Sin in the Second City

My mom recommended Karen Abbott's Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul several times until I finally got around to reading it. Abbott's heavily researched nonfiction book is said to read like a novel, a statement with which I would only partially agree. The book chronicles the rise and fall of the Everleigh Club, the most famous brothel in American history. The club was run by two sisters, Minna and Ada Everleigh, who treated their girls extremely well. The club's prestige was envied by a madam of another brothel in the district and soon came under scrutiny by reformers and ministers concerned with the nation's sexual culture. One of the aspects I found most interesting was the disappearance of young women and the tales of "white slavery" or human trafficking before it had a name. It's an fascinating book, one I rather enjoyed though it took me a long time to finish it. To me, the book wasn't one to devour, but something I slowly nibbled on.

When It Happens to You

I didn't pick up When It Happens to You because it was written by someone famous. Molly Ringwald was on NPR talking about its publication and I was intrigued by her description of the novel. My expectations were low after reading Steve Martin's novel as I half-wondered if a famous name sells books regardless of the merit of the writing. I decided to give it a chance, but not much of one. And yet, Ringwald pulled me in. The book is very well written, the characters compelling, the concept of the novel interesting. I gobbled the book up, delighted by the book's format. When It Happens To You is a series of short stories that together comprise a novel, which I typically enjoy. This novel was no exception. I loved how the complex relationship of Greta and Phillip was explored by pulling it away from where we first learn about it, allowing the reader to see it from different angles. One of my favorites though was about a mother whose young son insists he is a girl and the mother's struggle to determine what is best to do in this situation. The book was equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming, one that I would read again.

The Buddha in the Attic

A while back my mom lent me Julie Otsuka's novel The Buddha in the Attic. She had stumbled upon it and, thinking that it sounded good, immediately bought and read it. She gave it to me, saying that it was really good and a fast read. I was especially intrigued when I saw it had won the PEN/ Faulkner award. And yet it took me forever to actually pick it up, but when I finally did, I was captivated. The story of a group of young women who are brought to Japan as "picture brides" is told in first person plural, a technique that can be a slippery slope, but Otsuka skillfully navigates the narrative voice. Her writing is beautiful and she makes the reader feel for these women, regardless of the fact that their stories blend together. Because the novel is so beautiful (yet short) I'm going to go ahead and recommend it as I doubt anyone could read it and regret having done so.

An Object of Beauty

I had heard Steve Martin was actually a pretty decent novelist a while ago, I don't remember where. Then I kept seeing his most recent novel, An Object of Beauty. One of the places I saw it was on my brother's girlfriend's e-reader this past summer and I asked what she thought of it. She said she liked it so I put it on my ever-growing list of books to read. My mom picked up a used copy a month ago (with my urging) and I finally got around to checking it out.

It's a hard book to review because I more or less hated it the entire time I read it. I didn't feel anything for the main character, Lacey Yeager, a driven art dealer. The plot line seemed more or less nonexistent, which doesn't bother me so long as I care about (or at least am interested in) the characters--and in this case, I didn't. Yet I pressed on due to the recommendation and I will say I liked how it ended, enough that I was satisfied that I had read the book. But I can't offer much of a recommendation as the book does a poor job of captivating the reader, unless the reader is someone extremely interested in the New York art scene. I saw the book is being turned into a movie, which is surprising as not too much happens in the book. (Though it is being produced by none other than the author himself, so that might be how that happened.) I suppose though that it might be easier to make the story into a two hour movie than a 300 page book and I'm guessing the movie version will be better.

Thanking the Monkey

I heard about Karen Dawn's Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals from Alicia Silverstone's book, The Kind Diet (which I absolutely loved).I saw Thanking the Monkey at a used book sale last year and bought it, but didn't pick it up until recently. It's not exactly light reading--it delves into the abuse of animals in  the entertainment, food, and medical testing industries. Yet the book's format is almost fun, with cartoons and photos of celebrities with quotes about why they care about different animal rights issues. And it did make me rethink things. I've never considered myself as someone who cares about animal rights, but this book made me reexamine issues I had previously dismissed as not mattering much. It's not the kind of book that would appeal to everyone, but if you are interested in reading about animal welfare issues, this book covers everything and does so without giving a lot of dry information. I did enjoy it, especially since it helped reshape the way I see the world. (I love books that do that.)

Let's Pretend This Never Happened

I found out about Jenny Lawson (Aka, The Bloggess) from my sister's blog and was interested in checking out her book, Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir). I had to wait a couple months before it was available at the library, but it was worth the wait. The book cracked me up. Jenny Lawson is a very funny woman and despite how obnoxious it was, I couldn't help reading parts aloud to my husband. I don't read many humor books (maybe because it is not a huge genre?) but always enjoy them when I do. I especially enjoyed this book for Lawson's warped sense of humor and the way she dramatically delivered stories. I could relate to her, particularly in the story "And Then I Got Stabbed in the Face by a Serial Killer" in which she describes her social awkwardness/ anxiety, something I myself suffer from (though thankfully not to the same degree). Another story I particularly enjoyed was "The Dark and Disturbing Secrets HR Doesn't Want You to Know," in part because I was in the process of job hunting at the time. But I don't think there was a story I didn't like. I enjoyed the entire book and definitely recommend it to everyone (except those who get easily offended).

Swamplandia!

I had read a review of Karen Russell's Swamplandia! a while back and raced out to get it from the library, only to put it down before the end of the first chapter. I wasn't into it. Then a month ago at a used book sale I saw the novel in paperback and remembering the positive review, decided to grab it and immediately gobbled it up.

Swamplandia! tells the story of Ava, a young girl who lives in an alligator-wrestling theme park on a small island and her resolve to save the park and her family. She is the youngest of three children and her mother, the park's headliner performer, has died before the novel begins. The park is in despair and her brother Kiwi wants them all to move to the mainland and go to school. When their father disagrees, Kiwi takes off and their father follows shortly after. Ava and her sister Ossie are left behind, but Ossie is wrapped up in an atypical romance and soon Ava finds herself going on a journey to save them all. It is the kind of story that keeps you guessing, not only about what is going to happen, but what is real. It's a very well written, unique novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I look forward to reading more of Russell's work.

The Third Wheel

I bought Isaac the latest Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, The Third Wheel. Isaac, Alan, and I all enjoyed reading the books as they came out so it's been a bit of a tradition to purchase the latest book, even though we don't buy many new books.

That tradition is over now. I hate to say it but I think this series is pretty much dead. The Third Wheel is Jeff Kinney's seventh book in the series and fifty percent of the book seemed like recycled jokes to me. And the way the book began (with Greg reminiscing about his life in utero) was both lame and weird. The end of the book (which unbelievably, I actually did get to) had some funny stuff that was enjoyable, but overall it was not good.

Blasphemy

I was excited to see Sherman Alexie had a new book coming out, slightly less excited when I found out it was a collection of short stories. But Blasphemy: New and Selected Stories did not disappoint. For a book of short stories the collection is pretty thick and the range of both length and breadth of the stories vary greatly. And yet there is a theme that holds all the stories together--they are all about identity, most about Native American characters grappling with who they are, were, or fear they will become. Many of the stories have a heaviness to them, thematically speaking. There is a sadness humming quietly in the background of most of the stories, even those sprinkled generously with humor. They're all very readable though, sucking the reader in almost immediately to feel for these characters, for these situations. My two favorite stories in the collection are "Breaking and Entering," a story I would love to discuss but can't without giving anything away and "The Search Engine," a story about a Native American girl who is smitten by a Native American writer and goes searching for him. I'd like to read both stories again sometime, if not the entire collection. He really is that good.

autobiography of a blue-eyed devil

Every book I've read that was published by Seal Press has been amazing, so a while back I checked out their website to search for ideas for my next nonfiction read. I came across a description of Inga Muscio's autobiography of a blue eyed devil: my life and times in a racist, imperialist society and immediately went out looking for it. I had to do an interlibrary loan to get the book and when I checked it out, the librarian muttered the title aloud with distaste. But I'm so glad I read it. The book is really quite extraordinary. 

Muscio is one sensitive and conscious individual. She is more awake than most of us, aware of underlying racism to which most people turn a blind eye. The book is full of Muscio's personal experiences, but the book isn't much of an autobiography. Instead it is a collection of musings, philosophy, theory, and historical facts. It is difficult to describe, in part because it is such a powerhouse of a book, one that knocked me over. While I was reading it a local woman went missing and there were posters everywhere, headlines about her disappearance were blasted all over the news. My husband asked why such a big deal was being made of her and I rationalized how sad and strange her disappearance was. He said he understood, but that the situation wasn't unique, that a variation of such a story happened all the time. As I read on in the book, it hit me that the tragedy of this missing woman was such a tragedy because she was white and had she been another ethnicity, her face would not be plastered all over town. It's hard to type these words as we like to think race doesn't matter anymore, that we have evolved past all that. But it really runs deep in our society and Muscio sees that, showing the reader the unpleasant truth about (as she calls it) 'Amerikka.' For some it may be a difficult book to swallow, but it's very poignant, forcing the reader to confront America's racist past and present.

Macbeth

Alan's class spent last month reading Macbeth. I felt like I should read it since I myself never had (which as an English major, writer, and avid reader seemed a bit of an embarrassment). And yet for weeks I just couldn't bring myself to pick up Shakespeare during my leisure reading time, which is so sparse and precious these days. Then I learned I would be subbing in his classroom, which meant that I would have to teach the play. With a sigh, I picked up the play and began to read.

It was, of course, good. I mean, there is a reason these plays are still read, performed, and discussed several hundreds of years later. And yet, I'm not a big fan of reading plays, adding on the additional burden of riffling through the language. But the copy of the book I read was the No Fear Shakespeare, which has the original text with a side by side modern translation, making it more accessible. (No, I'm not afraid or too proud to admit that.) I'm glad I read it and not only because Alan's students asked if I had read it and I could honestly tell them yes, I had. [Last week, in fact.] After combing the text, we watched a film adaptation of the scenes we had just read and the contrast between the enjoyment of watching the play being acted out, as it was intended, and reading the play aloud was stark. I walked away thinking I really should read more Shakespeare (then run out and watch the film adaptations). But I also know it'll be a long, long time before I actually do.

Abandoned: The Book Thief

I heard so much hype about Markus Zusak's The Book Thief that I wanted to check it out. And when I found it at the library I saw the book was awarded many awards and received much praise--the anticipation was mounting. I began reading it aloud to Isaac and a couple chapters in he confessed he wasn't into it. I wasn't either, but kept looking at the paragraph-long list of honors and awards and was determined to continue. I got to page 114 before calling it quits. I hadn't truly connected with any characters and I found the prose style unskilled, even annoying. I'm sure the novel tells a good story, but I could not press through the book because of the way it was told. I'd love to see a film adaptation someday, but am not interested in continuing the book.

Eating Animals

It's been almost two years since my husband and I agreed our family was going vegetarian. The decision wasn't met with resistance by our sons and though there have been times we've had to fend for ourselves before or after an affair that will serve (meat) food, it's worked out ok. Then this summer we were at a cookout and someone slipped my oldest a brat and he ate it. I tried not to get upset, at least not at my son. He's in middle school now and I believe he needs to make his own choices, even if they will be different than my own values. But I also don't think he can make a decision without the facts. There are plenty of books out there I could have given him, many slanted towards vegetarianism, but I wanted something more objective. I gave him Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals and had him read the first two chapters. He said he found it interesting, then didn't pick it up again, nor did he pronounce he wants to eat meat again. His vague reaction to the book made me pick it up myself again.

Full disclosure: I am in love with this book. I've read it two or three times before this last reading (and it's only a few years old). I will likely continue reading it at least once a year as I don't think I can get enough of it. It's an interesting format--part memoir, part journalism. I hate the title though and worry that people will not pick it up because of the title. (It is supposed to be a play on words-- we not only eat animals, but are animals who eat, but it seems so in your face to me.) There is so much humor and feeling inserted within the pages, along with eye-popping facts and statistics. But the thing I love most is that Safran Foer shows the reader that the issue is not cut and dry and ultimately leaves the reader in the position to decide what is right for her/him. I wish I could force everyone I know to read this book. Since I can't, I'm recommending it as I do think it is one of the most important books I've ever read.

Verses

Around 9/11 this year I was listening to a live album of Ani Difranco and found the hairs on my arms sticking up again over her poem "Self Evident." Then I found a video of Ani reading the poem from her poetry book, Verses. (I highly recommend watching the poem. It is quite long, but truly chilling.) I found a used copy (score!) of Verses and dipped into the poems slowly, until I got towards the end and began a more frantic pacing. In case you don't know about Ani Difranco she is a prolific musician who started her own record label when she was eighteen and has released over 20 albums, many which include a poem. Her song lyrics and poems are amazing and I do feel like she has had more influence on my work than any other writer, even though prior to reading this book I had only heard her recordings, rather than sitting down and reading her words. The book does include many of her songs, which I read an online review that said it was a disappointment to someone looking for new material to see most of the poems in this volume have been recorded in some fashion throughout the years. And yet there is so much power in these poems/ lyrics, so much depth that I appreciated reading them in a more reflective manner than simply listening to them. It's definitely a book I will be returning to again and again.
         

The Plague of Doves

I'm going to go with my instinct and recommend The Plague of Doves as it is an incredible novel and I think Louise Erdrich is under-read and under-appreciated. I've read a couple of her novels and every time I do I sigh with pleasure at her prose. I seem to find used copies of her novels which I always grab and buy, then let collect dust on my book shelf. I'm not sure why I always bypass reading her work when I'm on the prowl for a new novel. I picked up The Plague of Doves largely so I can continue to justify buying her novels when I come across them.

The book jacket praises The Plague of Doves as Erdrich's "best novel yet" and I haven't read enough of her work to concur, but it would be tough to top what she accomplishes here. (Though she has a new book that came out recently that is now, four years later, hailed as "the best novel she has ever written." It's on my list of books to read.) The novel opens with a cryptic violent scene involving a man shooting a gun and a sobbing baby then switches to the perspective of Evelina Harp, a young girl living many years after the murders occur, murders the reader does not know about yet. It is a complex novel with Erdrich skillfully weaving a murder mystery around a rich history of a small town and a few unforgettable characters. The stories of each character are compelling and the characters so rich.The book made me laugh and gave me chills. It challenged me as a reader and as a person, which I love in a novel. I'm left hungry for more of Erdrich's work.

The Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy

The current selection for my book club is Pietra Rivoli's The Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy: An Economist Examines the Markets, Power, and Politics of World Trade. Overall it is an interesting book, though I found large parts to be a bit dry. Rivoli traces the life of a t-shirt, from the cotton farms of Texas to the factories that make the shirts in China to after it is discarded by the American consumer and donated to Salvation Army, only to end up in Tanzania being sold in a market. The book focuses a lot on the policies and politics that drive the present system, which is something that didn't hold my interest. I probably would have appreciated a condensed version that did not go into so much detail about these aspects of the process, though the composite of information does make for an eye-opening look at all that goes into something simple as a cheap t-shirt, an item of clothing I had thought very little of before reading this book. Though I wouldn't recommend this book to everyone, I do think it would be a valuable resource for anyone interested in globalization.

This Is How You Lose Her

I couldn't wait for Junot Diaz's new short story collection, This Is How You Lose Her, to come out. I kept hearing so much about it, about him, and the excitement built and built until I didn't think I could stand it. I only had to wait a week to get it from the library, but my impatience made it seem much, much longer.

The funny thing was once I started reading, I couldn't remember why I was salivating over it so much. I adored Diaz's novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, but had lukewarm feelings about his first short story collection, Drown. I enjoy Diaz's writing and the honesty that accompanies his prose, but sometimes I find the way his characters talk and/or think about women to be very unpalatable, particularly regarding the character of Yunior, who reappears again and again in Diaz's work. My favorite story in this collection is The Cheater's Guide to Love and I liked its (also the book's) final line, a bittersweet ending.

After I set down the book and had time to reconcile my feelings, I realize that my literary side loved it while my feminist side hated it. In the end my opposing feelings toward it balance one another out and I have rather neutral feelings about This is How You Lose Her. It definitely has both virtues and shortcomings, which makes it a delightfully flawed, accessible read.

Revolutionary Road

I kept reading about what an amazing book Revolutionary Road was until I decided that I needed to read it. I was not disappointed (with the book, that is; I must admit being sad to reach the last page.) I loved the the characters, the story, the feel of the novel, and the prose style of author Richard Yates.

The story focuses on the Wheelers, a young suburban couple in the 1950's. The novel opens with the end of a community theater production, one in which April Wheeler starred in, one that was a flop. April and her husband Frank get into an argument after the play and that night changes things for the couple. They both grapple with the state of their marriage, their lives, and what brought them to this point. April soon comes up with a plan to change everything and that is the novel's turning point and what steers the plot to its heartbreaking conclusion.

I saw there was a movie made a couple years ago based on the novel, but I'm afraid it will taint my memory of this book. I did see the preview and wasn't impressed, so I can't say whether the movie does a good job representing the novel. But the prose is so great--seems so effortlessly simple and clear--that those who saw the film may want to also check out the book. Though I read that nothing else Richard Yates wrote was so well received as Revolutionary Road, I am interested in reading some of his other work as I so thoroughly enjoyed this novel.

Breasts: a natural and unnatural history

I feel like I should have an excuse, some kind of justification for picking up Breasts: a natural and unnatural history, but in truth it just looked interesting. One of the comments on the back cover states: "Be brave, buy this book, and withstand the giggles and snickers of your friends..." I saw that and checked the book out and was glad I did. Author Florence Williams rhapsodizes about our culture's obsession with (big) breasts, the history of breast augmentation, and then tackles a lot about plastics and environmental toxins that are ending up in breast milk and contributing to high rates of breast cancer. As a former La Leche League leader, I found the information about the toxicity of breast milk disturbing. As a woman, mother, and citizen, I was angry to read about all the mounting evidence that plastics and other environmental toxins are responsible for high breast cancer rates when these chemicals run so freely through our homes, lawns, and waterways. There was a lot of interesting information as well, the story of the first breast implant (the woman consented to the experimental procedure in exchange for cosmetic surgery on her ears), information about hormones and a brief history of birth control, and studies about how men respond to breasts (ok, so that wasn't too surprising). The book is labeled 'science' and at times felt too dry with too much scientific jargon for my liking, but overall it's an interesting book.

NW

How to convey how excited I was about getting Zadie Smith's new novel? Let me put it this way, Zadie Smith is one of my all time favorite writers, whose last book is one of my favorite books ever (On Beauty) and I've literally waited for the last seven years for her next novel. And here it is--NW. 

NW is the story of four characters who grow up on the same street, but whose lives take them in very different directions. The novel is broken into sections and each has a distinct style that echos the (psychological) place each character is coming from. NW is not a plot-driven story, but an incredible novel about the confusion these characters face. Zadie Smith said in an interview on the Diane Rehm show that when she began writing this novel, she thought about it as a "black Existentialist" novel. 

I love the way Zadie Smith tackles race in her novels. She said in a different interview with NPR about how she only points out a person's race if they are white, flipping the custom of white writers to point out the race of their black characters: "Everybody's neutral unless they're black — then you hear about it: the black man, the black woman, the black person. Of course, if you happen to be black the world doesn't look that way to you. I just wanted to try and create perhaps a sense of alienation and otherness in this person, the white reader, to remind them that they are not neutral to other people." 

One review said that the novel was wonderful and brilliant but that the reviewer hated the ending. I disagree. I loved this book--including the ending--and had the rare experience of finishing the book and wanting to immediately start reading it again. I've heard people say books have made them want to do so and have never really felt that before, but this book made me want to go back inside it. I'm looking forward to rereading it again. Zadie did not disappoint. 

Grapes of Wrath

I continue to be hungry for well written novels and my appetite led me to try John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, which I had never read. It had been recommended to me in the past, but I brushed off the recommendation because the book seemed too heavy. And yes, it is surely not a light book, but is a very worthwhile read about the struggles of the Joad family who are forced to leave their home in Oklahoma because of the Dust Storm. They head off to California, a land that seems full of promise and job opportunities, hoping the migration will solve their troubles. Of course we know things are never so simple, that desperation does not bring prosperity.

You come to really feel for the characters. (I especially worried about Rose of Sharon.) And the prose gives you character description like a whisper, asking the reader to draw her own conclusions, which a lot of contemporary writing has stopped doing. I love how Steinbeck is a master at exhibiting restraint, something I have been trying to learn in my own writing. Overall, The Grapes of Wrath is a beautiful novel, one I am glad I finally got around to reading.

Several short sentences about writing

I picked up Verlyn Klinkenborg's Several short sentences about writing because of the title. It's a tiny accessible book and flipping through the pages, I saw it was perfect for dipping into. Klinkenborg gives writers short pieces of advice about how to write with more clarity and dispels writing myths. The last part of the book critiques writing samples--both poor and exemplary examples. There is not a lot to say about this book besides I enjoyed it and found it insightful, though most of the advice I'd read before. Some things are good to read over and over though and others brought much needed inspiration. My favorite was a list of possible requirements writers imagine for themselves (including laptop, tea, etc.) and then he writes, "Sooner or later the need for any one of these will prevent you from writing." It was exactly what I needed to hear right then.

Nonviolent Communication

A couple months ago I took a leadership role in an organization I am part of and one of the first things I did was pick up Marshall B. Rosenberg's book Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life. I've read it several times, but it's the kind of book you need to read continuously if you want it to sink in. This time around I tried to read a chapter and wait a couple weeks before continuing to the next to give myself the chance to absorb and practice it.

The book outlines how to speak compassionately without judgment and to listen with empathy. In other words it's full of lessons we all need. There are a couple things in the book that sound a little cheesy and a times reading some of the conversation role-plays the participants seem to resemble robots, but overall the book is extremely worthwhile and helpful. Having recently finished it, the principles are fresh in my mind and I'm trying to mindful of how I communicate. I hope these ideas stick with me, at least for a while, but I'm sure I'll have to read it again as a reminder.

All The Pretty Horses

I've been hungry for substantial novels, ones that require more brain power than the typical bestseller. The desire may have begun after the weather began to cool. (Though of course it's since kicked back to disgustingly hot temperatures, but before that we had a couple sweatshirt mornings--the kind that go well with a cup of tea and a literary novel.) I've wanted to read Cormac McCarthy's All The Pretty Horses for a long time and when I was reading A Hologram For The King I was struck with the desire to actually pick it up. I'm glad I did as I really enjoyed the book.

I wasn't sure what to expect as the description on the back of the book was rather vague. I suppose that's because the descriptions of literary novels tend to be harder to pin down than a plot driven novel. So I'll echo the vagueness in my recap--All the Pretty Horses is the tale of two young Texas ranchers John Grady Cole and Lacey Rawlins who run away on their horses and head to Mexico. Their adventure is full of danger and (in the case of John Grady) love. The book is brimming with testosterone, as is everything I've read by McCarthy. It is easy to see why his biggest fans tend to be men. Of course this doesn't prevent women from finding merit in his work too, as I certainly did enjoy the book. But will I be rereading it? Not likely.

Farther Away

I love reading books of essays by writers whom I admire and when I saw that Jonathan Franzen had a new essay collection out, I immediately placed a hold on the book. Farther Away is an interesting collection of essays, reviews, and speeches that span personal, literary, and environmental topics. The first essay, "Pain Won't Kill You" is a commencement address he gave in which he argues the necessity of making oneself vulnerable by opening one's heart, even if it'll cause one pain. I absolutely loved this essay as it began with rants about the narcissistic tendencies of technology, particularly the use of texting and Facebook. It was definitely one of my favorite essays in the book and had great lines like, "To friend a person is merely to include the person in our private hall of flattering mirrors."

He writes about his close friendship with the late writer David Foster Wallace and about how Wallace's suicide effected Franzen. He spoke about his passion for birds and trips to China and the Mediterranean that caused him to reflect on environmental devastations. He discusses books he loves, ones I hadn't heard of but now wish to read (The Man Who Loved Children and Desperate Characters). In "Comma-Then" he complains about the misuse of the word 'then' particularly when used after a comma and in "I Just Called To Say I Love You" he discusses his discomfort with the incessant pronouncements of love over cell phones. This essay delves into 9/11 and the increased usage of the phrase after the tragedy as well as his mother's comfort with uttering the words, but how his father never did. Perhaps my favorite essay was "On Autobiographical Fiction" which tackles the questions Franzen hates to be asked about his novels and reflects on how he became the person he needed to be to write The Corrections. I loved his idea that a writer needs to write the best book he or she possibly can and then to write a second, must become another person entirely so once again can write the best book possible. Though I wasn't crazy about all the essays, overall I really enjoyed this collection and would like to reread some of them again in the future.

Wild

A while back I talked about all the great book recommendations that my brother's girlfriend gave me and I've finally finished a second on the list: Cheryl Strayed's memoir Wild: from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail. I hadn't heard of the book, but apparently it is quite popular as I waited two months for it after placing a hold on it. (It is an Oprah Book Club book, so that may have something to do with the wait.)

The book is about the author's solo journey across the Pacific Crest Trail, a hiking trail that runs from the Mexican border to the Canadian border and is quite difficult. There are trail books hikers sign along the way and Cheryl quickly notices people make the journey in pairs or groups, not alone, surely no women had signed in alone. And yet she continues as it gets increasingly difficult.

Of course the magic of the book is not just about the physical struggle of the trip, but the emotional battleground that she faces. Her mother has died, her marriage has ended, and she is lost. But by facing the challenges of the mighty trail alone, she is able to come to peace with the painful events of her life. It is a beautiful book (which I've heard is being made into a movie) and a worthwhile read.

A Hologram for the King

I heard a short interview with Dave Eggers on NPR a month ago and put his new novel A Hologram for the King on hold. I was intrigued because he talked about the novel dealing with Schwinn bicycles and how the move to produce parts and labors in China is what killed the company. The Schwinn storyline was minor, simply back story to why this man was where he was. The reader meets businessman Alan when he is in Saudi Arabia, trying to sell a hologram to the king. A lot is riding on this sale, including his home, which is facing foreclosure, and his daughter's college tuition. But the story is about more than just this sale as the trip allows Alan to reflect on his life. It's one of those character-driven literary novels that's thin on plot, the kind I love, but that I realize doesn't have wide appeal. For this reason I can't recommend it, but I did enjoy the quietness of the prose and storyline. I cared about Alan's plight and loved the overarching theme of globalization.

Fifty Shades of Grey

I'm not even sure how to begin this post, the one where I explain my thoughts on a wildly popular erotic novel... Well, perhaps first I should explain why I picked it up: I've heard so much buzz about Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James that I was beyond curious. I put the book on hold back in May but there were so many requests for the novel that I waited over two months, so I pressed on when I began reading and was turned off by the writing and the slow beginning. (One of the things I read about the book [from someone who put it down] was that it should have been called "Fifty Shades of Boring" and I had to agree.) The book is not immediately compelling, but once I continued--largely out of intrigue as to what was behind the hype--I got hooked.

I've come to understand that when a book is wildly popular and generates so much attention, it has some redeeming quality, even if it also has major shortcomings. I read something that said that this is your run-of-the-mill mature romance novel, but I have so much ignorance in the genre that I don't have anything to compare it to but I'll admit I enjoyed getting lost in the drama of 'will she win his heart?' (not to mention the heart pounding sex scenes).

It's funny because I kept thinking "She totally went off the Twilight series for her inspiration" and had a list of similarities, then I read I was mostly right about this as it all started as fan fiction featuring Bella and Edward. (She did a poor job of trying to create new characters, in my opinion. They are thinly veiled versions of Bella and Edward.) 

I'm hungry for the next installment, to see what happens with Ana and Christian, but am taking a break for now. I feel the need to read at least a couple quality novels for the sake of balance before even putting the next book on hold. Eventually though, I'll read the whole series.

Food Fight

I was waiting in line at the library and zoned out at their display of new books when one cover jumped out at me--Daniel Imhoff's Food Fight: The Citizen's Guide to the Next Food and Farm Bill. As I began reading the book, I thought about putting it down simply because it didn't feel like any new information for me, but I was glad I continued to read it as I did learn a lot. Imhoff goes through the history of the Farm Bill as well as the history of food stamps. He looks at issues such as factory farming, soil conservation, hunger in relation to the Farm Bill, ethanol subsidies, the USDA recommendations (vs the foods that are subsidized), and more. Overall it was a lot of information I knew from several different sources, but I enjoyed reading it compiled into one book which included a lot of great graphs to show startling realities like the decline of small farmers or the rise in obesity. I also loved how the back had an activist tool kit with resources for organizing to advocate for real change in the next Food and Farm Bill. It's a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the problems with our food and farming system that result from this bill that is revised every 5-7 years. It's certainly a very important issue that effects our health and the environment and the book inspired me to get active before Congress passes the next bill.

Story Engineering

I'm working on a novel right now and found myself at a place where I felt stuck. I went to the library and came home armed with books on writing, but the first I picked up--one which was immensely helpful--was Story Engineering: Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Successful Writing by Larry Brooks.

As someone who writes organically and appreciates the virtues of beautiful prose, I'll admit this book was frustrating to read at times as Brooks advocates for writers to outline and he places higher value on plot than prose. He also gives many examples throughout the book, but tends to use the high drama plots of blockbuster thrillers when I was hungry to hear how that would translate more subtly in a literary novel. Because the thing he did express was that even character driven novels (which I love to both read and write) still need to be engineered, which I did not truly believe until after reading this book. I did walk away from this book loaded with great information about how better to construct a plot and tell a story, so I would recommend it to anyone looking to write novels or screenplays.

The Night Circus

I was in search for a good compelling story that was well written and did a Google search to help find something. On a list of well loved contemporary novels was Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, so I decided to check it out. It is a book about a magical circus and a competition that two circus masters arrange. The arrangement is bound and the stakes are high--Celia is the daughter of one of the circus masters. The other finds a boy named Marco and later on the two fall desperately in love, only to find what the competition actually entails.

I had Francine Prose's Reading Like a Writer fresh in my mind, so I found myself criticizing much of the writing. I felt like Morgenstern spent more time describing this circus and its circumstances than digging deep into character development, which is a big thing for me and determines how I'll receive a novel. The plot was indeed compelling, but I thought a lot of times the language and huge amounts of description got in the way. I also didn't like how much Morgenstern relied on the short choppy paragraph technique. But again, I read it with a critical eye.

I hesitate to share my hang-ups with the novel, simply because I know I came to it after reading a book on how to read critically. From what I read prior to picking up the novel was that this novel is enormously popular and well liked, so I hate to have my negativity stand in the way of someone picking up a book she/he might love. That said, I wasn't terribly fond of the book. (Yet did finish it, which says something, right?)

Reading Like a Writer

I stumbled upon Francine Prose's Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and For Those Who Want to Write Them, a book that I'm very glad I found. Obviously I swallow books whole, devouring them with a hunger to meet new characters, new ideas, to learn new things. I read the way I do because I want to learn everything I can about plot and structure so that I can someday craft a novel that can have an impact on someone the way that so many novels have touched me, changed me. But do I read them slow and careful? No, not usually. Yet reading slowly is exactly what Francine Prose prescribes for writers to do. 

I am not a fast reader. I know from the sheer volume of books I read, some might have that impression, but it's not true. It's simply that I have such an addiction to the written word that it is almost a sickness--I read anywhere from 3-7 books at any given time and spread the books throughout my house, taking drinks from one book in the morning and another while I brush my teeth. When my grandmother was suffering from Alzheimer's, I remember someone saying how far her mind had gone because she started keeping books in different rooms and moving from one room to the next to read a page here, then to the next room for a chapter from this other book. I never thought that sounded like a mind deteriorating, but rather an inspiration, almost a sign of heightened intelligence and several years later found myself doing the same thing.

The virtue of a slow, careful read was a nice reminder to me. There are books that are faster to read than others; some books force the reader to slow down and take it all in. And Prose reminded me of the necessity of a writer reading more of the latter books, which I often tend to take in only sparingly. The book also talked about different aspects of novels--characters, plot, structure, voice--and gave examples that highlighted each. I walked away from this book feeling like I had become both a better writer and reader and highly recommend it to anyone who loves to do either.

Who Walks Among the Trees With Charity

Last month I had the honor of being invited to read my work with other local women writers at a literary event. It was a group of tremendously talented women, including the poet Christine Swanberg. She had her books available for purchase, but I wasn't in the position to buy anything that day. She read a poem from her 2005 book, Who Walks Among the Trees With Charity, called "Summer Solstice." I loved the poem (along with everything she read) and wanted to read one of her books, so I checked the library and found Who Walks Among the Trees With Charity. I haven't read a collection of poems in quite a while, perhaps an embarrassingly long time for a writer. I forgot how nice it is to dip into poems, to not rip through a book but to nibble on a bit and wait, to let it digest and get under your skin. And Swanberg has huge talent. Her poems are largely narrative, which I love and find much more accessible. She skillfully twists and weaves words and metaphors in a way that I felt helped me with my writing. A while back, I wrote about Julia Alvarez's book Something to Declare, in which she talks about how she'll read poetry prior to writing prose. I thought it sounded interesting, but I often tell myself that I don't really care for poetry. Christine Swanberg reminded me that my assertion is false and showed me the virtue of a well-written poem.

The Newlyweds

A couple months ago I read Nell Freudenberger's novel The Dissident and enjoyed it, so was eager to read her new novel, The Newlyweds. It is a delightful novel about Amina, a young woman from Bangladesh, who meets George (an American) on the Internet and the two get married. The couple must overcome secrets, cultural barriers, and a bad economy. There's not much more to say about the book's plot, without going into details that would be best unwoven by the reader.

The story is told from Amina's perspective and she is such a rich character. You really get into her world and feel for her, almost to the point that she doesn't seem like a fictional character anymore, but a friend. I could have read this book much faster than I did, but found myself wanting to stay in it so I dragged it out as long as I could. (I love books that make me feel this way; they're so rare.) It is incredible to me to see the growth of Freudenberger as a writer from her first novel to this second one. The Dissident was good, but The Newlyweds was stunning and beautiful, a book I'll likely be rereading eventually.

Crank

In my search for looking for good YA novels for Alan's classroom next year, I found a list of books that are popular with seventh and eighth graders. One of the titles was Ellen Hopkins' Crank. I glanced at what it was about--a teen girl on crystal meth. I wasn't sure if the novel would be something that would work for his classroom, but I know that Alan is interested in hearing stories about struggles with addiction, so I placed the book on hold. When it came in, I saw that the book was written entirely in a series of poems, which made me more interested in reading the book myself (though it seemed less appealing to Alan).

It was a quick read and an interesting format. I've seen other novels written with poetry rather than prose and I do enjoy the reading experience, though it can also leave something to be desired--particularly in terms of character development. Some of the things that happen in this book can seem hard to believe simply because you don't know the characters well enough to know if they would actually do these things. Overall I did enjoy the book and found it interesting that it is the first in a trilogy. I plan on eventually picking up the sequel, but am not rushing out to read it.