Review: The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan

The Comfort of Strangers traces the experiences of a couple on vacation in an unnamed city (likely Venice). But this holiday is not just any vacation; the two, Colin and Maria, meet a man who promises them good food and fun at a small restaurant in town. But, as the novel progresses, you find that this is not just any man, and this is not just any holiday for Colin and Maria.

I have to admit: I found this novel to be quite the head-trip. It was a psychological novel, exploring themes of violence and violent relationships and what such experiences can do to the psyche of an otherwise-normal person. It made for a dark and foreboding novel. I've found that McEwan's novels are often intended to make the reader consider and reconsider how they understand the world around him/her. But this is no plot twist at the end of an otherwise beautiful and moving novel. The Comfort of Strangers, in other words, is by no means Atonement. In this novel (if you can imagine) is even darker, exploring what violence and masogynism can do to people in a relationship.

I don't know if I can describe this novel any other way. As usual, McEwan does a fantastic job of characterization--his "good" guys are clearly good...flawed but noble...and his "bad" guys are dark and sinister. But the characters don't seem all that important in the novel. Instead, McEwan messes with the readers' brains at the same time as he messes with the brains of his main characters. It makes the book one that I don't know if I can recommend to anyone. It took me a good long time to get the themes of the novel out of my head...but I really, really wanted to stop tripping over this novel.

My rating: 7.9/10

Other Reviews:
Farm Lane Books
Citizen Reader
Books for Breakfast
*If I don't list your review, let me know, and I'll add your review to the list!*

Up next: How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster

Review: Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

In this novel Adichie follows the lives of Biafran people in the late 1960s, as they attempt to declare their independence from greater Nigeria and form a country of their own. She traces the lives of "real people" from all different levels of life: middle class, servants, government leadership, etc. Also, by incorporating the relationships of her main characters with people on the "other side" of the war, we see people on both sides of the fighting as they deal with the horrors of war and the losses associated with it.

I really enjoyed this novel. I think I learned a lot about a topic that I didn't see a lot in my history classes in college. In the late 1960s, the Igbo-led Biafra (in southern modern Nigeria) declared independence from the mostly Muslim Hausa-led north. The civil war leads to the separation of once-strong friendships and threatens the way of life of the intellectual middle class in Biafra. Adichie traces how the war changes people's lives. The characters are believable; each has personal flaws but enough humanity for me to absolutely fall in love with them. I cared what happened to the main characters...and the minor characters, which I think is a huge success for Adichie. I cared about the Igbo people, and I wanted them to win.

In addition to the characters, I think that the author did a fantastic job describing the horrors of war, not just the fighting, but the "collateral" damages caused by civil war: hunger, starvation, suspicion of neighbors. Adichie tackles the issues associated with the "saboteurs," or the other minority non-Igbo people in the south, who were often accused of helping the enemy. She also describes other "side-effects" of war: rape, theft, disease. But she does this in a way that allows the reader to understand some of these terrible actions in the context of war. The reader can criticize the action and the war without necessarily finding people (namely Ugwu) personally culpable for these issues.

There were some issues with the novel. In the beginning, Adichie switched back in forth in time unnecessarily. While it formed some mysteries that kept me reading, I think the novel in chronological order would have provided the same readability without creating confusion with the time lapses.

Still, in general, I think this is a fantastic novel. I would recommend it to anyone! It's also advanced my relative obsession with reading about Latin America and Africa recently. There's just something about the voice of the authors, and the heartbreaking stories they often tell that keeps me reading novels like these over and over.

My rating: 9.4/10

Source: Borrowed from my step-sister

Other reviews:
A Guy's Moleskine Notebook
Kiss A Cloud
Farm Lane Books Blog
Ramya's Bookshelf...

Up next: Whatever I decide to download with my new Kindle!!!!!!!

Review: The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

The Tipping Point is a book mixing together sociology, psychology, marketing, education, etc., etc. to create a thesis: small things really do make all of the difference. He uses just about every example possible to support his ideas, including Paul Revere's ride, Blues Clues, and the New York crime wave. Quite simply, ideas, trends, and social movements do not become popular because of their own merits; rather, they catch on because a few very important people (whom Gladwell calls connectors, mavens, and salesmen) are drawn to the idea and spread it.

I think that Gladwell does a very good job explaining his ideas, and the sheer breadth of the examples and case studies allows nearly every reader to find something that they can understand/connect with in the book. For history nuts (like me!), there's Paul Revere's ride; for amateur sociologists, there's an examination of the New York crime rate drop-off; for parents, there's Blues Clues and Sesame Street. This, however, does bring up one fundamental flaw in the book; the thesis is argued through case study. Although Gladwell alludes to patterns to look for in examples not included in the book, they're not set out in a way that can be experimented. This lack of "academic" arguments does, however, make the book much more accessible for the non-academic.

All in all, I think this is an excellent book to make you think and reconsider what you currently think to be true about popular ideas; it's not the merit, it's the people involved in spreading the word about the idea and their skills in harnessing the power of communication. It raises some important questions: do we elect presidents because of our personal support of their policies, or is it because we managed to meet and talk to someone particularly effective at spreading the word about said candidate? Can we encourage children to go to school and study hard simply because of the possible rewards of doing such a thing, or would we be fighting a losing battle against a charismatic classmate that argues for the fun that comes with skipping school? Can we fight childhood obesity by using celebrity spokespeople and warning about the health risks, or do we need to search for a particular person particularly good at persuading children that exercising is "cool"? Even if you're not a "non-fiction reader," I would suggest this book. It's accessible, and the ideas are really worth reading about.

My rating: 9.2/10

Other reviews:
Liv's Book Reviews
Dog Ear Diary
Book Addiction
A Reader's Journal

Up Next: Fury by Salman Rushdie

Review: Guernica by Dave Boling

From the Back of the Novel: In 1935, finding himself on the wrong side of the Spanish Nationalists, Miguel Navarro flees to Guernica, the most ancient town in the Basque region. In this idyllic, isolated bastion of democratic values, Miguel finds more than a new life--he finds someone to live for. Miren Ansotegui is a charismatic dancer from the town's most prominent family, and the two discover a powerful love.
But their affair is doomed to be painfully tested. On the eve of World War II, the German Luftwaffe bombs Guernica. It is a devastating experiment in total warfare and, for the Basques, an attack on the soul of their ancient nation. Seamlessly merging history and fiction, Guernica speaks to the resilience of family, love, and tradition in extraordinary circumstances.

I will admit, this is a book that will stay with me for a very, very long time. For anyone that knows the basics of the Spanish Civil War and the bombing of Guernica by the Germans as a show of support for Franco, this book is, understandably, not a happy one. What the Germans did to "test" their air force was horrific, and Boling does a fantastic job putting a human face on that tragedy. He really makes you fall in love with the characters, quirks and all, and makes you care about what happens to them. The novel acts as a fantastic introduction to the "opening acts" of World War II and the historic difficulties of the Basque people under oppressive regimes.

That being said, don't go into this one expecting an unbiased view of anything that's happening. The Basques are portrayed as vibrant, loving, intelligent...the stereotypical "good" guys of the novel. And every German or Spanish (read: fascists supporting the Franco-led rebellion against the Spanish republic) is portrayed as soulless, lazy, and, in several cases, socio-pathic. There's little attempt to understand them as people with their own families to protect. Still, I think it is rather appropriate in this novel--the descriptions of the German bombers as celebrating after the horrific decimation of the town of Guernica show just how disassociated from other people many fascists had become. They didn't think of Guernica as a town full of people with lives and families; instead, they were the enemy: a strategic target. In contrast, the British bomber portrayed reaches the understanding early in his military career that his bombing in Germany could result in the death of German women and children. I am not mentioning this in criticism; I'm just warning non-fiction readers that they shouldn't expect an unbiased view of the Spanish Civil War in this novel.

This is Boling's first novel, and, I must admit, I'm extremely impressed. I saw it on the bookshelves at Borders on the "If you like...then you might like..." displays, and I couldn't resist it, and it quickly ended up on the top of my TBR list. Boling's writing style reminds me a lot of Allende and some other Latin American and Spanish authors (but with a whole heck of a lot more of the realism and none of the supernatural). His descriptions are beautiful, and he successfully paints a picture of the horrifying event without being gory. Rather, he shows an amazing respect for all of the characters, even as they're facing their last moments or the ongoing need to deal with grief. Ultimately, the book has an excellent message and shows that even in the midst of overwhelming death and destruction, a community can rebound--even thrive.

My rating: 10/10

Other reviews:
caribousmom
Presenting Lenore
She Is Too Fond of Books

Up Next: The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

Quick Review: Eats, Shoots, and Leaves by Lynne Truss

I'm just going to give a quick review of Eats, Shoots, and Leaves since I'm on my way out for rockclimbing with the inlaws :)

Let me preface this review by saying that I am a stickler (except online) when it comes to punctuation. I figure that people who take the time to make signs to advertise their goods, should at least use proper punctuation...I will never buy banana's from a grocery store.

That being said, I think this book is extremely accessible. It's a bit caustic for those who just can't seem to grasp some of the rules she explains, but she at least summarizes basic punctuation rules by using extremely funny examples of terrible punctuation in print. She also has a lot to say about what the downfall of punctuation (see grocery store signs and text message speak) can mean for human understanding of language...something I think all book bloggers should be concerned about!

My rating: 9.7/10

Other reviews:
**Please let me know if you have a review of this book posted...I couldn't seem to find any in my cursory search of my Google Reader**

Up next: Guernica by Dave Bolling

Review: I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb

I Know This Much Is True is an extraordinary novel about identical twin boys, one ends up schizophrenic; the other ends up troubled and burdened by life's tragedies. Lamb describes the "normal" boy's attempts to take responsibility for his brother without ending up exactly like him.

Wally Lamb is a masterful story-teller. I really felt the characters, empathized with them, even though I have lived a quiet and sheltered life compared to the trials of nearly everyone involved in the story. I thought that the characters were believable; you don't necessarily support everything that they did, but you could at least understand where they were coming from. And each one tackles some very serious issues -- schizophrenia, SIDS, diabetes, child abuse, treatment of Native Americans, racism, etc. -- but they're still people, and I appreciate that Lamb recognizes this. People can't face such over-arching hardship and live without recognizing humor...and finding love. And that is ultimately what I think this book is about: the ability to find love even among overwhelming problems.

Still, this book is not without fault. Some episodes seem to be included only to prove characters' quirkiness. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I love character-development-driven novels, but sometimes I have trouble with novels that switch back and forth between character development and plot. It seemed like sometimes the plot got too rushed while character development was long and drawn-out and at other times, the plot took a while to develop and character development was fast and forced. It made it hard to maintain my bearings.

All of this, however, does not detract from my recommendation that anyone who hasn't read this yet (and I may be the only one). I truly loved this novel; it was worth all 900 pages.

My rating: 8.9/10

Other reviews:
Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'?
Caribousmom
Book Maven's Blog
Reading Matters
Everything Distils Into Reading
Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Up Next: Eats, Shoots, and Leaves by Lynne Truss

Happy Banned Books Week!!!

This week marks a very, very important week in a reader's life: Banned Books Week. I can't help but be grateful for the American Library Association's fight against people who desire to make their values force everyone else to change their behavior. I know my reading history would not be as rich and beautiful if the book-banners had won. I wouldn't have read Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God or Twain's Huck Finn.

I do remember in elementary school when some parents' complaints made the library set up a permission slip system in order for students to access the back office, which housed the Goosebumps series. I was never a huge fan...it was always a series that I read when I couldn't find anything else that I was much interested in reading, but even as a young 5th grader, I thought it seemed unfair. So many kids at that time only read Goosebumps, and there really wasn't anything all that scary or inappropriate about them. Looking back now, I think parents should have just been grateful for Goosebumps because it made their children meet their self-selected reading goals with less opposition and fighting :)

I just always thought that the arguments for banning books seemed completely ridiculous. The common citation of the "n" word as a reason to ban the book just doesn't make sense. These books, including the above-mentioned Huck Finn and Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, allow students to talk about and deal with the historical and contemporary issues surrounding race, that word itself, and what it means. I think it expands a student's understanding; it certainly doesn't make every student a racist. Funny thing is, most of the books that are banned that include the "n" word or the "f" word or many others, actually lead to students expanding their minds, opening them up to other cultures, etc (To Kill a Mockingbird, in particular, comes to mind here). Maybe that's what some parents are really afraid of: their children being challenged in school, leading to them moving away from their parents closed minds and being more accepting. And if parents really have moral issues with books in libraries or schools, maybe they should set up an alternative specifically for their children rather than force that moral issue on all students/library patrons.

What do you think? Am I too critical of book banners? How are you celebrating Banned Books Week?

Review: Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver

I really don't know how to describe this novel. It's definitely a little different than The Bean Trees in that it seems to focus more on political and social issues rather than just the characters, but I loved it all the same. I love books that make me really think, and because of the issues raised in the novel, I had to continually reevaluate my feelings about what was happening in the novel.

Basically, the novel picks up where The Bean Trees left off. Turtle remains with Taylor in Arizona, but as the two are on vacation, Turtle saves a man who had fallen into the Hoover Dam, landing the two on talk shows, including Oprah. The Oprah show catches the attention of a Cherokee lawyer Annawake who, because of her own emotional baggage, takes Turtle's adoption as a personal affront against the Cherokee tribe and attempts to invalidate the adoption based on Supreme Court rulings to bring Turtle back to the tribe. The novel traces the family wrangling and emotional issues surrounding how Taylor, Turtle, and Annawake deal with the issues raised.

I honestly was torn throughout the novel about how I wanted it to end. I absolutely loved Taylor's character in The Bean Trees and respected her decision to step up and care for Turtle when no one else would. And I thought that Annawake, at times, completely ignored the fact that the Cherokee "family" had its chance to care for Turtle and blew it. At the same time, the history of the U.S. government's relationship with the Cherokee nation (and other Native American tribes for that matter) has been terrible, and the tribe had a right to prevent their children from being taken away. I won't tell you how the book ended, but I thought it seemed to be a bit of a cop out, allowing Kingsolver to avoid taking a stand. Still, the characterization was great, and the story brought me to tears at times. Definitely not as good as The Bean Trees, but Pigs in Heaven is still a fantastic read, especially if you've already fallen in love with the characters in the first novel (which I totally suggest you read first).

My rating: 9.2/10

I couldn't seem to find any other reviews, but a lot of you have it on your TBR page; I highly suggest you read it :)
*Let me know if I missed your review and I'll add it*

Up next: I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb

The Age-Old Desert Island Question?

My favorite radio station XPN has been taking a survey of its listeners about the 10 songs you'd want to have with you on your low-capacity solar-powered Ipod. They'll compile it into an 885 Desert Island Songs list to coincide with their Fall fund drive. I totally forget which songs I submitted because I decided I couldn't over-think it and decided to just vote early on. Even if you're not from the Phili/Jersey/Central PA listening, you should totally check it out (Voting ends tomorrow 9/11, I believe). I'd also suggest checking into their Live Stream of the radio station so you can listen wherever! They play some fantastic new artists as well as some more national "Indie" bands. Regardless of what they're playing, they're non-commercial, meaning more listening time. Even during the fund drives, they limit fundraising to the amount of time usually taken up by commercials on "regular" radio stations. Just take all this rambling to be a whole-hearted suggestion that you check them out.

Still...it's got me to thinking. What happens if you apply this to books? Assuming the deserted island has tons of food, etc., and you'll be there for a good long time, which books would you want to have along? I decided to set some ground rules for my own list (you're free to make your own rules if you want to muse aloud about similar lists):
1. I have to have read it. Being stuck on a deserted island is not the time that I want to bring 10 unread books that turn out to be duds.
2. Series do not count as one book...if I wanted the whole Harry Potter series, I'd better set aside 7 books.

The list I decided on...and believe me, it's taken some agonizing:
1. The Giver by Lois Lowry
2. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
3. The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillippa Gregory
4. The World According to Garp by John Irving
5. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
6. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
7. Jazz by Toni Morrison
8. Rise to Rebellion by Jeff Shaara
9. The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor
10. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

I took it pretty seriously. I figured I should put together a pretty well-rounded list with lots of different kinds of books. I picked a lot of books that I've re-read or read once but think I'll be able to pick up on even more by another couple reads on the island's beach :) Also, I avoided non-fiction because I thought I may want a bit of an escape from my lonely life by connecting with characters (of course, McCourt is the exception, but how can you read that book and not connect to the characters to some extent?).

What do you think? Which 10 books would you want to have in your backpack on your deserted island?

Reminder: you should totally check out XPN's website. They're totally awesome

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

From the Back (because I can't summarize this book any better): "Clear-eyed and spirited, Taylor Greer grew up poor in rural Kentucky with the goals of avoiding pregnancy and getting away. But when she heads west with high hopes and a barely functional car, she meets the human condition head-on. By the time Taylor arrives in Tucson, Arizona, she has acquired a completely unexpected child, a three-year-old American Indian girl named Turtle, and must somehow come to terms with both motherhood and the necessity of putting down roots. Hers is a story about love and friendship, abandonment and belonging, and the discovery of surprising resources in apparently empty places."

I initially read this book junior year of high school for our yearly research paper. It was my first exercise in literary research, and I think it kept me from enjoying this book as thoroughly as I did during my re-read. I love Kingsolver's style: the way she has of discussing serious matters and saying something important without getting all high-and-mighty about it. The book grapples with some serious stuff--child abuse, the plight of illegal immigrants who come to the U.S. to escape persecution without the means of actually proving that persecution to U.S. immigration courts, economic disparity, friendship, love, the limits of parents' ability to protect their children, racism, etc., etc. Yet, the tone is regularly lighthearted and sweet. The only real villain is "the way things are," which, in this story, is of course frustrating. All the characters in the novel are so sweet and disarming and quirky that you have to cheer for them, especially when they're lost and making bad decisions. And the book is uplifting; without spoiling it, the ending has an excellent message and leaves you thinking, but not sobbing.

I don't think I can quite put how excellent this book is into words. It's even better the second time through (probably helped along by a bit of "life experience").

My rating: 10/10

Other reviews:
A Lifetime of Books
The Written World
**If I've missed your review, let me know via comments, and I'll add your link**

Up next: the sequel Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

I really, really wanted to love this book, but I found myself just, well, liking it. It was an excellent story, fantastically well-written, and had some excellent characters. And, believe me, between starting a job and working hard to make sure I spend time with my husband relaxing when I'm home, I really appreciated the shortness of the novel. Still, I couldn't fall in love with this book, possibly due to the fact that I had to read it in small sections during breaks/lunch/downtime at home. I definitely think I may re-read this one in the future when I'm not so busy, and I'm sure that I'll enjoy it much more that way.

The novel traces the story of four Chinese immigrant women and their U.S.-citizen daughters as they work to develop a relationship with the world and with U.S. culture, working against stereotyping in their new home and harsh memories from their old one. Each woman has their own experiences that shape the interactions between the generations. Tan does a fantastic job describing the communication gap between the younger generation and the older based upon changing ideas of social expectations, and I really enjoyed reading about the experiences of different women and comparing them to my own relationship with my mother and other inter-generational relationships I've watched in others.

The writing is simple, which allowed me to focus on the story itself rather than any sort of struggle with the structure of the novel.

I really hope that you look at these other reviews to see what others thought about it!

My rating: 8.5/10

Other reviews:
A Guy's Moleskine Notebook
Book Addiction
Ramya's Bookshelf
(If you've reviewed The Joy Luck Club and I missed you, let me know, and I'll add your review to the links!)

Up next: Maybe some non-fiction or re-reading Kingsolver's The Bean Trees so I can read its sequel Pigs In Heaven. I'll figure it out sometime this evening.

Reading Hiatus?

I just wanted to stop in and explain my lack of posting over the last week or so. I started a new job, and my life is slowly adjusting to the incorporation of 8 hours of non-reading time into my days! It also doesn't help that this past week was chock full of family birthdays and other obligations that kept me from my reading. I think once my schedule gets more routine for me, I'll get back to reading often. I'm already reading during my lunch breaks!

I'm about 1/4 of the way through Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club, and since I'm reading it in chunks spread relatively far apart, I admit I'm having problems getting into it/keeping track of the characters' roles, but I'm still generally enjoying it. Now just to find time to read...

Review: His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman

I finally finished reading this book, and it's one of those that I was cursing my reading limitations. I couldn't explain how much I couldn't wait for this trilogy to end--in a completely good way. The novels trace the adventures of Lyra and Will, two very special children for reasons you need to read to find out, as they work within their universe of multiple worlds to fulfill their destinies.

I absolutely fell in love with Lyra and all of the other characters (at least the ones you're supposed to fall in love with) and was rooting for them the whole way, hoping that they'd make the right decisions to help their world to reverse the various troubles caused by various government and religious authorities. That being said, as was highly publicized when the movie came out, these novels are really critical of organized religion (particularly the Catholic Church as you'll see if/when you read the trilogy) and seems to support science and personal accountability more than religious tenets, and, I'll admit, Pullman does sometimes beat you over the head with it. Still, I personally think it's possible to really enjoy this book even if you don't agree with Pullman's religious and political tenets. I also think Pullman did a really fantastic job only allowing the reader to know certain things about characters until it's really the right time for the reader to know it. Sometimes, he foreshadows and tells the story from multiple perspectives (so the reader knows a bit more than the characters about how other worlds/characters are behaving) but allows the reader to question his/her own understanding of the characters and what their role is in the story, whether good or bad.

Although His Dark Materials was technically listed as "Young Adult" at Borders, I really think that other audiences would really enjoy the trilogy. The plot moves quickly, reminding me slightly of Harry Potter (however, unlike Harry [with maybe the exception of Book 6], each individual novel in the trilogy do not stand alone and do not have their own, nicely-tied-together endings [translation: do not expect to be able to read one novel without reading them all at once]) and sucked me into the story right away. I also loved the opportunity to be able to experience "another world" much like mine but completely different in many ways. The novels also provide the ability to really consider whether the basic philosophy contained in this "fantasy" novel could actually be not so "fantastic." I really don't think I'm doing these novels justice, so please please please look at some of these other reviews to find out just how much you should read this book. :)

My rating: 9.9/10

Other reviews:
Bending Bookshelf (here and here)
Book Addiction
Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'?
Just One More Page
Books for Breakfast Drinks for Dinner
*If I missed your review (or mis-linked it), please let me know and I'll add/fix it!

Internetless!

This post will be acting as my apology for using the "Mark all as read" button on my Google Reader for the last few days. Our modem died, and with job stuff and buying a new car (!), we just got around to fixing it last night. Unfortunately, what's left of this week does not contain enough time (so busy!!!) to read through all the missed posts. But I promise, I missed you guys!

I Made a Killing!

I stumbled upon a used book sale benefiting the local historical society, and I could only think one thing: Books! For a good cause! (also known as two things, but you catch my drift). So I headed to one of the cooler places in town, the Agriculture and Industrial Museum (I'm a history major; I'm supposed to think museums are cool!) and bought an ungodly number of books for $4.50...I'm serious, 10 books for $4.50. I probably could have gotten even more to shove into the $1.00 bag, but I was meeting the hubby for lunch and barely made it there on time as it was. They had a really nice set-up of about 7-8 tables containing $1.00 bag (a whole shopping bag...I'm serious!) and tables and tables inside of $0.50 paperbacks and $1.00 hardbacks. I tried to limit myself to stuff that I (a) couldn't get at the local library/was regularly on hold at the local library (b) cost more than $0.50 to buy for a Kindle (which I'm getting for my birthday/Christmas from my dad!) and (c) was highly recommended by someone/read on another's blog/actually on my book wish list/on one of my reading lists. And here's the fruits of my labor:

The books in all their glory (surrounded by way too many other books
--which I will share later)

Just in case some of the titles are unclear, here's the list and my justification for purchase:
1. I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb -- from the list of the Best Beach Books Ever, and was also highly recommended by several bloggers and friends. $0.50

2. Pigs In Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver -- I wrote a term paper on The Bean Trees junior year of high school and loved the book (at least, until I started researching it in our measly little high school library; total pain!) and this one is the follow-up to it. I'll probably have to re-read The Bean Trees before reading this one. $0.50

3. The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields -- on the Pulitzer list and 1,001 Books list. $0.50

4. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque -- on the 1,001 Books list and something I've been wanting to read since high school but never got around to buying it/picking it up at the library. $0.50

5. King Jesus by Robert Craves -- I honestly thought this was another book on my wish list, but since I can't return it, I'm gonna read it. Plus, it says controversial in the reviews, and I tend to like those. $0.50

6. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells -- My grandma has been encouraging me to read this (she really liked both the book and the movie), and with the price, I willingly gave in. Also on the Best Beach Books Ever list. $1 bag

7. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan -- This one is on a few of my reading lists (can't remember which) and was recommended by my mother-in-law (along with The Kitchen-God's Wife). Also, not available on Kindle at all. $1 bag

8. The Magus by John Fowles -- One I haven't been able to find at my library/bookstore/Kindle. On 1,001 Books list. $1 bag

9. The Green Mile by Stephen King -- I've been wanting to read this since I saw the movie...a while ago. $0.50

10. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown -- I've been promising my good little historian self that I'd never read this book...but it showed up on the Best Beach Books Ever list, and I rationalized that since it was used, I won't be adding too much to the franchise (indeed, I'm still bitter about Brown casting this book off as "good" history early on in its publishing...). Plus, I'll donate it back next year. $0.50

Now, I just have to finish His Dark Materials and figure out which one to read next (completely ignoring those super-full bookshelves with tons of unread books on them).

Linking to Other Reviews

As a new book blogger, sometimes I'm a little unsure of the "community" aspects of book blogging. It seems that others link to other reviews for their readers to compare, see other viewpoints, etc. How does one do that? I found the Google book blog search engine, which seems to be an excellent resource for getting these links. I've also requested on the main page of the search that my blog be included. Still, it seems like for some of the classics/older/really popular novels, there are just so many potential links to include in every post. How do you decide which ones to include, which ones not to (my Google Reader is not quite up to snuff so I don't think that would be a natural way to limit links right now)?

So, I'm hoping to get some feedback about this, since others seem much more informed about this stuff than I am. :) I added a link in my Zorro post, but I'm not even sure if I should have asked permission, etc. before adding even that. I'm currently slugging through a large (almost 1,000 pages!) book, so I'll have some time to get some feedback before I need to post another review. Let me know what y'all think, and I'll figure out some way to spread some love and provide other opinions about the books I read.

Rating System

I'm doing my best to try and make my rating system as simple, but specific as possible. I found that I was being really limited by the 1-5 star rating system that I had been using. I thought it took far too much for me to call a book "perfect" with a full 5/5 stars, but giving it a 4/5 would be too much like only giving it 80% credit when it probably deserved more than that.

So I'm moving towards a 10 point system, leaving myself room to use decimals as I see fit. I went back and re-labelled my other reviews with the new rating system, and I'll try this out for a while. Hopefully, I'm more satisfied with the flexibility, and I'm able to be more informative with a final rating.

Let me know what you think!

Zorro by Isabel Allende

Unlike other "Zorro-themed" books that focus on the legend's adult years; Allende, encouraged by the owners of the Zorro franchise, instead sought to explain the character's younger years as he grew up in Alta California, then a Spanish colony, and was educated in Spain. It is the story of how he created his identity.

In true Allende form, the novel weaves together realistic fiction and a sort of magical/spiritual undertone with both elements being necessary to push the plot along. You do have to suspend disbelief a bit in her novels; oftentimes fate, Indian ideas of magic and communication, and other elements often seem to be sort of foreign to the typical American reader. Still, I think it is wonderful, particularly for her novels, often set in South America or the western U.S., because it seems to better capture the indigenous Indian beliefs of both areas. I really respect Allende simply because she doesn't completely disregard these beliefs.

Also, I think that Allende successfully tackles a lot of the issues of Spanish colonization in Alta California; she deals with the harsh treatment of the Native Americans and the villainous character of the wealthy Spaniard who comes to Alta California as a means to increase his own wealth by enslaving the native populations. The time this is set was not a pleasant time; Napoleon is interfering in Spanish politics, and after the return of the Spanish monarchy, the Inquisition returns as a means of stomping out the liberal ideas that the French introduced into mainland Europe. Very few things are black-and-white in this time period. Neither side of any struggle is perfect, and I think Allende does a good job of showing this--the Native Americans undertake their own mission early on in the novel to capture and kill Christian converts in the mission and--but still maintaining the reader's sympathy where the reader's sympathies should be.

That being said, I don't know that this was Allende's best work. The House of the Spirits and Of Love and Shadows seem to have a much more fluid writing style. I'm not sure if this difference was purposeful, considering which character she chooses to act as the narrator (it's not revealed until the last chapter, so I'm not going to spoil it for you!), but it was not the lovely phrasing, and long, descriptive sentences of Allende's other works. And, quite honestly, I missed it. Still, I think she does a fantastic job showing the rising star of Diego de la Vega as he grows, learns, and becomes the legend that is Zorro. Still, she shows his character as being flawed, not a perfect hero at every time; often, he is unaware of the injustices around him until something forces him to take notice. She also paints his character as being a sort of "two-in-one" deal; Diego and Zorro are two very different kinds of people wrapped up into one person. Part of this is intentional on Diego's part as a means of preventing others from discovering that he is Zorro, but I think part of it is that Diego cannot, with his wealthy upbringing, quite come to terms with the missions he undertakes as Zorro.

In general, I think that this was a fantastic novel, and, had I not read other Allende novels, would have definitely been one of my favorites. Yet, it didn't quite match my expectations considering the other novels.

Rating: 9/10

Some other reviews:
Melissa at Book Nut


Up next: His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

100 Best Beach Books Ever?

As I head off to take an editing test for a job (which I would really like to have), I just wanted to post this link to the NPR website. It seems to have sparked quite a few discussions around book blogs: 100 Best Beach Books Ever. I agree; some of these books instantly make me think of summer (probably a combination of when I remember reading them/the actual plots, themes, etc. of the book) -- Harry Potter, Twilight, Garp, and The Bean Trees come to mind. But there are others that I have read that make me think, "Huh? You're including that?" In particular, Snow Falling on Cedars. What about that book makes anyone think of Summertime and the beach? The word "snow" is in its title for gosh sakes! So, personally, I don't know if I would label this book the "Best Beach Books." It seems a bit more akin to a list of books people should read from every genre (classics, romance, YA, etc.). Which, I have to admit, is a list that seems to be needed to replace some of the more stuck-up, dreary classics only lists that are floating around out there. This list, in that respect, seems oddly reminiscent of the 100 New Classics by Entertainment Weekly.

I guess all the differences come down to how people define a "beach read." I've seen people on the beach with everything from the smutty romance novel to a Tom Clancy book (that would be my husband!) to a huge tome of a classic. Since the NPR audience contributed to this list, maybe that's why there seems to be such a wide range of the kinds of books included. It's interesting for its very ability to start conversation, which is always appreciated!

What do you think: how do you define a beach read? Is it something mindless or do you prefer to have your toes in the sand with an "official" classic?

Blogging and Reading Others' Blogs

Gar, I really wanted to get Allende's Zorro done this week/weekend so I could move onto Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. But all sorts of busyness got in the way...namely climbing at Birdsboro and reading everyone else's blogs and adding to my TBR list (not exactly a good idea since I seem to take reading times few and far between these days...). So, that's why I haven't gotten a review up yet.

Still, Allende is fantastic, and I love her. A more in-depth review to come later I promise.

To Read to the Babes

Disclaimer: I do not yet have children. The hubby and I are thinking between 1 1/2 to 2 years to start thinking about it, but I love the little ones. My niece, I think, is the coolest thing in the world, and Eric and I have been discussing quite a bit lately how we want to "raise" our children. I know, I know, best laid plans... But we're definitely in agreement about reading to our children on a nightly basis, but neither him nor I have much patience for children's picture books beyond the classics like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Goodnight Moon, The Little Engine That Could, or any of the Little Golden Books or Dr. Seuss. You know what I mean: the good stuff with excellent illustrations and good writing (I'm not picky or anything). Seriously, I would really, really prefer to avoid reading my children anything with Dora or Blue's Clues or the Backyardigans (the only exception here: Thomas the Tank Engine...he's a personal favorite). I really don't know how my parents read so many of those kinds of books to my brother and I as we were growing up. I can't imagine how great it must have been for them when he and I learned to read and started only coming to them to help figure out the meaning of a word or something. And I know that I wouldn't have the patience for such things.

So here's what our plan is, and it's based largely off of what Eric's parents did with him and his brothers for bedtime stories: read good, in-depth fantasy "literature" to the kiddos before they head off to sleep...or since I'll probably be staying home with the bitties, any time they want me to. In my head I'm thinking, Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, The Phantom Tollbooth, Little House on the Prairie, and those sorts of things. I just bought His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman to kind of preview before deciding whether or not to add it to the list above. We'll probably also add some Tolkein, The Wizard of Oz series, and anything else that gets suggested to us. Of course, we'll need to wait until all of our kiddos have a long enough attention span for a chapter a night or so. I just don't picture myself reading Nick, Jr. related books on a nightly basis. All of these books just have fantastic stories with "deeper" stuff for the adults reading. And I think it's a great "family-time" kind of thing that we can all be together with the bitties in pjs and read together. What better way to pass on a love of reading onto the little ones.

What do you think? Am I pushing my own reading habits onto my children? Could this keep them from being "readers" when they grow up because we didn't read the Dora and other tv-related books? Will they be the nerds because they don't know how Dora the Explorer is when they get to school?

"What to Read Now" -- Newsweek

I know I'm really late to this game, especially since the huge books section was printed in the July 13 issue of Newsweek, but I gotta admit, the whole section is kinda killing me. Not only did it add an insane number of books to my TBR list, but it added all sorts of pressure to read them NOW, and, well, with this ongoing job search and generally being tired and busy and climbing all the time, I'm already reading significantly less than I otherwise would (even when I was working full time last summer!). I'm really hoping that something in the job front pans out soon so my reading can pick up its pace a little.

Yet, I'm still really thankful that Newsweek cast aside some of the pressure to devote pages and pages and pages to Michael Jackson's memory (that's another can of worms there) and published pages and pages and pages of books that I want to read instead. Plus, most of them were books that should have been on my TBR list (which, at the moment, consists of the entirety of my unread 1,001 Books list plus an almost-page-long Word document with "Miscellaneous Books I want to Read" plus whatever manages to catch my eye in the bookstore plus my Amazon wish list) -- like McNamara's In Retrospect and Kissinger's Diplomacy. I'll never ever get through the list, but that's totally okay. It's better to have a too-long TBR list than to not know what to read next! Plus, personally, I think Newsweek put together a list containing a really good mix of literary fiction, contemporary non-fiction, and historical/scientific/psychological popular non-fiction. There's something there for every kind of reader, and since I tend to be a hands-in-multiple-cookie-jars kind of reader, it was really perfect for me!

Fifty Books for Our Times
What to Read Now

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

The Good Earth is a book, written by an American author who had traveled extensively in China (her husband worked there), about a somewhat idealized idea of the Chinese farmer before and after the Chinese Revolution. It is the story of a man, Wang Lung, who was born into a poor farming family, as he attempts to deal with the ups and downs of farming in China; he deals with famine, flood, lazy relatives, social expectations, etc. to create a life for himself, supported by a strong, albeit unattractive, wife O-Lan.

I personally really enjoyed this book, although my personal attachment to it ebbed and flowed a bit. In general, Buck tells a great story but seems to over-idealize the life of the Chinese farmer. There was a lot of opportunity during this time period to actually say something about Chinese societal practices--foot binding, arranged marriage, slavery--that Buck just didn't take advantage of. I guess, considering that the novel was first published in 1931, there was still the issue really educating Americans about Chinese practices and culture. This was, of course, still the time when the U.S. looked to Asia with a good deal of fear and prejudice, and I think this book's main social purpose was to educate, but there was still so much there that could have been talked about. Buck's over-obsession with the idea of the "land" being one's only source of stability seemed to me to be a very American ideal that was included more to reach American audiences than to really capture Chinese culture. It seemed like more of a connecting message to extremely capitalistic Americans in the 30s rather than a real example of Chinese ideas of personal property in the land.

The one thing, however, that Buck succeeded expertly well on was definitely the family dynamics and social expectations among the Chinese during this time period. The seemingly incompatible ideals of beauty and duty for women, I think, was made rather clear. There never was the perfect woman in this novel--either the woman was ugly but resourceful and made contributions to the family's wealth (O-Lan) or the woman was beautiful but asked only for more riches without contributing more than her pretty face (Lotus). These two disparate female characters arise over and over in this novel. In addition, there seems to always be a conflict between social expectations and personal desires, particularly in relation to Wang Lung's uncle who seems to take advantage of family obligation without contributing much. Again, I think that Buck's recounting of these social issues and expectations opened up plenty of room for some social criticism, which may or may not have been appropriate for the audience at the time. Still, it was a generally good story with fantastic characters. There was just something in the novel that kept me from really connecting and reacting emotionally to what these characters are going through. Perhaps it was because I picked up on oversimplification and idealism within the recounting of the ideal farming life in China.

My rating: 9/10

Up next: absolutely positively not sure. I'll keep you updated though :)

What is the What by Dave Eggers

I absolutely adored this book. I found it to be an extremely honest and heartbreaking story of a young Sudanese Lost Boy as he walked hundreds of miles to get out of war-torn Sudan only to fall victim to regime change in Ethiopia and eventually goes to a refugee camp in Kenya. He eventually is chosen by the UN's resettlement program to go to the United States. It's definitely a novel; the main character in the book is very closely based on the life of his namesake: Valentino Achak Deng. Still, Eggers and Deng came to the conclusion, due to their recognition of Deng's potentially-faulty memory regarding the order of events and so on as well as their understanding that it's generally impossible to remember conversations and dialogue from that long ago. I found that Deng and Eggers' assertion that this book is fiction to be very honest; in addition, it also allows you to read and really absorb the story without having to doubt the validity of everything that happened.

There is one element of this novel that I'd really like to focus on: the depictions of the U.S. and the Sudanese refugee situation in this country. I read quite a few reviews on sites like Amazon and others, and it seems most people are frustrated by Deng's complaining about the problems he and other refugees have faced in the U.S.: cultural differences, inability to find jobs that actually meet expenses, ageism within the college admission process (Deng recounts an admission officer speaking off of the record about the potential of admissions people not wanting a 27-year-old living on campus with 18-year-old girls), being victims of crimes, etc. I think people expected to see a good-bad dichotomy between the U.S. and Sudan, and when Deng dared to state that life in the U.S. was not easy, I think he broke away a bit from this expectation, leading to some anger among readers. Personally, I believe that the criticisms of the U.S. system of placing refugees, supporting them for 6 months, then leaving them to fend mostly for themselves is generally problematic. Deng benefited from learning English in the refugee camps, but most refugees coming into the U.S. don't have English education and, moreover, have some serious emotional and mental problems that they should be able to deal with before having to necessarily find a job, education, and affordable housing (made even more difficult by the policy of sending refugees to cities -- extremely high housing prices are everywhere in major cities).

In general, I thought this book was fantastic. Several times I had to stop reading and just absorb what was happening; my general idealism tends to take some major hits when I read about the horrible things that some human beings can do to others in the name of religion, cultural warfare, and general ignorance. In this novel, it goes both ways; Eggers is almost as equally critical of the government as he is of the rebel forces (although, he seems to disfavor the Sudanese government forces more), because neither side is absolutely innocent in these crises. And Deng's experiences are somewhat better -- although he still witnesses death and horrible tragedy -- because he successfully evaded being a child soldier in the conflict. I really hope to supplement this book by a memoir or some other non-fiction about the Lost Boys of Sudan, finding the similarities and differences between the two approaches. But generally What is the What is totally worth the read.

My rating: 9.5/10

Up next: The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory

Like I said in my last post, I needed a bit of a break from the "serious" novels typically listed in the 1,001 Books list; I'm really in the mood for good summer reading, particularly since my days are now filled with endless job applications. I'm just looking to my books as a bit of a break, and I'm comfortable with how much I typically read to be able to have intelligent conversations about books if needed in interviews (plus, I'm still reading enough "serious" material to be totally telling the truth when I answer the "so what are you reading" question with a respectable literary novel). The Boleyn Inheritance provided just the break I needed.

I'm a huge Philippa Gregory fan. I think she does a fantastic job capturing what I imagine to be the mix of grandeur, conniving personalities, and genuine fear in Tudor England. The Boleyn Inheritance acts as a sort of sequel to the made-into-movie The Other Boleyn Girl. It traces the three wives of Henry VIII following Anne Boleyn: Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, and Katherine Howard, focusing mostly on the last two (oddly, there's a serious lack of research interest in the second "survivor" of Henry VIII's lack of wedded bliss: Catherine Parr). I find it refreshing that this book goes beyond the caricatured personalities -- "fat and ugly" for Anne of Cleves and "stupid" for Katherine Howard -- and really tries to understand who these women might have been and how they unwittingly got involved in the intrigues of men at court. Gregory is quite honestly a feminist in these novels; she underhandedly suggests that if women had any sort of power apart from their uncles/husbands/fathers or were allowed to make decisions themselves during this time, all the fear and jealousy and power grabs would not have existed. Because, really, who can fault either Anne or Katherine for being repulsed by a man decades their senior? And who can blame them for looking elsewhere for "real" love relationships? Hell, Henry was well-known for his affairs and flirtations regardless of his own marital status. The feminist statements are not as annoying or blatant as some can be; Gregory makes valid points about these women tied to Henry VIII despite their youth, inexperience, and inability to deal with the king's tempers and whims. It shows that these women wanted to make their own decisions -- and likely would have made excellent ones -- but were stuck in impossible situations. Gregory shows that Anne of Cleves was actually a quite independent woman who had to carefully negotiate Henry's tempers to save herself from his axe; and Katherine was obviously a girl too young and vulnerable to protect herself among the selfish and power-hungry Tudor court. These women were not just stupid, fat, and ugly; they were people who Henry cast aside in order to further his own will. I honestly believe that it was not the women's fault that Henry VIII only had weak sons; he was an old sick man likely unable to produce an heir. And Gregory does a fantastic job trying to tease out their personalities based on what little evidence historians have gathered about Henry's women.

Another thing about this book (or at least this edition of the book) is that Gregory clearly explains which parts of the book are based in fact/archival evidence and which are based in her imagination. It's rather refreshing considering some of the hack-job historical fiction out there (coughDanBrowncough). It gives Gregory's fiction some clarity that is much appreciated by this history lover.

My rating: 9/10

I've since started What is the What, by Dave Eggers, about the Lost Boys of Sudan. I would imagine I'll finish it (or at least get a good deal finished) at the beach next week. It's a little dark for a beach read but I enjoy Eggers' style so far; plus, his willingness to call this historically-based novel due to fading memories and not-necessarily-accurate dialogue is refreshing as well. Following this one, I think I'll look to some non-fiction and go from there.

Updates!

I didn't mention my next book yet because at the time, I really wasn't sure. I have since started The Water Method Man by John Irving, and I'm not exactly sure why, but I'm not loving it. Typically I adore Irving; I love his complete disregard for convention and politeness and his ability to maintain a story regardless of how politically incorrect it may be (see, for example, A Prayer for Owen Meany about a child who claims an immaculate conception). It may just be the fact that it's summer, and I have some Isabel Allende and Philippa Gregory waiting for me on my bookshelves. Irving definitely doesn't write "girly" books, and I have a tendency to gravitate towards "girly" books during summertime.

So, I think I'm going to put The Water Method Man on the back-burner and look towards Ms. Allende or Ms. Gregory to satisfy my summer reading urges. And, of course, none of these are on the 1,001 Books list. I've put myself on a complete book budget cut...no more buying books because saving for a house down payment and closing costs for next summer is much more important at the moment. This means that I will be relying completely on my own bookshelves, my in-law's bookshelves, and the local library bookshelves for a good long while. The Home Buying for Dummies book will be my last book purchase for a long while, I hope.

The History of the Siege of Lisbon by Jose Saramago

The History of the Siege of Lisbon tells the story of a proofreader, Raimundo, who changes an affirmative sentence to the negative by inappropriately adding a "not" to a sentence in a historical work. As a result, the book then read that the crusaders refused to aid the Portuguese in their siege on Lisbon, which was then controlled by the Moors. Although the publishing house inserts an errata into the published novels correcting the mistake, Raimundo's decision to insert that "not" changes his life.

As a result of the intentional insertion of an error, the publishing house hires a new woman, Maria Sara, to oversee the proofreaders to make sure that such a mistake does not occur again. Although the relationship between Raimundo and Maria Sara starts as one full of tension, underhanded criticisms, and awkwardness, it slowly normalizes, eventually leading to a fantastic love story between the two. Saramago does a fantastic job of describing the beginning tension and the slow realization that both characters have as they begin to accept that they truly love each other. The tension-filled relationship is not a result of their working relationship; rather, it is because of mutual attraction from the very time that they meet.

The secondary storyline surrounds Raimundo's new version of the History of the Siege of Lisbon, which acts as a book-within-a-book. It is the result of Maria Sara's suggestion that Raimundo work off of the incorrect version of the original book to create a novel telling how the history would read had the crusaders not stayed to help the Portuguese retake Lisbon. The book seems to mirror Raimundo's own life, as he includes his own love story between a Portuguese soldier and an officer's concubine. The result of the two stories is a novel that, I believe, successfully intertwines the present with the stories of the past.

I will, however, caution any potential readers. Saramago often includes discussions about his doubts about the validity of written history (for example, it was rather easy for a proofreader to, for reasons unknown, insert a single word that can change what future generations may see as the truth), the importance of words and word choice to create a meaning and mutual understanding, and various other philosophical and historical issues. Personally, I really enjoyed some of these discussions; as a historian, I was particularly interested in Saramago's discussions about history and historical knowledge. He led me to really think about the sources of certainty within history, who writes the history that I personally read and discuss, and just how we know today about what happened in the past. I've always had it drilled in my head that you have to use multiple sources to ensure that you're not continuing possible misunderstandings or contextual issues with older sources, and Saramago's book definitely reinforces that idea. That being said, at times, the asides can get distracting from the actual telling of the story. In addition, Saramago utilizes long sentences and minimal punctuation, which can, at times, make the novel a difficult read. It requires a lot of concentration to actually understand rather than to just read. Still, the effort is totally worth it.

My rating: 9/10

A Rush to Injustice by Nader Baydoun and R. Stephanie Good

This book is a recounting of the debacle that was the Duke Lacrosse rape case done by a Duke alum; both authors are attorneys also. I picked this one up at the Eagles Mere bookstore, and it was a perfectly quick read that was a bit of a break from some of the longer novels that I've been reading. I thought the book was well-researched, and the authors were careful to give validity to their criticisms of Nifong and the rape investigation itself using quotes from local attorneys, the accused boys, and the case documents that have been made public. I tend to be rather skeptical when it comes to popular recountings of popular cases, but I thought the authors did a pretty good job. Still, this book is anything but sympathetic to the officials dealing with this case. Often, the authors would include their own opinions and feelings about the case, both at the time of the announcements and in hindsight. Some people may be interested in this, but I got frustrated at times; I'd much rather have the authors tell the story without including their own opinions. It made it seem like much more of an "attack" style book, rather than a book about the case itself.

One thing that I thought the authors did a fantastic job on is the inclusion of primary sources: the newspaper editorials, letters to the editors, court proceedings, court documents, and public statements by the entire lacrosse team, Coach K, and the accused boys and their attorneys. I think it made the story much more lively...the stereotypical idea of "showing and not telling" what happened that made the whole investigation seem like such a sham. I definitely learned some things from these documents that I hadn't known before, in particular, the tendency of some of the Duke faculty to speak against the boys and college sports in general, before all the facts became public knowledge. Ultimately, the accused boys were vindicated since a NC official has publicly declared them "innocent" and the D.A. involved in the case has been brought up on ethics violations as a result of the case. Still, it remains an important event in popular understanding of college sports, college towns, race, gender and, on a more legal scale, the justice system. Hopefully, the very public downfall of this case will help prevent such a thing from occurring again.

Up next: I've been wavering between Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Jose Saramago's History of the Siege of Lisbon. I think I may go the way of Saramago just because it's a love story, which seems particularly appropriate for a good summer poolside read. We'll see how it goes.

U.S.A. Trilogy by John Dos Passos

The U.S.A. Trilogy by John Dos Passos is a group of three books that traces a group of relatively young people as they experience the time before, during, and after World War I. I must admit, I was somewhat cautious starting these books. First, they're really long, and I was relying on the library (stupidly, I checked all three out at once) for these books and felt really rushed getting through them (the books were 300ish, 350ish, and 450ish pages long). Also, I've not had good experience with novels written by disillusioned people set in the post World War I time period (forefront in my mind here is On the Road by Kerouac); I just don't enjoy reading about wayward youth who I tend to think are wasting their brains, their drive, and their use to society. But I really thought Dos Passos' U.S.A. moved past that by fully developing his characters' motives, feelings, and actions but still not ignoring his own political viewpoint of the time period.

The most successful element of the trilogy is Dos Passos' characterization. There's an incomprehensible number of characters including in these novels, and they all move in and out of the storyline at somewhat random times. Still, despite the sheer number of characters, Dos Passos still carefully created and maintained his characters throughout the novels. Each character does different things, has different political and ideological views, and plays different roles in the historical events happening at the time. I found it particularly interesting to see how each of the characters interacted with each other as they moved in and out of each other's lives. Also, I thought it was really interesting to see how Dos Passos placed each character in the political, historical, and technological developments of the time period, including World War I, the airplane industry, and the "Roaring Twenties." This has always been one of my favorite parts of reading novels set in a historical time period that I know something about. I also really enjoyed the sections of "Newsreels" where Dos Passos includes the headlines and text of front-page newspapers of the time period. (As a history major, I found a nerdy interest in how he picked out individual parts of the various news stories.) These sections also included lyrics from songs and protest chants. In addition, Dos Passos weaves in short biographies of important figures of the time period, which I thought were well-researched and rightfully cynical of these "heroes" of the time period. For example, he doesn't buy into the typical hero-worship of Henry Ford and included some of the seedier parts of his background. All of this made me a very happy history-loving girl.

I won't pretend that I understand the literary elements of this book, especially since I've always been rather disinterested in that part of reading novels. As a result, I found the sections called "Camera Eye" difficult. I know that they are basically autobiographical, telling Dos Passos' experiences during the same time period that he is discussing in the main body of the novel, but honestly, I just had a difficult time following the stream-of-consciousness from one section to the next. And I didn't try too hard either; I was much more interested in the other parts of the novel so I generally focused on those.

Also, I thought, in general, the female characters in this book were relatively weak. Some end up killing themselves through their own naivete, and others just seemed whiny, politically uninvolved. Basically, most of them seemed to be "follower" characters who accompany their male acquaintances into whatever political endeavor they decide. Very few (in comparison to the male characters) follow through on any jobs or political actions on their own accord. They always seem to be acting like a "puppy dog" to follow attractive men into the movement. I didn't think it detracted much from the book and probably had much more to do with the time period that the author wrote in than any purposeful attempt by Dos Passos to detract from women's roles in any sort of political movements in the time period.

In general, I found this book really interesting, but I don't think I need to re-read it again; still, I'd definitely recommend it to other people.

My rating: 8.5/10

Up next: A Rush to Injustice by Nader Baydoun and R. Stephanie Good, which is a well-researched recounting of the Duke lacrosse rape case.

Used Bookstores = True Love

So, the hubby and I sneaked off for a weekend getaway at one of our favorite places--Eagles Mere Inn in Eagles Mere, PA. Eric likes it for the hiking and outdoorsy stuff within 15 minutes of the fantastic little bed & breakfast we stay in, but I like it for the fantastic (and I mean fantastic) food and the adorable little used bookstore about a block away from the Inn. Eric and I made a total killing again this year; 6 books or so for about $50. I, unfortunately, didn't have my 1,001 Books list with me so I didn't look for novels or anything (I'm trying to limit my book purchases to those that the local library system doesn't have...my reading habits already take up an oddly large portion of our money), but I've found that their selection of history non-fiction is spectacular. When we were there for our honeymoon, I bought Robertson's Stonewall Jackson and Remini's History of the House of Representatives, and this time I picked up McCullough's John Adams as well as books on the Duke Lacrosse case and the Soviet Union's activities in Eastern Europe during and after World War II. It really should be some good stuff; plus, I still need to read Remini's book that I've had for almost 2 years and just haven't gotten around to (damn college and all its silly reading requirements). So, the blog may take a bit of a turn as I read these books and others that have been sitting on my bookshelf for way too long as a result of impulse book buys and a very busy school-related reading schedule. But now that I'm unemployed, have no school obligations, and have plenty of open time to spend reading by the apartment complex pool, I should be able to move through a big chunk of the unread books on the shelves (I know, I am filling out 100s, nay 1000s of job applications too...I promise). Of course, considering the content of those bookshelves at the moment, this will mean a sometimes-long foray into novels not on the 1,001 Books list and plenty of non-fiction that I need to catch up on. I hope you'll bear with me here.

I just finished reading the U.S.A. Trilogy by John Dos Passos, and I should get a chance to post about it tomorrow sometime (probably after hitting up the farmer's market for local strawberries--I know you're jealous). I thought it was fantastic, and, even if I hated it, the novels deserve a much longer and more in-depth treatment than I can muster at the moment (I know, I'm too young to be tired at 10:30, but such is life).

U.S.A. Trilogy Update

I am a little less than 2/3 of the way done with Dos Passos' U.S.A. Trilogy, and I'm really enjoying it. Considering how much I disliked some of the other stuff from the disillusioned authors of American history (namely, Kerouac--for some reason I just don't like him much), I really, really like Dos Passos. I think it's mostly because he actually has characters that interact and are fully developed. I'll write a complete review of all three books in the trilogy at once since they're all connected and all play off of each other to some extent.

Just wanted to post an update!

Labyrinths by Jose Luis Borges

I really liked this book, but I'm pretty sure I only really understood the message in about 25% of the stories. The book is a collection of short stories, essays, and parables by Jose Luis Borges, an Argentinian writer, incorporating his theories of time, space, personal experience, etc. into fictional (and sometimes non-fictional) writings.

I don't generally like short story collections. I think in general, short stories tend to lack the character and story development that I generally prefer to have in my books, but I was so distracted by trying to figure out what theory Borges was trying to put forth in the individual stories that I tended to not miss the character development. I won't go into much detail about any of the stories, but I really liked the mystical way that the author incorporated physics and metaphysics into his stories. Even though this book isn't my typical idea of Latin American fiction, he definitely still managed to capture my attention and keep it, despite my continuous struggles with the subject matter. It's not a book about people or places or things; rather, it's a discussion, through fiction, of the various ways that we experience these people, things, and places. I had no clue who about 98% of the philosophers, scientists, etc. were that he named in the book, and I probably would have gotten a lot more out of the book had I known more about most of them. I will probably come back and re-read this one in the future...after I brush up on my philosophy and physics (which may be never, but a girl can hope for infinite free time, right?).

My rating: 8.5/10

Up next: John Dos Passos' U.S.A. Trilogy. I just picked up all three from my local library and have 2 weeks to read before I need to renew/return. We'll see how it goes.

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

I could honestly "take or leave" this book. The format fit well into my busy schedule recently with nice short chapters and a pretty fast-moving plot line. It held my interest; I just didn't love this book. I need pretty language and lovable/hate-able characters, but Casino Royale was more of a straight forward, (to me) stereotypical boys' book. James Bond, like in the movies, is that man that everyone wants to be...he has a hot girl, a cool job, and he gets to eat/drink/play like he's filthy rich. Bond, however, hasn't completely become that stereotypically "cool" guy. This time, he actually falls in love with the girl and gets burned...which is what probably sparks the detached Bond of the later movies (I've only read Casino Royale of the 007 book series, and I think I may keep it that way). I think what really kept me from loving this book was Fleming's preoccupation with "boy" things; he focuses on the gambling exchange between Bond and Le Chiffre for way too long, the torture scene is close to being too graphic for my taste. Generally, Fleming paid much more attention to the plot line or his own personal hobbies (like gambling) instead of fully developing the characters.

Sorry I didn't give much of a plot line or anything; just one of those books where you have to read it (or watch the movie) to get the story, but there's nothing in the novel to really pick up on and discuss.

My rating: 7.5/10

Next up: Labyrinths by Jose Luis Borges. I love Latin American authors, but this book seems a little out of my typical comfort zone for reading. It's a compilation of many of Borges' fiction, essays, and parables, most of which are explorations of physics and social theories, so I may end up struggling a bit. At least when I get bored of one story, it's probably going to be relatively short and can move onto the next one soon. I'll update you as I go or when I'm finished, depending on my time constraints.

So Long A Letter by Mariama Ba

I read this novel as another part of my required reading for my Gender in 20th Century Africa class, and, like God's Bits of Wood, I really liked this book. It's a super-fast read, only about 90 pages or so, and I'm interested to see what we're going to do with it during class discussion.

The novel is set up as a letter between the main character, Ramatoulaye, and her friend Aissatou; both are women who went to school to become teachers in a time when African women's limits in professions were limited largely to being either midwives or teachers (rather reminiscent of an article I read recently that discussed Saudi women's limitations in education to teaching or medicine...makes you kinda rethink the pervasive stereotype that Africa is far behind any place else in the world). The novel begins as Ramatoulaye finds out that she has been widowed by a husband that she married for love soon after school and who had recently broken the trust in the marriage by taking a second wife and beginning to ignore her and their children together for the sake of a younger girl, who was forced to marry by her mother in hopes of increasing that family's material standing.

Although the story is fantastic, I was much more fascinated by the underlying theme that I saw in the story: a discussion of the place that marriage should have in a "modern" African society. The story ends happily, with two of Ramatoulaye's daughters marrying/planning to marry for love (one completely by choice; the other's marriage is accelerated due to an unplanned pregnancy), rather than material wealth. None of the main characters at the end of the book were taking social expectations for granted. Very early in the novel Aissatou leaves her husband for taking a second wife and takes her sons to the U.S., where she works as a translator. Ramatoulaye has forsaken expectations, turning down marriage proposals from her husband's brother and another well-to-do man to begin courting. The novel contains ample amounts of heartache throughout the story, but, by the end, I think that it presents a realistic hope for improvement for the lot of women in Africa.

My rating: 9/10

Reading Update

Just a quick update on my 1,001 Books reading process:

I think I might give myself a bit of a break from The Autumn of the Patriarch. The set-up of the book is just not conducive to my reading habits. I love Gabriel Garcia Marquez's writing style with long, descriptive sentences and hugely symbolic language, but it's hard to follow when I'm trying to read a few lines in between classes and such. So, I'm pondering my next book choice a bit. I'm thinking Casino Royale by Ian Fleming or taking a break from the 1,001 Books list for Isabel Allende's Zorro (I adore her...I'm sure I'll be writing a retroactive review of House of the Spirits sometime soon), which was recommended to me a few years ago.

And just a warning in general: reading and, therefore, posting will be a bit infrequent over the next few weeks as my last! semester winds down. I have some papers and tests (and job applications!) that are going to be more important than reading for fun over the next few weeks.

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

This is honestly a book that I deem "take it or leave it." Although parts of it are really, really good, there are plenty of parts that you just have to slog through that really made this book a somewhat difficult read.

The best parts of the book revolve around the story of a Lithuanian family, and its leader Jurgis, that comes to the U.S. in the early 1900s looking to get a better life in America. What they find is the dismal working and living conditions presented to immigrants in the Chicago meat packing factories. I thought this book would be totally about the processes of meat packing that got so much criticism as a result of this book, leading to the Food and Drug Act, but there's a largely ignored element of this story: the exceedingly harsh treatment of workers in the plants who had no choice due to language limitations, economic hardship, and families needing support. Personally, I found the study of the human toll the so-called Meat Trust enacted on the Chicago working class was the most horrific element of the novel; yet, it's rarely discussed when putting the book in it historical context (which is where most of my knowledge about this book came from before reading it) because it's place in muckraking literature and the prompting of the Food and Drug Act are its lasting legacies in the popular discussions of the present.

Yet, Sinclair falls into the trap that many authors do when they try to insert their politics into their novels. Even though the story itself presents obvious support for change in the political and economic leadership of the U.S. at the time, Sinclair still feels the need to use the end of his book to blatantly set out the Socialist Party's agenda, using long speeches of fictional party leaders. It became boring rather fast; it's actually very similar to the John Galt speech in Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, which I skipped when I read that novel. I just tend to respect authors who wrap their political statements into the story without setting aside pages and pages to act as simply a manifesto of their political ideas. It made the book slog along a bit towards the end.

Ultimately, this novel contains a very good story that could have been used alone as an impetus for social and political change in the U.S. (especially considering its popularity at the time). It's downfall was Sinclair's need to delineate his political ideas in a party document fashion. Still, there is much more to the story than just a wholesale criticism of the meat packing industry, and the family members' struggles to deal with a life that they had never expected.

My rating: 7.5/10

Other reviews:
Debi at nothing of importance

Next up: The Autumn of the Patriarch by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

A Child in Time by Ian McEwan

A bit of time has passed since I finish this book, so this post is likely to be more general and significantly less detailed than I hope for my other posts to be. I would imagine that this post will be updated at a later time after I reread (which I can almost guarantee will happen).

Let me begin with a bit of a disclaimer: I adore everything that I've ever read that Ian McEwan has written. I loved Atonement, which, I must admit, made me hate the movie. When I am in love with a "real" literature kind of a book, I can't stand that some movie producer/screenplay writer (including the author him/herself...I know, I'm weird) would think to take out that part of the book when they turned it into a movie, which is probably why I got so angry at the Twilight movie. I adored Amsterdam, for reasons that I'm not really sure of. And I adored A Child in Time.

McEwan's descriptions and language slay me every time. I love that he goes deep into his characters minds, particularly when talking about emotions. It makes him masterful at the love story...and was this a love story. The basic element of the novel was the story of a couple whose child gets stolen from a grocery store when Stephen, the father, takes her shopping one day. It recounts how the relationship is fundamentally changed as a result of their loss. The pulling and pushing that their shared, albeit different, experiences have on each of them and the effects that this has on their marriage. Early in the book, they decide to separate, but the love is still there, pulling them together and pushing them apart at the same time because they are constantly worried about the other's needs and wants in the situation. The ending is just plain beautiful and full of so much hope despite everything that the two had been through. The book could have easily fallen flat with another author, but McEwan takes so much time on the supposedly "mundane" elements of life (Stephen's involvement in meetings about children's education in Britain come to mind here) and makes the reader realize that there is always more there than meets the eye. On the surface Stephen seemed to be coping with his daughter's disappearance well, but since the reader can see and feel Stephen's real emotions, he/she knows better.

McEwan also uses the story to play with other things too, namely time. One of the most climactic points in the book is when Stephen's face appears to his youthful mother in a restaurant as she decides whether or not to abort a baby...him. His mother sees the grown man's face in the window, even though he has not yet been born. McEwan also describes Stephen's seeming emotional breakdown when he sees his own parents in the restaurant on his way to visit his wife in the countryside, prompting him to elicit the story from his mother when he visits. In addition to this vignette, McEwan also uses Stephen's friends to play with theories of time; his friends, a couple, consist of a physicist who studies theories of time and her husband who, during the span of the novel, begins to revert to his childlike persona, eventually ending in his suicide when his attempts to return to childhood fail. As usual, McEwan mixes the more theoretical elements of his novel with a fantastically moving story that most readers can appreciate.

My rating: 9.5/10

God's Bits of Wood by Sembene Ousmane

I know this isn't on the list of 1,001 Books, but I had to read it for my Gender in 20th C. Africa class. It's totally worth writing about, even though it's not on the list (and, in my opinion, rightfully so). Still, I liked the book a lot.

The basic premise of the book is the description of the various people and groups involved in a railway strike in colonial Senegal. Written by an extremely politically active man, it puts faces to the history read in more "historically-geared" books. Like most historical fiction, he takes liberties with the history involved to help push his own political agenda, particularly in dealing with the Women's March to the city. He does, however, embellish for a reason; there is a strong undercurrent of support for women's equality within the nascent independent Senegal. (Ousmane wrote the novel on the cusp of Senegalese independence.)

I really believe that this book is worthwhile for one major reason: it puts individuals within the history. Often historians discuss "the strikers" or "the Africans" when discussing African history, especially in regards to protests, strikes, etc., but this book, even though the characters in the novel are either entirely fictional or based loosely on major historical leaders, really highlights the idea that this strike, and others, was led by people, and people were involved in every element of this strike. Each dealt with it in their own way, depending on their personal level of agreement with the strikers, their gender, their economic standing, their relationship/position in the company and in greater Sengalese culture and society, and so on. The strikers and their supporters were not a homogenous group of faceless Africans; each person individually helped shape the strike itself and the aftermath according to their needs and expectations.

Yet, I thought, personally, that there was something missing from this book; Ousmane is, in my opinion, not Achebe or Ngugi. He writes well, but there are some elements to the story that are unclear, and his use of some characters tends to be artificial; for example, I think the inclusion of the character Sounkare didn't advance the story much. He acted more as a symbol that didn't necessarily advance the story and had much more to do with Ousmane's push for worker solidarity (after all, he was a member of the Communist Party in France). In general, though, the book was a good supplement to my class (the role of women in the strike was similar to the roles of women in other strikes and protests in other African colonies during this time period) and provided a more individualized view of African-led protests against white colonizers.

My rating: 9.5/10

Welcome

I'm not going to lie; this blog is mostly for me to keep track of my reading so I can look back on past books as a go through and see if I get anything new out of re-reading a few favorites from before.

Right now, most of my reading is mostly revolving around the 1,001 Books that You Must Read Before You Die book by Peter Boxall, but I'm more than willing to read other stuff. As a history undergrad, I also have to read tons of books for school and will likely comment on those here as well. If I end up in grad school, I'm sure school-related books will increase in number, and 1,001 Books may be forced to take a bit of a break.

I would imagine that first up will be a discussion of God's Bits of Wood by Sembene Ousmane, which I read for my Gender in 20th C. Africa class. It was good stuff. A better summary/review to come soon. Right now, I'm chugging through The Jungle by Upton Sinclair from the 1,001 Books. I'm not all that into it right now, so we'll see if I finish it this try through.