Powell that is only about ONE theme, without a heavy-handed metaphor woven throughout. Julie, if you're reading this, please write a travelogue in chronological order, with all your sarcasm and humor and self-deprecation, and don't compare traveling to marriage. Julie, you are great at telling stories, but not so great at telling two or three stories at the same time. And the best part about Cleaving was the descriptions of your Fear Factor-like travels. Thanks.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Book 1: Cleaving
After a year of keeping track of which books I read, I want to keep going. I'm curious about how many books I will read without any number in mind. So, today I want to tell you about Cleaving by Julie Powell.
I already told you that I really like her writing, but I really dislike Julie. I still feel that way now that I'm done with this one. And I can't help thinking, "her parents are reading this book about her S&M dates with her boyfriend, and about her husband having his own girlfriend!" And that's kind of brave and honest, or else it's just a way to write a sensational book to try to stay famous, or else it's just a desperate cry for attention. My feelings toward Julie varied greatly throughout the book. I felt sorry for her, disappointed by her, embarrassed for her, grossed out by her, somewhat sympathetic toward her, and scared for her, but I never felt like I wanted to meet her or hang out with her.
The best part of the book is when she describes traveling to other countries by herself. After she finishes her butchering apprenticeship, she goes to Argentina, the Ukraine, and Tanzania (and Japan, but she doesn't tell us much about it).
Overall, I don't recommend it. It was pretty disappointing.
I already told you that I really like her writing, but I really dislike Julie. I still feel that way now that I'm done with this one. And I can't help thinking, "her parents are reading this book about her S&M dates with her boyfriend, and about her husband having his own girlfriend!" And that's kind of brave and honest, or else it's just a way to write a sensational book to try to stay famous, or else it's just a desperate cry for attention. My feelings toward Julie varied greatly throughout the book. I felt sorry for her, disappointed by her, embarrassed for her, grossed out by her, somewhat sympathetic toward her, and scared for her, but I never felt like I wanted to meet her or hang out with her.
The best part of the book is when she describes traveling to other countries by herself. After she finishes her butchering apprenticeship, she goes to Argentina, the Ukraine, and Tanzania (and Japan, but she doesn't tell us much about it).
Overall, I don't recommend it. It was pretty disappointing.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Books without pressure!
Well, I'm in the middle of a bunch of books! It's so nice to have no self-imposed pressure to finish them quickly. If I were trying to read 2 a week again, I'd be behind already.
And I know I'm reading a lot of books at one time, but believe me when I say I'm holding myself back from about 20 others that are waiting on the shelf. I've wanted to read 2666 by Bolano since about a year ago, and I have the first two of Steig Larsson's trilogy, and a Paul Auster that I haven't read, and one about Darwin, and one about The Great Wall of China, and a bunch more.
My Mom and I are both reading The Artist's Way, which has activities aimed at increasing creativity. The first task is that every morning, you write 3 pages in longhand in a journal. Just stream-of-consciousness stuff that no one will ever see. It helps to get the crap out so you can move on with your day without being bogged down. I'm still struggling to remember to do it in the morning, but I'm doing it every day and I think it is really useful. So far, so good.
Living Your Yoga has suggested practices, too, but so far I'm only reading. And sometimes thinking, "yes, I should do that." There are three main parts, with seven chapters in each part. The parts are:
Awakening Awareness: Yoga within Yourself;
Widening the Circle: Yoga and Relationships; and
Embracing All Life: Yoga in the World
The chapters are entitled things like Courage, Control, Patience, and Nonviolence. It's pretty good for reading a little bit each day and thinking about how to be a better person all the time. It's not woo-woo or New Agey.
The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis is really, really good. It's over 700 pages of (sometimes) amazing short stories. I'm going to try to make it last a long time rather than gulping it all down quickly, because it's so good.
The Origins and Development of the English Language was a textbook in one of my college classes and now I want to read it again. I'm sure I'll skim some parts of it, but I feel really interested in the history of English right now, and I've forgotten a lot of it. I have a habit of re-reading books years later. That's why it is tough for me to get rid of books -- some day I will probably wish that I could read them again and I'll have to BUY them again. But this one, I got used for only a couple bucks. My copy is from 1993, and there are newer editions, but they cost a lot more.
Stranger in a Strange Land is a 1960s sci-fi novel (according to its own cover, "The most famous science fiction novel ever written"). I'll tell you if I think it deserves that honor when I'm done with it. It's sort of cheesy, but for the genre, not that bad.
The plot: astronauts went to Mars and had a baby and then they died. The baby was raised by Martians. When the baby is 25 years old, more Earth astronauts land on Mars and convince him to go to Earth with them. He's totally Martian in terms of culture, thought process, concepts, language, and traditions. Everyone wants a piece of him.
Cleaving is pretty awful. It's by the woman who wrote Julie and Julia, and in this memoir, she tells us all about becoming a butcher AND about cheating on her husband for two years. You'd think the graphic details of chopping up animals would be the gross part, but it isn't. Yet I must read the whole thing. I really like her writing style, but I really dislike HER.
.
And I know I'm reading a lot of books at one time, but believe me when I say I'm holding myself back from about 20 others that are waiting on the shelf. I've wanted to read 2666 by Bolano since about a year ago, and I have the first two of Steig Larsson's trilogy, and a Paul Auster that I haven't read, and one about Darwin, and one about The Great Wall of China, and a bunch more.
My Mom and I are both reading The Artist's Way, which has activities aimed at increasing creativity. The first task is that every morning, you write 3 pages in longhand in a journal. Just stream-of-consciousness stuff that no one will ever see. It helps to get the crap out so you can move on with your day without being bogged down. I'm still struggling to remember to do it in the morning, but I'm doing it every day and I think it is really useful. So far, so good.
Living Your Yoga has suggested practices, too, but so far I'm only reading. And sometimes thinking, "yes, I should do that." There are three main parts, with seven chapters in each part. The parts are:
Awakening Awareness: Yoga within Yourself;
Widening the Circle: Yoga and Relationships; and
Embracing All Life: Yoga in the World
The chapters are entitled things like Courage, Control, Patience, and Nonviolence. It's pretty good for reading a little bit each day and thinking about how to be a better person all the time. It's not woo-woo or New Agey.
The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis is really, really good. It's over 700 pages of (sometimes) amazing short stories. I'm going to try to make it last a long time rather than gulping it all down quickly, because it's so good.
The Origins and Development of the English Language was a textbook in one of my college classes and now I want to read it again. I'm sure I'll skim some parts of it, but I feel really interested in the history of English right now, and I've forgotten a lot of it. I have a habit of re-reading books years later. That's why it is tough for me to get rid of books -- some day I will probably wish that I could read them again and I'll have to BUY them again. But this one, I got used for only a couple bucks. My copy is from 1993, and there are newer editions, but they cost a lot more.
Stranger in a Strange Land is a 1960s sci-fi novel (according to its own cover, "The most famous science fiction novel ever written"). I'll tell you if I think it deserves that honor when I'm done with it. It's sort of cheesy, but for the genre, not that bad.
The plot: astronauts went to Mars and had a baby and then they died. The baby was raised by Martians. When the baby is 25 years old, more Earth astronauts land on Mars and convince him to go to Earth with them. He's totally Martian in terms of culture, thought process, concepts, language, and traditions. Everyone wants a piece of him.
Cleaving is pretty awful. It's by the woman who wrote Julie and Julia, and in this memoir, she tells us all about becoming a butcher AND about cheating on her husband for two years. You'd think the graphic details of chopping up animals would be the gross part, but it isn't. Yet I must read the whole thing. I really like her writing style, but I really dislike HER.
.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Book 104: The Pearl
Ah, the final book, finished at about 1:00 PM on 12/31/09, is John Steinbeck's The Pearl. What a great way to end the year. Steinbeck doesn't waste a word, and even though he tells a lot (rather than showing), he does it in a way that is mostly forgivable, and he intertwines the telling and the showing together, so it doesn't seem as much like cheating.
In this novel, a villager finds an enormous, perfect pearl in the Gulf and it changes everyone's lives. "Every man suddenly became related to Kino's pearl, and Kino's pearl went into the dreams, the speculations, the schemes, the plans, the futures, the wishes, the needs, the lusts, the hungers, of everyone, and only one person stood in the way and that was Kino, so that he became curiously every man's enemy."
Read these two sentences, and see if the idea seems true: "For it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want something more. And this is said in disparagement, whereas it is one of the greatest talents the species has and one that has made it superior to animals that are satisfied with what they have."
Well, this pearl is TOO big, and the pearl buyers try to cheat Kino. None of the villagers know how to bargain or how to go to the city to get a fair deal. But Kino will not be cheated. Someone comes in the night to try to steal the pearl. Kino's wife begs him to destroy it, to cleanse the family of its evil. But Kino has seen a future in which his son will go to school and learn to read and then they will all know the things that the Europeans know. They will know what is true.
Oh, that pearl seems to promise safety and security and never being hungry, and that is very difficult to resist.
Read this: "And the sun beat down on the streets of the city and even tiny stones threw shadows on the ground." What would you give to be able to write a sentence like that?
Here is another great tidbit from this novel: "He had said, 'I am a man,' and that meant certain things to Juana. It meant that he was half insane and half god." True dat, right sisters?
The thing that makes this book really great, aside from the talented and skillful writing, is that it rings completely true. Imagine if you won the lottery, and not just enough to pay off the bills, but some insanely huge amount, like $500 million. Some amount that would absolutely destroy your current life and send you hurtling into some other existence. Everyone knows you have the money, and they all want some of it -- and not a little bit. Does a little part of you hate them for their greed? Do you question everyone's motives in hanging around you? Do you have to shut yourself away from the world for security and safety? It's easy to imagine the bad side of sudden immense wealth. Steinbeck wrote something like, when we step into the sunlight, our shadow side is revealed as well. Something like The Pearl could bring out the worst in each of us.
Woo Hoo Hoo!! I completed my challenge of reading 104 books in 2009!! I'm pretty relieved to be done.
But... I have made a new challenge for myself for 2010. I hope it will begin some time tomorrow, and I think it will be a lot of fun, even though I'm just a little terrified.
Happy New Year's Eve! I hope you have fun and get home safely and get ready to start your resolutions tomorrow.
In this novel, a villager finds an enormous, perfect pearl in the Gulf and it changes everyone's lives. "Every man suddenly became related to Kino's pearl, and Kino's pearl went into the dreams, the speculations, the schemes, the plans, the futures, the wishes, the needs, the lusts, the hungers, of everyone, and only one person stood in the way and that was Kino, so that he became curiously every man's enemy."
Read these two sentences, and see if the idea seems true: "For it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want something more. And this is said in disparagement, whereas it is one of the greatest talents the species has and one that has made it superior to animals that are satisfied with what they have."
Well, this pearl is TOO big, and the pearl buyers try to cheat Kino. None of the villagers know how to bargain or how to go to the city to get a fair deal. But Kino will not be cheated. Someone comes in the night to try to steal the pearl. Kino's wife begs him to destroy it, to cleanse the family of its evil. But Kino has seen a future in which his son will go to school and learn to read and then they will all know the things that the Europeans know. They will know what is true.
Oh, that pearl seems to promise safety and security and never being hungry, and that is very difficult to resist.
Read this: "And the sun beat down on the streets of the city and even tiny stones threw shadows on the ground." What would you give to be able to write a sentence like that?
Here is another great tidbit from this novel: "He had said, 'I am a man,' and that meant certain things to Juana. It meant that he was half insane and half god." True dat, right sisters?
The thing that makes this book really great, aside from the talented and skillful writing, is that it rings completely true. Imagine if you won the lottery, and not just enough to pay off the bills, but some insanely huge amount, like $500 million. Some amount that would absolutely destroy your current life and send you hurtling into some other existence. Everyone knows you have the money, and they all want some of it -- and not a little bit. Does a little part of you hate them for their greed? Do you question everyone's motives in hanging around you? Do you have to shut yourself away from the world for security and safety? It's easy to imagine the bad side of sudden immense wealth. Steinbeck wrote something like, when we step into the sunlight, our shadow side is revealed as well. Something like The Pearl could bring out the worst in each of us.
Woo Hoo Hoo!! I completed my challenge of reading 104 books in 2009!! I'm pretty relieved to be done.
But... I have made a new challenge for myself for 2010. I hope it will begin some time tomorrow, and I think it will be a lot of fun, even though I'm just a little terrified.
Happy New Year's Eve! I hope you have fun and get home safely and get ready to start your resolutions tomorrow.
Book 103: Notorious Victoria
Whew! I finished this one at about 1AM. It's a very readable biography of Victoria Claflin Woodhull Blood Martin, the first woman to run for President of the United States of America. That was in 1872, long before women had the right to vote (which came in 1920, if you've forgotten).
Often referred to as "The Woodhull" by the press, Victoria was scandalous and outrageous! She was ahead of her time (and still might be today in some areas). She divorced two husbands, but the first one lived with her and the second husband for some time. She was as involved in the Women's Movement as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucretia Mott, but she pissed them off so much that they completely wrote her out of their 900-page history!
She was nominated for the office of President on the Equal Rights Party ticket, with the famous Frederick Douglass nominated as Vice Presidential candidate. But, many Republicans were aghast at the thought of the re-election of the corrupt Ulysses S. Grant, and so they banded together to support Horace Greeley, leaving Victoria with little support. Besides that, she was not listed on the ballot due to being a woman AND being only 34 years old (one year shy of being legally able to hold the office). Grant won anyway.
She believed that women and men were equal and that women should have careers and be able to vote and run for public office. She and her sister, Tennessee Claflin, ran a brokerage house, published a newspaper, opened a school for teaching micro-agriculture to women, and was very involved in leading Spiritualist, Labor, and Women's groups.
Victoria was the first woman to address a committee of the U.S. Congress (arguing for women's suffrage). She was much admired by our well-known feminists at that time (Anthony, Stanton, etc.)
The Woodhull gave lectures all over the Eastern U.S. and in England about various topics, including women's suffrage, Spiritualism (by which I mean talking to ghosts), Unions, 8-hour workdays, the poor rising up to take back their wealth from the rich (she was aligned with communists for a while), and Free Love.
The feminists of the day possibly could have continued to support and appreciate The Woodhull if she had only:
* stuck to the topic of women's suffrage rather than getting involved in other areas of politics (labor, restructuring the government, etc.)
* kept quiet about her ability to speak to the dead, which was embarrassing
* kept quiet about Free Love. Victoria did not believe that a woman should be forced for survival to marry any man and have to submit to his unwanted sexual attentions. Women should marry for love and have sex because they want to -- she was truly a radical in the 1800s! Victoria had a love affair with Theodore Tilton during one of her marriages. Tilton revealed to her that his wife was sleeping with the Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe (famous feminist).
When Victoria told the world that the Reverend was a Free Lover (to support her supposition that men are allowed to remain respectable while having sex outside of marriage, and women should be as well), all hell broke loose. Rev. Beecher never admitted to it publicly (though he did privately). Harriet Beecher Stowe was instrumental in kicking Victoria out of the feminist club as revenge.
PLUS, The Woodhull and her sister were imprisoned while being tried for libel after printing the story in their newspaper. But while imprisoned, "the other inmates agreed to refrain from smoking while the ladies were in residence." So at least there was that.
The Woodhull's story is very entertaining and amazing. How did this woman totally disappear from history? I have a minor in Women's Studies and I never heard of her. Re-write the books, Women's Historians! Don't let Harriet Beecher Stowe continue getting revenge forever.
Mary Gabriel's writing is almost conversational and easy, while always objective. Notorious Victoria is a great read.
Often referred to as "The Woodhull" by the press, Victoria was scandalous and outrageous! She was ahead of her time (and still might be today in some areas). She divorced two husbands, but the first one lived with her and the second husband for some time. She was as involved in the Women's Movement as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucretia Mott, but she pissed them off so much that they completely wrote her out of their 900-page history!
She was nominated for the office of President on the Equal Rights Party ticket, with the famous Frederick Douglass nominated as Vice Presidential candidate. But, many Republicans were aghast at the thought of the re-election of the corrupt Ulysses S. Grant, and so they banded together to support Horace Greeley, leaving Victoria with little support. Besides that, she was not listed on the ballot due to being a woman AND being only 34 years old (one year shy of being legally able to hold the office). Grant won anyway.
She believed that women and men were equal and that women should have careers and be able to vote and run for public office. She and her sister, Tennessee Claflin, ran a brokerage house, published a newspaper, opened a school for teaching micro-agriculture to women, and was very involved in leading Spiritualist, Labor, and Women's groups.
Victoria was the first woman to address a committee of the U.S. Congress (arguing for women's suffrage). She was much admired by our well-known feminists at that time (Anthony, Stanton, etc.)
The Woodhull gave lectures all over the Eastern U.S. and in England about various topics, including women's suffrage, Spiritualism (by which I mean talking to ghosts), Unions, 8-hour workdays, the poor rising up to take back their wealth from the rich (she was aligned with communists for a while), and Free Love.
The feminists of the day possibly could have continued to support and appreciate The Woodhull if she had only:
* stuck to the topic of women's suffrage rather than getting involved in other areas of politics (labor, restructuring the government, etc.)
* kept quiet about her ability to speak to the dead, which was embarrassing
* kept quiet about Free Love. Victoria did not believe that a woman should be forced for survival to marry any man and have to submit to his unwanted sexual attentions. Women should marry for love and have sex because they want to -- she was truly a radical in the 1800s! Victoria had a love affair with Theodore Tilton during one of her marriages. Tilton revealed to her that his wife was sleeping with the Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe (famous feminist).
When Victoria told the world that the Reverend was a Free Lover (to support her supposition that men are allowed to remain respectable while having sex outside of marriage, and women should be as well), all hell broke loose. Rev. Beecher never admitted to it publicly (though he did privately). Harriet Beecher Stowe was instrumental in kicking Victoria out of the feminist club as revenge.
PLUS, The Woodhull and her sister were imprisoned while being tried for libel after printing the story in their newspaper. But while imprisoned, "the other inmates agreed to refrain from smoking while the ladies were in residence." So at least there was that.
The Woodhull's story is very entertaining and amazing. How did this woman totally disappear from history? I have a minor in Women's Studies and I never heard of her. Re-write the books, Women's Historians! Don't let Harriet Beecher Stowe continue getting revenge forever.
Mary Gabriel's writing is almost conversational and easy, while always objective. Notorious Victoria is a great read.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Book 102: Pilgrim At Tinker Creek
This book by Annie Dillard took me a long time to read. It's not because I didn't enjoy it, but just because it's a book best savored. I'm so out of the habit of quickly reading and digesting serious material that I have to read slowly and break it up into smaller installments. I can still read easy fiction at hyper-speed, just not serious books.
I first read this book about 10 years ago, and I liked it then, and I liked it this year. Dillard lived for a year in Virginia, near Tinker Creek. She read and walked around and looked at nature and thought. Doesn't that sound great? It was the '70s, so she surely wasn't as addicted to technology as many of us are these days -- it wouldn't have felt quite so foreign to live more in nature.
Dillard tells little stories about nature and Nature and science and God and horrors and beauty. Her prose is just right to reflect a young woman who is extremely excited about life and science and nature. This book won the Pulitzer Prize.
Some of my favorite parts:
* She tells of a man who measured the pressure exerted by a growing squash. It was 5 thousand pounds per square inch! It made me wonder if the pressure of a growing baby is the same, but of course we could never hook a baby up to a machine to measure the pressure exerted by its growing body. Dillard makes you think of weird experiments. You won't be able to help it.
* She writes of human beings, "Our excessive emotions are so patently painful and harmful to us as a species that I can hardly believe that they evolved." If we were all lobotomized, we could all be happy.
* Here's a perfect line, "I felt a rush of such pure energy I thought I would not need to breathe for days."
* On navel gazing: "I wonder if we do not waste most of our energy just by spending every waking minute saying hello to ourselves."
* I love her description of a muskrat-watching adventure, in which she is lying on a bridge close to the water, trying not to move when the animal can see her, but rolling back and forth to watch him as he swims back and forth under the bridge. "All this time I was not only doing an elaborate about-face every time his eyes disappeared under the bridge, but I was also smoking a cigarette." Ah, the 1970's when cigarettes and nature could be combined without irony!
I love Annie Dillard and highly recommend her books.
I first read this book about 10 years ago, and I liked it then, and I liked it this year. Dillard lived for a year in Virginia, near Tinker Creek. She read and walked around and looked at nature and thought. Doesn't that sound great? It was the '70s, so she surely wasn't as addicted to technology as many of us are these days -- it wouldn't have felt quite so foreign to live more in nature.
Dillard tells little stories about nature and Nature and science and God and horrors and beauty. Her prose is just right to reflect a young woman who is extremely excited about life and science and nature. This book won the Pulitzer Prize.
Some of my favorite parts:
* She tells of a man who measured the pressure exerted by a growing squash. It was 5 thousand pounds per square inch! It made me wonder if the pressure of a growing baby is the same, but of course we could never hook a baby up to a machine to measure the pressure exerted by its growing body. Dillard makes you think of weird experiments. You won't be able to help it.
* She writes of human beings, "Our excessive emotions are so patently painful and harmful to us as a species that I can hardly believe that they evolved." If we were all lobotomized, we could all be happy.
* Here's a perfect line, "I felt a rush of such pure energy I thought I would not need to breathe for days."
* On navel gazing: "I wonder if we do not waste most of our energy just by spending every waking minute saying hello to ourselves."
* I love her description of a muskrat-watching adventure, in which she is lying on a bridge close to the water, trying not to move when the animal can see her, but rolling back and forth to watch him as he swims back and forth under the bridge. "All this time I was not only doing an elaborate about-face every time his eyes disappeared under the bridge, but I was also smoking a cigarette." Ah, the 1970's when cigarettes and nature could be combined without irony!
I love Annie Dillard and highly recommend her books.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)