Take 2

FYI friends,

To make it easier for people to remember, I renamed my other blog- The Joy of Literacy

Check it out here:
http://thejoyofliteracy.blogspot.com/

My mom thought Bedfellows and Pocketbook Companions would make a good title for a memoir....ahhhh, someday mom.

XOXO,
Rebecca

Scooby Doo, Where Are You?

     =        

Kindle you have been wonderful, but really, The Hangman's Daughter? Overall, it was pretty bad. And now I am spending precious minutes commenting on this poor novel with the hope that you too will not squander your life away.

When you have a Kindle, or probably any other e-reader, you can view the top rated downloads and instantly (but, of course!) read reviews. This book was #1 for Kindle downloads, only $3.99, and it had gotten one rave review after another.  After reading most of the book, I checked the reviews again, and the negative comments had multiplied. I came across a review that said the plot reminded him of Scooby-Doo-- The evil guy is after those pesky kids. That put the nail on the head.

The general gist of the book: A hangman from a long line of hangmen in a small Bavarian town has to execute someone he knows is innocent. In order to make peace with his conscience, he tries to find out who is guilty. The crime? Murdering small children and practicing witchcraft.

The plot plods on and on. The characters are 2-dimensional. The writing is unsophisticated- it felt like a middle school novel. But i did finish it (what if it got better?).

In the end I decided 2 things:

1. The book was translated, and it could have been well written in German. If the writing was elevated, it would have made the book a lot better. So it may be the fault of the translation.
2. It was a mostly true story about the author's family (which I didn't find out until after i finished it)...this makes it a lot more interesting in hindsight.

Sorry Germany, you'll have to wait a bit more for your Steig Larrson...but it may happen some day. On Goodreads I gave it 2/5 stars. I did finish it.

Now on to a (hopefully) better novel- Cutting the Stone. It's probably a good sign that this one didn't turn up on Kindle's most downloaded list.

xoxo,

Rebecca

Books: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, By Rebecca Skloot

Interesting read. Skloot goes on a decade-long journey- researching the family behind HeLa, the cell line of Henrietta Lacks which has been pivotal in medical research over the last 60 years. The cells were taken from Henrietta's cervix in the 1950s (without her consent) for cancer research. In Skloot's book, the quality of the writing was satisfactory (weak in parts)- but the human interest aspect of it kept you reading.

Skloot spends a lot of time with the Lacks family in her research of the book. She goes on week-long adventures with Henrietta's daughter, trying to uncover as much as possible about the Lacks family history and the HeLa cells. Even though some have reported on the origins of HeLa in the past, the reporters did not have as much access to the family as Skloot did. Also, much of the previous research into the origins of HeLa cells were full of fallacy. As Skloot does research for the book (which is part of the narrative), the Lacks family finally learns the extent of the impact HeLa cells had on science. The family is able to resolve the personal rift they had with the medical field, and they are able to find peace about the death of their mother/grandmother.

Throughout the book, Skloot is trying to communicate that she's not in the business of writing this book to exploit the Lacks family. Yet, at times, it feels like she is indeed exploiting the family by exposing their simple mindedness and their glaring misconceptions about science. I feel like Skloot tries to justify her research intentions- rationalizing to the reader that it's okay to publish the idiosyncrasies of this family because she's different from all the rest- she's the nice reporter that's come to help the family. Hmmmm, to me it still feels exploitative. Oh well, still a worthwhile read.

4 stars out of 5

Books: Goodreads + Faithful Place by Tana French

I just got hooked to Goodreads over the holidays (see side bar). It's a really fun way to connect with family and friends over books- a book lover's facebook. I love getting to peek at books my friends love (or didn't love so much). Books can be a highly personal- what you read says so much about your personality and interests, so looking at friends' personal book shelves almost feels like reading their journal. It's so fun! And, it's a great way to find new authors/books to read. (My glowing review should encourage you to try it out!)

Anyhow--

This year I set a personal challenge to read at least 20 books (and this list won't include any professional reading I do). I think 20 is completely doable (I'm hoping), especially with the new Kindle I got from my hubby for xmas. I'll keep you updated on what I've read/am reading.

This week I finished Tana French's Faithful Place. It was my first Kindle read- who hoo! This is the 3rd book in her Dublin (not CA) murder squad series. I've read all three. I thought I found an author that I alone adored, but apparently she's on a lot of folks' Kindle nowadays- and for a good reason. I've enjoyed reading everyone of her murder-mystery books. She follows a different murder/under cover detective as he/she slueths to find the murderer. Each detective always has a personal connection to the case in some way, so that adds a different element to her books.

Faithful Place follows an under cover detective, Frank Mackey, back to his family's home, which he's managed to successfully avoid his entire adult life. Frank's sister calls her cop brother when a suitcase is found in an abandoned building. The suitcase belongs to a girl that went missing in the 80's, a girl that Frank Mackey was dating at the time she went missing. So- the plot thickens! And, like I mentioned, French likes to add in this personal connection between the detective and the case. It definitely makes the plot more enthralling. The detectives have a lot more at stake in solving the mystery. The book is entangled with dysfunctional family drama, nostalgic childhood romance, complicated adult romance, and good ol' sleuthing.

I recommend it.

See the NY Times Book Review here.

Now I'm reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. If you know the Kindle- I started today and am at 12%- it's really interesting so far.


Read on!

Fatal Paris

These are my most recent reads. My sister suggested I read Sarah's Key, a historical fiction novel set in the 1940's in France. In a series of events largely ignored by the French people, the French police, in collaboration with the German Nazis, locked up French Jews and sent them off to the gas chambers. Families were separated from each other early on in France and then taken to other concentration camps.This book tells of a young girl's journey to the camps, and what life was like after her escape. I loved the historical aspect of this novel. A whole new moment in history was opened up to me. This was a fast read too, which always makes a book enjoyable. The last 1/3 or so of the book seemed unnecessary-- the author trying to connect the past to the present with a feeble love story. Great novel, sans the romance. Just give us the real hard grit (with a little redemption at the end), please!

The Paul Auster book I picked up at the library. I read the book jacket and was hooked. Being a bit of a design aficionado- I was also intrigued by the pretty cover. I loved this book. It's a hard book to explain. It starts in 1967 when a Columbia college student meets a professor at a party. You get the sense from the beginning that this professor has a dark side, and is possibly up to no good. This eery relationship is central to the plot of the book. And, like Sarah's Key, Paris plays a starring role in this novel as well. The story ends in the present day, and you're left wondering, even as you read the final page. I don't want to say too much--but it's an oddly enjoyable book.

Read on!

Hop On!

I know I keep talking about it, BUT....

Is the whole world reading this freaking wonderful book series? Now, it seems a little bandwagonish, but I have some good company---

Seth
Seth's sister
Aunt Fern Emma
Mark's whole family (Claire, Andy [Andy's whole Family too], Scott, Lida, Vince, Sally)
Sarah P
Kaaren
Sarah M
Girl at Wheel Works yesterday
Susannah?? I don't think she started it though...

Besides, it's that good.

What are you reading this summer?

Really Sweden? That's all you got?

I've been devouring the 2nd book of the Millennium Series by Stieg Larsson, "The Girl Who Played with Fire"(see NY Times review here). I have about 30 pages left to go, and I decided to make dinner and put the conclusion on hold until bed time. There has to be something to look forward to when I hop into my big empty bed tonight (Mark's gone on a over night school field trip).

But it has to be said-- What is with Sweden and Pippi Longstocking? I feel sad that this children's book series is really their only national claim to fame. And let me tell you, Larsson milks the popularity of the Pippi books for all it's worth. The main character in The Millennium Series is nicknamed Kalle Blomkist, a prominent character/boy detective in Pippi books. And the other main character Lisbeth (such a great kick butt character!!! Love her!), names her expansive apartment V. Vulla, after Pippi's home. Lisbeth has some Pippi-esque qualities, now that I think about it. But it just cracks me up how these Pippi books keep being referenced in Larsson's Millennium books; they couldn't be more different.

Well, I look forward to end book 2 tonight. Book three can wait until my summer vacation officially starts on Thursday, on the other hand, maybe it can't!

But I do have to admit, Pippi rocks.

Read 'em and Weep

Okay, I think I can finally admit that I like page turners. My husband has been reading Light in August by William Faulkner. I am impressed by this attempt (I say attempt because he's been reading it for 2 months). He is relentless, and I know I would have given up if I were him. I however, have been drifting towards quick reads. Not as impressive. Not as challenging intellectually. But darn good fun! And, Oprah would be proud of me. I see that I tend toward the heart-wrenching novel.

I know This Much is True, by Wally Lamb: 916 pages of high drama. I really liked this book. It deals with the complexities of being a twin. The main character is so invested in looking after his schizophrenic (yes, I spell checked that!) twin brother, so much so that he neglected taking care of his own emotional well-being. Wally Lamb's books are not light, and they deal with serious issues, and they usually take you on a long, well-worth-it journey.

Yiyun Li is an Oakland author (woot!woot!). Her first full-length novel, The Vagrants, deals with a group of interrelated characters in post cultural revolution China.  Some of these characters were very compelling, but I don't think the plot came together as well as I wanted it to in the end. I did like getting to know China during this era.

See a good review of this at a blog I like, The Best Little Bookshelf, here.

This book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, was a good fun read (oh yeah, and a little sadistic too!). I am a big sucker for mysteries. PD James and Tara French are two of my favorite mystery writers. This book was unputdownable (yes, that's a word I made up).  Larsson's writing is smart, and the plot moves quickly from the onset of the book. You must read this. I am at my wits end trying to get the second book in the series into my hot little hands. Okay, so I've been thinking... why do mysteries not only deal with murder, but always have some weird sexual subplot? Even with 80-year-old kick a** James you get these twisted characters with odd sexual habits. Just saying... 

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, by M.T Anderson and White Noise, by Don Delillo

I promised myself that I would do a review of every book I read this year, and I'm a bit behind.

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, by M.T. Anderson was a unique read and brought lively discussion to our book club last month. Set in Boston and thereabouts in the 1760's, the narrator, Octavian, and his mother, Cassiopeia, have been bought as slaves to live in an academy of experimentation. At this academy, The Novanglian College of Lucidity, Octavian and his mother are part of a grand scientific experiment to discover the capabilities of peoples of African descent. As a specimen, Octavian measures his feces, masters the violin, and learns latin. His mother, a supposed queen from Africa, entertains guests of the academy with her beauty. The unspoken question of the experiment is: Is the African able to accomplish what the white man can accomplish with comparable training? The world the characters inhabit feels surreal, yet it is based on schools of thought that Jefferson and Hume themselves adopted. As Octavian becomes more and more educated and capable, his freedoms become stripped away.  The results of the experimentation are used against him to limit his learning. Everyone at our book club was eager to read the sequel to find out what happens to Octavian after an attempted escape. Check out the NY Times Book Review here. I would definitely recommend reading this book. 

                                               

This is now a modern classic, White Noise by Don Delillo (Mr. Post-modern himself). Set in the 1980's a American family experiences a toxic event that forces them to flee town. Everything in this book screams 1980's: pill addiction, references to Diet Coke, broken families with multiple marriages, and the novelty of the microwave. It does give you a glimpse of the decade, but to me it felt blah. I read it because it is supposed to be good, and I thought it was just okay. You don't love the characters, probably because you get a sense that the characters only care about themselves and the fear they're wrapped up in. It's quintessentially post-modern-- not my cup of tea. 

Storytime

This is one of our favorite times of the day---storytime before bed. Sadie matches our cadence with her cooing, and smiles and laughs at the books too. We love it when she holds our hand or arm as we read. Such a precious little girl.

white tiger, white tiger, burning bright: a guest book review

"To hell with the Naxals and their guns shipped from China. If you taught every poor boy how to paint, that would be the end of the rich in India."

One day over winter break Rebecca, Sadie, and I stopped at a cafe by Lake Merrit, and much to my dismay I discovered that Rebecca had brought along the book she was reading, A Gate at the Stairs. I had brought nothing. Sadie was sleeping, so I couldn't play with her. I tried reading Rebecca's book upside down from across the table, but was making slow progress. The cafe didn't stock East Bay Express, so I was out of luck. After browsing a catalog from Ritual Roasters, I decided that I needed a book too! So on the way back to the car we stopped at the library and I picked up Aravind Adiga's novel White Tiger, about a murderous outsourcing entrepreneur from Bangalore, India.

With nods to Ellison's Invisible Man, Adiga creates a narrator whose life story transverses a cross-section of his society--and the portrayal of this society is not flattering. While not Adiga's book is not as epic in scope, both books feature characters from their society's underclasses, who at first blindly embrace their place in the power structure, but then learn to subvert that power, using it against itself, before eventually retreating into hiding. Adiga's narrator is at times wickedly hilarious, and at times ruthless as he portrays the complexities of master-servant class relationships, contrasts urban and rural life in India, and takes on Indian political corruption. Most of all Adiga casts India as a society in flux, at once ancient and modern, both provincial and global. But none of this social commentary ever reads like a polemic; it doesn't slow down the pace of the story, nor does it overshadow the novel's vibrant narrator.

And my daughter, Sadie, liked the contrast of the black and white letters on the book's cover.

A Gate at the Stairs, by Lorrie Moore

I just finished reading this book today. I decided I'm going to review all the books I read this year. So, if you're my father-in-law or my husband don't read this post (or do). I just want to give you fair warning, so as not to spoil the reading for you. I'll try not to give too much away.

This book is good. I sought it out because in was on the NY Times 2009 Top Ten Books of the Year list. It is a book for the times--dealing with everything from the slow food movement to fertility and race issues to terrorism (and more). It addresses these current issues indirectly, ingrained into the everyday. The protagonist and narrator is a young female college student in the fictional Troy, Wisconsin. If you're familiar with WI-- Troy, "the Athens of the Midwest", represents Madison, the writer's hometown. Troy is as Madison, a reef of liberalism in a sea of country living. I love Moore's writing; she creates metaphors that are surprising, yet make sense. This modern novel deals with the hardships and reality of love (or in some instances the idea of love)- passionate love, maternal love, brotherly love, and friendship. Many of the characters Moore creates have nicknames or pseudonyms. These, to me, serve as a way to hide. Her characters immerse themselves in the affairs of modern culture, hiding themselves from those universal pains that find us all, eventually.

A must read.

Books of 2009

So, I did some voracious reading for a couple months in 2009, but completely slacked the last 2 months--with fiction at least. I read many baby books right before and after Sadie was born, or bits and pieces of them anyhow. This list just includes fiction books- none of the professional, cooking, children's or baby books I read this year. They are ranked in descending order...[btw, to be completely honest, I didn't completely finish 2 of the books...]

#15 Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell

This is non-fiction. Maybe that's why it was my least favorite book of the year? Sarah Vowell is super funny, usually.

#14 Say Your One of Them by Uwen Akpan

I didn't finish this book, but read two of the short stories. Honestly, it's a really well-written, and moving and book--but so depressingly hard to read. It made me very sad. I like painful stories that have some redemption--these stories were just pain-filled. I wish I could be more open and embrace this book, but it was too hard to keep reading. But: Oprah likes it!

#13 Lush Life by Richard Price

Richard Price was a writer for my all-time favorite TV show--The Wire, so I thought I'd love this book. It was good, not amazing. I forced myself to finish this so-so police drama. I wasn't into the characters or plot, at all.

#12 Octavian Nothing by M. T. Anderson

This is a very intriguing book written for the young adult crowd. I'm more than half-way through, and I'll finish it for book club in February. It got a little dull midway- so I put it down and Mark picked it up. It's set in Boston right before/during the Revolutionary War. Octavian Nothing, a young slave and science specimen, is the main character-- doesn't that name leave you wanting more? The plot is interesting, vocabulary fascinating, and Mark says it gets better towards the end. We shall see...

#11 Continental Drift by Russell Banks

I like Banks, so I picked up this book. Good, but it drags on and on.

#10 Waiting by Ha Jin

This woman waits forever to marry a married man. Does her patience win? I liked it well enough, but it was pretty sad at times. I picked it up for a quarter at the library. I love to buy books there on the cheap!

#9 An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by PD James

PD James is a go-to author for me. I love that she is well into her eighties, and still write absorbing mysteries. This was a different book for James-- it wasn't apart of her Adam Dagleish detective series. He makes an appearance in the book, but it stars Cordelia Gray, a young private investigator. I liked it, but I always like PD James.

#8 The Black Tower by PD James

I was mad as I read this book. Dagleish, a murder detective, is the main character. He's been confronted with series of deaths while on vacation, but can't go about solving them in the regular manner (because he's on holiday, of course!). I miss Kate, his partner, and all the to-do when the Yard gets involved. I liked it in the end because James plays with your mind so fabulously!

#7 Hanna's Daughters by Marrianne Fredriksson

This was recommended by my friend Kaaren. This book was set on the Swedish/Norwegian border. It follows three generations of women and show how each is affected by their family and the culture around them. The character sare beautifully crafted: real. It's simple, warm, and heart-wrenching at times. This book makes me think of this biblical adage--The sins of your fathers will be passed down to you.

#6 The Likeness by Tara French

A good mystery.

#5 The Lazarus Project by Aleksander Hemon

Just finished this tonight. It took me a while to get through. Hemon has mostly written short stories, and while this is a novel, it feel like many short stories connected by a loose narrative. The stories are good, and the writing is good. You're not propelled through the book, but you stroll through the book, enjoying the ride. This book has two narratives: 1) One modern-day Bosnian writer living in Chicago is researching his book, 2) An immigrant to Chicago (and possible anarchist), Lazarus, was murdered by the Chief of Police. It's good, check it out.

#4 The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon

What if the Jews has settled in Sitka, Alaska? This was a fun book to read. It was drawn-out and complicated towards the end. But overall, I really enjoyed it.

#3 The Private Patient by PD James

PD James never fails to entertain. I was absorbed in this book, and read it quickly. I love the way she writes.

#2 Into the Woods by Tara French

To tell you the truth, I initially read the book jacket on this one because the cover was so graphically appealing. This is another mystery, a double murder mystery. She's a new Irish author, and I really enjoyed this book.

#1 City of Thieves by David Benioff

After I read this book, I couldn't stop raving about it. Read it, it's good.

Let me know if you've read any of these...and agree or disagree with my ranking. I found that it was a lot harder to write about the books that I liked more... I wonder why that is. Also, what do you recommend I read this year?