Hello readers - here we are again at the end of another year.
Lots going on in our household - the night before Webster's graduation from his Babson MBA program, we found out we are expecting our first child! (EDD 1/25/13 - yes, soon!) Over the summer, Webster joined an early-stage startup based in Palo Alto and is loving it. I am leading a small team of technical marketing professionals at Dell and continue to learn a lot and thrive in the role. Lucy is doing great.
My parents continue to snowbird between NJ and Florida, and fortunately were safely in Florida during Hurricane Sandy. Jo lives in Manhattan and is an attending at NYU Hospital, which is finally re-opened since the hurricane. We lost my grandmother a few weeks ago and while it was sad, I reflected a lot on the 98 years she did live.
On to the books! I read 37 books this year, 10 of them non-fiction. Right now I have books on my library queue that won't come up until after the baby arrives - we'll see how that goes, but I have faith that I'll always be a reader. The baby has his/her first few books already - a set of my old Golden Books that my mom had saved, and The Giving Tree and Goodnight Moon from Webster's parents.
Omitted from the following list are three books that are part of series that I am reading: Voyager, WWW:Watch, and The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.
Top Fiction:
Say You're One of Them - touching set of unrelated short stories about children in Africa.
Reamde - for geeks only - huge adventure story about when real life and online life collide.
Fiction Runners-up:
QBVII - classic courtroom drama set in the shadows of the Holocaust
World Without End - long-awaited sequel to Pillars of the Earth
Unaccustomed Earth - short stories about people reconciling modern lives with Indian childhoods
Distant Hours and The Forgotten Garden - two books by Kate Morten that are well-written gothic-style mysteries
Lady Matador's Hotel - linked short stories all taking place in a hotel in an unnamed Latin American country
The Disappeared - story about a woman who falls in love with a man still haunted by his family's past in Cambodia
Buddha in the Attic - linked short stories about a set of women who are Japanese mail-order brides
My Life on a Plate - funny story about the mishaps of a slightly-overweight mom, reminiscent of Bridget Jones
My New American Life - the first few years of an Armenian woman's life in the United States, and her relationship with the Armenian community
The Love Wife - a family struggles to accept a new member of the family from China, as requested by the matriarch's dying wishes.
Top Nonfiction:
Pack of Two - Caroline Knapp's examination of her relationship with her dog.
Revolution - a woman's memoir of leaving college to join "the revolution" in the 1980's in Central America with her boyfriend.
Longitude - the story of how someone came up with an ingenious way to measure longitude at sea.
Happy 2013 to all!
Sheryl
Monday, December 31, 2012
The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance: A Memoir by Elna Baker
Another NPR find - this one someone I heard on The Moth and I think I also heard on This American Life.
Elna is a Mormon from the West Coast who moves to New York City to go to college and ends up living there for several years in her early 20's. This is a collection of essays about her life in the city as she struggles to figure out how much of her Mormon background she wants to carry forward in her adult life. Many chapters read like "No Sex and the City." Others are more about her jobs (among others, at FAO Schwartz and Nobu) or her family relationships.
This was definitely a quick read that kept my attention. Baker is a funny writer, able to see humor in her own misadventures. Her ongoing conflict between the secular and the traditional is well-described and it is easy to empathize with her.
Elna is a Mormon from the West Coast who moves to New York City to go to college and ends up living there for several years in her early 20's. This is a collection of essays about her life in the city as she struggles to figure out how much of her Mormon background she wants to carry forward in her adult life. Many chapters read like "No Sex and the City." Others are more about her jobs (among others, at FAO Schwartz and Nobu) or her family relationships.
This was definitely a quick read that kept my attention. Baker is a funny writer, able to see humor in her own misadventures. Her ongoing conflict between the secular and the traditional is well-described and it is easy to empathize with her.
Learning to Die in Miami by Carlos Eire
Oops - this memoir is a sequel to a book I read last year but forgot to review at the time! I had heard Carlos Eire interviewed on NPR and thought his story was interesting.
The first book was called Waiting for Snow in Havana. In that book, Carlos is growing up in Cuba in the late 1950's and early 1960's. His privileged and sheltered childhood comes to an abrupt end when he is among 14,000 chilren airlifted out of Cuba and sent to the U.S. upon Castro's ascendance.
This book picks up with Carlos adjusting to life in the U.S. He is shuffled among family friends, foster homes, and other living arrangements, sometimes with his older brother and sometimes alone. The title of the books is an allusion to his belief that "Carlos" from Cuba has to die for his American "Charles" or "Chuck" or other identity to emerge. While the first book told a lot of his childhood, this one talks about him mostly as a pre-teen and teen, and flashes forward many times to his life as an adult.
Unlike other memoirs I've read that have been written in more than one part, these two books were very similar in style, tone, and composition. I enjoyed Eire's style in fact - it was unusual - the books being written more as a reverie, a collection of memories, than as a straightforward linear narrative. Eire was very poetic in places, very sad in others. This was not a laugh-out-loud set of books, but I did learn about an immigrant experience I was unfamiliar with, and was compelled to read the second one.
The first book was called Waiting for Snow in Havana. In that book, Carlos is growing up in Cuba in the late 1950's and early 1960's. His privileged and sheltered childhood comes to an abrupt end when he is among 14,000 chilren airlifted out of Cuba and sent to the U.S. upon Castro's ascendance.
This book picks up with Carlos adjusting to life in the U.S. He is shuffled among family friends, foster homes, and other living arrangements, sometimes with his older brother and sometimes alone. The title of the books is an allusion to his belief that "Carlos" from Cuba has to die for his American "Charles" or "Chuck" or other identity to emerge. While the first book told a lot of his childhood, this one talks about him mostly as a pre-teen and teen, and flashes forward many times to his life as an adult.
Unlike other memoirs I've read that have been written in more than one part, these two books were very similar in style, tone, and composition. I enjoyed Eire's style in fact - it was unusual - the books being written more as a reverie, a collection of memories, than as a straightforward linear narrative. Eire was very poetic in places, very sad in others. This was not a laugh-out-loud set of books, but I did learn about an immigrant experience I was unfamiliar with, and was compelled to read the second one.
The Forgetting Tree by Tatjana Soli
Soli's previous book The Lotus Eaters was one of my favorites, so I was excited to read this 2012-published novel by her. I liked it - it was really good.
The story starts with the main character, Claire, experiencing a tragic accident in her family on the farm they own and run. Years later, her marriage has fallen apart but she remains on the farm, even though her family moves away. When she is diagnosed with cancer, she hires a young woman named Minna to help her around the house. While Minna is a good caretaker, she begins to exhibit unusual behavior and her past slowly comes out throughout the story. Claire and Minna's relationship develops into something Claire does not expect, and becomes the focus of the majority of the book.
This book was haunting - when Minna's back story comes out, it is touching and surprising and violent. Similarly strange is Claire's acquiescence to a lot of Minna's idiosyncrasies. Whether either of their backgrounds justify their behavior throughout the story is perhaps the biggest question left with the reader at the end of the book.
The story starts with the main character, Claire, experiencing a tragic accident in her family on the farm they own and run. Years later, her marriage has fallen apart but she remains on the farm, even though her family moves away. When she is diagnosed with cancer, she hires a young woman named Minna to help her around the house. While Minna is a good caretaker, she begins to exhibit unusual behavior and her past slowly comes out throughout the story. Claire and Minna's relationship develops into something Claire does not expect, and becomes the focus of the majority of the book.
This book was haunting - when Minna's back story comes out, it is touching and surprising and violent. Similarly strange is Claire's acquiescence to a lot of Minna's idiosyncrasies. Whether either of their backgrounds justify their behavior throughout the story is perhaps the biggest question left with the reader at the end of the book.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Falling together by Maria Dos Santos
This was another book I picked up at the library without any recommendations. It was an easy read although also complex.
The story follows three college friends: Pen, Cat, and Will. After college they become estranged from each other, then many years later Cat "summons" Pen and Will to their college reunion. I'll reveal that they both decide to go, but to tell you any more would ruin the sprawling, multi-layered, story that spans continents and decades. The book tells the story of their friendship in college, the events leading up to their estrangement, and their developing relationships in the current time, after the college reunion.
Overall I enjoyed this book and looked forward to reading it each night before bed.
The story follows three college friends: Pen, Cat, and Will. After college they become estranged from each other, then many years later Cat "summons" Pen and Will to their college reunion. I'll reveal that they both decide to go, but to tell you any more would ruin the sprawling, multi-layered, story that spans continents and decades. The book tells the story of their friendship in college, the events leading up to their estrangement, and their developing relationships in the current time, after the college reunion.
Overall I enjoyed this book and looked forward to reading it each night before bed.
The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman
Many years ago I read Practical Magic by Hoffman and really enjoyed it - it became a movie in the '90's too - with Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock. When I saw this book by the same author at the library, I picked it up.
This book is about a family of women, each of whom has a special talent - for example, knowing if someone is lying. When Stella comes of age and finds out that her talent is clairvoyence, she is put in a difficult situation when she sees her father commit a crime in the future. Once a series of events comes from this, she goes to live with estranged grandmother, complicating things for her mother.
I liked the mix of supernatural and "normal" worlds - not too science-fiction, but certainly a required element of the plot. I also liked thought the characters were well-developed and strong. It wasn't the most memorable book I've read recently, but I did enjoy it.
This book is about a family of women, each of whom has a special talent - for example, knowing if someone is lying. When Stella comes of age and finds out that her talent is clairvoyence, she is put in a difficult situation when she sees her father commit a crime in the future. Once a series of events comes from this, she goes to live with estranged grandmother, complicating things for her mother.
I liked the mix of supernatural and "normal" worlds - not too science-fiction, but certainly a required element of the plot. I also liked thought the characters were well-developed and strong. It wasn't the most memorable book I've read recently, but I did enjoy it.
Pack of Two by Caroline Knapp
Disclaimer: I’ve become an
extreme dog person in the past two years, since Lucy came home with us. This book is only for extreme dog
people.
This book is by Caroline
Knapp, author of many of my favorites, including Appetites. She gets a dog
(coincidentally named Lucille) who changes Caroline’s life. This book was a lovely story about their
friendship and how having a dog changed Knapp’s outlook on life.
I definitely related to some of her sentiments around how it feels to be around a dog. She was a more solitary person than I am, so in some sections she described a relationship with Lucille that was more intense than mine with Lucy. But overall I appreciated her elevation of dog to complete companion and enjoyed her anecdotes and reflection.
The Litigators by John Grisham
I hadn’t read a John Grisham
book in a while and Web had this one around the house. On a whim I asked him to bring it to Paris
for me.
The story is about a small “ambulance-chasing”
law firm. Shortly after hiring a new
associate (a young burnt-out attorney from a big firm) the firm takes on a
giant pharmaceutical company in a case that quickly becomes that which will
make or break the partnership.
It was pretty standard
Grisham. Fast-paced, quickly-drawn good
characters, and didn’t take itself too seriously. Good airport read.
Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik
Webster bought this book for
me a few years back when we last went to Paris.
Since I didn't read it then, I thought last week's trip to Paris (part
work part play) would be a good time.
The memoir is by Adam
Gopnik, an occasional writer for The New Yorker, and chronicles his family's
move to Paris when his son was a toddler.
He and his wife and son live there for a few years and this book is a
collection of essays he wrote during that time.
I enjoyed reading this book
but it wasn't what I expected. I thought
it would be a lightweight memoir about his time there. While there was some of that (anecdotes about
finding an apartment, taking his son to the park), the book was much more a set
of reflections on society and what it means to be Parisian - including
politics, labor relations, medicine, and the pure quintessence of living in
Paris.
I’d recommend the book; just
don’t expect a lighthearted memoir.
Friday, November 16, 2012
The Love Wife by Gish Jen
This book is a rarity for me
– I took a few minutes to browse in the library and picked out with no
recommendations and no knowledge of it.
But it was a good choice!
The story follows a
Chinese-American man who marries an American woman (“Blondie”) and they adopt
two children. His disapproving Chinese
mother has strong feelings about his decisions, and after her death he finds
that in order to inherit some particular items of great sentimental value, the
family has to take in a distant relative from China.
I’ll leave the plot there,
but it was a good story. Also unique was
the alternating narrators – not just each chapter but every few
paragraphs. Very interesting style that I thought would be annoying but actually worked.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Becoming Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey
In my search for books prior to vacation this year, I learned that Marie Antoinette was raised in Vienna. Since we were visiting Vienna, I decided to try a historical fiction book about her childhood.
This book was not great literature (more like a beach read), but fun to read. It followed Marie's silver-spoon childhood which comes to a screeching halt when her mother decides to marry her off. She is betrothed to Louis XVI of France who will one day be king, which will help Austria's political prospects greatly. However, Marie is scarcely more than a child, so the first third of the book is about all the training and primping and planning that goes into turning her into a proper princess.
Once she arrives at Versailles, there is a lot to get used to. There are political and social requirements and factions, there are limits to her free time and her privacy, and there is the delicate matter of getting to know her also-young husband, both privately as well as in the context of a friendship. The latter proves easier than the former, though both stump her for a while.
The book, part one of a trilogy, ends with King Louis XV's death and Marie and her husband's ascent to the throne. It will be fun to read the next book in the series when it is published.
This book was not great literature (more like a beach read), but fun to read. It followed Marie's silver-spoon childhood which comes to a screeching halt when her mother decides to marry her off. She is betrothed to Louis XVI of France who will one day be king, which will help Austria's political prospects greatly. However, Marie is scarcely more than a child, so the first third of the book is about all the training and primping and planning that goes into turning her into a proper princess.
Once she arrives at Versailles, there is a lot to get used to. There are political and social requirements and factions, there are limits to her free time and her privacy, and there is the delicate matter of getting to know her also-young husband, both privately as well as in the context of a friendship. The latter proves easier than the former, though both stump her for a while.
The book, part one of a trilogy, ends with King Louis XV's death and Marie and her husband's ascent to the throne. It will be fun to read the next book in the series when it is published.
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
The next book I read on vacation was this one - The Historian. It is a novel about a group of people searching for Dracula - not Bram Stoker's Dracula, but the purportedly real Dracula whose myth evolved into the vampire we are familiar with today.
The book was really fun to read - it alternated between the 1970's where a young girl discovers her widowed father's fascination with Dracula and the 1950's when he was actively searching for traces of Dracula across Europe. A mix of history, adventure, and a little supernatural, the story held my attention. The narration was shared by several of the characters and various articles, letters, and other "primary sources," which made some of what would have otherwise been dry historical content easier to digest. Also keeping the book lively was the well-developed cast of characters, which included the daughter who finds her father's books, her father, father, his college professor, the professor's daughter, and many librarians, historians, monks, students, and others.
Being in Central Europe while I was reading this book was fun - there are scenes that take place in Prague, Budapest, Bucharest, and other places in the region we were in. This was a good vacation read - not fluffy by any means, but one that you need to read a chunk of at a time to really appreciate.
The book was really fun to read - it alternated between the 1970's where a young girl discovers her widowed father's fascination with Dracula and the 1950's when he was actively searching for traces of Dracula across Europe. A mix of history, adventure, and a little supernatural, the story held my attention. The narration was shared by several of the characters and various articles, letters, and other "primary sources," which made some of what would have otherwise been dry historical content easier to digest. Also keeping the book lively was the well-developed cast of characters, which included the daughter who finds her father's books, her father, father, his college professor, the professor's daughter, and many librarians, historians, monks, students, and others.
Being in Central Europe while I was reading this book was fun - there are scenes that take place in Prague, Budapest, Bucharest, and other places in the region we were in. This was a good vacation read - not fluffy by any means, but one that you need to read a chunk of at a time to really appreciate.
Monday, September 10, 2012
QBVII by Leon Uris
I hadn't read anything by Uris in years, although Exodus (about the creation of Israel) is one of my all-time favorite books. I picked this for our trip to Europe and it was a great read.
The book is about a trial - the trial of an author whose book about the Holocaust makes mention of a particular doctor's activities in a concentration camp; the doctor sues for libel. It's fast-paced, and unlike some courtroom dramas, it doesn't suffer from pages of detailed testimony. Much like Uris' other books, a great deal of the book is dedicated to the back story of each of the main characters. I did not find there to be a clear protagonist and antagonist: both the author and the doctor were characters I could root for.
I particularly enjoyed reading this while in Central Europe because in Prague and Budapest, we saw a lot of Jewish history sites from before and during the Holocaust that enabled me to better connect with some of the themes in the book. There were also several ethical dilemmas in the book (e.g., should the doctor have followed orders, should camp survivors have been asked to testify, etc...) that kept me thinking and engaged.
One note: this book was written in 1970 and in one particular way shows its age. The female characters are thin and predictable, reminiscent of Marjorie Morningstar or early Le Carre. That aside, the book still resonated with me and kept me thinking long after it was over.
The book is about a trial - the trial of an author whose book about the Holocaust makes mention of a particular doctor's activities in a concentration camp; the doctor sues for libel. It's fast-paced, and unlike some courtroom dramas, it doesn't suffer from pages of detailed testimony. Much like Uris' other books, a great deal of the book is dedicated to the back story of each of the main characters. I did not find there to be a clear protagonist and antagonist: both the author and the doctor were characters I could root for.
I particularly enjoyed reading this while in Central Europe because in Prague and Budapest, we saw a lot of Jewish history sites from before and during the Holocaust that enabled me to better connect with some of the themes in the book. There were also several ethical dilemmas in the book (e.g., should the doctor have followed orders, should camp survivors have been asked to testify, etc...) that kept me thinking and engaged.
One note: this book was written in 1970 and in one particular way shows its age. The female characters are thin and predictable, reminiscent of Marjorie Morningstar or early Le Carre. That aside, the book still resonated with me and kept me thinking long after it was over.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers
I'm not sure what Dave Eggers was thinking about for this book. Many of his others are my favorites - but this was confusingly lacking in a compelling plot or set of characters.
The story follows Alan, once a rising executive for Schwin bicycles, now reduced to leading a group of young people to pitch a technology to the King of Saudi Arabia because he once - briefly - knew the King's nephew. Alan faces many common middle-class issues: a demanding ex-wife, a daughter whose education is expensive, a career winding down before his financial responsibilities are complete. He and his colleagues arrive in a beautifully designed but completely unoccupied housing and commerce development in Saudi Arabia, and are frustrated to find that schedules and plans are ignored, and that the sense of urgency they feel to "do business" is unmatched. They are bored, waiting days to present. Sadly, I was bored, waiting days for the book to pick up.
I've read reviews that this is a modern-day parable of globalization. OK. It didn't make any points to me that I hadn't thought about myself, and I don't think about globalization that much. I am hopeful that Eggers' next book is more compelling, like his earlier work.
The story follows Alan, once a rising executive for Schwin bicycles, now reduced to leading a group of young people to pitch a technology to the King of Saudi Arabia because he once - briefly - knew the King's nephew. Alan faces many common middle-class issues: a demanding ex-wife, a daughter whose education is expensive, a career winding down before his financial responsibilities are complete. He and his colleagues arrive in a beautifully designed but completely unoccupied housing and commerce development in Saudi Arabia, and are frustrated to find that schedules and plans are ignored, and that the sense of urgency they feel to "do business" is unmatched. They are bored, waiting days to present. Sadly, I was bored, waiting days for the book to pick up.
I've read reviews that this is a modern-day parable of globalization. OK. It didn't make any points to me that I hadn't thought about myself, and I don't think about globalization that much. I am hopeful that Eggers' next book is more compelling, like his earlier work.
My New American Life by Francine Prose
I really enjoyed this book. It was about a young Armenian woman named Lula who works as a housekeeper for a father and son outside of Manhattan. The story follows her relationships with them and with her immigration lawyer. Things get interesting when some fellow Armenians find her and insert themselves into her tidy life.
What was great about this book was the author's ability to detail different aspects of Lula's story. In some cases, we learn about her first few months in the US in a bar with other immigrant friends. In other cases, we peek into her domestic life. We see her act as a caretaker for the teenage boy in the home she works in, as well as for his father. And the scenes with the other Armenians are very rich - the contrast between her life and theirs very sharp while their similarities are also brought into focus.
I'd enjoy reading something else by Prose in the future.
What was great about this book was the author's ability to detail different aspects of Lula's story. In some cases, we learn about her first few months in the US in a bar with other immigrant friends. In other cases, we peek into her domestic life. We see her act as a caretaker for the teenage boy in the home she works in, as well as for his father. And the scenes with the other Armenians are very rich - the contrast between her life and theirs very sharp while their similarities are also brought into focus.
I'd enjoy reading something else by Prose in the future.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
South of Broad by Pat Conroy
Somewhere along the way I had put Pat Conroy in a lightweight beach-reading category, and it wasn't until I read a review of this most recent book of his that I realized he was a more serious author than that.
South of Broad was a good read. It is about a group of friends who grow up together in Charleston, South Carolina, and alternates between their lives as teenagers in the late 1960's and then as adults twenty years later. As children, the group forms around Leo, a bright kid who appreciates who his friends are, independent of race, class, and sexual orientation. Years later, he remains the stable force who keeps the friends together.
The character development was definitely the most compelling piece of this book. In addition to Leo, there were at least seven or eight main characters, all of whom I felt like I knew. In particular, I was impressed by Conroy's ability to develop the characters over 20 years. I also liked how Conroy addressed several major social issues without that being the central theme of the book.
I would definitely choose something else by him in the future.
South of Broad was a good read. It is about a group of friends who grow up together in Charleston, South Carolina, and alternates between their lives as teenagers in the late 1960's and then as adults twenty years later. As children, the group forms around Leo, a bright kid who appreciates who his friends are, independent of race, class, and sexual orientation. Years later, he remains the stable force who keeps the friends together.
The character development was definitely the most compelling piece of this book. In addition to Leo, there were at least seven or eight main characters, all of whom I felt like I knew. In particular, I was impressed by Conroy's ability to develop the characters over 20 years. I also liked how Conroy addressed several major social issues without that being the central theme of the book.
I would definitely choose something else by him in the future.
World Without End by Ken Follett
Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth - the epic story of several generations building a cathedral in the 12th century - is one of my all-time favorite books. Recommended by my high school guidance counselor as a great example of someone who combined two lifelong interests, it was captivating from the first page.
When World Without End, the long-awaited sequel, came out a few years ago (and 20 years after Pillars) my dad sent me a copy the day it was released. I was excited to read it but somehow couldn't get started - Web read it instead and then it sat on my bookshelf.
Well once I finally opened the book I couldn't put it down. It was great!! It seemed to be written in a less sophisticated style than the original, compounded by the beginning of the book following several young children who are playing in the woods. Another difference from Pillars was that in this book, two of the main characters were women, a point of view I enjoyed reading. The story was about the town the cathedral had been built in, and how it had evolved 150 years later. The relationships between the royalty, the Church, and the guild were really intriguing, and I also enjoyed the inclusion of real historical events like the Plague. All of that coupled with a cast of good characters (as well as some great "bad guys") the book read quickly.
If you loved Pillars, (how could you not/?) this is a good sequel. I think the book would stand alone also, but you may as well read Pillars first.
When World Without End, the long-awaited sequel, came out a few years ago (and 20 years after Pillars) my dad sent me a copy the day it was released. I was excited to read it but somehow couldn't get started - Web read it instead and then it sat on my bookshelf.
Well once I finally opened the book I couldn't put it down. It was great!! It seemed to be written in a less sophisticated style than the original, compounded by the beginning of the book following several young children who are playing in the woods. Another difference from Pillars was that in this book, two of the main characters were women, a point of view I enjoyed reading. The story was about the town the cathedral had been built in, and how it had evolved 150 years later. The relationships between the royalty, the Church, and the guild were really intriguing, and I also enjoyed the inclusion of real historical events like the Plague. All of that coupled with a cast of good characters (as well as some great "bad guys") the book read quickly.
If you loved Pillars, (how could you not/?) this is a good sequel. I think the book would stand alone also, but you may as well read Pillars first.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morten
I read Distant Hours last summer and enjoyed it, so I decided to read another of Morton's novels.
This story starts with Nell, a woman who, as a child, was sent from London to Australia on a ship under mysterious circumstances. She isn't told this until she is an adult, then she spends much of the rest of her life trying to learn what happened. Meanwhile, many years later, her granddaughter Cassandra is trying to unravel the same mystery after inheriting a cottage in England upon Nell's death.
It was fun trying to follow the story in three different time periods: Nell's childhood, Nell's adulthood, and Cassandra's adulthood. The story unfolds seemingly in order to the reader, but the characters in the story are figuring out what happened at different times. One of the other characters is an author of fairy tales, so those are woven in to the story, along with real life fairy-tale elements: wicked stepmothers, poor children sentenced to a life of arduous work, illegitimate children, etc.
Juicy, indeed.
This story starts with Nell, a woman who, as a child, was sent from London to Australia on a ship under mysterious circumstances. She isn't told this until she is an adult, then she spends much of the rest of her life trying to learn what happened. Meanwhile, many years later, her granddaughter Cassandra is trying to unravel the same mystery after inheriting a cottage in England upon Nell's death.
It was fun trying to follow the story in three different time periods: Nell's childhood, Nell's adulthood, and Cassandra's adulthood. The story unfolds seemingly in order to the reader, but the characters in the story are figuring out what happened at different times. One of the other characters is an author of fairy tales, so those are woven in to the story, along with real life fairy-tale elements: wicked stepmothers, poor children sentenced to a life of arduous work, illegitimate children, etc.
Juicy, indeed.
Voyager by Diana Galbadon
The third book in Galbadon's Outlander series, this book continues the story of Claire (of 20th century England, then the U.S.) and Jamie (of 18th century Scotland), and their love affair. Like Dragonfly in Amber, this book lacked the initial delight factor of the first book, although there was enough other compelling plot elements to hold my attention.
In this book, Claire travels back to find Jamie again. He's living under an assumed name, and somewhat of a criminal. However, they instantly click again, he finds out that she safely gave birth to and raised their child, and the soon and return to his family's homestead. Shortly thereafter, however, they embark on a voyage to the Caribbean for a number of reasons, including jewels and a kidnapped nephew. The story of their trip was really fun to follow, as is their continuing love story.
A few new characters are introduced and developed, and I can guess that I'll see them again in the next book.
In this book, Claire travels back to find Jamie again. He's living under an assumed name, and somewhat of a criminal. However, they instantly click again, he finds out that she safely gave birth to and raised their child, and the soon and return to his family's homestead. Shortly thereafter, however, they embark on a voyage to the Caribbean for a number of reasons, including jewels and a kidnapped nephew. The story of their trip was really fun to follow, as is their continuing love story.
A few new characters are introduced and developed, and I can guess that I'll see them again in the next book.
Saturday, June 02, 2012
My Life on a Plate by India Knight
I really had a good time reading this book. Poor India Knight - I probably won't be the only reader who thinks of this book as "as if Bridget Jones grew up, got married, and had kids" but maybe that's just because they're both British and I'm not. I think of that as a compliment.
The story follows Clara, who is married, mother of two, has consistently been putting on weight as she gets older, and whose mother won't let her forget it. As she deals with her marriage, her children, and her complex extended family, she survives by eating, drinking, and becoming reasonably impervious to humiliation.
At some points I laughed out loud, some others I cringed, but each night I couldn't wait to get into bed to see what would happen next. There is, in particular, an interview Clara conducts with a dancer that I don't think I'll ever forget.
Thanks to Web's Aunt Christie for stuffing it into my purse last summer.
The story follows Clara, who is married, mother of two, has consistently been putting on weight as she gets older, and whose mother won't let her forget it. As she deals with her marriage, her children, and her complex extended family, she survives by eating, drinking, and becoming reasonably impervious to humiliation.
At some points I laughed out loud, some others I cringed, but each night I couldn't wait to get into bed to see what would happen next. There is, in particular, an interview Clara conducts with a dancer that I don't think I'll ever forget.
Thanks to Web's Aunt Christie for stuffing it into my purse last summer.
Friday, June 01, 2012
Fermat's Last Theorem by Amir D. Aczel
After reading Longitude, I decided on another book in the same genre: thin history of science books. This book, subtitled "Unlocking the Secret of an Ancient Mathematical Problem" begins with Andrew Wiles' alleged proof of of Fermat's Last Theorem. FLT is simple to understand but was, for nearly three centuries, impossible to prove.
The theorem states that equations like a^2 + b^2 = c^2 can't be solved for exponents larger than 2. Fermat, mathematician in the 1600's, stated this theorem with an innocent note indicating he had proven it but didn't have space in the margin of his notebook to write out the entire proof. Since then, mathematicians had struggled to find a proof, and in 1993 Wiles was so sure that he had that he presented it at a large conference.
Wiles' original proof of FLT was erroneous, so the book picks up the story there, ultimately unraveling the politics and characters involved in the lead-up to the proof as well as the correction that Wiles ultimately presented to successfully prove the theorem. However, to appreciate the entire story, the author uses most of the book to provide a history of the math behind the story, starting long before Fermat, with the Greek mathematicians up through modern times.
I liked the book but I didn't love it. I guess as a math person I craved better explanations of some of the mathematical concepts. I wanted to understand the basic layout of the proof, and instead I got a narrative of the people involved as well as this history, but not enough math. Some sections (like on non-Euclidean geometry) were at a level of detail I was looking for, but once he got into the elliptical math at the basis of the proof, Aczel's descriptions were not complete enough for my taste.
The theorem states that equations like a^2 + b^2 = c^2 can't be solved for exponents larger than 2. Fermat, mathematician in the 1600's, stated this theorem with an innocent note indicating he had proven it but didn't have space in the margin of his notebook to write out the entire proof. Since then, mathematicians had struggled to find a proof, and in 1993 Wiles was so sure that he had that he presented it at a large conference.
Wiles' original proof of FLT was erroneous, so the book picks up the story there, ultimately unraveling the politics and characters involved in the lead-up to the proof as well as the correction that Wiles ultimately presented to successfully prove the theorem. However, to appreciate the entire story, the author uses most of the book to provide a history of the math behind the story, starting long before Fermat, with the Greek mathematicians up through modern times.
I liked the book but I didn't love it. I guess as a math person I craved better explanations of some of the mathematical concepts. I wanted to understand the basic layout of the proof, and instead I got a narrative of the people involved as well as this history, but not enough math. Some sections (like on non-Euclidean geometry) were at a level of detail I was looking for, but once he got into the elliptical math at the basis of the proof, Aczel's descriptions were not complete enough for my taste.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Longitude by Dava Sobel
This tidy little book sat on my bookshelf for years. It's short - under 200 pages, and reads quickly. Its subtitle, "The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of
His Time" is accurate.
In the early 18th century, the problem of determining longitude at sea came to a head. Latitude was easier to calculate based on the sun/stars, but the lack of being able to calculate longitude had resulted in many shipwrecks, costing sailors their lives and crowns their riches. So the English Parliament put out a contest - whoever could figure out a way to calculate longitude accurately would win a cash prize large enough to sustain them for most of their life.
Most "contestants" aimed for a method that relied on celestial bodies, but one man (John Harrison) decided that clocks that kept accurate time at sea would be a more elegant way to solve the problem. His lifework (and that of his son) became creating such a clock - not a simple feat in the 1700s.
This story - as depicted in the book - is fascinating. There are the politics, the villains, and the science. What's most amazing, however, is the intrigue - far more than you'd imagine in what seems like such a dry topic. A good read.
In the early 18th century, the problem of determining longitude at sea came to a head. Latitude was easier to calculate based on the sun/stars, but the lack of being able to calculate longitude had resulted in many shipwrecks, costing sailors their lives and crowns their riches. So the English Parliament put out a contest - whoever could figure out a way to calculate longitude accurately would win a cash prize large enough to sustain them for most of their life.
Most "contestants" aimed for a method that relied on celestial bodies, but one man (John Harrison) decided that clocks that kept accurate time at sea would be a more elegant way to solve the problem. His lifework (and that of his son) became creating such a clock - not a simple feat in the 1700s.
This story - as depicted in the book - is fascinating. There are the politics, the villains, and the science. What's most amazing, however, is the intrigue - far more than you'd imagine in what seems like such a dry topic. A good read.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
Several years ago I read Otsuka's When the Emporer was Divine at my dad's recommendation. That was a novel about a Japanese-American family taken to an internment camp during WWII. It was short, economical, well-written, and kind of a special book.
Buddha in the Attic has all of those characteristics too. It's about a group of women who come over from Japan to be married to men they haven't met. Some of their lives go as expected, others are disappointed, but all of them need to find ways to adjust to life in America. What was most unique about this book was the voice - it was told in first-person plural, where the women (never completely enumerated and named) tell about different parts of their experiences in different chapters. It made me wonder if Otsuka had created a set of individuals and then grouped their stories, or if she conceived the narrative this way.
Otsuka's books are like perfect tiny diamond stud earrings. You can never have enough but they are quite beautiful.
Buddha in the Attic has all of those characteristics too. It's about a group of women who come over from Japan to be married to men they haven't met. Some of their lives go as expected, others are disappointed, but all of them need to find ways to adjust to life in America. What was most unique about this book was the voice - it was told in first-person plural, where the women (never completely enumerated and named) tell about different parts of their experiences in different chapters. It made me wonder if Otsuka had created a set of individuals and then grouped their stories, or if she conceived the narrative this way.
Otsuka's books are like perfect tiny diamond stud earrings. You can never have enough but they are quite beautiful.
Blame by Michele Huneven
This book came off the Chicago Tribune's booklist a few years back. It was good - a reasonably complex set of themes hiding in an easy-to-read novel reminiscient of Jodi Picoult.
Most of the story is about Patsy, an alcoholic who kills two people in an accident while driving drunk. The story follows her as she goes to prison, joins AA, and once released, rebuilds her life with an unlikely set of family and friends. Most notably, she becomes friends with the husband and father of her victims, and also marries the unlikeliest of partners. When additional details about the accident come out decades later, Patsy is confronted with the realities of what her life was like, and of what is has since become.
You could consider this a beach read or airport read - it is fast-paced and well-plotted. However, that would probably underestimate the quality of the book and the profundity of its message.
Recommended.
Most of the story is about Patsy, an alcoholic who kills two people in an accident while driving drunk. The story follows her as she goes to prison, joins AA, and once released, rebuilds her life with an unlikely set of family and friends. Most notably, she becomes friends with the husband and father of her victims, and also marries the unlikeliest of partners. When additional details about the accident come out decades later, Patsy is confronted with the realities of what her life was like, and of what is has since become.
You could consider this a beach read or airport read - it is fast-paced and well-plotted. However, that would probably underestimate the quality of the book and the profundity of its message.
Recommended.
The Disappeared by Kim Echlin
This book was on last year's Globe and Mail annual book list and it has languished on mine since then. Glad it finally bubbled up to the top.
The story is about a young woman who falls in love with a man who left Cambodia before the genocide in the late 1970's. When the country is stable again, he is haunted by having left and returns. She loses touch with him - for many years - then goes to Cambodia to find him. It's a love story but also a tribute to the sad history of Cambodia.
Perhaps the best thing about this book was the style in which this was written. It was like reading a novel-length poem - not one superfluous word, but nothing under-described either. Both the passion of the love between the two main characters and the terrors endured by the Cambodian people were depicted crisply. Some specifics of place and time were minimized in favor of creating a mood throughout the book.
Perhaps it was the war-torn Asian setting that reminded me a bit of The Lotus Eaters. The writing in that book was much more straightforward, but the question of whether to love in the face of terror is futile was similar.
Recommended.
The story is about a young woman who falls in love with a man who left Cambodia before the genocide in the late 1970's. When the country is stable again, he is haunted by having left and returns. She loses touch with him - for many years - then goes to Cambodia to find him. It's a love story but also a tribute to the sad history of Cambodia.
Perhaps the best thing about this book was the style in which this was written. It was like reading a novel-length poem - not one superfluous word, but nothing under-described either. Both the passion of the love between the two main characters and the terrors endured by the Cambodian people were depicted crisply. Some specifics of place and time were minimized in favor of creating a mood throughout the book.
Perhaps it was the war-torn Asian setting that reminded me a bit of The Lotus Eaters. The writing in that book was much more straightforward, but the question of whether to love in the face of terror is futile was similar.
Recommended.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
A Year and Six Seconds by Isabel Gillies
Two summers ago, I couldn't put down Gillies first memoir, Happens Every Day, which chronicled the abrupt demise of her first marriage. When I heard she had written a sequel about finding love a second time I looked forward to reading it.
This book picks up where the last one left off - Gillies is arriving in Manhattan, two toddlers in tow, to move in with her parents. The first half of the book was similar to her first book; Gillies remains charming, modest, and honest. I cheered for her when she accomplished victories like getting her son into a preschool mid-year, and I felt for her when she stumbled, like when she misunderstood her husband and thought he wanted to get back together.
However I didn't really enjoy the end of the book. About two-thirds of the way through, after a series of unsuccessful dates she meets a friend-of-a-friend named Peter and immediately falls in love. In what seems like just months (I think that's true, actually), she is married to Peter and joining their families together. I don't know if it was because I thought it was too fast, or Gillies thought it was too fast, but I fould the writing about this part of her life hurried, and defensive. She breezes through the decision-making, the therapy, and the new life in a way that seemed unsustainable.
Hopefully her new marriage will be successful and long. I'd enjoy reading another book by her about her adventures in blending her family with Peter's.
This book picks up where the last one left off - Gillies is arriving in Manhattan, two toddlers in tow, to move in with her parents. The first half of the book was similar to her first book; Gillies remains charming, modest, and honest. I cheered for her when she accomplished victories like getting her son into a preschool mid-year, and I felt for her when she stumbled, like when she misunderstood her husband and thought he wanted to get back together.
However I didn't really enjoy the end of the book. About two-thirds of the way through, after a series of unsuccessful dates she meets a friend-of-a-friend named Peter and immediately falls in love. In what seems like just months (I think that's true, actually), she is married to Peter and joining their families together. I don't know if it was because I thought it was too fast, or Gillies thought it was too fast, but I fould the writing about this part of her life hurried, and defensive. She breezes through the decision-making, the therapy, and the new life in a way that seemed unsustainable.
Hopefully her new marriage will be successful and long. I'd enjoy reading another book by her about her adventures in blending her family with Peter's.
The Network by Jason Elliot
I had put this on my "to-read" list sometime last year and somehow remembered it as being a computer crime book - it's not. But it is a really unusual book that I'm glad I read.
The novel follows Anthony Taverner, who reports in first person his experience being recruited into MI6 (the British Intelligence agency, like the US CIA), being trained by senior agents, and then being sent into Afghanistan on a secret mission. While there is an action-packed climax, this isn't a book to read for adventure purposes - it's slow-going at times, and leverages the author's first-hand experiences in Afghanistan to paint a very clear, detailed picture of what that country was like before 9/11.
I really enjoyed the descriptions of Anthony's training, as well as his mission in Afghanistan. Both were like reading a really detailed letter from a friend who had been through these experiences. I was amazed at how ingenious some of his escapades were, as well as how basic and not high-tech other ones were. The author also did a good job developing Anthony's character and his relationships with his mentors and colleagues.
This was different from what I usually read, but I enjoyed it.
The novel follows Anthony Taverner, who reports in first person his experience being recruited into MI6 (the British Intelligence agency, like the US CIA), being trained by senior agents, and then being sent into Afghanistan on a secret mission. While there is an action-packed climax, this isn't a book to read for adventure purposes - it's slow-going at times, and leverages the author's first-hand experiences in Afghanistan to paint a very clear, detailed picture of what that country was like before 9/11.
I really enjoyed the descriptions of Anthony's training, as well as his mission in Afghanistan. Both were like reading a really detailed letter from a friend who had been through these experiences. I was amazed at how ingenious some of his escapades were, as well as how basic and not high-tech other ones were. The author also did a good job developing Anthony's character and his relationships with his mentors and colleagues.
This was different from what I usually read, but I enjoyed it.
Saturday, March 03, 2012
The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore
I like the idea of this book - an investment banker with an "American dream" resume finds that someone has the same name as him, but is in prison for armed robbery. He finds him and tells both of their stories.
Both Wes Moore and Wes Moore grow up in inner cities - one in Baltimore, the other begins his life in Baltimore but is raised in the Bronx. Both are raised by single mothers, and as the book progresses, Moore does a fine job of reporting on what each of them was doing during different phases of childhood and adolesence. One ends up mixed up in drugs, jail, and fathering several children as a teenager, while the other becomes a Rhodes Scholar after graduating from college.
The book is not judgemental - if anything it is a little ascetic for such a personal story. Moore makes the point in the foreword that he doesn't want to lessen the other Moore's crimes, but wants to dissect how they could start out with such similar odds and yet end up in such different places. He punctuates that at the end with a multi-page resource guide for organziations that help children growing up in all sorts of situations.
I found this sentiment lofty, and admirable, but a strange end to the book. I guess it's his way of not drawing any conclusions other than "we need to engage kids to get them on the right path," but I think there are some more conclusive distinctions to be drawn between the two Wes' upbringings and outcomes. My other beef with this book is that it may have been too long. It was not long from a page-count perspective, but I did feel like it may have been similarly effective as a piece of long-form journalism.
Both Wes Moore and Wes Moore grow up in inner cities - one in Baltimore, the other begins his life in Baltimore but is raised in the Bronx. Both are raised by single mothers, and as the book progresses, Moore does a fine job of reporting on what each of them was doing during different phases of childhood and adolesence. One ends up mixed up in drugs, jail, and fathering several children as a teenager, while the other becomes a Rhodes Scholar after graduating from college.
The book is not judgemental - if anything it is a little ascetic for such a personal story. Moore makes the point in the foreword that he doesn't want to lessen the other Moore's crimes, but wants to dissect how they could start out with such similar odds and yet end up in such different places. He punctuates that at the end with a multi-page resource guide for organziations that help children growing up in all sorts of situations.
I found this sentiment lofty, and admirable, but a strange end to the book. I guess it's his way of not drawing any conclusions other than "we need to engage kids to get them on the right path," but I think there are some more conclusive distinctions to be drawn between the two Wes' upbringings and outcomes. My other beef with this book is that it may have been too long. It was not long from a page-count perspective, but I did feel like it may have been similarly effective as a piece of long-form journalism.
Reamde by Neal Stephenson
This book caught my attention from the first review of it I read, likely on some tech blog. I had read Stephenson's Cryptonomicon last year and while I liked and respected it, I didn't love it. Too embarrassed to admit I didn't love it, I'll borrow my friend Gregg's critique of Stephenson's writing style: "Isn't it another paid-by-the-word?" But Stephenson's an icon and I'm a geek and this one sounded awesome so my inlaws got it for me for Christmas.
I loved it but it's not for everyone.
The story starts with a MMORPG (Massive multi-player online role playing game) called T'Rain. T'Rain is wildly popular and ingenious - after a previous foray into money-laundreing, its creator Richard got the idea to leverage Chinese teens who will work for very low wages to create value around the gold pieces in the game. When Peter, the boyfriend of the Richards's niece Zula gets involved in a bad credit card scam, they are kidnapped. And then it gets fun.
What ensues is a 1000+ page ride around the world as the "good guys" and "bad guys" fight it out. Zula and Peter are shortly joined by a few other captives, a couple hackers and a tour guide, and fight to stay alive. Along the way, they encounter the Russian mob, MI-6 agents, and other members of a crazy cast of characters that is surprising both in their variety and in the depth of their development in the novel. The bad guys are *really* bad and yet it becomes confusing sometimes to determine who the bad guys are. Meanwhile, Richard is unsure of what's happened to Zula but slowly gets some clues as to her whereabouts. On his side is a quirky family including some fringe survivalists and the staff for his online game.
And at the center of all of this is technology. Stephenson is, as usual, right on the cusp of what is possible. The gold pieces in the game reminded me of Bitcoin...and the computer virus that starts off this chain of events (did I mention there was a computer virus) is ingenious, possible, and freaking scary: it is a virus that exists within T'Rain but has consequences in the real world. Really this has enough material to be several books - there is meticulous detail applied to the background of all the characters and all the plots. There are even characters in the book whose job it is to write the cannon of history for T'Rain, which is - thankfully - excerpted and not included in its entirety.
I could not put this book down but you have to like this kind of thing.
Hello, HBO? Please option for a mini-series. Zoe Saldana should play Zula, Lucy Lui can play the MI-6 agent, William H Macy can be the survivalist brother, and if he tries really hard, Seth Rogen can play Richard and finally get the dramatic respect he deserves. Thanks.
I loved it but it's not for everyone.
The story starts with a MMORPG (Massive multi-player online role playing game) called T'Rain. T'Rain is wildly popular and ingenious - after a previous foray into money-laundreing, its creator Richard got the idea to leverage Chinese teens who will work for very low wages to create value around the gold pieces in the game. When Peter, the boyfriend of the Richards's niece Zula gets involved in a bad credit card scam, they are kidnapped. And then it gets fun.
What ensues is a 1000+ page ride around the world as the "good guys" and "bad guys" fight it out. Zula and Peter are shortly joined by a few other captives, a couple hackers and a tour guide, and fight to stay alive. Along the way, they encounter the Russian mob, MI-6 agents, and other members of a crazy cast of characters that is surprising both in their variety and in the depth of their development in the novel. The bad guys are *really* bad and yet it becomes confusing sometimes to determine who the bad guys are. Meanwhile, Richard is unsure of what's happened to Zula but slowly gets some clues as to her whereabouts. On his side is a quirky family including some fringe survivalists and the staff for his online game.
And at the center of all of this is technology. Stephenson is, as usual, right on the cusp of what is possible. The gold pieces in the game reminded me of Bitcoin...and the computer virus that starts off this chain of events (did I mention there was a computer virus) is ingenious, possible, and freaking scary: it is a virus that exists within T'Rain but has consequences in the real world. Really this has enough material to be several books - there is meticulous detail applied to the background of all the characters and all the plots. There are even characters in the book whose job it is to write the cannon of history for T'Rain, which is - thankfully - excerpted and not included in its entirety.
I could not put this book down but you have to like this kind of thing.
Hello, HBO? Please option for a mini-series. Zoe Saldana should play Zula, Lucy Lui can play the MI-6 agent, William H Macy can be the survivalist brother, and if he tries really hard, Seth Rogen can play Richard and finally get the dramatic respect he deserves. Thanks.
Lady Matador's Hotel by Cristina Garcia
This was a nice book - it was a collection of linked stories, that type of book that lives somewhere between a collection of short stories and a novel. It had been on my list for a while, after I read the NYT review of it.
The stories all take place around a hotel in what could be any Central American country. There's something I find oddly familiar about these "Anycountry" settings in Latin America (like Blindness, for example) although I'd be scared out of my wits if I were there. Staying at the hotel is a couple from the States adopting a baby, a waitress at the hotel, members of the unstable military government, a Korean businessman and his mistress, and the title character - a female matador determined to emerge victorious an upcoming bullfight.
This was of a completely different style from Reamde, which I just finished. This book was short, with each word chosen very carefully. There was a little magical realism thrown in - just enough to secure the book's place in Latin American writing. And there were many places where Garcia hinted at something or insinuated that something in particular had happened, or referred to a previous event, in a way that meant you had to pay close attention. Intricate but very, very subtle.
The stories all take place around a hotel in what could be any Central American country. There's something I find oddly familiar about these "Anycountry" settings in Latin America (like Blindness, for example) although I'd be scared out of my wits if I were there. Staying at the hotel is a couple from the States adopting a baby, a waitress at the hotel, members of the unstable military government, a Korean businessman and his mistress, and the title character - a female matador determined to emerge victorious an upcoming bullfight.
This was of a completely different style from Reamde, which I just finished. This book was short, with each word chosen very carefully. There was a little magical realism thrown in - just enough to secure the book's place in Latin American writing. And there were many places where Garcia hinted at something or insinuated that something in particular had happened, or referred to a previous event, in a way that meant you had to pay close attention. Intricate but very, very subtle.
No Biking in the House without a Helmet by Melissa Fay Greene
This was a sweet memoir - easy to read & well-written.
Melissa and her husband had four biological children. Just when they were beginning to go off to school, she and her husband decided to adopt a Roma boy from Eastern Europe. Over the next few years they added four other children to the family, all from Ethiopia. It reads like the plot for a feel-good movie but it is indeed a true story, which is what makes it so cool.
Greene is a journalist, and she does a good job of writing honestly about the decisions, the transitions, and all the aspects of the both difficult and joyful expansion of her family. She was fortunate to have a supportive husband and welcoming children, but still suffered from post-adoption depression (akin to post-pardon depression), that she writes sadly of. She writes of being overwhelmed the first few times she brings new children home - at the magnitude of the adjustment they will have to make, and the challenge of incorporating them into the family. But she also writes of the big joy she felt when each child settles in and the daily joys of being a mother that she appreciates.
There are two parts of the book that stand out to me the most. One is the repeated trips she makes to Ethiopia and how she meets each child, then has to wait (sometimes months or even a year) before she can bring them home during a follow-up trip. She brings them toys and bonds with them and then has to leave them until the paperwork is done. The other part of the book that stuck with me was when several of the older kids all leave for college, two of the younger children begin to fight - a lot. She realizes that the older boys were playing a strong role in bringing order and fun into the family and their departure had a big toll in the family dynamic.
Kudos to Melissa Fay Greene, both for being a great mom to so many kids as well as for writing about it with such honesty.
Melissa and her husband had four biological children. Just when they were beginning to go off to school, she and her husband decided to adopt a Roma boy from Eastern Europe. Over the next few years they added four other children to the family, all from Ethiopia. It reads like the plot for a feel-good movie but it is indeed a true story, which is what makes it so cool.
Greene is a journalist, and she does a good job of writing honestly about the decisions, the transitions, and all the aspects of the both difficult and joyful expansion of her family. She was fortunate to have a supportive husband and welcoming children, but still suffered from post-adoption depression (akin to post-pardon depression), that she writes sadly of. She writes of being overwhelmed the first few times she brings new children home - at the magnitude of the adjustment they will have to make, and the challenge of incorporating them into the family. But she also writes of the big joy she felt when each child settles in and the daily joys of being a mother that she appreciates.
There are two parts of the book that stand out to me the most. One is the repeated trips she makes to Ethiopia and how she meets each child, then has to wait (sometimes months or even a year) before she can bring them home during a follow-up trip. She brings them toys and bonds with them and then has to leave them until the paperwork is done. The other part of the book that stuck with me was when several of the older kids all leave for college, two of the younger children begin to fight - a lot. She realizes that the older boys were playing a strong role in bringing order and fun into the family and their departure had a big toll in the family dynamic.
Kudos to Melissa Fay Greene, both for being a great mom to so many kids as well as for writing about it with such honesty.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Home in the Morning by Mary Glickman
Meredith had been recommending this book to me for a long time before I finally got around to it. The story was really unusual and I'm glad I read it.
The story follows Jackson, a Jewish boy growing up in Mississippi, into adulthood. Growing up in the 1960's, he sees a lot around segregation and Civil Rights, and befriends some black children his age. In particular, he harbors a childhood crush on Katherine Marie, and fondly remembers childhood exploits with Lil' Bokay. As an adult, he marries Stella, a young woman from Boston which may as well be a million miles away from the Mississippi he grew up in. Spanning three decades, the story evolves an unusual set of relationships among these four people.
Glickman's attention to detail in her character development was a delight to read - she puts her characters in very specific circumstances that show their characteristics and development. Her alternating different time periods was a good way of keeping me interested and wanting to know both what was going to happen as well as what had happened.
What I liked the most, however, was how well she was able to capture the feeling of being a newer, younger, generation.
I notice Glickman has a second novel out that I will add to my list of books to read.
The story follows Jackson, a Jewish boy growing up in Mississippi, into adulthood. Growing up in the 1960's, he sees a lot around segregation and Civil Rights, and befriends some black children his age. In particular, he harbors a childhood crush on Katherine Marie, and fondly remembers childhood exploits with Lil' Bokay. As an adult, he marries Stella, a young woman from Boston which may as well be a million miles away from the Mississippi he grew up in. Spanning three decades, the story evolves an unusual set of relationships among these four people.
Glickman's attention to detail in her character development was a delight to read - she puts her characters in very specific circumstances that show their characteristics and development. Her alternating different time periods was a good way of keeping me interested and wanting to know both what was going to happen as well as what had happened.
What I liked the most, however, was how well she was able to capture the feeling of being a newer, younger, generation.
I notice Glickman has a second novel out that I will add to my list of books to read.
Revolution: The Year I Fell in Love and Went to Join the War by Deb Olin Unferth
This memoir is about something that would never, ever, happen to me.
While in college in the late 1980's, Deb Olin Unfirth decides to drop out of school and follow her boyfriend to Central America. They were in search of a revolution to join, and it wasn't until they arrived that they figured out how difficult it was to find politically significant work.
The number of ways that is different from my life is barely countable. Of course I would never have dropped out of school, particularly not to follow a guy, and I wouldn't have gone to Central America even if I had. Sure, I like travel and have been to some parts of the world that other people would find risky, but not without my American passport (xeroxed, carried by me and my traveling companion, as well as stored in my Gmail account), credit card (safely xeroxed as well as alerted one week ahead of time to my international travel), and Immodium A/D (both in my daypack and back at the hotel). That was not how Deb traveled.
Her story is the opposite of all that - she lived with complete uncertainty, hopeful to find some civil war to assist with, riddled with diarrhea and bug bites, expired visas and no money, and several other maladies that would have sent me home immediately. She was also struggling to figure out her relationship with her boyfriend / fiance who proposes to her in El Salvador but seems to be lacking some of the earnest commitment she herself has. Her newfound Christianity further complicated her already-complex relationship with her otherwise typical Jewish American family.
I enjoyed this book and looked forward to reading it each night. It's told somewhat non-linearly, not as a factual depiction of what happened, but as a reverie on her experiences. In the later chapters, she also depicts her return to Central America on subsequent visits, inserting some space for reflection on her younger self.
While in college in the late 1980's, Deb Olin Unfirth decides to drop out of school and follow her boyfriend to Central America. They were in search of a revolution to join, and it wasn't until they arrived that they figured out how difficult it was to find politically significant work.
The number of ways that is different from my life is barely countable. Of course I would never have dropped out of school, particularly not to follow a guy, and I wouldn't have gone to Central America even if I had. Sure, I like travel and have been to some parts of the world that other people would find risky, but not without my American passport (xeroxed, carried by me and my traveling companion, as well as stored in my Gmail account), credit card (safely xeroxed as well as alerted one week ahead of time to my international travel), and Immodium A/D (both in my daypack and back at the hotel). That was not how Deb traveled.
Her story is the opposite of all that - she lived with complete uncertainty, hopeful to find some civil war to assist with, riddled with diarrhea and bug bites, expired visas and no money, and several other maladies that would have sent me home immediately. She was also struggling to figure out her relationship with her boyfriend / fiance who proposes to her in El Salvador but seems to be lacking some of the earnest commitment she herself has. Her newfound Christianity further complicated her already-complex relationship with her otherwise typical Jewish American family.
I enjoyed this book and looked forward to reading it each night. It's told somewhat non-linearly, not as a factual depiction of what happened, but as a reverie on her experiences. In the later chapters, she also depicts her return to Central America on subsequent visits, inserting some space for reflection on her younger self.
WWW: Watch by Robert Sawyer
The second book in Sawyer's WWW trilogy, this one continued where WWW:Wake had left off. After blind teenage Caitilin receives an experimental device to help her see, she figures out that this device has also given her access to a being that exists in the consciousness of the World Wide Web. As national security organizations start to notice strange patters in the Web, and as the consciousness grows in its sophistication, several ethical and practical issues start to arise.
Caitlin remains a likable protagonist, brave and down-to-earth. Like the first book, this one still feels like a YA novel, although given the recent success of both the Twilight books and the Hunger Games books, that isn't a knock.
Sometimes when I read trilogies, I can see how the author's style or point of view changed between writing the individual books. For WWW, this is not the case - Sawyer seems to have had a strong idea of where the story was going and just continued more of the same - which is a good thing. I found a great interview with Sawyer that addresses some of his thoughts on the themes in the trilogy as well as whether it is a YA book or not.
WWW:Wonder is staring at me every day, waiting for me to experience the end of the triology.
Caitlin remains a likable protagonist, brave and down-to-earth. Like the first book, this one still feels like a YA novel, although given the recent success of both the Twilight books and the Hunger Games books, that isn't a knock.
Sometimes when I read trilogies, I can see how the author's style or point of view changed between writing the individual books. For WWW, this is not the case - Sawyer seems to have had a strong idea of where the story was going and just continued more of the same - which is a good thing. I found a great interview with Sawyer that addresses some of his thoughts on the themes in the trilogy as well as whether it is a YA book or not.
WWW:Wonder is staring at me every day, waiting for me to experience the end of the triology.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan
This book broke my heart and I was not expecting it. I've read African literature in the past (e.g., Half a Yellow Sun, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, Infidel, The In-Between World of Vikram Lall), but nothing prepared me for this book.
The five unrelated stories are all about children in Africa growing up under terribly sad circumstances. For example, one is about children told they are going to be sent to their godparents, but actually being sold to traffickers in Gabon; one is about siblings watching their mixed Tutsi/Hutu family violently fall apart in Rwanda; one is about a family barely surviving in a shantytown in Kenya. All of the stories are told from the children's point of view, but the magnitude of the situations ought to be squarely adult material.
One of the stories is just a few pages long, and two are 100+ pages. The other two stories are of more of a traditional short-story length.
I won't forget this book for a long time.
The five unrelated stories are all about children in Africa growing up under terribly sad circumstances. For example, one is about children told they are going to be sent to their godparents, but actually being sold to traffickers in Gabon; one is about siblings watching their mixed Tutsi/Hutu family violently fall apart in Rwanda; one is about a family barely surviving in a shantytown in Kenya. All of the stories are told from the children's point of view, but the magnitude of the situations ought to be squarely adult material.
One of the stories is just a few pages long, and two are 100+ pages. The other two stories are of more of a traditional short-story length.
I won't forget this book for a long time.
Distant Hours by Kate Morton
I liked this book.
The story starts with a woman named Edie in the 1990's. Edie finds out that as a child, her mother was sent to live at Milderhurst Castle during WWII. Though her mother is not forthcoming with details, Edie decides to track down more information. What she finds is a mysterious family - elderly twin sisters who never married and their younger sister, never quite "right" after her fiance breaks off their engagement.
The book alternates between the 1990's and the 1940's, crafting a complicated story around the three sisters and their relationships, glimpsed for a few years by Edie's mom and then later by Edie. The castle itself is somewhat of a character as well, richly described and harboring lots and lots of family secrets. Nothing in the story is what it seems - the twin sisters are very different from each other and their motives in life are not revealed right away. And the seminal moment in the story - the evening when the younger sister's fiance does not show for dinner - is extraordinarily suspenseful.
The first two-thirds of the book were really good, but the juicy stuff is in the payoff. A well-done homage to the great Gothic stories...
The story starts with a woman named Edie in the 1990's. Edie finds out that as a child, her mother was sent to live at Milderhurst Castle during WWII. Though her mother is not forthcoming with details, Edie decides to track down more information. What she finds is a mysterious family - elderly twin sisters who never married and their younger sister, never quite "right" after her fiance breaks off their engagement.
The book alternates between the 1990's and the 1940's, crafting a complicated story around the three sisters and their relationships, glimpsed for a few years by Edie's mom and then later by Edie. The castle itself is somewhat of a character as well, richly described and harboring lots and lots of family secrets. Nothing in the story is what it seems - the twin sisters are very different from each other and their motives in life are not revealed right away. And the seminal moment in the story - the evening when the younger sister's fiance does not show for dinner - is extraordinarily suspenseful.
The first two-thirds of the book were really good, but the juicy stuff is in the payoff. A well-done homage to the great Gothic stories...
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest by Steig Larsson
I had put off reading this final book in the Larsson Millennium trilogy, knowing it would be the end of reading something special - that there wouldn't ever quite be another set of books like this. On my recent trip to Puerto Rico, however, curiosity won out and I devoured it in just a few days.
This book continues to follow heroine Lisbeth Salander, her allies (like Mikael Blomkvist and the Millennium Magazine staff) and her enemies (Zalachenko, Niederman, and Teleborian, to name a few). Details around secret government divisions are discovered, further making this a novel with a major political axe to grind. More issues arise around freedom of press, as Millennium and other papers play a strong part in the storyline. Ultimately many loose ends are tied up, and I'd say justice is served.
This may be my favorite of the three books, just because it is very clever. Many of the characters are involved in plots to do all sorts of things, and it was fun to be a part of it unfolding as the reader. The new characters that were introduced were well-crafted, and seeing the ones that I knew already was like reuniting with old friends.
Rumor has it that Larsson's partner has a manuscript for a fourth book and that Larsson may have planned on as many as 10 books in the series. Wow. Hopefully one day the estate will work out its problems and continue publishing his ideas.
This book continues to follow heroine Lisbeth Salander, her allies (like Mikael Blomkvist and the Millennium Magazine staff) and her enemies (Zalachenko, Niederman, and Teleborian, to name a few). Details around secret government divisions are discovered, further making this a novel with a major political axe to grind. More issues arise around freedom of press, as Millennium and other papers play a strong part in the storyline. Ultimately many loose ends are tied up, and I'd say justice is served.
This may be my favorite of the three books, just because it is very clever. Many of the characters are involved in plots to do all sorts of things, and it was fun to be a part of it unfolding as the reader. The new characters that were introduced were well-crafted, and seeing the ones that I knew already was like reuniting with old friends.
Rumor has it that Larsson's partner has a manuscript for a fourth book and that Larsson may have planned on as many as 10 books in the series. Wow. Hopefully one day the estate will work out its problems and continue publishing his ideas.
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
I read this book for my new book club, although unfortunately didn't attend the meeting for it at the last minute. I'm like the opposite of most book club members - I read the book but didn't attend.
The story is about Hadley Richardson, Ernest Hemingway's first wife, and her relationship with him during the years when they lived in Paris. From the beginning of the book, it's obvious that their marriage will fall apart, but the exquisite detail that McLain describes of their courtship, relationship, and (mostly) happy times was delightful to read. Hadley comes across as immature, striving to fit into an artsy Paris that wasn't natural for her - she finds herself hob-knobbing with Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein, for example, while she is mostly a caretaker, first of Hemingway, then of their child.
I loved reading the background about what Hemingway was experiencing when he conceived Nick Adams and the events in his life that led to his writing The Sun Also Rises. The Paris that McLain describes is fascinating and beautiful. You don't have to know much about Hemingway to enjoy this book - in that way, it reminded me of Loving Frank.
The story is about Hadley Richardson, Ernest Hemingway's first wife, and her relationship with him during the years when they lived in Paris. From the beginning of the book, it's obvious that their marriage will fall apart, but the exquisite detail that McLain describes of their courtship, relationship, and (mostly) happy times was delightful to read. Hadley comes across as immature, striving to fit into an artsy Paris that wasn't natural for her - she finds herself hob-knobbing with Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein, for example, while she is mostly a caretaker, first of Hemingway, then of their child.
I loved reading the background about what Hemingway was experiencing when he conceived Nick Adams and the events in his life that led to his writing The Sun Also Rises. The Paris that McLain describes is fascinating and beautiful. You don't have to know much about Hemingway to enjoy this book - in that way, it reminded me of Loving Frank.
When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro
I really wanted to like this book. I still think about Never Let Me Go, also by Ishiguro, and hoped for something I would like as much. I understood that his books were all supposed to be different, but I had high hopes.
This story is about a boy named Christopher who grows up in Shanghai in the early 1900s. When his parents mysteriously disappear during his childhood, he is sent to London where he grows up to become a detective. As an adult he returns to Shanghai to try and find out what happened to his parents, his ultimate reason for becoming a detective. The storyline was good, with enough interesting characters and plot twists to keep me interested. Christopher is somewhat of an unreliable narrator - that or he himself doesn't know the difference sometimes between fact and fiction.
However, the telling of the story - the tone - was really not compelling. I remember while reading Never Let Me Go that the acetic nature of the storytelling was eerie, and supported the story quite well. In this case, that same tone, rather dry and unemotional, was entirely wrong for this story. It ultimately ruined my experience of reading this book.
This story is about a boy named Christopher who grows up in Shanghai in the early 1900s. When his parents mysteriously disappear during his childhood, he is sent to London where he grows up to become a detective. As an adult he returns to Shanghai to try and find out what happened to his parents, his ultimate reason for becoming a detective. The storyline was good, with enough interesting characters and plot twists to keep me interested. Christopher is somewhat of an unreliable narrator - that or he himself doesn't know the difference sometimes between fact and fiction.
However, the telling of the story - the tone - was really not compelling. I remember while reading Never Let Me Go that the acetic nature of the storytelling was eerie, and supported the story quite well. In this case, that same tone, rather dry and unemotional, was entirely wrong for this story. It ultimately ruined my experience of reading this book.
Monday, January 02, 2012
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
I really enjoyed this collection of short stories by the author of Interpreter of Maladies
and The Namesake: A Novel
. It's nice to start the year by reading a book I couldn't put down.The phrase "unaccustomed earth" is from Hawthorne, referring to being somewhere unfamiliar. The stories are about people who are reconciling their Indian backgrounds and their modern lives. For example, the first story is about a woman whose moves to the West Coast with her husband and young son. Her father comes to visit for the first time since the death of her mother. A later story is about a young girl whose family becomes friendly with another Bengali transplant to Cambridge (MA), then deals with the cultural shock of his marrying an American girl.
The final three stories were a set of related stories about childhood friends who reunite in adulthood. The first is when they are children, the second is when they are college-ages, and the final story when they are adults. The stories were all compelling, many with unexpected twists.
Can't wait for Lahiri's next book. One for one in 2012 so far!
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