April Reviews

Another month, another four books. 

April was good to me, but man were we busy. I'm sitting here on May 1st, barely able to keep my eyes open after another busy weekend, including a six-mile walk around Back Bay in Newport this morning and lots of things done around the house. Oh, and there was the DUPLO building. Such tiring work. 

The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan

256 pages

I wrote about this collection of essays by the late Keegan here.

Verdict: The youthful, unpolished-ness of it was part of it's charm.   

Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova

368 pages

I read this as a part of Brie's book club (check it out here!) and had also read What Alice Forgot last year, and enjoyed it. This novel was about a police officer that learns that he suffers from the deadly, debilitating, Huntington's Disease. What makes it even worse, is that he has four children and a grand-baby on the way- the disease in genetic and dominant. The book follows his condition but also the different paths his children take in coping with their 50/50 odds of testing positive for the gene.

Verdict: I enjoyed learning about a medical condition that I was unfamiliar with; I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff (hence my love of Grey's and ER after both lost their original charm). I didn't think the writing was anything amazing; the characters were flat, the dialogue was forced, and the ending a bit predictable. I am also concerned that Genova is a sort of one-trick pony in terms of subject matter.

The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud

320 pages

This book is about an single elementary school teacher by day, artist by night. She's fantastic at her job but filled with rage at the same time, still mourning over the past and feeling stifled by her present and future. This changes when she becomes close to the family of one of her students, falling in love with both parents and the son in three different ways. Nora must learn to decipher her emotions and decide what she wants for the rest of her life. 

Verdict: This book suckered me in with the first few page and continued to hold me in it's grip for the first 2/3 of it. Towards the end I became slightly disinterested, though, and I'm not sure if it was because I took a quick break from reading it or because I really was tired of Nora and her excessive self-analysis. Nonetheless, Messud is a strong writer and is capable of writing strong characters. 

Point Omega by Don DeLillo

117 pages

I just finished this book this weekend, so it's still sort of percolating. This novella is about two men out in the desert skirting around creating a film the younger man wants to make of the older, a man heavily involved in the military. The story is bookended by scenes from an art gallery where the movie Psycho has been slowed down to span twenty-four hours. This idea of time, space, and detail is relevant throughout, the desert a perfect backdrop for the slow, thought-provoking text. While reading this I kept thinking about existentialism and was trying to figure out what it reminded me of, and when I saw an article in the New York Times on later it mentioned Camus. Yes! The Stranger. This meandering sense of self-reflection, dread, and a blinding honesty that maybe in the end isn't as transparent after all. 

Verdict: DeLillo is a tough guy; Underworld is my literary arch-nemesis. I am going to a reading for his new book in a week and a half (hear that? A READING! For someone amazing, too. It's just like old times) and I want to stand up during the Q&A and simultaneously yell at him and kiss his ass. He's a great challenge, though, and I think he's someone you read when you need to put your English degree to work. 

1,061 pages 

Three Defining Books

Lianne at over at Caffeinated Life wrote an interesting post the other day inspired by an NPR tweet that asked what three books would their followers. Like Lianne, I wasn't completely sure how to interpret this- did this mean the plot and characters? The title? The reading process? Given the fact that it was obviously open to interpretation I used a combination, after ruling a few out:

Me Before You

The Pregnant Widow

Everything's Perfect When You're a Liar

The Antagonist

Born to Run

The Devil in Silver

The Woman Who Walked Into Doors

Naked Lunch

More Baths Less Talking

The final three: 

Underworld by Don Delillo (the process)

This was one I chose based on the reading process. I started reading it well over a decade ago and just couldn't get too far into it with the constraints of college and work. I picked it up one or two more times and just couldn't get myself to persevere. But eventually, two or so years ago, I decided it was time. I was going to finish the book, no more excuses. And so I did. The timing was right and I had fully committed. I think that's how I tend to live my life, most of the time. Generally, when I say I'm going to do something on the "bigger" side, I do. I ran (run?) half marathons, I climbed Half Dome (twice), I got my English and biology teaching credentials so my job would be more secure, I've gone to Italy. When something is important enough to me it gets done. And when I commit I stick with it until the end.

Spark: The Evolutionary Science of Exercise and the Brain by John Ratey (content)

I firmly believe that many of life's woes and ailments can be solved by exercise. I know this isn't completely true, but exercise, whether a half hour of walking a day or Crossfit four times a week, really can change your life. It improves your cardiovascular and respiratory systems, strengthens your mental abilities, calms your stress, balances out hormones, and makes you look better. Ratey's book focuses on the brain part, citing studies that shows how much exercise can improve your cognition now and in the future. I made exercise a part of my daily routine my freshman year in college- I was horribly homesick and was finding myself very lonely and depressed at night (I really, really don't do well with free time). I started hitting the stationary bike and eventually found out that I loved the elliptical. Within a week I was feeling much more positive. To this day I have to get in probably somewhere around 180-200 minutes of movement a week to keep my sanity. I'll never be a hardcore fitness guru, but working out will be a part of my life, to some degree, forever.

Changing My Mind by Zadie Smith (title)

I change my mind- a lot. Sometimes over small things, like where we should go to dinner. Sometimes at work, like how I want students to complete an assignment. Sometimes with big life things, like what my career plans should be or where I'd like to live. My preferences change as well, whether we're talking music, toe nail color, men, or religion. I like having options and the freedom of not signing up for something permanently. I hate change, but I also hate the idea of commitment- quite the conundrum. When I look back at what I thought I wanted when I was in college I'd be a doctor by now, living somewhere entirely different. My hair would probably be a different color. I more than likely wouldn't have this blog. The option to change is good.

What three books would define you?

Top Ten Tuesday- The Memories

Believe it or not, I'm a pretty nostalgic girl. I have photo albums stuffed full of pictures of family and friends starting from around age fifteen. I get a little teary when I think about a group of seniors who are abandoning me this year. I like to reminisce about our first year of dating with my husband. And as far as the bad memories go, I shut those out like anyone else whose mastered the art of denial. This week the Broke and the Bookish ask us to take a walk down memory lane, listing our top ten bookish memories.

1. Getting frosting on the jacket of my brand-new copy of Charlotte's Web when I was five. I got the book for Christmas and then took it to whatever gathering we were at and I got bright blue smudge on the front. I was so pissed.

2. Chomsky, my chocolate lab, tearing the crap out of my The Marriage Plot book. He had never really destroyed something of actual value and I have never physically felt my blood pressure increase so rapidly before. I was so pissed. Again.

[Damn, it feels good to be a gangsta]

3. Starting this blog. I had had a bad attitude about the blog world before this; there are a lot of boring, poorly written, annoying blogs out there! And then I got laid off and became really, really scared about what I would do all summer with the big grey cloud of unemployment hanging over me- I needed a project. Luckily, I was hired back a few months later, but the blog idea stuck. 

4. My husband and I met in a Detective Fiction class at UCLA. We were studying for the final and he was trying to cram as much information into my head as possible about Alaine Robbet-Grillet's The Erasers, since I hadn't read it. All I remember is that he kept telling me not to forget something that was sure to be a question, and, sure enough I did. And yes, I do intend one day to go back and read it. Maybe. I think I got a B in the class, but I managed to get a boyfriend, so that was cool.

5. The first reading I ever went to was Chuck Palahniuk, back when he was still relatively decent. It was at the Borders (aw, do you remember Borders?) on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and you had to get tickets earlier in the day. After we went back later that evening we were packed in upstairs and given meat air freshners- and then had to wait another hour for him to come out. It was a really cooky event, but I remember loving it- these people really loved books and were willing to give up an evening to see him. Honestly, I wasn't even sure if I realized readings existed before this (I was nineteen or twenty, in my defnese). 

6. Reading Tortilla Curtain by TC Boyle is one of my most vivid reading experiences ever. For those that are not familiar with the story, it deals with the issue of illegal immigration in Southern California. I finished the book and wanted to buy copies for every conservative I knew. I felt for the characters in ways I had never had before. Working with the population I work with the cause was especially near and dear to my heart.

7. The only time I've ever come close to crying in front of my students was when I read them the student version of Marley and Me. It was horrible- I was drinking water, coughing, and yelling at kids to pay attention that really were, just so I wouldn't start bawling over that poor dead dog. In retrospect it probably would have been fine for them to see me upset; kids need to know that emotions are normal and that teachers are human. 

 

8. Packing up all my books and moving to our house, where I then got to set them up in our great room was such a laborious, fun experience. I remember feeling a little sad as I packed them up, but also enjoyed looking at ones I had forgotten about. And then I got to reorganize everything it the new house into four bookshelves instead of three. You have no idea how much joy this brought me- my babies had room to breathe.

9. Finishing Underworld was such an anti-climatic, yet satisfying event last summer. I guess I thought there would be maybe, like, a fireworks show in my honor when I finished it, but alas, nothing. On the other hand, that bitch is done. 

10. NaNoWriMo last November was absolutely insane, and is something I will remember forever. I didn't do the best job pacing myself and really felt it at the end. I actually pulled out what I have so far the other day and added six or seven hundred words. Something I definitely need to put more effort into. 

July Reviews

July has been very good to me- it's brought me two mini-vacations, a ton of time with friends, a family visit, more sleep than usual, and a healthy dose of good reading. Knowing that August is usually an asshole and is followed by the stupid bitch that is September, I'm becoming very nostalgic (I obviously hate the whole reestablishment of the back-to-work routine nonsense). And don't you dare give me the whole "most working adults don't get a summer vacation bullcrap"- you try being stuck in a room bursting at the seams with adolescent teenagers that are coming back from an even lazier summer than I enjoyed. So defensive, so unprovoked... It's a talent. So is providing brief mediocre analysis on the books I read:

Inside Scientology by Janet Reitman

464 pages

I actually already wrote about this text in a post, but I will once again say that it was quite interesting- Reitman offers a complex, detailed history of Scientology. There were a few dull parts, but those that were a little more scandalous made up for it. 

Verdict: If you're interested in the subject, or in religion in general, you will probably enjoy it. 

Underworld by Don DeLillo

5,555,555 pages

I wrote about this as well, considering it was such a freakin' feat to finish after tenish years of being in the process. DeLillo is an excellent writer and I'll probably read some of his shorter works eventually. I'm still really trying to hone in on what this book was about, but I can say one of the overarching concepts is connections- who we make them with, when we make them, and where.

Verdict: If I have to suffer you should too.

The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle

432 pages

I really, really enjoyed LaValle's latest, which I think comes out later this month or next. It wasn't quite as serious or philosophical as his last book, Big Machine, but it was still fantastic. The main character, Pepper, is admitted into a mental hospital that he struggles to be discharged from. As he gets to know the other patients he also discovers that there is some sort of "monster" lurking the halls. The novel is of course much more complex, exploring themes of family, friendship, race, identity, and freedom. 

Verdict: Don't be discouraged by the length (not that most of you would)- it read fairly fast and doesn't have any dull moments. 

Arcadia by Lauren Groff

304 pages

Another novel I very much enjoyed this month (probably my favorite, actually). I have a soft spot for hippies- for some reason, despite my aversion for dirt, I feel like I would have been a bra-burning, commune-living, free-lovin' flower child if I had been alive in the sixties. Bit, the main character in Groff's novel is raised on a commune, where idealism and practicality clash on a daily basis. Eventually, when Bit is a teenager, his family has a falling out with the leader and they move to the city. The book continues to span several decades as Bit becomes a man, an abandoned husband, a father, and a caregiver for his mother. 

Verdict: I think this is a book that a lot of people with various types of reading habits could enjoy.

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

288 pages

I posted about this million dollar acquisition the other day, arriving at the conclusion that while it's an interesting premise and an entertaining read, it's not worth the price Random House paid. The main character, Julia, is a sixth grader that must live in a world where the Earth has stopped rotating quite as fast, therefore slowing down the day. Life drastically changes, resulting in changes to the economy, agriculture, and social fiber of society.

Verdict: I actually think it's worth the four or so hours it takes to read it- it made me consider my own perception and reliance on time.

The Lost Art of Reading: Why Books Matter in a Distracted Time by Daivd Ulin

151 pages

I plan on posting more about this tomorrow, but this short nonfiction text is really an extended essay written by David Ulin, a Los Angeles journalist. I've had this on the shelf for a few years and have kept putting it off. I thought it might help me get back in the school mode, which it did. The title is pretty self-explanatory- Ulin discusses in great deal why we need to keep reading and what it does for people as individuals and a society. 

Verdict: While I found it very interesting, I don't necessarily think this is one for everyone. It's a light-weight academic text and isn't meant to entertain, rather than to argue for the need to be conscious of how technology is constantly present and, of course, to read. 

 

Finished, I Am

Last month I declared that after trying to read Underworld by Don DeLillo several times over the course of a decade I'd be finishing it by July 16th. And, 4 days early, I finished it yesterday.

Finished, I am [source]. Random, yes.

Thank Buddha/God/Mother Earth/Yoda.

I'm still coming to terms with what it was even about (all 826 pages), if I like DeLillo, and if this a text I actually enjoyed. Unfortunately, I think it's the type of book that would be best comprehended if read a few times, which sure as hell is not happening. I mean I understand it, but I know there are things I'm missing. There are many, many different characters and their lives span across decades, all connecting in ways big and small. The book delves into nuclear warfare, class, religion, marriage, gender, politics, the significance of waste, baseball, family dynamics, incarceration- basically any sort of theme imaginable. It's exhausting to even think about.  

A huge part of me is relieved and excited to be done- I want to read something else and am happy to have the nagging feeling of an unfinished off my back. But, I'm a little sad too- the exaggerated hatred for DeLillo and the book was a little fun. 

So now what?

Now that I've spent half a day pondering this beast, I'm going to start poking around online and reading some analysis and critical essays. Part of me feels like such a fraud doing this, but, frankly, I need some guidance. I have a lot of jumbled up ideas that would probably turn into a decent term paper... if I was in college and had to write one (if I was, possible topics would include: the symbolic nature of garbage, DeLillo's use of repetition, the paradoxical presence of the "mystery ship," or the subtle importance of heroin) . Don't worry, this is it- I'm not going to bore everyone with a 5,000 word analysis once I've thought and researched.

Finally. It's over. And I'm still leaving the nonsensical tags of yesteryear on. 

Late, Tired, and Wordy

Lake Tahoe, CA

This past week and a half have been busy, to say the least. A few thoughts:

- I went to IB training (IB is basically an international, "whole student" approach version of AP, to make a long story short) in Lake Tahoe last weekend and was amazed by how beautiful, useful, and fun it was (fun was thanks to the colleagues, not necessarily the sessions). I truly appreciated the intelligence of the other attendees and how well-read the English teachers were. I kept a list of book suggestions mentioned during the classes to someday buy. Such a great experience. I can't wait until next school year.

- This weekend I went to Vegas and it was far from literary. I brought my book and read 0.0 pages. There's something about car rides and cabanas that is much more conducive to magazine reading. 

- I am failing miserably at the Don DeLillo project. Time to amp it up- I can't fail again. If I read a hundred pages a day I'd have it done before I go out of town next...

-  I received the ARC for new Victor Lavalle book, The Devil in Silver. I have absolutely no idea what it's about and don't give a crap- Big Machine was so fantastic it wouldn't even make a difference. I also have Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carole Rifka Brunt, which has received some excellent praise so far (I think it's been released, though, so my ARC is a little less-advanced). I do need to stop requesting books; I have plenty and keep feeling the itch to buy a few that I've been eying.

- I think some people sometimes take this blog too seriously; they decide I'm this crazy person and like to decide that I'm automatically mad if they decide to read, say, Fifty Shades of Gray. This blog is for fun, folks! Do we automatically assume the narrator of a novel is in fact the author's voice? The speaker of a poem the poet? Yes, I do feel strongly about quality literature, but the 75% of my blogs are labeled with the tag "being over-dramatic" for a reason. I just get enthusiastic. So, anyway, if you admit to reading less-than-literary fiction to me I may tease you, but seriously, I have bigger things in my life to worry about than what you read. Like world peace.

By the way, this isn't rooted in some sort of confrontation, or anything. The people that really know me know better. I wish I could report on some sort of juicy fight I had with someone where I started yelling at them about the literary merit of Oscar Wilde, but alas, not so much.

- I am done with Summer Academy, meaning I'm done with my daily readings of the high school biology book. Like I've said, it was a good experience in the sense that I now know I can teach science and survive, but it definitely made me miss teaching English. This was probably apparent when I assigned an essay to the poor biology students... sorry, guys. Now I can finally enjoy my summer and recharge for next school year. 

Accountability

As an educator, the word "accountability" is word that I'm quite familiar with- at some level, districts, administrators, teachers, students and parents all need to be held accountable. This is a concept I accept professionally and in personal endeavors as well. I hold myself accountable in terms of workouts, calories/nutrition, housework, maintaining relationships, and raising my dogs to be upstanding, successful citizens of the global community (Chomsky and Cordie are very excited to vote in November).

And now I'm done patting myself on the back. 

This sense of responsibility isn't something that shines through in every aspect of my life. I have not held myself accountable when it comes to writing the supposed novel I have semi-dreamed up in my head. This will be the sixth (seventh? eighth?) summer that I've forecasted at least a draft come September. Let's not go there, though. Let's go to Delillo. Mother effing Don Delillo and his doorstop Underworld. 

I first became enraptured with Underworld my first year in college, back as a UCLA undergrad in 2001-2002. I was taking a writing class and one of the assignments revolved around reading the lengthy prologue to Underworld, which Delillo has actually published as the novella Pafko at the Wall. I should have stopped there! 56 pages of solid, quality fiction that told the exciting story of the Giants beating the Dodgers during the 1951 playoff series while they were both back in New York. But no, I had to ask for the book for Christmas... back in 2002. 

It's 2012. 

I've started and restarted the book several times, but the furthest I've seemed to have gotten is halfway. Apparently last time I took it pretty seriously and busted out the colored tabs. I think this was four years ago. 

I have no clue what the damn markers are for now.

I honestly have no idea why I haven't been able to finish the novel. It's dense and long (over 800 pages), but from what I've read (and remember) it's good. Delillo's descriptions are spot-on, his characters are interesting, and I can't wait until the connections between the sections really show themselves. I'm intrigued, really, I am. 

But isn't that the way? How many things in life do we put off because we fear the anticipation is actually better than the outcome? How many times are we let down by something we've looked forward to for so, so long? Vacations, red velvet frozen yogurt, parenthood (kidding... maybe...), a spa day, road trips, a movie? Or is it the idea of something being actually over that is more disturbing? 

Look what this book is doing to me! I'm attempting to be far too metaphorical and am completely  over-using rhetorical questions. Disgraceful. Dramatics aside, this book is a mountain that I haven't been able to climb and it pisses me the hell off. And so it's time for some accountability.

Last week I started reading Underworld and told myself that all I needed to do was read 25 pages a night (for some reason this takes me 45-60 minutes, depending on the distractions). I made a chart telling myself what page I should be on each day and even started taking notes as I read. Last Monday I got serious. And I did really, really well for four days.

And then I went out Friday night and got off track. And then Saturday was rough and then busy, so I increased the deficit up to 50. On Sunday I had to make up for doing jack crap on Saturday, leaving me up to minus 75 pages. This is not accountability, this is negligence. This is like doing a really good job of feeding your puppy for four days and then forgetting about him for the weekend because you like your friends too much (I have never done this, by the way- pinky swear).

So, in order to hold myself responsible I publicly declaring that I will have Underworld done by July 16th. 

If not I'll read Twilight. Not really.  

Top Ten Tuesday- No Promises Here

The Broke and the Bookish ask us to list our top ten books we plan to read this summer. There are three that I have to read for work, but other than that, I hate to commit... Here's some guesses, but I make no promises!

1. Master Harold and the Boys by Athol Fugard- This was one of the books my students were assigned to read this summer, so I guess I better read it to (there's a prescribed curriculum, I don't just randomly pull books out of my ass for the student to read). I do know that this is a play about race and South Africa.

2. Antigone by Sophocles- Another for work; I read this in high school but definitely need to revisit it. To be honest, I'm not exactly, psyched, but it's short. Greek plays are like drinking wheat grass shots- not always easy to get down for most of us, but so good for you.

3. Thank You for Arguing by Jay Heinrichs- The last one for work. At times I think it's a tad counterproductive to teach kids to be better at arguing....

4. Luminous Airplanes by Paul LaFarge- I'm actually reading this right now am still undecided; it's a little rough around the edges but not bad (the story is about a man who returns to his hometown when his Grandfather dies). I am interested to see how the online component pans out.

5. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann- I've been meaning to read this for a few years. 

6. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harsbach- I actually got the ARC to review from Amazon Vine (I know, I know) several months ago- I should probably get on that...   

7. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver- I'm thinking this might be a nice read, as I continue my little "quest" for healthy eating.

8. Inside Scientology by Janet Reitman- This is for book club, which has been more of a drinking too much/planning fun things club lately, so we'll see when we get on this... 

9. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese- This book seems so good, but also very dense. Summer is probably the best time.

10 Underworld by Don Delillo- I've actually started it again (see above post). Hopefully I'll hold myself accountable this time.

Top Ten Tuesday- Rewind

The Broke and the Bookish is allowing us to pick from any of their old topics, so I figured I'd do the top ten books "I can't believe I haven't read." I may have done this one before, who knows. My brain is so fried from teaching/planning biology for 9 hours a day (and planning 4 hours last night) that I want to do things that I can't write here because they be incriminating later. I'm kidding. Let's just say I'm not really a serious complainer, but am somehow doing plenty of it right now (and it's not the kids or the fact that I'm working extra). Tomorrow the big-girl panties will be on and Negative Nancy will be sufficiently silenced.

Here we are:

1. Ulysses by James Joyce- It just seems important.

2. The Bible by God (just kidding, by King James... oh wait...)- I didn't have a strong religious upbringing and I've never had the urge. I know I need to for literary reasons.

3. Moby Dick by Herman Melville- I was good-naturedly chastised about this last week by a few colleagues and now I feel slightly guilty. Stupid whale.

4. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller- I know, I know! It fell through the cracks! It's like a doctor failing to learn about, I don't know, the liver.

5. Slaughterhouse- Five by Kurt Vonnegut- Another one that I probably should have read...

6. Underworld by Don Dellilo- I've owned it for like 8 years and have started it over two or three times. It's not bad, it's just that I'm good at making excuses.

7. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck- It just seems so depressing (see above sentence). And dusty (I really, really dislike movies with dirty people, like Westerns- I've more forgiving with books, but still, the Dust Bowl sounds gross).

8. The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon- This is a huge confession: I've never read anything by Pynchon. For some reason I got a little carried away with the idea that he's a total sci-fi writer, which is not my genre of choice. 

9. Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov- This was supposed to be our book club selection, but I changed my choice and Lolita remains unread.

10. Fifty Shades of Gray by EL James- Apparently the majority of women between the ages of 18 and 93 have read this... Hmm... I don't think I've heard of it... Oh wait. I'm sorry, but the majority does not rule. I'm also sorry that I will continue to bitch about this book until the next big thing that I disagree with comes along.

The Second Annual "So You're Going to Be Reading By the Water, Eh?" List

Hawaii- so long ago...

I know it's a little early to be thinking about summer, but I can't stop- the weather is warming up, the students are getting restless, and I'm fantasizing about our plans to lay by a pool in Vegas with a cocktail (this daydream also includes me being fifteen pounds thinner, wearing a chic floppy hat, heels, pearls, and snapping at a cocktail server named Pablo for another round. Weird).

Back to reality.

People tend to bring reading material when they're sitting by the water (hence the title), their intents varying. No matter what, I've got you covered.

The Distracted Reader 

The Distracted Reader may have kids in the pool, three margaritas in the belly, or a hot life guide nearby (who just so happens to look a lot like Pablo..). They aren't able to expend a high-level of attention and won't be apt to reread confusing sections, look up big words, or analyze characters. It's okay. I forgive you! I mean I obviously think a little less of you and your dedication to all that is literary, but I'm sure you're still a good person. It's summer, after all. Consider:

Mildred Pierce by James Cain- Set in the fifties, a house wife ends up leaving her husband and becoming quite the bitchy entrepreneur. Plus, worse comes to worse, there's a miniseries (which I haven't seen but have heard good things about).

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld: Off topic, but I read an article the other day that referred to Sittenfeld as a man, when she is in fact a woman. Shoddy journalism, if you ask me. Anyway, this book is long, but it's pretty straightforward and quite interesting. Sittenfeld, the author of Prep, focuses on a fictional family that is quite similar to that of the Bush's (yes, as in the Texas-living, beer-drinking, war-starting, gibberish speaking, Republican Bushes).  

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn: While this book should absolutely be read at the satirical level, it's separated into 1-2 page letters, so it's easy to read it in sections and to put it down to rescue little Jimmy from the deep end or do shots with the fun college kids who make you feel old. The novella is about what happens to a small island when their government stops letting them use certain letters of the alphabet. 


The On Vacation Literati

The On Vacation Literati generally read pretty high-brow fiction, but sometimes they want a break (just not too much of one). These readers want something light enough to lug on the plane (don't you ereader me, dammit!), but also something that they won't be embarrassed to admit to reading in case a professor or Times Reviewer happens to be sitting next to them. 


The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson
This novel is the hilarious, smart tale of the Fang family, who creates social chaos as art. Their two kids move away and start their own troubled lives and end up back home for what ends up being part mystery part self-discovery. Ann Patchett suggested that it should have been at least a Pulitzer finalist. I'm not sure if I agree 100%, but it's still definitely worth it.

The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognani

This is a great coming-of-age story about two very different teenagers that end up being each others' only friend. One has a heart condition and an over-protective ultra-religious mom, while the other live in a glass dome with his hippie grandmother who has become ill. Oh, and they form a band. Everyone likes music. 

The Irresistible Henry House by Lisa Grunwald
The premise for this novel is incredibly interesting- Henry is brought up at a "home-ec practice" house at a university, therefore essentially have many, many mothers. He ends up growing up and working for Disney and the Beatles (he animates) but must endure the attachment issues that come with never truly feeling connected to a mother. Sentimental without being cliche, this novel delves into the classic "nature versus nurture" question. 

The Thieves of Manhattan by Adam Langer
This book about the publishing world is a face-paced mystery that pokes fun at the business while not taking itself too seriously. The main characters are well-written and the plot is perfectly paced.

The Stuck At Home Reader
Some summers don't end up in vacations in terms of time off or traveling. In that case, the Stuck At Home Reader must definitely live vicariously through their reading.

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
A big chunk of this book is set in Italy, as well as LA, and a bit in the Midwest. The story itself is decent, it's about an Italian man trying to find a woman he had fallen in love with many years before, but the setting was really my favorite part. 

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
Speaking of Patchett, her latest novel about finding the fountain of youth (at least as far as fertility goes) in the Amazon is a fantastic read, both in terms of plot and writing. You'll love the characters, the setting, and the final resolution.

 The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World by Jennifer Baggett

I know I've mentioned this a few times before, but in terms of setting it's great. The women leave their corporate jobs and visit places like Thailand, Peru, Kenya, Vietnam, and Australia. The writing isn't exactly amazing, but the places they visit are.


Mr. Pip by Lloyd Jones
The tropical island setting of this charming (short) book is a big part of it's charm. The island people must face violence frequently but learn the power of escape from hearing the schoolmaster read Dickens.

The Seasonal Reading Changes are Bullshit Reader
Some people feel that just because the sun is shining, the girls are wearing less and the drinks are served with umbrellas their reading tendencies should not change. I can understand that- summer is no excuse to get lazy.

Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dostoevski 
Just do it, you won't regret reading only the best book that has ever been written. Murder! Guilt! Russia! I read this my junior year in high school and it will forever by one of my favorites (if for some reason you went to MHS and had Baker you'd vividly remember the interactive notebook, which I loved doing. Seriously). 


Man Gone Down by Michael Thomas
This book is definitely not my favorite, but it challenged me as a reader. The main character is an out of work New Yorker that is trying to figure out how he can allow his family maintain a lifestyle that he can't afford. The narration is stream of conscience, the prose if well-done, but it is quite long.


Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
This book is one to be appreciated on many levels: the actual writing itself, the characters, and then the actual organization of the book. Mitchell creates connections and challenges you as a reader to do the same. Plus, you'll want to read it before the movie comes out and they fuck it up. 


So, last summer this is what I predicted I would read:

What is with that goddam Underworld book? Why can't I get myself to finish it? As for the rest, I read them all except Naked Lunch. I'm not going to even try to predict what I'll read this summer. Why set myself up for failure? I know that I will for sure be reading John Irving's new one- it's going to be on my doorstep Tuesday!

Edited to Add: Using this for Top Ten Tuesday from The Broke and the Bookish.

March Reviews- A Long Month

March was a long month, on so, so many levels. One of the benefits, I suppose, was the fact that the length seemed to allow for more reading. And lucky for me, there were some good ones.

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

267 pages

I would really love to once again ramble on and one about this book, but I already did a prior post, so I'll spare you the details. Foer goes into great deal about factory farming, the cultural side of meat eating, and many other things related to vegetarianism. I have to confess to buying this book for my sister for her birthday, although she made the conversion many years ago.

Verdict: If you don't want to start thinking differently, don't read this book. 

An Uncommon Education by Elizabeth Percer

340 pages

I was first drawn to this book (through Amazon Vine) because of it's comparisons to Prep and Special Topics in Calamity Fiction. While it didn't necessarily live up to those two, it was still a good read that chronicled Naomi Feinstein's young adult life as she finds her way at Wellesley. Obviously it's a coming of age novel, and Percer does a decent job of allowing us to watch her transformation through bad decisions, relationships, and the passage of time.  

Verdict: I think that there are other stories that handle the whole "smart girl with familial issues grows up" story better, but I think for Percer's first novel it's solid work.

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

207 pages

This book is quirky, quick, and a fantastic satire. Recommended by a friend, I am shocked that it somehow slipped under my radar when it came out quite a few years ago. Ella lives on a quaint fictional island that idolizes a man who was able to create a a sentence using all the letters of the alphabet, which is written on a statue. The letters start falling off and the government prohibits the use of the letters in speech and writing. As the letters keep falling off the author omits them from the text as well- by the end it becomes almost hard to read. After reading this I gave my students the same challenge and they had a lot of fun with it. 

Verdict: A really quick, enjoyable read. It seems so simple on the surface, but the commentary it's given in regards to government, community, and even religion is truly interesting.

Man Gone Down by Michael Thomas

428 pages

This was probably the most literary, and most challenging, book I read this month. It pushed me in the fact that it was a long character study that was told in a stream of consciousness format. I appreciate what Thomas did- he took a wounded, prideful man that was on the cusp of losing everything and tried to give him a voice (and he did). I really didn't like the nameless narrator and often wanted to lecture him about what he should really be doing to get his family and job back. This whole idea of not liking the narrator isn't a problem for me, by the way; a good book does not necessarily need nice people. 

Verdict: It's definitely not for everyone, but if you something to sink your teeth into, this is it.

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

352 pages

I literally just finished this book and am still on the fence about it. It has some really great qualities, such as the way the characters are weaved together throughout geography and time, as well as the various unique settings (like one of my favorite places, Italy). On the other hand, I think one of the character perspectives was a little awkward and that it just simply could have been better. I understand I've told you exactly jack crap about what it's exactly about, but it would require way too much for a review (check out Amazon... sorry).

Verdict: It's a quick read; I predict it will be on a lot of "beach reads for the literary" lists this summer when it comes out. 

I'm think of tackling Underworld by Don DeLillo next. Maybe.

Top Ten Tuesday- Sentimental, Yet Practical

This week's Top Ten Tuesday (from the Broke and the Bookish) asks bloggers to decide the ten books they'd save if their house was about to be destroyed by fire/earthquake/flood/zombies. Here are mine:

1. Charlotte's Web by EB White- My first chapter book- the sentimental value is irreplaceable.

2. Our Wedding Album- While I understand this isn't necessarily a traditional book, it has pictures, words and pages- fits my criteria.

3. Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dosteyvsky- Not only is it my favorite book, but it's also all marked up from high school. I was so not as smart as I thought I was back then...

4. My journals- They're all in one place, so I'm going to consider them as just one entry (despite that there are probably fifteen or so). I'm sure a lot of people would be surprised that I journal, considering my distaste for scrapbooking and aversion to sappiness. But it became a habit over twenty years ago and will hopefully always be. There's no way I'd leave them behind.

5. My yearbook from senior year- Damn I'm turning this into a sentimental post. I love looking through it and reading what my friends wrote.

6. Tree of Codes by Jonathan Safran Foer- If my house is destroyed I may need some cash- this is worth a couple hundred bucks (it's a first edition).

7. Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook- I don't want to starve and have very few decent recipes stuck in my head. What if I need to bust out a souffle?

8. A book I've never read before- I'm sure I'll have down time, considering all my other belongings have been ruined. I'll need something to start a new library with.

9. The Road by Cormac McCarthy- In the event that the reason why my house has been destroyed in some sort of apocalypse, this book has some great survival tips.

10. Underworld by Don DeLillo- I'm going to finish this bitch one day. It's tabbed and possibly written in- I'm not losing that work.

Top Ten Tuesday- Clubbin'

Personally, I love my book club, despite that there are only three of us and we talk about the book for ten minutes, tops. We meet a few times a month for happy hour anyway and decided a book every month or two would just be icing on the cake. We take turns making choosing a book, so I decided that my Top Ten Tuesday (from The Broke and Bookish) would be books that I'd consider choosing when my turn comes around next. Be warned, I haven't read any of them, but I do own them all:

1. When the Killing's Done by TC Boyle- I have a weird, twisted crush on freaky TC, made worse when he wrote this environmental novel about the Channel Islands.

2. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann- I have no doubt this will be a wonderful book and I'd love to have people to talk to about it.

3. Family Fang by Kevin Wilson- Quirky and humorous texts make great conversation over cocktails.

4. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Kazuo Ishiguro- I'm not sure if this would go over well, but I know I'm going to fall in love with Ishiguro's running and writing rhetoric.

5. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez- This one could possibly be well received; a little history, some South American flare, and magical realism.

6. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov- I'm always a little ashamed that I haven't read this, but there it stands on my shelf. Underage sex is another great cocktail conversation.

7. Composition No 1 by Marc Saporta- This is the infamous "book in a box," which equates to the grown up choose your own adventure story (it's a box full of individual sheets of paper that could be read in any order, supposedly). Either genius or a mess- the juries still out.

8. Changing My Mind by Zadie Smith- This collection of essay would be great to discuss with a group, I think. Smith is challenging and demands thought- done in a group would be very reminiscent of college (new Top Ten Tuesday meme- "Things You Do in a Group in College"- kidding, kidding).

9. Let My People Go Surfing by Yvone Chouinard- This nonfiction text would hopefully be an inspiring piece- Chouinard is one cool guy. He is a huge nature enthusiast and was also one of the founders of Patagonia, the clothing company.

10. Underworld by Don Delillo- First off, the obligatory "fuck Don Delillo!" Next, given the fact it's taken my something like 7 years to get through this, having the pressure of book club would make me finish it. Unfortunately, I don't think my counterparts would be on board with the nearly 1,000 door stop.