A Lettered Woman

Great Success!

2010-05-03T21:50:00.000-04:00

I have attained several goals recently,

TV is less important to my children
I got to the library
We are back into reading chapter books together

Caroline watched no TV today while Will was at school and when we got home from school pick-up, the kids did not ask to watch TV. Instead, on the car ride, they planned to play a secret game involving a witch and a Star Wars commander.

They are apparently experts at this game because it was on almost before we got in the door. However, they switched roles so that Will could be the witch, and Caroline got to choose between being a commander and an at-at pilot. I have no idea what that is, but it's on the box of Legos we got for a friend's upcoming birthday. P.S. Sorry Jack, the box is a little (lot) crunched, and a little open. We love that box of Legos and badly wish it were ours.

Also, I finally got to the library today. Here's what I got for myself:

Stacked by Susan Seligson a book about boobs
Under the Black Flag: the Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates By David Cordingly
Near Death on the High Seas: True Stories of Disaster and Survival edited by Cecil Kuhne
2-at-a-time Socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes
Favorite Socks:25 Timeless Designs from Interweave
Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline Weber

(Why do all books have such long subtitles these days? Kind of like the Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedie.... except that's a surtitle. Am I supposed to put in the subtitle when discussing these books? I need to check a style guide).

This list of books makes me think that maybe I have some sort of bizarre mental disorder. I can't even begin to surmise what it says about me other than the fact that I was only able to browse in the non-fiction section because of an impatient four-year-old so I grabbed everything that caught my eye. Breasts! Shipwrecks! and Knitting your own socks! What could be better?

I also got a bunch of kid books, most notably Book 1 of the Spiderwick Chronicles. Will and I read one and a half chapters tonight. I think it's going to be a pretty good one. All I know of this series is that it is magicky, very popular and was made into a movie. Last week at Media Center, Will checked out a Spiderwick from later in the series so it was impenetrable to him. Today, I got Book One at my library and he got an illustrated Field Guide at his. We are set.

Also, we have been reading and LOVING The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo. We loved Despereaux even though my kids were maybe five and three when we read it. It takes a lot of stopping and explaining words, concepts and plot, but somehow my kids are mesmerized my Ms. DiCamillo's stories. There is alot of talk of love in these books, and the value of it, and feeling it; and about looking for love and how it it the truest and most important feeling. Despereaux Tilling is a mouse with strong feelings for honor and courtly love, while Edward Tulane is a china rabbit who is learning about love and what's important on his long and incredible journey. These stories have so much in them, strong characters, vivid descriptions, a recognisable, but slightly magical setting, talk about the important things in life, I think it all rings really true to my kids.

Ms. DiCamillo mixes in fairy tale and minor magic with perfect prose and pacing. She won the Newbery Medal for The Tale of Despereaux, and she has won numerous other notable awards, which she deserves. I love her very much.

It's Over

2010-04-30T16:01:00.001-04:00

I just posted "Screen Free Day 4" But really it's day 5 I think. I have literally been so busy this week that even though I am allowing myself screen time in the evenings for blogging, I haven't gotten to write much.

I'm declaring Screen Free a complete success even though I crapped out today. Caroline was up coughing last night, and so this morning I didn't have the gumption to say no TV to Will. I think he may have watched TV, played Nintendo Ds, and Wii in sort of a TV withdrawal orgy.

Whoops.

And now we are sitting on the couch watching King Fu Panda.

Here's the thing. I love sitting on the couch with my kids. It's so cozy and lazy. Plus, to assuage my guilt I have plans for a healthy dinner and a then an evening trip to the park.

To sum up: I have also learned how easy it is to reduce screen time and how well my children adapt and blossom in a media free environment. I plan to have much stricter limits on TV and video games, and I don't anticipate much resistance.

Screen Free Day 4

2010-04-30T15:52:00.000-04:00

Hey this isn't so bad! I was hopeful about cutting out tv, but scared. I don't know what I was scared of, like maybe their heads would explode, but really, no biggie. They ask for tv, but not with much enthusiasm. And the way they have adapted by wandering off to their rooms by themselves. Yesterday in the time before they left for Dad's house, a period we often have the tv on, I laid on the couch and ignored them and they played a rousing game of school involving shouting and jumping.

A few of my goals haven't been met, I haven't made it to the library YET. It's now Thursday morning and I'm going to make it my main goal today. But really, we've been so busy with a field trip, with bowling and going to the park we haven't had time to get books to read.

In lieu of reading actual fun books, I finally finished 1984 by George Orwell. It was a slog. I wanted to read it because of it's prominent place in our culture and all that. I'm glad I read it, and I appreciate it's significance, but woof. It's really not my kind of book. In high school for summer reading, we had to read a book by Ray Bradbury, and the only reason I remember it is because it was so alien (haha) to me and things I think about. In most cases, I am not a fantasy or sci-fi gal, and don't care much for apocalyptic visions of earth or society.

An apocalypse on a small scale, like a family tragedy scale, yes, but collapse of human society, nah. That said, in the last few years, I've read The Road by Cormac McCarthy, World War Z, 1984, and a couple others, all giving a vision of post-western society. Now that I have them under my belt, I'm glad, but ick. Not fun reading.

Screen Free Day 1

2010-04-27T09:59:00.001-04:00

Day 1 of Screen Free Week at my house was pretty darn good! The kids asked for tv, but really in a half hearted way. They were both happy to find other activities; painting, playing Polly Pockets, Legos, dancing and doing dishes. I probably read ten books yesterday and have an assignment this morning from Will to get a Spiderwick book to read to him.

Yesterday, in the hours not spent watching TV, Will built this:

A clever, clever lego battle scene complete with zip line!
and Caroline painted this:

Hooray!!! Look at my pink hair! I love my girl.

What I'd really like to do with this project is start a better pattern of using imaginations more and screens less, so I'm not sure how long I'm going to make this go-- seven days or five? Should I make this a regular occurence? Every few months rather than once a lifetime?

I want my kids to be able to fill time on thier own, without relying on electronic devices. This is much easier in the warm weather months, they are great at playing outside, and immediately lapse into thier own imaginary world when riding bikes or playing in a pool. But during the winter, they were helpless to figure out something to do. My goal is to have days like today, when Will asked if he had time to play legos after dinner.

My mom suggested doing some sort of reward. I'm considering it, like a new Lego set for Will, and some new thing for Care. I don't want to treat no tv as a hardship that needs a reward, but I think rewarding them with something that encourages imagination rather than zombielike staring at a screen adds to the point rather than subtracts.

Now that I am writing this on day two, I want to add that Caroline built this:

It's a city, built out of assorted girl stuff.

Just this morning, she's given her dollies a bath, is coloring at the table and hasn't asked for tv once. I think just knowing it's not an option really makes a big difference.

I also want to note that my kids generally do alot of playing and art and building, it's just that this is more production than is usual.

Crap, it starts today

2010-04-26T07:18:00.002-04:00

Shit and Hell. TVfree week begins today at my house. Better switch off the tube and shut down this computer before the kids' dad drops them off at 8 this morning.

I am really unprepared for this. My children are going to be VERY angry with me.

I also need to get to the library, I've got nothing to read.

Sayonara Boob Tube!

2010-04-20T20:27:00.001-04:00

Around my house we watch a fair amount of television. Much of it is fairly innocuous children's programming, but some of it is SpongeBob and recently we have picked up a few less nice shows on Cartoon Network- Ick. Also, I bought Will Lego Star Wars for his Nintendo DSi, and he loves it which is sort of good, but he is obsessed with it. He wants to play every minute, and since the game's arrival, I have seen a marked decline in his behavior. He whines and threatens, and acts annoying about a stupid black plastic box.

Luckily, today a new issue of Tessy and Tab , a fun little magazine for kids, arrived in the mail. In it, Tessy and Tab participate in Screen Free Week. A week with no tv, video games or computer. "National Screen Free Week" is April 19-25, but I think I'm doing it the week of April 26th. I don't think the Screen Free gods will mind. I'd also seen this in an Arthur episode a few years ago, and I thought it was a good idea but was really too much of a disaster to buckle down and turn off the tube.

I'm confident that I can easily get my own tv habit under control, I keep it off in the evenings once in a while, and if there's nothing on, I turn it off. I also don't watch anything for myself during the day. On the flip side, my kids watch TV for probably about 2 hours a day weekdays and possibly more on weekends. They really like tv. It makes me a little sick to think about it actually, the brain cells that are collapsing as they stare zombie-like at the gentle flicker. Hmm, I don't think tv's really flicker any more.

Because this idea came into our lives at a moment when screens seem to be negatively influencing behavior, and because I like to do things that are a little hard and not that fun, we are participating. I'm sort of on the fence about whether I will allow myself to turn on my computer at night to check e-mail and weather. Will is very concerned about finding out the weather report, and this way I can convince him that I am magic and psychic. Also, blogging could probably be allowed as it is creative writing. I'll think about these issues....

I bet I get a lot of reading and knitting done. Plus maybe some good game time, puzzles, library trips and probably some yelling.

I invite you to participate, and if not, at least to review your own television habits.

A Plea. Plus Picture!

2010-04-12T22:21:00.002-04:00

Now that I have a camera again, here's a picture of Patch. Handsome, No?

I think I'm out of reading material at my house. Have any good suggestions?

Also, please note that every blog post title in April has an exclamation point. Hmm. I think I may need to revisit my punctuation policy.

Born to Run... Yahoo!

2010-04-08T20:15:00.001-04:00

I come from a family of great readers and athletes. People in my family are runners, cyclists, surfers, etc. Also, my parents read, my grandparents read. Everyone reads. Best of all, my brother, sister, her husband and I all have a loosey-goosey tradition of reading and passing around various books. And at the moment, we are all also in a running/swimming/biking kick. It's really fun.

In the past, we have all read David Copperfield, East of Eden, The Caine Mutiny, Life of Pi and a few others I can't think of right now. I like to think of it as a very exclusive book club.Usually one of us reads a book then pressures a sibling to read it. Then the other sibling catches wind that the other two (three, including my brother-in-law) have read something and picks it up to see what all the fuss is about. Sometimes this is a process that takes a few years, for instance, my sister has yet to read War and Peace.

Our current hot book is Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall. This book now holds a special place in my sister's heart because she is the one who "discovered" it, gave it to my brother for Christmas and then he loved it and passed it to me. I had heard both of them talk about it but frankly ignored them.

Honestly, I kind of thought they were bonkers. I run, and I even just read another really good book about running (What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami ) But I didn't immediately pick this one up. My brother brought the book over on a recent Sunday and then asked me every day whether I had read it yet.

I had finished up Emma, and didn't have anything else particularly pressing on my nightstand, and I was already in bed, so kind of by default, and with an eye roll, I picked up Born to Run. It immediately hooks you with an account of a search for a sort of mystical/crazy runner living in the Sierra Madre mountains in Mexico, moves through McDougall's own quest to figure out why he had so many running injuries, and skips along from there. It is well paced, informative, and interesting enough to keep me up all night.

At the same time as he changed his own life by becoming a long distance runner, McDougall produced a well woven narrative about the build-up, planning and execution of a 50 mile footrace in crazy mountain terrain with personal stories, training advice, running history and philosophy, as well as anthropology and finishes up with a book that could quite literally change your life.

If you are inclined to be saved by exercise, back to the earth eating and running barefoot, that is.

Suffice it to say, I stayed up reading this damn book until two in the morning, ran a few barefoot laps around my local park and ate a baked potato for dinner tonight.

Go Team Why Mommy!

2010-04-07T09:52:00.003-04:00

I am blogging for Susan today. she is a very dear friend of Stimey, a friendly aquaintance of mine, a terrific mom and blogger, and a scientist. Today Susan is having surgery to battle the cancer she has been fighting for several years now, and Stimey has asked bloggers to write a post about science and our children to honor Susan.

We staged these photos. What an actress.

Yesterday, Caroline fell asleep on the couch, and I had some time alone with Will. A very rare occurence, so I suggested we make granola bars. He was excited and we moved into the kitchen to begin the process. As we proceeded, I realized we were out of Karo syrup. I checked and re-checked all the cabinets, cursing all the while. Finally, instead of giving up, I decided to substitute honey for the Karo syrup. We discussed what we needed to hold the dry bits of the granola bars together-- sticky things, peanut butter, a sugar solution, fats, and that the syrup and the honey could be substituted as they were both sugar solutions.

We needed to add three cups of oats the the mixture, and the one cup measure was all sticky from the wet ingredients, so I decided to add a little math lesson in and learn fractions. There's math in science-- right?

How many halfs are in a whole Will?" I asked.

"I dunno." He shrugged.

"Two. Right? One half, and another half make a whole. This cup is a half cup, so two of those makes one whole cup. We need three cups, so we need two half cups three times. Six scoops."

Blank stare. He didn't care. He wanted to scoop oats.

(Note the finished granola bars and the attractive sneer).

I counted "One half. Scoop again. Level it... dump. And another half. Level, dump. One cup. See-- those two scoops are the same as one scoop of the one cup measure. Let's go again..."

We then added the coconut, sunflower seeds and mini chips. Then baked the granola bars. They are yum.

Did Will learn math yesterday, or chemistry? Maybe, maybe not. But the words washed over his brain. I laid a foundation, as I try to do every day. Layering knowledge as it were. Did he learn any fundamental baking truths? No. But we had a really nice ten minutes together.

Susan, as we made those bars, and I spent time with my son, teaching him life skills, I thought of you. I thought of the wonderful mother I know you to be, and how precious the time you spend with your boys is. I know how mindfully you live your life. I honor you, and try to follow the fine example you set.

Cat Watch! and More!

2010-04-02T07:55:00.005-04:00

The cat leaves my room a little! Hooray. It turns out I'm not a fan of cat hair. Or having a cat box IN MY BEDROOM. The cat has also been wormed and had his toenails clipped.

Patch was pretty shy at first, and wouldn't leave my room. He was social in there, but happy to stay confined. Last night though, he hung out with me and was VERY interested in Life on Discovery Channel. I think he's going to be a good cat. Busy, but good.

Have I been reading? Nah, not alot. I finished Emma. It was lovely.

I also just made a really fun Amazon order for my family. If you know me, you know how rare this is. Will got Lego Star Wars for his Nintendo DSi. I got Knitting Rules! by Stephanie Pearl-Mc Phee. and Caroline got... The Princess and the Frog! Best movie ever. We love it.

Today is going to be a new stuff and Easter egg dyeing day-- always a good day.

Back to Knitting Rules!, I sort of think of Ms. Pearl-McPhee as a sort of sassier, knitting Laurie Colwin. She writes funny and or poignant essays about knitting and all things wool, as well as a very popular blog. This book, published in 2006 has lots of basic knitting information as well as some good recipes for a hats, socks, sweaters. I hope it will turn into a reference book for things like sock sizing and fixing other problems like that..

Patch

2010-03-29T23:13:00.003-04:00

I got a cat. He is super great as cats go. I think. I haven't had a cat since I was nine, but I think this one is going to be good. He's a little nervous and spends most of his days under my bed; but when he comes out, he's ready to play. Also, he purrs every time I touch him. And once in a while, he lets both my kids pet him at the same time.

I would post a picture, but it would cost like more than a hundred dollars because my camera appears to be dying. He is a very good looking black and white boy, ten months old.

Hah! He just pounced at nothing. What a cat! Eew. Less cute, he just pounced in and out of the litter box, which is in my room because he's not really interested in leaving my room. Gross.

Seriously, what the hell is this fricking cat doing?

He's crazy.

I wish I knew more about cats.

Sadly, it's too late to call Stimey. She knows all about these things.

Read all the way to the end of this post--I've got fun news!

2010-03-26T22:16:00.006-04:00

I feel sort of boring and predictable, but I'm reading Emma. Again.

Jane Austen, I can't get enough of her. She is always so fresh and perfect.

Off the Women's History Month table in the library, I also grabbed Laura's Album: A Remembrance Scrapbook of Laura Ingalls Wilder compiled by William Anderson. It is really fun to see photographs of the Ingalls family and adorable Almanzo. Mrs. Wilder was apparently quite a sassafrassy. Between her childhood and her later years when she wrote her books; she was a noted farmer and active in her town and church. She was adorable and stout like a little French horse! Almanzo was surprisingly good looking, and a half-pint as well as Laura. Laura's Album also gives an accurate timeline of her family's travels, as she simplified for the children's books. It's a fun book to look over, and now I will probably have to read some Little House books for the fun of it. Maybe my kids are big enough now to listen to them.

Speaking of reading to kids; I have been trying to get my kids to listen to a chapter book lately, and they aren't biting at anything. Last year we read like five Ramona books. I have tried Trumpet of the Swan by E.B White and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty Mac Donald, to no avail. Maybe Little House in the Big Wood will spark their interest.

Speaking of Ramona though; today the three of us visited the local Humane Society to look for a cat. A CAT! And we found one. In discussing names, we turned over Rosepetal, Katie, Sally, Susan, Skipper, Apple Pie and others, but Ramona was our winner. I love it. And I really hope I love this cat. EEk! She's tiny and is black and white. She sat in my lap and purred. We were very disappointed to have to leave her at the shelter while we await our interview. Cross your fingers that I am judged to be a responsible cat owner-- my super nice landlord said that he would highly recommend me when they call him to make sure it's allowed. Aww.

Another Assignment

2010-03-19T14:23:00.000-04:00

Back to Elizabeth Strout. My aunt visited the East Coast recently and brought me a few books, one of which came with an assignment. Read it and advise on whether to pick The Wife by Meg Wolitzer or Amy and Isabel by Elizabeth Strout for her book club next month. Last time I think she chose something by Ayn Rand so she wanted to give the ladies a break I think. Or maybe just not get kicked out of the book club.

I wasn't thinking very much when I glanced at them and didn't connect Amy and Isabel by Elizabeth Strout to Olive Kitteridge byt the same author. Duh.

I picked up Amy and Isabel a few times and said, to myself, "boy is this going to be good. I sure am tired though." So I turned of my light and went to bed after twenty minutes. Last night I picked up A and I at about eleven and it started to get really good. So good in fact that I read the whole book. And when I finished at two, I was so wound up I didn't sleep til three.

It was that good.

There are some ick parts to be sure. Watching a teenager come to sexual maturity is never pretty, and there are a fair number of images of middle aged sex, but Man. What a story. So beautfully written. I am putting Elizabeth Strout officially on my list of favorite authors. I love her.

The only negative comment I have about this book is the title. It comes off as a non-serious book, especially leading off with Amy, it seems fluffy when it definitely is not fluffy and addresses coming of age and sex and female relationships so thoughtfully. I don't have any suggestions for a better title, but am not a fan of the current one. Although really it's permanent. I wonder if Ms. Strout thought of it herself or had it forced upon her by a tyrannical publisher.

I love castaway stories!

2010-03-16T22:15:00.000-04:00

Although I haven't been blogging for a few months, I have managed to get through a few books in the moments when I was not knitting.

One terrific book I read recently was In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick. I grabbed this from Stimey's basement library because I cannot get enough of shipwreck and disaster stories. Morbid and creepy, I know. However, from all these books I have learned that I most certainly could become a cannibal. I shocked my poor friend today when I suggested that if my child were starving I would cheerfully slaughter my dog, stew him up and feed him to my children.

I am always planning for my own personal apocalypse, and so reading these survival books maybe helps me to mentally prepare for the starvation I seem to think is inevitable for me. I read them almost like textbooks, noting gruesome details so I can identify the signs of scurvy or maybe another horrible vitamin deficit in myself.

I absolutely love reading these stories of tongue swelling thirst and sucking on the bones of your first mate. Mr. Philbrick did a tremendous job of bringing this important American story to life. He described how is became Melville's inspiration for Moby Dick, and did a bang up job explaining nautical terms. Generally when reading books about ships, my eyes glaze over when they start talking about mainsails and knots and starboard but Mr. Philbrick gave one particularly useful diagram of a ship and used details from the life of a greenhorn to clearly portray how a ship leaves a harbor. I was not bored stiff when he recounted the voyage southerly around the tip of South America, or by the description of tides.

Now that I'm thinking back, this was really a great book. Not only did it have a gruesome and horrifying castaway story; it includes a colorful description of Nantucket and the unique culture that sprang up around the whaling industry as well as pertinent follow up stories about the survivors. Philbrick also touches on such thought provoking topics as the order in which people died while adrift at sea-- Blacks first. Hmm..prior nutrition patterns matter when your body is challenged. As do family and cultural ties.

Thanks Stimey for introducing me to the wonderful world of horrifying survival books. It hasn't made me morbid at all.

More books for Old Ladies

2010-03-12T13:31:00.002-05:00

Remember how I spent like a ridiculous amount of time reading a Barbara Walters biography, and it mostly just left me fearful of being a serial marryer and dying alone? This time at least the book was funny and a quick read. (I read it last night in the bath.)

I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron. It was a very funny book on aging. Ephron reviews her approach to looking good, a cooking history, thoughts on New York city and apartments, stuff like that. Boy do I wish I were a successful script writer director living in New York. She has gobs of cash to spend on her hair and waxing and Maintenance (one of the chapter names.) Plus her old apartment had eight rooms. My old house didn't have eight rooms. This book was really fun to read, and refreshingly light and silly and at moments poignant, but would I spend the list price of $21.95? Nope. I got it at the Friends of the Library book sale for $1.50.

As I read it, I was also a little puzzled by the flow of the individual chapters, and when I went back to read the front material, she had previously published all the essays in separate publications, then grouped them together for this book. The chapter on food and cooking is sort of funny, but wasn't a great follow up to the neighboring chapter on aging and beauty. The chapter on falling in and out of love with Bill Clinton "Me and Bill: The end of Love". Not so funny.

If this little book finds it's way into your field of vision for a reduced price, should you read it? Yes. Do you need to rush to the bookstore to find a cute book about aging? No.

Starting up again. Thanks Stimey.

2010-03-11T10:31:00.003-05:00

Hi all friends of Stimey,

I suppose that because I purport to be a blogger, and a reader, I should maybe write a post. I lost steam on this blog for a while due to single parenthood, Christmas, knitting, watching television etc. And while I feel like I haven't been reading at all, really I have. Maybe tomorrow I'll post a list.

Right now I'm reading Persuasion by Jane Austen. I caught part of the Masterpiece [Theatre] adaptation and decided that as it was the last Austen novel that I had not read, I ought to. So I am.

It's kinda hard.

When I read other Jane Austen stuff, I've already read it like six times so I know who everyone is and what's happening and what they are going to say next. With Persuasion, I actually have to concentrate. There are alot of sisters in this one, lots of accomplished young women and a few naval captains. It's tough to keep them all straight.

The very best thing about Miss Austen though, is that she keeps the suspense about whether the main characters you want to fall in love will. Its uncanny. Everytime I read Pride and Predjudice, I'm on the edge of my seat, worrying that Elizabeth and Darcy won't manage to make it. And in Mansfield Park-- those two are mighty close relations to make it work. But she does it everytime; pulls everyone together and makes romance work.

She's so great.

Two for One

2009-11-04T11:20:00.004-05:00

I was so happy to get Brooklyn by Colm Toibin. I read it very quickly and totally enjoyed it. I'm not going to give it alot of space because it was not troublesome, it was well written and worth reading. It involved no terrible child abuse, horror or tough to take psychological drama of any kind. Just your normal run of the mill immigrant struggles, nicely done.

Another non-troublesome book that I super loved was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It is a gem. The title veers toward cutesy, and the whole thing ends up being a warm fuzzy but who cares? The characters are good, the setting is great, and you get to learn about WWII and how the Germans took over Guernsey (an island between England and France). Loved it.

Grab either book, a cup of tea and have yourself a great afternoon.

But I'm Back Again!

2009-10-19T20:03:00.005-04:00

It's been two weeks, and I am refreshed and ready to go. I've been reading up a storm! Here's a list:

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrrows

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin

In order to stretch out my reading into extra posts, and to build super exciting suspense, I am not going to tell you what I thought of each of these books. Instead, I am going to tell you how I came by Brooklyn, and how wonderful people can be.

Several weeks ago, I was at my friend Melissa's house, and I noticed Brooklyn lying on her countertop. "OH!" I said, shouting maybe a little too loudly, "I really want to read that! I heard about it on The Diane Rehm Show. It sounded really great." After noting my own behavior, I did not even pick up that book to look at the inside flap. I was trying hard to conceal my jealousy and didn't want Melissa to think I was a book poacher.

This was kind of a long time ago, so as I recall, Melissa kind of shrugged and said, "I dunno, It was on the new release shelf, so I picked it up."

Needless to say, I was very envious, having sat in my car in a parking lot for a several minutes to listen to the author and Diane Rehm talk about the dreadful voyage from Ireland to America and all about Eilis' and Father Flood's relationship. I really was interested in this book and had checked my library's new release shelf for this exact book.

A few weeks later I remembered how urgent it was that I find and read this book, so I hopped on the Library website and placed a hold. I was number 45. NUMBER 45! Good Lord. Even with many circulating copies, it would be a while before I got Brooklyn. I settled in to wait. But before that I shot off this sad e-mail to Melissa:

"OMG! I am number 45 in the holds queue for Brooklyn. How did you get it?"

A few days later, I got a call. It was lovely Melissa saying, "I saw Brooklyn on the express shelf again, so I checked it out for you. " Wha? How did she get that very popular book twice? Anyway, beautiful Melissa offered to drop it off at my house later that night. Can you believe it? What a gal! What a peach!

So I read it. I'll compose a wrap up post soon. Aren't you dying to know how I feel about it? I warned you, suspense...

Hiatus

2009-10-05T14:27:00.001-04:00

I have been drowning in stress and life lately, and not reading. I'm giving myself a break from reading and blogging. Look for me in approximately two weeks.

An Easy Reader

2009-09-29T19:29:00.004-04:00

I think I read too many blogs. I picked up The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, Man Booker Prize winner, and it was refreshingly easy to read; at least the first five pages. The narrator is an uneducated Indian guy writing to the prime minister of China. His tone is so chatty and non-mysterious. I asked myself why this was and realized, it reads more like a blog than a serious work of fiction. That is not to say that blogs are not wonderful and well written, but they are a more spontaneous, colloquial form of written expression. And, much easier for a busy gal like me to read. I like checking my blog reader and quickly getting a few easy to decipher and topically familiar things checked off. It feels good, and easy.

Is this a personal failing? Shouldn't I love a challenge? Good fiction is hard fiction right? Any Moby Dick Fans out there?

I don't feel great about my reading self right now. I am excited though to read The White Tiger and see if the whole thing is as enjoyable as the first five pages.

Whining about Waterland

2009-09-25T14:00:00.004-04:00

I'm trudging through Waterland by Graham Swift. I badly want to like this novel, but I feel like I'm failing. Why can't I just love it? It seems like it should be really good. This book feels sort of like a mystery in which nothing happens. At least not so far, well, besides the murder, and the pregnant teenager.

The story traces three threads, narrated by one old man; that of the narrator's family, beginning with his great, great grandparents and down to his own generation, a story of his childhood on the fens (a desolate low country prone to flooding), as well as a section about the more recent past in his own life. This approach lends a little bit of suspense to an otherwise quiet story, but I wish that it were just a little easier. I don't want to have to work quite so hard to decode a sentence, or to understand what just happened.

I'm not picking only on Mr. Swift. This obtuse spareness I've been discussing can be insidious, ugly even, if handled badly, and I don't think its a good trend. I certainly have a tough time coping with it. I prefer a slightly more straitforward prose when I'm reading in the evening. After interpreting irrational behaviors and incomplete communication from my preschool aged children all day, and I just want a story, not a puzzle.

Booker Prize Winners

2009-09-21T11:19:00.005-04:00

Are books that win The Man Booker prize always really hard to read? I've recently read The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, The Gathering by Anne Enright, and am now reading Waterland (not a winner) by Graham Swift, an author who won the award in the past. All of these novels are tough. I mean, obtuse and confusing, with kind of hard to follow sentences and a purposefully fuzzy sense of what's actually happening and fuzzy timelines.

Why?

Does being hard to read make something a better book? In the end, I would give The God of Small Things a favorable review, but I found it really tough to get into. Roy kind of put up walls of trickiness, not inviting at all. With The Gathering, I just didn't get it. I did not care for that book, plus, it was hard to read. These novels gave me a vague feeling that I have to fight to get through them, that somehow I had to get past all this challenging prose in order to get to the treasure at the center. Once I got to where I was supposed to go, the reward was not quite good enough.

So far I am enjoying Waterland, but it too is hard to follow, and not really in a good way. I'll report back as I read more, and maybe look for Swift's Last Orders (the Booker winner)to see how it measures up. I also happened to grab The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga at the Library this weekend, so maybe I'll have a go at it.

To be fair, I also have read The Life of Pi by Yann Martel, also a Booker Prize winner, and loved it very much. It was a couple years ago though, and I don't remember if it was difficult to read.

Shameless Friend Promotion

2009-09-15T19:49:00.001-04:00

Hey reader!

Go on over and see what Jean has created at AutMont, her awesome new resource for the Autism Community in Montgomery County.

A Brief Chat about Bill Bryson--I love him

2009-09-15T14:07:00.004-04:00

I saw Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything, in Stimey's basement a few weeks ago, grabbed it and couldn't wait to read it. it has now been read. I knew it would be great fun because I loved Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. It was full of good tidbits about geography, geology and biology, plus I love that he was supposed to hike the Appalachian Trail and didn't make it. As I recall, don't quote me here, but I think he felt like he had seen enough and understood fully the enormity of hiking the whole thing, so he really didn't need to. He did a really good job of it though, hiking really really far, and maybe checking out the beginning and end. It turned me into a big Bryson fan at any rate.

So I saw A Short History of Nearly Everything and was very excited. I wasn't disappointed. I learned EVERYTHING! History of science, names and amusing anecdotes about millions of forgotten scientists, quarks, mitochondria, black holes, the works. I'm much more scientific now.

I love finding authors that I want to be friends with. Like Mary Roach, Bill Bryson seems like he'd be perfect to chat with. Really smart, but not soo serious, a little self deprecating, and fun but not fluffy.

A Terrible Confession

2009-09-12T12:44:00.004-04:00

Remember a couple of months ago when I told you my mother had left a box of books at my house? Mostly these were her rejects, so they weren't great. I haven't been to the library lately, and had read all the things in my To Read pile, so I picked up Audition by Barbara Walters. And OMG I have been READING IT! I gotta tell ya, its kind of a snore. But I haven't quit. Today, I officially quit. I'm backing away from the five hundred page auto-biography of a living news woman. I'm so embarrassed to be reading this book for old ladies that when I thought a friend might enter my room, I put it back on the bookshelf so my loseriness wouldn't be discovered

It might seem as though I am being rude to my mother in criticizing this book, or criticizing Barbara Walters. I am not. Ms. Walters is a fine interesting lady who has had a very full life. I just don't need to spend my evenings reading about it.

About my mother's choice in non-fiction; firstly, she is the one who chose not to keep the book on her shelves, indicating that it is not a great classic. Secondly, she is thirty years older than me. I give permission to every person over 55 to read a Barbara Walters biography, or say any book by Tom Brokaw.

I am not even remotely hip, even by suburban thirty year old standards, but good lord! Barbara Walters? I am going to the library today, and finding something more suitable, and cooler, like maybe something I heard about on NPR.

New Plan

2009-09-11T13:05:00.003-04:00

I began this blog because I'm a reader and because I frequently find myself with things to say about my reading but no-one inparticular with whom I can share these ideas. The problem is that I read and think in spurts, and regular blog readers are not necessarily fans of spurt reading.

In order to combat inertia and procrastination, I have a new plan. I'm going to write this blog once a week; on Thursdays. I've been reading a fair amount over the last few weeks that I haven't been posting and have a couple of good things to chat about, so we should be good for a while.

Wish me luck.

Sex-ed for Grownups

2009-09-10T14:51:00.008-04:00

So, I've been reading lately but not blogging. A few weeks ago I spent an hour in Stimey's basement and she had re-organized her bookshelves in a very nerdy manner, like according to size and subject matter. I immediately grabbed Bonk by Mary Roach. I had previously read Stiff by Roach, and loved it.

Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex is about um, sex. It can make for some uncomfortable reading, especially if you are reading about the Dr. Kinsey's experiments, say, on the subway. Mary Roach takes the always fascinating topic of sex and makes it lighthearted, amusing and educational. Here are a few chapter titles, "Dating the Penis-Camera" "The Testicle Pushers" and "Mind over Vagina". I was mildly mortified several times while reading this book, and I think Roach was mortified a few times while researching it, but she pushes through bravely and gracefully giving a fun overview of some of the more technical aspects of human sexuality.

If you are not interested in reading about sex, you may like reading about dead bodies. Roach's earlier book Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers examines body snatching, decay of corpses, embalming and a whole array of things that can happen to you after you die.

If I had to choose an interesting and/or learned person to have lunch with, Mary Roach would be pretty high on the list. Despite her non-traditional subject matter, Roach's bright and warm personality shines through her prose.

The Wife: A Wrap up

2009-08-21T08:45:00.002-04:00

The Wife by Meg Wolitzer was great. I couldn't put it down. There is not normally a ton of suspense to be found in a forty year marriage, but Wolitzer invented some. I couldn't figure out why this woman had been married to her disgusting, arrogant husband for so many years. Why? Why? Why? had she stuck around? He cheated, he was unattractive, unloveable.

So I read and read, using every minute I could spare. I got to the end, late one evening, and was outraged!! Why? Why? Why? How could this happen? Gross. Argh! I am so frustrated and outraged at this character.

Wolitzer gives us a lot to chew on in terms of feminism, love, marriage, self worth, family...phew. Plus, she's funny.

I want y'all to read this book and report back. If I have any local readers, I will happily lend you the book.

An Assignment

2009-08-13T18:51:00.004-04:00

I had finished reading everything I had laying around my house that looked interesting, and serendipitously, a package arrived in the mail from my aunt. It contained a slim volume and a note "L- Have you read this? If not please read and tell me what you think- love you Aunt"

I had a mission.

Because I felt that this was a pressing and urgent mission, a few nights later I took the book into the bath with me. It did not follow the same fate as Prep and stayed dry. (sorry again Stimey--it's karmic retribution for your abnormally long vacations)

Aren't you dying to know what book it was????

The Wife by Meg Wolitzer. It is a thin novel, with a big W and inverted W (m) on the cover. (W on top.) Great cover, a fun play on man/woman, also Meg Wolitzer. Great.

I have only read the first fifty pages or so, but I laughed three times in the first few pages. Wolitzer can be heartfelt and honest at the same time as she is cutting and hysterical. I can't wait to finish this book.

Whoops. Its about a woman married to a famous author for forty years who decides to leave him. I have only read the decision to leave, and the beginning of their relationship, so I can't tell you anymore.

Olive Kitteridge

2009-08-08T08:53:00.002-04:00

I LOVE Olive Kitteridge! This is one of the best books I have read in a long, long time. Maybe that's why Strout won the Pulitzer. The stories are well drawn and realistic; the characters suffer quietly or publicly but all in a true to life manner. Ms. Strout reveals so much about human nature and how people get through life as best they can. Olive herself is bizarre but fascinating.

I am only maybe three quarters of the way through, but this book was worth every penny of the 8.99 I paid for it at Costco. Run out to the bookstore and buy it right away!

Spending Time with Elizabeth

2009-08-04T21:36:00.003-04:00

I've been reading Olive Kitteridge for a few days, and am really enjoying it. I like the structure of the linked short stories because if you put the book down, and can't remember where you were, it doesn't matter because there is no full length plot. You just pick up and read. Convenient.

So, I was skimming the Washington Post online today and saw this article about the author, Elizabeth Strout, with whom I feel I could be best friends. I also learned that the super prize she received was in fact the Pulitzer Prize. I then followed a link to a Jonathan Yardley review of Pride and Prejudice, and then on to a retrospective ode to my own beloved Laurie Colwin.

The point of all this article reading is that I like to read in units, like in high school history-- so I will watch a version of P&P and then re-read the book and then drink some tea. Now I have learned a little about Strout; and I want to go to the library and check out her other works so I can be absorbed into her imagination for a few days. It's like a mini-vacation, you can immerse yourself in someone else's world while conveniently living your own life.

I hope to report back from Stroutland soon.

For Rene

2009-07-31T14:21:00.003-04:00

I have been neglecting this blog for a few weeks, just kinda feeling lazy about it and not doing a whole ton of reading, but a few things have happened:

1. I read a book

2. I bought a book

3. I spoke to my grandmother who has been reading my blog and is now reading Song of the Lark by Willa Cather.

Holy guilty! My poor old grandmother is checking my blog and I'm not posting. Geez.

The book I read is Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. It is a collection of humor essays and very enjoyable. I will probably pick up something else by this guy.

I had seen this book in stores and in everyone's home but hadn't picked it up because with its chalk title on a green chalkboard background, it somehow looked to me like a story of an abused or feral child. I know, I'm bizarre and moronic. So finally, I was at my sister's house and this book was on the shelf, so I figured I could at least trouble myself to look at the back. The blurbs trumpet: "Wildly Entertaining" "His most sidesplitting work to date..." Apparently this book is not about a feral child. Sedaris is a riot. I have learned an important lesson about judging books blah blah blah.

Also, I was cruising Costco today and saw Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout laying on top of a stack of cookbooks. Poor thing, all out of place, I tossed it into my cart and am excited to start reading. I've been hearing a ton about this book of short stories on NPR. It won some super award, but I can't figure out which in a quick google search.

Anyway, this book is making a splash, it's a series of linked short stories set in Maine. I think is is not going to be warm and fuzzy, more a look at the real sometimes brutal sides of people's personalities. I'm looking forward to it.

A Big Box of Books

2009-07-16T21:02:00.003-04:00

My mom brought me a box of books she was finished with, and it is still sitting in my living room, but it is lighter one book.

I picked up Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.

It's great. The main character, Greg Mortenson reminds me in a passing way of my brother-in-law, they are both gregarious mountain climbers.

Mortenson was raised in Africa, is very devoted to his family and after a failed attempt to summit K2; dedicated himself to building schools in Pakistan. I haven't finished it yet, but I am fairly sure it is going to end well, and be a good read.

I love books about the Afghanistan/Pakistan region and may formulate a list soon of books involving that part of the earth. Stay tuned.

Pride and Prejudice

2009-07-16T10:28:00.004-04:00

The day I finished W&P, I also spent five and a half hours watching the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. It was awesome. We taped the miniseries when it aired on A&E in the mid 90's. For years, whenever I was alone and with a VCR I would steal a few hours with Elizabeth Bennett, Mr. Darcy and old carnival cruise commercials.

So, on July 4th, I spent the day watching Pride and Prejudice (which I recently purchased on dvd at Best Buy)and the evening finishing War and Peace. It was an odd Fourth of July, but not unhappy. The next day, I was wondering how the novel compared to the mini-series, so I picked up P&P and read it. And loved it. Jane Austen manages to keep me in suspense until the very end. I have read that book probably three times, and watched the (very faithful) mini-series probably ten times, and every time I am dying to know if they can get it together, and I am always very angry at Lydia and Mrs. Bennett for being morons. I know it is a terrible cliche, but Pride and Prejudice is so great I am thinking of naming Pride and Prejudice as my number one favorite. It is at the very least in my top three.

War and Peace Wrap-up

2009-07-16T09:52:00.000-04:00

Let me first apologise for the lack of posting I have been doing. I think I finished W&P and didn't have much to say really. I did it. I finished War and Peace. It feels as if a small weight has been lifted off my shoulders. It was a long hard slog and I'm pretty happy its over. Was it a great book? Probably. Was it my favorite book ever? No. I liked Anna Karenina better. It was much more manageable for me, much less about war, much more about human relationships.

This may sound really obvious, but had I known beforehand how much war and philosophy would be in War and Peace, I would have done a better job reading it. For those of you considering tackling this book someday, Tolstoy tracks the war with the French from 1805-1812. The story of the Russian battle against Napolean iis interspersed with the stories of Russian aristocrats, mostly, Pierre, the Count Bezhukov, Natasha Rostov, her brother Nikolai Rostov, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky and his sister Princess Marya Bolkonsky. These young people, along with their families and aquaintances come of age during the war, fall in love, become soldiers, become heroes, are torn asunder and reunited.

I have a list of people I think would really love this book, and a list of folks to whom I would say "Don't bother" I'm sure you all can sort yourselves out.

Now, all I have to do is find a bunch of easy, stress free stuff to read for a while. Suggestions will be appreciated.

War and Peace: Done

2009-07-07T20:57:00.001-04:00

Phew. I finished W&P last weekend. I am brewing on it, and relaxing with a little Pride and Prejudice. As soon as I can put together something coherent, I will post a wrap up.

New reading suggestions are very welcome.

Double Feature

2009-06-29T17:54:00.006-04:00

Last night, instead of reading W&P as I intended, I got hooked by TCM. First I had to watch The Philadelphia Story because as we all know, NO-ONE can pass up Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. All in the same movie!!! It was great. Katherine Hepburn was great, her clothes were kinda bad. I would never pick that party dress. Jimmy Stewart was great, he won the Oscar that year. Cary Grant was gorgeous and charming. His hair was super black and shiny. sigh.

Then they played another George Cukor movie, The Women, and it was great too. This film is a love it or hate it, with stereotypical portrayals of women, and old fashioned views on marriage and fidelity. The Women, based on a play by Clare Booth Luce starred Joan Crawford as the baddie, Norma Shearer as the excellent Mary Haines and Rosalind Russell as the very funny Sylvia Fowler. Russell's physical performance alone made the movie worth watching. Not to mention all the hair, hats and fabulous socialite outfits.

The crazy thing about this film was that there is not a male in it. At All. Even the entire supporting cast including extras was female. Female background people, female orchestra, female servants. Amazing. I kept expecting a husband to stroll on screen to subdue the wacky women. Nope.

Being a modern gal, it was a little tough to take this portrait of women as gossipy and silly and preening and dependent on men. The people I really take issue with were the absent male characters. What a bunch of lice! Cheating, Cheating Cheating. What were those poor New York Socialites to do? Gossip and file for divorce I guess.

Edited to Add:

2009-06-23T00:43:00.004-04:00

I keep finding that I cannot stop mentally revising my posts. Now that I wrote about Skeletons on the Zahara, I have so many more things to say about it. Plus I keep seeing things that would totally go with that post. Plus I hate what I wrote.

I did use "Edited to Add:" yesterday. A little trick I learned from my blogging mentor Stimey.

I also suck at revising. Tenses, run-on sentences, spelling, it never ends. I can spell almost any word aloud, but typing coherently is very difficult for me. Every time I click back to review this blog I see something I need to correct. Already clicked published? Phooey, I just hop right in and change it. Y'all will probably never notice anyway.

Another super hard thing about having a book blog is reading. One has to read books to talk about them. It's tough to read books when you spend so much damn time watching TV. For instance last night, I watched Obsessed and My Life on the D-list. Kathy Griffin KILLS me. Then for good measure, and because I want to be supportive of his new show, I put in a little time with Conan. By midnight, I wasn't into reading a whole lot about Pierre and Natasha.

I think it's time for a TV free week, I will have to DVR So You Think You Can Dance and maybe then I will be able to complete War and Peace, which is on it's second renewal. See what I mean about run-ons?

Survival Coincidence

2009-06-22T21:14:00.004-04:00

I had just finished my torturously difficult to write review of Skeletons on the Zahara, and was feeling mildly embarrassed about my gross out first paragraph. So I flipped on the tube and found Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern Survival Special. Hah! I love multi-media studies! I hope he eats something really awful.

I'm not sure two days in the jungle is quite hard core enough to compete with what I've been reading though. Sorry Mr. Zimmern.

Surviving, again

2009-06-22T13:57:00.008-04:00

Although the subtitle to Skeletons on the Zahara is "A True Story of Survival" I didn't realize that this would be yet another survival book. Duh. This is kind of the ultimate survivor book in which you learn that it is apparently okay to drink urine. Your own, your shipmate's, a camel's, whatever. You can also drink the green liquid in a camel's stomach, and eat the contents of the small intestine. If you are hungry, snails are delicious, as are locusts; just pull off their heads and legs first.

I can't wait to go on vacation to the Sahara!

Dean King endeavors to update Captain James Riley's 1816 memoir, introducing a story familiar to almost every 19th century American to a modern audience. Once I got past the detailed recounting of the ill-fated ocean voyage, things sped up. I was mostly interested in the gruesome horror the crew faced once the ship was dashed against rocks. As a historical narrative, Skeletons on the Zahara has a distracting number of characters, dates, and locations. I blithely ignored the maps, place names and names of many characters, preferring to focus on the action rather than get bogged down in the details.

Other than a fine Sunday's entertainment, I got two main things out of this book; one a very thought provoking look at Nomads in northwestern Africa and a lesson in heroism from James Riley.

King did plenty of his own research for this book, as shown in his extensive bibliography. He even took a trek in the Sahara on a camel, trying to recreate some of what the castaways went through. The life of the desert nomads was amazingly brutal, many of them subsisting on camel milk and small amounts of foraged food. Perhaps in reaction to the extreme climate, the culture is correspondingly wild and rough, with a strongest take all mind set. Despite the harshness of the society Captain Riley and his crew encounter admirable bravery and honor from a few of the nomads they encounter.

Captain Riley is a great character. He carefully observes the people around him and is able to judge situations cannily and modifying his behavior in turn. At times, dangerously standing up for his men, or being meek and humble as the situation requires. It seems that most Western castaways had little hope of returning home when they landed on the West Coast of Africa and Captain Riley was a rare example of a hero, getting at least half of his crew home again.

Edited to add: This book is packed full of fun extras, including a glossary, index, bibliography, suggested reading, and more!

Predictable

2009-06-16T15:53:00.002-04:00

I just got on Amazon to look at some of the books I put in my Western Non-Westerns list and realized how I am totally predictable.

In the "Customers who bought this item also bought" Kent Haruf, Leif Enger, Sara Gruen, and David Wroblewski were all in the first two screens full of suggestions. All the covers have cool colors and shots of the sky.

Don't bother with this blog, just check Amazon, and you can find my personality, big as life.

Stupid marketing whizzes. Rats.

Western Non-westerns

2009-06-16T15:35:00.000-04:00

I've noticed that I frequently mention books that are set in the American West. I finally realized I love this setting when a friend of mine requested recommendations that were not American. At first I was embarrassed. I must be terribly single minded. How simple and silly of me to love American books so much.

Then I realized Duh. Of course I love books about America. America is great. It is a sweeping landscape full of hope, personal explorations, soaring vistas and plenty of tragedy. Here are a few more authors and titles that deal with the west that I love.

Kent Haruf. This author is tremendous. He has a quiet tone and good stories. The stuff he writes about, family tragedies, loneliness, are sad, but I have such a glad feeling when I think about Plainsong or The Tie that Binds. When looking up Kent Haruf, I just noticed there is a sequel to Plainsong called Eventide --I can't wait!

Larry Mc Murtry He is quite prolific but has some misses along with his hits. Best is Lonesome Dove which I'm planning to re-read someday. Two men, Call and Gus set out from a lonely Texas town on a cattle drive to Montana. It's a great novel and a prototypical western, disqualifying it from this list. Read it anyway.

McMurtry also wrote The Last Picture Show it is set in mid-twentieth century Texas and focuses on the coming of age of a couple of teenage boys. I recommend The Last Picture Show above the two books that follow it, they aren't quite as good and TLPS stands on it's own nicely.

All of these Larry McMurtry books have been made into movies or mini-series. The Lonesome Dove miniseries starring Tommy Lee Jones was very good, I caught it on cable recently.

Steinbeck. I mentioned The Grapes of Wrath. You pretty much can't go wrong with Steinbeck, but East of Eden is maybe on top. Although critics don't, I love Cannery Row (not a western). It has great characters and kind of a homey quality. If home is living near fish factories and whorehouses.

Annie Proulx (pronounced approximately Prew) wrote That Old Ace in the Hole Set in Texas. It has her traditional almost comic names, and odd trajectories of people's lives. I found it to be enjoyable, almost as much as I liked The Shipping News. (Which I loved but is set in Newfoundland and therefore does not qualify for this list. I also totally liked the movie of the Shipping News starring Kevin Spacey.)

Louise Erdrich Plague of Doves. This is a kind of twisty and slightly confusing book dealing with reservation families and white families over the course of the last century. I am not too familiar with Louise Erdrich, but I liked this book and have gathered the impression that she writes powerfully about the west and reservations and the like.

I feel like I'm forgetting something...

ACK! How could I forget My Antonia and O Pioneers! by Willa Cather? These are portraits of immigrants in Nebraska making a new life and an impact on the land. Excellent reading. I re-read these pretty regularly. I am looking forward to checking out The Song of the Lark which I somehow missed during my Willa Cather phase.

Books I have mentioned previously on this blog and that are set in the American West but not necessarily westerns are here:

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger

Deep Survival

2009-06-11T19:46:00.003-04:00

Here's my problem with survival, everyone dies sometime. No-one survives death, so what makes anyone a survivor ever? Surviving may just mean living long enough to tell others your story. If you don't leave a written record, did you live at all?

It turns out some people are just better at living longer in perilous situations and those skills can be translated from everyday life and back again. Here's the main point when in a bad situaton: don't panic. If you are panicking, don't move or act until you have calmed down. Also, don't be paralyzed by your panic. Be smart and you might survive.

I started reading Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales and wasn't hooked. I have recently read a few books involving survival; Into the Wild by John Krakauer, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, and Desperate Journeys, Abandoned Souls: True Stories of Castaways and other Survivors by by Edward E. Leslie and Sterling Seagrave; (all worthwhile) so maybe I was kinda tired of surviving. I decided to give it another shot, opened to another, later chapter and was sucked in.

Gonzales provides anecdotes about survivors in many different situations, examining the issue from all sides, sprinkling in brain function and psychology and personal anecdotes. He laces it all together with his own quest for survival and his relationship with his father. All the time making frequent reference to the amygdala.

At the very least, Deep Survival was a nice break from Russia and Napoleon. I am going to try to get back to Mr. Tolstoy tonight or tomorrow.

Not Reading

2009-06-10T13:36:00.007-04:00

Argh! I am so frustrated with myself for neglecting this blog. I mean to write, but am not actually reading much.

I had a great trip to New York but spent eight hours on the bus knitting and daydreaming. I came home with almost a whole mitten, and some great new fantasies about a life in New York, but with no pages read.

I did pick up Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales but the first chapter didn't draw me in. I may have another look at it, but will probably put it and Catch-22 into my never to be read stack.

I have the evening to myself tonight, but plan to go shopping rather than read a book.

So, stay tuned, I may start reading again, I may not. I do plan to keep blogging though, and may have to get creative with my topics.

Cheap, but kinda lazy

2009-06-01T15:52:00.004-04:00

Remember how I said how much I don't pay for all the materials I read?

Sometimes I pay. Here's why:

I normally renew books online, but I recently got a new computer. Because I am slothful, I did not transfer all my passwords and logins to a new secret yet convenient place on my new computer. Because I would have to get up off my botto, which is large, and find my library card to look up the number to login and renew; I didn't renew W&P. Even though I vaguely knew that it was due soon. It was not due soon, it was due three dollars and fifty cents ago.

Darn.

Edited to add: I did in fact finally renew. I have another three weeks. Not to worry.

Up all night

2009-05-31T09:56:00.006-04:00

For me, reading before bed is not usually something that helps me to fall asleep. I do read in bed almost every night but is it usually a struggle for me to put the book down and to go to sleep. Sometimes I am overcome by the book and can't stop until I have finished. Luckily for me, I am a very fast reader.

The books that keep me up at night are not necessarily suspenseful, I just get so invested in something that I am unwilling to leave the world the author has created for me.

I have a friend who prefers to draw out books that she loves in order to increase the length of time that she spends under the spell. I am a full immersion girl, reading every spare moment as quickly as I can, not wanting to be drawn away for even a minute.

Here is a list off the top of my head, in no particular order of books that have kept me up all night:

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski I read this on the plane to Las Vegas and spent a fair amount of time reading in my hotel room. It is a twist on the Hamlet plot, set in Wisconsin. The hero is a mute boy who raises dogs. Parts of this tale get a little long but its a satisfying read.

Peace Like a River and So Brave, Young and Handsome by Leif Enger I love this writer. His writing has a great peaceful tone and rhythm; and his his characters are excellent. Both books I have read by him are set in the American West and are really lovely. The country is almost a character in itself.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith I mentioned this recently. Again, it is a great story about place and is just great book about coming of age and hardship and family.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen I wanted to read this book because it is set in a circus during the depression. I was interested mostly in just reading about a circus and the circus people. Plus it has a great cover. I was pleasantly surprised to find a great novel and love story inside.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck This was one of the first books that I remember staying up all night to read. I read it cover to cover one night when I was a senior in high school. It was a memorable night for me. I was first, very proud to have read such an important book so quickly, but secondly, Steinbeck became one of my favorite authors.

Harry Potter. I would stay up all night just to re-read any Harry Potter book. J.K. Rowling does such a great job with setting that I love diving in to visit occasionally. I try not to talk about it too much, but like many, many people I am a HUGE J.K. Rowling fan.

I am going to stop now, but plan to make lots and lots of suggested reading lists on this blog.

Note: I am hesitant to link to Amazon for many reasons, but am doing so just in case it helps you to locate and read these books.

My Personal Library

2009-05-27T23:29:00.003-04:00

I am cheap. So cheap that I maybe buy a book at full price once a year. Maybe. And then it is probably a paperback. I used to consider it a splurge to buy a book at Costco. However, I am such a reader, that I sometimes read a few books a week. Here's how I do it: Often I steal. Sometimes I borrow. Occasionally I buy, but only if it is for less than three dollars.

I find that once people read books that they have purchased, they are pretty much done. They don't go back to their shelves often to look for stuff. Or if they do, they don't know to ask me, the perpetrator.

My two early but still fruitful sources of book stealing have been my parents. Rather than send me to jail their little hearts burst with pride when they realize their baby is reading all their old favorites.

I regularly peruse the bookshelves in my father's basement for castoffs from my stepsiblings' high school career I got my Guide to Birds of North America that way, the uber boring Guns Germs and Steel, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (worth going to jail for). They probably think I am doing them a service by decluttering; or perhaps they wonder why my purse is always so square and heavy like a sack of bricks when I leave their house. I don't ask.

Another excellent way to feed the addiction is by borrowing. From the LIBRARY duh. Also from my friend Stimey's library. At any given time I have like six of her books, and now in her basement I have a few shelves of my returns. I like to visit and see what I've read; its like visiting old friends. The best thing about Stimey's library is that there are no late fees. Plus, she is so silly that she actually purchases new books. I think at full price. Silly Stimey. This way I get my dose of current fiction, so that I am not so hopelessly out of date as to poke my curling iron in the fire and potentially burn off some of my hair.

One (several) of Stimey's books have actually traveled to other countries in the backpack of my brother who is apparently also a professional book stealer. T-- I am still waiting for Skeletons of the Zahara to come back so I can read it and return it to Stimey.

Another great place to get books almost for free, is from the Library used book store. This way you get to keep your library book forever. Conveniently there is one in a branch close to me. I get obscure cookbooks there, classics all full of pencil notes from college students, and confusingly still barcoded and mylar wrapped hardback fiction for a dollar.

One way that I make sure that my own personal library is not depleted is that I mark the books I lend out with my name. Sometimes in Sharpie. On the cover. Don't take my book you book stealers. I know all your tricks.

Not so sure I'm a blogger.

2009-05-27T15:12:00.003-04:00

Argh. I totally suck at blogging. I have been thinking and thinking about it, but... nothing. Now that I am supposed to be writing something else, something fictiony that is due in four hours and fifteen minutes, sooooo, I will write a blog post.

War and Peace? Awesome. I am right smack in the middle and I can't wait to find out what happens to everyone. Reading W&P is kinda like watching a great miniseries on DVD from Netflix. There is a substantial number of fairly important characters, and you get to watch them emerge, and follow their life a little. War and Peace is totally not a miniseries though. It's a full on tv program of like three or four seasons.

I like the peace parts better than the war parts though. Napoleon Bonaparte actually appears as a character and I have to force myself to read those boring parts about him and various generals and the war. Snore.

The getting married parts, and falling in love, and maybe almost kidnapping and elopements; super exciting and compelling.

Reading is Fun!

2009-05-13T15:31:00.003-04:00

I like it!

I have been under some time constraints, but War and Peace, it's great. I really want to know what is going to happen to Pierre; who so far seems totally boring, but he is now heir to the largest fortune in Russia, so he's probably going to get more interesting soon.

Also, I see a marriage going bad, the little princess with a mustache is not that popular with her husband who is now at war. Something big is going to happen with him too.

I can't wait to read it!

Reading with the Kids

2009-05-11T21:27:00.003-04:00

Have you ever had really fond memories of a book, only to re-read it and think it sucks? This keeps happening to me with children's books. At some point after I had read some Harry Potter I thought I would have a quick review of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It was totally not as good as I thought it was when I was young.

Also, I have been reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume to my son at night. I know I liked it as a kid, and I think my brother and sister liked it too. It's kind of a minor American classic. Boring. I keep hoping the boy will forget to ask me to read it. And I may have been known to whine a little when forced to continue.

Some things have improved with age though. We (me and my two kids) have read or listened to in the past year: Ramona the Pest, Ramona and her Mother, Ramona and her Father, Ramona the Brave, Ramona Forever (I'm not kidding you, we are Ramona CRAZY) Ribsy, Henry and Ribsy, Runaway Ralph, plus probably a few more by Beverly Cleary.

I love that woman now maybe even more than I did as a kid. If I didn't love Beverly Cleary there is no freaking way I would read all these books at night or listen to them in the car. I could not take this much of just any author. I kinda feel at this point that I have lived on Klickitat Street myself.

Wrap Up: The God of Small Things

2009-05-06T10:49:00.011-04:00

It is so goddamn hot in my apartment, that I can now wrap up The God of Small things. Apparently I have to imagine myself in a slummy fire-trap in India to talk about this book

It turns out this is a great novel. At the same time, it is confusing and mixy, and sweaty, and suspenseful. From the beginning you know someone has died because you get to go to her funeral. There is also a visit to a police station. My interest was piqued by all this information; but reading to the end was a little like say, fighting your way through a jungle with a machete. Roy gives her characters and setting amazingly vivid physicality. It's really impressive. And opressive.

I listened in on a conversation with two friends the other day about travel, and they discussed going to India. The more experienced traveler warned how you have to brace yourself when you step off the plane; and how it's not relaxing; and you kind of have to fight the entire time you are on vacation. He preferes Thailand. Roy gives the reader the same type of intense experience, but it makes for kind of tough reading.

To make up for your hard and tragic trek through India; Roy finishes with a jewel of a scene that makes it all worth while. Upon closing this book, you have a lot to chew on: sacrifice, unhappiness, right and wrong, justice.

Lovely. Deserving of the Booker Prize, which she won in 1997.

Pathetic Update

2009-05-03T22:27:00.004-04:00

My grill pan kicked ass tonight. My steak was awesome. About the fat Russian; the relationship is having a little trouble getting off the ground. I am on... get ready... page 52 of War and Peace. Only 1200 to go. I know, get to work girlie.

Searching for Mr. Right

2009-04-28T11:25:00.008-04:00

I have been working my way through Catch-22 and The God of Small Things but it is kind of a struggle. Neither book is calling to me in my non-reading hours. I keep wandering around my apartment looking at bookshelves for something new to read. Something that is going to sweep me off my feet; ask me to sacrifice work and sleep time. I want to fall in love.

I am wondering whether that special connection is going to come from Russia. That's right, I'm looking for an older Russian, one that is smart, complex, has an international reputation. I have flirted with Russians before, and I think it's time to make the big leap in this relationship. Its time for War and Peace.

The edition of War and Peace that I have is kind of old and has Bible pages. I am not interested in straining my eyes for the next several weeks, so today after we visit Noyes Library for the kids, we will head to Kensington Park branch where I am going to borrow this edition.

It's a new translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, who b.t.w. sounds like she is an actual character in a Tolstoy novel. Ooooh I hope it's not checked out before I get there! I read Pevear and Volokhonsky's translation of Anna Karenina and the cover told me that they were terrific translators who preserve Tolstoy's language skills.

Because the cover told me to, I attribute my exteme affinity for Anna Karenina to the translators and I hope they will also help me through War and Peace. I am viewing them as relationship counselors of a sort. Years ago when I attempted W&P, I pooped out at around page 700. I have never forgiven myself.

Hopefully, self-flagellation, this announcement of intent, excellent translators and the extreme excellence of Mr. Tolstoy himself will all combine to springboard me to new heights of reading fulfillment.

I Heart Masterpiece (Theatre)

2009-04-26T16:56:00.005-04:00

Hooray! It's Little Dorrit Day! As a giant fan of both Charles Dickens and Masterpiece (Theatre)* I LOVE Sunday nights in the spring.

Two years ago I watched Bleak House; last year it was all Jane Austen. Heaven. This year they are doing mostly Dickens. Oliver Twist was good, and I LOVED Tom Hardy in something...hmm...Ooooh. Wuthering Heights. That was sooo great. Totally not Dickens though.

Because of Tom Hardy and his gorgeous co-star Charlotte Riley, I read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. It was kind of a weird book. I can't even really recommend that anyone read it. Like The Scarlet Letter, it is a really great plot, not such a great read. Frankly, I like the screen versions of it better, both the one with Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier, as well as this year's new version, which is more faithful to the original novel.

To sum up, I am an uber-nerd, by which I mean super awesome literary woman, and I can't wait to see if adorable Amy Dorrit gets to marry Mr. Clenham.

*I have no idea why they dropped the "Theatre" part It's not like it's any cooler of a show now, plus every one I know who watches it (me and my mother) still call it Masterpiece Theatre.

Changes Afoot

2009-04-26T12:01:00.001-04:00

So, I hate this blog. It is so damn boring. Who wants to read a boring-ass book blog. I sure as hell don't. I like blogs that have curse words, and drinking and funny stories. Why then would I write a serious blog? Duh.

In honor of the ridiculously hot April day we are having, I am going to try to finish the God of Small Things. and think about India.

Also, I am going to Marshalls to look for a grill pan.

2009-04-19T15:06:00.001-04:00

I read both The Song is You by Arthur Phillips and American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld. I kind of had to stew on them before I had anything to say, and now that I am writing about them, my opinions are becoming even more clear to me. Both were good books, and I would lend them to a friend, but neither was a favorite.

On one hand, The Song is You was a page turner, but because it was so intense and obsessive, I kept being forced to take embarrassment breaks. Arthur Phillips seems really talented; but I think I might like other books he has written better than this one. I was hoping this book would be great, but it was not an exact fit for me. It was a little dark, and I didn't like a single character. Also, the title of this book grates on me. I hate saying it aloud, and can't make the syntax of it work in my head. Now that I think about it, I have kind of an unpleasant taste in my mouth from this book, but I still feel like it was good. Maybe you will like it better than I did.

American Wife was very well written. Compared to The Song is You, it was like a sunny vacation, much lighter and much less troubling. I really liked reading Curtis Sittenfeld's prose, especially in the first half of the book. However, once the main character grew into an adult and began to resemble Laura Bush, my interest waned. I may have imagined it, but I think the writing suffered in the later parts of the novel as well. I vaguely knew this book was based on a few facts of Laura Bush's life, but didn't pay much attention. It wouldn't have kept me from wanting to read this book, but I would have read the first half with different eyes. After this, I do want to read more of Sittenfeld's work.

Right now, I am laboring through Catch- 22 by Joseph Heller, and eyeing The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy which is on my bookshelf.

2009-04-11T13:55:00.005-04:00

I stated that I read a Tree Grows in Brooklyn because I thought I should. I read a lot of books because I think I should, but I don't want you to think less of me. I have found generally that "classics" are pretty good. Knowing this, I try not to limit myself to historical fiction although it really is my first love.

To combat my classic literature issue, I have an excellent friend, Stimey who has oodles of books in her basement (I know, not the smartest place to store your best paper treasures). I often leave her house with a stack of books that are totally outside my normal range. I have even enjoyed a zombie book. I still haven't admitted to her how very much I enjoyed reading the very silly World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks. Now though, I totally know all about zombies. They are not aliens.

I am also not normally a Michael Crichton reader but I liked The Andromeda Strain. She said I would, and she was right. On the flip side, she also loves Kurt Vonnegut. Passionately. Not me. I read Slaughterhouse Five because she said to, and it was really not my favorite. Right now Catch 22 and 1984 are in my Stimey stack, I'll let you know how they go.

Here's the point. It's sometimes a challenge for people to know where to begin when selecting books, and I go by the advice of others as well as working my way through a lengthy list of accepted classics. My friend Stimey has greatly expanded my range over the past five years and I got her to at least begin Anne of Green Gables. Quitter. Well written books make for pretty good reading, no matter the genre. Good science fiction can be good reading whether it is your preferred subject matter or not. Just the same, I abhor badly researched historical fiction. Yuck. Get your period fashion and manners correct people.

Of course, I cannot claim to like all "great books" Despite the title of this blog and all the excellent Scarlet Letter implications, I am not a fan. I love adultery, and fornication, and public humiliation, and self imposed punishments, but woof. Hester Prynne was drowned for me by too many words. I had to slog through tons of poetic prose to find the point. Same goes for Moby Dick. My mother claims it is one of her favorites and I generally trust her but again, woof. You don't get to meet Ahab for several hundred pages. With my apologies to Mr. Hawthorne and Mr. Melville, get to the damn point gentlemen. Ridiculous verbosity is ridiculous verbosity whether you have a compelling tale to tell or no. And with that, I bid you a good day.

2009-04-10T20:44:00.001-04:00

I sacrificed half a night of sleep this week for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. It was worth it. I picked it up at my Dad's house because I steal all their books and I figured I should read this very important American book. It turns out I had already read it. Duh. It hit me hard this time though, it is so beautifully written, not heavy handed, not too dark, not too bright. It is perfectly balanced and you are so immersed in Brooklyn and in the beginning of the twentieth century. It was sort of sad to finish, and I had to sit, hold the book and take a few moments out for Francie. I loved it. You should read it.

I just bought two brand new books. Exciting, since I usually hit the library or used book store. I bought An American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld and The Song is You by Arthur Phillips. I read a review of the Phillips book in the Washington Post and it sounded just up my alley, full of longing and angst. I chose the Sittenfeld book because although I didn't read Prep, I think she's a solid writer. I read a few pages in the bookstore and it is going to be good.

More on my two new books soon.