In July I read the new collection of short stories from Jhumpa Lahiri, Unaccustomed Earth. As when I read her previous works, she captivated me with her ability to draw characters through subtle descriptions of their actions, words, and, at times, their thoughts. As before many of her characters find themselves putting down roots in "unaccustomed earth." Interestingly the quote with which she begins her collection (from Nathaniel Hawthorne) puts a positive light on that situation.
Still her characters often struggle to find their ways, sometimes with sad results. I found a couple of the stories particularly heartbreaking. As before, some of the characters stay with me, coming to mind as I go through my days. Her characters and their stories have gotten deep into me.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Choice Words
Now I want to write about a book I love: Choice Words by Peter H. Johnston. It is a non-fiction book that moves back and forth between my bedside bookshelf and the bookshelf by my desk at school. It is a book directed at teachers that reminds me how the words we use with our students carry so much communication beyond their basic meaning. Our words if well chosen can inspire and support our students. If not so well chosen, our words can undermine our students and our goals for them. He also talks about the questions teachers should ask and then listen carefully to the answers. This book is drawn from the author's experiences in classrooms with students and teachers, and their words echo throughout.
He begins the book quoting a poem by Herb Warren: Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones. The poem closes:
Sticks and stones may break the bones
But leave the spirit whole,
But simple words can break the heart
Or silence crush the soul.
Johnston's book illustrates the truth of these words.
He begins the book quoting a poem by Herb Warren: Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones. The poem closes:
Sticks and stones may break the bones
But leave the spirit whole,
But simple words can break the heart
Or silence crush the soul.
Johnston's book illustrates the truth of these words.
The Other Boleyn Girl
It's been almost a month since I've posted. I have been reading, just not getting around to blogging. In part it's been because of some negative feelings about one book I read. It was definitely a case of not choosing wisely. With a little investigation ahead of time I probably would have known that this was not a book for me.
But the problem is that I have a long term fascination with the Tudors, particularly Henry VIII, his ill-fated wives, and his daughter Elizabeth I. I can trace it back to a visit with my family to New Orleans when I was 12 or 13. During an evening visiting various shops in the French Quarter, I saw a set of small dolls that represented Henry VIII and his six wives. I'm not sure how much it was the intriguing idea that he had six wives and beheaded two of them and how much it was the sumptuous, detailed clothing of the dolls, but I was fascinated. They were way beyond any price I could manage. I did, however, find a book Henry VIII and his Wives by Walter Jerrold at a used bookstore. That I could afford, so I bought it and it became the first of many I have read on this subject.
Now I know historical fiction is fiction and the authors take liberties. But in The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, not all the liberties seem to me for the good. I had a hard time maintaining my interest. I've had this problem before where I am not really enjoying a book, yet I am driven to read on to see how the writer handles things. I was disappointed yet read on. I felt like I was reading Tudors 90210. These characters are so rich and complex. We know that from history. Yet somehow they shrank rather than expanded in this book. So after the first about 250 pages I found myself skimming, not reading every word but picking up the gist of the storyline. And that is how I finished the book. I did not look back but found something more engaging to read.
But the problem is that I have a long term fascination with the Tudors, particularly Henry VIII, his ill-fated wives, and his daughter Elizabeth I. I can trace it back to a visit with my family to New Orleans when I was 12 or 13. During an evening visiting various shops in the French Quarter, I saw a set of small dolls that represented Henry VIII and his six wives. I'm not sure how much it was the intriguing idea that he had six wives and beheaded two of them and how much it was the sumptuous, detailed clothing of the dolls, but I was fascinated. They were way beyond any price I could manage. I did, however, find a book Henry VIII and his Wives by Walter Jerrold at a used bookstore. That I could afford, so I bought it and it became the first of many I have read on this subject.
Now I know historical fiction is fiction and the authors take liberties. But in The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, not all the liberties seem to me for the good. I had a hard time maintaining my interest. I've had this problem before where I am not really enjoying a book, yet I am driven to read on to see how the writer handles things. I was disappointed yet read on. I felt like I was reading Tudors 90210. These characters are so rich and complex. We know that from history. Yet somehow they shrank rather than expanded in this book. So after the first about 250 pages I found myself skimming, not reading every word but picking up the gist of the storyline. And that is how I finished the book. I did not look back but found something more engaging to read.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
One of the non-fiction books that I am currently reading is Micahel Pollan's In Defense of Food. In this book he takes on the question of what we should eat to be healthy. He starts with a short answer: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."
Of course things quickly get complex as he examines how we got to where we are today with what real foods and not quite real foods are available today. He looks closely at what exactly is food. What does he mean by food? One qualification is that your great-grandmother would recognize it. He goes into more detail and really gets me thinking about what I eat in different ways. Due in large part to the influence of the food industry and the proponents of "nutritionism" (as opposed to nutrition), what we eat often does not meet his definition of food.
I haven't finished it yet. As I often do with non-narrative non-fiction, I have read the beginning and now am jumping around some, not reading it every day. Definitely another book by Pollan with a lot of food for thought.
Of course things quickly get complex as he examines how we got to where we are today with what real foods and not quite real foods are available today. He looks closely at what exactly is food. What does he mean by food? One qualification is that your great-grandmother would recognize it. He goes into more detail and really gets me thinking about what I eat in different ways. Due in large part to the influence of the food industry and the proponents of "nutritionism" (as opposed to nutrition), what we eat often does not meet his definition of food.
I haven't finished it yet. As I often do with non-narrative non-fiction, I have read the beginning and now am jumping around some, not reading it every day. Definitely another book by Pollan with a lot of food for thought.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Search the Dark by Charles Todd
I just finished Search the Dark by Charles Todd. It is the third in a series of mysteries featuring Inspector Ian Rutledge. I read the first two mysteries in this series several months ago after reading a positive review of the latest in the Raleigh News & Observer. I like finding a series that draws me in, as I can look forward to enjoying more than just the book I am reading. I found much to like in the first two books. I approached the third with both hope and worry. Sometimes a series run out of steam.
Fortunately that was not the case here and I liked Search the Dark even better than the first two books. These books are set in Post World War I England. The protagonist is a man whose life has been wrenched around by his experiences in that war. The war over, he has returned to his previous work at Scotland Yard. As he tries to move forward he realizes that, for him, the war is not really over. A fascinating (at least in terms of plot) remnant of the war is the voice in his head of a man, Hamish, whose death weighs on him. My hope is that over time Hamish will develop as much as the Inspector himself does as a character. The war and its effect on both the Inspector and others in the stories are major parts of the stories. The plot and its mystery are complex enough without being so intricate I get lost. I think what I love best is the fascinating characters whose motives I am constantly second-guessing as the story plays out.
I have read that the author is really a mother and son team. They certainly have developed a successful collaboration.
Fortunately that was not the case here and I liked Search the Dark even better than the first two books. These books are set in Post World War I England. The protagonist is a man whose life has been wrenched around by his experiences in that war. The war over, he has returned to his previous work at Scotland Yard. As he tries to move forward he realizes that, for him, the war is not really over. A fascinating (at least in terms of plot) remnant of the war is the voice in his head of a man, Hamish, whose death weighs on him. My hope is that over time Hamish will develop as much as the Inspector himself does as a character. The war and its effect on both the Inspector and others in the stories are major parts of the stories. The plot and its mystery are complex enough without being so intricate I get lost. I think what I love best is the fascinating characters whose motives I am constantly second-guessing as the story plays out.
I have read that the author is really a mother and son team. They certainly have developed a successful collaboration.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
The Graveyard Book- Nobody's story
Neil Gaiman won out last weekend. I knew I could count on him to provide me with a real story that would feed my need for story. So I picked up the copy of The Graveyard Book that Aaron and Abby gave me for Christmas.
It is designated "juvenile fiction," but I find that some works in this genre are more compelling than a lot of adult fiction. What matters to me is that is an enjoyable story with interesting characters and both depths and surprises to it. It follows a toddler who escapes death at the hands of a determined killer when the ghostly inhabitants of a graveyard take him in. A couple who never had a child become his parents and a non-living, non-dead gentleman takes the role of guardian.
The book is episodic, looking in on the child at different ages as he learns from the dead around him as well as an occasional living person. The ghosts are varied as they come from different eras of history. Nobody is an appealing child, vulnerable, curious, daring, sweet, and rebellious. How he is at various ages is consistent with children of those ages. He is quite a typical child, if you leave aside that he lives in a graveyard and learns from ghosts and other mystical creatures. But you can't leave that aside and that is what makes the story intriguing. This is a coming of age tale with a definite fantastic bent. It has suspense, horror, yearning, mystery, and a bittersweet ending. Or is it an end? I would love to see the adventures of Nobody Owens as he explores the wider world.
It is designated "juvenile fiction," but I find that some works in this genre are more compelling than a lot of adult fiction. What matters to me is that is an enjoyable story with interesting characters and both depths and surprises to it. It follows a toddler who escapes death at the hands of a determined killer when the ghostly inhabitants of a graveyard take him in. A couple who never had a child become his parents and a non-living, non-dead gentleman takes the role of guardian.
The book is episodic, looking in on the child at different ages as he learns from the dead around him as well as an occasional living person. The ghosts are varied as they come from different eras of history. Nobody is an appealing child, vulnerable, curious, daring, sweet, and rebellious. How he is at various ages is consistent with children of those ages. He is quite a typical child, if you leave aside that he lives in a graveyard and learns from ghosts and other mystical creatures. But you can't leave that aside and that is what makes the story intriguing. This is a coming of age tale with a definite fantastic bent. It has suspense, horror, yearning, mystery, and a bittersweet ending. Or is it an end? I would love to see the adventures of Nobody Owens as he explores the wider world.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Starved for Story
It has been hectic lately. A lot of time/energy spent preparing for parent-teacher conferences. It's also basketball season, so there have been some games to watch (Go, Duke!) I don't watch a lot of T.V. but it seems several of my favorite shows are up and running new episodes at the same time: Lost, Heroes, and Top Chef. So I realized today that I have not been reading any fiction for a couple of weeks. And I am missing it. The power of Story to refresh me, to invigorate me, to get me to think and feel, and to give me an escape from hectic times, is amazing. When I go for a while without reading fiction, I start missing it with increasing intensity. And I feel duller.
Well I finished up conferences today, so now I'm ready. The only problem is deciding what to dive int0: Shall I finally dive into Neal Stephenson's latest (Anathem)? Would a mystery be lighter fare I would enjoy after working my brain hard? What about the new Neil Gaiman (The Graveyard Book) that Aaron & Abby gave me for Christmas? Or should I start rereading the Orson Scott Card Ender books, as I have been wanting to after listening to the first part of an audio adaptation of Ender's Game?
Well I finished up conferences today, so now I'm ready. The only problem is deciding what to dive int0: Shall I finally dive into Neal Stephenson's latest (Anathem)? Would a mystery be lighter fare I would enjoy after working my brain hard? What about the new Neil Gaiman (The Graveyard Book) that Aaron & Abby gave me for Christmas? Or should I start rereading the Orson Scott Card Ender books, as I have been wanting to after listening to the first part of an audio adaptation of Ender's Game?
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The Stuff that Dreams are made...on?
My husband Henry writes poetry (http://henryspoetry.blogspot.com/). Recently he wrote a poem that made a reference to a line from The Tempest: "We are such stuff as dreams are made on." When he read the poem to me, I had a sense that it was not exactly right. Isn't it "stuff as dreams are made of?" He proved his point with Google. Of course he was right. He was in a production of The Tempest when he was a teenager and as a Middle School teacher he has produced several versions of it over the years.
So why was it stuck so clearly in my mind as "of?" I've seen the play a number of times over the years. I can usually rely on my memory for things like that. So I wanted to see why I had it wrong in my head.
First I went to my collection of Sandman comics for the issue that focused on the writing of The Tempest, with William Shakespeare as a character. But of course Neil Gaiman got it right. I closed my eyes to see what came to mind. Very clearly I saw Humphery Bogart in The Maltese Falcon, "the stuff that dreams are made of." He was responding to a question of what the Maltese Falcon was. I googled it and sure enough he said "of" rather than "on." I'm not sure if I should be chagrined or not that I remember a Shakespeare line based on how it was misquoted in a movie!
So why was it stuck so clearly in my mind as "of?" I've seen the play a number of times over the years. I can usually rely on my memory for things like that. So I wanted to see why I had it wrong in my head.
First I went to my collection of Sandman comics for the issue that focused on the writing of The Tempest, with William Shakespeare as a character. But of course Neil Gaiman got it right. I closed my eyes to see what came to mind. Very clearly I saw Humphery Bogart in The Maltese Falcon, "the stuff that dreams are made of." He was responding to a question of what the Maltese Falcon was. I googled it and sure enough he said "of" rather than "on." I'm not sure if I should be chagrined or not that I remember a Shakespeare line based on how it was misquoted in a movie!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Mysteries
I love a good mystery. Of course, I have my own idea of what a good mystery is. I like a complex puzzle, but I also like interesting and, at times, surprising characters. I like some suspense but not so much it completely overshadows the story. Too much horror or graphic gore can turn me off. And while I can enjoy some humor as part of a mystery, too flip a tone also puts me off. (I tried those "cat" mysteries a while back, and they were not my cup of tea.)
I am always looking for a new series I would enjoy. I find there is some comfort in the familiar detective around whom a new story and new characters develop. I use the term detective broadly, as some are professionals and some are not. Some of my favorites: Miss Marple, Adam Dalgleish & Kate Miskin, Alan Banks, Spencer Arrowood, Kate Martinelli, Inspector Wexford, Richard Jury, Jim Chee & Joe Leaphorn, and Kate Fansler (in not too large a dose.) So there are often mysteries on my shelf. Some are recent reads waiting for a home on one of the bookshelves throughout our house. Some are waiting to be read. What a delight to have a lineup of promising books calling out to be read. Too little time!
I am always looking for a new series I would enjoy. I find there is some comfort in the familiar detective around whom a new story and new characters develop. I use the term detective broadly, as some are professionals and some are not. Some of my favorites: Miss Marple, Adam Dalgleish & Kate Miskin, Alan Banks, Spencer Arrowood, Kate Martinelli, Inspector Wexford, Richard Jury, Jim Chee & Joe Leaphorn, and Kate Fansler (in not too large a dose.) So there are often mysteries on my shelf. Some are recent reads waiting for a home on one of the bookshelves throughout our house. Some are waiting to be read. What a delight to have a lineup of promising books calling out to be read. Too little time!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Eat, Pray, Love- Finale (possible spoilers)
I finished Eat, Pray, Love recently. Overall I enjoyed the book and found things in it worth considering. The last section on her time in Indonesia was involving. I was looking forward to it especially after reading the title for that section: "36 Tales about the Pursuit of Balance." Balance is something that I am focusing on in my own life: balance between school life and personal life, balance in where I put my energies at school, balance in terms of being centered and thoughtful in my life. The balance the author is seeking is between pleasure and spirit, or as she put it "what I want to learn is how to live in this world and enjoy its delights, but also devote myself to God." While she seems to find some sense of this by the end of the book, I found a sense of let down as I finished it. In part I found the focus of her quest distracted by romantic developments (will she or won't she), though that is certainly one form of enjoying the world's delights. I also would have enjoyed more at the end about her return to her "regular" life. Pursuing pleasure in Italy and God in an ashram in India are one thing (or two?), but bringing what she learns back to modern day life in our culture would be quite another.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Eat, Pray, Love-Italy & India
I'm two-thirds through the book now. The first section was enjoyable as it was centered on her time in Italy. It also was the part in which she outlined the struggles she was having before she began her quest/journey. That part was more painful. Her tales of Italy spoke of incredibly delicious food prepared with love and deep care. It made my mouth water.
For a fiction book to work for me, I have to buy into it through the often referred to "suspension of disbelief." If you can't suspend the disbelief, you keep pulling yourself out of the story and thus the story does not really work. It loses its power, it casts no spell. With memoirs it seems something else has to suspended. Cynicism and/or being judgemental perhaps? To embrace a memoir fully I have to be open to how the author is experiencing things. I mention this as I process the section about India in the book. Her experiences in the ashram are different in many ways from my life, just as she, as a person, is different in many ways from me. Yet as the book progresses, I find myself noticing more and more the connections between the author and me rather than the differences that I focused on earlier in the book. While her journey is not mine, I am drawn into her experiences and her revelations. I use them as a lens through which to view my own experiences.
For a fiction book to work for me, I have to buy into it through the often referred to "suspension of disbelief." If you can't suspend the disbelief, you keep pulling yourself out of the story and thus the story does not really work. It loses its power, it casts no spell. With memoirs it seems something else has to suspended. Cynicism and/or being judgemental perhaps? To embrace a memoir fully I have to be open to how the author is experiencing things. I mention this as I process the section about India in the book. Her experiences in the ashram are different in many ways from my life, just as she, as a person, is different in many ways from me. Yet as the book progresses, I find myself noticing more and more the connections between the author and me rather than the differences that I focused on earlier in the book. While her journey is not mine, I am drawn into her experiences and her revelations. I use them as a lens through which to view my own experiences.
'Tis a puzzlement
I love crossword puzzles and double-crostics. I inherited this love from my mother (though I have not yet mastered the cryptic crosswords that she also loved.) So on my bookshelf is a clipboard where I keep several puzzles to work on. I subscribe to the NY Times puzzles which I can get online. I've tried working them on my computer, but I much prefer to work them with pencil and paper, so I usually print them out. I know this is less "green," but I do print them on the back of paper I have already used for something else. I always do the Sunday puzzle and it remains my favorite. I often do Wednesday through Friday or Saturday. The last two days can sometimes give me fits. For the most part I try to work them without resorting to looking up things, but if I still have gaping holes after a few days, I'll pick up a reference book. Last resort for me is googling.
The NY Times site also has acrostics a couple of times a month. I also like to do the Los Angeles Times puzzles. The News & Observer, which we have delivered, has the LA Times puzzle on Sunday. If I do it other times, I get it from the LA Times website. It carries some nostalgia for me, as the Louisville Courier-Journal carries it and that is the puzzle my mother used to do regularly. On the whole it is almost up there with the NY Times puzzle in terms of cleverness and difficulty, but every now and then it will surpass the NY Times. I occasionally get puzzles from the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Wall Street Journal online. I also have an email subscription to 2 puzzles that Ben Tausig sends out weekly through Google Groups "Weekly xword" group. These tend to be a little more modern in topic and sensibility (a touch of potty humor at times and sexual humor, as opposed to the more indirect sexual innuendo that may appear in the more "prim and proper" puzzles.)
The NY Times site also has acrostics a couple of times a month. I also like to do the Los Angeles Times puzzles. The News & Observer, which we have delivered, has the LA Times puzzle on Sunday. If I do it other times, I get it from the LA Times website. It carries some nostalgia for me, as the Louisville Courier-Journal carries it and that is the puzzle my mother used to do regularly. On the whole it is almost up there with the NY Times puzzle in terms of cleverness and difficulty, but every now and then it will surpass the NY Times. I occasionally get puzzles from the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Wall Street Journal online. I also have an email subscription to 2 puzzles that Ben Tausig sends out weekly through Google Groups "Weekly xword" group. These tend to be a little more modern in topic and sensibility (a touch of potty humor at times and sexual humor, as opposed to the more indirect sexual innuendo that may appear in the more "prim and proper" puzzles.)
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
What to Eat
In addition to the book I am currently reading in a start to finish way, I like to keep some books at hand that I occasionally pick up and read from. A lot of these are non-fiction. It takes non-fiction with a strong narrative thread to get me to read it cover to cover (like the book I am currently reading Eat, Pray, Love.) Other non-fiction is more for dipping into now and then. What to Eat by Marion Nestle is a book that often sits on my bookshelf. It is not a book to read straight through (at least for me,) but it has a lot of encyclopedic information about the food we eat. I recently read the section on eggs which gave me food for thought, so to speak. I feel fortunate (especially after reading the section on eggs in this book) in having good sources for local eggs. The book organizes foods both by type and by the area of the supermarket where they are usually found. There's a lot of information about food and nutrition as well as explorations of how food is produced in our country, how it is marketed, etc. At times it offers more info than I really want to know, but it is a great reference.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Eat, Pray, Love
At the top of the pile on my bookshelf is Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, subtitled One Woman's search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia. I intercepted it as it was being passed from one person to another. My daughter-in-law finished it while we were spending the holidays in the Smoky Mountains together. She offered it to my husband, knowing that he regularly meditates. It is a book I have been wanting to read. I heard the author interviewed a couple of years ago on NPR and on one of my favorite podcasts, KCRW's Good Food. So I took temporary charge of the book.
So far I am in the Italy section of the book where she explores the pleasure of food, the Italian language, and a culture that values pleasure. Her overall desire voiced early in the book is "what I want to learn is how to live in this world and enjoy its delights, but also devote myself to God." That seems an interesting challenge. After Italy I will follow her to an ashram in India and to a medicine man in Indonesia. It promises to be an interesting journey.
So far I am in the Italy section of the book where she explores the pleasure of food, the Italian language, and a culture that values pleasure. Her overall desire voiced early in the book is "what I want to learn is how to live in this world and enjoy its delights, but also devote myself to God." That seems an interesting challenge. After Italy I will follow her to an ashram in India and to a medicine man in Indonesia. It promises to be an interesting journey.
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